Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

dent

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of dent

1 a sunken area forming a separate space

  • there was a big dent in the carʼs hood where something had hit it
Synonyms of dent

cavity, concavity, depression, dint, hole, hollow, indentation, indenture, pit, recess
Words Related to dent

burrow, cave, cavern, ditch, excavation, furrow, groove, gutter, trench, trough

basin, bowl, valley

alcove, cleft, niche, nook, opening, recess, socket

alveolus, dimple, gouge, impression, imprint, notch, pocket

borehole, chuckhole, crater, posthole, pothole, sinkhole, wallow, water hole, well

abyss, chasm, gulf, vacuity, vacuum, void
Near Antonyms of dent

hill, mound, rise

bump, bunch, hump, lump, pimple, swell, swelling, tumor
Antonyms of dent

bulge, camber, convexity, jut, projection, protrusion, protuberance

2 the amount by which something is lessened

  • a little belt-tightening would at least make a small dent in our credit-card debt
Synonyms of dent

abatement, decline, decrease, decrement, depletion, depression, diminishment, diminution, drop, drop-off, fall, falloff, loss, reduction, shrinkage, step-down
Words Related to dent

deduction, subtraction

downturn, slip, slump

curtailment, cut, cutback, retrenchment, shortening
Near Antonyms of dent

accretion, accrual, accumulation, addition, supplement

continuation, extension

upswing, uptrend, upturn
Antonyms of dent

boost, enlargement, gain, increase, increment, raise, rise, step-up, uptick

dent

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of dent

to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent

  • hopefully this vacation won't dent our bank account too much
Synonyms of dent

abate, de-escalate, decrease, deplete, diminish, downscale, downsize, drop, dwindle, ease, knock down, lessen, lower, reduce
Words Related to dent

compress, condense, constrict, contract

abbreviate, abridge, clip, crop, curtail, cut, cut back, cut down, dock, nick, pare, prune, retrench, shorten, slash, trim, truncate, whittle

deflate, shrink

minimize

moderate, modify, modulate, qualify
Near Antonyms of dent

blow up, dilate, distend, inflate, swell

elongate, extend, lengthen, prolong, protract

add (to), complement, supplement

enhance, heighten, intensify

redouble
Antonyms of dent

aggrandize, amplify, augment, boost, enlarge, escalate, expand, increase, raise

Learn More about dent

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up dent? 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!

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