ORIGINS Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

origins

noun

plural of origin

as in sources

a point or place at which something is invented or provided the origins of human language remain a matter of considerable debate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in roots

the source from which something grows or develops the origin of the tradition of giving presents at Christmastime

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in lineages

the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended they could trace their origins back 15 generations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 origins The actor opened up about the origins of his steely exterior in a 2023 interview with USA TODAY. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 Arte Distribution has Origins, A Tale of Light, a science doc that uses images created by artist Roman Hill, about the origins of the Universe. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026 Scientists hoped the probe would help build a geologic history of the moon to better understand its violent origins in a cosmic impact. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026 In that conventional view, the International Style (a term MoMA introduced in 1932) proliferated as an instrument of the Cold War, adjusting to local preferences but always faithful to its Franco-German origins. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026 But for now, hope springs eternal that movies of all sizes and origins continue filling seats in even the months with the highest box office expectation. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026 Norway’s monarchy has old roots, tracing its origins to King Harald Fairhair in the ninth century. — Jan M. Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 Others turn them off to disguise the origins of the shipment. — Jane Arraf, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026 Her rings were from Sears Though Parton was on the verge of becoming a megastar, her wedding jewelry had humble origins. — Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for origins

Noun

Renewable energy credits serve as proof that a company uses electricity from clean energy sources like solar farms, according to the Retail Energy Supply Association.

— Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026
Other dark leafy greens, such as Swiss chard and collard greens, are good sources, too.

— Jo Ann Liguori, Flow Space, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of sources

Noun

The gel texture lightly clarifies the scalp and volumizes the roots with the help of salicylic and glutamic acids.

— Madison San Miguel, Allure, 5 Sep. 2026
Having a healthy lawn means managing soil conditions for the roots, mowing properly, and strengthening the density of the grass by overseeding.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of roots

Noun

One of the lineages appears to have interbred directly with Homo sapiens in Africa more than 50,000 years ago, while the other was an even older group that passed some of its DNA to humans indirectly through Denisovans.

— Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
In addition, the way in initial cases occurred in clusters within the market and the distribution of the earliest viral lineages, is consistent with the likelihood that several separate animal-to-human spillover events took place in late 2019.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of lineages

Noun

But Shanes questioned whether grouping Jews under a single ethnic category would produce sufficiently specific data for those purposes, or instead obscure differences among Jewish populations with distinct ancestries.

— Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026
This technique overcomes limitations of older methods like genotyping arrays, which were often biased towards European ancestries and less accurate.

— William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of ancestries

Noun

Global flavors with local pedigrees provide the secret sauce for Seattle’s culinary scene.

— Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2026
The cast has become a kind of living monument to New York theater, with Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Donna Murphy, Kelli O’Hara, Audra McDonald, and many others bringing Broadway pedigrees to the series.

— Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of pedigrees

Noun

The scientists’ method reconstructs genealogies, or maps showing where different pieces of DNA came from and how they were passed down, revealing branches of our evolutionary past.

— Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
The seal texts often introduced the owners with their names, genealogies, gender, professions and hometowns.

— Serdar Yalçin, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025

Definition of genealogies

Browse Nearby Words

originators

origins

orison

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Origins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/origins. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of origins

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

matriculate

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