PRECIPITATING Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

precipitating 1 of 2

adjective

as in rainy

marked by or abounding with rain thick, precipitating clouds that just stayed in our region for days

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

precipitating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of precipitate

as in raining

to fall as water in a continuous stream of drops from the clouds the air mass was dry, as much of the moisture had precipitated out on the other side of the mountains

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 precipitating

Verb

The announcement ruffled feathers, precipitating a unique form of drama. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026 The need for upgrades to campus infrastructure and the slow process of obtaining tax credits left the building program years behind schedule, precipitating a 2022 lawsuit. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Now both Stellantis and the union have confirmed to the Detroit Free Press that the automaker and Canadian company Roshel have signed an agreement precipitating a sale. — Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 11 Sep. 2026 When Tupac Shakur died in 1996, investigators at the time pointed to an East Coast-West Coast record label rivalry as precipitating his violent end. — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 30 Aug. 2026 The second episode… [is about] the fall of the group, precipitating [John Pearson’s] leaving, the downfall. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 June 2026 Fear of a repeat invasion also led Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev to send nuclear missiles to Cuba, precipitating the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962 that nearly led to nuclear war. — Kevin A. Young, The Conversation, 8 June 2026 And then a track number is posted, precipitating a mad dash that runs somewhere between the running of the bulls in Pamplona and entering Wal-Mart on Black Friday in 1999. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 May 2026 Iranian strikes have targeted the energy infrastructure of its neighbors and instituted a blockade on the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of the world's oil and gas was shipped before the war, precipitating the worst energy shock in decades. — Katrina Bishop, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for precipitating

Adjective

Rowers pushed through a rainy and chilly start Friday morning while fans in ponchos and raincoats cheered them on.

— Anna Meiler, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
That would have marked the coolest day since early May if not for the rainy, windy and cool day former Hurricane Isaias created last Saturday.

— Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of rainy

Verb

Residents of a Chelsea, Massachusetts, apartment building were forced to evacuate Sunday night after part of the building's facade collapsed, sending bricks raining down onto the street below.

— Louisa Moller, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026
There are also questions about Starmind creating space junk and even raining bits of debris on Earth since the satellites are designed to operate for only around five years, and will need to be retired.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of raining

Adjective

Yet Abrams still won’t kvetch about being crammed into a tiny whale-stomach set with a camera crew, while a half-dozen crew members surrounding the practical gut, wielding a gimbal, tossed him around like a wet rag doll.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
Not quite land and not quite water, too wet to yield bounty, too dangerous to navigate, too wild to fit into our concept of beauty, bogs were obstacles to human prosperity.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of wet

Verb

Big tech firms in the US are pouring billions into advanced nuclear power to feed energy-hungry artificial intelligence.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
The Texas Senate race is the most expensive race in the country right now, and Republicans are pouring $200 million to save the nominee there.

— Jacob Brogan, Vox, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of pouring

Verb

Two of the strongest El Niños in the last 75 years, in 1982-83 and 1997-98, were associated with extensive damage to the Southern California coast, battering homes, flooding streets and damaging piers.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
The making of monsters The Cornell gang rape investigation flooding social media outlets and news coverage and fueling a lot of discussions actually took place in 2024.

— Stephanie Jones, AJC.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of flooding

Browse Nearby Words

precipitates

precipitating

precipitation

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

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

Copy Citation

Synonyms of precipitating

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

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

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes