INSTITUTE Synonyms: 132 Similar and Opposite Words

institute 1 of 2

noun

ˈin(t)-stə-ˌtüt

Definition of institute

as in organization

a group of persons formally joined together for some common interest founded an institute to combat the cruel treatment of animals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in institution

a public organization with a particular purpose or function a scientific institute researching a cure for cancer

Synonyms & Similar Words

institute

2 of 2

verb

as in to pioneer

to be responsible for the creation and early operation or use of Elizabeth Cady Stanton is generally credited with instituting the women's-rights movement in 1848

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 institute

Noun

Meanwhile, Brigham’s parent, Mass General Brigham, has launched its own rival cancer institute and is constructing new buildings and renovating other spaces to compete. — Marin Wolf — Boston Globe, STAT, 20 Oct. 2026 The damage was comparable to the yellow vest protests at their peak, said Sebastian Roché, a research professor at the Sciences Po Grenoble political institute who studies policing. — ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026

Verb

In 2001, the Dutch instituted a revised policy, under which Von Saher claimed for return of some other works in 2004, but not the Cranach. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2026 League-wide, batting averages on ground balls surged after baseball instituted new rules. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for institute

Recent Examples of Synonyms for institute

Noun

An organization with Republican ties has distributed fliers promoting a socialist candidate, an apparent effort to pull support away from Brown.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
Wagmor became famous in 2019 after the organization was featured on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show.

— Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of organization

Noun

Save suspicious messages, account statements, confirmation numbers and notes from conversations with institutions.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
CineGouna now encompasses Funding; Forum, a program of panels, masterclasses and industry discussions; Market, which connects filmmakers with companies and institutions; and Emerge, its initiative for young and emerging talent.

— Essie Assibu, Variety, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of institution

Verb

Apple's first foldable comes seven years after Samsung pioneered the category, but the American tech giant is expected to take a sizable chunk of the market.

— MacKenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
The perfumer at the start of his career created with L’Artisan Parfumeur’s founder Jean Laporte the Mûre et Musc scent that pioneered fruity fragrances.

— Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of pioneer

Noun

The association remained after accounting for whether patients completed radiation on time, suggesting that on-time completion may not fully explain the difference.

— Marci Lee Nilsen, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2026
Mike Elliott, senior director of Banner Sports Medicine High Performance Center, told Banner Health that most of the available research is observational and shows association rather than direct cause.

— Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of association

Noun

The group of girls are just truly amazing and really fight for each other.

— Alex Kushel, Sun Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
Bats are incredibly diverse—across all mammals, bats include more species than all but one other group, rodents, says Rachel Page, a scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

— Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of group

Verb

Petersen’s research established the concept of mild cognitive impairment, which lies between healthy cognitive aging and dementia.

— Richard Sima, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Beyond payment speed, Mastercard is also looking to incorporate blockchain and identity data to establish the same level of trust expected across other payment systems, Driver said.

— Jenny Lee, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of establish

Noun

Fittingly, Gentling the Horse’s overriding theme is a fascination with the oddballs who scrape by on the fringes of capitalist society.

— Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
In a society divided by nationality, religion, ethnicity and ideology, that produces a crowded field.

— Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of society

Noun

The two nearly complete skeletons that serve as the foundation for the new research date to the Late Triassic period nearly 237 million years ago.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Felucca is the foundation for many other community firmware projects, transforming the FM-1 into a true multi-engine synth.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of foundation

Browse Nearby Words

instinctual

institute

instituted

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Institute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/institute. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of institute

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

shindig

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