A sailor frequently has no time to get his sea legs after leaving port before a battle starts.
Source: tatoeba (22165)
Sailor
/ˈseɪ.lɚ/
Synonyms for "sailor" (139 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (28)
abable seamanable-bodied seamanadventureralpinistancient marinerargonautastronautbluejacketboatmanbuccaneercampercapcaptainclimbercomers and goerscommutercosmopolitecruiser
Strong matches (42)
deep-sea mandylanexcursionistexplorerfair-weather sailorfarefishermanflying dutchmanglobe trotterglobe-girdlerglobe-trottergobgoerhajjihatheartyjackjack afloatjack-tarjacky
Show 11 more words
Adjective(1 words)
italian marino
Related words (69)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: mariner, seafarer, seaman, ab, able seaman.
- Sentence evidence is available for sailor, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, opengloss, moby, 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 "sailor".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "sailor"
Keep "sailor" 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 "sailor" 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 "sailor", 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 "sailor" 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
9 entriesMore specific
3 entriesCollocations
6 entriesmerchant sailornaval sailorprofessional sailorsailor trainingsailor uniformsea going sailor
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
1 entriesTranslations
288 translations across 119 languages.
Afar
1 entries- doniki num noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Akkadian
1 entries- 𒈣𒁻 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Albanian
3 entries- detar noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- lundërtar noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- marinar noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Ancient Greek
2 entries- ναυτίλος noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- ναύτης noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Arabic
4 entries- بَحَّار noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- بَحْرِيّ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- مَلَّاح noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- نَوْتِيّ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Aramaic
4 entries- מַלָּחָא noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- נַוְטָא noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- ܡܠܚܐ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- ܢܘܛܐ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Armenian
2 entries- նավազ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- նավաստի noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Assamese
1 entries- নাৱিক noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Asturian
2 entries- marineru noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- marín noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- dənizçi noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Belarusian
3 entries- мара́к noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- марапла́вец noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- матро́с noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Bengali
2 entries- নাবিক noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- মাল্লা noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Breton
1 entries- martolod noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Bulgarian
3 entries- матро́с noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- морепла́вател noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- моря́к noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Burmese
2 entries- ခလာသီ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- သင်္ဘောသား noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Catalan
3 entries- mariner noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- marinera noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- marí noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Chinese
3 entries- фишу noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- 水手 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- 海員 /海员 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Chinese Cantonese
2 entries- 水手 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- 海員 /海员 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 水手 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- 海員 /海员 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Chukchi
2 entries- аӈӄаляйвыльын noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- лельутвыткульын noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Czech
3 entries- mariňák noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- mořeplavec noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- námořník noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Danish
3 entries- matros noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- sejler noun (person who sails as a sport)
- sømand noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Dutch
2 entries- matroos noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- zeeman noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Early Assamese
1 entries- কাণ্ডাৰ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Egyptian
1 entries- s-qd-d-A30-A1 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Esperanto
2 entries- maristino noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- maristo noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Estonian
2 entries- madrus noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- meremees noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Faroese
1 entries- sjómaður noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Finnish
2 entries- matruusi noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- merimies noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
French
4 entries- femme marin noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- femme matelot noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- femme-marin noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- femme-matelot noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Gagauz
1 entries- denizçi noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Galician
3 entries- mariñeira noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- mariñeiro noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- mariñeiro noun (person who sails as a sport)
Georgian
1 entries- მეზღვაური noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
German
4 entries- Matrose noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- Matrosin noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- Seefrau noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- Seemann noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Greek
2 entries- ναυτικός noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- ναύτης noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Gujarati
4 entries- ખલાસી noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- જહાજી noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- નાવિક noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- મલ્લાહ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Hawaiian
2 entries- holomoku noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- kelamoku noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Hebrew
3 entries- יוֹרֵד יָם noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- מַלָּח noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- שַׁיָּט noun (person who sails as a sport)
Hindi
4 entries- केवट noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- ख़लासी noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- जहाज़ी noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- नाविक noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Hungarian
4 entries- hajós noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- matróz noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- tengerész noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- vitorlázó noun (person who sails as a sport)
Icelandic
2 entries- sjóari noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- sjómaður noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Ido
1 entries- maristo noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Igbo
1 entries- ọnye n'asọ ụgbọ mmịrị noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Indonesian
3 entries- kelasi noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- pelaut noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- pelayar noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Ingrian
1 entries- merimees noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Iranian Persian
4 entries- بَحْری noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- خَلاشی noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- دَرْیانَوَرْد noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- مَلَوان noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Irish
1 entries- maraí noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Istriot
1 entries- mareîtimo noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Italian
4 entries- marinaia noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- marinaio noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- marittima noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- marittimo noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Japanese
4 entries- セーラー noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- 水兵 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- 水夫 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- 海員 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Kazakh
2 entries- кемеші noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- теңізші noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Khmer
3 entries- កម្មករនាវា noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- នាវិក noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- នាវិកា noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Korean
4 entries- 선원 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- 수병 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- 수부 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- 해원 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Kyrgyz
