Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

being

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of being

1 a member of the human race

  • no one has the right to enslave another being
Synonyms of being

baby, bird, bod [British], body, character, cookie (or cooky), creature, customer, devil, duck, egg, face, fish, guy, head, human, human being, individual, life, man, mortal, party, person, personage, scout, slob, sort, soul, specimen, stiff, thing, wight
Words Related to being

hominid, homo, humanoid

brother, fellow, fellowman, neighbor

celebrity, personality, self, somebody
Phrases Synonymous with being

son of man
Near Antonyms of being

animal, beast, beastie, brute, critter

2 one that has a real and independent existence

  • new parents are typically in awe at having created this separate being
Synonyms of being

commodity, entity, existent, individual, individuality, integer, object, reality, something, substance, thing
Words Related to being

body, subject

material, matter, quantity, stuff
Near Antonyms of being

nonentity

3 the quality or qualities that make a thing what it is

  • music is such a large part of her being that she could never give up performing
Synonyms of being

essence, essentiality, nature, quiddity, quintessence, soul, stuff, substance
Words Related to being

heart, spirit

alpha and omega, center, core, keynote, marrow, pith, seat

embodiment, epitome, incarnation, manifestation, personification

aspect, attribute, feature, property

gist, kernel, nub
Phrases Synonymous with being

name of the game

Learn More about being

  1. See words that rhyme with being Dictionary: Definition of being Spanish Central: Translation of being Nglish: Translation of being for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of being for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up being? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

milieu

the setting in which something occurs

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. Spartan Red Cross Warns of Shelter Conditions

  2. hirsute RIP Burt Reynolds

  3. op-ed NYT Publishes Anonymous Piece

  4. collegiality Kavanaugh Mentions Word in Hearing

  5. mistrial Manafort Guilty on 8 Counts

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games