pathways

noun

plural of pathway
1
as in paths
a rough course or way formed by or as if by repeated footsteps we parked our car near a rambling pathway that led down to the pond

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in routes
the direction along which something or someone moves the long, winding pathway of the river before it meets the sea

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 pathways Patients depend on the agency to evaluate therapies rigorously and fairly; innovators depend on predictable regulatory pathways; and investors depend on confidence that scientific evidence will guide decision-making. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 14 July 2026 Wheelhouse and the Village Community Foundation achieved lift-off for LaunchPad, an initiative designed to open more pathways to careers in entertainment, sports and investing for students and young adults from underserved communities. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026 Lightning can follow conductive pathways, and these precautions reduce the risk of electrical surges. — Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 14 July 2026 Some of these pathways include Hollywood High School New Media Academy, Huntington Park Institute for Applied Medicine, and Global Media Studies Magnet at Cleveland Charter High School. — Francesca Pinney, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026 Callback verification, provenance-aware media handling, and new escalation pathways add steps to already burdened clinical workflows, and many health systems will not have the IT infrastructure to implement them seamlessly. — Henry Bair, STAT, 14 July 2026 This learned hopefulness is because in romance novels, goals are readily attainable, multiple pathways to happiness can exist and perseverance is worthwhile. — Katelyn Frey, The Conversation, 10 July 2026 Technology adoption only scales when workforce models, training pathways and institutional knowledge evolve alongside it. — Frank Carnevale, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 The researchers noted that strength training may influence specific pathways related to coronary artery disease. — Dana Santas, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pathways
  1. paths
  2. routes
  3. trails
  4. ways
  5. footpaths
  6. trajectories
Noun
  • Taking care of their own Across Hill Country, the floodwaters carved different paths of destruction.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • When done well, this can create room for people to move up the value chain, but only if organizations intentionally redesign roles, performance metrics, and career paths around this new reality.
    — Nigel Vaz, Time, 20 July 2026
Definition of paths
Noun
  • Bab al-Mandab, which translates as the Gate of Tears, is located at the southern end of the Red Sea and is a critical gateway to the Suez Canal, linking Europe and Asia through one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
    — Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • Dipping up and down between mountains and villages, the path takes walkers along Edo-period highways, old mining roads, and ancient routes used for shugendo, Japanese spiritual tradition involving ascetic training on mountain pilgrimages.
    — Gloria Liu, Travel + Leisure, 20 July 2026
Definition of routes
Noun
  • Bryce Canyon National Park is one of Utah’s most iconic destinations—but its popularity means visitors often have to contend with crowded overlooks, full parking lots, and busy hiking trails, especially during the busy seasons of summer and fall.
    — Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 19 July 2026
  • Miles of forest trails for hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter.
    — Allison Savage Bates, Denver Post, 19 July 2026
Definition of trails
Noun
  • Then Nicolas Tagliafico, a poor defender up against a great attacker in Lamine Yamal, took to attempting to foul the winger in four different ways at once, but most unpleasantly grazed his studs down Yamal’s calf.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Japanese festivals often serve as ways for deities to be brought into the streets for sacred or ritual purposes while also bringing communities together in celebration.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
Definition of ways
Noun
  • According to the National Park Service, the footpaths through the forested ridgetops of Pennsylvania are among the most popular.
    — Idra Novey, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
  • Eschewing fences and pavement in favor of natural footpaths lined with brambles and shrubs, these slender pathways provide epic sea views while leaving the ancestral homes of other animals intact.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Definition of footpaths
Noun
  • The mission is designed to provide valuable data on how kinetic impacts can be used to alter asteroid trajectories and improve future planetary defense capabilities.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 19 July 2026
  • About half of all autocracies have experienced similar trajectories after opening their economies.
    — José Kaire, The Conversation, 17 July 2026
Definition of trajectories

Browse Nearby Words

pathway
pathways
patience
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pathways.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pathways. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on pathways

Nglish: Translation of pathways for Spanish Speakers

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 dog days

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All