Synonym Chooser

How does the noun item contrast with its synonyms?

The words detail and particular are common synonyms of item. While all three words mean "one of the distinct parts of a whole," item applies to each thing specified separately in a list or in a group of things that might be listed or enumerated.

every item on the list

When might detail be a better fit than item?

The synonyms detail and item are sometimes interchangeable, but detail applies to one of the small component parts of a larger whole such as a task, building, painting, narration, or process.

leave the details to others

When would particular be a good substitute for item?

Although the words particular and item have much in common, particular stresses the smallness, singleness, and especially the concreteness of a detail or item.

a description that included few particulars

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of item Chong Wen, a 33-year-old who works at a local bank in Guangzhou, recently purchased several items from Louis Vuitton, including a classic Neverfull for her mother-in-law and a monogrammed wallet for her husband. Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025 Looking ahead, executives said Popeyes will also focus more on its core menu items after spending much of the last year highlighting innovations, like bone-in chicken wings. Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025 Police emphasized the public should not worry about those items purchased online or at retailers. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025 Geiger said many stores began offering discounts and clearance on select Halloween items even in early October. Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for item
Recent Examples of Synonyms for item
Noun
  • Displacing 80,000 tons, the Fujian is the closest thing afloat to the US Navy’s 97,000-ton Nimitz-class carriers, which make up 10 of the 11 carriers in the US fleet.
    Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
  • But things just weren't right with her.
    Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Marchand posted information about the raffle on Instagram, saying the game will celebrate Selah Panacci-MacCallum's life.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The tracker includes information such as links to the lawsuit complaint (which list all plaintiffs), when a case was filed, the case name, press releases related to the case, a summary of the case in Nessel's words and the status of each case.
    Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • With Prior at the service line, the Pilots jumped out to a 9-0 lead behind two Prior aces, a kill and two stuff blocks from Delilah Wilson and Talia Butler’s two kills and a stuff block in set two.
    Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2025
  • This was clown stuff in a city where, per a 2024 report, someone earning the average salary ($88,647) could afford only 5 percent of rentals on the market after factoring in upfront costs such as broker’s fees and security deposits.
    Clio Chang, Curbed, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • These details matter because the circumstance of the death – from accidents to malicious murders – could determine the size of the discount.
    Chris Lau, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The reasons for that nosedive have been explored and debated in detail.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Continue reading … PRIVACY REVOLT – California faculty union fights back as university prepares to hand over personal info to feds.
    , FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
  • What’s the channel (and radio info) for Chiefs-Bills?
    Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The particulars of his exit from Fort Worth to South Beach are sad, but in this era not surprising.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025
  • American viewers are also liable to be confused by some of the political particulars.
    Judy Berman, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The real story of the Elizabethan succession was altogether darker and more turbulent than Camden’s fiction.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
  • This is the web version of Fortune Tech, a daily newsletter breaking down the biggest players and stories shaping the future.
    Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • At a certain point the movie was playing in only one theater in the city, a place across town, on Third Avenue.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
  • But images taken by satellite and plane between November and December 2022 indicate that the glacier retreated nearly half a mile per day at some points, according to the paper.
    Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Item.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/item. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.

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