Onion

/ˈʌn.jən/

Synonyms for "onion" (16 found)

Ranked by relevance and common usage.

Closest matches (4)

Noun(4 words)
onion plantallium bulballium cepaallium cepa plant

Strong matches (4)

Noun(3 words)
bulb vegetableedible bulblayered metaphor

Related words (8)

Noun(4 words)
multi layer modelonion bulbpeeling metaphorviolet

Choosing the right synonym

  • Closest matches in this entry: onion plant, allium bulb, allium cepa, allium cepa plant, bulb vegetable.
  • Sentence evidence is available for onion, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
  • Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, wiktionary, 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 "onion".
  • Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.

When not to replace "onion"

Keep "onion" 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 "onion" 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 "onion", 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 "onion" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.

Related word relations

OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.

5 relation types

More general

11 entries
alliaceous plantbulbbulbous plantedible plant partfigure of speechfood itemmetaphorplantvegvegetableveggie

More specific

7 entries
green onionlayered explanationmulti layer analysispeeling back layersred onionwhite onionyellow onion

Collocations

6 entries
caramelized oniononion powderonion soupred onionwhite onionyellow onion

Inflections

1 entries

Derivations

1 entries

Translations

305 translations across 234 languages.

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Abkhaz

1 entries
  • ахыц noun (Allium cepa)

Adyghe

1 entries
  • бжьыны noun (Allium cepa)

Afar

1 entries
  • basáltu noun (Allium cepa)

Afrikaans

1 entries
  • ui noun (Allium cepa)

Alabama

1 entries
  • kasooma noun (Allium cepa)

Albanian

1 entries
  • qepë f Kep (gheg) noun (Allium cepa)

Amharic

1 entries
  • ሽንኩርት noun (Allium cepa)

Ancient Greek

1 entries
  • κρόμμυον noun (Allium cepa)

Ankave

1 entries
  • anianɨ' noun (Allium cepa)

Arabic

4 entries
  • بصل noun (Allium cepa)
  • بصل noun (Allium cepa)
  • بصلة noun (Allium cepa)
  • بصلة noun (Allium cepa)

Aramaic

2 entries
  • בָּצְלָא noun (Allium cepa)
  • ܒܨܠܐ noun (Allium cepa)

Armenian

1 entries
  • սոխ noun (Allium cepa)

Aromanian

1 entries
  • tseapã noun (Allium cepa)

Assamese

2 entries
  • পনৰু noun (Allium cepa)
  • পিয়াঁজ noun (Allium cepa)

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

1 entries
  • ܒܸܨܠܵܐ noun (Allium cepa)

Asturian

1 entries
  • cebolla noun (Allium cepa)

Atayal

1 entries
  • negi' noun (Allium cepa)

Avar

1 entries
  • пер noun (Allium cepa)

Azerbaijani

1 entries
  • soğan noun (Allium cepa)

Bangi

1 entries
  • litungulu noun (Allium cepa)

Bashkir

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  • һуған noun (Allium cepa)

Basque

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  • tipula noun (Allium cepa)

Belarusian

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  • лук noun (Allium cepa)
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Bengali

1 entries
  • পেঁয়াজ noun (Allium cepa)

Bezhta

1 entries
  • хагъо noun (Allium cepa)

Bhojpuri

1 entries
  • 𑂣𑂱𑂄𑂔 noun (Allium cepa)

Bikol Central

1 entries
  • sibulyas noun (Allium cepa)

Breton

1 entries
  • ognonenn noun (Allium cepa)

Bulgarian

1 entries
  • лук noun (Allium cepa)

Burmese

2 entries
  • ကြက်သွန် noun (Allium cepa)
  • ကြက်သွန်နီ noun (Allium cepa)

Buryat

1 entries
  • һонгино noun (Allium cepa)

Catalan

1 entries
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Cebuano

1 entries
  • sibuyas noun (Allium cepa)

Central Franconian

1 entries
  • Öllisch noun (Allium cepa)

Central Sierra Miwok

1 entries
  • siwo·ja- noun (Allium cepa)

