ASSISTANT Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

assistant 1 of 2

noun

ə-ˈsi-stənt

Definition of assistant

as in aide

a person who helps a more skilled person the chief assistant to the director

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

assistant

2 of 2

adjective

as in assisting

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 assistant

Noun

On some issues, former presidential special assistant Fried said, the administration has a valid argument. — Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026 Bell High football coach Noel Padilla used to be an assistant to former head coach Frank Medina, now the school’s baseball coach. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Telle is currently the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works. — Jonathan J. Cooper, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Leading the prosecution were Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham, a pair of stolid assistant district attorneys in structured suits and dark rectangular glasses. — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for assistant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for assistant

Noun

When Schaesta Ama outs him and kicks him out of their home, Payam comes to Mansur’s aide (albeit temporarily) but does not invite him up into his caste for more than an afternoon.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Any school district employee — including bus drivers, custodians, front-office staff, aides and administrators — can get a small (16-ounce) hot or cold drink of their choice.

— Cheryl V. Jackson, IndyStar, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of aide

Adjective

That’s City Controller Kenneth Mejia, an incumbent who earned more votes than Bass, Raman or then-candidate Spencer Pratt, and who’s supportive of Raman’s approach to the city budget.

— Paris Barraza, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
Ahead of the ruling, Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for the referendum campaign, pointed to the fact that the lawsuit included plaintiffs and defendants who were both supportive of the gerrymandered map.

— Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of supportive

Noun

Approaching retirement, Patrick searches with exacting standards for someone to fill his shoes, investing time in mentoring young apprentice Matteo.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
CEOs would be wise to reinvest some of the profit AI creates into apprentice-style roles that grow entry-level people fast.

— Michael Chavira, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of apprentice

Adjective

Johnson frequently uses his saxophone to control a sampler or drum machine, triggering changes in loops and effects, but the technology is ultimately subordinate to physical expression.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 9 Sep. 2026
If true, then the wearer wasn’t a man named Pilate, but a subordinate or enslaved person under his oversight who used the ring as a wax or clay seal for various materials and documents.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of subordinate

Noun

But that hasn’t stopped out-of-state reenactors from worrying their muskets will be confiscated at the George Washington Bridge, says Justin Costantino, adjutant of the Long Island Companies of the 3rd New York Regiment.

— Allen G. Breed, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
In the months since fellow senior Legion executives suspended Abrahamson without pay from his statewide adjutant job in April, a number of the roughly 8,000 members in Idaho have called for a change in leadership.

— Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 13 July 2024

Definition of adjutant

Noun

No movie has ever been made worse by Mads Mikkelsen, who plays our Big Bad, while Waller-Bridge has great comedic rapport with Ford as his charmingly roguish sidekick.

— Frank DeRuggiero, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Jimmy Kimmel's beloved sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez and pro Witney Carson were previously named as the first pair of the season.

— Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of sidekick

Browse Nearby Words

assistances

assistant

assistants

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Assistant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assistant. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of assistant

noun

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

shofar

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes