gift 1 of 2

gift

2 of 2

verb

as in to bless
to furnish freely or naturally with some power, quality, or attribute gifted with an uncanny ability to persuade people to do things they ordinarily wouldn't

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun gift differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of gift are aptitude, bent, faculty, genius, knack, and talent. While all these words mean "a special ability for doing something," gift often implies special favor by God or nature.

the gift of singing beautifully

When can aptitude be used instead of gift?

The words aptitude and gift can be used in similar contexts, but aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it.

a mechanical aptitude

How do bent and aptitude relate to one another, in the sense of gift?

Bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability.

a family with an artistic bent

Where would faculty be a reasonable alternative to gift?

In some situations, the words faculty and gift are roughly equivalent. However, faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function.

a faculty for remembering names

When could genius be used to replace gift?

The meanings of genius and gift largely overlap; however, genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability.

has no great genius for poetry

When would knack be a good substitute for gift?

Although the words knack and gift have much in common, knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance.

the knack of getting along

In what contexts can talent take the place of gift?

The synonyms talent and gift are sometimes interchangeable, but talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed.

has enough talent to succeed

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 gift
Noun
Beni truly is a gift from God that my old man sitting up there in Heaven Sent. Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 13 June 2025 The actor’s work with the Coen brothers had honed his gifts for heedless confidence and rapid banter, both of which Foxy has in spades. Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
Verb
Errant with all five pitches, Wandy Peralta issued a killer walk to a raw No. 9 hitter who’d gifted him with strike one. Hart, who said the defeat fell on him, allowed Jesús Sanchez’s first homer against a lefty this year. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2025 Incorporating these symbols into jewelry meant that, say, a rosy ring with a ruby center gifted to a potential sweetheart was indeed loaded with meaning. Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, 26 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for gift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gift
Noun
  • Behind every donation that philanthropists Sandra and Malcolm Berman have made over the years, there is a story.
    Jean Marbella, Baltimore Sun, 6 June 2025
  • The Friends of the Glencoe Golf Club, a private not-for-profit organization, has raised just over $2 million, highlighted by two large donations by two local families, according to their spokeswoman Kim Swinton.
    Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • There was a concern Forest would have to cash in on either Morgan Gibbs-White or Murillo — the Brazilian who retains the unusual talent, for a defender, of being truly exciting to watch — to keep themselves out of PSR trouble.
    Paul Taylor, New York Times, 6 June 2025
  • Andor also cost $650 million for a show not that many people watched, and its talent is leaving to go elsewhere, including Kathleen Kennedy, who was the show’s biggest champion.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • The South is blessed with a bounty of delicious mayonnaise brands, each with their own evangelistic bands of fervent followers.
    Josh Miller, Southern Living, 14 June 2025
  • Earlier this month, people in around 16 different states were blessed with the opportunity to see the swirling green, red and purple lights.
    Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Noun
  • At present, there is no available information on the containment or cause of the fire.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2025
  • At present, Sora is available on a standalone website, but OpenAI reportedly plans to integrate it into ChatGPT eventually.
    Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 3 June 2025
Noun
  • For Trump, a man who has always had a knack for drawing a crowd, stablecoins are easy money.
    Dan Alexander, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
  • Just kind of always had a knack for it, if that makes sense.
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • Capital campaigns have long been used by universities to fund new buildings, research centers and endowed faculty positions.
    Michelle Mbekeani, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
  • The reconfigured event is being endowed with a total prize pot of over $300,000 that places it on a monetary par with Saudi Arabia’s more glitzy Red Sea Film festival in Jeddah.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 17 May 2025
Noun
  • During the presentation, SPA shared character animations for Will, whose slight frame and limited height sets him far apart from his roarball colleagues.
    Jamie Lang, Variety, 9 June 2025
  • But the true 11 o’clock number of the evening was the presentation of the highly anticipated Best Actress in a Musical category.
    Rance Collins, IndieWire, 8 June 2025
Noun
  • But there must be a method, some sort of expertise and aptitude for the assignment.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 June 2025
  • Nancy shared a sweet story about an interaction with the late Eddie Van Halen that involved an acoustic guitar, a hotel landline and the guitarist’s musical aptitude.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 3 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gift. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on gift

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!