VARY Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Some common synonyms of vary are alter , change , and modify . While all these words mean "to make or become different," vary stresses a breaking away from sameness, duplication, or exact repetition. // vary your daily routine

Q: When is 'alter' a more appropriate choice than 'vary'?

While the synonyms alter and vary are close in meaning, alter implies a difference in some particular respect without suggesting loss of identity. // slightly altered the original design

Q: When is it sensible to use 'change' instead of 'vary'?

The words change and vary can be used in similar contexts, but change implies making either an essential difference often amounting to a loss of original identity or a substitution of one thing for another. // changed the shirt for a larger size

Q: When might 'modify' be a better fit than 'vary'?

The synonyms modify and vary are sometimes interchangeable, but modify suggests a difference that limits, restricts, or adapts to a new purpose. // modified the building for use by the disabled

vary

verb

ˈver-ē

Definition of vary next

as in to differ

to be unlike; to not be the same opinions by experts on the subject vary

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to change

to make different in some way varied the method occasionally for the sake of experimentation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to range

to occur within a continuous range of variation the appliance store is offering discounts that vary from 10 to 40 percent, depending upon the brand

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to shift

to pass from one form, state, or level to another terrain that constantly varied as we traveled from the coast to the interior

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of vary are alter, change, and modify. While all these words mean "to make or become different," vary stresses a breaking away from sameness, duplication, or exact repetition.

vary your daily routine

When is alter a more appropriate choice than vary?

While the synonyms alter and vary are close in meaning, alter implies a difference in some particular respect without suggesting loss of identity.

slightly altered the original design

When is it sensible to use change instead of vary?

The words change and vary can be used in similar contexts, but change implies making either an essential difference often amounting to a loss of original identity or a substitution of one thing for another.

changed the shirt for a larger size

When might modify be a better fit than vary?

The synonyms modify and vary are sometimes interchangeable, but modify suggests a difference that limits, restricts, or adapts to a new purpose.

modified the building for use by the disabled

Example 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 vary Even perennials have varying soil needs: some prefer more acid or more alkaline soil, or prefer a wet site or a dry one. —

Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025 Choose stripes in varying sizes and thicknesses, and don’t go overboard with them in your space (pun intended). —

Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Feb. 2025 Choose from 42 colors and sizes 14 through 26, with price varying by size and hue. —

Isabel Garcia, People.com, 1 Feb. 2025 These are difficult shoes to make work (a sort of non-item anchoring an outfit to nothing), which, as anyone who lived through 2016 knows, will also function as a terrarium, in which varying bacteria flourish no matter the podiatric preening involved beforehand. —

Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 31 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for vary

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vary

Verb

At-home genetic screening differs significantly from popular ancestry tests, which focus on tracing heritage or uncovering distant royal connections.

— Kara Markley Sterling, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2025
What will Beef season 2 be about? Road rage will not be at the center of the second season, which will this time around follow dual couples and be a possible indictment on differing social classes.

— Jessica Wang, EW.com, 31 Jan. 2025