200+ One Word Substitution in English

What is One Word Substitution?

One Word Substitution is the use of single word in place of wordy phrases in order to improve the sentence structure and clear meaning. Using one word substitution helps in shortening the sentence without altering meaning.

One Word Substitution questions can be framed from many parts of vocabulary like root words, collective nouns, young one of animal. You could find posts on these topics under One Word Substitution tag in our site.

One Word Substitution

Examples of One Word Substitution

Find the important one word substitution related to generic terms.

Expression for generic termOne Word Substitution
Partner in crimeAccomplice
One who denies the existence of the devil or demonsAdiabolist/ Ademonist
A complete inability to speak; mutismAlalia
A partial of total loss of memoryAmnesia
Loss of the sense of smellAnosmia
A person who studies or collects antiques or antiquitiesAntiquarian
Temporary cessation of breathing, especially during sleepApnea/apnoea
A material that can sustain strong heat without altering its property; as asbestos, talc etc.Apyrous
Who repairs or makes weaponArmourer
A ring-shaped reef, island, or chain of islands formed of coralAtoll
A materialistic, complacent, and conformist businessman.Babbitt
A worker who works when others are on strikeBlackleg
A witty remarkBon mot
A person who devotes themselves to a sociable and luxurious lifestyleBon vivant
Who is physically strong or muscularBrawny
The dead body of an animal.Carcass
Waterfall or group of waterfallCascade
A reflective stud set into a road as one of a series to mark traffic lanes or the edge of the carriageway by reflecting light from headlightsCat’s eye
Deliberately hurtful in one’s remarks; spitefulCatty
That eats onionsCepivorous
A person who pretends to have skills or knowledge that they do not have, especially in medicine
# Charlatans and showmen and medical quacks call things facts that are not facts.
Charlatan
A large French country house or castle, often giving its name to wine made in its neighbourhoodChateau
The art of dancingChoreography
A person or thing of unrecognised meritCinderella
(Typically, of a woman) pleasant to look at; attractiveComely
A fellow citizen or national of a country
# Stich defeated his compatriot Boris Becker in the quarter-finals.
Compatriot
A railway carriage with seats convertible into sleeping berths.Couchette
A conceited and showy personCoxcomb
Where dead bodies are crematedCrematorium
The situation in which someone important gives jobs to friends/relatives rather than to independent people who have the necessary skills and experienceCronyism
A person who enjoys or is skilled at solving crosswordsCruciverbalist
A person or thing that is defunct or has no chance of successDead duck
Impassive or expressionlessDeadpan
(of a man) confident, stylish, and charmingDebonair
A state of damage due to old age or long useDecrepitude
God willing; if nothing prevents it
# She has signed the lease for the house—it will be for both of them, Deo volente.
Deo volente (adv)
A celebrated female opera singerDiva
A bag used by a restaurant customer or party guest to take home leftover food, supposedly for their dog.Doggy bag
Who drives animalDrover
A person who has to work hard at boring and unpleasant tasks and who is not respected by other peopleDrudge
A symbol that shows your feelingEmoticon
Concluding part of a literary workEpilogue
An entertainer specializing in freeing themselves from the confinement of such things as ropes, handcuffs, and chainsEscapologist
The persuasion of ChristianismEvangelism
A short story with animal characters with a moralFable
Who is extremely wickedFacinorous
Not emotionally involved with or committed to anyone
# Her recent divorce meant that she was footloose and fancy-free.
fancy-free
One who believes in fateFatalist
A bad tempered women with loud voiceFishwife
A women who can’t be relied onFlighty
A person who is very old-fashioned and pompousFuddy-duddy
A person who talks excessively about trivial thingsGasbag
Living or growing in or on the groundGeophilous
Relating to old ageGeriatric
Who writes for another writerGhost writer
A person or thing that has no chance of continuing to live
# I thought I was a goner when I saw that car heading towards me.
Goner
A woman whose husband is away often or for a prolonged periodGrass widow
A man who carries and readily uses a gunGunslinger
Realistic and determined; tough-minded.
# A hard-nosed businessman.
Hard-nosed
A person who steers a ship or boat.Helmsman
