Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

why

interjection

Synonyms and Antonyms of why

how surprising, doubtful, or unbelievable

  • why, what a strange thing to say!
  • why, that's not possible!
Synonyms of why

ah, aha, come on, fie, indeed, my word, no, pshaw, well, what
Words Related to why

gee, gee whiz, ha, hello, hey, lo, oh

fiddlesticks, phooey, pooh

there

oops (or whoops), ugh

egad, gad, gadzooks [archaic], (the) deuce, the devil, the dickens, zounds

why

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of why

1 something (as a belief) that serves as the basis for another thing

  • asked the whys behind the surprising decision
Synonyms of why

account, authority, grounds, motive, reason, subject, wherefore
Words Related to why

antecedent, cause, consideration, impetus, incentive, inspiration, instigation, occasion, stimulus

2 something hard to understand or explain

  • how one decides that a certain person is "the one" is one of the great whys of life
Synonyms of why

closed book, conundrum, enigma, head-scratcher, mystery, mystification, puzzle, puzzlement, riddle, secret
Words Related to why

brainteaser, case, challenge, knot, matter, perplexity, poser, problem, stumper, trouble

Learn More about why

  1. See words that rhyme with why Dictionary: Definition of why Spanish Central: Translation of why Nglish: Translation of why for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of why for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up why? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games