INQUIRY Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

inquiry

noun

in-ˈkwī(-ə)r-ē

Definition of inquiry

as in investigation

a systematic search for the truth or facts about something an inquiry into the origins of the universe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in request

an act or instance of asking for information one student made a hesitant inquiry about the assignment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 inquiry Significant opportunities were missed by police officers and social workers after the family's first disappearance months earlier, New Zealand Minister of Social Development Louise Upston said in the government's response to the inquiry on Tuesday. — ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026 The inquiry has no direct bearing on Letby’s convictions, which have already been tested in the Court of Appeal. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026 The inquiry into baby deaths found the Countess of Chester Hospital, in northwestern England, could have saved some infants from death and injury if staff had acted sooner when children began collapsing, Justice Kathryn Thirlwall said. — CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026 Both the union and a spokesperson for the hospital did not respond to The Bee’s inquiry in time for publication. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inquiry

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inquiry

Noun

Running parallel to this butchery investigation is the arrival of perpetually hungover FBI agent Gwen Birgssen, played by British actress Lily James with an incomprehensible southern drawl and some clunky platitudes that veer into genre parody.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Doctors can use the score to determine whether more investigation or treatment is necessary, particularly in people who have inherited risk of pancreatic cancer or who have had pancreatitis, for example.

— Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of investigation

Noun

One place that states can begin with is a closer examination of nonmedical vaccine exemptions for schoolchildren.

— Sheldon H. Jacobson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
In a recent examination of prescribing trends, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Olfson and his team reported progress.

— Paula Span, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of examination

Noun

Jacir signed on as executive producer after connecting with the film’s exploration of memory and resistance.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026
These days, Artemis isn't the only extra demand on DSN; other space agencies also use the network for their own spacecraft, to a much greater degree than 50 years ago as space exploration has matured.

— Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of exploration

Noun

Far fewer teams can quantify how autosuggest modifiers alter user behavior, how star-rating variance suppresses click-through rates or how ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and other AI platforms characterize their brand in response to real user queries.

— Paul M. Wilson, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Joscha Bach of the California Institute for Machine Consciousness, another AGI pioneer, says a truly intelligent system should not need to devour the entire Internet and consume vast amounts of computing power for even the simplest query.

— George Musser, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of query

Noun

Evidence from decades of studies and real-world use of vaccines have proved there is no link between vaccines and autism.

— FATIMA HUSSEIN, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
That study, being conducted by DRC and Doctors Without Borders, will give participants a shot of Ervebo, followed a month later by a shot of an experimental vaccine designed to protect against the Sudan version of the Ebola virus.

— Helen Branswell, STAT, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of study

Noun

Even with Oracle founder Larry Ellison the primary backer of his son’s ParaBros dreams, the even older Ellison’s net worth, which has been declining of late, may not be able to handle the strain of months and months of such probes.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2026
When Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet, sought to expand the probe, Netanyahu moved to fire him.

— Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026