1
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cipher
Amir Ahmadi Arian, The Dial, 15 Jan. 2026
Like Dostoyevsky, Capote doesn’t portray his killers as demonic ciphers, instead capturing their messy complexity.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
Tor Constantino, Forbes.com, 5 Sep. 2025
An Enigma ciphering machine that was donated to the museum by telecommunications company SIRTI.Photo: Cantalupi, Pavia
One of the artifacts from SIRTI collection was a German ciphering machine used in World War II, an Enigma, Savini says.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Feb. 2020
See All Example Sentences for cipher
Noun
The Blind Owl is extremely dense, brimming with metaphors and ciphers and symbols.
—Amir Ahmadi Arian, The Dial, 15 Jan. 2026
Like Dostoyevsky, Capote doesn’t portray his killers as demonic ciphers, instead capturing their messy complexity.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 11 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
An Enigma ciphering machine that was donated to the museum by telecommunications company SIRTI.Photo: Cantalupi, Pavia
One of the artifacts from SIRTI collection was a German ciphering machine used in World War II, an Enigma, Savini says.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Feb. 2020
See All Example Sentences for cipher
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cipher
Noun
-
While CinemaCon 2026 brought us exciting news about new films, it was also bogged down with status quo nothings about how Amazon MGM still hasn’t found a new James Bond.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
When Dana, who, like Virginia, had been successful in writing pleasant but undistinguished nothings—in her case, songs for Billy Rose’s revues—decided to try taking on more serious music by studying with Boulanger, Virginia entered a deep downward spiral.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike some of his more strapping forebears (think Liam Neeson, Kevin Costner, or Aaron Eckhart), Odenkirk specializes in nobodies and normals: people one would not expect to be killing machines.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
-
After all, why listen to a podcast with two nobodies co-hosting when a listener can get an hour from a familiar celebrity.—
Frank Racioppi,
Forbes.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Both her audition and her callback had fallen flat, but the company must have figured that casting an amateur from hard-luck Butte as Lucetta would make good press.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
Rather than merely a stylish shot of Charli, the photograph by Aidan Zamiri figures musician John Cale, fashion designer Marc Jacobs, and film director Martin Scorsese, three men who in some capacity epitomize their respective fields.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
The right-hander pitched like a vet, throwing up zeros in the second, third and fourth, but Arvada West couldn’t get to Raiders junior pitcher Mikey Kroll.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
-
After that came five more zeroes as a starter before his streak finally ended.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
For instance, Eilish is an animal lover with a pet dwarf hamster named Tomato Bisque Soup.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
1 June 2026
-
Writer Steve Phillips’ investments in the race dwarfs spending by any other single donor.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Verb
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This is essentially a way to calculate the lowest rate that workers will accept, and the highest rate consumers will accept.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
-
Ask the vendor to show how a complex margin scenario is calculated, and what happens when the LLM produces an incorrect result.—
Raju Malhotra,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
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Her dark glasses, white zip-up, tan trench, and medium-wash jeans are less immediately recognizable as being from a particular brand…and that’s exactly the point.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
1 June 2026
-
Both coolers have a full-zip top, an insulated interior, and double handles.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
The simplest option is to drape some lightweight netting over your fruit trees or shrubs.—
Gemma Johnstone,
The Spruce,
24 May 2026
-
The material has a lightweight feel that's breathable on the hottest days, but still holds enough structure to feel more defined.—
Tanya Sharma,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cipher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cipher. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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