Chadian Arabic

2 entries
  • بصل noun (Allium cepa)
  • بصلاي noun (Allium cepa)

Chamicuro

1 entries
  • sewoyo noun (Allium cepa)

Chavacano

1 entries
  • cebollas noun (Allium cepa)

Chechen

1 entries
  • хох noun (Allium cepa)

Chichewa

1 entries
  • anyezi noun (Allium cepa)

Chinese

4 entries
  • пиязы noun (Allium cepa)
  • цун noun (Allium cepa)
  • 北蔥 /北葱 noun (Allium cepa)
  • 蔥頭 /葱头 noun (Allium cepa)

Chinese Cantonese

1 entries
  • 洋蔥 /洋葱 noun (Allium cepa)

Chinese Mandarin

1 entries
  • 洋蔥 /洋葱 noun (Allium cepa)

Chukchi

1 entries
  • майъоԓяԓгын noun (Allium cepa)

Church Slavic

2 entries
  • лоукъ noun (Allium cepa)
  • ⰾⱆⰽⱏ noun (Allium cepa)

Chuvash

1 entries
  • сухан noun (Allium cepa)

Coptic

1 entries
  • ⲙϫⲱⲗ noun (Allium cepa)

Cree

1 entries
  • wiheekaskosis noun (Allium cepa)

Crimean Tatar

1 entries
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Czech

1 entries
  • cibule noun (Allium cepa)

Dalmatian

1 entries
  • capula noun (Allium cepa)

Danish

1 entries
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2 entries
  • سوخ noun (Allium cepa)
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1 entries
  • ފިޔާ noun (Allium cepa)

Dongxiang

1 entries
  • sunguna noun (Allium cepa)

Dutch

2 entries
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Eastern Mari

1 entries
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Erzya

1 entries
  • чурька noun (Allium cepa)

Esperanto

1 entries
  • cepo noun (Allium cepa)

Estonian

1 entries
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1 entries
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1 entries
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Farefare

2 entries
  • albarsa noun (Allium cepa)
  • geene noun (Allium cepa)

Faroese

1 entries
  • leykur noun (Allium cepa)

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1 entries
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Finnish

2 entries
  • keltasipuli noun (Allium cepa)
  • sipuli noun (Allium cepa)

French

2 entries
  • ognon noun (Allium cepa)
  • oignon noun (Allium cepa)

Friulian

2 entries
  • cevole noun (Allium cepa)
  • civole noun (Allium cepa)

Gagauz

2 entries
  • suan noun (Allium cepa)
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Galician

1 entries
  • cebola noun (Allium cepa)

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1 entries
  • ხახვი noun (Allium cepa)

German

2 entries
  • Bölle noun (Allium cepa)
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Gilbertese

1 entries
  • ánian noun (Allium cepa)

Greek

1 entries
  • κρεμμύδι noun (Allium cepa)

Greenlandic

1 entries
  • uanitsoq noun (Allium cepa)

Gujarati

1 entries
  • ડુંગળી noun (Allium cepa)

Hakka Chinese

1 entries
  • 洋蔥 /洋葱 noun (Allium cepa)

Hausa

1 entries
  • àlbásà noun (Allium cepa)

Hawaiian

1 entries
  • ʻakaʻakai noun (Allium cepa)

Hebrew

1 entries
  • בָּצָל noun (Allium cepa)

Higaonon

1 entries
  • sibuyas noun (Allium cepa)

Hiligaynon

1 entries
  • sibuyas noun (Allium cepa)

Hindi

3 entries
  • कांदा noun (Allium cepa)
  • पियाज़ noun (Allium cepa)
  • प्याज़ noun (Allium cepa)

Hungarian

1 entries
  • hagyma noun (Allium cepa)

Hunsrik

1 entries
  • Zwiwel noun (Allium cepa)

Icelandic

1 entries
  • laukur noun (Allium cepa)

Ido

1 entries
  • onyono noun (Allium cepa)

Ilocano

2 entries
  • lasuna noun (Allium cepa)
  • sibuyas noun (Allium cepa)

