INTERESTS Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

interests 1 of 2

noun

plural of interest

as in stakes

a legal right to participation in the advantages, profits, and responsibility of something all of the workers at the food cooperative have an interest in it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in companies

a commercial or industrial activity or organization a multinational corporation with interests on every continent

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in interest groups

a group of people with a common identifying interest that they seek to protect and promote the contention that the nation's financial interests have too much power

Synonyms & Similar Words

interests

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of interest

as in intrigues

to hold the attention of the book didn't interest me, so I ended up watching the parade of people on the sidewalk

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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 interests

Noun

After years of work to finally make this street safer, Sacramento is threatening that progress because powerful interests objected. — Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 Axl has appeared in mom’s projects Like Duhamel, Fergie allows her son to pursue his passions and interests without pushing him toward a specific career path. — Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026 Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed reportedly has interests in two stablecoin initiatives, one in the US and one at home in the UAE. — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026 At the start of the year, Iceland's Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Gunnarsdottir said that deeper dialogue and collaboration with the EU would be a key factor in shoring up the country's interests. — Azhar Sukri, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026 There’s also the Native American tribes, with their own casino interests. — Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 Harald also began traveling abroad to represent Norway and to promote the country’s economic interests. — Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026 That promise has been broken, and not just recently, but lawmakers remain either paralyzed or in thrall to the tech interests. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 In particular, modifying recommendation algorithms to focus more on users’ long-term interests than their short-term behavior remains a central challenge. — Nathaniel Lubin, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026

Verb

With your sisters Kim and Kylie breaking into the acting world over the last couple of years, with American Horror Story, All’s Fair and The Moment, is acting something that still interests you? — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026 There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to talk about what interests him, in the right context. — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 Don’t be afraid to speak up to say what interests you and also what doesn’t. — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026 That distance—the difficulty of truly making contact with another person from the limits of the self—interests me as a writer. — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026 What interests me is this idea of hybridity—where human infrastructure and natural systems become entangled. — Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026 These are novels about bohemian communities of friends and lovers and artistic collaborators, which is a big part of what interests me about AIDS activism. — Sarah Schulman, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026 Onscreen love interests Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause are letting fans think their relationship is the same offscreen, too. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026 That coexistence interests me more than any single genre. — Alma Rota, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for interests

Noun

Several other brands have activated during high-stakes competitions and inked their own collaborations that tap into the convergence of beauty and sports this year.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2026
This dwindling buffer forces the nation into a high-stakes standoff against the uncompromising laws of fluid dynamics, immense geological forces, strict federal statutes, and relentless geopolitical pressure.

— Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of stakes

Noun

The role of companies Singapore’s new scheme shifts from merely encouraging births to focus on family well-being over the long term, which might help change how potential parents think about children.

— Angelica Ang, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Persuading big American oil companies to return to the region could prove a challenge given the political uncertainty and damaged infrastructure.

— Collin Binkley, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of companies

Noun

However, unlike prediction market firms and advocacy groups, those interest groups aren’t focused on a single issue.

— Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Industries, disciplines, niche interest groups and organisations, to name a few, all develop their own epistemic cultures.

— Big Think, Big Think, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of interest groups

Noun

Courtesy of Suja Life Several investor-rights firms are investigating Suja Life, the better-for-you beverage company, following a decline in its stock after its second earnings report as a public company.

— Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
There’s a lot of concentration risk in the technology sector, a lot of risk in a small number of firms.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of firms

Noun

Norman has decried the role of super PAC spending against him in the runoff campaign, accusing Graham of being funded by special interests who are pushing their own agenda through her candidacy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
California was once hailed as a model for curbing the power of special interests and electing moderates.

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of special interests

Verb

Yet, what fascinates is that Aristotle’s God isn’t a typical divine being who summons and shepherds.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile, what fascinates aspiring neurologist Makenzie Stovall is the idea that AI is trying to emulate the brain — an organ whose inner workings continue to leave researchers dumbfounded.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of fascinates

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Style

“Interests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/interests. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of interests

noun

verb

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