INDUSTRY Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'industry' distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of industry are business , commerce , trade , and traffic . While all these words mean "activity concerned with the supplying and distribution of commodities," industry applies to the producing of commodities, especially by manufacturing or processing, usually on a large scale.

Q: When might 'business' be a better fit than 'industry'?

While the synonyms business and industry are close in meaning, business may be an inclusive term but specifically designates the activities of those engaged in the purchase or sale of commodities or in related financial transactions.

Q: How do 'commerce' and 'trade' relate to one another, in the sense of 'industry'?

Both commerce and trade imply the exchange and transportation of commodities.

Q: When could 'traffic' be used to replace 'industry'?

The meanings of traffic and industry largely overlap; however, traffic applies to the operation and functioning of public carriers of goods and persons.

industry

noun

ˈin-(ˌ)də-strē

Definition of industry

as in effort

attentive and persistent effort he isn't the smartest kid in class, but he gets the best grades by determined industry

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How is the word industry distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of industry are business, commerce, trade, and traffic. While all these words mean "activity concerned with the supplying and distribution of commodities," industry applies to the producing of commodities, especially by manufacturing or processing, usually on a large scale.

When might business be a better fit than industry?

While the synonyms business and industry are close in meaning, business may be an inclusive term but specifically designates the activities of those engaged in the purchase or sale of commodities or in related financial transactions.

How do commerce and trade relate to one another, in the sense of industry?

Both commerce and trade imply the exchange and transportation of commodities.

When could traffic be used to replace industry?

The meanings of traffic and industry largely overlap; however, traffic applies to the operation and functioning of public carriers of goods and persons.

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 industry As existing wind farms age, these approaches could help address blade disposal while reducing emissions from another carbon-intensive industry. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026 Now that the industry is moving from AI that makes text and images to AI that takes actions, via agents that can shop on people’s behalf, the stakes are much higher. — Rumman Chowdhury, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026 Tia’s captivating live performance won over the audience and seasoned industry professionals alike, drawing a prolonged standing ovation at the end of the show. — Billboard China, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026 In sharp contrast to sprawling industry conferences or high-volume networking mixers where business cards are exchanged in seven-minute increments, these occasions are engineered for depth, the co-founders said. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for industry

Recent Examples of Synonyms for industry

Noun

The president talked up Jackson and Senate candidate Mike Collins as part of the White House effort to boost GOP enthusiasm in the upcoming elections.

— DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Rowling has been staunchly critical of transgender rights activists, funding legal efforts to protect women’s rights and penning X/Twitter posts that are considered to be attacks by the trans community.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of effort

Noun

Taken together, these two mistakes represented an almost-unfathomable breach of basic diligence.

— Daniel Duane, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Give Growth Planning An Earlier Starting Point Early marketing diligence gives investors more time to investigate opportunities and develop a credible plan with management.

— James Fratzke, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of diligence

Noun

That includes procurement sources, manufacturing readiness, technology maturity and application requirements.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
That law made refugee applications some of the most rigorously scrutinized within the immigration system.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of application

Noun

Then there’s a clearing of throats, and like malware, the narratives begin to establish persistence over mood and multiply.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026
The dehumanization of Black people represented by the persistence of Confederate iconography in mainstream culture became an underground signifier of the precariousness of the freedoms enshrined by the 14th Amendment.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of persistence

Noun

While the Queen Mother was very fond of this Queen Victoria tiara and wore it with relative assiduity, her daughter only wore it once in public, on an official trip to Malta in November 2005.

— Ana Serrano, Glamour, 7 Dec. 2025
These indestructible treasures have always been buried in matter, awaiting the invention of scanning electron microscopes and scientists with enough assiduity to spend decades on end peering into their atomic eyes.

— Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023

Definition of assiduity

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“Industry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/industry. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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