Synonyms of sort

sort 1 of 2

noun

ˈsȯrt 

1

as in kind

a number of persons or things that are grouped together because they have something in common

I prefer jackets with zippers to the sort that close with buttons

Synonyms & Similar Words

• kind
• type
• stripe
• genre
• variety
• breed
• nature
• description
• manner
• species
• kidney
• strain
• like
• order
• ilk
• class
• feather
• persuasion
• category
• model
• sample
• group
• grouping
• specimen
• family
• set
• bracket
• bunch
• suite
• lot
• division
• grade
• rank(s)

2

as in person

a member of the human race

he's a decent sort

Synonyms & Similar Words

• person
• guy
• man
• life
• thing
• creature
• individual
• being
• bird
• human
• soul
• body
• human being
• party
• character
• customer
• fish
• duck
• specimen
• baby
• personality
• egg
• scout
• cookie
• devil
• face
• mortal
• personage
• bod
• son of man
• stiff
• fellow
• wight
• slob
• head
• somebody
• self
• brother
• neighbor
• homo
• celebrity
• hominid
• humanoid
• fellowman

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• animal
• beast
• brute
• critter
• beastie

sort

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to classify

to arrange or assign according to type

sorted the mail into bills to be paid and junk to be thrown out

Synonyms & Similar Words

• classify
• rank
• type
• distinguish
• group
• relegate
• place
• categorize
• grade
• separate
• distribute
• class
• list
• organize
• identify
• range
• codify
• file
• digest
• compartmentalize
• recognize
• peg
• order
• break down
• refer
• assort
• catalog
• compartment
• array
• systematize
• index
• cull
• dispose
• alphabetize
• draw up
• shelve
• marshal
• sift
• pigeonhole
• clump
• sieve
• winnow
• cluster
• set
• reclassify
• screen
• regroup
• recategorize
• colligate
• subcategorize

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lump
• confuse
• mix (up)
• jumble
• scramble
• disarrange
• misclassify
• mistype
• missort

2

as in to travel

to come or be together as friends

you should be careful about whom you sort with

Synonyms & Similar Words

• travel
• associate
• mix
• run
• bond
• connect
• relate
• company
• collaborate
• join
• mingle
• take up with
• befriend
• hook up
• fall in with
• hang (around or out)
• rub shoulders (with)
• consort
• fraternize
• cooperate
• pal (around)
• friend
• group
• couple
• chum
• keep company (with)
• rub elbows (with)
• mess around
• get along
• tie
• consociate
• club
• rally
• team
• side
• link
• attach
• hobnob
• get on
• league
• ally
• interrelate
• gang
• band
• affiliate
• socialize
• confederate
• knot
• be friends with
• collude
• conjoin
• wed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoid
• shun
• snub
• alienate
• split (up)
• cold-shoulder
• split
• disperse
• break up
• disband
• estrange
• dissociate
• sever
• divorce
• disunite
• sunder
• disjoin

3

as in to correspond

to be in agreement on every point

that doesn't sort with what you said the last time

Synonyms & Similar Words

• correspond
• coincide
• conform
• fit
• agree
• consist
• check
• answer
• rhyme
• go
• harmonize
• accord
• comport
• square
• match
• jibe
• fall in with
• cohere
• align
• tally
• dovetail
• parallel
• chord
• equal
• line up
• register

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• differ (from)
• disagree (with)
• contradict
• dispute
• conflict
• nullify
• negate
• jar
• gainsay
• clash

Synonym Chooser

How is the word sort distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of sort are character, description, kind, nature, and type. While all these words mean "a number of individuals thought of as a group because of a common quality or qualities," sort often suggests some disparagement.

the sort of newspaper dealing in sensational stories

In what contexts can character take the place of sort?

While the synonyms character and sort are close in meaning, character implies a group marked by distinctive likenesses peculiar to the type.

research on the subject so far has been of an elementary character

When is it sensible to use description instead of sort?

The words description and sort can be used in similar contexts, but description implies a group marked by agreement in all details belonging to a type as described or defined.

not all acts of that description are actually illegal

When might kind be a better fit than sort?

The synonyms kind and sort are sometimes interchangeable, but kind may suggest natural grouping.

a zoo seemingly having animals of every kind

When could nature be used to replace sort?

While in some cases nearly identical to sort, nature may imply inherent, essential resemblance rather than obvious or superficial likenesses.

two problems of a similar nature

When is type a more appropriate choice than sort?

In some situations, the words type and sort are roughly equivalent. However, type may suggest strong and clearly marked similarity throughout the items included so that each is typical of the group.

one of three basic body types

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sort

Noun

The Lanitis family was warned that a toxicology report might be slow in arriving—the substances in Lanitis’s body were not the sort that the canton’s forensic scientists typically evaluated. — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Based in El Paso, Texas, Mid-West Textile collects, sorts and grades used clothing and textiles for resale and other uses. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026

Verb

But safe congressional seats are also produced without manipulation, with voters often sorting themselves geographically. — Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 1 Nov. 2026

Created by the Keeneland sales team, the books set the schedule for the two-week sale and sort the horses into a sort of pedigree ranking. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026

Phrases Containing sort

• after a sort
• of a sort
• sort (through)
• sort of