as in oh
how surprising, doubtful, or unbelievable
why, what a strange thing to say! why, that's not possible!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in reason
something (as a belief) that serves as the basis for another thing
asked the whys behind the surprising decision
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in mystery
something hard to understand or explain
how one decides that a certain person is "the one" is one of the great whys of life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of why
Filip Bondy, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2017
Barbara Puszkiewicz-Cimino, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
There’s got to be a why.
—Vulture, 29 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for why
Interjection
Why, oh why, do the Rangers keep throwing away almost certain victories in the final minutes of playoff games?
—Filip Bondy, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2017
Noun
There are times when the in-platform optimizations are taken advantage of yet there is no alignment internally between leadership and the execution teams as to the why, what and when.
—Barbara Puszkiewicz-Cimino, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
There’s got to be a why.
—Vulture, 29 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for why
Recent Examples of Synonyms for why
Interjection
-
Gather ye, oh clouds of despondency, rain blood down onto Gallowgate and soak the ground red.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
13 Aug. 2025
-
And then, oh, my gosh, the brother of the person that's in the lake works at the boathouse in Lexington.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 July 2025
Noun
-
There’s a reason the best legal templates in the startup world are clean, readable, and no more than a few pages long.—
Lien De Pau,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
This idea of people disappearing for various reasons became a motif –from the most historical, cruel examples to the daily life cases.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Hulu has officially given a series order to Phony, a coming-of-age mystery comedy which sees the Friday Night Lights vet playing Ellen, a single mom to her teenage son Sonny (The White Lotus’ Sam Nivola).—
Claire Franken,
TVLine,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Directed by Susanne Bier, this fun mystery also stars Meghann Fahy (Sirens), Eve Hewson, Billy Howle, Sam Nivola, and Dakota Fanning.—
Dana Feldman,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
To successfully transition requires a profound change in mindset, motives and strategy of execution.—
Jyothish R,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
-
Authorities have not released a potential motive for CDC shooting Officer David Rose, 33, was the sole casualty after a shooter opened fire on Centers for Disease Control buildings near Emory University in Atlanta on Friday.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
11 Aug. 2025
Interjection
-
Don’t let anybody tell you differently: the fall festival announcements aren’t even close to being over (hey, there, Telluride!—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
5 Aug. 2025
-
The Phillies also made sure to give him two fastballs, and hey, even his changeup rates well.—
Eno Sarris,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
Interjection
-
Historic flooding across Milwaukee County took many by, well, storm.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
12 Aug. 2025
-
If that sounds a little (or a lot) like the NBC show Last Comic Standing, well, there are probably only so many ways to structure a competition for stand-up comedians.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Aug. 2025
Interjection
-
As the spigot closed, inflation spiked (gee, maybe there’s a connection?) and the economy slowed, the state budget went from a whopping surplus to stubborn deficits.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
6 Aug. 2025
-
At his best, Corenswet is exactly the gosh golly gee wiz American Superman of old, determined to protect innocents and save lives.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Why.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/why. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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