OFFICE Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'office' distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of office are duty , function , and province . While all these words mean "the acts or operations expected of a person or thing," office is typically applied to the function or service associated with a trade or profession or a special relationship to others. // they exercise the offices of the judge, the priest, the counsellor — W. E. Gladstone

Q: In what contexts can 'duty' take the place of 'office'?

While the synonyms duty and office are close in meaning, duty applies to a task or responsibility imposed by one's occupation, rank, status, or calling. // it is the judicial duty of the court, to examine the whole case — R. B. Taney

Q: When is it sensible to use 'function' instead of 'office'?

While in some cases nearly identical to office , function implies a definite end or purpose or a particular kind of work. // the function of language is two-fold: to communicate emotion and to give information — Aldous Huxley

Q: When could 'province' be used to replace 'office'?

The meanings of province and office largely overlap; however, province applies to a function, office, or duty that naturally or logically falls to one. // I felt it was not my province to inquire — Anne Brontë

office

noun

ˈä-fəs

Definition of office next

as in department

a large unit of a governmental, business, or educational organization the company's main office is in Atlanta

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in duty

something one must do because of prior agreement one of the chief offices of a friend is to be there in someone's hour of need

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word office distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of office are duty, function, and province. While all these words mean "the acts or operations expected of a person or thing," office is typically applied to the function or service associated with a trade or profession or a special relationship to others.

they exercise the offices of the judge, the priest, the counsellor — W. E. Gladstone

In what contexts can duty take the place of office?

While the synonyms duty and office are close in meaning, duty applies to a task or responsibility imposed by one's occupation, rank, status, or calling.

it is the judicial duty of the court, to examine the whole case — R. B. Taney

When is it sensible to use function instead of office?

While in some cases nearly identical to office, function implies a definite end or purpose or a particular kind of work.

the function of language is two-fold: to communicate emotion and to give information — Aldous Huxley

When could province be used to replace office?

The meanings of province and office largely overlap; however, province applies to a function, office, or duty that naturally or logically falls to one.

I felt it was not my province to inquire — Anne Brontë

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 office After Trump left office in 2021, Miller became president of America First Legal, a group that joined Republican state attorneys general to derail President Joe Biden’s border policies and plans. —

Elliot Spagat, The Denver Post, 12 Nov. 2024 Stemler, a public corruption prosecutor at the San Bernardino District Attorney’s office, said the district needs to improve student test scores and boost parent involvement. —

Alexcia Negrete, Orange County Register, 12 Nov. 2024 And Steve Mullin, an investigator for the Carroll County Prosecutor's Office, returned to the stand. —

Ron Wilkins, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Nov. 2024 For remote workers, there’s an office in the house; and those in need of a quick sweat will appreciate the outdoor gym. —

Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for office

Recent Examples of Synonyms for office

Noun

But then hours later, the sheriff's department went back to the family's home near the North Carolina border, where Patterson was handcuffed, arrested, booked on suspicion of reckless conduct and forced to post $500 bail.

David K. Li, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
Although the exact dates of its arrival and discovery are unclear, the penny-sized bit of rock somehow found its way into a Purdue University biology department desk drawer, where faculty uncovered it in 1929.

Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024