Definition of giftnext

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
Some shower him with gifts, urging him to keep the exchanges secret. Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2026 On a day defined by unimaginable loss, Janet Kask was given the greatest gift of her life – her son. Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
Fredericks, who taught at Cranbrook Academy of Art and lived in Birmingham, gifted the design to the city, which later commissioned a 28-foot tall bronze replica of it and placed it in the park. Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 7 Sep. 2026 Underwood went 12-of-22 passing for 170 yards and gifted Western Michigan 3 points at the end of the first half. Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gift
Noun
  • The opposition appears to have only solidified two months before the midterm elections, despite significant donations that crypto groups have given to some Democrats in recent years.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The nearly 97,000-square-foot complex, which includes biology and chemistry laboratories, a planetarium and an observatory, was built with the help of a $9 million donation from Tschannen, The Bee previously reported.
    Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Forrester predicts that more than half of layoffs attributed to AI will ultimately be reversed as companies encounter the challenges of replacing human talent prematurely.
    George Couris, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • This was a quintessential example of trust, with Williams trusting his arm talent and Kmet’s playmaking ability.
    Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Unlike Price, though, Baker wasn’t blessed with a straightforward pregnancy.
    Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • God bless the first responders and those that participated across the country this morning in stair climbs.
    Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Not to mention the quandary price-lopping presents from a copyright perspective.
    Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 14 Sep. 2026
  • High-Mach flight presents engineering challenges that go far beyond simply making an aircraft travel faster.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • And Loving has a knack for flipping a switch on the field, transforming quickly from the eager, jovial rookie in the locker room into a powerful and violent man once the ball is snapped.
    Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Hardaway has a knack for taking ordinary materials and turning them into something extraordinary or deeply meaningful.
    Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • This extreme foregrounding of character in terms of action endows the cast with a retrospective air of typecasting, in a positive sense—the actors seem made for their parts, coalescing with their characters temperamentally.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The show was considered an outlier in its generally sympathetic take on Hill and his conservative views, as well as in terms of the agency with which the show’s creators endowed its working- and middle-class characters.
    Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • As some selectors are being eliminated so is the traditional system of presentation.
    Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The road to the end of the very long Emmy season takes place over most of your Labor Day holiday weekend with the two-night presentation of what were formerly called the Creative Arts Emmy Awards but now are simply being called the Emmy Awards.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Lewis-Skelly has shown an aptitude for more 360-degree defending and dropping to protect his centre-backs and goalkeeper.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • How could King draw with such aptitude and still struggle to talk?
    Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Gift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gift. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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