A person who sells small items door-to-door or from a stallHuckster
That can’t be destroyedImperishable
Out of placeIncongruous
Inability to sleepInsomnia
A feeling of fatigue experienced by air-travellersJet lag
A person who deliberately spoils the enjoyment of othersKilljoy
mouth-to-mouth resuscitationKiss of life
A skilled worker who cuts and engraves precious stonesLapidist
using ostentatiously recondite wordsLexiphanic
A person or thing vital to an enterprise or organization.
# Nurses are the linchpin of the National Health Service.
Linchpin
A man/woman who helps children to cross the roadLollipop man/women
A person who is famous and important in a particular area of activity.
# Luminaries of stage and screen (= famous actors) assembled for last night’s awards ceremony.
Luminary
A clumsy personLummox
A wealthy and influential businessman or businesswomanMagnate
A dummy used to display clothes in a shop window || a person employed by a designer or shop to model clothesMannequin
A person who believes in strict disciplineMartinet
A person believed to have magical/supernatural powers that can heal illness and keep away evil spirit; SHAMANMedicine man
Civilian trained as soldiersMilitia
A person who is skilled at mixing cocktails and other drinks.Mixologist
An important and powerful personMogul
One who is confusedMuddled
An examination and dissection of a dead body to determine cause of death or the changes produced by diseaseNecropsy/ autopsy
Who actively use internetNetizen
An overly inquisitive personNosy parker
Related to Europe or AmericaOccidental
A silly or annoying old person Old bat
Who has been in prison many timesOld lag
Related to AsiaOriental
Animal who lay eggsOviparous
A word, phrase, or sequence that reads the same backwards as forwards, e.g. madam or nurses runPalindrome
A sentence containing every letter of the alphabetPangram
A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels Parable
A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.Allegory
A perfect exampleParagon
A lover, and often a secret one you’re not married toParamour
A person who lends money at interest on the security of an article pawnedPawnbroker
Who is untrustworthyPerfidious
The feathers that cover a birdPlumage
A liquid with healing, magical, or poisonous properties.Potion
Previous to the birth of an infantPrenatal
The action of prophesying future eventsPrognostication
Childishly silly and immaturePuerile
An impudent or badly behaved girl or womanQuean
Who is extremely hungryRavenous
A convicted criminal who reoffends, especially repeatedly.Recidivist
A right-hand page of an open book, or the front of a loose document Recto
A left-hand page of an open book, or the back of a loose documentVerso
A strong and unpleasant smellReek
A person who has many tenetsRenaissance Man
Pretending to be religious
# Showed his hypocrisy in a sanctimonious display of piety.
Sanctimonious
A person who spreads frightening or ominous reports or rumors.Scaremonger
Severely abusive writing in journalsScurrilous
An old or experienced sailorSea dog
A person who is in his seventies Septuagenarian
Someone who is 100 years old or moreCentenarian
A woman who is considered to be very attractive, but also dangerousSiren
A hump in the road intended to cause traffic to reduce speedSleeping policemen
Great carelessnessSlipshod
A person who walks in sleep [n: somnambulism]Somnambulist
A poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemesSonnet
A person acting as a decoy or informer especially a spy sent into a group to report (as to the police) on its activitiesStool pigeon
One who is too old to workSuperannuated
Who is deaf and dumbSurdimute
The most important partThe $64,000 question
One who is very sensitive to criticism or insultsThin-skinned
Passing of soul from one body to anotherTransmigration
A person who changes from one opinion to an opposite oneTurncoat
Who manages funeralsUndertaker
A person who is unduly anxious about their health.Valetudinarian
A person who causes destruction to public propertyVandal
1. A wine merchant.
2. A person who makes wine.
Vinter
Animals who produce young onesViviparous
A peeping TomVoyeur
A person who encourages or advocates aggression towards other countries or groupsWarmonger
Someone who swindles you by not repaying a debt or wagerWelsher
A woman employed to suckle another woman’s childWet nurse

One Word Substitution for Branches of Science

If –ist is added instead of ‘y’ in the word it means the person who study the subject. As for example Anthropology is the study of mankind but Anthropologist is someone who study anthropology.

The expression for one word substitutionBranch of Science
the study of mankindanthropology
the study of ancient civilizationarchaeology
the study of fruits and seedscarpology
the study of codescryptology
the study of cellscytology
the study of fingerprintsdactylology
the study of worms and insectsentomology
the study of human racesethnology
the study of origin of a word and its historical development in meaningetymology
study of life on other planets and outer spaceexobiology
study of earthgeology
the study of wormshelminthology
the study of plant tissuehistology
the branch of science dealing with fishesichthyology
study of rockslithology
the study of fungimycology
study of cancer/tumorsoncology
the study of bird’s eggsoology
the study of birdsornithology
the study of mountainorology
the study of fossil plantspalaeobotany
the study of fossil animals and plantspalaeontology
the study of diseasepathology
the study of languagesphilology
the study of soundsphonetics
the study of algaephycology
the study of the moonselenology
the study of blood serum for diagnosisserology
the study of flagsvexillology

One Word Substitution for types of Government

Government/systemOne word substitution
Government by noneAcracy/ anarchy
Government by white peopleAlbocracy
Government by the nobilityAristocracy
Government by one individualAutocracy
A self-governing bodyAutonomy
Government by civil servantsBureaucracy
Government by the peopleDemocracy
Government by elderly peopleGerontocracy
Government by the militaryHoplarchy
Government by the wicked peopleKakistocracy
Government by judgesKritarchy
Government by one individualMonocracy
Government by newbieNeocracy
Government by mobsOchlocracy
A small group of people having control of a country or organizationOligarchy
Government by wealthyPlutocracy
Government officially neutral to religious aspect of citizenSecular
Government by rules of Gods adopted by state or country  

Government ruled by God(s)
Theocracy  

Thearchy
Government by a body of foreignersXenocracy

Young One of animals

Young OneAnimal
CalfCow, elephant
ChickenHen
CubTiger, bear, fox, wolf
CygnetSwan
DucklingDuck
EagletEagle
FawnDeer, stag
FoalHorse [colt→ male foal; filly→ female foal]
Foal/Colt/fillyHorse
GoslingGoose
JoeyMarsupial babies [koala, kangaroo, wallaby, wombat, opossum]
KidGoat
KittenCat
LambSheep
LeveretHare
PorklingBoar/pig
PuppyDog
TadpoleFrog
Whelp/cubLion

Cries of animals/birds

CryAnimals/birds
gibberapes
screechbats
growlbears
hum/buzzbees
chirrup/chirp/twitter/tweet/sing/whistlebirds
bleatcalves
gruntcamels
mew/purr/meow/hiss/yowlcats
moo/low/bawl (calf)
bellow (bull)
cattle
cluck/cacklechickens
cheepchicks (a young bird, especially one newly hatched)
crowcocks
lowmoocows
chirpcreakcrickets
cawcrows
belldeers
bark/yelp/growl/howldogs
clickdolphins
braydonkeys
coodoves
quackducks
screameagles
trumpet/roarelephants
buzz/humflies
bark/yelp/simperfoxes
croakfrogs
cackle/quackgeese
bleatgiraffes
bleatgoats
chirpgrasshoppers
squeakhamsters
squeakhares
cacklecluckhens
grunthogs
neigh/snort/whinny/nickerhorses
whisper/whistle/cry/scream/sing/talkhumans
humhummingbirds
laugh/screamhyenas
howljackals
chortlekangaroos
scream/bellow/wailkoalas
bleatlambs
sing/warblelarks
roar/growllions
squeak/squealmice
chatter/gibber/whoop/screechmonkeys
whinemosquitoes
pipe/sing/warblenightingales
chirp/bark/hiss/low humostriches
hoot/scream/screech/shriekowls
bellow/lowoxen
talk/screech/squawkparrots
screampeacocks
coopigeons
snort/grunt/squeal/oinkpigs
squeak/drumrabbits
squeakrats
croakravens
bellowrhinoceros
crowrooster
scream/squawkseagulls
barkseals
bleatsheep
hisssnakes
barksquirrel
growl/roartigers
gobbleturkeys
screamvultures
singwhales
howl/cry/yellwolves
whinnyzebras

