The key question is not what can I gain but what do I have to lose.
Source: tatoeba (1745)
Key
/kiː/
Synonyms for "key" (464 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (93)
accessaccommodateaccordachromatismadaptadjustadjust toaerophoneaitamplificationarchipelagoassimilateatollattuneaxialbad influencebangbarbarricadebasic
Show 50 more words
battenbatten downbellbig wheelbilingual textboltbottle openerbuttonbutton upcan openercastcatchwordcaycentermostcentralcentralizedcentriccentroidalcentrosymmetricchiefchokechoke offchromatismchromismchurch keyclapclarificationclassical pitchclaviscloseclose upclosed-circuit telegraphycluecodecolorcolor balancecolor harmonycolor schemecolorationcoloringcomplexionconcentratedconstrictcontaincontinental islandcontractcoordinatecoral headcoral islandcoral reef
Noun(13 words)
Strong matches (139)
Noun(31 words)
core life science conceptcore samplecore subjectcriticalcrucialcrucial decisioncrucial factorcryptographicdefining worddetermining numbersdoor keyencryption keyenteressentialessential elementfeature presentationflorida keygoverning bodygoverno centralgraphic marking
Show 11 more words
corkscrewcourtcovercribcriticalcrucialcuecue wordcut todeciphermentdecodingdecorator colordepthdescriptiondominantdouble reedduplex telegraphyelectricityembouchureeminence grise
Show 67 more words
equalizeessentialestablishmentevidenceexplanationexplicationfacsimile telegraphfaithful translationfastenfirstfitfive percenterfive-percenterfixfoldfold upfree translationfrench pitchfrequencyfriend at courtgear togeocentricglossglossarygood influencegray eminenceguideharmonizeheavyweightheighthidden handhigh pitchhintholmhomologatehomologizehornhot leadhuehumorimportantindexindicationindicatorindispensableinfluenceinfluence peddlerinfluenceringroupinsularityinterlinearinterlinear translationinterrupterintimationislandisland groupislandologyisleisletkey signaturekey tokey wordkeynotekingmakerlatchlatchkeylatchstring
Adjective(15 words)
crucial evidencecrucial turning pointdominant signalessential conceptessential goodsessential questionsessential skills prioritizationfundamentalfundamental ecological principlesgreatest partinstrumental duetinstrumental roleinstrumental soloinstrumental techniquesintense trophic interaction
Verb(6 words)
Related words (232)
leadlegendlevelliplobbylobbyistlocklock outlock uploose translationlords of creationlow pitchmainmajormajor keymake plumbmake uniformman of influencemanipulatormaster key
Show 154 more words
measuremediantmetaphrasemiddlemiddlemostmidmostminormoodmouthpiecemultiplex telegraphynatural colornecessarynew philharmonic pitchnews tickernoteoccludeoceanic islandomphalicopen sesameopenerpadlockpallorparaphrasepasskeypasswordpedal pointphilharmonic pitchphilosophical pitchpipepitchpivotalplumbponypowers that bepressure groupprincipalproportionput in tunequadruplex telegraphyrailroad telegraphyrasputinreceiverreconcilerectifyreedreefregisterregulaterestatementrewordingrightsandbanksandbarscentsealseal offseal upsecuresendersetset rightshadeshutshut the doorshut upsimilarizesimplex telegraphysingle-current telegraphysinister influenceskeleton keyskin colorslamslidesnapsolutionsounderspecial interestsspecial-interest groupspoorsqueeze shutstandard pitchstock tickerstranglestrategicstraw in the windstylesubdominantsubmarine telegraphysubmediantsubstantialsubtonicsuggestionsupertonicsvengalisyncsynchronizetailortelautographytelegraphicstelegraphyteleprinterteletypeteletype networkteletypewriterteletypewritingteletypingtelextelltaletenorthe establishmenttickertickettimbretin openertincttincturetingetinttip offtip-offtonalitytonetonictonic keytootertracetranscriptiontranslationtransliterationtransmittertrim totrottruetrue uptunetypotelegraphtypotelegraphyumbilicalundercolorvalvevery important personvestigevipvitalwheeler dealerwheeler-dealerwhiffwindwind instrumentwire pullerwire servicewire-pullerzip upzipper
Noun(40 words)
Adjective(15 words)
Adverb(1 words)
most important factor
Determiner(1 words)
most political policy
Verb(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: access, accommodate, accord, accounting materiality, achromatism.
