befitting 1 of 2

adjective

bi-ˈfi-tiŋ How to pronounce befitting (audio)
Definition of befittingnext
1
as in proper
following the established traditions of refined society and good taste many voters feel that the womanizing governor has not acted in a befitting manner for someone who serves as the state's chief executive

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in appropriate
meeting the requirements of a purpose or situation a befitting reply to a civil question

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

befitting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of befit
as in fitting
to be fitting or proper spoke politely of the deceased, as befitted the occasion

Synonyms & Similar 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 befitting
Adjective
If there was ever a notion that profanity isn’t befitting of the nation’s highest office, that standard has largely eroded. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026 Not only is the snowfall seemingly more befitting of January or February, but the temperatures are too. — Tara Molina, CBS News, 2 Dec. 2025
Verb
Allen passed for 210 yards and rushed for 121 more for the Bills (4-1), who rallied to win a back-and-forth thriller befitting the teams with the NFL’s last two MVPs at quarterback. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 The first half had the intensity befitting two of the best teams in the league from 2023 to 2025, when the rivals played many heated matches. — Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for befitting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befitting
  1. proper
  2. appropriate
  3. fitting
  4. polite
  5. suitable
  6. suiting
  7. respectable
  8. fit
Adjective
  • Any function whose work can be pointed at a proper model of its underlying business, instead of at a general-purpose language model, is starting to compound the same way Anthropic’s engineering did a year ago.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Pentecostal parents Ruth and Marius were accused of domestic violence, with worldwide protests criticizing what dissenters called harsh and hasty steps taken by Norwegian social workers without proper evidence.
    — Tomris Laffly, Time, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of proper
Adjective
  • Laws, agency regulations and court orders require that the children receive comprehensive healthcare and appropriate education while they're detained.
    — Mark Betancourt, NPR, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Federal prosecutors David Novick and Jonathan Francis don’t explicitly recommend a non custodial sentence, but imply repeatedly that one is appropriate.
    — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of appropriate
Verb
  • People with chronic health conditions, pregnant women, young children and anyone 65 or older are at higher risk of developing complications from the flu, and Turner urged anyone fitting those categories to take extra precautions this season.
    — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The sofa stops being the problem and starts fitting into a room that feels deliberate.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of fitting
Adjective
  • As always, the Vivint technician was prompt and polite and needed just under one hour to install the camera, attach the Spotlight Pro fixture, and pair the camera to my Vivint hub.
    — John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
  • That message came from school after school site, where polls were open and politicians and volunteers shared greetings, and while the federal election monitors were said to be calm and polite, their presence was called troubling.
    — Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of polite
Adjective
  • The ability to choose between these approaches makes the K70 suitable for both regular upkeep and more comprehensive cleaning sessions.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Instead of functioning only as large electricity consumers, facilities with suitable on-site generation could potentially support the wider power system when connected to the grid.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of suitable
Verb
  • Kate Middleton went back to royal power suiting courtesy of Victoria Beckham on Thursday for a visit to The Treehouse Children’s Hospice to learn about the care and support provided by East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices in Ipswich, England.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • At the time, her hair was a light auburn shade, suiting her role as Esther Greenwood, who is described as being brunette in Sylvia Plath’s 1963 novel.
    — Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of suiting
Adjective
  • Blades Brown was in the field in Mexico and finished a respectable T-19, and during the event, an unsubstantiated yet absolutely hysterical rumor about the teenage phenom made the rounds in the golf world.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Figure just one team each will qualify for the playoffs out of the NFC East and NFC South, which would mean the remaining five would come from the NFC North and NFC West — and both of those divisions are respectable from top to bottom.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of respectable
Adjective
  • And while the sneaker’s upper appears mostly the same from a glance, it’s also been tweaked to offer a more forgiving fit.
    — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Does ChatGPT virtual try-on guarantee fit, and what happens to your photo?
    — Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of fit

Browse Nearby Words

befitted
befitting
befog
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Cite this Entry

“Befitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befitting. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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