Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

Thesaurus

buff

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of buff

1 a person with a strong and habitual liking for something
  • He's such a film buff that he owns over 3,000 movies.
Synonyms of buff

addict, aficionado (also afficionado), bug, devotee, enthusiast, fan, fanatic, fancier, fiend, fool, freak, habitué (also habitue), head, hound, junkie (also junky), lover, maniac, maven (also mavin), nut, sucker
Words Related to buff

groupie

admirer, amateur, collector, connoisseur, dilettante

authority, expert

adherent, convert, cultist, disciple, follower, hanger-on, votary

advocate, apostle, backer, champion, evangelist, exponent, friend, patron, promoter, proponent, supporter

partisan (also partizan), zealot

booster, rooter, well-wisher

faddist
Near Antonyms of buff

nonadmirer

belittler, carper, critic, detractor
Antonyms of buff

nonfan
2 the state of having no clothes on one's body
  • sunbathing in the buff
Synonyms of buff

altogether, bareness, nakedness, nude, nudity, raw
Words Related to buff

toplessness

naturism, nudism

buff

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of buff

1 to make smooth by friction
  • She learned to buff semiprecious stones in order to make her own jewelry.
Synonyms of buff

file, grind, hone, rasp, rub, sand
Words Related to buff

plane, scrape

sandblast, scour

burnish, dress, gloss, polish, shine, smooth

edge, hone, sharpen, strop, whet

regrind
Near Antonyms of buff

coarsen, rough (up), roughen, scuff
2 to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure
  • The janitor buffed the lobby floor until it shone.
Synonyms of buff

burnish, dress, furbish, gloss, grind, polish, rub, shine, smooth
Words Related to buff

sleek, slick

coat, glaze, japan, lacquer, varnish

face, finish, veneer

brighten

file, rasp, sand, sandblast, sandpaper, scour, scrape, scrub

bob, bone, lap
Near Antonyms of buff

rough (up), roughen, ruffle, scuff (up)

Learn More about buff

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

Seen and Heard

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

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

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