1
as in motifs
a unit of decoration that is repeated all over something (as a fabric)
a coverlet with a nosegay of tiny pink roses as the pattern
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in habits
a usual manner of behaving or doing
her daily pattern begins with coffee and a bagel every morning for breakfast
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in routines
an established and often automatic or monotonous series of actions followed when engaging in some activity
with her, everything must be done strictly according to pattern
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in layouts
the way in which the elements of something (as a work of art) are arranged
many of the artist's paintings use the same pattern of a lone figure surrounded by a vast landscape
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in models
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in stripes
Related Words
Dissimilar 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 patterns
Daniel De Visé,
USA Today,
29 June 2026
Mercury stations retrograde in Cancer in your 4th House of Home and Family, bringing old household topics, family patterns, or private concerns back up for review.
—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
29 June 2026
And whereas Fischer described without judgment the family patterns, social customs, and religious lineage of his four groups, Reynolds contrasts his two on ideological and ultimately moral grounds.
—
James Traub,
The Atlantic,
28 June 2026
The patterns of strikes indicate Kyiv has found targeting Russia’s oil refineries to be the most effective.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 June 2026
Despite the stresses on operations, Carlo says district cooling is going to become even more important as a response to climate change and more extreme weather patterns.
—
Francois De Beaupuy,
Fortune,
28 June 2026
As its name suggests, atom lithography does away with light altogether and instead uses physical matter—atoms—to print tiny patterns onto silicon chips.
—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
Watts teaches clients how to fish, respect the lake, to understand seasons, patterns and the importance of stewardship.
—
Arkansas Online,
21 June 2026
Officers who are trained to recognize escalating risk patterns file more orders, not because the law changed, but because their capacity to apply it did.
—
Christopher Carita,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 June 2026
Noun
The ratings draw on data from millions of actual workers, in postings on LinkedIn, Indeed and other sites that illustrate patterns in pay, retention and advancement.
—
Daniel De Visé,
USA Today,
29 June 2026
Mercury stations retrograde in Cancer in your 4th House of Home and Family, bringing old household topics, family patterns, or private concerns back up for review.
—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
29 June 2026
And whereas Fischer described without judgment the family patterns, social customs, and religious lineage of his four groups, Reynolds contrasts his two on ideological and ultimately moral grounds.
—
James Traub,
The Atlantic,
28 June 2026
The patterns of strikes indicate Kyiv has found targeting Russia’s oil refineries to be the most effective.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 June 2026
Despite the stresses on operations, Carlo says district cooling is going to become even more important as a response to climate change and more extreme weather patterns.
—
Francois De Beaupuy,
Fortune,
28 June 2026
As its name suggests, atom lithography does away with light altogether and instead uses physical matter—atoms—to print tiny patterns onto silicon chips.
—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
Watts teaches clients how to fish, respect the lake, to understand seasons, patterns and the importance of stewardship.
—
Arkansas Online,
21 June 2026
Officers who are trained to recognize escalating risk patterns file more orders, not because the law changed, but because their capacity to apply it did.
—
Christopher Carita,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patterns
Noun
-
For those of us who had never considered this, Sans Visage serves as a striking and unexpected transmission from the other side—a Stockhausen-esque mood piece haunted by glassy piano motifs and musique concrète-style arrangement.
-
The Oscar-winning actress’ dress was comprised of pink lace and featured semi-sheer fabric beneath the botanical motifs throughout the delicate material.
Noun
-
To meet that demand, develop a travel wellness and performance plan built around personalized habits rather than generic advice.
-
While an initial spike in fuel costs caused a temporary pullback in longer-distance shopping trips in March, the data shows that consumer driving habits quickly rebounded by April, signaling strong offline shopping intent rather than a permanent shift to online channels.
Noun
-
October 23 – November 21 Your focus sharpens when routines stay simple.
-
Katelyn Ohashi, the beloved gymnast known for her viral NCAA routines, has made a surprising return to elite gymnastics after a 13-year hiatus.
Noun
-
Unlike conventional transistor layouts, nanostack vertically stacks and staggers transistors, allowing more components to be integrated within the same footprint.
-
Its latest creation in Beverly Hills falls in step with the firm’s signature flair for striking layouts and a strong emphasis on seamless indoor-outdoor living.
Verb
-
This vast ecosystem of bacteria and microorganisms within our intestines shapes our health in profound ways that go well beyond digesting food — our immune system, mood, cognition, metabolism and much more.
-
The Blue Ribbon Commission is an R&D vehicle to redesign a core system that shapes all our lives.
Verb
-
The same kind of misunderstanding speckles the discourse around Live Laugh Love, his stellar new album.
Noun
-
Its worse-sounding homicide figures are due to the ratio of deaths in a tiny population of less than a million people.
-
Cropped tops are flattering on petite figures, so this sleeveless top will look amazing on you.
Noun
-
Automatic contributions, delayed payment windows, small rituals that add friction to impulse spending — these are all behavioral architecture moves, not acts of self-denial.
-
The rituals culminate on the 10th day of the month Muharram, which this year falls on June 26.
Cite this Entry
“Patterns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patterns. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
