Define and Find 3 Words Similar to and Opposite of Your One Word for 2025
{One Word 2025 March Linkup}
Our March linkup is here for your One Word posts! Scroll down to link blog posts about your word or to share a comment about it.
Your One Word has more depth than you might think—let’s approach it from 3 different angles this month! This simple yet powerful exercise can give you fresh insight into your word so it can continue shaping your year.
Step 1: DEFINE IT
Look up your word in the dictionary. Does it have multiple meanings? Which one resonates most for your use this year? Are there meanings you hadn’t considered before?
The definition that most resonates with me of my word Ripple is: “a particular feeling or effect that spreads through someone or something.”
Step 2: SAME AS
Find some synonyms for your word. If you had to pick a backup word from this list, which would you choose? Why?
My alternate choice would likely be Flow. Other synonyms that resonate with me are: Wave, Vibrate, and Motion.
Step 3: OPPOSITE OF
Now, look up antonyms. Sometimes understanding what your word is not can help you understand what it is. What opposite stands out to you about your word? Why?
Opposites for Ripple include: Flatten, Withdraw, and Straighten. These words show me that Ripple involves action and motion.
Here is the One Word sheet I filled out for Ripple.
You can download your own two-page “My One Word” here.
Today’s March linkup will remain open for two weeks from Tuesday, March 25, through Tuesday, April 8.
Our April linkup begins on Friday, April 25. We’ll have new challenges and a linkup on the 25th of each month throughout 2025—mark your calendars.
What are some definitions, synonyms, or antonyms of your One Word? How are you staying connected with your One Word for 2025? Please leave a comment here.
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Your antonyms are perfect to remind us all that with our living for Christ our lives are dull, boring , and flat.
Life is definitely not boring or flat if we’re staying present in it!
Great prompt again, Lisa.
My synonyms are: convinced, trust, creedence.
My antonyms are: doubt, distrust, scepticism.
<3
Thanks for sharing these, Donna. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what “faith” actually means, and seeing these synonyms for Believe go right along with my thoughts.
Thanks, Lisa, for the great idea of looking at our word this way!
I hope this exercise gives you some great insights for Abide!
This is a great way to look at our word of the year in a different way Lisa. Listen to me means – hear with intention. Similar words are perceive, hear out and opposites could be blur, skew, exclude, miss.
Thanks for the ideas.
I love that you add “intention” to your definition because often I can physically hear a sound, but to really listen, I have to be intentionally aware. “Blur” is a great antonym…gives me something to think about. Thanks for sharing these, Debbie!
What a great exercise Lisa! I’m going to have fun with it.
blessings, Jennifer
Good! I’ve enjoyed reading how you are Exploring this year. 🙂
This was a fun exercise after the first quarter of our One Word journey, Lisa. Prayer synonyms are appeal, request, entreaty, and intercession. Prayer antonyms are chant, demand, and litany.
Thanks for sharing these here, Lisa. The antonyms in particular are striking and give me reason to pause and think more. It’s funny how looking at things backwards can sometimes shine a new light on a concept.
I really like your word “ripple” Lisa. I like how it looks, how it sounds, and how rolls our lips and tongues when we say it out loud! 🙂 Assured, positive, and poised are a few synonyms of my word “confident” that I am drawn to.
I suppose Ripple is an onomatopoeia – I hadn’t really considered that before, so thanks for pointing it out here, Lynn! I’m glad you shared some synonyms here for Confident. I’ve noticed lately that confidence has been coming up lately in conversations I’ve been in, so I’m taking a minute today to sit here with these synonyms you’ve listed….
You always make me think!
It’s interesting to me how the old experiments with words can become new each year when we have a new word to work with!
My WOTY is STOIC. Not the stiff upper lip or uncomplaining definition but rooted in the philosophy of stoicism & its 4 core values of wisdom (common sense), fairness (contribute to society), courage (perseverance & authenticity), moderation (self-discipline/forgiveness of self & others). Embodies spirituality, transience, orderliness, introspection, community. Embraces life in all its elements, including death.
synonyms: self-controlled, regulated, patient
antonyms: over-reactive, unregulated, impatient
Stoic is a great word of the year! Stoicism has been having quite a comeback and for good reason. Those 4 core values are such worthy ones. Thanks for sharing all about it here!