as in options
the power, right, or opportunity to choose
there's no alternative: we must cross the stream to reach our destination
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Recent Examples of alternatives
But those alternatives are more costly, eroding profits.
—
Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
Treatments in medicine require balancing risks, benefits, and alternatives.
—Dr. Sunny Patel, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Droguet noted strong interest from the packaging world, too, as the sector looks for circular alternatives to synthetic inputs.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 1 Oct. 2025
Customers have been asking Walmart to get rid of certain ingredients, but replacing them with more natural alternatives is complicated, Morris said.
—Jonel Aleccia, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
During the 1960s, a period which saw the rise of overlapping and intersecting social movements, many of these student-run papers emerged as uncensored alternatives to traditional outlets such as the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.
—Joshua Finnell, JSTOR Daily, 1 Oct. 2025
The absence of alternatives If the Oilers coaching staff plans to give Howard the first shot on a skill line, a fair sample would be 20 games with Nugent-Hopkins on the second line.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
The Israeli right has spent decades trying to prevent people from conceiving any alternatives to its ultimate victory.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025
The Nespresso milk frother can warm up milk, froth it, and even produce cold foam with both daily milks and milk alternatives.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 25 Sep. 2025
Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
Treatments in medicine require balancing risks, benefits, and alternatives.
—Dr. Sunny Patel, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Droguet noted strong interest from the packaging world, too, as the sector looks for circular alternatives to synthetic inputs.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 1 Oct. 2025
Customers have been asking Walmart to get rid of certain ingredients, but replacing them with more natural alternatives is complicated, Morris said.
—Jonel Aleccia, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
During the 1960s, a period which saw the rise of overlapping and intersecting social movements, many of these student-run papers emerged as uncensored alternatives to traditional outlets such as the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.
—Joshua Finnell, JSTOR Daily, 1 Oct. 2025
The absence of alternatives If the Oilers coaching staff plans to give Howard the first shot on a skill line, a fair sample would be 20 games with Nugent-Hopkins on the second line.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
The Israeli right has spent decades trying to prevent people from conceiving any alternatives to its ultimate victory.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025
The Nespresso milk frother can warm up milk, froth it, and even produce cold foam with both daily milks and milk alternatives.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alternatives
Noun
-
This year, Spirit Halloween has options for dressing up like the unlikely besties, with costumes from both their Shiz days and post-graduation lives.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Larger platforms, such as HBO Max, Netflix, and Prime Video, provide extensive parental control options.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But the pitching market will have some choices.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Knapp’s team monitors web traffic data to identify the largest culprits, though DAZN anti-piracy manager Samuel Farkas said the company also keeps an eye on social media discussions to pick out rising choices.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Alternatives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alternatives. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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