Synonyms of leveling

leveling

verb

variants or levelling

present participle of level

1

as in balancing

to make equal in amount, degree, or status

we'll give both teams the same equipment so as to level the playing field

Synonyms & Similar Words

• balancing
• equating
• adjusting
• equalizing
• compensating
• evening
• accommodating
• standardizing
• equilibrating
• normalizing
• counterbalancing
• fitting
• homogenizing
• democratizing
• equipoising
• regularizing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disequilibrating

2

as in smoothing

to make free from breaks, curves, or bumps

the construction workers leveled the ground before laying a foundation for the new house

Synonyms & Similar Words

• smoothing
• flattening
• shaving
• planing
• raking
• trimming
• evening
• smoothening
• laying
• clipping
• paring
• combing
• cropping
• pruning
• spreading
• pressing
• carding
• surfacing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• roughing
• roughening
• bending
• wrinkling
• pitting
• denting
• coarsening
• rumpling
• kinking

3

as in aiming

to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal

the marksman leveled his gun at the target and fired

Synonyms & Similar Words

• aiming
• casting
• setting
• bending
• directing
• heading
• training
• holding
• focusing
• pinpointing
• steering
• facing
• concentrating
• orienting
• sighting
• inclining
• bearing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• curving
• deflecting
• diverting
• shunting
• averting
• sidetracking
• rechanneling
• detouring

4

as in dropping

to strike (someone) so forcefully as to cause a fall

the boxer leveled his opponent with a single blow

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dropping
• downing
• hitting
• toppling
• flooring
• smacking
• slamming
• slapping
• punching
• pounding
• felling
• bowling (down or over)
• mowing (down)
• prostrating
• banging
• knocking down
• knocking over
• overthrowing
• poking
• whacking
• thumping
• knocking out
• jabbing
• swiping
• bashing
• hammering
• smiting
• pasting
• slugging
• kayoing
• throwing down
• socking
• bludgeoning
• clobbering
• slogging
• KO'ing
• belting
• swatting
• walloping
• whaling
• thwacking

5

as in demolishing

to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces

an old warehouse that was leveled to build a parking lot

Synonyms & Similar Words

• demolishing
• razing
• tearing down
• destroying
• pulling down
• unbuilding
• dynamiting
• flattening
• finishing
• overturning
• eradicating
• wrecking
• abolishing
• obliterating
• ruining
• pulverizing
• wasting
• decimating
• smashing
• ravaging
• extirpating
• wiping out
• dissolving
• annihilating
• devastating
• totaling
• blowing up
• devouring
• crushing
• unmaking
• doing in
• scourging
• dashing
• cracking up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• building
• constructing
• raising
• erecting
• restoring
• rebuilding
• creating
• making
• forming
• renewing
• shaping
• manufacturing
• putting up
• forging
• renovating
• fabricating
• fashioning

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of leveling

That reality doesn’t stop the politicians from levelling the accusation, though. — David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

That might be done by filling it with debris from hospital construction and graded earth or by leveling it with parking structures that would support an elevated ground floor. — Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026

Chwalińska could not prevent Sawangkaew from leveling the set, and gestured towards her discomfort on multiple occasions. — Leon Imber, New York Times, 29 June 2026

That ability moves toward leveling the playing field between businesses of different sizes, increases efficiency for all firms and supercharges competition to the benefit of consumers. — Jessica Melugin, Sun Sentinel, 25 June 2026

In addition to the colors, which will only be available on this series of Continentals, each car also features a Satin stripe running down the center of the vehicle and rides on a set of black 22-inch wheels with self-leveling badges. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 17 June 2026

Longtime English Premier League player Riyad Mahrez served in a beautiful in-swinger from the near corner that connected with the head of Benbouali, leveling the score 1-1. — Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 23 June 2026

Others chided Pattie Gonia for leveling the accusation against Patagonia, a company considered by many as a leader in sustainability, without painting a full picture of the case. — Brittany Peterson, Fortune, 12 June 2026

The roughly 180-foot-wide meteor’s explosion above a remote region of Russia released the energy equivalent of three to 50 megatons of TNT while leveling about 830 square miles of Siberian forest. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 24 June 2026