KNELL Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

knell 1 of 2

verb

Definition of knell

as in to ring

to make the clear sound heard when metal vibrates the church bells knelled to mark the death of the nation's beloved leader

Synonyms & Similar Words

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knell

2 of 2

noun

as in peal

Related Words

as in indicator

Related Words

Dissimilar 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 knell

Noun

The job loss alone might be a death knell for the Hollywood community, which Los Angeles County estimates could be in the thousands. — Mike Schur, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026 Experts suggest this isn't a death knell for American and European firms, who are strategically focusing on product refinement and reliability before mass scaling, aiming for sustainable market entry rather than rapid, potentially flawed, volume. — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026 For a big-market, win-now team like the Sparks, mediocrity is a death knell. — Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 The result is a death knell for the only indispensable element in self-help, which is the author’s authority. — Literary Hub, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for knell

Recent Examples of Synonyms for knell

Verb

His task, seemingly simple, was to ring the bell at the right moment—just as Rocky was about to get the upper hand on Apollo.

— Monica Coviello, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026
Later that morning, Bobbie's phone rang on the other side of Phoenix.

— Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of ring

Noun

One of the more surreal responses to that experience is applause, which ripples through the audience of Paranormal Activity a beat after all the major scares, like rain settling in after a peal of thunder.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
Assuming the role of a human clapper, Holzinger struck its lip again and again, sending a sonorous peal across the Biennale grounds.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026

Definition of peal

Noun

Revenue matters, but profitability, operational excellence, customer experience and leadership capacity are equally important indicators of long-term success.

— James Barlow, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Key indicators that your current setup is failing include noticeable air currents that can be felt from across the room, as well as condensation or moisture trapped between the glass panes.

— Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of indicator

Verb

Church bells tolled across the country when Leo’s charter flight landed at Paris’ Orly airport, and more than a million people are expected to turn out to see him.

— Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
The bell outside Fire Station 10 in Parkville tolled 343 times.

— Renee Anderson, CBS News, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of toll

Noun

If, however, Madrid find themselves in end-to-end ding-dongs next season — the kind that Guardiola spent his career, and particularly his final season at City, trying to avoid — then Bernardo may not be the man for the occasion.

— Sam Lee, New York Times, 23 June 2026
Hopefully, now this kid can stop being a moody ass little ding-dong about it.

— Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 May 2026

Definition of ding-dong

Noun

The power of prediction markets derives precisely from sucking our attention toward what’s speculable—incentivizing the networked crowd to separate signal from noise at scale.

— Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
This scattering of light and even electromagnetic radiation by particles that are smaller than the wavelength of the radiation opens up the possibility of signals reaching the receiver, even when the transmitter is not in line-of-sight.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of signal

Verb

The loud-mouthed cameos from ex-soccer players Zlatan Ibrahimović and Eric Cantona in Nike’s World Cup hero film Rip the Script were indicative of this, chiming with an older, more arrogant vision of Nike seen in the ’90s and the aughts.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
The boutique’s interiors will chime with other Jessica McCormack stores, which have been designed like private townhouses, filled with art, antiques, and decorated with bespoke paints and wallpapers to conjure an intimate, residential feel.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of chime

Noun

Cloudy chords, meditative tintinnabulation, the whoosh of wind and rain, blocks of iridescent brass — all these discrete sonorities trundled by, like a train of boxcars with panoramas painted on their sides.

— Justin Davidson, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
Shivaree, chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, apopemptic.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2021

Definition of tintinnabulation

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kneesocks

knell

knelled

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Style

“Knell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knell. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of knell

verb

noun

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