Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

manner

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of manner

1 manners plural personal conduct or behavior as evaluated by an accepted standard of appropriateness for a social or professional setting

  • the young man's impeccable manners are an unmistakable sign of a good upbringing
Synonyms of manner

etiquette, form, mores, proprieties
Words Related to manner

amenities, civilities, pleasantries

bearing, demeanor, deportment, mien

courtesy, decorum, mannerliness, politeness

formalities, protocol, rules

air, attitude, carriage, poise, polish, pose, posture, presence

custom, habit, pattern, practice (also practise), trick, way, wont

convention, fashion, mode, style

2 a distinctive way of putting ideas into words

  • the former doctor writes his novels very much in the manner of someone who is used to observing the smallest details
Synonyms of manner

fashion, locution, mode, phraseology, style, tone, vein
Words Related to manner

address, delivery, elocution

archaism, colloquialism, regionalism

acceptation, connotation, denotation, expression, idiom

3 a number of persons or things that are grouped together because they have something in common

  • fish and all manner of sea life on view at the aquarium
Synonyms of manner

breed, class, description, feather, genre, ilk, kidney, kind, like, nature, order, sort, species, strain, stripe, type, variety
Words Related to manner

model

sample, specimen

bracket, bunch, category, division, family, grade, group, grouping, lot, persuasion, rank(s), set, suite

4 the means or procedure for doing something

  • you happened to reach the correct answer, but the manner by which you solved the problem was all wrong
Synonyms of manner

approach, fashion, form, how, method, methodology, recipe, strategy, style, system, tack, tactics, technique, way
Words Related to manner

mode, modus operandi

blueprint, design, game, game plan, ground plan, intrigue, layout, line, model, plan, plot, program, route, scheme

expedient, move, shift, step

practice (also practise), process, routine

policy

Synonym Discussion of manner

bearing, deportment, demeanor, mien, manner, carriage mean the outward manifestation of personality or attitude. bearing is the most general of these words but now usually implies characteristic posture.
    • a woman of regal bearing
deportment suggests actions or behavior as formed by breeding or training.
    • your deportment was atrocious
demeanor suggests one's attitude toward others as expressed in outward behavior.
    • the haughty demeanor of the headwaiter
mien is a literary term referring both to bearing and demeanor.
    • a mien of supreme self-satisfaction
manner implies characteristic or customary way of moving and gesturing and addressing others.
    • the imperious manner of a man used to giving orders
carriage applies chiefly to habitual posture in standing or walking.
    • the kind of carriage learned at boarding school

Learn More about manner

  1. See words that rhyme with manner Dictionary: Definition of manner Spanish Central: Translation of manner Nglish: Translation of manner for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of manner for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up manner? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games