Synonyms of observe

observe 1 of 4

verb (1)

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
• pooh
• 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
• solemnize
• sanctify
• laud
• praise
• memorialize
• fete
• fête

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
• pooh
• shrug off
• flout
• slight
• pooh-pooh
• gloze (over)
• snub

observing

2 of 4

adjective

1

as in participating

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• 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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

observing

3 of 4

noun

as in observation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• observation
• monitoring
• observance
• policing
• supervision
• surveillance
• guidance
• running
• management
• 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
• egis

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
• combatting
• disputing
• bucking
• scoffing (at)
• overpassing
• poohing
• 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
• solemnizing
• consecrating
• lauding
• memorializing
• fêting
• 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
• eying
• eyeing
• following
• viewing
• staring
• gazing
• seeing
• looking
• perceiving
• monitoring
• studying
• beholding
• peering
• gawking
• regarding
• having one's eye on
• guarding
• 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
• eying
• 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
• marking
• scrutinizing
• scanning
• 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)
• harkening (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
• poohing
• pooh-poohing
• snubbing
• glozing (over)
• slighting