Synonyms of observe

observe 1 of 4

verb (1)

əb-ˈzərv 

1

as in to obey

to act according to the commands of

you must observe all the rules of this school, not simply the ones that meet with your personal approval

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obey
• follow
• conform (to)
• comply (with)
• adhere (to)
• abide by
• keep to
• mind
• watch
• hear
• goose-step (to)
• fall in with
• submit (to)
• yield (to)
• notice
• regard
• agree (to)
• surrender (to)
• defer (to)
• take
• attend
• accede (to)
• assent (to)
• heed
• note
• acquiesce (to)
• listen (to)
• mark

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• defy
• disobey
• dare
• refuse
• lead
• challenge
• ignore
• renounce
• direct
• rebel (against)
• repudiate
• disregard
• overlook
• dismiss
• violate
• pass over
• break
• disoblige
• brush (off)
• transgress
• resist
• oppose
• mock
• infringe
• fight
• wink (at)
• flout
• deride
• breach
• withstand
• tune out
• scorn
• revolt (against)
• combat
• scoff (at)
• dispute
• shrug off
• contest
• pooh-pooh
• buck
• overpass
• mutiny (against)

2

as in to celebrate

to mark with an appropriate practice, rite, or ceremony

a time when few people in New England observed Christmas

Synonyms & Similar Words

• celebrate
• commemorate
• keep
• bless
• remember
• honor
• consecrate
• sanctify
• praise
• laud
• solemnize
• memorialize
• fete

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• violate
• break
• forget
• ignore
• transgress
• disregard
• overlook
• neglect
• blow off

3

as in to watch

to keep one's eyes on

happily spent many hours observing the birds at the backyard feeder

Synonyms & Similar Words

• watch
• eye
• follow
• view
• see
• stare
• perceive
• look
• monitor
• gawk
• gaze
• regard
• study
• peer
• behold
• have one's eye on
• guard
• gape
• look on
• glimpse
• wake
• peek
• spy
• glare
• ward
• rubberneck
• espy
• peep
• bird-dog
• glance
• goggle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• blink
• wink

4

as in to reflect

to make a statement of one's opinion

"I think you might be mistaken," he observed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reflect
• remark
• comment
• note
• say
• opine
• commentate
• allow
• editorialize
• weigh in
• speak
• speculate
• tell
• state
• verbalize
• talk
• surmise
• express
• guess
• suppose
• articulate
• utter
• vocalize
• daresay
• conjecture

5

as in to notice

to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes

she observed that the weather had changed again

Synonyms & Similar Words

• notice
• see
• spot
• eye
• regard
• perceive
• view
• watch
• discern
• remark
• sight
• witness
• note
• distinguish
• look (at)
• behold
• catch
• identify
• spy
• descry
• espy
• consider
• get a load of
• set eyes on
• examine
• lay eyes on
• inspect
• pick out
• scrutinize
• study
• heed
• attend (to)
• glimpse
• scan
• make out
• mark
• survey
• mind
• pick up
• glance (at)
• peer (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignore
• disregard
• neglect
• pass over
• miss
• overlook
• overpass

6

as in to follow

to take notice of and be guided by

generally observes the suggestions of the experts regarding baby care

Synonyms & Similar Words

• follow
• note
• obey
• watch
• regard
• consider
• listen (to)
• heed
• respect
• contemplate
• hear
• mind
• see
• keep
• ponder
• weigh
• notice
• conform (to)
• comply (with)
• mull
• attend (to)
• mark
• hearken (to)
• hark (to)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignore
• disregard
• dismiss
• tune out
• pass over
• neglect
• discount
• scorn
• gloss (over)
• brush (aside or off)
• defy
• shrug off
• flout
• slight
• pooh-pooh
• gloze (over)
• snub

observing

2 of 4

adjective

1

as in participating

Related Words

• participating
• accompanying
• present
• attending
• available
• in
• breathing
• existing
• latent
• live
• abounding
• extant
• existent

Dissimilar Words

• absent
• out
• missing
• gone
• retired
• departed
• away
• nonexistent
• deceased
• dead
• truant
• late
• vanished
• defunct
• demised
• lost
• delinquent
• delayed
• tardy
• belated
• overdue
• AWOL

2

as in aware

Related Words

• aware
• watchful
• vigilant
• observant
• attentive
• sighted
• alert
• sharp-eyed
• hawkeyed
• sharp-sighted
• lynx-eyed
• eagle-eyed
• clear-sighted

Dissimilar Words

• blind
• sightless
• eyeless
• visionless
• nearsighted
• myopic
• astigmatic
• shortsighted
• stone-blind
• purblind

observing

3 of 4

noun

as in observation

Related Words

• observation
• monitoring
• observance
• policing
• supervision
• surveillance
• guidance
• management
• running
• stewardship
• administration
• regulation
• care
• control
• superintendence
• oversight
• direction
• leadership
• piloting
• superintendency
• headship
• steering
• generalship
• charge
• government
• rule
• hand(s)
• shepherding
• reign
• protection
• tutelage
• auspices
• guardianship
• trusteeship
• aegis

observing

4 of 4

verb (2)

present participle of observe

1

as in obeying

to act according to the commands of

you must observe all the rules of this school, not simply the ones that meet with your personal approval