Indonesian

1 entries
  • bawang noun (Allium cepa)

Ingush

1 entries
  • хох noun (Allium cepa)

Interlingua

1 entries
  • cibolla noun (Allium cepa)

Inuktitut

1 entries
  • ᐅᐊᓂᐅᔮᖅ noun (Allium cepa)

Iranian Persian

2 entries
  • سوخ noun (Allium cepa)
  • پِیاز noun (Allium cepa)

Irish

1 entries
  • oinniún noun (Allium cepa)

Italian

1 entries
  • cipolla noun (Allium cepa)

Ivatan

2 entries
  • bulias noun (Allium cepa)
  • bulyas noun (Allium cepa)

Japanese

1 entries
  • 玉葱 noun (Allium cepa)

Javanese

1 entries
  • brambang noun (Allium cepa)

Jin Chinese

2 entries
  • 洋蔥 /洋葱 noun (Allium cepa)
  • 蔥頭 /葱头 noun (Allium cepa)

Kabardian

1 entries
  • бжьыны noun (Allium cepa)

Kalmyk

1 entries
  • мәңгрсн noun (Allium cepa)

Kannada

1 entries
  • ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ noun (Allium cepa)

Kapampangan

1 entries
  • sibuyas noun (Allium cepa)

Karachay-Balkar

1 entries
  • сохан noun (Allium cepa)

Karelian

1 entries
  • luukko noun (Allium cepa)

Kashmiri

1 entries
  • گَنڈٕ noun (Allium cepa)

Kashubian

1 entries
  • cebula noun (Allium cepa)

Kazakh

1 entries
  • пияз noun (Allium cepa)

Khakas

1 entries
  • муксун noun (Allium cepa)

Khmer

1 entries
  • ខ្ទឹមបារាំង noun (Allium cepa)

Kikuyu

1 entries
  • gĩtũngũrũ noun (Allium cepa)

Konkani

1 entries
  • पियाउ noun (Allium cepa)

Korean

1 entries
  • 양파 noun (Allium cepa)

Kumyk

1 entries
  • согъан noun (Allium cepa)

Kyrgyz

1 entries
  • пияз noun (Allium cepa)

Ladino

1 entries
  • sevoya noun (Allium cepa)

Lao

2 entries
  • ຜັກບົ່ວ noun (Allium cepa)
  • ຜັກບົ່ວຫົວໃຫຍ່ noun (Allium cepa)

Latin

2 entries
  • caepa noun (Allium cepa)
  • cēpa noun (Allium cepa)

Latvian

1 entries
  • sīpols noun (Allium cepa)

Limburgish

1 entries
  • un noun (Allium cepa)

Lingala

1 entries
  • litungulu noun (Allium cepa)

Lithuanian

1 entries
  • svogūnas noun (Allium cepa)

Livonian

2 entries
  • sīpõl noun (Allium cepa)
  • tsīpõl noun (Allium cepa)

Low German

1 entries
  • Sipel noun (Allium cepa)

Lower Sorbian

1 entries
  • cybula noun (Allium cepa)

Lule Sami

1 entries
  • løhkka noun (Allium cepa)

Luxembourgish

1 entries
  • Ënn noun (Allium cepa)

Macedonian

1 entries
  • кромид noun (Allium cepa)

Magahi

1 entries
  • 𑂣𑂵𑂄𑂔𑂳 noun (Allium cepa)

Maithili

1 entries
  • पेआजु noun (Allium cepa)

Malagasy

1 entries
  • tongolo noun (Allium cepa)

Malay

2 entries
  • bawang noun (Allium cepa)
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Malayalam

4 entries
  • ഉള്ളി noun (Allium cepa)
  • സബോള noun (Allium cepa)
  • സവാള noun (Allium cepa)
  • സവോള noun (Allium cepa)

Maltese

1 entries
  • basla noun (Allium cepa)

Manchu

1 entries
  • ᡝᠯᡠ noun (Allium cepa)

Manx

1 entries
  • unnish noun (Allium cepa)

