It's very gray outside.
Source: tatoeba (22005)
Gray
/ɡɹeɪ/
Synonyms for "gray" (254 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (51)
achromaticachromicacieradvancedadvanced in lifeadvanced in yearsagedalong in yearsancientanemicashenashybaybayardblackbleakbled whitebloodlessboringbuckskin
Show 23 more words
cadaverouscalico ponycanescencecanescentchestnutchloranemiccinereouscinerouscolorlessdappledapple graydapple-graydappleddappled-graydarkdeaddeadly paledeathly paledimdimmeddingydiscoloreddismal
Strong matches (76)
Related words (127)
grizzlygrown oldhaggardhoarhoaryhuelesshumdrumhypochromiciron-graylacklusterlead-grayleadenleadennesslividlividitylividnessluridlusterlessmatmealy
Show 81 more words
monotonousmouse coloredmouse-coloredmouse-graymousinessmousymuddyneutralneutral tintoldold as methuselahpaintpainted ponypalepale as deathpale-facedpallidpastypatriarchalpearlpearl-graypearlypiebaldpintoquaker-coloredrepetitiveroansadsallowsamesamelysaturninesenectuoussicklysilversilver-graysilveredsilverinesssilveryskewbaldslate-coloredslatinessslatysmoke-graysmokinesssmokysobersobernesssolemnsombersombernesssombroussorrelsteel-graysteelystone-coloredtallow-facedtaupetedioustonelesstristeuncoloredunrelievedvenerablewanwashed outwashed-outwaxenweakwearifulwearisomewearywhey-facedwhitewhite with agewhite-beardedwhite-crownedwhite-hairedwrinkledwrinklyyears old
Noun(18 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: achromatic, achromic, acier, advanced, advanced in life.
- Sentence evidence is available for gray, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, opengloss, derived_reverse, wordnet, 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 "gray".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "gray"
Keep "gray" 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 "gray" 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 "gray", 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 "gray" 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
35 entriesShowing 16 of 35 words.
More specific
18 entriescerebral cortexcharcoal graycloud graydove graygrayed beardgrayed woodgraying hairhippocampuslegal gray areamoral gray areamuted graypearl graypewter graypolicy gray areasalt and peppersilver-haired
Showing 16 of 18 words.
Collocations
7 entriesgray areagray hairgray mattergray scalegray skygrayscale imageshades of gray
Inflections
7 entriesDerivations
5 entriessimilar
5 entriesTranslations
123 translations across 71 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- grys noun (colour)
Albanian
1 entries- hi noun (colour)
Armenian
1 entries- մոխրագույն noun (colour)
Asturian
3 entries- gris noun (colour)
- canecer verb (to become gray)
- encanecer verb (to become gray)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- bozarmaq verb (to become gray)
Basque
1 entries- gris noun (colour)
Bulgarian
2 entries- сив noun (colour)
- посивявам verb (to become gray)
Catalan
3 entries- gris noun (colour)
- agrisar verb (to become gray)
- agrisar verb (to cause to become gray)
Cherokee
1 entries- ᎤᏍᎪᎸ ᏌᎪᏂᎨ noun (colour)
Chichewa
1 entries- imvi noun (colour)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 灰 noun (colour)
- 灰色 noun (colour)
Czech
1 entries- šedá noun (colour)
Danish
2 entries- grå noun (colour)
- gråne verb (to become gray)
Dutch
3 entries- grijs noun (colour)
- grijzen verb (to become gray)
- vergrijzen verb (to cause to become gray)
Esperanto
1 entries- grizo noun (colour)
Estonian
2 entries- hall noun (colour)
- halliks minema verb (to become gray)
Faroese
2 entries- grátt noun (colour)
- gráur noun (colour)
Finnish
4 entries- harmaa noun (colour)
- harmaannuttaa verb (to cause to become gray)
- harmaantua verb (to become gray)
- harmentaa verb (to cause to become gray)
