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

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

Starting as a buyer’s admin assistant was a brilliant way to understand every single aspect of the business. — Elektra Kotsoni, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2026 The Real Failure If your quality strategy is failing, the cause is older than AI coding assistants. — Mudit Singh, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Adjective

And Fatse’s perspective will be one among a few, including Mattingly, Dombrowski and Luke Murton, the former farm director who was promoted to assistant general manager for hitting in late August. — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2026 The attendant led her to a massive mahogany desk set on pedestals of graduating drawers, where the assistant manager sat. — CBS News, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for assistant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for assistant

Noun

An aide to Kennedy reportedly paid a janitor with the same name to enter the race.

— Drew Kurlowski, The Conversation, 30 Oct. 2026
The slowdown could happen in a number of ways, GOP aides working on health policy told me — depending on how big an election night Democrats have.

— David Lim, semafor.com, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of aide

Adjective

His friendly, supportive presence showed how the rival nations (in the far-off future in which the show was set) were capable of working together.

— JONATHAN LANDRUM JR. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Current weather conditions are extremely supportive of the color change.

— CBS News, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of supportive

Noun

When unnecessary costs accumulate, a small contractor may have less money available for raises, equipment, another apprentice or employee benefits.

— Christian Swann, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026
But Glennon’s glad-handing soon gives way to a much blunter critique when my Ear-Candling Tech’s apprentice steps in to say that my team has absolutely had it with me and my excuses.

— Julie Klausner, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of apprentice

Adjective

Auburn’s Board actions should serve as an early warning about what happens when expertise becomes subordinate to power.

— Beth Davis Sramek, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026
Like the East India Companies and the Rothschild banks, which were ultimately subordinate to the governments of the metropole, frontier labs have been granted extraordinary latitude in exchange for advancing the metropole’s position.

— NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of subordinate

Noun

Her day job is as deputy creative director at the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Arizona.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026
Notable Nuclear power is key to bolstering energy security in Africa, but its rollout on the continent requires workforce training and safety regulations, said Daniel Poneman, former US deputy enerfy secretary.

— Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of deputy

Noun

Mubarak Bekheit, an aid worker in Darfur, told the AP by phone on Wednesday that many people remained missing and some bodies had yet to be recovered from homes in the area after the strike hit a civilian neighborhood.

— YASSIR ABDALLA, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
In the primary, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee courted Ford for a possible endorsement but ultimately found policy differences with him, Ford said, including his declining to support unconditional military aid to Israel.

— Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 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

Noun

Brad Pitt revises his Oscar-winning role as Booth, a stuntman and sidekick to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton in the original 2019 film.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026
Moreno will be joined on the honoree roster by Guillermo Rodríguez, the beloved sidekick of Jimmy Kimmel on his long-running late-night show, who will receive an Alegría Award.

— Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of sidekick

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assistances

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Style

“Assistant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assistant. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of assistant

noun

adjective

Example Sentences

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