Synonyms of suggest

suggest

verb

səg-ˈjest 

1

as in to indicate

to convey an idea indirectly

this letter suggests that there's more going on than she's telling us

Synonyms & Similar Words

• indicate
• imply
• hint
• refer
• allude
• infer
• mention
• intimate
• signify
• insinuate
• point
• signal
• signalize
• smell (of)
• advert
• smack (of)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• explain
• announce
• declare
• proclaim
• describe
• elucidate
• spell out
• delineate

2

as in to recommend

to put (something) forward as one's choice for a wise or proper course of action

I suggested that they talk to a therapist about their marital problems

Synonyms & Similar Words

• recommend
• advise
• urge
• propose
• advocate
• counsel
• offer
• favor
• support
• submit
• back
• exhort
• espouse
• champion
• advance

3

as in to propose

to set before the mind for consideration

might I suggest, for an appetizer, our jumbo shrimp cocktail?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• propose
• pose
• offer
• recommend
• present
• vote
• put forward
• submit
• nominate
• propound
• proffer
• put forth
• advance
• bounce
• file
• plan
• move
• arrange
• tender
• plot
• calculate
• chart
• lay
• map
• shape
• trot out
• contrive
• lodge
• cover
• frame

Synonym Chooser

How is the word suggest distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of suggest are hint, imply, insinuate, and intimate. While all these words mean "to convey an idea indirectly," suggest may stress putting into the mind by association of ideas, awakening of a desire, or initiating a train of thought.

a film title that suggests its subject matter

In what contexts can hint take the place of suggest?

The meanings of hint and suggest largely overlap; however, hint implies the use of slight or remote suggestion with a minimum of overt statement.

hinted that she might get the job

How do imply and suggest relate to one another?

Imply is close to suggest but may indicate a more definite or logical relation of the unexpressed idea to the expressed.

measures implying that bankruptcy was imminent

Where would insinuate be a reasonable alternative to suggest?

While in some cases nearly identical to suggest, insinuate applies to the conveying of a usually unpleasant idea in a sly underhanded manner.

insinuated that there were shady dealings

When might intimate be a better fit than suggest?

In some situations, the words intimate and suggest are roughly equivalent. However, intimate stresses delicacy of suggestion without connoting any lack of candor.

intimates that there is more to the situation than meets the eye

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of suggest

Taken together, the pair’s experiments suggested that models can detect when something unusual happens in their internal processing, but not specific details about the unusual activity. — Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 4 Nov. 2026

Much as Parente suggested, Demaegdt urged companies using flax and linen to start testing the sector’s new digital traceability system immediately rather than waiting for every part of their supply chain to be perfectly onboarded. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2026

The statement did not suggest either incident was politically motivated, and Meta is not bound by it. — Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2026

At the furthest extreme, US data center opposition could push giants like Amazon or Google to build hyperscalers outside the US, Ng suggested. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 4 Nov. 2026