INDENTATION Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

indentation

noun

ˌin-ˌden-ˈtā-shən

Definition of indentation

as in dent

a sunken area forming a separate space the previous occupant's furniture had left some fairly noticeable indentations in the carpet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in indent

a V-shaped cut usually on an edge or a surface deep indentations along the edge of the leaf

Synonyms & Similar 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 indentation Let sit at room temperature until buns are puffed and expanded to edges of muffin cups (dough will spring back when poked but hold a slight indentation), 25–35 minutes. — Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Aug. 2026 For sets, make an indentation about 2 to 3 inches deep for each onion and space them 4 to 5 inches apart. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 22 July 2026 Using your thumb or the back of a spoon, make a shallow indentation in the center of each patty. — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 18 June 2026 Like the experimental teeth, the ones from Neanderthal archaeological sites had the same overlapping small fractures, shallow indentations, and shallow scratches. — ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for indentation

Recent Examples of Synonyms for indentation

Noun

Perhaps because of this, Salazar’s ad seemed to barely make a dent.

— Daniel Castro, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2026
So would a deliberate slowdown at the frontier labs—as pushed by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei—put a dent in chip demand?

— Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of dent

Noun

Another fun detail can be found on the vamp, which has the same series of dots signature to the sneaker but rendered merely as indents rather than full perforations — less the Gore-Tex membrane be compromised.

— Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026
This one -- as hundreds of users on TikTok and Instagram have shown in the last week -- starts with half of a watermelon that's been scooped to create a bowl-like indent and frozen overnight.

— Kelly McCarthy, ABC News, 10 July 2026

Definition of indent

Noun

His unit had shown holes in the secondary, ranking 131st in the country in pass defense.

— Noah White, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
Joe Jackson ran for 159 yards and a touchdown, Avery Johnson threw for 203 yards and another score, and the Wildcats overcame a multitude of mistakes while rallying from an early 10-point hole to keep nearly two decades of dominance going.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of hole

Noun

Step 3 Unwrap turkey and remove giblets and any other parts (such as neck) that may be inside cavity; save for gravy if desired.

— Alton Brown, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026
The new technology instead places the diamond directly inside a laser cavity.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of cavity

Noun

John Whitney was this experimental filmmaker who had developed this technique called ‘slit scan,’ which would be a key element to the ‘Stargate’ sequence.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
The double-slit experiment, for example, is a classic setup where scientists send particles through two gaps in a screen and observe a resulting interference pattern, proving that the particles act as waves.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of slit

Noun

For colder months, a fire pit or propane heater stored and used safely, plus heated blankets, can keep the area in play.

— Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
For year-round use, add shade with sail shades, pergolas or umbrellas, and plan for cold weather with a fire pit or propane heater (stored and used safely) plus heated blankets.

— Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of pit

Noun

Aledo builds momentum, downs Arlington Aledo’s offense has found a groove.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2026
The production is a rattling junk drawer of circuit-bent thrift-store keyboards, dusty drum machines, and unintuitive loops, and KTO combines them into head-scratching, shouldn’t-work grooves.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of groove

Browse Nearby Words

indent

indentation

indentations

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Indentation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indentation. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of indentation

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on indentation

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

disparate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes