BEHAVING Synonyms: 101 Similar and Opposite Words

behaving 1 of 2

adjective

as in behaved

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behaving

2 of 2

verb

present participle of behave

as in carrying

to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way if the children behave themselves properly and sit quietly during church, they'll get their ice cream afterward

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 behaving

Verb

Why 2026 is different Nonetheless, analysts CNBC spoke to broadly agreed that reforms meant that even if the market is behaving in similar ways to the post-financial crisis period, the contagion risk remained limited this time around. — Jenni Reid,chloe Taylor, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 Congress should hold hearings focused on companies cutting corners, not AI programs behaving badly. — David Litt, Time, 23 Oct. 2026 Republican ads against Jackson, a logger from northern Maine, have focused more on accusations of his having a volatile personality and behaving like a bully with female colleagues. — Patrick Whittle, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 Leaders build stronger emotional connections by being clear about what the brand stands for, behaving consistently in alignment with those values and creating experiences that feel human rather than strategically intimate. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Their involvement doesn’t spare them unflattering moments; plenty of characters are shown behaving strangely, badly, or both. — Alex Barasch, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026 Rather than behaving independently, their interactions begin to constrain how the material changes. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026 The Anthropic report is the latest warning issued by the company concerning rogue AI agents operating on their own and sometimes behaving badly. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 This data was used in the factory so the workers would know if the vehicle were behaving correctly, or to inspect certain components. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for behaving

Adjective

Forget about the ill-behaved, performative fans hoping to go viral on TikTok for unseemly behavior.

— Fred Katz, New York Times, 14 June 2026
For families There are a couple of (very well behaved) babies here during my stay, but no kids dive-bombing the pool, and the stairs around this maze of a property aren’t particularly stroller friendly.

— Sarah Leigh Bannerman, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Jan. 2026

Definition of behaved

Verb

Protesters, many of whom have been seen carrying Palestinian flags, have set fire to historic buildings and attacked civilians.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2026
Mitchell Fairbarn was captured on surveillance video carrying the 27-year-old Chilean flamingo, Peachy, to his room after removing the bird from its enclosure at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino in March.

— Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of carrying

Adjective

Urquiola paid homage to the existing building by highlighting its external structure and ensuring that the interior design engages with the orderly geometry of the façade’s vertical lines.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
The village had long planned to install additional sirens, including three that could instruct people to seek high ground during flooding, allowing a more orderly evacuation.

— Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of orderly

Verb

Seven in ten CEOs reported conducting strategic risk reviews on a monthly basis, compared to 50% of CIOs.

— John Kell, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
The judge handling last month endorsed a proposal by the suit's plaintiff to notify potential class members to submit claims on the settlement by conducting a four-week-long social media campaign on Facebook and Instagram.

— Dan Mangan, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of conducting

Verb

Multiple women told police that Weinberg lured them to his home, almost always under the guise of a photo shoot, before restraining and assaulting them.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
The incident Sunday involved the top fashion executive forcibly restraining two employees of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and putting his hands over their mouths at the runway show for Cos, a brand owned by H&M.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of restraining

Verb

Gash love composing songs whose intersecting lines set the entire mood of the song—jarring, dreamy, or nostalgic—in the style of art-house sampling.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
Lyall pulled out his phone and began composing a message for Claude, the AI app from Anthropic.

— Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of composing

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“Behaving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behaving. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of behaving

adjective

verb

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