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

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assistant

2 of 2

adjective

as in assisting

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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

Asher has an omnipresent AI assistant who serves as a kind of fixer/scheduler/confessor. — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026 El Camino Real in Woodland Hills, which recently replaced its head of school and assistant principal in charge of athletics, is now investigating coaches. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026

Adjective

The West is warming faster than the country overall, which ultimately means less water available for farmers, businesses and residents, Peter Goble, assistant state climatologist for Colorado, told USA TODAY earlier this year. — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2026 Comer has since 2023 worked for State Treasurer Erick Russell as his chief of staff and assistant treasurer for administration. — Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for assistant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for assistant

Noun

The story begins on February 5 of that year, when a graduate student and dormitory aide discovered that the small canvas was missing from the university’s Students Union building.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
Sankofa United Principal Leigh Daniels said all of the school’s teacher positions are fully staffed and so are other key positions like instructional aides and counselors.

— Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of aide

Adjective

Following the shooting, officers were seen investigating inside the Lawson House, a former YMCA that provides supportive housing to the unhoused.

— Adam Harrington, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Teens often describe chatbot interactions as emotionally meaningful or supportive, sometimes even preferring chatbot conversations to talking with friends.

— Megan Kelly, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of supportive

Noun

During his first two years as a starter, Santori was the apprentice who carefully studied the game and developed organically under the influence of his older peers.

— Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
Twenty years later, John (Pierre) is serving as an apprentice to an older, grouchier Hal.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of apprentice

Adjective

These reforms, however, remain embedded in a judiciary that is subordinate to Communist Party leadership.

— Mark Jia, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
The Allies replied that all elements of the Japanese state would be subordinate to occupation authorities.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of subordinate

Noun

Among them were Broward County sheriff’s deputies who wanted photos and a trio of women who lamented they had been drawn into a new Republican-leaning district.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
His prosecutor was a young Johnnie Cochran, later to be a superstar defense lawyer, then a deputy city attorney.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of deputy

Noun

The aid workers who once regularly visited her village to help pregnant women had stopped coming, after foreign aid cuts by the United States shuttered a program aimed at saving mothers’ and babies’ lives.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Political scientist Sandra Borda argued that the difficulties in aid management are related to the tense political transition between the current and previous administrations, which lacked a formal handover.

— Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of aid

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

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Style

“Assistant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assistant. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of assistant

noun

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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