Maranao

1 entries
  • bawang noun (Allium cepa)

Marathi

1 entries
  • कांदा noun (Allium cepa)

Middle English

1 entries
  • onyoun noun (Allium cepa)

Mingrelian

1 entries
  • ხვარხვი noun (Allium cepa)

Moksha

1 entries
  • шурьхкя noun (Allium cepa)

Mongolian

2 entries
  • сонгино noun (Allium cepa)
  • ᠰᠣᠩᠭᠢᠨ᠎ᠠ noun (Allium cepa)

Moore

2 entries
  • albasle noun (Allium cepa)
  • gebre noun (Allium cepa)

Māori

1 entries
  • aniana noun (Allium cepa)

Nahuatl

1 entries
  • xonacatl noun (Allium cepa)

Nanai

1 entries
  • элу noun (Allium cepa)

Navajo

1 entries
  • tłʼohchin noun (Allium cepa)

Neapolitan

1 entries
  • cepolla noun (Allium cepa)

Nepali

1 entries
  • प्याज noun (Allium cepa)

Norman

2 entries
  • ouagniaon noun (Allium cepa)
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North Wales Welsh

1 entries
  • nionyn noun (Allium cepa)

Northern Kurdish

1 entries
  • pîvaz noun (Allium cepa)

Northern Sami

1 entries
  • lávki noun (Allium cepa)

Norwegian Bokmål

1 entries
  • løk noun (Allium cepa)

Norwegian Nynorsk

1 entries
  • lauk noun (Allium cepa)

Occitan

1 entries
  • ceba noun (Allium cepa)

Odia

1 entries
  • ପିଆଜ noun (Allium cepa)

Ojibwe

1 entries
  • zhigaagawanzh noun (Allium cepa)

Old East Slavic

1 entries
  • лукъ noun (Allium cepa)

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1 entries
  • хъӕдындз noun (Allium cepa)

Ottoman Turkish

2 entries
  • بصل noun (Allium cepa)
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Paiwan

1 entries
  • nigi noun (Allium cepa)

Pannonian Rusyn

1 entries
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Pashto

1 entries
  • پياز noun (Allium cepa)

Piedmontese

1 entries
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Plautdietsch

1 entries
  • Zippel noun (Allium cepa)

Polish

1 entries
  • cebula noun (Allium cepa)

Pontic Greek

1 entries
  • κρομμύδ’ noun (Allium cepa)

Portuguese

1 entries
  • cebola noun (Allium cepa)

Punjabi

4 entries
  • پیْاز noun (Allium cepa)
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  • ਗੰਢਾ noun (Allium cepa)

Quechua

1 entries
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Rohingya

1 entries
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Romagnol

1 entries
  • àj noun (Allium cepa)

Romanian

1 entries
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Romansch

4 entries
  • tschagula noun (Allium cepa)
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Russian

1 entries
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Saaroa

1 entries
  • 'aumangʉ noun (Allium cepa)

Saho

1 entries
  • basal noun (Allium cepa)

Sanskrit

3 entries
  • उष्ण noun (Allium cepa)
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Sardinian

4 entries
  • chepudha noun (Allium cepa)
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Saterland Frisian

1 entries
  • Siepel noun (Allium cepa)

Scots

1 entries
  • ingan noun (Allium cepa)

Scottish Gaelic

1 entries
  • uinnean noun (Allium cepa)

Serbo-Croatian

4 entries
  • cr̀venī lȕk noun (Allium cepa)
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Shor

1 entries
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Sicilian

1 entries
  • cipudda noun (Allium cepa)

Silesian

1 entries
  • cwibla noun (Allium cepa)

Sindhi

1 entries
  • بَصَرُ noun (Allium cepa)

Sinhalese

2 entries
  • ලූණු noun (Allium cepa)
  • ලූනු noun (Allium cepa)

Skolt Sami

1 entries
  • luukk noun (Allium cepa)

Slovak

1 entries
  • cibuľa noun (Allium cepa)

Slovene

1 entries
  • čebula noun (Allium cepa)

