GIFT Synonyms: 135 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Some common synonyms of gift are aptitude , bent , faculty , genius , knack , and talent . While all these words mean "a special ability for doing something," gift often implies special favor by God or nature. // the gift of singing beautifully

Q: When can 'aptitude' be used instead of 'gift'?

The words aptitude and gift can be used in similar contexts, but aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it. // a mechanical aptitude

Q: How do 'bent' and 'aptitude' relate to one another, in the sense of 'gift'?

Bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability. // a family with an artistic bent

Q: Where would 'faculty' be a reasonable alternative to 'gift'?

In some situations, the words faculty and gift are roughly equivalent. However, faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function. // a faculty for remembering names

Q: When could 'genius' be used to replace 'gift'?

The meanings of genius and gift largely overlap; however, genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability. // has no great genius for poetry

Q: When would 'knack' be a good substitute for 'gift'?

Although the words knack and gift have much in common, knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance. // the knack of getting along

Q: In what contexts can 'talent' take the place of 'gift'?

The synonyms talent and gift are sometimes interchangeable, but talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed. // has enough talent to succeed

gift 1 of 2

noun

ˈgift

Definition of gift

as in donation

something given to someone without expectation of a return gave him an unusual birthday gift

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in talent

a special and usually inborn ability has a gift for making guests feel right at home

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

gift

2 of 2

verb

as in to bless

to furnish freely or naturally with some power, quality, or attribute gifted with an uncanny ability to persuade people to do things they ordinarily wouldn't

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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How does the noun gift differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of gift are aptitude, bent, faculty, genius, knack, and talent. While all these words mean "a special ability for doing something," gift often implies special favor by God or nature.

the gift of singing beautifully

When can aptitude be used instead of gift?

The words aptitude and gift can be used in similar contexts, but aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it.

a mechanical aptitude

How do bent and aptitude relate to one another, in the sense of gift?

Bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability.

a family with an artistic bent

Where would faculty be a reasonable alternative to gift?

In some situations, the words faculty and gift are roughly equivalent. However, faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function.

a faculty for remembering names

When could genius be used to replace gift?

The meanings of genius and gift largely overlap; however, genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability.

has no great genius for poetry

When would knack be a good substitute for gift?

Although the words knack and gift have much in common, knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance.

the knack of getting along

In what contexts can talent take the place of gift?

The synonyms talent and gift are sometimes interchangeable, but talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed.

has enough talent to succeed

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 gift

Noun

In an interview with the New York Times in 2016, Appignani spoke about his decision to give UM the gift. — Sergio R. Bustos, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 And many other schools have drawn gifts in excess of $100 million. — William Blomquist, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026

Verb

Mike Babcock didn’t gift us with that many memorable quotes in his 4 1/2 years as head coach in Toronto, but this one remains hard to forget. — James Mirtle, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026 Business owners can make the most of this limit by gifting minority interests well before their company goes to market. — Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gift

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gift

Noun

Combined with its co-founders' pledge to donate 80% of their equity and an employee donation matching program, roughly 20% of Anthropic's shares will be dedicated to public purposes, excluding any additional shares added later.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
If a governor does not opt in, that state's taxpayers can still make donations to SGOs and receive the tax credit, but families in that state won't qualify for scholarships or vouchers to pay for educational expenses.

— Cory Turner, NPR, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of donation

Noun

But the talent for going viral that helped Ramaswamy gain a national profile has proved less successful this election cycle in Ohio.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
The right person would ably balance greenlight authority with maintaining Netflix’s biggest talent relationships.

— Josef Adalian, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of talent

Noun

Every year, Noting’s fan community elects a community board observer, a volunteer who attends the company’s quarterly board meetings and presents customers’ views on products and launches to its directors.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Selma also has pseudobulbar affect, a neurological condition secondary to her MS, which bears directly on how a medical episode presents to people who do not know her.

— Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of present

Noun

All four movies exhibit Mackenzie’s knack for trenchant social and political commentary slightly heightened by his elegance as a dramatist and visceral genre filmmaker, and all are accompanied by illuminating supplements.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2026
The album was produced by James Ford, one half of the electronic duo Simian Mobile Disco; Ford has also produced records for Geese, Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, Blur, and Depeche Mode, and has a particular knack for making songs sound both verdant and raw.

— Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of knack

Verb

An essential state role, parallel to provisioning basic services like education and healthcare, is endowing a wide open aesthetic field of form and meaning and collective sensibility.

— Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Gorgoni shot his images in the snow, endowing Shift with a stark graphic identity devoid of human occupancy.

— Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of endow

Noun

Calvin Klein himself showed up at Leoni’s debut runway presentation in February 2025, seated in the front row alongside Kelly Klein, Kate Moss and Christy Turlington.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
The focus was how AI can be integrated and optimize the existing business – rather than presentation of noisy (and controversial) slates of AI TV shows and movies.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of presentation

Noun

The Duke then entered the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, where his aptitude for foreign languages was recognized with a prize.

— Stephanie Bridger-Linning, Vanity Fair, 10 Oct. 2026
Naturally, his work at Celine has now been put in conversation with hers, especially because both designers share an aptitude for creating clothes real people want to wear–and, therefore, many of the same fans.

— Joan Kennedy, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of aptitude

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gift

gifted

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“Gift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gift. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of gift

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Synonyms of gift

noun

verb

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'Free Gift' and Other Redundancies

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Word of the Day

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Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

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Popular in Wordplay

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

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Popular

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Games & Quizzes