CIPHER Synonyms: 106 Similar and Opposite Words

cipher 1 of 2

noun

ˈsī-fər

Definition of cipher

as in nothing

the numerical symbol 0 or the absence of number or quantity represented by it remember to put the cipher after the decimal point

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in nobody

a person of no importance or influence it was either write the Great American Novel or be consigned to the status of a cipher in the annals of literature

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cipher

2 of 2

verb

as in to figure

to determine (a value) by doing the necessary mathematical operations were surprised by how much we had spent on the cruise after we had ciphered out the grand total

Synonyms & Similar 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 cipher

Noun

The still-unidentified Zodiac Killer, who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s, frequently sent threats, demands and ciphers to multiple local papers — namely the San Francisco Chronicle. — Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026 Finally, Marilyn is not presented as a cipher to be solved or quarry to be caged. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026

Verb

The real challenge from AI will likely emerge in the weeks and months ahead as firms cipher through Judge Mehta’s enforcement of behavioral requirements. — Tor Constantino, Forbes.com, 5 Sep. 2025 These remnants, signals from an earlier phase of our human condition, have been endlessly ciphered by generations of archaeologists in the Bears Ears region (which is named for twin buttes near its center). — Stephen Nash, New York Times, 25 July 2017 See All Example Sentences for cipher

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cipher

Noun

While CinemaCon 2026 brought us exciting news about new films, it was also bogged down with status quo nothings about how Amazon MGM still hasn’t found a new James Bond.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
When Dana, who, like Virginia, had been successful in writing pleasant but undistinguished nothings—in her case, songs for Billy Rose’s revues—decided to try taking on more serious music by studying with Boulanger, Virginia entered a deep downward spiral.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026

Definition of nothing

Noun

In the trailer, the civilians are selling themselves as a new breed of nobodies.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
Despite the tragicomic instability and the rotating cast of nobodies temporarily tasked with running the country, when seen in macroeconomic terms, Peru appears to be doing just fine, thank you.

— Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 4 June 2026

Definition of nobody

Verb

Anthropic has seen incredible traction with enterprise customers, and there figures to be considerable overlap between the companies' customer bases.

— Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Nabil and Sliman laughed at how the leather soon stank before Nabil could figure it all out.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of figure

Noun

The image, captured a year earlier by the Hubble Space Telescope, showed UGC 9050-Dw1, a dwarf galaxy some 115 million light-years from Earth.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Watching all ten members sing at once is funny the way the seven dwarves all sleeping in their little beds next to each other is funny.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of dwarf

Verb

Robot depth vision The new stereo vision algorithm allows humanoid robots to calculate depth using a camera arrangement that more closely mimics human vision.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
In a class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of California renters, lawyers alleged that Conservice’s policy was to deny tenants the right to view specific bills or formulas used to calculate their individual charges.

— Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of calculate

Noun

The bag is big enough to hold all your travel essentials—even a small umbrella or tablet—and features two slip pockets and one zip pocket inside.

— Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 30 Aug. 2026
Be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible from the container or zip-top bag before freezing the fresh pumpkin puree.

— Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of zip

Cite this Entry

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“Cipher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cipher. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of cipher

noun

verb

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