Thesaurus

root

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of root

1 a point or place at which something is invented or provided

he insists that insecurity is the root of all jealousy

Synonyms of root

cradle, font, fountain, fountainhead, origin, seedbed, source, spring, well, wellspring

Words Related to root

beginning, commencement, dawn, day one, genesis, get-go (also git-go), inception, incipience, incipiency, kickoff, launch, morning, nascence, nascency, onset, outset, start, threshold

baseline, first base, ground zero, square one

2 the source from which something grows or develops

one would need to go back at least several hundred years to find the root of the entrenched hostility between the neighboring nations

Synonyms of root

fountainhead, germ, origin, seed, seedbed

Words Related to root

font, fountain, spring, well, wellhead, wellspring

beginning, birth, commencement, dawn, genesis, inception, incipiency, launch, morning, onset, outset, start, threshold

creation, inauguration, origination

3 an immaterial thing upon which something else rests

an implicit trust in the wisdom of the people is the root of democracy

Synonyms of root

base, basis, bedrock, bottom, cornerstone, footing, foundation, ground, groundwork, keystone, underpinning, warp, warp and woof

Words Related to root

anchorage, bed, brace, bulwark, buttress, framework, infrastructure, mount, prop, shore, stay, substratum, substructure, support

assumption, justification, premise (also premiss), presumption, presupposition, rationale, supposition, theory, thesis, warrant

backbone, center, core, cornerstone, eye, focus, heart, hub, kernel, keystone, nucleus, seat

essence, quintessence, soul, touchstone

4 the central part or aspect of something under consideration

at root, it's a question of the proper limits, if any, of free speech

Synonyms of root

bottom line, bull's-eye, centerpiece, core, crux, essence, gist, heart, kernel, keynote, meat, meat and potatoes, net, nub, nubbin, nucleus, pith, pivot, point, sum

Words Related to root

course, direction, drift, tenor

body, content, substance

hypothesis, proposition, purport, subject, theme, thesis

Phrases Synonymous with root

sum and substance, the long and short (or the long and the short)

Synonym Discussion of root

origin, source, inception, root mean the point at which something begins its course or existence. origin applies to the things or persons from which something is ultimately derived and often to the causes operating before the thing itself comes into being.

- an investigation into the origin of baseball

source applies more often to the point where something springs into being.

- the source of the Nile
- the source of recurrent trouble

inception stresses the beginning of something without implying causes.

- the business has been a success since its inception

root suggests a first, ultimate, or fundamental source often not easily discerned.

- the real root of the violence

root

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of root

to set solidly in or as if in surrounding matter

rooted the post securely in the dirt

Synonyms of root

bed, embed (also imbed), enroot, entrench (also intrench), fix, impact, implant, ingrain (also engrain), lodge

Words Related to root

imbue, infuse, instill

beat (into), drive (into)

establish, place, put, settle, stick

Near Antonyms of root

eliminate, eradicate

detach, disconnect, disengage, remove

Antonyms of root

dislodge, root (out), uproot

Learn More about root

Dictionary: Definition of root Medical Dictionary: Definition of root Spanish Central: Translation of root Nglish: Translation of root for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of root for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about root

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up root? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments

WORD OF THE DAY

adversary

an enemy or opponent