observing 1 of 3

adjective

1
as in participating

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Relevance

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2
as in aware

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Dissimilar Words

observing

2 of 3

noun

as in observation

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observing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of observe
1
as in obeying
to act according to the commands of you must observe all the rules of this school, not simply the ones that meet with your personal approval

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in celebrating
to mark with an appropriate practice, rite, or ceremony a time when few people in New England observed Christmas

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in watching
to keep one's eyes on happily spent many hours observing the birds at the backyard feeder

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4
as in reflecting
to make a statement of one's opinion "I think you might be mistaken," he observed

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5
as in noticing
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes she observed that the weather had changed again

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6
as in following
to take notice of and be guided by generally observes the suggestions of the experts regarding baby care

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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 observing
Noun
In contrast to the hazy skies of late summer, October often presents a richer, deeper blue by day and some of the year's finest observing conditions after dark. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Swift receives more annual observing requests than any NASA facility except the James Webb Space Telescope, and its scientific portfolio is broad, extending to comets and planets in other solar systems. — Anna Y. Q. Ho, Scientific American, 29 June 2026 That something has to do with who or what is on the other side of observation, as well as who or what is doing the observing. — Jenny Odell, Longreads, 2 June 2026 With upcoming observing runs from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration expected to deliver even more data, scientists hope to refine these categories and test whether this three-family model truly holds. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 12 Apr. 2026 For an even more enhanced observing experience, find a dark environment away from bright lights to attend the total eclipse show. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026 There is discussion in the news nationwide about legal observing and know-your-rights training sessions. — Heidi Reynolds-Stenson, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2026 In civil-rights circles, that work falls under the broad definition of legal observing. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
Evil spirits lurk at every turn when observing this hellish home. — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026 This snapshot shows the geologic feature as captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) aboard the Landsat 9 satellite, an Earth-observing craft that launched back in 2021. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Zimbardo acted as the prison’s superintendent, observing and recording the experiment. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 Or someone sees the light on in Rita’s room and their eyes meet for a second, from a distance, observing one another with astonishment. — Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026 Taking part will be 13 producers with fiction and documentary features in development will take part, as well as two observing producers. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 Raybould also noted Roell was fired by Garland ISD prior to his time at DISD, specifically accused of touching a student and observing students in the restroom, but that DISD still hired him despite knowing this. — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 In an office setting, team members can figure out what patterns of behavior are rewarded by simply observing. — Volen Vulkov, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Here, again, Harbach demonstrates a profound gift for observing individuals and their relationships. — B. D. McClay, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for observing
  1. participating
  2. aware
  3. observation
  4. obeying
  5. celebrating
  6. watching
  7. reflecting
  8. noticing
Adjective
  • Legal observers are neutral, non-participating watchers who often attend police actions to witness, document and monitor law enforcement behavior.
    — George Petras, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Some of that can surely be chalked up to missing out on the rest and recharge that non-participating players took advantage of during that break, and McLellan confirmed recently that Larkin came back from the tournament banged up, which hampered him.
    — Max Bultman, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Definition of participating
Adjective
  • And many consumers are keenly aware of investors behind businesses.
    — Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Sühlmann had plenty of experience designing mid-engine supercars, though, something Leiters, who arrived at Porsche just a few months before him, would have been aware of.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of aware
Noun
  • As a result, Stiltz’s observations lean toward glib rather than casually profound.
    — Harry Thorfinn-George, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
  • This enables observations in conditions where optical imagery may be limited.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of observation
Verb
  • People are riding e-bikes and e-motorcycles, sometimes riding recklessly, traveling at high speeds, or not obeying the rules of the road.
    — Ashley Portillo, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The department reminds motorists to drive cautiously through the area, obeying posted speed limit and road work signage.
    — Isabelle Foland, Des Moines Register, 19 July 2026
Definition of obeying
Verb
  • Stylish couples on epic breaks, as well as families and groups of friends celebrating a big day.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Dior is celebrating the holidays at Harrods with a pop-up shop that will showcase the first cruise collection designed for the brand by Jonathan Anderson.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of celebrating
Verb
  • Jack Rollins, the producing titan who managed Mike Nichols, Elaine May and Woody Allen, imparted some wisdom after watching Crystal’s act.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The third-quarter earnings season is gaining momentum, with investors closely watching corporate outlooks amid rising costs and uncertainty surrounding artificial intelligence spending.
    — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of watching
Verb
  • Danielle announced her new role in an Instagram video shared Thursday, reflecting on her relationship with her aunt and her plans to help preserve the singer's legacy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Google said the changes followed its long-standing policy of reflecting official government sources and showing different names for bodies of water by country.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of reflecting
Verb
  • Bernard was on a color walk, a simple scavenger hunt organized around intentionally noticing a certain color—and how much of it is hiding in your ordinary surroundings.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Also worth noticing is the timestamp, showing when a specific voting location’s wait time was last updated.
    — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of noticing

Browse Nearby Words

observes
observing
obsess
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Cite this Entry

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

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