The toothache made his face swell up.
Source: tatoeba (263634)
Swell
/swɛl/
Synonyms for "swell" (643 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (129)
accentaccent markaccrueaccumulateace-highadd toadvanceaggrandizeampleamplifyanthillappreciatearchdukearistocratarmigeraugmentawake the deadawe inspiringawe-inspiringawful
Show 79 more words
babylonianbadbagballoonbang upbang-upbarbarbaricbaronbaronetbarrowbe poisedbeaubeau brummelbellybelly outbilgebillowbladeblastblast the earbloatbloatednessbloatingbloodblowblow upblowing upblue bloodboilbonzerboomboostborebosombossbougeboulevardierbraebrahmanbrawbreakbreakerbreakersbreedbroadenbroadeningbugbuildbuild upbulgebulkbulk outbullybumpbunionbut goodbuttecancelcarbunclecharacterchicchoirchopchoppinesschopping seaclassyclaviatureclothes consciousclothes-consciousclotheshorsecockcombcomberconsolecoolcorinthiancorkingcorn
Noun(20 words)
Strong matches (193)
cosmopolitancountcoxcombcrackerjackcrashcrescendocustoscystdabdabsterdaimiodandydapperdashdashingdeafendeliciousdeluxedevelopdiastole
Show 133 more words
dilatationdilatedilationdindirectdirty waterdistenddistensiondivinedotdowndressed to advantagedressed to killdropsydrumlinduckydudedukeduneeagreearlebb and flowechoedemaeighty-eightelaborateelegantenhanceenlargeenlargementesquireexpandexpansionexpertexpression markexquisiteextendextensionextravagantfabfancyfashion platefashionablefattenfellfermatafidgetfillfill outfill the airfinefine and dandyfine gentlemanfingerboardfirst-classfirst-rateflareflatulenceflatulencyflatusflip outflutterfoothillsfopfreak outfreak out onfribblefullnessfurunclegaingain strengthgallantgassinessgeargenteelgentlemanget aheadget high ongloriousglowgo pitapatgo upgogglegorgeousgrandgrand dukegrandeegrandiosegravity wavegreatgreatengroovyground swellgrowhave the fidgetshave the shakeshearheaveheavyheavy seaheavy swellhidalgohikehike uphillhillockholdhothuffhummockhunky doryhunky-doryimposingimpressiveincreaseinflateinflationintensifyintensityintumescenceivoriesjack-a-dandyjackanapesjam-upjauntyjerkjust dandykeenkey signaturekeyboardkeysknobknoll
Related words (321)
lace-curtainlady killerlady-killerlairdlandgraveleadliftligaturelook bigloplordlordlingloudishnessloudnesslounge lizardlumpluxuriousmacaronimagnatemagnificent
Show 262 more words
magnificomagnifymajesticman-about-townmanualmargravemarkmarquismarvymashermastermeanmeasuremeteorismmetronomic markmodishmolehillmonticlemonticulemoormoundmountmultiplymushroomnattyneatniftynobnobbynoblenoblemannotationokokayopenoptimateorgan manualout of sightout of this worldoverdevelopoverdistendoverdrawoverexpandoverextendoverstrainoverstretchpalatialpalpitatepalsgravepantpast masterpatricianpausepeachypeachy-keenpeacockpeakpealpedalpedalspeerpiano keyspimpleplushpockpontificatepoochpoppoppleposhpouchpoutpresaprincelyproproliferateproudpuffpuff uppuffinesspuffingpumppump uppuppypustuleput onput on airsput on sidequakequaverquiverraiserarefyrattle the windowsrechercherend the airrend the earsresoundriffleringrippingrippleriserise and fallrisingritz itritzyrock the skyrollrollerrough waterround outrumrun upsand dunescendscrumptiousseasebaceous cystsegnoseigneurseigniorsendshakesharpshivershoot upsignsignaturesilk stockingsilk-stockingslap-upsleekslursmartsmashsmashingsmugsnazzysnowballsoignesoigneesolidsolosomething elsesonoritysonorousnesssophisticatedsparkspectacularspiffingspiffysplendacioussplendidsplendiferoussplit the eardrumssplit the earssportsportyspreadsprucesquiresquirmstartle the echoesstatelystep upstrainstrengthenstretchstretchingstunstunningstyle-consciousstylishsufflatesumptuoussupersuperbsuperfancysuperfinesurfsurgesurge of soundswaggerswankswankyswell itswell outswell with emotionswellageswellingswishswollennesssymboltempo markterrificthoroughbredthrillthrill tothrillingthrobthundertidal boretidal wavetide wavetietime signaturetingletingle with excitementtosstoss and turntoughtrembletricksytrigtrimtroughtsunamitumbletumefactiontumefytumescencetumiditytumidnesstumorturgescenceturgescencyturgidityturgidnessturn onturn on totwist and turntwitchtwittertympanismtympanyundulateundulationupupper-crustervinculumviscountvolumewaldgravewater wavewavewaveletwaxwell dressedwell-dressedwell-groomedwenwhite horseswhitecapswhizwidenwigglewindinesswizardwonderfulwrigglewrithe
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: accent, accent mark, accrue, accumulate, ace-high.
- Sentence evidence is available for swell, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, derived_reverse, opengloss, 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 "swell".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "swell"
Keep "swell" 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 "swell" 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 "swell", 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 "swell" 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
40 entriesShowing 16 of 40 words.
More specific
20 entriesaristocratballooningbloatedbulgingclubmancrescendodistendededemaenlistmententhusiastic interjectiongreatgroundswellsironic interjectionpositive interjectionrecruitmentsarcastic interjection
Showing 16 of 20 words.
Collocations
18 entriesenlargementexpansiongrowthincreaseocean swellrecruitmentsea swellswell headswell heightswell ideaswell jobswell magnitudeswell of emotionswell partyswell periodswell time
Showing 16 of 18 words.
Inflections
4 entriesDerivations
4 entriessimilar
1 entriesTranslations
1 translations across 1 languages.
Swahili
1 entries- kivimbe noun (music: device for controlling the volume of a pipe organ)
Sample sentences
49 total sentences available.
In addition to a thick fog, there was a heavy swell.
Source: tatoeba (282257)
"One swell foop" is a Spoonerism, "the flaw in the ointment" is a Farberism.
Source: tatoeba (2027730)
I think you're swell.
Source: tatoeba (2458601)
Showing 4 of 49 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "swell"?
Closest matches include accent, accent mark, accrue, accumulate, ace-high.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "swell"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.