Being objective means not telling everybody whose side you are on.
Source: tatoeba (1789)
Whose
Synonyms for "whose" (7 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (2)
Pronoun(2 words)
owner'sownership indicator
Strong matches (2)
Pronoun(2 words)
possession markerpossessive determiner
Related words (3)
Pronoun(3 words)
possessive relative determinerpossessor'swhich person's
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: owner's, ownership indicator, possession marker, possessive determiner, possessive relative determiner.
- Sentence evidence is available for whose, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from opengloss.
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 "whose".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "whose"
Keep "whose" 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 "whose" 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 "whose", 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 "whose" 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
6 entriesMore specific
6 entriesgenitive relative pronouninterrogative pronounpossessive determinerpossessive relative determinerpossessive relative pronounquestion word determiner
Collocations
10 entrieswhose articlewhose bookwhose datawhose findingswhose hypothesiswhose originwhose reputationwhose responsibilitywhose resultswhose source
Translations
219 translations across 64 languages.
Ancient Greek
4 entries- αἷν det (of whom (relative))
- οἷν (hoîn) det (of whom (relative))
- οὗ (hoû) det (of whom (relative))
- τίνος (tínos) det (of whom (interrogative))
Arabic
4 entries- اَللَّوَاتِي det (of whom (relative))
- اَلَّتِي det (of whom (relative))
- اَلَّذِي det (of whom (relative))
- اَلَّذِينَ det (of whom (relative))
Belarusian
1 entries- чый det (of whom (interrogative))
Bulgarian
1 entries- чий det (of whom (interrogative))
Catalan
3 entries- de qui det (of whom (interrogative))
- de qui det (of whom (relative))
- el subjecte del qual det (of whom (relative))
Chickasaw
1 entries- kata det (of whom (interrogative))
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 誰的 /谁的 det (of whom (interrogative))
Church Slavic
1 entries- чии det (of whom (interrogative))
Classical Mongolian
4 entries- ᠬᠡᠨ ᠦ det (of whom (interrogative))
- ᠬᠡᠨ ᠦ det (of whom (relative))
- ᠬᠡᠨ᠋ᠡᠶᠢᠬᠢ pron ((interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom)
- ᠬᠡᠨ᠋ᠡᠶᠢᠬᠢ pron ((relative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom)
Czech
3 entries- jehož m or n jejíž f jejichž det (of whom (relative))
- jehož m or n jejíž f jejichž det (of which (relative))
- čí det (of whom (interrogative))
Danish
3 entries- hvis det (of whom (interrogative))
- hvis det (of whom (relative))
- hvis det (of which (relative))
Dutch
4 entries- van wie det (of whom (interrogative))
- van wie det (of whom (relative))
- waarvan det (of which (relative))
- wiens det (of whom (interrogative))
Esperanto
3 entries- kies det (of whom (interrogative))
- kies det (of whom (relative))
- kies det (of which (relative))
Estonian
3 entries- kelle det (of whom (interrogative))
- kelle det (of whom (relative))
- mille det (of which (relative))
Finnish
3 entries- jonka det (of whom (relative))
- jonka det (of which (relative))
- kenen det (of whom (interrogative))
French
4 entries- de laquelle det (of which (relative))
- de qui det (of whom (relative))
- desquelles det (of which (relative))
- desquels det (of which (relative))
Galician
4 entries- cuxa det (of which (relative))
- cuxo det (of whom (relative))
- cuxo det (of which (relative))
- de quen det (of whom (interrogative))
Georgian
3 entries- ვისი det (of whom (interrogative))
- რომლის det (of whom (relative))
- რომლის det (of which (relative))
German
4 entries- deren det (of whom (relative))
- deren det (of which (relative))
- dessen det (of whom (relative))
- dessen det (of which (relative))
Greek
4 entries- ποιανής det (of whom (interrogative))
- ποιανού det (of whom (interrogative))
- ποιανών (poianón) det (of whom (interrogative))
- τίνος (tínos) det (of whom (interrogative))
Hebrew
1 entries- שֶׁל מִי det (of whom (interrogative))
Hindi
4 entries- किस का det (of whom (interrogative))
- किसका det (of whom (interrogative))
- जिसका det (of whom (relative))
- जिसका det (of which (relative))
Hungarian
2 entries- akié pron ((relative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom)
- kié? pron ((interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom)
Ido
1 entries- di qua det (of whom (interrogative))
Indonesian
4 entries- punya siapa det (of whom (interrogative))
- yang det (of whom (relative))
- yang det (of which (relative))
