One only vestige of his fate appeared. A large sable feather had been detached from his hat, and the rippling waves of the rising tide wafted it to Caleb's feet.
Source: tatoeba (7760929)
Sable
/ˈseɪbəl/
Synonyms for "sable" (182 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (37)
Strong matches (54)
Related words (91)
harehatchmenthelmetheraldic devicehidehonor pointhorseimpalementimpalinginescutcheonink-blackinkinessinkyjetjettykangaroolabellionlozengemammal
Show 59 more words
mantlingmarshalingmartletmasclemelanismmetalmidnightmottomulletmurkynight-blacknight-darknigrescencenigritudenigrousnombril pointoctofoilopossumorordinaryorlepalepalypeanpeltpheonpigpitch-blackpitch-darkpitchyplatypuspurpurequarterquarteringratravenraven-blackrosesaltirescutcheonshieldsloesloe-blacksloe-coloredsomberspread eaglesubordinaryswarthytar-blacktarrytennetincturetorsetressureunicornvairvertwreathyale
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: ebony, martes zibellina, achievement, alerion, animal.
- Sentence evidence is available for sable, 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 "sable".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "sable"
Keep "sable" 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 "sable" 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 "sable", 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 "sable" 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
15 entriesMore specific
4 entriesCollocations
10 entriessable cloaksable coatsable colorsable fieldsable fursable hairsable patternsable pelagesable peltsable plumage
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
5 entriessimilar
2 entriesTranslations
125 translations across 76 languages.
Arabic
1 entries- سَمُّور noun (animal)
Armenian
2 entries- սամույր noun (animal)
- սամույր noun (fur)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- samur noun (animal)
Bashkir
1 entries- кеш noun (animal)
Belarusian
1 entries- со́баль noun (animal)
Bulgarian
3 entries- черен adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- самур noun (animal)
- самурова кожа noun (fur)
Buryat
1 entries- булган noun (animal)
Catalan
3 entries- gibelí noun (animal)
- mart gibelí noun (animal)
- marta gibelina noun (animal)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 紫貂 noun (animal)
- 黑貂 noun (animal)
- 黑貂皮 noun (fur)
Chukchi
1 entries- кытгым noun (animal)
Czech
1 entries- sobol noun (animal)
Danish
2 entries- sort adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- zobel noun (animal)
Daur
1 entries- baleg noun (animal)
Dolgan
1 entries- киис noun (animal)
Dutch
4 entries- sabel adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- zwart adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- sabel noun (animal)
- sabeldier noun (animal)
Esperanto
1 entries- zibelo noun (animal)
Estonian
1 entries- soobel noun (animal)
Even
1 entries- хэгэп noun (animal)
Evenki
1 entries- некэ̄ noun (animal)
Faroese
3 entries- saval noun (fur)
- sibiriskur márur noun (animal)
- sobul noun (animal)
Finnish
3 entries- musta adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- soopeli noun (animal)
- soopelinnahka noun (fur)
French
3 entries- sable adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- martre noun (animal)
- zibeline noun (animal)
Galician
1 entries- marta cibelina noun (animal)
Georgian
1 entries- სიასამური noun (animal)
German
3 entries- schwarz adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- Zobel noun (animal)
- Zobel noun (fur)
Hindi
1 entries- सेबल noun (animal)
Hungarian
3 entries- fekete adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- coboly noun (animal)
- cobolyprém noun (fur)
Icelandic
1 entries- safali noun (animal)
Ingrian
1 entries- sooboli noun (animal)
Irish
1 entries- sáible noun (animal)
Italian
2 entries- nero adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- zibellina noun (animal)
Japanese
2 entries- クロテン noun (animal)
- クロテンの毛皮 noun (fur)
Kazakh
1 entries- бұлғын noun (animal)
Khakas
1 entries- албыға noun (animal)
Komi-Zyrian
1 entries- низь noun (animal)
Korean
1 entries- 검은담비 noun (animal)
Kyrgyz
1 entries- киш noun (animal)
Latin
1 entries- mus silvestris noun (animal)
Latvian
2 entries- sabulis noun (animal)
- sabuļāda noun (fur)
Lithuanian
1 entries- sabalas noun (animal)
Macedonian
2 entries- црн adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- са́мур noun (animal)
Malay
2 entries- sabel noun (animal)
- samur noun (animal)
Manchu
1 entries- ᠰᡝᡴᡝ noun (animal)
Mangghuer
1 entries- khara noun (animal)
Middle Persian
1 entries- smwl noun (animal)
Mongghul
1 entries- hara noun (animal)
Mongolian
1 entries- булга noun (animal)
Nanai
1 entries- сэпэ noun (animal)
Nogai
1 entries- кис noun (animal)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- sobel noun (animal)
Occitan
1 entries- marta noun (animal)
Old Armenian
2 entries- սամոյր noun (animal)
- սամոյր noun (fur)
Ottoman Turkish
2 entries- سمور noun (animal)
- سمور noun (fur)
Persian
1 entries- سمور noun (animal)
Polish
2 entries- czarny adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- soból noun (animal)
Portuguese
3 entries- sable adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- saibro adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- zibelina noun (animal)
Punjabi
1 entries- ਸੇਬਲ noun (animal)
Romanian
3 entries- negru adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- samur noun (animal)
- zibelină noun (animal)
Russian
3 entries- чёрный adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- со́боль noun (animal)
- со́боль noun (fur)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- crna adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- црна adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- sabolj noun (animal)
- sàmūr noun (animal)
Shor
1 entries- албыға noun (animal)
Slovak
1 entries- soboľ noun (animal)
Southern Altai
1 entries- киш noun (animal)
Spanish
4 entries- sable adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- cebellina noun (animal)
- marta noun (fur)
- marta cibelina noun (animal)
Swedish
3 entries- svart adj (of black colour on a coat of arms)
- sobel noun (animal)
- sobelpäls noun (fur)
Tatar
1 entries- кеш noun (animal)
Thai
1 entries- เซเบิล noun (animal)
Turkish
2 entries- samur noun (animal)
- su samuru noun (animal)
Tuvan
1 entries- киш noun (animal)
Udmurt
1 entries- нӥзь noun (animal)
Ukrainian
1 entries- со́боль noun (animal)
Urdu
1 entries- سیبل noun (animal)
Uyghur
1 entries- بۇلغۇن noun (animal)
Uzbek
2 entries- samur noun (animal)
- sobol noun (animal)
Welsh
2 entries- bele noun (animal)
- sabl noun (animal)
Yakut
1 entries- киис noun (animal)
Sample sentences
13 total sentences available.
Aside from giving elephants and lions more room to roam, it could help speed the recovery of the sable and roan antelope, two severely endangered species that have nearly disappeared from Kruger.
Source: tatoeba (10876481)
Lovers dallied upon divans spread with sables.
Source: wiktionary
I ſee its Sables wove by Deſtiny.
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 13 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "sable"?
Closest matches include ebony, martes zibellina, achievement, alerion, animal.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "sable"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.