gift 1 of 2

gift

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verb

as in to bless
to furnish freely or naturally with some power, quality, or attribute gifted with an uncanny ability to persuade people to do things they ordinarily wouldn't

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun gift differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of gift are aptitude, bent, faculty, genius, knack, and talent. While all these words mean "a special ability for doing something," gift often implies special favor by God or nature.

the gift of singing beautifully

When can aptitude be used instead of gift?

The words aptitude and gift can be used in similar contexts, but aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it.

a mechanical aptitude

How do bent and aptitude relate to one another, in the sense of gift?

Bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability.

a family with an artistic bent

Where would faculty be a reasonable alternative to gift?

In some situations, the words faculty and gift are roughly equivalent. However, faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function.

a faculty for remembering names

When could genius be used to replace gift?

The meanings of genius and gift largely overlap; however, genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability.

has no great genius for poetry

When would knack be a good substitute for gift?

Although the words knack and gift have much in common, knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance.

the knack of getting along

In what contexts can talent take the place of gift?

The synonyms talent and gift are sometimes interchangeable, but talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed.

has enough talent to succeed

Examples 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 gift
Noun
Check out our splurge-worthy holiday gift ideas 12. Kasey Caminiti, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024 This $20 ornament would make an excellent gift (and conveniently fits the price range of an under-$25 White Elephant gift exchange!). Clara McMahon, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
The pop superstar has created a tradition of gifting her hat to young fans during the show. David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024 Bombas Women's Sunday Slipper Bombas Women's Sunday Slipper These incredibly comfortable sherpa slippers are an easy, go-to house shoe to gift this holiday season. Kasey Caminiti, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gift 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gift
Noun
  • The big picture: The Harris campaign hasn't spent a lot of time in Illinois, mainly relying on surrogate Gov. JB Pritzker to drum up support among Democrats, including a $5 million donation to the Vice President's campaign, the New York Times reported.
    Carrie Shepherd, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
  • These late donations are pretty consistent with the candidates’ disparity in fundraising throughout the campaign, noted Jennifer Nicoll Victor, a professor of political science at George Mason University.
    Zach Everson, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The current crop of Irish talent exemplifies these qualities, O’Reilly says.
    Nate Jones, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2024
  • The Sharks’ prospect pool was also largely devoid of high-end talent, with the organization trading away multiple first-round draft picks throughout the 2010s for short-term solutions to keep the championship window open.
    Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • We’re blessed this week with two crew nights out and a guest being finicky about drink garnishes.
    Emma Soren, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Trump’s top aides expect to face lawsuits over these actions but believe they will ultimately be blessed by a conservative-majority high court.
    Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The cartographic canvases on display are local histories in which the past is overlaid on a geographic present, their tangle of colored lines resembling some cross between a subway map, a conspiracy board, and a family tree of our ancestors.
    Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
  • At present, the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline has the power to privately discipline a judge independently.
    Chris Forsyth, The Denver Post, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Trump’s willingness to take risks, his boldness in appearing in places and situations where the old Republican Party feared to tread, his knack for the memorable photo and cutting riposte have defined his political career and the 2024 campaign.
    Matthew Continetti, National Review, 2 Nov. 2024
  • More news: Chiefs vs Buccaneers Expert Predictions for Monday Night Football Week 9 Kansas City also has a knack for finding receivers that end up becoming stars.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Ultimately, a federal system that endows states with substantial authority can act as a powerful custodian of democracy, one that goes well beyond the mere involvement of state officials in the electoral system.
    Jenna Bednar, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024
  • In addition, Public Citizen wants OpenAI to pay roughly equivalent the value extracted from the nonprofit and handed to shareholders—to endow a new independent foundation for AI safety.
    Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • SpaceX is working on a concept version of Starlink for Mars, according to a NASA presentation.
    Michael Kan, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
  • In particular, the Future TV Stage was brimming with inspiring best-case presentations on this topic, as well as addressable TV and connected TV.
    Ivan Guzenko, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The same was true in HandBrake, as well as Geekbench, which measures overall aptitude at daily productivity tasks.
    Brian Westover, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Which is where Josephina shows her natural aptitude for the job, owning a standing target at the firing range and demonstrating a rapid-fire mastery of boots-on-the-ground directives in the noise-torture obstacle course or whatever.
    Andy Andersen, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near gift

Cite this Entry

“Gift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gift. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on gift

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