DIRECTIONS Synonyms: 125 Similar and Opposite Words

directions

noun

plural of direction

as in instructions

a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned we were given very specific directions for the first part of the exam

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in managements

the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something working under the close direction of the engineering supervisor

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in compasses

a guiding or motivating purpose or principle a life that seemed to lack any direction other than the mindless pursuit of empty pleasures

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in trends

a prevailing or general movement or inclination some older people worry about the overall direction that political discourse has taken lately

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 directions Today, the traffic in innovation is beginning to move in multiple directions. — Ruby Wang, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026 What’s happening Yardzen’s report flags the Party Patio as one of eight dominant directions heading into next year. — Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Oct. 2026 These agents were encouraged to explore different directions and communicate promising leads with each other. — Noah Giansiracusa, Time, 26 Oct. 2026 All a local election official can do now, Henderson said, is give directions to move voters away from danger and toward another polling place. — Barton Gellman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026 According to the study, the ice started re-expanding at this precise moment because two global forces were pulling it in opposite directions, and one of them eventually won. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 24 Oct. 2026 What could be next Expect the refresh-over-replace approach to deepen over the next year, with three plausible directions worth watching — and a concrete move for readers in each. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026 But now, especially Gen-Z, are pushing in new directions, far from the center. — October 23, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026 During the closure, workers will demolish the median and install K-rail to shift both directions of traffic to the westbound lanes. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for directions

Noun

Synthetic mRNA delivers the instructions on these specific targets, allowing the body to present them to immune cells.

— Mike McRae October 25, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026
Believing her daughter’s life was on the line, Del Mastro followed the caller’s instructions for five hours.

— Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of instructions

Noun

Most managements feel that the — on the price of their shares — that the higher, the better.

— Alex Crippen, CNBC, 9 Aug. 2026
These are different eras, and the respective managements are no longer the same, but something about this feels off.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2026

Definition of managements

Noun

Think vintage navy portholes, ship compasses, and aircraft fuselage.

— Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2026
The prevailing motifs include Anglo-American boarding schools and college campuses, accoutrements with a romantic aura (billowing sleeves, melting candles), and analog artifacts (old compasses, monocles).

— Sophia Zhang, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026

Definition of compasses

Noun

For now, courts have blocked the most consequential provisions of both orders, primarily on the ground that the President has no lawful authority to impose them.

— Barton Gellman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
The company has not said whether the expansion will require more robots on Philadelphia sidewalks or whether its existing fleet will handle the additional orders.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of orders

Noun

Serving as president since 2024—just months after the team was first created—Smith has helped build the franchise from the ground up, overseeing everything from its business operations to the fan experience.

— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Rescue operations were complicated, with police firing tear gas at people who had begun looting neighboring shops, as officers sought to clear the area and provide access to emergency response teams.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of operations

Noun

Combined with its co-founders' pledge to donate 80% of their equity and an employee donation matching program, roughly 20% of Anthropic's shares will be dedicated to public purposes, excluding any additional shares added later.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
Preliminary findings indicate Wilcher accessed it on multiple occasions for non-law enforcement purposes, the GBI said.

— CBS News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of purposes

Browse Nearby Words

directionless

directions

directive

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Directions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/directions. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of directions

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes