1
as in intimacy
the state of being in a very personal or private relationship
the warm welcome they received from the community gave them a sense of belonging
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in possession
belongings plural
transportable items that one owns
packed up all their belongings and moved across the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in staying
to have or be in a usual or proper place
your shoes belong in the closet, not in the middle of the living room where people will trip on them
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in pertaining
to be the property of a person or group of persons
those textbooks belong to the school system and not to the students
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of belonging
Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 8 Jan. 2026
More than anything, the experience gave Henson a sense of belonging that had nothing to do with his last name.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
Friedman saw as ideal a perpetual underclass of non-citizens who can be exploited without offering them a path to actual dignity; who would never have a chance to earn citizenship and the representation, benefits, and sense of belonging that come with living in an equal society.
—Thomas Kennedy, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for belonging
Noun
And actually, who is not here for a chic purse that can easily hold all of your belongings, plus a laptop, a change of clothes, and a small animal of your choosing?
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 8 Jan. 2026
More than anything, the experience gave Henson a sense of belonging that had nothing to do with his last name.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
From journeys of displacement to the search for belonging, this category encourages readers to choose a story about an immigrant or refugee.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
Friedman saw as ideal a perpetual underclass of non-citizens who can be exploited without offering them a path to actual dignity; who would never have a chance to earn citizenship and the representation, benefits, and sense of belonging that come with living in an equal society.
—Thomas Kennedy, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for belonging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belonging
Noun
-
Themes of money, intimacy or trust come up in a way that feels crystal clear rather than heavy or mysterious.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
20 Jan. 2026
-
But the relational outcome can sometimes look like access rather than intimacy; people might just stay for the comfort of provision, not necessarily for mutual vulnerability.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Zubimendi won possession 12 times during that match — the most by any Arsenal player in a game this season.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Troopers also seized an unregistered gun and ammunition from Cook, who is charged with trafficking 200 grams or more of cocaine, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The town of Wellington is where many men who are unhoused in Fort Collins are staying their nights of late.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
-
For me, that translates to modernizing with intention and staying committed to a growth mindset by continuously learning, taking on new challenges, and surrounding myself with people who elevate my thinking.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
People at work have made rude comments pertaining to my hearing.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
In one of his first acts as mayor, Zohran Mamdani on Thursday revoked nine executive orders his predecessor, Eric Adams, issued after his federal corruption indictment, a move that undid actions pertaining to everything from antisemitism and immigration to New York City’s horse carriage industry.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Where the image of Hussein communicated consequence through visual degradation, the image of Maduro diffuses consequence through familiarity, structuring interpretation not through rupture, but through normalization.—
Debbie Millman,
Time,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The veteran correspondent and author volunteered to go the chaotic scene because of his personal connection and familiarity with the area.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The real-life regulations on what color to paint your house, how short to cut your grass, and exactly where to put your garbage can on trash day make this suburb ripe for an outsider and her teenage daughter to come along and shake things up.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The Wolverines had a tough time getting things going against the high-pressure Sierra Canyon defense.—
Jack Gillespie,
Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
San Jose was seventh in MLS with 60 goals scored while going 11-15-8 last season.—
Mercury News,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
But most of its richest pleasures come down to Fiennes going balls to the wall with a truly memorable character — half lunatic and half visionary.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The multidisciplinary Tlingit/Unangax̂ artist examines kinship and political consciousness on an album that evokes the indie-rock experimentalism of TV on the Radio.—
Petala Ironcloud,
Pitchfork,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Meiklejohn believes the authors could use other methodologies like the FORensic Capture Enrichment panel, designed to isolate human DNA for identifying extended kinship, ancestry and phenotype analysis.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belonging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belonging. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
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