TALL Synonyms: 122 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'tall' contrast with its synonyms?

The words high and lofty are common synonyms of tall . While all three words mean "above the average in height," tall applies to what grows or rises high by comparison with others of its kind and usually implies relative narrowness. // a tall thin man

Q: When can 'high' be used instead of 'tall'?

Although the words high and tall have much in common, high implies marked extension upward and is applied chiefly to things which rise from a base or foundation or are placed at a conspicuous height above a lower level. // a high hill // a high ceiling

Q: When would 'lofty' be a good substitute for 'tall'?

While in some cases nearly identical to tall , lofty suggests great or imposing altitude. // lofty mountain peaks

tall

adjective

ˈtȯl

Definition of tall

as in high

extending to a great distance upward tall skyscrapers that cast long shadows over the park

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in difficult

requiring considerable physical or mental effort that's a pretty tall order

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How does the adjective tall contrast with its synonyms?

The words high and lofty are common synonyms of tall. While all three words mean "above the average in height," tall applies to what grows or rises high by comparison with others of its kind and usually implies relative narrowness.

a tall thin man

When can high be used instead of tall?

Although the words high and tall have much in common, high implies marked extension upward and is applied chiefly to things which rise from a base or foundation or are placed at a conspicuous height above a lower level.

a high hill

a high ceiling

When would lofty be a good substitute for tall?

While in some cases nearly identical to tall, lofty suggests great or imposing altitude.

lofty mountain peaks

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 tall Carowinds’ Fury 325 roller coaster, one of the world’s tallest, has been closed for a week for a repair, the park revealed in a statement late Tuesday. — Charlotte Observer, 15 July 2026 Like its rooms, all three restaurants face the ocean; don’t miss dinner at the Ocean Grill, where you’ll be surrounded by three walls of 30-foot-tall floor-to-ceiling windows. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026 Discovered on a South Dakota ranch between 2021 and 2023, Gus measures roughly 38 feet long and stands 12½ feet tall. — Daniel Cassady For Artnews, Robb Report, 15 July 2026 First, the taller IMAX image will likely be cropped at the top and bottom later for wider non-IMAX screens, so keeping things centered helps ensure important visual information is not cropped out. — Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for tall

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tall

Adjective

Wall Street looked past geopolitics even as oil prices climbed on the back of lower-than-expected inflation figures that sent tech stocks higher.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 15 July 2026
The new findings showed that symptom-free older adults who harbored very high levels of p-tau217 had a 38% risk of developing cognitive impairment over five years.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 July 2026

Definition of high

Adjective

Unlike dogs, they cannot simply be taken on longer walks, often resist dietary changes, and can be difficult to medicate consistently, making GLP-1 therapies potentially attractive if clinical trials prove successful.

— Elsa Ohlen,Carolin Roth, CNBC, 18 July 2026
Their stories recount the devastation to homes and businesses, life in temporary shelters, and the difficult process of rebuilding or relocating.

— Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026

Definition of difficult

Adjective

The park is home to the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast, a towering 115-foot-tall white brick structure built in 1871 that millions of visitors have explored for generations.

— Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 13 July 2026
The tiny town, home to just over 8,000 residents, is tucked between the towering Monashee and Selkirk mountain ranges along the Columbia River.

— Alexandra Emanuelli, Travel + Leisure, 13 July 2026

Definition of towering

Adjective

The method also relies on multiple Bell tests and assumptions about independent quantum sources, which could make large-scale implementation challenging.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 18 July 2026
His 15-point first half Thursday included two threes, a high-degree-of-difficulty turnaround jumper and another challenging jumper.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026

Definition of challenging

Adjective

White, when give the chance, has displayed a diverse offensive game, a defensive bent and an ability to make tough shots.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
The stakes for new avatar don’t feel quite as high—the specific circumstances around the former was a perfect storm that'll be tough to duplicate—but the music isn’t any less potent for it.

— Lawrence Burney, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026

Definition of tough

Adjective

Essentially a rock has met a hard place – at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.

— Tim Lister, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Remember, all this hard work to discover all these things has been done in the midst of designing a ballroom, cleaning up the reflecting pool and a host of other busy things the president and his administration have been doing.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026

Definition of hard

Adjective

In the $200,000 San Clemente Handicap 35-1 longshot Somerset West (Armando Ayuso) outran nine other 3-year-old fillies, including three formidable challengers who shipped in from the east.

— Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2026
Ohtani spearheads the game’s most formidable hypothetical October rotation.

— Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 18 July 2026

Definition of formidable

Adjective

For more than two decades, the duo hauled in more than 4 pounds of clams each morning from the lagoon in the Po River Delta — upending the notion that women were unsuited for such a rigorous job.

— Kasha Patel, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
Over the summer, kids might not have had to stick to a rigorous morning routine, but that all changes during the school year.

— Parents, Parents, 17 July 2026

Definition of rigorous

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“Tall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tall. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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