It's a word I'd like to find a substitute for.
Source: tatoeba (1350)
Substitute
/ˈsʌb.stɪ.tʃuːt/
Synonyms for "substitute" (289 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (58)
Noun(22 words)
replacementstand-inbackupfill-inproxyai changéalternatesalternativealternativesartificial sweeteneravons changéback upbacks upbackup filebenchcatalan canviarchange of planschangingchanging systemcoverer
Show 2 more words
additionaladvocateagentalter egoalternatealternativeamicus curiaeanalogyanotherartificialattorneybackupbackup manbit playerchampionchangechange forchangelingcommutecomparison
Show 5 more words
Adjective(3 words)
Determiner(1 words)
any other thing
Strong matches (87)
deputydernier ressortdisplacedoubledouble fordub indummyequalequivalentersatzexchangeexcuseexecutive officerexpediencyexpedientexponentextrafakefalsefather figure
Show 33 more words
father imagefigurantfigurantefigureheadfillfill-inghostghostwritergive place toglorifiedimitationlieutenantlocumlocum tenensmake domake do withmake way formakeshiftmetaphormetonymymockmother figuremother surrogatemutenext best thingoffer in exchangeotherparanymphpersonnelphonypinchpinch hitterpinch-hit for
Verb(9 words)
designate a proxyexchangefill infill in templatefill in the blanksimputesinterchangemake a changeoverrode
Noun(20 words)
displaceddoesdummiesersatzesexchangeexchangingfacsimile copyfill actionfloaterghostimputinginterchangeskind changelow calorie sweetenermore surrogatemost potential-energynorwegian endreoverwritespart replacementph indicator change
Adjective(4 words)
Preposition(1 words)
on standby
Related words (144)
Noun(41 words)
placeholderpronoun subjectproxiesproxy organismproxy relationshiprapidly changingrecastreliefrelieverrelievingreplacereplacementsreplacingreservesecond-stringersit forspellspellingstandbysstead
Show 21 more words
stubbingsubbingsubssubstitute coverersubstitutessuccessorsupplantingsurrogatesurrogatesswapswapssweetenerswitchesswoptheory changedtradesunderstudiesunderstudyingvalue substitutionvicarswritten language form
pleaderprocuratorprovisionalproxyput up withrecourseredeemrefugerelayreliefrelievereplacereplacementrepresentrepresentativereservereservesresortresourcering in
Show 62 more words
ringersecondsecond in commandsecond stringsecondaryshamshiftshift withsignsimulatedsparesparesspear-carrierspuriousstand in forstand-instandbystopgapstringsubsubstituentsubstitute forsubstitutionsuccedaneumsupesupersupernumerarysupersedersupplantsupplantersupplementalsupplementarysupplysupportsupporting actorsupporting castsurrogateswapswitchsymbolsynecdochetake in exchangetemporarytentativethird stringtokentradeunderstudyutilityutility manutility playervicarvicar generalvicariousvicevice presidentvice-presidentvice-regentvicegerentwalk onwalk-onwalking gentleman
Adverb(1 words)
Verb(15 words)
Adjective(5 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: replacement, stand-in, backup, fill-in, proxy.
- Sentence evidence is available for substitute, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, moby, 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 "substitute".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "substitute"
Keep "substitute" 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 "substitute" 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 "substitute", 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 "substitute" 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
25 entriesShowing 16 of 25 words.
More specific
11 entriesCollocations
16 entriesbackup optionstand-insubstitute expressionsubstitute forsubstitute in algebrasubstitute materialssubstitute measuresubstitute methodsubstitute optionsubstitute plansubstitute playersubstitute teachersubstitute textbookssubstitute variablesugar substitutetemporary substitute
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
6 entriessimilar
3 entriesTranslations
58 translations across 34 languages.
Ancient Greek
1 entries- ἀνθυπαλλάσσω verb (to use in place of something else)
Arabic
1 entries- اِسْتَبْدَلَ verb (to use in place of something else)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- əvəz etmək verb (to use in place of something else)
Bulgarian
1 entries- заме́ствам verb (to use in place of something else)
Catalan
1 entries- substituir verb (to use in place of something else)
Chinese Cantonese
1 entries- 代替 verb (to use in place of something else)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 代替 verb (to use in place of something else)
- 替 verb (to use in place of something else)
- 替代 verb (to use in place of something else)
Czech
1 entries- nahradit verb (to use in place of something else)
Danish
2 entries- erstatte verb (to use in place of something else)
- substituere verb (to use in place of something else)
Dutch
2 entries- substitueren verb (to use in place of something else)
- vervangen verb (to use in place of something else)
Esperanto
1 entries- anstataŭigi verb (to use in place of something else)
Finnish
1 entries- korvata verb (to use in place of something else)
French
3 entries- mettre en place de verb (to use in place of something else)
- remplacer verb (to use in place of something else)
- substituer verb (to use in place of something else)
Galician
1 entries- substituír verb (to use in place of something else)
German
1 entries- ersetzen verb (to use in place of something else)
Greek
3 entries- αναπληρώνω verb (to use in place of something else)
- αντικαθιστώ verb (to use in place of something else)
- υποκαθιστώ verb (to use in place of something else)
Hebrew
1 entries- הֵמִיר verb (to use in place of something else)
Hungarian
2 entries- használ helyette verb (to use in place of something else)
- helyettesít verb (to use in place of something else)
Ido
1 entries- substitucar verb (to use in place of something else)
Italian
1 entries- sostituire verb (to use in place of something else)
Japanese
4 entries- 代える verb (to use in place of something else)
- 代用する verb (to use in place of something else)
- 替える verb (to use in place of something else)
- 替わる verb (to use in place of something else)
Korean
1 entries- 대용하다 verb (to use in place of something else)
Latin
1 entries- substituō verb (to use in place of something else)
Māori
1 entries- whakakapi verb (to use in place of something else)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- تعویض ایتمك verb (to use in place of something else)
Polish
3 entries- podstawiać verb (to use in place of something else)
- zamienić verb (to use in place of something else)
- zastąpić verb (to use in place of something else)
Portuguese
1 entries- substituir verb (to use in place of something else)
Romanian
2 entries- substitui verb (to use in place of something else)
- înlocui verb (to use in place of something else)
Russian
4 entries- замени́ть verb (to use in place of something else)
- заменя́ть verb (to use in place of something else)
- замести́ть verb (to use in place of something else)
- замеща́ть verb (to use in place of something else)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- nadomjestiti verb (to use in place of something else)
- supstituirati verb (to use in place of something else)
- zamijeniti verb (to use in place of something else)
- заменити verb (to use in place of something else)
Spanish
2 entries- substituir verb (to use in place of something else)
- sustituir verb (to use in place of something else)
Swedish
2 entries- ersätta verb (to use in place of something else)
- substituera verb (to use in place of something else)
Ukrainian
1 entries- заміня́ти verb (to use in place of something else)
Welsh
1 entries- amnewid verb (to use in place of something else)
Sample sentences
20 total sentences available.
It is impossible to substitute machines for people themselves.
Source: tatoeba (20474)
We substitute margarine for butter.
Source: tatoeba (23579)
You can use margarine as a substitute for butter.
Source: tatoeba (35207)
Showing 4 of 20 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "substitute"?
Closest matches include replacement, stand-in, backup, fill-in, proxy.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "substitute"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.