as in oh
how surprising, doubtful, or unbelievable
why, what a strange thing to say! why, that's not possible!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in reason
something (as a belief) that serves as the basis for another thing
asked the whys behind the surprising decision
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in mystery
something hard to understand or explain
how one decides that a certain person is "the one" is one of the great whys of life
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 why
Filip Bondy, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2017
Jared Keller, The New Republic, 9 Sep. 2019
And the why is that it’s, unfortunately, human nature that has presented itself in so many, many ways.
—Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 13 July 2018
See all Example Sentences for why 
Interjection
Why, oh why, do the Rangers keep throwing away almost certain victories in the final minutes of playoff games?
—Filip Bondy, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2017
Noun
Worst of all, the cult of lethality attempts to divorce the how of killing from the why, an insane proposition given that military force is deployed in the service of political outcomes.
—Jared Keller, The New Republic, 9 Sep. 2019
And the why is that it’s, unfortunately, human nature that has presented itself in so many, many ways.
—Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 13 July 2018
See all Example Sentences for why
Recent Examples of Synonyms for why
Interjection
-
And, oh, to finish the season among the WNBA’s top five in assists by distributing to her dear friend and former Aces teammate Dearica Hamby, and to the Sparks’ young frontcourt talents, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Orange County Register,
13 Feb. 2025
-
But oh, does Sorrentino know how to apply liberal splashes of visual lushness to this pretty fashion plate of a movie that’s perfumed like one of those ads in a magazine.—
Randy Myers,
The Mercury News,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The reason why a small army of goons has suddenly reappeared in his life is Rose (Ariana DeBose, another Oscar winner), a former mob lawyer who worked for Marvin’s kingpin brother, Alvin a.k.a.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2025
-
For any number of those reasons, some Chiefs fans and Taylor Swift fans were looking for a different answer from Kelce.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Understanding more about the phenomenon could help scientists to probe some of the enduring mysteries of the universe, such as dark energy — the enigmatic force that causes the universe to expand faster over time.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN,
11 Feb. 2025
-
And what would a finale be without an update on the show’s season-long mystery?—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Intuitive police lieutenant Héctor Castro delves into the deep tangle of secrets or personal crime stories of each patient, who all have a motive for murder.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Paramedics took him to Broward Health Medical Center where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said Gonzalez said police do not have any suspects, and the motive for the shooting was not immediately known.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
10 Feb. 2025
Interjection
-
But hey, will Kick of Destiny FOMO get the best of Gronkowski and convince him to suit back up?—
Skyler Caruso,
People.com,
6 Feb. 2025
-
But hey, the man clearly loves love and clinks his champagne glass until the happy couple performs another painful-looking kiss.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
4 Feb. 2025
Interjection
-
Millennials have been stereotyped since, well, the turn of the century.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
-
But well before Trump entered the fray last fall, the merger was drawing fire from minority shareholders.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
8 Feb. 2025
Interjection
-
Well, gee, does Florida have to lead the United States in ridiculous?—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
8 Nov. 2024
-
With this approach, some jokes land firmly, some flop, some coast on everything else being funny and some start to annoy you because, gee, isn’t anybody ever taking anything seriously?—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
9 Aug. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near why
Cite this Entry
“Why.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/why. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share