3 entries- деңизчи noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- матрос noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- моряк noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Lao
2 entries- ກະລາສີ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- ນາວິກ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Latin
4 entries- marinarius noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- marinellus noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- nauta noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- nāvita noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Latvian
4 entries- burātājs noun (person who sails as a sport)
- jūrniece noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- jūrnieks noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- kuģiniece noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Ligurian
1 entries- mainâ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Lithuanian
2 entries- jūreivis noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- jūreivė noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Macedonian
2 entries- морепло́вец noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- морнар noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Malagasy
1 entries- baharia noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Malay
4 entries- anak kapal noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- kelasi noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- pelaut noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- pelayar noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Malayalam
1 entries- ഖലാസി noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Maltese
1 entries- baħri noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Manx
1 entries- marrinagh noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Marathi
1 entries- खलाशी noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Middle English
2 entries- mariner noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- schipman noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Mongolian
1 entries- далайчин noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Māori
3 entries- heramana noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- kauhoe noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- kaumoana noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Navajo
2 entries- naʼałʼeełí noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- siláo naʼałʼeełígíí noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Neapolitan
1 entries- marenaro noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Norman
2 entries- frégatîn noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- navidgant noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Northern Kurdish
1 entries- deryavan noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Norwegian Bokmål
4 entries- matros noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- segler noun (person who sails as a sport)
- seiler noun (person who sails as a sport)
- sjømann noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Norwegian Nynorsk
4 entries- matros noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- seglar noun (person who sails as a sport)
- siglar noun (person who sails as a sport)
- sjømann noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Occitan
1 entries- marinièr noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Odia
1 entries- ନାବିକ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Old Armenian
2 entries- նաւազ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- նաւաստի noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Old East Slavic
1 entries- морꙗнинъ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Old English
1 entries- sċipmann noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Old Galician-Portuguese
1 entries- marinneiro noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- كمیجی noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Palauan
1 entries- chad er a diall noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Pali
1 entries- nāvika noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Pashto
2 entries- ماڼګى noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- ملاح noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- Matroos noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Polish
4 entries- marynarz noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- żeglarka noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- żeglarka noun (person who sails as a sport)
- żeglarz noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Portuguese
2 entries- marinheiro noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- marujo noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Punjabi
3 entries- ਜਹਾਜ਼ਰਾਨ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- ਜਹਾਜ਼ੀ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- ਮਲਾਹ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Romanian
4 entries- marinar noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- marinăriță noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- matelot noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- matroz noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Russian
3 entries- матро́с noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- морепла́ватель noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- моря́к noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Saho
1 entries- naakuda noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Sanskrit
1 entries- नाविक noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Scottish Gaelic
4 entries- loingear noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- maraiche noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- muireach noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- seòladair noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- moreplóvac noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- mòrnār noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- pòmorac noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- мо̀рна̄р noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Sindhi
1 entries- سيلاني noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Slovak
2 entries- moreplavec noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- námornik noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Slovene
2 entries- mornár noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- mornárka noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Spanish
4 entries- grumete noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- lobo de mar noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- marinante noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- marinera noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Sumerian
1 entries- 𒈣𒁺𒁺 noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Swahili
1 entries- baharia noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Swedish
3 entries- matros noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- seglare noun (person who sails as a sport)
- sjöman noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Tajik
4 entries- баҳрчӣ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- баҳрӣ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- дарёнавард noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- маллоҳ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Tamil
1 entries- மாலுமி noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Tarifit
1 entries- abeḥri noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Telugu
1 entries- నావికుడు noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Thai
4 entries- กะลาสี noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- ทหารเรือ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- นาวิก noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- ลูกเรือ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Tok Pisin
1 entries- boskru noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Turkish
4 entries- denizci noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- gemici noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- kalyoncu noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- mellah noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Turkmen
1 entries- deňizçi noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Ukrainian
3 entries- матро́с noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- морепла́вець noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- моря́к noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Urdu
4 entries- جَہاز ران noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- جَہازی noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- خَلاصی noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- مَلَّاح noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Uyghur
2 entries- دېڭىزچى noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- ماتروس noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Uzbek
2 entries- dengizchi noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- matros noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Vietnamese
2 entries- lính thuỷ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- thuỷ thủ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Volapük
1 entries- melan noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Welsh
1 entries- morwr noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Yiddish
2 entries- שיפֿער noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
- שיפֿערין noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Yoruba
1 entries- atukọ̀ noun (worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner)
Sample sentences
16 total sentences available.
Tom acted the part of a sailor.
Source: tatoeba (37085)
And he calls himself a sailor.
Source: tatoeba (43024)
I am a bad sailor.
Source: tatoeba (259111)
Showing 4 of 16 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "sailor"?
Closest matches include mariner, seafarer, seaman, ab, able seaman.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "sailor"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.