SPEAKING UP Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

speaking up 1 of 2

adjective

as in speaking out

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Dissimilar Words

speaking up

2 of 2

verb

present participle of speak up

as in spouting (off)

to voice one's opinions freely with force she's never been afraid to speak up at town meetings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 speaking up

Verb

City official calls removal ‘unnecessary escalation’ As the meeting continued, another attendee called Miller’s removal from the chambers disappointing and shameful to see someone who was speaking up thrown to the ground. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026 Instead, Cuban seemed much more interested in speaking up for fellow entrepreneurs. — Nathan Goldman, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 But when Cunningham said women’s sports should be for women, speaking up suddenly became the problem. — Jonathan Alpert Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026 Imtiaz stresses that with any form of treatment, speaking up quickly about any concerns is essential. — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 If something doesn’t seem right, both experts recommend speaking up immediately. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 12 Aug. 2026 The generation that has encountered the impact of social media on their own and their friends’ mental and physical wellbeing is speaking up, loud and clear. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Aug. 2026 Thank you, Kat Timpf, for speaking up against Greg Gutfeld’s hateful, pointless and incorrect diatribe about cats and the people who give them a home. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026 According to the family, speaking up is about seeking justice for Lopez Cornejo and anyone in a similar situation. — Michael Loria, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for speaking up

Adjective

As a neo-New Wave guy with a heartland jones and drama-king chops, Flowers isn’t bad cosplaying his heroes, even if his brawny rock-opera vocal approach is a bit short on the conversational warmth that makes for truly memorable country singing.

— Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
The Guatemalan epidemic has been traced back to a gathering in Santiago Atitlán in December 2025 that was organized by a Christian megachurch whose leaders have been vocal about their anti-vaccine views.

— Kathryn H. Jacobsen, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of vocal

Verb

As the investigation of Hayden Panettiere's death continues, new details are emerging, and people in the actress' life are speaking out.

— Edward Segarra, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
Panettiere said she was fired from a decade-plus brand deal with Neutrogena after speaking out about postpartum depression in a 2015 interview on national TV.

— Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of speaking out

Verb

After talking up presumptive starter Micah Gilbert, Freeman basically listed the entire roster at the position.

— Pete Sampson, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Fujiyama spent a chunk of our interview talking up investments in Europe’s defense sector, where Carlyle sees a €9 trillion opportunity.

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of talking up

Verb

Following his speech, council members struggled to restore order as some of Lang's supporters began shouting, and one was escorted out by police.

— DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Miners, mostly young men and women covered in mud, could be seen pulling out a body from the pit while dozens of other miners and workers were scattered around the expansive site, some shouting for help.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of shouting

Verb

When a small raptor center in Southern California began caring for the most famous bald eagle on Earth, the keyboard veterinarians started piping up.

— Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
Younger Republican voters and GOP contrarians are piping up to challenge the broad consensus in the Republican Party that has been in lockstep with policy on Israel.

— Kristina Karisch, The Hill, 19 Aug. 2025

Definition of piping up

Verb

Influencers like Paige Paul (née Lorenze) have been sounding off in Four Winds Craft Guild’s comments, trying to frame the argument as a feminist one.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 29 July 2026
His inconsistencies were glaring, sounding off alarm bells about whether Drury had made a miscalculation.

— Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 21 July 2026