Sounds made by objects

SoundObject or Animal
bang/slamdoors
beatdrums
blaretrumpet
blow/callbugles
boom/roarguns
bubble/purlstreams
buzztelephone
chatterteeth
clangarms, anvil
claphands
clatterhoofs or hooves
clinks
jingles
coin (by one coin)
coin (by more than one coin)
crackwhips
cracklesfire
crackleswood
cracksnuts
creakhinges
creakshoes
flap/flattersails
flutterflags
hissessteam
howls/sighwind
lapswater
lispbabies
pattern/dripsrain
pearl/ringbell
rattledishes
rattle/ramblecarriages
ringmetals
ripplewaves
rolls/rumplesthunder
rumbletrains
rustleleaves
rustlessilk
screechbrakes
shriekwhistle
sigh/crashtrees
sound/patter/trampfeet
thunderclouds
tickclocks
tinkleglasses
toothorns
twangbows
whir/flap/flatterwings
zoomaeroplanes

Special movement of animals

MotionCreature
ambleelephants
climbmonkeys
flapcrows
flitowls
flitsparrows
flybirds
frisklambs
leaprabbits
lopewolves
lumberbear
prowlslions
runbulls
rundogs
scampermice
soarlarks
stealcats
strutcocks
swoopeagles
trotdonkeys
trotpigs
trot/gallophorse
waddleducks
walk/stroll/pace/plod/march/hobblepersons
wandercows

Homes of Animals

HomeCreature
asylumlunatic
barrack/campsoldiers
hivebee
byre/shedcow
caravangipsy
castle/mansionnoble
cellprisoner
conventnun
coopfowl
cottagepeasant
denlion
dovecotpigeon
dreysquirrel
earthfox
eyrieeagle
farmhare
holemouse
houseman
hutsavage
hutch/burrowrabbit
kenneldog
liartiger
monasterymonk
nestbird
palaceking
parsonageparson
pen/foldsheep
prisonconvict
stablehorse
stypig
tentarab
webspider
wharemaori (a member of the aboriginal people of new zealand)
wigwamred indian

Names of places where things are made or kept

Where Made/KeptThings or Animals
aerodromeaeroplanes
apiarybees
aquariumfish
arsenalweapon ammunition
bakerybread
brewerybeer
cage/aviarybirds
cloak-roomluggage at railway station
cylindergas
dairybutter, cream
dockyardships
factorygoods manufactured
garagemotor car
godownwares/warehouse
granarygrain
kilnricks
kitchenfood
menageriewild animals
millflour
mintcoin
museumhistorical relics or curios
nurseryyoung plants or children
orchardfruit trees
pantryprovisions etc. in the house
presspaper, notes of currency
smithyiron goods
studiofilms
tanneryleather goods
theatreplays, films
vineyardsgrapes
wardrobecloths
zooanimals and birds
Please share this post with someone who might find it helpful.

9 thoughts on “200+ One Word Substitution in English”

  1. аналитика леонида малолетова

    Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your next post thank you once again.

  2. You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really something which I think I would never understand.

    It seems too complicated and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!

  3. Really interesting and one of a kind post. I like such things as making more research, developing writing skills, as well as related things. These kinds of secrets help in being a specialist on this topic. This post is very helpful to my family because people like you devoted time to learning. Regularity is the key. But it is not that easy, as has been made out to be. I am not an expert like you and lots of times I feel like giving it up. Looking at a person like me, your posting is of good assistance and booster. Thank you for sharing.

  4. Rosann Jackon

    Good website! I truly love how it is easy on my eyes it is. I am wondering how I might be notified whenever a new post has been made. I have subscribed to your RSS which may do the trick? Have a great day!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error: Content is protected !!
Scroll to Top