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obeying
• following
• conforming (to)
• adhering (to)
• complying (with)
• minding
• keeping to
• abiding by
• falling in with
• watching
• goose-stepping (to)
• noticing
• hearing
• regarding
• submitting (to)
• yielding (to)
• surrendering (to)
• deferring (to)
• attending
• noting
• agreeing (to)
• marking
• taking
• assenting (to)
• acceding (to)
• heeding
• listening (to)
• acquiescing (to)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• defying
• disobeying
• leading
• challenging
• ignoring
• refusing
• directing
• daring
• rebelling (against)
• renouncing
• repudiating
• disregarding
• dismissing
• overlooking
• violating
• breaking
• passing over
• brushing (off)
• mocking
• disobliging
• breaching
• fighting
• winking (at)
• transgressing
• opposing
• tuning out
• scorning
• infringing
• flouting
• deriding
• resisting
• combating
• contesting
• shrugging off
• withstanding
• disputing
• bucking
• scoffing (at)
• overpassing
• pooh-poohing
• revolting (against)
• mutinying (against)

2

as in celebrating

to mark with an appropriate practice, rite, or ceremony

a time when few people in New England observed Christmas

Synonyms & Similar Words

• celebrating
• commemorating
• keeping
• remembering
• blessing
• honoring
• praising
• sanctifying
• consecrating
• lauding
• memorializing
• solemnizing
• feting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breaking
• violating
• ignoring
• forgetting
• disregarding
• neglecting
• overlooking
• transgressing
• blowing off

3

as in watching

to keep one's eyes on

happily spent many hours observing the birds at the backyard feeder

Synonyms & Similar Words

• watching
• eyeing
• following
• viewing
• staring
• seeing
• gazing
• looking
• monitoring
• perceiving
• studying
• beholding
• peering
• gawking
• regarding
• guarding
• having one's eye on
• gaping
• goggling
• glaring
• waking
• spying
• glimpsing
• looking on
• peeking
• warding
• peeping
• rubbernecking
• espying
• glancing
• bird-dogging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• winking
• blinking

4

as in reflecting

to make a statement of one's opinion

"I think you might be mistaken," he observed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reflecting
• commenting
• remarking
• noting
• opining
• saying
• commentating
• editorializing
• weighing in
• speaking
• allowing
• stating
• talking
• speculating
• verbalizing
• telling
• vocalizing
• expressing
• articulating
• uttering
• conjecturing
• surmising
• guessing
• supposing
• daresaying

5

as in noticing

to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes

she observed that the weather had changed again

Synonyms & Similar Words

• noticing
• spotting
• seeing
• regarding
• eyeing
• viewing
• watching
• remarking
• perceiving
• noting
• witnessing
• spying
• looking (at)
• sighting
• beholding
• discerning
• distinguishing
• catching
• identifying
• espying
• descrying
• considering
• studying
• examining
• getting a load of
• surveying
• inspecting
• setting eyes on
• laying eyes on
• scanning
• marking
• scrutinizing
• picking out
• heeding
• attending (to)
• making out
• glimpsing
• minding
• glancing (at)
• peering (at)
• picking up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignoring
• disregarding
• neglecting
• passing over
• missing
• overlooking
• overpassing

6

as in following

to take notice of and be guided by

generally observes the suggestions of the experts regarding baby care

Synonyms & Similar Words

• following
• noting
• watching
• regarding
• obeying
• respecting
• listening (to)
• considering
• heeding
• contemplating
• pondering
• hearing
• weighing
• keeping
• noticing
• minding
• seeing
• mulling
• conforming (to)
• complying (with)
• marking
• attending (to)
• hearkening (to)
• harking (to)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignoring
• disregarding
• dismissing
• neglecting
• discounting
• scorning
• tuning out
• passing over
• brushing (aside or off)
• glossing (over)
• flouting
• defying
• shrugging off
• pooh-poohing
• snubbing
• glozing (over)
• slighting

Synonym Chooser

How is the word observe different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of observe are celebrate, commemorate, and keep. While all these words mean "to notice or honor a day, occasion, or deed," observe suggests marking the occasion by ceremonious performance.

not all holidays are observed nationally

When is celebrate a more appropriate choice than observe?

The meanings of celebrate and observe largely overlap; however, celebrate suggests acknowledging an occasion by festivity.

traditionally celebrates Thanksgiving with a huge dinner

When is it sensible to use commemorate instead of observe?

Although the words commemorate and observe have much in common, commemorate suggests that an occasion is marked by observances that remind one of the origin and significance of the event.

commemorate Memorial Day with the laying of wreaths

When could keep be used to replace observe?

While the synonyms keep and observe are close in meaning, keep stresses the idea of not neglecting or violating.

kept the Sabbath by refraining from work

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of observe

Verb

Seghers observed in a letter that, in Marseille, everyone turns into Odysseus. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

A number of cities and school systems observe Indigenous Peoples Day as well. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026

Noun

With upcoming observing runs from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration expected to deliver even more data, scientists hope to refine these categories and test whether this three-family model truly holds. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 12 Apr. 2026

For an even more enhanced observing experience, find a dark environment away from bright lights to attend the total eclipse show. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026

Verb

With President Lee Jae Myung observing the trial, the event also signals strong political support for strengthening national defense capabilities. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026

And that was just for those of observing from the press box or stands or on television. — Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026