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 The Arizona Secretary of State’s office declined to comment and directed inquiries to ADOT. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 22 July 2026 Sources told Andrew that the abrupt nature of the termination came about due to media inquiries about Clark’s future, and that ESPN had initially planned to inform Clark of the decision today. — Chris Branch, New York Times, 21 July 2026 The House inquiry includes a February 2025 incident where Mills was allegedly involved in a domestic violence incident. — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 21 July 2026 Fox News Digital has sent multiple inquiries to Kress, SJSU and the California State University system (CSU) for a response to the allegations and the player's latest statements, but none of the parties has addressed the issue. — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for inquiry

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inquiry

Noun

Police said that the state Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation will conduct an independent investigation and that the district attorney will conduct a review.

— Marin Scott, NBC news, 23 July 2026
Siena College of Health was shut down in 2023 following an FBI investigation that found the nursing school was implicated in a scheme distributing more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas.

— Ella Moore July 23, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026

Definition of investigation

Noun

Privacy concerns The EU’s new mandate also highlights critical questions over privacy in the AI era — and the challenges tech companies and regulators face in solving them.

— Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
That means ensuring ballot questions are accurately summarized, comply with applicable legal standards, and satisfy constitutional requirements before they are certified.

— Robert Cordy, Boston Herald, 19 July 2026

Definition of question

Noun

Monfort said he has been bombarded by queries for the photos by professional media outlets while also seeing his images reproduced countless times on social media and the internet without any credit or compensation.

— Joseph Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026
In addition to training large language models, data centers are also used to run generative AI queries.

— Bridget Shirvell, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2026

Definition of query

Noun

The announcement Monday followed investigations into former football coach Sherrone Moore’s relationship with his executive assistant and a probe into the athletic department.

— Larry Lage, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026
The probe will monitor changes in the asteroid’s orbit, shape and surface while also studying its internal structure.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 19 July 2026