Better to be a happy fool than an unhappy sage.
Source: tatoeba (862982)
Sage
/seɪd͡ʒ/
Synonyms for "sage" (143 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (29)
Noun(11 words)
philosopheradmonisheraristotlearomatic herbcleanseculinary herbdiogenesdiscerningelderenlightenedenlightener
aceacuteastuteauthoritybrilliantbroad mindedbroad-mindedclevercondimentcrackerjackdeepdiscerningdoctordoyendoyenneelderelder statesman
Verb(1 words)
Strong matches (43)
Noun(11 words)
Adjective(1 words)
learned professor
Related words (71)
Noun(18 words)
Adjective(3 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: philosopher, ace, acute, admonisher, aristotle.
- Sentence evidence is available for sage, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, 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 "sage".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "sage"
Keep "sage" 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 "sage" 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 "sage", 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 "sage" 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 entriesadultcharacter traitcolorherbherbaceous planthueintellectualintelligentmentorpersonplantpurificationshadewise
More specific
13 entriescommon sagediscerningeldergarden sagegraygreenjudiciousmentorphilosopherprudentritual smudgingsage greenspace cleansingthoughtful
Collocations
13 entriesculinary sagefresh sagegarden sagesage advicesage bundlesage colorsage greensage leavessage plantsage ritualsage smokesage teasage wisdom
Inflections
7 entriesDerivations
7 entriessimilar
2 entriesTranslations
112 translations across 64 languages.
Afrikaans
2 entries- salie noun (Salvia officinalis)
- salie noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Albanian
1 entries- sherbelë noun (Salvia officinalis)
Ancient Greek
1 entries- ὅρμινον noun (Salvia officinalis)
Arabic
4 entries- سالمية noun (Salvia officinalis)
- شَاقِيَة noun (Salvia officinalis)
- مرمرية noun (Salvia officinalis)
- مَرَمِيَّة noun (Salvia officinalis)
Armenian
1 entries- եղեսպակ noun (Salvia officinalis)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- adaçayı noun (Salvia officinalis)
Basque
1 entries- salbia noun (Salvia officinalis)
Bulgarian
1 entries- градински чай noun (Salvia officinalis)
Catalan
1 entries- sàlvia noun (Salvia officinalis)
Central Sierra Miwok
1 entries- hukúˀme- noun (Salvia officinalis)
Cherokee
1 entries- ᏎᏥ ᏒᏟ noun (Salvia officinalis)
Chinese Cantonese
2 entries- 鼠尾草 noun (Salvia officinalis)
- 鼠尾草 noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 鼠尾草 noun (Salvia officinalis)
- 鼠尾草 noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Czech
3 entries- šalvěj noun (Salvia officinalis)
- šalvěj noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
- šalvěj lékařská noun (Salvia officinalis)
Dutch
2 entries- echte salie noun (Salvia officinalis)
- salie noun (Salvia officinalis)
Esperanto
2 entries- salvio noun (Salvia officinalis)
- salvio noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Estonian
1 entries- salvei noun (Salvia officinalis)
Finnish
2 entries- salvia noun (Salvia officinalis)
- salvia noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
French
1 entries- sauge noun (Salvia officinalis)
Galician
1 entries- xarxa noun (Salvia officinalis)
Georgian
1 entries- სალბი noun (Salvia officinalis)
German
2 entries- Salbei noun (Salvia officinalis)
- Salbei noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Greek
2 entries- φασκομηλιά noun (Salvia officinalis)
- φασκόμηλο noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Hebrew
2 entries- מַרוָה noun (Salvia officinalis)
- מרווה noun (Salvia officinalis)
Hungarian
1 entries- zsálya noun (Salvia officinalis)
Icelandic
1 entries- salvía noun (Salvia officinalis)
Irish
2 entries- sáiste noun (Salvia officinalis)
- sáiste noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Italian
2 entries- salvia noun (Salvia officinalis)
- salvia noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Japanese
2 entries- セージ noun (Salvia officinalis)
- セージ noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Korean
1 entries- 세이지 noun (Salvia officinalis)
Latin
2 entries- salvia noun (Salvia officinalis)
- salvia noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Ligurian
2 entries- sàrvia noun (Salvia officinalis)
- sàrvia noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Lower Sorbian
2 entries- žalbija noun (Salvia officinalis)
- žalbija noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Macedonian
2 entries- жа́лфија noun (Salvia officinalis)
- жа́лфија noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Malay
1 entries- bijak noun (Salvia officinalis)
Māori
1 entries- heihi noun (Salvia officinalis)
Neapolitan
1 entries- sàrvia noun (Salvia officinalis)
Norman
1 entries- sauge noun (Salvia officinalis)
Northern Ohlone
1 entries- miriyan noun (Salvia officinalis)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- salvie noun (Salvia officinalis)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- salvie noun (Salvia officinalis)
Old English
1 entries- salfige noun (Salvia officinalis)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- آطه چایی noun (Salvia officinalis)
Pannonian Rusyn
2 entries- шалвия noun (Salvia officinalis)
- шалвия noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Persian
2 entries- سلوی noun (Salvia officinalis)
- مریم گلی noun (Salvia officinalis)
Polish
3 entries- szałwia noun (Salvia officinalis)
- szałwia noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
- szałwia lekarska noun (Salvia officinalis)
Portuguese
2 entries- salva noun (Salvia officinalis)
- sálvia noun (Salvia officinalis)
Quechua
1 entries- ñukch'u noun (Salvia officinalis)
Romanian
2 entries- jale noun (Salvia officinalis)
- salvie noun (Salvia officinalis)
Russian
1 entries- шалфе́й noun (Salvia officinalis)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- sàiste noun (Salvia officinalis)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- kadulja noun (Salvia officinalis)
- žalfija noun (Salvia officinalis)
Slovak
1 entries- šalvia noun (Salvia officinalis)
Slovene
1 entries- žajbelj noun (Salvia officinalis)
Spanish
1 entries- salvia noun (Salvia officinalis)
Swedish
3 entries- kryddsalvia noun (Salvia officinalis)
- salvia noun (Salvia officinalis)
- salvia noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Tagalog
2 entries- salbiya noun (Salvia officinalis)
- salbiya noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Turkish
2 entries- ada çayı noun (Salvia officinalis)
- dağ çayı noun (Salvia officinalis)
Ukrainian
4 entries- шавлі́я noun (Salvia officinalis)
- шавлі́я noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
- шавлі́я лі́карська noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
- шальві́я noun (Salvia officinalis)
Venetan
1 entries- salbia noun (Salvia officinalis)
Vietnamese
4 entries- hoa xôn noun (Salvia officinalis)
- hoa xôn noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
- xô thơm noun (Salvia officinalis)
- xô thơm noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Welsh
2 entries- saets noun (Salvia officinalis)
- saets noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Yiddish
4 entries- זאַלבע noun (Salvia officinalis)
- זאַלבע noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
- שאַלוויִע noun (Salvia officinalis)
- שאַלוויִע noun (Salvia officinalis used in cooking)
Zazaki
1 entries- gula meryem noun (Salvia officinalis)
Sample sentences
18 total sentences available.
Taoism was founded on the teachings of Laozi, a sage born in 604 B.C. in present-day Henan Province.
Source: tatoeba (897988)
When a Sage shall again arise, he will certainly follow my words.
Source: tatoeba (911911)
He is a sage.
Source: tatoeba (1084499)
Showing 4 of 18 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "sage"?
Closest matches include philosopher, ace, acute, admonisher, aristotle.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "sage"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.
More for "sage"
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