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
Zoya Hasan, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
The why: Has top-of-rotation skills and potential, is healthy and — unlike most other starters — won’t be subject to much in the way of workload restrictions.
—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2025
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
Build your own opportunities, document your journey, and stay rooted in your why.
—Zoya Hasan, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
The why: Has top-of-rotation skills and potential, is healthy and — unlike most other starters — won’t be subject to much in the way of workload restrictions.
—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for why
Recent Examples of Synonyms for why
Noun
-
In many cases, the two reasons amount to the same thing, with the same cause.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The second reason is that these aura battler designs were very complex and full of curves as well as weird angles.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Some scholars countered that Venusian volcanoes could have produced phosphine; others said that the measurements were dubious, and the mystery gas wasn’t phosphine.—
David W. Brown,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The music feels like a murder mystery caper, propelled by urgency yet never losing its lightness.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
Interjection
-
The answer is almost certainly no.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Is your iPhone listening to you — no, well not exactly.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Whatever turns out to be the motive of Kirk’s assassin, the websites Bluesky and Reddit were teeming with left-wing celebrations of his death.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Law enforcement had yet to identify the shooter or disclose a motive and acknowledged at a news conference Thursday that the suspect’s college-age appearance may have helped the person blend in on the college campus where Kirk was shot.—
Jesse Bedayn,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The two, three, and even four-bedroom residences are spacious, feature mature olive trees, relaxing grounds, and gourmet kitchens.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
That's sound on both economic and strategic grounds.—
Joel Thayer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Interjection
-
But, hey, that’s just almost a perfect combo of artists, Doja Cat and Kenny G.—
Shirley Halperin,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
-
There's also Cyborg, who, although a member of the Justice League, ends up working with the Titans because… hey, why not?—
Will Harris,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Sep. 2025
Interjection
-
The rest of the soft tissues are other tissues that are, well, soft, as opposed to bones, which are hard.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Arch Manning could be the next, well, Peyton Manning.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 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 16 Sep. 2025.
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