INTENTIONS Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

intentions

noun

plural of intention

as in goals

something that one hopes or intends to accomplish her intention is to climb the highest peak in each of the 50 states

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in senses

the idea that is conveyed or intended to be conveyed to the mind by language, symbol, or action she was uncertain of the intention of his frantic gesturing

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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 intentions The leader of the United Kingdom’s Green Party has announced his intentions to run for the seat in Parliament vacated by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2026 There were good intentions behind the concept, but a chunk of viewers left the program — and have not come back. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026 Spoken instruction and sharing intentions through speech isn’t even universal among humans, let alone unique to our species. — Mike McRae 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026 An Atletico source said the club wanted their handling of the Alvarez case to serve as a statement of their intentions and ambition. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Your empathy is useful, Pisces, but don’t leave the facts floating in a cloud of good intentions. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Sep. 2026 But as one of the only FBI agents taking Easton’s crimes and Catherine’s intentions seriously, Alice is forced to confront her own pain and trauma in order to try and capture Catherine and hold Easton accountable for his crimes. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026 Decisions there were not left entirely to memory, confidence or good intentions. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 The letter from him allegedly informed her of his intentions to marry someone else, according to Time. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 1 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for intentions

Noun

Boise’s City Council on Tuesday denied an appeal from the Cathedral of the Rockies seeking to pave a parking area adjacent to its North End church, dealing a blow to an application that pit arguments of religious freedom against municipal goals.

— Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026
One of the goals behind the Lele pop-up for Uditi, who grew up in Caserta, outside of Naples, was to highlight the cuisine of his native Campania.

— Margy Rochlin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of goals

Noun

The reign of Republicans during the Civil War and Reconstruction was a democratic breakthrough in two senses.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
However, human problems appear real according to the information gathered from the five corporeal senses.

— The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of senses

Noun

With his final book, however, Morris refuses to draw conclusions, letting the ambiguity of Surrealists’ meanings stand.

— Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Barón hopes the physical language of the work leaves space for audiences to find meanings of their own.

— Miguel Sirgado, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of meanings

Noun

But ProPublica and The Post found that Richardson was, for all intents and purposes, still in charge of the club, a violation of his suspension.

— Molly Hensley-Clancy, ProPublica, 20 Aug. 2026
Nearly every customer relationship, operational workflow, escalation path and commercial outcome emerges from one of these two conversational intents.

— Naresh Prajapati, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of intents

Noun

Russian forces have long targeted the strategic cities of Kostyantynivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk as part of a push to completely capture the Donetsk Oblast, one of the Kremlin’s key objectives in the conflict.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Technical objectives and operational milestones are expected to be disclosed as the programs progress.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of objectives

Noun

Scientists use this technique, called candling — which historically entailed holding up a burning candle — to assess the contents of shark eggs for health, viability and genetic diversity.

— Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
This way auditors, regulators, and even customers can confirm a record is genuine without seeing its contents.

— Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of contents

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intentionally

intentions

intently

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Style

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

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Synonyms of intentions

noun

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