Synonyms of essays

essays 1 of 2

noun

plural of essay

1

as in articles

a short piece of writing typically expressing a point of view

school essays on what it means to be a patriot

Synonyms & Similar Words

• articles
• papers
• themes
• dissertations
• editorials
• treatises
• commentaries
• compositions
• columns
• reports
• features
• studies
• theses
• write-ups
• reviews
• discourses
• discussions
• tracts
• causeries
• prolegomena
• expositions

2

as in attempts

an effort to do or accomplish something

my first essay at baking a cake did not go well

Synonyms & Similar Words

• attempts
• tries
• goes
• endeavors
• stabs
• bids
• assays
• shots
• offers
• trials
• passes
• undertakings
• flings
• strivings
• cracks
• struggles
• bashes
• whacks
• whirls
• throes
• trial and errors

3

as in tests

a procedure or operation carried out to resolve an uncertainty

a little homemade essay to determine the easiest way to strip the paint from the bookcase

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tests
• experiments
• experimentations
• trials
• efforts
• tries
• exercises
• practices
• attempts
• rehearsals
• ordeals
• workouts
• tryouts
• crucibles
• trial and errors
• dry runs
• shakedowns

essays

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of essay

as in tries

to make an effort to do

he had been in gymnastics for some time before he even considered essaying that move

Synonyms & Similar Words

• attempts
• tries
• strives
• endeavors
• assays
• seeks
• has a go at
• shoots at
• works
• struggles
• hopes
• troubles
• tries one's hand (at)
• toils
• aims
• fights
• undertakes
• strains
• aspires
• takes up
• assumes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• drops
• gives up
• quits

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of essays

Noun

In addition to the biographies, Marsh collected his reviews and essays in a number of volumes, including Fortunate Son and Kick Out the Jams. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026

Rather than translating existing work from The Rumpus, El Alboroto will commission and publish original Spanish-language writing spanning cultural criticism, personal essays, interviews, fiction, poetry and comics. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026

In a series of essays in Foreign Affairs over the past few years, Westad has explored the drivers of China’s foreign policy, its approach to global power, and its fraught ties with the United States. — Odd Arne Westad, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026

Click here for the full schedule of essays, lists, and in-depth interviews. — Katie Rife, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026

The essays have received more than 1 million cumulative views on Substack and her podcast of the same name registered 160,000 audio downloads and nearly 64,000 YouTube views at last count. — Calvin Woodward, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026

Picture-by-Picture (PBP) and Picture-in-Picture (PIP) support let students view input from two devices simultaneously; ideal for comparing notes while writing essays. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026

There’s also Anne Carson’s 2005 collection of poetry and essays, Decreation, and the French leftist manifesto The Coming Insurrection published in 2007 by an anonymous author known as The Invisible Committee. — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 5 Aug. 2026

The most entertaining of these is undoubtedly Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle, who died in 1673, at the age of fifty, leaving more than twenty volumes of poems, plays, and essays. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Verb

In the film, Bajpayee plays the police officer while Jim Sarbh essays the role of the killer who goes by the fictional name Carl Bhojraj. — Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025