In dog ethology the leader is called 'alpha'; after that it continues with 'beta' and 'gamma'.
Source: tatoeba (329413)
Alpha
/ˈælfə/
Synonyms for "alpha" (78 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (16)
Noun(4 words)
Strong matches (23)
Noun(5 words)
firstfirst blushfirst glancefirst impressionfirst inningfirst lapfirst movefirst roundfirst sightfirst stagefirst stepflying startfoundationfresh startgambitgenesisinitialinitiative
Related words (39)
institutionjump-offkick-offle premier pasleading edgenew departureoncomingonsetopeningopening moveoriginoriginationoutbreakoutsetoutstartprimeprimitivenessprimitivityrunning startsend off
Show 11 more words
send-offsetoutsetting in motionsetting-upsquare onestartstart-offstarting pointtake-offtakeoffwarming-up
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: a, active return, alpha symbol, alpha value, beginning.
- Sentence evidence is available for alpha, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, opengloss, derived_reverse.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "alpha".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "alpha"
Keep "alpha" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "alpha" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "alpha", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "alpha" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
12 entriesalphabetic characterdescriptorfinancial metricletterletter of the alphabetordinal attributerank indicatorsocial rolestartstatistical conceptstatistical parameterstatistical term
More specific
12 entriesFama French alphaJensen's alphaalpha erroralpha femalealpha malealpha releasealpha versionlowercase alphaone sided alphatwo sided alphatype I erroruppercase alpha
Collocations
8 entriesalpha coefficientalpha decayalpha diversityalpha levelalpha malealpha particlealpha releasealpha version
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
1 entriessimilar
4 entriesTranslations
67 translations across 59 languages.
Ancient Greek
1 entries- ἄλφα noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Arabic
1 entries- أَلْفَا noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Armenian
1 entries- ալֆա noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Asturian
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Belarusian
1 entries- а́льфа noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Bulgarian
1 entries- а́лфа noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Catalan
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Cherokee
1 entries- ᎡᎵᏆ noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Chinese Cantonese
4 entries- 阿伐 noun (name of the letter Α, α)
- 阿拉法 noun (name of the letter Α, α)
- 阿爾法 /阿尔法 noun (name of the letter Α, α)
- 阿耳法 noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Chinese Mandarin
4 entries- 阿伐 noun (name of the letter Α, α)
- 阿拉法 noun (name of the letter Α, α)
- 阿爾法 /阿尔法 noun (name of the letter Α, α)
- 阿耳法 noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Coptic
1 entries- ⲁⲗⲫⲁ noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Czech
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Danish
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Dutch
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Esperanto
1 entries- alfo noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Faroese
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Finnish
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
French
1 entries- alpha noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Galician
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Georgian
1 entries- ალფა noun (name of the letter Α, α)
German
1 entries- Alpha noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Greek
1 entries- άλφα noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Hakka Chinese
1 entries- 阿爾法 /阿尔法 noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Hebrew
1 entries- אַלְפָא noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Hindi
1 entries- अल्फ़ा noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Hungarian
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Icelandic
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Ido
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Interlingua
1 entries- alpha noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Irish
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Italian
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Japanese
1 entries- アルファ noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Khmer
1 entries- អាល់ហ្វា noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Korean
1 entries- 알파 noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Latin
1 entries- alpha noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Latvian
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Lithuanian
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Macedonian
1 entries- алфа noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Malay
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Marathi
1 entries- आल्फा noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Māori
1 entries- ārepa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Navajo
1 entries- álfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Odia
1 entries- ଆଲ୍ଫା noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Persian
1 entries- آلفا noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Polish
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Portuguese
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Romanian
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Russian
1 entries- а́льфа noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
- алфа noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Slovak
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Spanish
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Swedish
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Tagalog
1 entries- alpa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Thai
1 entries- แอลฟา noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Turkish
1 entries- alfa noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Ukrainian
1 entries- а́льфа noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Urdu
2 entries- الف noun (name of the letter Α, α)
- الفا noun (name of the letter Α, α)
Sample sentences
27 total sentences available.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
Source: tatoeba (437132)
He's an alpha male idiot.
Source: tatoeba (876463)
He wrote the article "Exobiological Presence in Alpha Centauri."
Source: tatoeba (1469421)
Showing 4 of 27 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "alpha"?
Closest matches include a, active return, alpha symbol, alpha value, beginning.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "alpha"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.