“Change” Synonym Guide — Definition, Antonyms, and Examples

Learning synonyms in English is important to enrich your vocabulary knowledge and improve your writing. Repetitive terms throughout a piece will negatively impact the readers because it slows down the process of understanding.

Therefore, you need to change your way of writing and choose the closest synonyms. Here’s a change synonym guide to help you learn words with similar meanings and opposite meanings.

The Definition of Change

Based on the English dictionary, change can function both as a verb and a noun. ‘Change’ could mean exchanging or replacing one thing with another thing of a similar type. You could also use change when referring to the process through which something becomes different.

As a Verb:

• Could you change my book from the old shop?
• I need to change my hairstyle.
• He had to change the bus twice to go to your place.

As a Noun:

• You must accept the change to move forward.
• I was astonished by the change in her attitude.
• Let me know the change of plan before you leave.

Change Synonym — Exploring Words with Similar Meanings

Substitute

Substitute originated from the Latin substitūtus and the verb substituere, which means “to put in place of.” The term ‘substitute’ refers to a person or thing that takes the place of something else.

• Watching the movie cannot be a substitute for reading the book.
• Almond oil could be a good substitute for Olive oil.

Switch

Switch originated from the Middle Dutch swijch, meaning “twig.” A switch could mean a few different things based on usage. Switch denotes the act of changing one thing for another. It could also refer to changing the position, direction, or focus of something.

• You can hit the switch to open the gates.
• I need to switch my morning shift with the evening one for today.

Alter

Derived from the Latin and Medieval Latin alterare “to change,” and Old French alterer. It means the characteristic or compositional change of something in a small but significant way. It also refers to the act of making things different in some way.

• Could you please alter the plans to fit the schedule?
• The school authorities will soon alter the policy.

Modify

It means to make slight or basic changes to something. It originated from the Middle English modifien and French modifier. These could be traced back to Latin modificare (“to limit, control, regulate”).

• Please modify the last paragraph of the article.
• We need to modify the design of the shirt by today.

Vary

The term is derived from the Old French varier or Latin variare and varius, meaning ‘diverse.’ It means to make a partial change in the characteristics of something. It also refers to a change from one condition or state to another.

• The prices of the new products vary from shop to shop.
• The exam questions vary in length and difficulty.

Change Antonyms — Exploring Words with Opposite Meanings

Keep

Keep is a verb that means to retain the possession or power of something without letting it change. It also means to continue in a particular condition, position, or course.

• Keep the results as it is based on the experiment.
• He will keep the car for another week.

Retain

Retain means to continue to have something in possession. It originated from the Old French retenir, meaning “keep, retain.” This, in turn, has its roots in the Latin retinere, where re ‘back’ and tenere ‘hold.’

• Our farmhouse retains many of the vintage decors.
• This TV series retained its popularity even after years.

Agreement

Agreement refers to the harmony of opinions. It refers to the consistency between two things. It originated from Old French agreer, meaning “make agreeable to.”

• We need the agreement of everyone on this project.
• He was nodding his head in agreement.

Stabilize

Stabilize is the act of making something more steady, secure, or stable. It was derived from Old French stablete and establete, meaning “firmness, solidity, stability.”

• The doctors continuously worked to stabilize the heartbeat.
• It is predicted that inflation will stabilize soon.

Uniform

Uniform means to stay in a constant position at all times. It is derived from the French uniforme and Latin uniformis, meaning “having only one form or shape.”

• The vegetable slices need to be uniform in size and shape.
• The training standards are uniform in all the departments.

To Wrap Up

This is a quick guide to help you with the closest synonym, antonym, definition, and many examples to understand the word ‘change’. Take your writing to the next level by improving vocabulary choice and learning their usage in the proper context.