1
as in source
a point or place at which something is invented or provided
the origins of human language remain a matter of considerable debate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in root
the source from which something grows or develops
the origin of the tradition of giving presents at Christmastime
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in ancestry
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended
they could trace their origins back 15 generations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of origin
Because this history is a critical part of our nation's origins.
—
Eva Andersen, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Dusted with umami-imparting kombu salt and served with an allium-forward green garlic labneh ranch dip, their childlike origin story is surprising.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Carrasco believes that the widespread implementation of a watermarking system that embeds information about the origin of a piece of media into its metadata layer could be a step toward a solution.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Mozilla has supported open-source technology since its origin in 1998.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for origin
Eva Andersen, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Dusted with umami-imparting kombu salt and served with an allium-forward green garlic labneh ranch dip, their childlike origin story is surprising.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Carrasco believes that the widespread implementation of a watermarking system that embeds information about the origin of a piece of media into its metadata layer could be a step toward a solution.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Mozilla has supported open-source technology since its origin in 1998.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for origin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for origin
Noun
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Transportation will determine whether White Stadium functions as a community asset or becomes a recurring source of congestion, neighborhood disruption, and political backlash.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
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Earlier in the season, there was a minor controversy over whether the film’s changes to the source material — making its hero less explicitly racist and less complicit in the victimization of a Chinese laborer — sanded down the tale’s rough edges.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Taken together, the list reads like a snapshot of a category that’s evolving quickly while still holding onto its roots.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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According to Natacha Bonjout, French pharmacist and founder of Bonjout Beauty, the ingredient is based on plant extract Anemarrhena asphodeloides root, which is rich in sarsasapogenin to stimulate fat cells.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Notably, however, among the new appointees to the board were a Black man, another man whose mother is Iranian and whose father is Pakistani, and a man of Spanish ancestry whose parents were Turkish immigrants.—
Richie Zweigenhaft,
Fortune,
27 Jan. 2026
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For Brown, and other Virgin Islanders with ancestry tied to Danish colonialism, the recent discussions over Greenland’s future have spurred heightened empathy and concern for the 57,000 inhabitants of the 836,000-square-mile island with a climate much different from their own.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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To stop each dog from trying to reach the toy, the owners sat at a dining table or on the floor while the dog was put behind a child safety gate, or was in a dog cradle or bed.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
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The wise men made a pilgrimage from the east to worship at the cradle of Christ; and the shepherds journeyed from field to town in search of Jesus, the savior of the world.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
25 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
That’s been around since the beginning of time.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Banfield's at-times tense testimony comes after his attorney scrutinized the county's investigation into the defendant, arguing that officials, almost since the beginning, forced a theory that the husband had catfished and killed his wife, and ignored evidence that undermined that conclusion.—
OLIVIA DIAZ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The lineage continues through efforts to measure intelligence, such as the Binet-Simon test that generated an IQ score, through to Alan Turing’s creation of early computer systems to create beyond-human intelligence.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Ninety million years after our lineages split, humans are beginning to listen to whales in a new way.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The genesis of the Power Station project can be traced to 1984, when the Taylors were working with model and singer Bebe Buell.—
David Chiu,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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This was the genesis for tonight’s extravaganza, which was choreographed by Damien Jalet, of Emilia Pérez fame.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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During his time in his home state of New Jersey — the Giants' facility is in the same parking lot as MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford — DeVito understood the pedigree of a Super Bowl-winning franchise.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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None of those running this time have that political pedigree, or the Sacramento backgrounds of Newsom or Brown, which, Porter suggested, is not a bad thing.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Origin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/origin. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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