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
App control lets the wearer adjust heat zones from a phone without digging through layers, which is the kind of small detail that turns a practical gift into a memorable one. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026 Please give our grandchildren the gift of pride in us that our generation is also doing the right thing. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Verb
Penalties hurt Miami could not get out of its own way early on, gifting Florida State several penalties. — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026 Canales didn’t want to gift the Eagles three points, particularly with Jake Elliott, one of the best kickers in the league, waiting in the wings. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gift
Noun
  • Combined with its co-founders' pledge to donate 80% of their equity and an employee donation matching program, roughly 20% of Anthropic's shares will be dedicated to public purposes, excluding any additional shares added later.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • If a governor does not opt in, that state's taxpayers can still make donations to SGOs and receive the tax credit, but families in that state won't qualify for scholarships or vouchers to pay for educational expenses.
    — Cory Turner, NPR, 20 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • But the talent for going viral that helped Ramaswamy gain a national profile has proved less successful this election cycle in Ohio.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The right person would ably balance greenlight authority with maintaining Netflix’s biggest talent relationships.
    — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • So far, his scheming hasn’t been all that productive, and with Saeed inching into the case, Johnny is more likely to get benched with Molly, who’s mostly there to say lines of expository dialogue, bless her.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • And while he’s been blessed by natural talent and physicality, his rise through the system has been a journey of sacrifice and education.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • That’s the dark story Brooke is ready to tell the world in a manuscript she’s brought from Sag Harbor—the world’s least welcome Christmas present.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Dug into the terrain, the 4,400-square-foot house presents as a single story from the front but descends to a lower level.
    — Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The teams also have found a knack for knowing when to trade players to maximize their returns.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Romo carved out new terrain at CBS Sports after revealing a knack for predicting game play — all but forcing CBS to re-sign the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback to a multi-season pact in 2020 valued at around $17 million a year.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 22 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Someone once said that the German psyche has a tendency to endow the inanimate with a soul, and in my home that thought was illustrated one hundred times over.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Oct. 2026
  • An essential state role, parallel to provisioning basic services like education and healthcare, is endowing a wide open aesthetic field of form and meaning and collective sensibility.
    — Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Now Birkett gives candidates an AI model and asks them to analyze the data and build a presentation.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • An after party and an international guest list extended the presentation beyond the runway.
    — Footwear News, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The Duke then entered the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, where his aptitude for foreign languages was recognized with a prize.
    — Stephanie Bridger-Linning, Vanity Fair, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Naturally, his work at Celine has now been put in conversation with hers, especially because both designers share an aptitude for creating clothes real people want to wear–and, therefore, many of the same fans.
    — Joan Kennedy, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Gift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gift. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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