The term "usury" was once used to refer to any loan on which interest was charged.
Source: tatoeba (8989640)
Usury
/ˈjuːʒəɹi/
Synonyms for "usury" (71 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (15)
advanceadvancementadvancingbank rateblack marketbootleggingcompensatory interestcompound interestcosa nostradiscount rateexorbitant interestexploitation
Noun(3 words)
excessive interestexcessive rateexorbitant interest
Strong matches (21)
extortiongamblinggray marketgross interesthighway robberyholdupillegal commerceillegal operationsillegitimate businessillicit businessinterestinterest ratelend leaselend-leaselendinglending at interestloan sharkingloan-sharkingloaninglucrative interest
Show 1 more word
Related words (35)
moneylendingmoonshiningmortgage pointsnarcotics trafficnet interestorganized crimeoverassessmentoverchargepenal interestpremiumpriceprice of moneyprostitutionprotection racketracketracketsraterate of interestshady dealingsshylocking
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: advance, advancement, advancing, bank rate, black market.
- Sentence evidence is available for usury, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, opengloss, derived_reverse, wiktionary, 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 "usury".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "usury"
Keep "usury" 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 "usury" 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 "usury", 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 "usury" 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
10 entriesMore specific
5 entriesChristian usury banillegal lendingloan sharkingrabbinic usury banregional usury cap
Collocations
6 entriesexorbitant interestillegal lendingloan sharkingpredatory lendingusury lawusury rate
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
3 entriesTranslations
43 translations across 34 languages.
Arabic
1 entries- مُرَابَاة noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Armenian
1 entries- վաշխառություն noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Belarusian
1 entries- ліхвя́рства noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Bulgarian
1 entries- лихва́рство noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 高利貸 /高利贷 noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Czech
3 entries- lichva noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
- lichvářství noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
- úžernictví noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Danish
1 entries- åger noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Dutch
1 entries- woeker noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Finnish
1 entries- koronkiskonta noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
French
1 entries- usure noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Galician
1 entries- usura noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Georgian
1 entries- მევახშეობა noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
German
3 entries- Wucherei noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
- Wuchern noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
- Zinswucher noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Greek
1 entries- τοκογλυφία noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Hungarian
1 entries- uzsoráskodás noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Indonesian
1 entries- riba noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Japanese
1 entries- 高利貸し noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Korean
1 entries- 고리대금업 noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Latin
1 entries- ūsūra immodica noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Macedonian
2 entries- лихварење noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
- лихварство noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- åger noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Old English
2 entries- feohgafol noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
- wōcor noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- مرابحه noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Polish
1 entries- lichwiarstwo noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Portuguese
1 entries- usura noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Russian
1 entries- ростовщи́чество noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- kamatarenje noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
- lihvarenje noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Slovak
1 entries- úžerníctvo noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Slovene
1 entries- oderuštvo noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Spanish
1 entries- usura noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Swedish
1 entries- ocker noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Telugu
1 entries- అన్యామైన వడ్డీ noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Turkish
3 entries- faizcilik noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
- murabahacılık noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
- tefecilik noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Ukrainian
1 entries- лихва́рство noun (practice of lending money at illegal or unfair rates)
Sample sentences
8 total sentences available.
Loan sharks pull all sorts of tricks to skirt usury laws.
Source: tatoeba (10826185)
Interest rates are deemed by Islam as usury.
Source: tatoeba (10838441)
Tom has no compunction about engaging in usury.
Source: tatoeba (11064722)
Showing 4 of 8 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "usury"?
Closest matches include advance, advancement, advancing, bank rate, black market.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "usury"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.