SPEAKING UP Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

speaking up 1 of 2

adjective

as in speaking out

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Dissimilar Words

speaking up

2 of 2

verb

present participle of speak up

as in spouting (off)

to voice one's opinions freely with force she's never been afraid to speak up at town meetings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 speaking up

Verb

Research on frontline employees' voice in healthcare shows that speaking up is not enough; ideas need processes that carry them toward implementation. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Part of it is that more women are speaking up about hair loss, shrugging off the stigma and reaching out for help. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Aug. 2026 She's become an outspoken advocate against the plant, speaking up at city meetings and leading the Safe and Sound Coalition as its director. — Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 Fortunately, there are other voices speaking up — and good reason to think that voters are listening. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026 Spotting a pair of smart glasses can require tech-savvy security staff, and enforcement may depend on users voluntarily disclosing their devices—or on watchful observers speaking up. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026 City official calls removal ‘unnecessary escalation’ As the meeting continued, another attendee called Miller’s removal from the chambers disappointing and shameful to see someone who was speaking up thrown to the ground. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026 But when Cunningham said women’s sports should be for women, speaking up suddenly became the problem. — Jonathan Alpert Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026 Imtiaz stresses that with any form of treatment, speaking up quickly about any concerns is essential. — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for speaking up

Adjective

The protagonist is highly vocal, frequently engaging in quips and banter.

— Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 29 Aug. 2026
Layered background sighs, a resonant lead vocal, autumnal acoustic guitar flickers, synths both eerie and trippy—James has all his tricks on tap.

— Ryan Leas, Pitchfork, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of vocal

Verb

As the lone Democratic commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, Anna Gomez has been in the unique position of speaking out on some of the agency’s biggest decisions and even publicly urging Disney to fight back against the FCC.

— Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
Davis has been speaking out about the killing for nearly two decades.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of speaking out

Verb

My colleague Bruce Feldman has been talking up the Wolfpack all offseason, due in large part to stud QB CJ Bailey and RB Duke Scott, who had 947 all-purpose yards as a freshman.

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Fujiyama spent a chunk of our interview talking up investments in Europe’s defense sector, where Carlyle sees a €9 trillion opportunity.

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of talking up

Verb

Or perhaps, in this case, at roughly 190 mph with the throttle buried and someone shouting into a radio.

— Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Video showed locals draped in Spanish flags, shouting anti-migrant slogans, and singing Spanish songs, torching the camp and throwing migrants’ belongings in the Mediterranean or into bonfires.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of shouting

Verb

When a small raptor center in Southern California began caring for the most famous bald eagle on Earth, the keyboard veterinarians started piping up.

— Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
Younger Republican voters and GOP contrarians are piping up to challenge the broad consensus in the Republican Party that has been in lockstep with policy on Israel.

— Kristina Karisch, The Hill, 19 Aug. 2025

Definition of piping up

Verb

Influencers like Paige Paul (née Lorenze) have been sounding off in Four Winds Craft Guild’s comments, trying to frame the argument as a feminist one.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 29 July 2026
His inconsistencies were glaring, sounding off alarm bells about whether Drury had made a miscalculation.

— Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 21 July 2026