WHET Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

whet 1 of 2

verb

ˈ(h)wet

Definition of whet next

as in to sharpen

to make sharp or sharper whetted the knife with the grindstone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

whet

2 of 2

noun

as in load

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 whet

Verb

That type of performance might whet the appetites of public market investors, who have not seen many new issuances of technology companies with high growth rates. —

Jordan Novet, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026 The sheer audacity of the recent Louvre heist has whetted us readers’ appetites for heist stories—space heists, all the better! —

Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026 If that does turn out to be the case, there are plenty of other searches for extraterrestrials—such as NASA’s upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory—that can whet the appetite of those longing for signs of life elsewhere in the cosmos. —

Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2025 Exposure to the outside world, through her father's work, must have whetted MacLeod's appetite for travel, Crichton says. —

Lauren Frayer, NPR, 14 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for whet

Recent Examples of Synonyms for whet

Verb

Utah State sharpened its game, the Aztecs erred too often, on both offense and defense, and the Aggies — yes, assisted by an officiating mistake that led to a pair of free throws — ran away to a 72-63 victory.

— Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
Speaking at a March 13 press conference, Singaporean artist, filmmaker, and curator Ho Tzu Nyen, the Biennale’s artistic director, sharpened the theme further.

— News Desk, Artforum, 16 Mar. 2026