LOOKER-ON Synonyms: 21 Similar and Opposite Words

looker-on

noun

Definition of looker-on

as in observer

Related Words

Relevance

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 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

Those two changes mean an observer could actually see three apparent images of the spacecraft at certain moments.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2026
Market observers interviewed noted that current futures prices continue to significantly understate the actual supply risks in physical crude markets.

— , CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of observer

Noun

The Bruins averaged 7,036 spectators for their home contests, among the lowest in the Big Ten.

— Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
The release also predicted a total of 80,000 spectators to attend the multi-day event, with additional programming planned for the Charlotte Convention Center.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of spectator

Noun

The sleek, gold-colored coupé impressed with a futuristic design, but baffled onlookers with its cramped two-seat interior, lack of a charging port, and a dubious, far-too-good-to-be-true $30,000 price tag.

— Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 10 Sep. 2026
In 1935, Rubin Stacy, a Black farmworker, was lynched as a horde of white onlookers stood by.

— Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of onlooker

Noun

Some earlier assassins expected it of themselves, canceling plots that would have killed bystanders.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Her family said Surbezz Clark was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire outside an Auburn Gresham gas station just before July 4.

— Lauren Victory, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of bystander

Browse Nearby Words

looker

looker-on

lookers

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Looker-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looker-on. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of looker-on

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

elegiac

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes