CONCEPTION Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'conception' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of conception are concept , idea , impression , notion , and thought . While all these words mean "what exists in the mind as a representation (as of something comprehended) or as a formulation (as of a plan)," conception is often interchangeable with concept ; it may stress the process of imagining or formulating rather than the result. // our changing conception of what constitutes art

Q: When can 'concept' be used instead of 'conception'?

Although the words concept and conception have much in common, concept may apply to the idea formed by consideration of instances of a species or genus or, more broadly, to any idea of what a thing ought to be. // a society with no concept of private property

Q: When might 'idea' be a better fit than 'conception'?

The meanings of idea and conception largely overlap; however, idea may apply to a mental image or formulation of something seen or known or imagined, to a pure abstraction, or to something assumed or vaguely sensed. // innovative ideas // my idea of paradise

Q: When is 'impression' a more appropriate choice than 'conception'?

While the synonyms impression and conception are close in meaning, impression applies to an idea or notion resulting immediately from some stimulation of the senses. // the first impression is of soaring height

Q: Where would 'notion' be a reasonable alternative to 'conception'?

The words notion and conception can be used in similar contexts, but notion suggests an idea not much resolved by analysis or reflection and may suggest the capricious or accidental. // you have the oddest notions

Q: When is it sensible to use 'thought' instead of 'conception'?

The synonyms thought and conception are sometimes interchangeable, but thought is likely to suggest the result of reflecting, reasoning, or meditating rather than of imagining. // commit your thoughts to paper

conception

noun

kən-ˈsep-shən

Definition of conception next

as in concept

an idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation the false conception that wheelchair users are homebound and helpless

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in idea

something imagined or pictured in the mind our changing conceptions of what constitutes art

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun conception contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of conception are concept, idea, impression, notion, and thought. While all these words mean "what exists in the mind as a representation (as of something comprehended) or as a formulation (as of a plan)," conception is often interchangeable with concept; it may stress the process of imagining or formulating rather than the result.

our changing conception of what constitutes art

When can concept be used instead of conception?

Although the words concept and conception have much in common, concept may apply to the idea formed by consideration of instances of a species or genus or, more broadly, to any idea of what a thing ought to be.

a society with no concept of private property

When might idea be a better fit than conception?

The meanings of idea and conception largely overlap; however, idea may apply to a mental image or formulation of something seen or known or imagined, to a pure abstraction, or to something assumed or vaguely sensed.

innovative ideas

my idea of paradise

When is impression a more appropriate choice than conception?

While the synonyms impression and conception are close in meaning, impression applies to an idea or notion resulting immediately from some stimulation of the senses.

the first impression is of soaring height

Where would notion be a reasonable alternative to conception?

The words notion and conception can be used in similar contexts, but notion suggests an idea not much resolved by analysis or reflection and may suggest the capricious or accidental.

you have the oddest notions

When is it sensible to use thought instead of conception?

The synonyms thought and conception are sometimes interchangeable, but thought is likely to suggest the result of reflecting, reasoning, or meditating rather than of imagining.

commit your thoughts to paper

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of conception Many of the genre elements that made it into the final film weren’t even there in the original conception. —

Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025 The fact is, anonymity in donor conception has been on shaky ground for a while. —

Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025 One is in our conception of inflation, the theory of the extremely early universe. —

Paul Sutter, Space.com, 25 Jan. 2025 He has never been nominated for an Oscar, a fact that reveals the industry’s narrow conception of acting. —

Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for conception

Recent Examples of Synonyms for conception

Noun

As Season 4 got underway, Williams started sitting in on production meetings, tone meetings, concept meetings, and asking questions.

— Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 9 Feb. 2025
The agreement, formalized this past May, calls for the MWRD to pay for concept planning and preliminary engineering design while the Forest Preserves will pay for acquiring property.

— Mike Nolan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2025