Synonyms of cipher

cipher 1 of 2

noun

ˈsī-fər 

1

as in nothing

the numerical symbol 0 or the absence of number or quantity represented by it

remember to put the cipher after the decimal point

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nothing
• zero
• zip
• nil
• aught
• naught
• goose egg
• oh
• blank
• o
• zilch
• void

2

as in nobody

a person of no importance or influence

it was either write the Great American Novel or be consigned to the status of a cipher in the annals of literature

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nobody
• dwarf
• lightweight
• insect
• number
• zero
• nothing
• nonentity
• puppet
• twerp
• half-pint
• whippersnapper
• inferior
• nullity
• morsel
• zilch
• insignificancy
• snippersnapper
• pip-squeak
• pygmy
• no-name
• obscurity
• least
• reject
• nonperson
• figurehead
• noncelebrity
• outcast
• mediocrity
• pariah
• unperson

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• personage
• figure
• somebody
• eminence
• nabob
• magnate
• kingpin
• big wheel
• chief
• VIP
• leader
• head
• lead
• personality
• star
• celebrity
• planet
• notable
• bigwig
• kahuna
• luminary
• authority
• superstar
• big shot
• power
• superior
• party
• great power

cipher

2 of 2

verb

as in to figure

to determine (a value) by doing the necessary mathematical operations

were surprised by how much we had spent on the cruise after we had ciphered out the grand total

Synonyms & Similar Words

• figure
• calculate
• compute
• measure
• estimate
• work out
• sum
• assess
• figure out
• add
• subtract
• add up
• evaluate
• multiply
• reckon
• divide
• number
• gauge
• count
• average
• solve (for)
• allow (for)
• scale
• total
• totalize
• factor (in or into or out)
• deduct
• figure in
• rate
• tally
• value
• itemize
• appraise
• calibrate
• recompute
• recalculate
• refigure

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cipher

Noun

The still-unidentified Zodiac Killer, who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s, frequently sent threats, demands and ciphers to multiple local papers — namely the San Francisco Chronicle. — Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026

Finally, Marilyn is not presented as a cipher to be solved or quarry to be caged. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026

Verb

The real challenge from AI will likely emerge in the weeks and months ahead as firms cipher through Judge Mehta’s enforcement of behavioral requirements. — Tor Constantino, Forbes.com, 5 Sep. 2025

These remnants, signals from an earlier phase of our human condition, have been endlessly ciphered by generations of archaeologists in the Bears Ears region (which is named for twin buttes near its center). — Stephen Nash, New York Times, 25 July 2017