PROJECT Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'project' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of project are design , plan , plot , and scheme . While all these words mean "a method devised for making or doing something or achieving an end," project often stresses imaginative scope and vision. // a project to develop the waterfront

Q: When would 'design' be a good substitute for 'project'?

Although the words design and project have much in common, design often suggests a particular pattern and some degree of achieved order or harmony. // a design for a new dress

Q: In what contexts can 'plan' take the place of 'project'?

The synonyms plan and project are sometimes interchangeable, but plan always implies mental formulation and sometimes graphic representation. // plans for a house

Q: When is 'plot' a more appropriate choice than 'project'?

The words plot and project are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, plot implies a laying out in clearly distinguished sections with attention to their relations and proportions. // the plot of the play

Q: When might 'scheme' be a better fit than 'project'?

In some situations, the words scheme and project are roughly equivalent. However, scheme stresses calculation of the end in view and may apply to a plan motivated by craftiness and self-interest. // a scheme to defraud the government

project 1 of 2

noun

ˈprä-ˌjekt

Definition of project

as in plan

a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective an ambitious project to develop the city's waterfront

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

project

2 of 2

verb

prə-ˈjekt

as in to protrude

to extend outward beyond a usual point some boulders projected dangerously out above the trail

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to plan

to work out the details of (something) in advance we must project next year's budget now

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun project contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of project are design, plan, plot, and scheme. While all these words mean "a method devised for making or doing something or achieving an end," project often stresses imaginative scope and vision.

a project to develop the waterfront

When would design be a good substitute for project?

Although the words design and project have much in common, design often suggests a particular pattern and some degree of achieved order or harmony.

a design for a new dress

In what contexts can plan take the place of project?

The synonyms plan and project are sometimes interchangeable, but plan always implies mental formulation and sometimes graphic representation.

plans for a house

When is plot a more appropriate choice than project?

The words plot and project are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, plot implies a laying out in clearly distinguished sections with attention to their relations and proportions.

the plot of the play

When might scheme be a better fit than project?

In some situations, the words scheme and project are roughly equivalent. However, scheme stresses calculation of the end in view and may apply to a plan motivated by craftiness and self-interest.

a scheme to defraud the government

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 project

Noun

But over the next two decades, the singer would reiterate her legacy as an unstoppable force with a flurry of world tours, studio albums, film projects, corporate partnerships, and books. — Stephen L. Betts, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2026 Activity on the project site will begin before the end of the year, according to Hakim, with preliminary tree clearing for the borings to take place. — James Wilkins, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026

Verb

As a result, judges are working through the court’s lengthy docket to try to get through a backlog projected to go to at least 2029, Sharma-Crawford said. — Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026 Social Security’s retirement trust fund is projected to be depleted in 2032, with the combined retirement and disability trust funds exhausted by around 2033 or 2034. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for project

Recent Examples of Synonyms for project

Noun

Alignment on a plan does not rescue a plan that does not compound customer value.

— Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026
The Vikings will use him on special teams and as a game-plan-specific blitzer.

— Alec Lewis, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of plan

Verb

Anything that protrudes above the shallow, insulating snow cover is more prone to being damaged by the cold and wind or eaten by wildlife, said plant ecologist Anne Bjorkman of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
Other animals on-site include a stable full of horses and Cowboy the tortoise, who is about the size of a lawnmower and whose head protrudes from what looks like a Venus flytrap made of bone.

— Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of protrude

Verb

Unsurprisingly, the formulas speak the same language, pairing nourishing, botanical-forward ingredients (like sunflower oil and rosemary extract) with lightweight textures designed to hydrate, smooth, and style without piling on the weight.

— Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 28 Aug. 2026
In the last decade or so, football on every level has implemented rules designed to reduce the type of hits that used to sell the sport, but now would be a penalty or an ejection.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of design

Noun

At its core, Vermejo is a conservation laboratory developing the blueprint for rewilding in North America—the tourism element simply helps to fund it.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Aug. 2026
The 13-track project, which later came with accompanying music videos, became the blueprint for Beyoncé's superstar status after her successful debut studio album became the launchpad.

— Caché McClay, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of blueprint

Verb

Adults’s Gen-Z characters tend to see their comforts as transient, their identities as mutable, and seriousness as an annoying obligation, all of which the second season pokes at a bit.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
Most of what’s actionable comes from the signal that might be poking through.

— Ben Gretch, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of poke

Verb

The e-commerce giant is preparing to launch its Prime Air service in Tracy as part of a broader expansion effort that will bring delivery drones to 500 cities and towns by the end of the year.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Many of the dozens missing in its environs were foreign nationals, chiefly Indian or Indian-origin pilgrims who were returning from, or preparing to make, the journey further into Tibet to Mount Kailash, a holy site for Hindus and Buddhists.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of prepare

Noun

That's a step in the right direction as far as we're concerned, because Jim Cramer has been after Nvidia to institute an Apple-style stock repurchase strategy.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Ahead of her Edinburgh appearance, Lyvers talked to THR about her team’s original content strategy, why ambition and characters are key, Sky’s film slate and how important, or not, franchises and star power are.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of strategy

Verb

His size and length stand out compared to former swing tackle Justin Skule.

— Alec Lewis, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Amid a national cinema that has become internationally recognized for perverse plotting and deadpan absurdism, writer-director Alexis Alexiou‘s third feature stands out for its stark storytelling and earnest emotional intensity.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of stand out

Browse Nearby Words

prohibits

project

projected

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Style

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

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Synonyms of project

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verb

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