From the doctor's grim expression, it was clear he had somber news for the patient.
Source: tatoeba (1989)
Expression
/əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/
Synonyms for "expression" (420 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (84)
Noun(24 words)
facial expressionlooksayingaffect study resultsalgebraic formall ofart thou comingarticulation practicearticulationsaspectbisoncalculation formulacatalan especialcatnappingcommon phrases in portuguesecommunicatingcommunication actconstructioncountenancecountenances
Show 4 more words
accentadageaddressadjectival phraseaffirmationairairingallegationanaanalectsangelophanyannouncementanswerantonymaphorismapostropheapothegmappearanceardorarticulateness
Show 37 more words
articulationaspectassertionasseverationavataravermentavulsionaxiombywordcantandocastcatchwordcharacterizationchoice of wordschristophanyclausecollected sayingscommand of languagecommand of wordscommentcommunicationcompositionconcentrationconstructioncountenancecrackcurrent sayingcutting outdeclarationdecoctiondeliverydemilegatodemonstrationdenominationdenotationdepthderacination
Verb(1 words)
affect mood
Adjective(2 words)
colloquial idiomcreative outlet
Strong matches (126)
designationdialectdictatedictiondictumdifferentiationdisclosuredisentanglementdisseminationdistichdistillationdrawingdrawing outdredgingdrillingeffective styleeloquenceeloquent tongueembodimentemotion
Show 59 more words
enucleationenunciationepigramepiphanyeradicationevidenceevincementevolvementevulsionexcavationexcisionexclamationexecutionexpressivenessexsectionextirpationextractionextricationfacefacundityfeelingfelicitousnessfelicityfingeringformulationfree formfrontgesturegift of expressiongift of gabglibnessglissandognomegolden sayinggrammargraphicnessgreetingheaded grouphinthomographhomonymhomophoneidentificationidiomidiotismincarnationindicationindicativenessinfusionintensityinterjectionintonationissuelanguagelegatolexemelinguistic formlocutionlogos
Noun(30 words)
Adjective(13 words)
dutch woordemotional gestureenglish wordexpressive behaviorfacialgalician lagrimageneral termgeometric formulagerman festgerman wortideological termlinguistic expressionlogical term
Verb(4 words)
Related words (210)
lookloudnessmanifestationmanner of speakingmaterializationmaximmeaningmeaningfulnessmentionmetonymmezzo staccatomienminimum free formminingmonosyllablemoralmotmottomusic-makingnaming
Show 138 more words
notenoun phrasenuanceobservationoracleoratoryparagraphparlanceparlandoparthian shotpassionpathospeculiar expressionperformanceperiodphrasal idiomphrasephraseologyphrasingpianismpicking outpithy sayingpizzicatopneumatophanypointingpointing outpointing topolysyllablepositionpreceptprescriptpressingpressing outpronouncementproofproverbproverbial sayingproverbspublicationpullingquarryingquestionreflectionremarkreminderremovalrenderingrenditionrepercussionrepresentationrevelationrhetoricripping outrubatosatanophanysawsaysayingselectionsensitivitysentencesententious expressionset phraseshadingshowshowingsignsignificationsilver tongueslicknesssloganslokaslursmoothnesssoakingsoftnessspecificationspeechspiccatospiritsqueezingsqueezing outstaccatostandard phrasestatementsteepingstock sayingstylesubjoindersuggestionsutrasyllablesymbolsymptomaticnesssynonymsyntactic structuretalkteachingtermtexttheophanythoughttokentonetouchturn of expressionturn of phraseunrootinguprootingusageuse of wordsusus loquendiutteranceventverb complexverb phraseverbalismverbalizationverbiageverbumversevisagevividnessvocablevoicevoicingway of speakingwisdomwisdom literaturewise sayingwithdrawalwitticismwordword-groupwordagewordingwords of wisdomwresting out
Noun(40 words)
manifestationmath expressionmath formulameasurement formmore affectivemusical termneoclassical influencenone availablenonequationoutcroppingoutletsoutpouringsphrasephrasingsreflectionreflexionresself expressionsheepishnessspace term
Show 20 more words
spanish proferirspanish representarstatementstrong emotionstyle of languagesymbolic expressionterm a concepttermsutterancesutteringutternessventilatingventingverbal expressionverbalismverbalizingwordingwording choiceswordingswords
Determiner(4 words)
most english phrasingthe oddsthe termsthis kind of
Adjective(6 words)
political termpowerful deliveryspanish fórmulastate-governmental directivewild imaginationword level term
Verb(2 words)
show interestsum total up
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: facial expression, look, saying, accent, adage.
- Sentence evidence is available for expression, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, 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 "expression".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "expression"
Keep "expression" 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 "expression" 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 "expression", 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 "expression" 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
27 entriesbiological processcommunicatingcommunicationconstituentcountenancedemodemonstrationexpressive stylefacial cuegrammatical constituentlanguagelinguistic actmathematical notationmathematical statementnonverbal communicationoral communication
Showing 16 of 27 words.
More specific
9 entriesCollocations
6 entriesacademic expressionalgebraic expressioncolloquial expressionfacial expressionfigurative expressionmath expression
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
7 entriesSample sentences
25 total sentences available.
Crying is an expression of grief.
Source: tatoeba (19557)
What an ambiguous expression!
Source: tatoeba (24995)
Helen Moody was noted as a tennis player for not showing any expression on the court.
Source: tatoeba (33854)
Showing 4 of 25 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "expression"?
Closest matches include facial expression, look, saying, accent, adage.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "expression"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.