MURDER Synonyms: 166 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'murder' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of murder are assassinate , dispatch , execute , kill , and slay . While all these words mean "to deprive of life," murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility. // convicted of murdering a rival

Q: When could 'assassinate' be used to replace 'murder'?

Although the words assassinate and murder have much in common, assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives. // terrorists assassinated the Senator

Q: When might 'dispatch' be a better fit than 'murder'?

The words dispatch and murder can be used in similar contexts, but dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death. // dispatched the sentry with one bullet

Q: Where would 'execute' be a reasonable alternative to 'murder'?

In some situations, the words execute and murder are roughly equivalent. However, execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty. // executed by lethal gas

Q: When would 'kill' be a good substitute for 'murder'?

While in some cases nearly identical to murder , kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner. // killed in an accident // frost killed the plants

Q: When is it sensible to use 'slay' instead of 'murder'?

While the synonyms slay and murder are close in meaning, slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive. // slew thousands of the Philistines

murder 1 of 2

noun

ˈmər-dər

Definition of murder next

as in nightmare

a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness this weather is murder on my sinuses

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as in homicide

the intentional and unlawful taking of another person's life arrested for attempting to commit murder

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murder

2 of 2

verb

as in to assassinate

to put to death deliberately those people made me so mad I felt like I wanted to murder them

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as in to fumble

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way we listened in horror as she murdered our favorite song on stage

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word murder distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of murder are assassinate, dispatch, execute, kill, and slay. While all these words mean "to deprive of life," murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

When could assassinate be used to replace murder?

Although the words assassinate and murder have much in common, assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

When might dispatch be a better fit than murder?

The words dispatch and murder can be used in similar contexts, but dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

Where would execute be a reasonable alternative to murder?

In some situations, the words execute and murder are roughly equivalent. However, execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

When would kill be a good substitute for murder?

While in some cases nearly identical to murder, kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident

frost killed the plants

When is it sensible to use slay instead of murder?

While the synonyms slay and murder are close in meaning, slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

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 murder

Noun

He was never charged in Oklahoma because investigators couldn’t rule out self-defense, but he was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in Florida, McClatchy News previously reported. —

Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2025 Now, stalking is one of the three charges that jurors must decide on, along with shooting into an occupied car and murder. —

Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2025

Verb

Even Clytemnestra’s triumph is short-lived, since her own son, Orestes, will soon avenge his father’s death by murdering his mother – Clytemnestra. —

Rachel Hadas, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2025 When Syria withdrew its forces from Lebanon in 2005, for example, Hezbollah went on a killing spree to ensure that Assad’s departure would not weaken its hand, murdering former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. —

Hanin Ghaddar, Foreign Affairs, 4 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for murder

Recent Examples of Synonyms for murder

Noun

His next stop, at Reading on a short-term deal, was a nightmare.

— Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 8 Feb. 2025
Their backcourt — Jrue Holiday and Derrick White — is a nightmare defensively.

— Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2025