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

Scientists have only ever observed three such interstellar objects — asteroids and comets that were ejected from other stars and fired into our vicinity — giving us insight into material from other solar systems. —Quanta Magazine, 15 May 2026

Your character spends much of the film observing other people. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 15 May 2026

Noun

In civil-rights circles, that work falls under the broad definition of legal observing. —Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026

In fact, during the first period of the fourth observing run (known as O4A), LIGO saw more gravitational wave events than from all previous observing runs combined. —Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 17 Sep. 2025

Verb

But her patients of various faiths admonished her for not observing the most sacred Jewish holiday. —Literary Hub, 14 May 2026

Seeing a fawn alone doesn't necessarily mean it's abandoned; the mother is likely nearby and observing. —Cody Godwin, USA Today, 13 May 2026