WINKED (AT) Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

winked (at)

verb

past tense of wink (at)

as in ignored

to dismiss as of little importance for too long the school just winked at the young athletes' hooliganism, dismissing it as a case of "boys being boys"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for winked (at)

Verb

Bonta had previously ordered Bianco to pause his investigation, and Bianco largely ignored him.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Instead of promoting the new album, George mostly ignored his own catalog, devoting two-thirds of the set to oldies by his heroes, including David Bowie, Chaka Khan, Culture Club, and Elton John.

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of ignored

Verb

The problem was that Graziella's daughter, a renowned psychologist and Columbia professor, had overlooked the innate in favor of the intellectual.

— Danielle Parker, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Monday’s media day, held in a lounge atop a lakefront hotel, overlooked the spot where the championship parade got rolling a few days after Toronto’s six-game triumph over the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of overlooked

Verb

Penix explained there was a difference between getting the OK from doctors and feeling comfortable enough to play.

— Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Aquilina also explained that Luminate data pointed to binge releases tending to see big spikes in viewership but steep drops, while weekly releases maintain consistent engagement.

— Andrew Wallenstein, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of explained

Verb

Bracing for a ‘wave of disputes’ Take-or-pay contracts have their origins in the energy sector, where long and capital-intensive production timelines justified a similar legal ultimatum.

— Tobias Burns, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
The investigation concluded that the actions by police were objectively reasonable and justified under state law.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of justified

Verb

Trump has pardoned or given commutations to at least 44 recipients within a year of their sentences who together account for over $270 million in financial obligations.

— Caren Morrison, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
Israeli President Isaac Herzog pardoned a soldier who shot and killed an incapacitated Palestinian attacker in the occupied West Bank in 2016, despite opposition from the military’s chief of staff.

— Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of pardoned

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.

Browse Nearby Words

winked

winked (at)

winked (out)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Winked (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winked%20%28at%29. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of winked (at)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

heterodox

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes