root 1 of 2

1
2
as in origin
the source from which something grows or develops one would need to go back at least several hundred years to find the root of the entrenched hostility between the neighboring nations

Synonyms & Similar Words

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root

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word root distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of root are inception, origin, and source. While all these words mean "the point at which something begins its course or existence," root suggests a first, ultimate, or fundamental source often not easily discerned.

the real root of the violence

When would inception be a good substitute for root?

While the synonyms inception and root are close in meaning, inception stresses the beginning of something without implying causes.

the business has been a success since its inception

When is it sensible to use origin instead of root?

The synonyms origin and root are sometimes interchangeable, but origin applies to the things or persons from which something is ultimately derived and often to the causes operating before the thing itself comes into being.

an investigation into the origin of baseball

Where would source be a reasonable alternative to root?

In some situations, the words source and root are roughly equivalent. However, source applies more often to the point where something springs into being.

the source of the Nile
the source of recurrent trouble

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 root
Noun
The director thrives on these kinds of connections, planting her themes like a tree whose roots spread deeper and wider as the movie progresses. Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025 Another reason to prune later is because the dead foliage benefits the roots by providing insulation during the winter. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
By rooting the fair in a city with deep but underrecognized Black cultural traditions, the Bacons have shifted national attention toward the Midwest. Okla Jones, Essence, 30 Aug. 2025 The result is rooted, no surprise here, in family. Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for root
Recent Examples of Synonyms for root
Noun
  • The Tesla is registered to 20-year-old David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, according to a senior LAPD source.
    Alex Stone, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2025
  • During more than two hours of testimony, journalist Michael Shellenberger testified that sources had informed him that intelligence communities are in possession of numerous high-resolution photos and videos of the craft unlike any of the grainy imagery that has so far been declassified.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • And because of its higher-level academic origins, the majority of voters on either side of its function would likely struggle to define it.
    John Scott Lewinski, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The missions will each focus on different effects of the solar wind and space weather, from their origins at the Sun to their farthest reaches billions of miles away at the edge of our Solar System.
    Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • And with the foundation laid, Flowers is eager for the Golden Bulls to make that next leap.
    Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The West Virginia man set up a foundation that built two churches in his home state and gave food, clothing and scholarships to local students, according to a 2020 New York Times obituary.
    Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Get the recipe > Saveur’s editor at large Shane Mitchell shared these Southern-style pancakes, which get their subtle chew from fresh corn kernels.
    SAVEUR Editors, Saveur, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Here, however, the child offers a kernel to his mother.
    Demir Alp, JSTOR Daily, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Splunk’s new approach embeds agentic AI directly into Splunk Observability Cloud and Splunk AppDynamics, which continuously analyzes telemetry, flags anomalies, diagnoses root causes and recommends fixes.
    Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • All this plays out against the Borg’s family home in Oslo, an old-world cottage that looks sprung from a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, but holding generations of memories and trauma, embedded in its walls.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • However, looking deep into these swirling cradles of planet formation has always been tricky.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2025
  • That success reshaped global conservation practice and earned the park its reputation as the cradle of rhino conservation.
    Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The bill replaces the state’s once-a-year test with three shorter exams, to be given at the beginning, middle and end of the school year.
    Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Sep. 2025
  • From the very beginning of launching her brand, Mutayo set her sights on the world stage.
    Ugonnaora Owoh, Essence, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • However, amid the confusion of new strains, changing vaccine guidelines and cuts to vaccine development funding, the CDC continues to track cases, hospitalizations and deaths on a weekly basis.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
  • So is this a call to get your hsCRP levels checked on a regular basis?
    Sarah Garone, Health, 9 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Root.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/root. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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