- Sentence evidence is available for key, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, derived_reverse, wordnet, opengloss, 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 "key".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "key"
Keep "key" 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 "key" 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 "key", 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 "key" 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
46 entriesacheneattributebuilding blockcartographic elementcharacter inputchordconceptual elementcoral reefcryptographic conceptcryptographic operationcryptographic propertydata entrydeterminantdeterminedeviceexplanation
Showing 16 of 46 words.
More specific
21 entriescolor keycore variablecritical parametercrucial factordriving factorelectronic keyencryption keyessential variablekey exchangekey installationkey provisioninglegend entrymaster keynumeric entryprivate keypublic key
Showing 16 of 21 words.
Collocations
17 entriescryptographic keyencryption keykey codekey factorkey fieldkey findingskey managementkey metrickey parameterkey stakeholderkey variablekeyboard inputkeystrokemap keymaster keysecurity key
Showing 16 of 17 words.
Inflections
5 entriesDerivations
10 entriessimilar
2 entriesimportantof import
Translations
61 translations across 40 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- toonaard noun (scale of musical notes)
Basque
1 entries- doinu noun (scale of musical notes)
Bulgarian
3 entries- ключ noun (scale of musical notes)
- шпи́лка noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
- шпо́нка noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 調 /调 noun (scale of musical notes)
Czech
1 entries- tónina noun (scale of musical notes)
Danish
1 entries- nøgle noun (scale of musical notes)
Dutch
2 entries- toonaard noun (scale of musical notes)
- toonsoort noun (scale of musical notes)
Esperanto
1 entries- tonalo noun (scale of musical notes)
Estonian
1 entries- helistik noun (scale of musical notes)
Finnish
3 entries- akselikiila noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
- kiila noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
- sävellaji noun (scale of musical notes)
French
1 entries- tonalité noun (scale of musical notes)
Georgian
1 entries- ტონალობა noun (scale of musical notes)
German
1 entries- Tonart noun (scale of musical notes)
Greek
2 entries- κλειδί noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
- κλειδί noun (scale of musical notes)
Hebrew
1 entries- סולם \ סֻלָּם noun (scale of musical notes)
Hungarian
4 entries- csap noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
- hangnem noun (scale of musical notes)
- kapocs noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
- pecek noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
Icelandic
1 entries- tóntegund noun (scale of musical notes)
Indonesian
1 entries- kunci noun (scale of musical notes)
Iranian Persian
2 entries- کَلید noun (scale of musical notes)
- کِلید noun (scale of musical notes)
Irish
1 entries- gléas noun (scale of musical notes)
Italian
1 entries- chiave noun (scale of musical notes)
Japanese
2 entries- キー noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
- 調 noun (scale of musical notes)
Khmer
1 entries- គន្លឹះ noun (scale of musical notes)
Korean
1 entries- 조 noun (scale of musical notes)
Latvian
2 entries- atslēga noun (scale of musical notes)
- tonalitāte noun (scale of musical notes)
Lithuanian
2 entries- raktas noun (scale of musical notes)
- tonacija noun (scale of musical notes)
Macedonian
2 entries- ска́ла noun (scale of musical notes)
- тоналите́т noun (scale of musical notes)
Manx
1 entries- gleaysh noun (scale of musical notes)
Māori
1 entries- paeoro noun (scale of musical notes)
Polish
1 entries- tonacja noun (scale of musical notes)
Portuguese
1 entries- clave noun (scale of musical notes)
Romanian
1 entries- gamă noun (scale of musical notes)
Russian
4 entries- клин noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
- лад noun (scale of musical notes)
- тона́льность noun (scale of musical notes)
- чека́ noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- gleus noun (scale of musical notes)
Spanish
2 entries- clave noun (scale of musical notes)
- cuña noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
Swahili
1 entries- ufungu noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
Swedish
1 entries- tonart noun (scale of musical notes)
Udmurt
1 entries- нарва noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
Vietnamese
2 entries- âm điệu noun (scale of musical notes)
- điệu noun (scale of musical notes)
Welsh
2 entries- allwedd noun (object used to maintain the orientation between two others)
- cywair noun (scale of musical notes)
Sample sentences
56 total sentences available.
You took the wrong key.
Source: tatoeba (2416)
It was careless of you to lose the key.
Source: tatoeba (16169)
Where was it that you found this key?
Source: tatoeba (18036)
Showing 4 of 56 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "key"?
Closest matches include access, accommodate, accord, accounting materiality, achromatism.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "key"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.