GURU Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

guru

noun

ˈgu̇r-(ˌ)ü

Definition of guru

as in expert

a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field one of those weather gurus that the television networks always drag out whenever there's a big blizzard brewing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in practitioner

one who brings an art or science to full realization the leading guru of electronic music in the 1960s

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 guru Dean Martin’s classic Stutz bore the license plate DRUNKY, and early fitness guru Jack LaLanne put REDUCE on his Cadillac’s bumpers. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 After countless acid trips, Alpert visited an Indian guru who practiced Bhakti yoga. — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026 The player’s dining companions included his wife, Mariah Riddlesprigger, as well as hospitality guru David Grutman, who owns the Japanese steakhouse with Bad Bunny. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026 She’s lured to her choice by Ricki, played by Lily James, a charismatic empowerment guru who sees Rita as a mark, and her hauntedness as a source of vulnerability. — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for guru

Recent Examples of Synonyms for guru

Noun

They are usually still protected by maternal antibodies, experts say.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
The Rockefeller Foundation has just published a policy proposal – developed in partnership with leading experts – that details how a Growth and Investment Reset could work.

— Masood Ahmed, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of expert

Noun

Many also lack the internal skills to deploy and govern AI at scale, while experienced practitioners are understandably wary of tools that don’t reflect how their organization actually works.

— Balaji Sreenivasan, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Cold Spring Wellness targets practitioners and biohacking consumers with oral-mucosa strips the company says deliver peptides directly into the bloodstream and bypass the digestive system.

— Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of practitioner

Noun

Grupo Duelo, one of the most prominent exponents of norteño tejano music, will be part of the Billboard Latin Music Week 2026, representing traditional regional Mexican music.

— Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026
Scientists have sought a way to shrink the size of the exponent.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of exponent

Noun

The scholar Colin Burrow, discussing Helen Vendler recently, described the goal of criticism as telling other people how good something is.

— Lola Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026
Sabrina came from a high-status family of scholars, and Phillip, the struggling musician and child of butchers, wasn’t enough for her family.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of scholar

Noun

Still, the question of what Ebel was doing with his adepts swept through Prussia, dominating the newspapers that had only recently begun to emerge from their eighteenth-century chronicling of obligations to a more modern publicizing role.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Lest things get predictable, Tasjan’s adept at letting the music battle with the lyrics in a way that hints at how any experience is far more complex than we are led to believe.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2026

Definition of adept

Noun

Pittol is an ice cream wizard, capable of distilling the essence of nearly any flavor into frozen dessert form.

— Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Since his host has a strict rule about using human avatars in this environment, the bad guy now presents as the gentleman from The Blacklist rocking a wizard’s beard.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of wizard

Noun

Much has been made of Winter’s idiosyncratic star power, and as an extremely tall, wet-dog-handsome instrumental virtuoso with a one-of-a-kind voice and just enough self-aware wit and lacerating lyricism to keep it relatable, that’s indisputable.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
The Field family relocated to London, and John studied with the Italian virtuoso Muzio Clementi.

— Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of virtuoso

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gurgling

guru

gurus

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

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Synonyms of guru

noun

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