SECOND-GUESS Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

second-guess

verb

Definition of second-guess

as in to outguess

Related Words

Relevance

as in to speculate (about)

Related Words

Dissimilar 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 second-guess Summary Making major decisions is often followed by unexpected doubt, as leaders second-guess their choices. — Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 The school supply aisle has a way of making parents second-guess everything. — Adrienne Farr, Parents, 15 Aug. 2026 These communications, Kroger said, led C&S to second-guess the initial agreement, creating a domino effect and prompting the Washington court to block the sale. — Saleen Martin, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026 The Republican administration argued that judges cannot second-guess immigration officials’ decisions about protections that were intended to be temporary. — Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for second-guess

Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-guess

Verb

No one knows for sure, and older investors are often better served by accepting that uncertainty rather than trying to outguess it.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
With the right guardrails in place, investors don't have to outguess the market.

— Chris Stevens, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Oct. 2025

Definition of outguess

Verb

To profile their activity in patients with SCLC, the researchers analyzed tumor samples and non-affected biopsies from a dozen patients using single-cell RNA sequencing and immunophenotyping.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
Last month, the Economist used Pangram to analyze parliamentary speeches, finding that 10% of the words spoken in the British Parliament were drafted with AI.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of analyze

Verb

Despite Riyadh’s considerable air defenses and vast military spending, the militants have been able to outsmart the systems using relatively cheap drones and missiles.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
In his younger days, Presnell seemed to enjoy outsmarting people.

— Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of outsmart

Verb

This line of defense didn’t persuade Sweeney, who reasoned that adding athletes with expired eligibility would mean more, not less, market competition.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Yet rather than reasoning inductively to know God – through starting with an assessment of mortal man – a more effective approach is instead to reason deductively.

— The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of reason

Verb

The original 1960s cars had legendary status dominating the Monte Carlo Rally, outmaneuvering heavier machinery across icy mountain passes with lightweight agility rather than brute off-road hardware.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2026
And Michael and Olivia don’t exactly outmaneuver their opponents.

— Noel Murray, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of outmaneuver

Verb

Fennel believes the Halifax team may eventually pin its estimate to within 10 percent.

— Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
The Hulu series also stars Sam Nivola as a teenager who awakens from a coma after an accident believing his mother (Britton) is an impostor.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of believe

Verb

The show, which comes from Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse, brings together a group of strangers, in this case celebrity contestants, who must outwit their competition and identify the recipient of a million dollars hiding among them.

— Peter White, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
All season long, Ray and Sugar have been trying to outwit each other.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2026

Definition of outwit

Verb

Both the United States and a United Nations investigation concluded that the shootdown happened over international waters.

— Liv Caputo Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
The arrest, the official explained, came after the Attorney General’s Office concluded that there had been misconduct in an April operation in which state officials dismantled a clandestine drug-manufacturing laboratory.

— Mauricio Torres, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026