GOALS Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

goals

noun

plural of goal

as in objectives

something that one hopes or intends to accomplish leaving the world a better place than I found it is one of my main goals

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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 goals If goals diverge, name the common aim, then suggest a simple route that honors both needs, and your upbeat spirit will make consensus easier. — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026 The Frenchman scored more league goals than any other Liverpool player last season, but that was largely with Isak on the sidelines. — Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2026 Venus enters Libra and your 11th House of Friends and Community, bringing ease, charm, and mutual support into friendships, groups, and shared goals. — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026 While outlining his five-year military goals at the Workers’ Party congress in February, Kim also called for intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of underwater launches. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 Balancing full-time and part-time career goals The side hustle’s ebb-and-flow contrasts with the steady paycheck and cadence of her NASA job. — Megan Sauer, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026 For everyone else, however, greater spending will only result in larger losses without AI experts turning strategic goals into meaningful business infrastructure. — James Loffler, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Kansas City has now scored a league-leading 28 goals this year. — Christian Marshall, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026 Shay focused on the American military institutions and leaders who undermined the trust and ideals of their soldiers through unclear goals and unjust orders. — Amy S. Badura-Brack, The Conversation, 30 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for goals

Noun

American armed forces launched the war alongside Israel, which has different interests, redlines, and objectives.

— Erik Lin-Greenberg, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2026
The inference of the joint venture was clear; if FIFA continued to pursue proposals that Europe and South America did not think were in their interests, then those confederations would work independently to achieve their own objectives.

— Adam Crafton, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of objectives

Noun

Instead, the Children's Trust was used and abused by the Kittrells for exclusively their own purposes and in fact the Kittrells treat the trust assets for nearly all purposes as their own.

— Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Cost basis is the property's value for tax purposes — the starting point used to calculate a taxable gain or loss when the property is sold.

— Sharon Epperson,Stephanie Dhue, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of purposes

Noun

Keane, a former four-star general, argued that their involvement may have contributed to Washington misunderstanding Iran’s intentions.

— Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Digital streaks, from nightly games to professional habits, often hijack our intentions, turning recreational activities into obligations that cost us real rest.

— Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of intentions

Noun

Putnam And Leadership Functionalism, and the vast majority of Putnam’s ideas, belong to the realm of analytic philosophy, one of the two major branches of 20th-century philosophy, along with continental philosophy.

— Theodore McDarrah, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
From longline styles, like Jennifer Lawrence’s denim jorts, to Margot Robbie’s polished Bermuda style, these outfit formulas offer new ideas built around the best basics, making these summer staples feel impossibly fresh.

— Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 31 July 2026

Definition of ideas

Noun

Nearly every customer relationship, operational workflow, escalation path and commercial outcome emerges from one of these two conversational intents.

— Naresh Prajapati, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
For all intents and purposes, an unknown actor can wade unburdened into the depths of Bond, able to transform without a viewer’s prior expectation tainting the image of 007.

— Emily Maskell, IndieWire, 10 July 2026

Definition of intents

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go along

goals

goat

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“Goals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goals. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of goals

noun

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