French
3 entries- gris noun (colour)
- griser verb (to become gray)
- griser verb (to cause to become gray)
Galician
1 entries- gris noun (colour)
Georgian
2 entries- ნაცრისფერი noun (colour)
- რუხი noun (colour)
German
3 entries- Grau noun (colour)
- ergrauen verb (to become gray)
- grau werden verb (to become gray)
Greek
4 entries- γκρι noun (colour)
- σταχτί noun (colour)
- φαιό noun (colour)
- γκριζάρω verb (to become gray)
Gujarati
1 entries- ગ્રે noun (colour)
Hebrew
1 entries- אָפוֹר noun (colour)
Hungarian
4 entries- szürke noun (colour)
- elszürkít verb (to cause to become gray)
- elszürkül verb (to become gray)
- szürkít verb (to cause to become gray)
Icelandic
1 entries- grár noun (colour)
Ido
2 entries- grizeskar verb (to become gray)
- grizigar verb (to cause to become gray)
Indonesian
1 entries- abu-abu noun (colour)
Irish
3 entries- glas noun (colour)
- liath noun (colour)
- liath verb (to become gray)
Italian
2 entries- grigio noun (colour)
- ingrigire verb (to become gray)
Japanese
2 entries- 灰色 noun (colour)
- 鼠色 noun (colour)
Khmer
1 entries- ពណ៌ប្រផេះ noun (colour)
Korean
1 entries- 회색 noun (colour)
Latin
1 entries- cānēscō verb (to become gray)
Latvian
1 entries- pelēks noun (colour)
Ligurian
1 entries- grixo noun (colour)
Lithuanian
1 entries- pilka noun (colour)
Louisiana Creole
1 entries- gri noun (colour)
Luxembourgish
1 entries- Gro noun (colour)
Malay
3 entries- abu noun (colour)
- kelabu noun (colour)
- kelabu arang noun (colour)
Mirandese
2 entries- cinza noun (colour)
- cinzento noun (colour)
Mongolian
1 entries- саарал noun (colour)
Navajo
1 entries- yiibááh verb (to become gray)
Norman
1 entries- grisi verb (to become gray)
Northern Sami
2 entries- ránis noun (colour)
- rátnut verb (to become gray)
Norwegian
1 entries- grå noun (colour)
Occitan
1 entries- gris noun (colour)
Pashto
2 entries- خړ noun (colour)
- خړپړ noun (colour)
Persian
1 entries- خاکِستَری noun (colour)
Polish
3 entries- szarość noun (colour)
- szary noun (colour)
- siwieć verb (to become gray)
Portuguese
4 entries- cinza noun (colour)
- gris noun (colour)
- acinzentar verb (to become gray)
- acinzentar verb (to cause to become gray)
Romanian
1 entries- gri noun (colour)
Romansch
1 entries- grisch noun (colour)
Russian
3 entries- се́рый noun (colour)
- седе́ть verb (to become gray)
- сере́ть verb (to become gray)
Sinhalese
1 entries- අළු noun (colour)
Slovak
2 entries- sivá noun (colour)
- šedivá noun (colour)
Slovene
1 entries- siva noun (colour)
Southern Altai
1 entries- бос noun (colour)
Spanish
2 entries- gris noun (colour)
- encanecer verb (to become gray)
Sundanese
1 entries- kulawu noun (colour)
Swedish
2 entries- grå noun (colour)
- gråna verb (to become gray)
Tagalog
1 entries- abo noun (colour)
Tajik
1 entries- хокистарӣ noun (colour)
Telugu
1 entries- బూడిద noun (colour)
Thai
1 entries- สีเทา noun (colour)
Turkish
3 entries- boz noun (colour)
- gri noun (colour)
- grileşmek verb (to become gray)
Ukrainian
2 entries- посивіти verb (to become gray)
- сивіти verb (to become gray)
Vietnamese
2 entries- màu xám noun (colour)
- bạc verb (to become gray)
Welsh
1 entries- llwyd noun (colour)
Yiddish
1 entries- גרוי noun (colour)
Sample sentences
21 total sentences available.
Some English words have two spellings - "gray" and "grey", for example.
Source: tatoeba (26346)
That is to say, he was old and gray and tired.
Source: tatoeba (39768)
The man must be over sixty, for his hair is gray.
Source: tatoeba (45257)
Showing 4 of 21 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "gray"?
Closest matches include achromatic, achromic, acier, advanced, advanced in life.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "gray"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.