FINALIST Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

finalist

noun

Definition of finalist

as in champion

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

as in semifinalist

Related Words

Dissimilar 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 finalist The company represents Ben Shelton, who was a finalist at this year’s US Open. — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026 Winning wide acclaim, it was chosen by the National Book Critics Circle as a finalist in two awards categories and praised by Bill Gates and former President Barack Obama, both of whom placed it on their lists of favorite books of 2018. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026 Instead of the senior Heisman finalist leading the Horns, who were playing for their second title in five seasons, true freshman Garrett Gilbert took over. — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Rogge was also a 2025 Woolmark Prize finalist, and has seen her designs land on the likes of Dua Lipa, Chloé Sévigny and Rihanna. — Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for finalist

Recent Examples of Synonyms for finalist

Noun

Two sets of Brooks River behemoths duke it out, including last year’s champion, Bear #32 (Chunk).

— Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 25 Sep. 2026
That record had been held by Japan's Kosuke Kitajima, a four-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champions.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of champion

Noun

The Crooked Ram At The Crooked Ram, 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist chef Tiara Adorno turns Vermont and New England ingredients into a menu that changes with the seasons, alongside a strong lineup of natural wines, craft beers, and cocktails.

— Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2026
Supperland, home to James Beard semifinalist beverage director Colleen Hughes, is a showpiece of the Tonidandel-Brown Restaurant Group that’s no stranger to national attention.

— Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of semifinalist

Noun

Most of the early mining there consisted of placer mining — extracting minerals from sand and gravel in river beds — and mining declined during the Civil War.

— John Meyer, Denver Post, 26 July 2026
Its breakout star is Parker Schnabel, a thirty-one-year-old who runs a placer mine in the Yukon that brought in fifty-one million dollars last year.

— Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

Definition of placer

Noun

If the season ended today, Atlanta would host Philadelphia in one best-of-three wild-card round, with the winner taking on the Dodgers.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Musicians Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, Saturday Night Live’s Sarah Sherman, Oscar winner and indefatigable activist Susan Sarandon, and Einbinder all showed up to rebuke the speech, citing the UN’s own labeling of Israel’s war on Gaza a genocide.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of winner

Noun

Located at the junction of three continents—Europe, Asia, and Africa—the region has historically been a crossroads for conquerors, peoples, trade, and ideas.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Sep. 2026
In life, and in the novel, the German conquerors in their splendid uniforms make debonair remarks, as the French cultural and social figures who frequent the bar—collaborators—are thrilled to remain close to power.

— David Denby, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of conqueror

Browse Nearby Words

finales

finalist

finalists

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Style

“Finalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finalist. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of finalist

noun

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