I wish I could go to Japan.
Source: tatoeba (1393)
Wish
/wɪʃ/
Synonyms for "wish" (140 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (28)
Strong matches (42)
Noun(12 words)
Verb(1 words)
Adverb(1 words)
Related words (70)
Noun(21 words)
hopeshopingindirect requestlongingneedpetitionpleaprayerprayerspreferregardrequestsanatakavelleitywantingwantswillwishingwoulds
Show 1 more word
Adjective(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: want, address, aim, aim at, ambition.
- Sentence evidence is available for wish, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse.
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 "wish".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "wish"
Keep "wish" 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 "wish" 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 "wish", 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 "wish" 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
28 entriesShowing 16 of 28 words.
More specific
18 entriesShowing 16 of 18 words.
Collocations
9 entriesbest wisheslast wishunfulfilled wishwish for knowledgewish fulfillmentwish grantedwish listwishbonewishful thinking
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
4 entriesAntonyms
1 entriesTranslations
136 translations across 78 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- urim noun (desire)
Ancient Greek
2 entries- εὐχή noun (desire)
- ἐπιθυμία noun (desire)
Arabic
4 entries- أُمْنِيَّة noun (desire)
- امنية noun (desire)
- رَغْبَة noun (desire)
- مُنْيَة noun (desire)
Armenian
2 entries- իղձ noun (desire)
- ցանկություն noun (desire)
Assamese
3 entries- ইচ্ছা noun (desire)
- বাঞ্ছা noun (desire)
- হেঁপাহ noun (desire)
Azerbaijani
3 entries- arzu noun (desire)
- dilək noun (desire)
- istək noun (desire)
Baluchi
2 entries- ارمان noun (desire)
- واہگ noun (desire)
Belarusian
1 entries- жада́нне noun (desire)
Bengali
4 entries- আরজু noun (desire)
- আরমান noun (desire)
- ইচ্ছা noun (desire)
- খায়েশ noun (desire)
Bhojpuri
1 entries- चाह noun (desire)
Bulgarian
1 entries- жела́ние noun (desire)
Catalan
1 entries- desig noun (desire)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- ئارەزوو noun (desire)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 願望 /愿望 noun (desire)
Czech
1 entries- přání noun (desire)
Danish
1 entries- ønske noun (desire)
Dutch
1 entries- wens noun (desire)
Esperanto
2 entries- deziro noun (desire)
- volo noun (desire)
Estonian
1 entries- soov noun (desire)
Finnish
1 entries- toive noun (desire)
French
1 entries- souhait noun (desire)
Galician
1 entries- desexo noun (desire)
Georgian
1 entries- სურვილი noun (desire)
German
1 entries- Wunsch noun (desire)
Greek
2 entries- επιθυμία noun (desire)
- ευχή noun (desire)
Hebrew
1 entries- משאלה noun (desire)
Hindi
4 entries- अभिलाषा noun (desire)
- आकांक्षा noun (desire)
- आरज़ू noun (desire)
- आरजू noun (desire)
Hungarian
1 entries- kívánság noun (desire)
Icelandic
1 entries- ósk noun (desire)
Ingrian
4 entries- halu noun (desire)
- himo noun (desire)
- iso noun (desire)
- ohvotta noun (desire)
Italian
2 entries- desiderio noun (desire)
- voglia noun (desire)
Japanese
3 entries- 希望 noun (desire)
- 願い noun (desire)
- 願望 noun (desire)
Javanese
1 entries- karep noun (desire)
Kazakh
1 entries- тілек noun (desire)
Khmer
2 entries- ចំណង noun (desire)
- បំណង noun (desire)
Korean
2 entries- 소원 noun (desire)
- 희망 noun (desire)
Krymchak
1 entries- акибат noun (desire)
Kyrgyz
1 entries- тилек noun (desire)
Latgalian
2 entries- gribiejums noun (desire)
- gryba noun (desire)
Latin
3 entries- cupiditas noun (desire)
- desiderium noun (desire)
- studium noun (desire)
Latvian
2 entries- vēlme noun (desire)
- vēlēšanās noun (desire)
Lithuanian
1 entries- noras noun (desire)
Macedonian
1 entries- желба noun (desire)
Maranao
1 entries- ilmi noun (desire)
Marathi
2 entries- इच्छा noun (desire)
- वासना noun (desire)
Mongolian
1 entries- хүсэл noun (desire)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- ønske noun (desire)
Old English
1 entries- wūsc noun (desire)
Old French
1 entries- vuel noun (desire)
Old Irish
1 entries- do·futhracair noun (desire)
Old Javanese
1 entries- harĕp noun (desire)
Persian
1 entries- آرزو noun (desire)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- Wensch noun (desire)
Polish
1 entries- życzenie noun (desire)
Portuguese
2 entries- desejo noun (desire)
- pedido noun (desire)
Romanian
1 entries- dorință noun (desire)
Russian
1 entries- жела́ние noun (desire)
Sanskrit
3 entries- इच्छा noun (desire)
- काङ्क्षा noun (desire)
- स्पृहा noun (desire)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- iarr noun (desire)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- žȅlja noun (desire)
- же̏ља noun (desire)
Sicilian
1 entries- disiu noun (desire)
Sidamo
1 entries- hexxo noun (desire)
Slovak
2 entries- prianie noun (desire)
- želanie noun (desire)
Slovene
1 entries- želja noun (desire)
Spanish
2 entries- deseo noun (desire)
- gana noun (desire)
Sranan Tongo
1 entries- winsi noun (desire)
Swedish
1 entries- önskan noun (desire)
Tajik
4 entries- майл noun (desire)
- орзу noun (desire)
- рағбат noun (desire)
- хоҳиш noun (desire)
Tamil
2 entries- ஆசை noun (desire)
- விருப்பம் noun (desire)
Telugu
2 entries- అభిలాష noun (desire)
- కోరిక noun (desire)
Turkish
3 entries- arzu noun (desire)
- dilek noun (desire)
- istek noun (desire)
Turkmen
1 entries- arzuw noun (desire)
Ukrainian
1 entries- бажа́ння noun (desire)
Uzbek
3 entries- istak noun (desire)
- orzu noun (desire)
- tilak noun (desire)
Vietnamese
1 entries- mong muốn noun (desire)
Volapük
1 entries- vip noun (desire)
West-Frisian
1 entries- winsk noun (desire)
Zazaki
4 entries- boka noun (desire)
- maram noun (desire)
- merem noun (desire)
- waştış noun (desire)
Sample sentences
39 total sentences available.
I wish I could care more about my grades but it seems that, at a certain point of my life, I decided they wouldn't be so important anymore.
Source: tatoeba (1502)
What famous songs do you wish you had composed, and why?
Source: tatoeba (2145)
I wish she would stop playing that stupid music.
Source: tatoeba (2470)
Showing 4 of 39 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "wish"?
Closest matches include want, address, aim, aim at, ambition.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "wish"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.