SECOND-GUESSING Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

second-guessing

verb

present participle of second-guess

as in outguessing

Related Words

Relevance

as in reasoning

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-guessing

Verb

When the Timberwolves put the Nuggets over their knee and spanked them, there were so many to blame — Gordon’s aching body, Peyton Watson balking at playing, Murray’s shooting, Christian Braun’s timidity — that Jokic was almost spared.

— Troy Renck, Denver Post, 3 Oct. 2026
Several budget hawks and conservative economists are already balking at the idea – a bad sign when just a few Republicans in either chamber can, until the voting margins change, tank pretty much any measure.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of balking

Verb

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
Republicans saw all this coming from a mile away, of course, spending huge sums to help Cornyn defeat Paxton in the primary, reasoning that the general election would be a relative layup for Cornyn.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of reasoning

Verb

While most judges have categorized such requests as overreaching or for an improper purpose, two out of three judges on the panel ruled that there was nothing out of line about the QueerDoc request.

— Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 20 Aug. 2026
Republican lawmakers disagree, saying that the approval is just another example of an overreaching government.

— Tom Wait, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of overreaching

Verb

The terminology shift arrives as NASA continues expanding its use of AI across missions and research programs, from autonomous Mars rover navigation to models capable of analyzing enormous amounts of scientific data.

— Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Next, Hollands is planning to keep analyzing more white dwarf star spectra, with advances in scientific techniques meaning that researchers will be able to look at a new tranche of stars that are even farther away from Earth.

— Jack Guy, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of analyzing

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
The characters' abilities are built around outmaneuvering, not outgunning.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of outmaneuvering

Verb

The California Attorney General’s Office, in a statement, said it was disappointed by the decision and reviewing the opinion from the judges.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
For example, researchers reviewing 1,138 breach cases found that almost 10% of patient health data breaches come from unauthorized access by health care employees who forward personally identifying information to personal accounts.

— Alex Rosenblat — CalMatters, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of reviewing

Verb

This latest round of funding supports an exciting range of projects from emerging creatives forging new paths to established voices exploring new creative territory.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
After exploring or relaxing by the pool, head to the freestanding infrared sauna with optional salt halotherapy.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of exploring

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Browse Nearby Words

second-guesses

second-guessing

secondhand

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“Second-guessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-guessing. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of second-guessing

verb

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