AUXILIARY Synonyms: 173 Similar and Opposite Words

auxiliary 1 of 2

adjective

ȯg-ˈzil-yə-rē

Definition of auxiliary

as in additional

available to supply something extra when needed the auditorium has an auxiliary cooling system used only on particularly sweltering days

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

auxiliary

2 of 2

noun

as in subordinate

Related Words

as in cutter

Related 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 auxiliary

Adjective

Ouachita County sheriff's office Chief Deputy Larry McMahen said Truelove is a former auxiliary officer with the sheriff's office but had not been certified as an auxiliary officer in quite some time. — Arkansas Online, 30 June 2026 The business operates across avionics, navigation, flight controls, sensing, aerospace electronics, auxiliary power systems, thermal management and mission-critical defense technologies. — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Noun

Maše was part of the women’s auxiliary known as the Rebekahs. — Masha Hamilton, Longreads, 19 Feb. 2026 Using these unromantic, 50,000-ton auxiliaries to test the new battleship hull-form, mechanical systems or electrical innovations makes sense. — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 13 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for auxiliary

Recent Examples of Synonyms for auxiliary

Adjective

Another round of storms could bring an additional 2 to 4 inches of rain, with isolated spots getting up to 8, though forecast models suggest the heaviest rain may fall northwest of the areas hit hardest so far.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
Unfortunately, Hashesh’s team could not conduct additional analysis since the princess’ skulls were missing.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 17 July 2026

Definition of additional

Noun

Mayor Dean Trantalis, Commissioner Steven Glassman and Commissioner John Herbst took issue with her leadership, accusing her of being dismissive to subordinates and ruffling too many feathers.

— Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
Put simply, the theory says the president should be able to issue orders to subordinates and to fire them at will.

— Graham G. Dodds, The Conversation, 30 June 2026

Definition of subordinate

Noun

To keep a deep Philadelphia lineup off balance, Scott used his four-seam fastball for strikeouts, went to his sweeper early and often in counts, and mixed his cutter, curveball and splitter effectively.

— Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026
Northwestern State right-hander Dylan Marionneaux (4) throws a ton of strikes with a bunch of average pitches, highlighted by a big-breaking upper-80s cutter that borders on a slider.

— Keith Law, New York Times, 16 July 2026

Definition of cutter

Adjective

Of the 64 homes, 52 will be single-family residences for sale and 12 will be accessory dwelling units.

— George Avalos, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
Stellantis runs Mopar as a full business — more than 1,000 accessory parts, dozens of partners, Jeep Performance Parts, and a growing push to install at the factory.

— Sarwant Singh, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of accessory

Noun

Could convenience stores and gas stations in America pay their cashiers and attendants $20 or more an hour plus a pension and five weeks’ vacation?

— Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 14 July 2026
Photos and video broadcast on state media showed people reaching out to touch the truck carrying Khamenei’s coffin, while others threw scarves and other items for attendants to brush against the casket, a practice common in the Islamic Republic.

— Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 10 July 2026

Definition of attendant

Noun

According to a 60-page investigative dossier obtained by The Guardian, Dayana and Williams tried to board a lifeboat on the port side of Deck 4 but were unable to find space.

— Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026
Meanwhile, Schettino boarded a lifeboat and abandoned the cruise ship.

— Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 14 July 2026

Definition of lifeboat

Adjective

The supplementary motor area helps organise their sequence, and the primary motor cortex sends commands to the muscles of the trunk, shoulder, arm and wrist.

— Michelle Spear, Scientific American, 11 July 2026
With two satellites at supplementary inclinations, the Newtonian perturbations are equal and opposite in the two orbital planes and cancel each other out.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026

Definition of supplementary

Noun

The Oscar-winning director cast the actor as Eumaeus, the faithful servant of Odysseus (Matt Damon) coming to terms with his grief over his master’s prolonged absence.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 19 July 2026
Eumaeus, who is portrayed by John Leguizamo, is Odysseus’ loyal servant who helps him reclaim the kingdom of Ithaca.

— Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026

Definition of servant

Browse Nearby Words

auxiliaries

auxiliary

avail

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Auxiliary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/auxiliary. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of auxiliary

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on auxiliary

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

stalwart

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes