PROTEST Synonyms: 182 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'protest' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of protest are affirm , assert , avow , and declare . While all these words mean "to state positively usually in anticipation of denial or objection," protest emphasizes affirming in the face of denial or doubt. // protested that he really had been misquoted

Q: When can 'affirm' be used instead of 'protest'?

The synonyms affirm and protest are sometimes interchangeable, but affirm implies conviction based on evidence, experience, or faith. // affirmed the existence of an afterlife

Q: When would 'assert' be a good substitute for 'protest'?

While in some cases nearly identical to protest , assert implies stating confidently without need for proof or regard for evidence. // asserted that modern music is just noise

Q: When is 'avow' a more appropriate choice than 'protest'?

The words avow and protest can be used in similar contexts, but avow stresses frank declaration and acknowledgment of personal responsibility for what is declared. // avowed that all investors would be repaid in full

Q: When is it sensible to use 'declare' instead of 'protest'?

Although the words declare and protest have much in common, declare stresses open or public statement. // declared her support for the candidate

protest 1 of 2

noun

ˈprō-ˌtest

Definition of protest next

as in objection

a feeling or declaration of disapproval or dissent submitted an official protest about her treatment

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

protest

2 of 2

verb

prə-ˈtest

as in to insist

to state as a fact usually forcefully he protested that he usually was very good at baseball, and all the strikeouts were just bad luck

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to object

to present an opposing opinion or argument plans to protest against the judge's ruling regarding admissible evidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word protest distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of protest are affirm, assert, avow, and declare. While all these words mean "to state positively usually in anticipation of denial or objection," protest emphasizes affirming in the face of denial or doubt.

protested that he really had been misquoted

When can affirm be used instead of protest?

The synonyms affirm and protest are sometimes interchangeable, but affirm implies conviction based on evidence, experience, or faith.

affirmed the existence of an afterlife

When would assert be a good substitute for protest?

While in some cases nearly identical to protest, assert implies stating confidently without need for proof or regard for evidence.

asserted that modern music is just noise

When is avow a more appropriate choice than protest?

The words avow and protest can be used in similar contexts, but avow stresses frank declaration and acknowledgment of personal responsibility for what is declared.

avowed that all investors would be repaid in full

When is it sensible to use declare instead of protest?

Although the words declare and protest have much in common, declare stresses open or public statement.

declared her support for the candidate

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 protest

Noun

In December, trans rights activists with the Gender Liberation Movement (GLM) including Raquel Willis, Chelsea Manning, and more than a dozen others were arrested during a bathroom sit-in protest across from Johnson’s office decrying the bathroom ban. —

Samantha Riedel, Them, 8 Jan. 2025 The announcement in Minneapolis comes after the Justice Department reached a similar agreement in Louisville, Kentucky, where the 2020 police killing of Breonna Taylor sparked major protests. —

N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025

Verb

In fact, three G.O.P. state legislators who narrowly lost their races also protested the results. —

Eduardo Medina, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025 AfD previously protested the build-out of Tesla’s electric vehicle factory outside Berlin, in part because the factory would provide jobs to people who were not German citizens. —

Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for protest

Recent Examples of Synonyms for protest

Noun

The film has been criticized for trafficking in clichés and gender stereotypes, for equating transitioning with death, for presenting it as a kind of moral redemption, for making older cisgender audiences feel virtuous by endorsing it, among other objections.

Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2025
And appeals courts have upheld the gag order over Trump’s First Amendment objections.

Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 10 Jan. 2025