as in oh
how surprising, doubtful, or unbelievable
why, what a strange thing to say! why, that's not possible!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in reason
something (as a belief) that serves as the basis for another thing
asked the whys behind the surprising decision
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in mystery
something hard to understand or explain
how one decides that a certain person is "the one" is one of the great whys of life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of why
Filip Bondy, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2017
BostonGlobe.com, 23 Oct. 2019
Worst of all, the cult of lethality attempts to divorce the how of killing from the why, an insane proposition given that military force is deployed in the service of political outcomes.
—Jared Keller, The New Republic, 9 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for why
Interjection
Why, oh why, do the Rangers keep throwing away almost certain victories in the final minutes of playoff games?
—Filip Bondy, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2017
Noun
Not everyone may want to abandon teaching manners altogether, but these insights do suggest rethinking our approach, focusing as much on the why of courtesy as the how.
—BostonGlobe.com, 23 Oct. 2019
Worst of all, the cult of lethality attempts to divorce the how of killing from the why, an insane proposition given that military force is deployed in the service of political outcomes.
—Jared Keller, The New Republic, 9 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for why
Recent Examples of Synonyms for why
Interjection
-
For oh so long, Edward Cabrera has flashed tantalizing talent with the Miami Marlins.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
25 Feb. 2025
-
And people have said, oh, this is a constitutional crisis.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
According to sources, a license-fee increase sought by the Academy is the main reason the two sides are coming out of the exclusive negotiating period without a new deal.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Here are key reasons why resilience is vital for outsourcing operations: Ensures Business Continuity: Resilient models enable uninterrupted services during unexpected disruptions through contingency planning and distributed backup capabilities.—
Mit Somaiya,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But what remains a mystery is why some haven’t discovered this neo-noir gem yet.—
Randy Myers,
The Mercury News,
7 Mar. 2025
-
There needs to be a little bit of mystery left, right?—
Alison Edmond,
The Hollywood Reporter,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Authorities did not disclose what led them to suspect Juarez-Perez, or a motive for the slaying.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Police have not commented on a motive for the shooting, but security camera video from Slappy’s Express Car Wash appears to show the two gunmen targeted Sibley.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Mar. 2025
Interjection
-
And hey, the whole ordeal might actually help Hub reconnect with his family, so there’s a silver lining to all this blood and guts.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Sarasota Magazine called it worth the 50-mile drive; hey, the Carolinas are not that much further away, right?—
Melissa Oyler,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Mar. 2025
Interjection
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Anyway, diffusion LLMs seem to handle this with ease (well, the research is still tentative, so don’t bank on this just yet).—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
-
As their name suggests, supermassive black holes are, well, very massive—most are more than one million times the mass of our sun.—
Brian Handwerk,
Smithsonian Magazine,
7 Mar. 2025
Interjection
-
Well, gee, does Florida have to lead the United States in ridiculous?—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
8 Nov. 2024
-
With this approach, some jokes land firmly, some flop, some coast on everything else being funny and some start to annoy you because, gee, isn’t anybody ever taking anything seriously?—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
9 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Why.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/why. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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