- yang mana det (of whom (relative))
Interlingua
1 entries- cuje det (of which (relative))
Irish
2 entries- cé det (of whom (interrogative))
- leis det (of whom (interrogative))
Italian
3 entries- di chi det (of whom (interrogative))
- il cui det (of whom (relative))
- il cui det (of which (relative))
Japanese
2 entries- どなたの det (of whom (interrogative))
- 誰の det (of whom (interrogative))
Kazakh
4 entries- кімнің det (of whom (interrogative))
- кімнің det (of whom (relative))
- كىمنىڭ det (of whom (interrogative))
- كىمنىڭ det (of whom (relative))
Korean
2 entries- 누구 것 det (of whom (interrogative))
- 누구의 det (of whom (interrogative))
Kyrgyz
2 entries- кимдики det (of whom (interrogative))
- кимдин det (of whom (interrogative))
Latin
4 entries- cuius det (of whom (interrogative))
- cuius det (of whom (relative))
- cuius det (of which (relative))
- quarum det (of whom (interrogative))
Lower Sorbian
1 entries- ceji det (of whom (interrogative))
Macedonian
1 entries- чиј det (of whom (interrogative))
Malay
2 entries- kepunyaan siapa det (of whom (interrogative))
- milik siapa det (of whom (interrogative))
Malayalam
1 entries- ആരുടെ det (of whom (interrogative))
Manchu
2 entries- ᠸᡝᡳ᠌ᠩᡤᡝ pron ((interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom)
- ᠸᡝᡳ᠌ᠩᡤᡝ pron ((relative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom)
Mazanderani
1 entries- کنی det (of whom (interrogative))
Mongolian
4 entries- хэний det (of whom (interrogative))
- хэний det (of whom (relative))
- ᠬᠡᠨ ᠦ det (of whom (interrogative))
- ᠬᠡᠨ ᠦ det (of whom (relative))
Navajo
1 entries- háí bi- det (of whom (interrogative))
Nheengatu
2 entries- waá det (of whom (relative))
- waá det (of which (relative))
Norwegian
4 entries- hvem sin det (of whom (interrogative))
- hvems det (of whom (interrogative))
- hvis det (of whom (interrogative))
- hvis det (of whom (relative))
Old English
1 entries- hwæs det (of whom (interrogative))
Polish
3 entries- czyj det (of whom (interrogative))
- który det (of whom (relative))
- który det (of which (relative))
Portuguese
4 entries- cuja det (of whom (relative))
- cuja det (of which (relative))
- cujas det (of which (relative))
- cujo det (of whom (relative))
Romanian
1 entries- cui det (of whom (relative))
Russian
4 entries- кото́рого det (of which (relative))
- че́йный det (of whom (interrogative))
- чей det (of whom (interrogative))
- чей det (of whom (relative))
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- čìjī det (of whom (interrogative))
- чѝјӣ det (of whom (interrogative))
Slovak
1 entries- čí det (of whom (interrogative))
Slovene
2 entries- čigáv det (of whom (interrogative))
- čígar det (of whom (relative))
Southern Altai
2 entries- кемдийи det (of whom (interrogative))
- кемниҥ det (of whom (interrogative))
Spanish
4 entries- cuya det (of whom (relative))
- cuya det (of which (relative))
- cuyas det (of whom (relative))
- cuyas det (of which (relative))
Swedish
3 entries- vars det (of whom (relative))
- vars det (of which (relative))
- vems det (of whom (interrogative))
Tagalog
1 entries- kanino det (of whom (interrogative))
Tamil
1 entries- யாருடைய det (of whom (interrogative))
Turkish
2 entries- kimin det (of whom (interrogative))
- kiminki pron ((interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom)
Tuvan
4 entries- кым det (of whom (interrogative))
- кым det (of whom (relative))
- кымның det (of whom (interrogative))
- кымның det (of whom (relative))
Ukrainian
1 entries- чий det (of whom (interrogative))
Urdu
3 entries- جس کا det (of whom (relative))
- جس کا det (of which (relative))
- کس کا det (of whom (interrogative))
Vietnamese
1 entries- của ai det (of whom (interrogative))
Volapük
1 entries- kima det (of whom (interrogative))
Yakut
4 entries- ким det (of whom (interrogative))
- ким det (of whom (relative))
- кимиэнэ pron ((interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom)
- кимиэнэ pron ((relative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom)
Yiddish
1 entries- וועמענס det (of whom (interrogative))
Sample sentences
26 total sentences available.
My next door neighbor is a virtuoso whose skills with the piano have earned him a name among music experts.
Source: tatoeba (1937)
Whose is this?
Source: tatoeba (2302)
A republic is a nation whose head is not a king or queen, but a president.
Source: tatoeba (19251)
Showing 4 of 26 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "whose"?
Closest matches include owner's, ownership indicator, possession marker, possessive determiner, possessive relative determiner.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "whose"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.