EXPLOIT Synonyms: 137 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'exploit' differ from other similar words?

The words achievement and feat are common synonyms of exploit . While all three words mean "a remarkable deed," exploit suggests an adventurous or heroic act. // his exploits as a spy

Q: When could 'achievement' be used to replace 'exploit'?

In some situations, the words achievement and exploit are roughly equivalent. However, achievement implies hard-won success in the face of difficulty or opposition. // her achievements as a chemist

Q: When is it sensible to use 'feat' instead of 'exploit'?

The words feat and exploit are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, feat implies strength or dexterity or daring. // an acrobatic feat

exploit 1 of 2

verb

ik-ˈsplȯit

Definition of exploit

as in to use

to take unfair advantage of the type of person who exploits a friend's good nature by constantly sponging off of him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to manipulate

to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means a politician more than willing to exploit any national tragedy for political gain

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to utilize

to put into action or service it will be a shame if you don't exploit your artistic talent to the fullest

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

exploit

2 of 2

noun

ˈek-ˌsplȯit

as in feat

an act of notable skill, strength, or cleverness the fanciful exploits of the giant lumberjack Paul Bunyan

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in thing

something done by someone once famed as an actor, John Wilkes Booth is now remembered for a single exploit, his assassination of Lincoln

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in experience

an exciting or noteworthy event that one experiences firsthand a memoir recounting three decades of exploits as a roving foreign correspondent for TV news

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun exploit differ from other similar words?

The words achievement and feat are common synonyms of exploit. While all three words mean "a remarkable deed," exploit suggests an adventurous or heroic act.

his exploits as a spy

When could achievement be used to replace exploit?

In some situations, the words achievement and exploit are roughly equivalent. However, achievement implies hard-won success in the face of difficulty or opposition.

her achievements as a chemist

When is it sensible to use feat instead of exploit?

The words feat and exploit are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, feat implies strength or dexterity or daring.

an acrobatic feat

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 exploit

Verb

Early on July 11, agent 38148c found and exploited a zero-day in the Hugging Face handling of HDF5 files. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026 According to OpenAI, its models escaped a sandboxed testing environment, accessed the internet and exploited a vulnerability to gain access to Hugging Face’s systems while trying to find information to cheat on an evaluation. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026

Noun

Giving an agent broad, unmonitored access to an entire database ecosystem invites severe security vulnerabilities, prompt injection exploits and catastrophic hallucination loops. — Barney Krishnan, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 These exploits require some due diligence — especially with STI rates on the rise among people 55 and up. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for exploit

Recent Examples of Synonyms for exploit

Verb

Operators can also continue using diesel when hydrogen supplies are unavailable.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
Razorbill brings that experience to one of the industry's most recognizable blade profiles, using extensive CNC machining to make geometry itself part of both the product's performance and its appearance.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of use

Verb

Last Wednesday, Meta reached a settlement with the attorneys general of forty-seven states, who had sued it for illegally manipulating the attention of children.

— Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
The finding could matter for quantum computers, where lasers are used to manipulate qubits and even tiny changes in their interactions can affect the accuracy of quantum operations.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of manipulate

Verb

This looks like their feedback actually being utilized, their offers getting more personalized and their rewards becoming more tailored.

— Zsuzsa Kecsmar, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Columbia Sportswear utilizes proprietary Omni-Freez Zero technology, which uses special polymer rings embedded in the fabric that react with sweat to pull heat away from the body.

— David Moin, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of utilize

Noun

Why would Chinese companies invest so much money and time into creating robots that perform such athletic feats (and crash and burn afterwards)?

— Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Cook pushed the company to diversify some production away from China while still appealing to Chinese consumers and leadership, which Munster said is a rare feat.

— Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of feat

Noun

University of St Andrews primatologist Catherine Hobaiter and Dartmouth College anthropologist Nathaniel Jay Dominy think these two things – fire and human speech – may be fundamentally linked.

— Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
Despite the slower pace of things pre-internet, all 250,000 tickets had gone within nine hours.

— Devinder Bains, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of thing

Noun

In a Facebook post with nearly 500 likes and 40 comments as of Friday afternoon, the Gagnons spoke about their experience establishing the brewery and its part in the local community.

— John Magsam, Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2026
Prospective candidates can apply through Deel's website, where they'll be asked to provide personal information, social media handles, and details about their ice cream experience.

— Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of experience

Verb

The emergence of Anthropic's Mythos in April, which made clear that AI, left unchecked and unsecured, could be leveraged by bad actors to exploit previously undiscovered vulnerabilities.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
With the industry's current pace of innovation, leveraging AI and IoT is bringing within reach the ability to solve critical challenges impacting people's quality of life and sustainability.

— Alper Yegin, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of leverage

Browse Nearby Words

exploding

exploit

exploitable

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Exploit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exploit. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of exploit

verb

noun

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

apiary

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes