The tar won't come off. I'm going to have to take this skirt to the dry cleaner.
Source: tatoeba (41242)
Tar
/tɑː/
Synonyms for "tar" (210 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (42)
Strong matches (63)
Related words (105)
lobstermanlotusluminalluminal pillmmarinermatelotmeperidinemetalmethadonemickey finnmorphiamorphinenarcoticnavigatornembutalnembutal pillneptunenightod
Show 76 more words
opiateopiumpacifierpain killerparegoricpavepebblepen yanphenobarbitalphenobarbital sodiumpiratepitchposeidonprimeprivateerpurple heartquietenerrainbowravenredsailorsaltscagsea dogsea roverseafarerseafaring manseamansecobarbital sodiumseconalseconal pillsedativeshipmanshitslap onslathersleep-inducersleepersleeping draughtsleeping pillsloesmacksmearsmear onsmokesmutsodium thiopentalsoilsomnifacientsootsoothersoothing syrupsoporificspreadspread onspread withstainstuffingsullytainttarnishtarpaulintranquilizertuinaltuinal pillturpsundercoatvarunavikingwater dogwhalerwhite stuffwindjammerwindsailoryellowyellow jacket
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: mariner, pitch, seaman, ab, able seaman.
- Sentence evidence is available for tar, 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 "tar".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "tar"
Keep "tar" 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 "tar" 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 "tar", 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 "tar" 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
16 entriesMore specific
14 entriesable seamanarchive creationboatswaincoal tardeckhanddefamationhull coatingpavement tarroofing tarsmeartar archive creationtarball creationvilificationwood tar
Collocations
12 entriescoal tarroofing tartar and feathertar archivetar commandtar papertar pittar staintar the hulltar the rooftarballwood tar
Inflections
4 entriesDerivations
5 entriesTranslations
109 translations across 73 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- zift noun (substance)
Arabic
1 entries- قَطْرَان noun (substance)
Armenian
1 entries- կուպր noun (substance)
Asturian
1 entries- alquitrán noun (substance)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- qatran noun (substance)
Basque
1 entries- mundrun noun (substance)
Belarusian
3 entries- гудро́н noun (substance)
- дзёгаць noun (substance)
- смала́ noun (substance)
Bulgarian
1 entries- катра́н noun (substance)
Burmese
1 entries- ကတ္တရာစေး noun (substance)
Catalan
1 entries- quitrà noun (substance)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- قەتران noun (substance)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 焦油 noun (substance)
Czech
1 entries- dehet noun (substance)
Danish
1 entries- tjære noun (substance)
Dutch
1 entries- teer noun (substance)
Esperanto
1 entries- gudro noun (substance)
Estonian
1 entries- tõrv noun (substance)
Faroese
1 entries- tjøra noun (substance)
Finnish
1 entries- terva noun (substance)
French
1 entries- goudron noun (substance)
Galician
4 entries- alcatrén noun (substance)
- alcatrón noun (substance)
- brea noun (substance)
- breu noun (substance)
Georgian
1 entries- კუპრი noun (substance)
German
1 entries- Teer noun (substance)
Greek
2 entries- κατράμι noun (substance)
- πίσσα noun (substance)
Hebrew
1 entries- זֶפֶת noun (substance)
Hindi
1 entries- तारकोल noun (substance)
Hungarian
1 entries- kátrány noun (substance)
Icelandic
1 entries- tjara noun (substance)
Ingrian
1 entries- terva noun (substance)
Irish
1 entries- tarra noun (substance)
Italian
2 entries- bitume noun (substance)
- catrame noun (substance)
Japanese
2 entries- タール noun (substance)
- 乾留液 noun (substance)
Kazakh
2 entries- гудрон noun (substance)
- қарамай noun (substance)
Khmer
1 entries- ចុង noun (substance)
Korean
2 entries- 수지 noun (substance)
- 타르 noun (substance)
Kyrgyz
3 entries- гудрон noun (substance)
- дёготь noun (substance)
- карамай noun (substance)
Lao
1 entries- ນ້ຳມັນດິນ noun (substance)
Latgalian
1 entries- daguts noun (substance)
Latvian
1 entries- darva noun (substance)
Lithuanian
2 entries- degùtas noun (substance)
- dervà noun (substance)
Macedonian
1 entries- катран noun (substance)
Māori
1 entries- tā noun (substance)
Northern Kurdish
2 entries- qetran noun (substance)
- qîr noun (substance)
Northern Sami
1 entries- darvi noun (substance)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- tjære noun (substance)
Norwegian Nynorsk
2 entries- tjære noun (substance)
- tjøre noun (substance)
Ojibwe
1 entries- bigiw noun (substance)
Ottoman Turkish
2 entries- زفت noun (substance)
- قطران noun (substance)
Pashto
2 entries- تارکول noun (substance)
- قطران noun (substance)
Persian
3 entries- قطران noun (substance)
- کتران noun (substance)
- کرف noun (substance)
Polish
2 entries- dziegieć noun (substance)
- smoła noun (substance)
Portuguese
1 entries- alcatrão noun (substance)
Romanian
1 entries- gudron noun (substance)
Russian
3 entries- гудро́н noun (substance)
- дёготь noun (substance)
- смола́ noun (substance)
Sango
1 entries- godoröo noun (substance)
Scottish Gaelic
2 entries- bìth noun (substance)
- teàrr noun (substance)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- kàtran noun (substance)
- ка̀тран noun (substance)
Sicilian
2 entries- bitumi noun (substance)
- catramu noun (substance)
Slovak
1 entries- decht noun (substance)
Slovene
1 entries- katran noun (substance)
Southern Altai
1 entries- тӧгӧт noun (substance)
Spanish
4 entries- alquitrán noun (substance)
- chapapote noun (substance)
- chapopote noun (substance)
- galipote noun (substance)
Swedish
1 entries- tjära noun (substance)
Tagalog
2 entries- alkitran noun (substance)
- ayangaw noun (substance)
Tajik
2 entries- гудрон noun (substance)
- қатрон noun (substance)
Thai
1 entries- น้ำมันดิน noun (substance)
Turkish
1 entries- katran noun (substance)
Turkmen
1 entries- garaýag noun (substance)
Ukrainian
3 entries- гудро́н noun (substance)
- дьо́готь noun (substance)
- смола́ noun (substance)
Uzbek
2 entries- gudron noun (substance)
- qatron noun (substance)
Vietnamese
1 entries- hắc ín noun (substance)
Welsh
1 entries- tar noun (substance)
Yiddish
1 entries- פּעך noun (substance)
Sample sentences
16 total sentences available.
The Japanese Parliament today officially elected Ryūtarō Hashimoto as the country's 52nd prime minister.
Source: tatoeba (281385)
The components obtained by distillation of coal tar are as shown below.
Source: tatoeba (329072)
About how much does it cost to have a dentist remove cigarette tar from your teeth?
Source: tatoeba (329698)
Showing 4 of 16 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "tar"?
Closest matches include mariner, pitch, seaman, ab, able seaman.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "tar"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.