DISCARD Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'discard' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of discard are cast , junk , scrap , shed , and slough . While all these words mean "to get rid of," discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless. // discard old clothes

Q: Where would 'cast' be a reasonable alternative to 'discard'?

The words cast and discard can be used in similar contexts, but cast , especially when used with off, away , or out , implies a forceful rejection or repudiation. // cast off her friends

Q: How are the words 'scrap' and 'junk' related as synonyms of 'discard'?

Both scrap and junk imply throwing away or breaking up as worthless in existent form. // scrap all the old ways // would junk our educational system

Q: How do 'shed' and 'slough' relate to one another, in the sense of 'discard'?

Shed and slough imply a throwing off of something both useless and encumbering and often suggest a consequent renewal of vitality or luster. // shed a bad habit // finally sloughed off the depression

discard 1 of 2

noun

ˈdis-ˌkärd

Definition of discard next

as in reject

something separated from a group or lot for not being as good as the others toss all of your discards in the garbage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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discard

2 of 2

verb

dis-ˈkärd

as in to dump

to get rid of as useless or unwanted discard an old, torn sweater

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word discard different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of discard are cast, junk, scrap, shed, and slough. While all these words mean "to get rid of," discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless.

discard old clothes

Where would cast be a reasonable alternative to discard?

The words cast and discard can be used in similar contexts, but cast, especially when used with off, away, or out, implies a forceful rejection or repudiation.

cast off her friends

How are the words scrap and junk related as synonyms of discard?

Both scrap and junk imply throwing away or breaking up as worthless in existent form.

scrap all the old ways

would junk our educational system

How do shed and slough relate to one another, in the sense of discard?

Shed and slough imply a throwing off of something both useless and encumbering and often suggest a consequent renewal of vitality or luster.

shed a bad habit

finally sloughed off the depression

Examples 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 discard

Noun

Natural fibers, which can be grown in the U.S., are easier to recycle or reuse, with textile-to-textile recycling schemes already scaling that facilitate the regeneration of fibers from post-consumer discards and industrial textile waste. —

Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 6 Sep. 2024 As a young man in the 1990s, walking to school in New Delhi, Anant Sudarshan would watch the vultures perched along telephone wires, waiting for the discards of nearby leather tanning factories. —

Dylan Scott, Vox, 2 Aug. 2024

Verb

Cans that are not swollen but have thawed out are also unsafe and should be discarded, per USDA. —

Cailey Gleeson, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2025 The restaurant had lukewarm rice that had to be discarded, the report said. —

Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for discard

Recent Examples of Synonyms for discard

Noun

Led by the foul-mouthed and fouler-smelling Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), the team of rejects consists of River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung), Louisa Guy (Rosalind Eleazar) and Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves) among others including newcomer, J.K. Coe (Thomas Brooke).

— Erik Kain, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
The true stab here isn’t just that Donald lied to Roy on his deathbed, or that Donald would so callously reject the friend who turned him from an outer-borough reject into a mover and shaker within Manhattan.

— Constance Grady, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018