The godmother wished the ship at the christening, among other things: "May there always be enough water beneath your keel!"
Source: tatoeba (3996483)
Keel
Synonyms for "keel" (104 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: aeroplane, airplane, argosy, ascend, backbone.
- Sentence evidence is available for keel, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from derived_reverse, moby, opengloss, 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 "keel".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "keel"
Keep "keel" 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 "keel" 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 "keel", 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 "keel" 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
14 entriesMore specific
12 entriesCollocations
12 entriescentral keelheavy keelkeel blockkeel bonekeel depthkeel layingkeel platekeelboat designkeelson installationpapilionaceous keelship keelship's keel
Inflections
4 entriesDerivations
2 entriesSample sentences
19 total sentences available.
The sailor plumbed the shallow water with a weighted rope, and the ship's keel did not scrape the rocky sea-bed.
Source: tatoeba (5270322)
All hail the speech. We quit this other home, / and leaving here a handful on the shore, / spread sail and scour with hollow keel the foam.
Source: tatoeba (7007771)
"O Goddess-born, high auspices are thine, / and heaven's plain omens guide thee o'er the main. / Thus Jove, by lot unfolding his design, / assorts the chances, and the Fates ordain. / This much may I of many things explain, / how best o'er foreign seas to urge thy keel / in safety, and Ausonian ports attain, / the rest from Helenus the Fates conceal, / and Juno's envious power forbids me to reveal."
Source: tatoeba (7076702)
Showing 4 of 19 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "keel"?
Closest matches include aeroplane, airplane, argosy, ascend, backbone.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "keel"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.