1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

much 1 of 3

adjective

ˈməch How to pronounce much (audio)
Definition of muchnext
as in significant
having great meaning or lasting effect actually, nothing much changed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

much

2 of 3

adverb

1
as in very
to a great degree much gratified by the favorable response to her novel

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in highly
to a large extent or degree the new decorations made me much happier

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in almost
very close to but not completely today the old neighborhood looks much as it did years ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in often
many times I don't do that much anymore

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in about
close to but not exactly he behaves much the same as I did at that age

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

much

3 of 3

noun

as in plenty
a considerable amount much of what people think they know about words is inaccurate or downright false

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 much
Adjective
Other experts aren’t necessarily convinced this announcement will change much inhe ta galactic game of chicken. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026 Whether the Flyers make the playoffs again this season could depend on how much these two are able to generate offense, particularly after the Flyers’ lack of offseason activity. — Max Bultman, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Adverb
Still, much else that Guatemalans had hoped for has failed to materialize. — Will Freeman, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026 Iamaleava looked much more comfortable and confident in the pocket, despite playing through multiple injuries. — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
Noun
With Aoki cruising, the offense didn’t have to do much, but the Trojans built momentum as the game progressed. — Shotgun Spratling, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2025 Daniels couldn’t do much, but tried to provide a comforting voice. — Andy Wacker, Outside Online, 18 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for much
Recent Examples of Synonyms for much
  1. significant
  2. very
  3. highly
  4. almost
  5. often
  6. about
  7. ton
  8. important
Adjective
  • Trump biopic The Apprentice was avoided by the major studios and then faced significant challenges before release.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Coroner’s records list Isaiah’s cause of death as a bacterial infection resulting from pneumonia, but other significant factors included blunt force trauma injuries and the impacts of long-term restraint.
    — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of significant
Adverb
  • The Microtransat achievement represents more than a tiny boat completing a very long journey.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Turns out the two had a rather close bond, as Elia was very politically savvy compared to the naïve Rhaegar.
    — Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of very
Adverb
  • That’s not surprising, though, since the events are not only intended to rev enthusiasm for customized and highly tuned automobiles, but keep the philanthropic legacy of Paul Walker alive.
    — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2026
  • In January, the company announced a partnership with South Korean fashion platform Musinsa to deploy its Skypod system at a new logistics center designed to handle hundreds of thousands of SKUs and highly variable demand.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of highly
Adverb
  • She is based in New York City and can almost always be found at a hot yoga class or on an evening Central Park walk.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The service industry reached a level of convenience that still seems almost utopian.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of almost
Adverb
  • Important decisions were often accompanied by a lengthy slide deck.
    — Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2026
  • School choice proponents often say the rapid increase in participation only shows the enormous demand for such programs.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of often
Adverb
  • The 2023 rate was about 58%, the third-lowest of any suburban municipality, meaning the city fell $24 million short of target.
    — A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The more likely outcome is that his payments will raise our annual national deficit, which is projected to reach $2 trillion by the end of the year, by about 50 percent--and add to the country's $40 trillion national debt.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of about
Noun
  • The rehearsals were intense, with a ton of new choreography and a crash course in how movies are made, since every single one of us in the cast was making our major-film debut.
    — Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • This time, a half-dozen states are going before Super Tuesday and some of them have tons of delegates.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of ton
Adjective
  • Yet he was accused of failing to do his work as recently as November, detained in a neighboring village over rainfall that disrupted an important ceremony.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Maybe the most important thing Jon Sumrall did Saturday night wasn’t beating Auburn.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of important

Phrases Containing much

Browse Nearby Words

Mrs. Grundys
much
much as
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of elegiac

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

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
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All