South Wales Welsh

1 entries
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Southern Altai

1 entries
  • согоно noun (Allium cepa)

Southern Sami

1 entries
  • lööke noun (Allium cepa)

Spanish

1 entries
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Sranan Tongo

1 entries
  • ayun noun (Allium cepa)

Swahili

1 entries
  • kitunguu noun (Allium cepa)

Swedish

2 entries
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Tagalog

1 entries
  • sibuyas noun (Allium cepa)

Tajik

1 entries
  • пиёз noun (Allium cepa)

Talysh

1 entries
  • piyoz noun (Allium cepa)

Tamil

1 entries
  • வெங்காயம் noun (Allium cepa)

Tat

1 entries
  • piyaz noun (Allium cepa)

Tatar

1 entries
  • суган noun (Allium cepa)

Telugu

4 entries
  • ఉల్లి noun (Allium cepa)
  • ఉల్లిగడ్డ noun (Allium cepa)
  • ఎర్రగడ్డ noun (Allium cepa)
  • నీరుల్లి noun (Allium cepa)

Thai

2 entries
  • หอมใหญ่ noun (Allium cepa)
  • หัวหอม noun (Allium cepa)

Tibetan

1 entries
  • ཙོང noun (Allium cepa)

Tigrinya

1 entries
  • ሽጉርቲ noun (Allium cepa)

Tok Pisin

1 entries
  • anian noun (Allium cepa)

Tumbuka

1 entries
  • hanyezi noun (Allium cepa)

Turkish

1 entries
  • soğan noun (Allium cepa)

Turkmen

1 entries
  • sogan noun (Allium cepa)

Tuvan

1 entries
  • согуна noun (Allium cepa)

Udmurt

1 entries
  • сугон noun (Allium cepa)

Ukrainian

2 entries
  • лук noun (Allium cepa)
  • цибу́ля noun (Allium cepa)

Upper Sorbian

2 entries
  • cybla noun (Allium cepa)
  • kobołk noun (Allium cepa)

Urdu

3 entries
  • پِیاز noun (Allium cepa)
  • پْیاز noun (Allium cepa)
  • کانْدا noun (Allium cepa)

Uyghur

1 entries
  • پىياز noun (Allium cepa)

Uzbek

1 entries
  • piyoz noun (Allium cepa)

Venetan

3 entries
  • séoła noun (Allium cepa)
  • ziola noun (Allium cepa)
  • zéoła noun (Allium cepa)

Vietnamese

2 entries
  • hành noun (Allium cepa)
  • hành tây noun (Allium cepa)

Vilamovian

1 entries
  • cwypuł noun (Allium cepa)

Volapük

1 entries
  • beb noun (Allium cepa)

Walloon

1 entries
  • agnon noun (Allium cepa)

West-Frisian

1 entries
  • sipel noun (Allium cepa)

Winnebago

1 entries
  • šįįǧop noun (Allium cepa)

Wolof

1 entries
  • soble noun (Allium cepa)

Wu Chinese

1 entries
  • 洋蔥 /洋葱 noun (Allium cepa)

Xiang Chinese

1 entries
  • 洋蔥 /洋葱 noun (Allium cepa)

Yakut

1 entries
  • луук noun (Allium cepa)

Yiddish

1 entries
  • ציבעלע noun (Allium cepa)

Zealandic

1 entries
  • juun noun (Allium cepa)

Zhuang

1 entries
  • yangzcoeng noun (Allium cepa)

Sample sentences

18 total sentences available.

Tatoeba + Wiktionary

I'll have tomato and onion.

Source: tatoeba (37447)

I only need one onion for this recipe.

Source: tatoeba (371939)

Oh, onion bagels.

Source: tatoeba (644489)

Garlic and onion are good remedies against the common cold.

Source: tatoeba (743747)

Showing 4 of 18 available sentences.

Common questions

What are the closest synonyms for "onion"?

Closest matches include onion plant, allium bulb, allium cepa, allium cepa plant, bulb vegetable.

How should I check whether a synonym fits "onion"?

Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.

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