LOOKER-ON Synonyms: 21 Similar and Opposite Words

looker-on

noun

Definition of looker-on

as in observer

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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 looker-on Shortly after the Paris Couture Week show, beauty fanatics and experts quickly began to dissect McGrath’s brilliant makeup artistry, earning high praise from notable lookers-on. — Claire Sullivan, WWD, 23 Jan. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for looker-on

Noun

Instead, voters exercised their rights on what many voting observers considered to be a fairly normal Election Day.

— Miles Parks, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026
In most other shots, the DS9ers became background observers in existing scenes.

— Richard Edwards, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of observer

Noun

Over the weekend, spectators gathered at Riyadh’s King Abdulaziz Racecourse for an evening of horse racing, despite the fact that the track is barely three miles from the airport.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Hellerstein, known for a quirky independent streak and strict discipline in his courtroom, insisted spectators wear pandemic-era masks for more than two years after other judges stopped the practice.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of spectator

Noun

Such slogans hinted at extortion, and onlookers were unimpressed.

— Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
In the Tuscan port of Marina di Carrara, the six-deck, 465-foot superyacht Scheherazade is docked behind high walls to keep it both safe and hidden from curious onlookers.

— Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of onlooker

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looker

looker-on

lookers

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“Looker-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looker-on. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of looker-on

noun

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