ORIGINS Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

origins

noun

plural of origin

as in sources

a point or place at which something is invented or provided the origins of human language remain a matter of considerable debate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in roots

the source from which something grows or develops the origin of the tradition of giving presents at Christmastime

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in lineages

the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended they could trace their origins back 15 generations

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 origins Cooke does his best to dramatize these origins, often through dry humor, but the personalities involved don’t quite rise to the level of an Aaron Sorkin drama. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026 Episode four of VisionQuest digs into Butcherbird’s origins and identity while raising fresh questions about her. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 In a recent interview with Deadline, von Einsiedel told us about the origins of The Cycle of Love. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026 Since 2017, Dulgarian has grown TAGABOW from its placid, solo origins into one of the decade’s most influential and inventive shoegaze bands; the proof is in Lotto, their bold and relentless breakout LP from last year. — Abby Jones, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026 Despite Africa’s central place in human origins and its extraordinary genetic diversity, people of African ancestry remain underrepresented in the genomic datasets used to understand disease, estimate health risks, and develop treatments. — Segun Fatumo, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026 For instance, researchers have long recognized the similar stable-isotope ratios between both moon rocks and those from Earth, strongly suggesting a link between their origins. — Micah Hanks, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Digital secondary channels have become the main outlet for liquidating illicit inventories, often obscuring sellers’ origins while reaching millions of buyers worldwide. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026 For anyone who spends a lot of time online, the series’s AI origins are hard to miss. — Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for origins

Noun

Many of the office’s attorneys, particularly in its misdemeanor corps, work with basement-level spirits, according to one of the sources.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
Last month, citing anonymous sources, Reuters reported that Solidigm was holding pitch meetings with investment banks for an IPO that could value the company at up to $150 billion.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of sources

Noun

Reid on Wednesday remembered a player who embraced his rural roots — Bailey grew up in Hog Hammock on Sapelo Island off the Georgia coast — and offered, ahem, a culinary tip.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026
The goddesses in these paintings have a serene air, with roots firmly anchored in the earth, but also a crown of leaves that sway with the wind.

— Tatiane de Assis, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of roots

Noun

The books below will satisfy your bog witch cravings, while also reminding you of the real-world importance of bogs as bulwarks against climate change, cradles of biodiversity, and keepers of ancestral memory.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Soft, dynamic cushioning cradles your feet with every step while providing maximum support, providing transition assistance between launch and landing.

— Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of cradles

Noun

Set in the 1980s, the series will follow Marckinkus from his beginnings as Pope Paul VI’s unofficial bodyguard to his tenure at the helm of the Vatican’s finances.

— Ellise Shafer, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026
Murky beginnings Growing up in Weston-super-Mare, Archer was doted on by his mother, who worked as a journalist on the local paper and sent him to Wellington School on a scholarship.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of beginnings

Noun

But Shanes questioned whether grouping Jews under a single ethnic category would produce sufficiently specific data for those purposes, or instead obscure differences among Jewish populations with distinct ancestries.

— Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026
This technique overcomes limitations of older methods like genotyping arrays, which were often biased towards European ancestries and less accurate.

— William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of ancestries

Noun

Sometimes, though, these genealogies of behavior can seem beside the point, serving only to dull one’s analysis of the situation.

— Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026
The scientists’ method reconstructs genealogies, or maps showing where different pieces of DNA came from and how they were passed down, revealing branches of our evolutionary past.

— Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of genealogies

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originators

origins

orison

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

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Synonyms of origins

noun

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