This is the boy I think about.
Source: tatoeba (2403)
Boy
/bɔɪ/
Synonyms for "boy" (149 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (30)
Strong matches (45)
Related words (74)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: son, youth, alumnus, american indian, amerind.
- Sentence evidence is available for boy, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, wiktionary, moby, and related lexical sources.
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 "boy".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "boy"
Keep "boy" 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 "boy" 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 "boy", 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 "boy" 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
15 entriesMore specific
12 entriesCollocations
9 entriesInflections
1 entriesDerivations
2 entriesAntonyms
1 entriesTranslations
101 translations across 44 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- jong boy noun (male servant)
Basque
4 entries- beltz noun (non-white male)
- morroi noun (male servant)
- motel noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- mutil noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Bulgarian
1 entries- слуга́ noun (male servant)
Catalan
2 entries- home noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- minyó noun (male servant)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 男僕 /男仆 noun (male servant)
- 男生 noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Czech
1 entries- chlapec noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Danish
1 entries- knægt noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Dutch
4 entries- boy noun (male servant)
- huisboy noun (male servant)
- jongen noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- kerel noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Esperanto
1 entries- ulo noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Finnish
3 entries- poika noun (male servant)
- poika noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- poika noun (affectionate term of address for male dog)
French
3 entries- boy noun (male servant)
- gars noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- garçon noun (male servant)
German
4 entries- Boy noun (male servant)
- Bursche noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- Junge noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- Kerl noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Greek
3 entries- αγόρι noun (male servant)
- αγόρι noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- αγόρι noun (affectionate term of address for male dog)
Hebrew
1 entries- נַעַר noun (male servant)
Hungarian
2 entries- fekete noun (non-white male)
- szolga noun (male servant)
Icelandic
2 entries- negri noun (non-white male)
- strákur noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Inari Sami
2 entries- kandâ noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- pärni noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Indonesian
2 entries- laki-laki noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- pria noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Iranian Persian
2 entries- ریدَک noun (male servant)
- نُوْکَر noun (male servant)
Irish
2 entries- buachaill noun (male servant)
- buachaill noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Italian
3 entries- negro noun (non-white male)
- ragazzo noun (male servant)
- ragazzo noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Japanese
1 entries- ボーイ noun (male servant)
Lao
2 entries- ບ່າວໃຊ້ noun (male servant)
- ໂບຍ noun (male servant)
Latin
2 entries- puer noun (male servant)
- servus noun (male servant)
Latvian
1 entries- puisis noun (male servant)
Lithuanian
2 entries- gerutis noun (affectionate term of address for male dog)
- šuo noun (affectionate term of address for male dog)
Malay
1 entries- lelaki noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Neapolitan
1 entries- compare noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Norwegian Bokmål
4 entries- gutt noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- neger noun (non-white male)
- negergutt noun (non-white male)
- nigger noun (non-white male)
Norwegian Nynorsk
4 entries- gut noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- neger noun (non-white male)
- negergut noun (non-white male)
- nigger noun (non-white male)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- اوشاق noun (male servant)
Portuguese
4 entries- criado noun (male servant)
- garotão noun (affectionate term of address for male dog)
- moço noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- rapaz noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Romanian
1 entries- băiat noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Russian
4 entries- лаке́й noun (male servant)
- ма́льчик на побегу́шках noun (male servant)
- мужчи́на noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- слуга́ noun (male servant)
Scots
4 entries- lad noun (male servant)
- lad noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- laddie noun (male servant)
- laddie noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Scottish Gaelic
3 entries- balach noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- gille noun (male servant)
- gille noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Sicilian
1 entries- picciottu noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Slovak
1 entries- chlapec noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Spanish
2 entries- chico noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- muchacho noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Swedish
2 entries- grabb noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- kille noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Telugu
4 entries- అబ్బాయి noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- కుర్రవాడు noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- కుఱ్ఱవాడు noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
- కూలివాడు noun (male servant)
Tongan
1 entries- tamasi'i noun (male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive)
Ukrainian
1 entries- козачо́к noun (male servant)
Zazaki
1 entries- desterma noun (male servant)
Sample sentences
55 total sentences available.
Now that you are a big boy, you may do as you please.
Source: tatoeba (15916)
You're such a cute boy.
Source: tatoeba (16447)
You are a good boy.
Source: tatoeba (16793)
Showing 4 of 55 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "boy"?
Closest matches include son, youth, alumnus, american indian, amerind.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "boy"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.