INTERESTS Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

interests 1 of 2

noun

plural of interest

as in stakes

a legal right to participation in the advantages, profits, and responsibility of something all of the workers at the food cooperative have an interest in it

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Relevance

as in companies

a commercial or industrial activity or organization a multinational corporation with interests on every continent

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as in interest groups

a group of people with a common identifying interest that they seek to protect and promote the contention that the nation's financial interests have too much power

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interests

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of interest

as in intrigues

to hold the attention of the book didn't interest me, so I ended up watching the parade of people on the sidewalk

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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 interests

Noun

Some Israel critics who have spread conspiracy theories about Jews and the Jewish state are now accusing Rubio of working toward Israeli interests above American interests, and say Israel is pushing his candidacy. — Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026 But a durational exhibition requires a totally different allocation of time and energy, and the frenzied interests of private donors can be draining. — Lauren Oyler, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 What does this project say about a student’s interests and talents? — Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 Still, the current system is working well, and Congress, not the courts, has to decide whether America’s immigration laws are serving the country’s interests and values. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026 El Sayed peddled the claim that Stevens was bought by corporate interests and Israeli lobbyists, whereas Stevens insisted her primary opponent was benefiting from advertising money spent by the Republican Party. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 July 2026 The effort to boost the fishing industry, which has been challenged in court, marks a dramatic shift in federal policy by prioritizing commercial interests over efforts to allow the fish supply to increase. — ABC News, 13 July 2026

Verb

Pushing Content That Doesn’t Interest The Audience New marketers often lead social posts with company news, product features or promotional content without considering what interests their audience. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 What’s underneath Beulah and what’s really driving her is what interests me. — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2026 These are novels about bohemian communities of friends and lovers and artistic collaborators, which is a big part of what interests me about AIDS activism. — Sarah Schulman, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026 Onscreen love interests Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause are letting fans think their relationship is the same offscreen, too. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026 That coexistence interests me more than any single genre. — Alma Rota, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026 Make new friends or join a club that interests you. — Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 June 2026 What interests you about telling a story like that? — Wengel Gemu, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026 At the moment, the only Championship side that interests me in FPL terms are Coventry. — Holly Shand, New York Times, 26 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for interests

Noun

These feel like ‘table stakes’ for AI in text editing, yet Apple has been deliberate in introducing Apple Intelligence across its platforms.

— Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Some members and associates of the Seidler family are expected to retain at least a portion of their stakes in the Padres.

— Dennis Lin, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Definition of stakes

Noun

School board elections in Illinois are nonpartisan, and in many blue cities, endorsements from unions and other interest groups effectively become party labels, Reckhow said.

— Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 16 July 2026
Dean said that at the time, the switch away from direct elections was supported by a broad coalition of conservative and liberal interest groups.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026

Definition of interest groups

Verb

That’s what intrigues them about coming to work for a large company that’s constantly evolving.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 8 June 2026
The essential nature of magic especially intrigues physicists like Swingle, who hope to use it on a quantum computer to simulate how gravity behaves in situations where general relativity fails.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 3 June 2026

Definition of intrigues

Noun

For those Regular Joes fortunate enough to have a few bucks in a brokerage account during its IPO last month, shares are down 30%.

— Matt Peterson, CNBC, 25 July 2026
Recalling the biblical knights that danced and fought in Cucinelli’s childhood dreams, the director projects crayon drawings on the rafters above the bed his fictional counterpart (Francesco Cannevale) shares with his cousins.

— Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 25 July 2026

Definition of shares

Noun

The coalition now spans chipmakers, cloud providers, security vendors, application companies and the venture firms behind them.

— Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Max Pritt, an attorney for Boies Schiller Flexner who represents book authors in copyright litigation against AI firms, said the government is in the same boat.

— Kif Leswing,Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 25 July 2026

Definition of firms

Noun

Porter characterized herself as a minivan driving single mom who would work to take on special interests and refuse to take corporate cash.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026
Both measures are sensible safeguards against greedy lawmakers and powerful special interests like SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, the union pushing the billionaire tax.

— Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 13 July 2026

Definition of special interests

Verb

But the skillful way in which they are woven together belies the efforts that went into telling this story, and Lovely Reader, this dedication to quality fascinates me.

— Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
There is something magical about a firefly that fascinates young and old alike.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 6 June 2026

Definition of fascinates

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Style

“Interests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/interests. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of interests

noun

verb

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