EARNED Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

earned

verb

past tense of earn

as in won

to receive as return for effort during my teen years I earned pocket money by mowing lawns

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in deserved

to be or make worthy of (as a reward or punishment) you've earned the afternoon off after all that hard work

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 earned Lawmakers were surprised to learn that nearly 1,700 state employees in all departments were paid more than $50,000 in overtime alone, while nearly 2,600 employees earned more than $40,000 in overtime in addition to their salaries. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026 Their primary race is still regarded as a historic political earthquake, but, in the final tally, Ocasio-Cortez earned fewer than seventeen thousand votes. — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026 Hadribeaj, an Albanian fighter based in Miami, earned his title opportunity with a victory over previously unbeaten Bakary Samake earlier this year. — ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026 Inside linebackers Bobby Okereke and Devin Lloyd each earned a sack, and without the worry of Hurts’ scrambling ability, this defensive front-seven thrived. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 18 Oct. 2026 Linebacker Ty Jackson’s fourth-down stop behind line of scrimmage, along with a half-sack, earned the sophomore reserve a case for more snaps. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026 The Cougars earned their first win over a top-10 opponent since 2018. — John Coon, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026 The experience is curated to give each of them the visibility their work has earned. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2026 Luca Guadagnino‘s tech tale, which follows the five-day period in 2023 when Altman was fired and then rehired, earned rave reviews after its world premiere at New York Film Festival last week. — Alex Ritman, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for earned

Verb

The production won the Tony Award for special theatrical event.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
The 27-year-old Poncelet won the Downhill Skateboarding World Championships in 2022 and 2023 and has been chasing the world record for years.

— Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of won

Verb

Which would entail the young girl acceding to a reality in which women sometimes deserved to be tortured to death.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Thunberg, who rose to fame as a teenage protester against climate change but has since broadened her activism, said the French pupils deserved wider support.

— Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of deserved

Verb

The reactionary spirit of mobsters was particularly useful to the authorities when left-wing politics gained steam in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
First Solar — Shares gained 2% after Truist upgraded the solar name to buy from hold.

— Darla Mercado, CFP®,Paulina Likos, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of gained

Verb

But remarks made last week by Bruce Brown, an eight-year NBA veteran fighting for a roster spot with the New York Knicks, garnered enough attention online that the league piped up.

— Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Hughes garnered a reputation as a coach that impacted the lives of his players on and off the field.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of garnered

Verb

Ploughshare tortoises, which exist in the wild only in Madagascar, had once reaped six figures on the black market.

— Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
The duo’s Be Free Tour builds on their career-long, high-energy, pop/classical mashup, which has reaped five albums, two Grammy nominations and a regular slate of 200 shows a year, including performances for over 100,000 students.

— Greg Carannante, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of reaped

Verb

Prosecutors say that a company secretly controlled by Pulido obtained a 2016 government contract to supply 10 million food boxes at $34 each, generating approximately $340 million in revenue.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
In a 2023 memorandum obtained by Fox News Digital, Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield, who was then serving as the city council president, said residents complained about rodent infestations during a community meeting.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of obtained

Verb

Since its founding, Storyteller has made flexible vans with outdoor accoutrements front of mind, building out versatile multi-use spaces for strapping in large cargo during the ride before rearranging into a bedroom/workshop once there.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
After stepping into a bigger role with most of the Heat’s rotation regulars out and impressing in Saturday night’s preseason loss to the Timberwolves, Conwell again made some positive plays on Wednesday.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of made

Browse Nearby Words

earn

earned

earnest

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Earned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earned. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of earned

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fervid

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes