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as in compass
a guiding or motivating purpose or principle a life that seemed to lack any direction other than the mindless pursuit of empty pleasures

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
as in trend
a prevailing or general movement or inclination some older people worry about the overall direction that political discourse has taken lately

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of direction The effect was disastrous, my hair crimped weirdly, with sections shooting out in different directions like the discordant notes of an orchestra tuning up. Rachel Kushner, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025 Visual editing and art direction by Shoshana Gordon of ProPublica. ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2025 Weak northeasterly winds were noted in the downcanyon direction. Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 13 Sep. 2025 Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions. John Towfighi, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for direction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for direction
Noun
  • Each patient was given instructions to continue using the SPFs in the split-face study for the next four days, returning to the office every day for visual assessment.
    Megan McIntyre, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Follow evacuation instructions without delay.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • So, an important part of MASH management is managing your weight.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • According to a post on the LBC Facebook page, management is still in the process of fully realizing its plans for the Milwaukee site.
    Angelika Ytuarte, jsonline.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • These seven essential mental health habits help highly effective CEOs ensure their compass stays true.
    Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Not as a wound, but as a compass.
    Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Price Tracker also sheds light on national trends.
    ABC News, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Believe in your authentic value, in your own development—don't let trends unsettle you.
    Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The award of this contract continues the recent strong momentum Serco has seen in defence, with the sector comprising over 80% of our order intake in the first half of 2025.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The Necessity Of ‘English-Only’ While the legal impact of the order may be minimal, the symbolism is enormous.
    Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Finally, the absence of personnel supervision poses threats when agents encounter new ethical challenges or unexpected contexts.
    Steve Durbin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Just no supervision over there, always on their phones, [no] structure.
    Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Residing in London after fleeing Mexico City during the Second Franco-Mexican war, Gabriela is no longer content to wait for her father to inevitably summon her home now that the tide of the war is changing in Mexico’s favor.
    Mia Sosa, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Maxar/Google Earth The Hague tribunal's 2016 ruling under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea classified Subi Reef as a low-tide elevation, not entitled to its own territorial sea or exclusive economic zone.
    Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The edict is also risky, potentially giving viewers the sense that Brennan is less able to question or challenge her guests — one of the main elements of TV’s Sunday political shows that bring viewers to them in the first place.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Ever since, as the Taliban returned to power, once again issuing edicts to suppress women and girls, the clinic and its 34-year-old midwife Atifa have continued to provide a lifeline for mothers and young children.
    Elise Blanchard, Time, 21 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Direction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/direction. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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