TRACE Synonyms: 321 Similar and Opposite Words

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

The words track and vestige are common synonyms of trace . While all three words mean "a perceptible sign made by something that has passed," trace may suggest any line, mark, or discernible effect. // the killer left no traces

Q: When could 'track' be used to replace 'trace'?

The synonyms track and trace are sometimes interchangeable, but track implies a continuous line that can be followed. // the fossilized tracks of dinosaurs

Q: When might 'vestige' be a better fit than 'trace'?

The words vestige and trace can be used in similar contexts, but vestige applies to a tangible reminder such as a fragment or remnant of what is past and gone. // boulders that are vestiges of the last ice age

trace 1 of 2

verb

Definition of trace next

as in to define

to draw or make apparent the outline of trace your hand onto this piece of paper

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to track

to go after or on the track of police traced the burglar back to his apartment, where they discovered a ton of stolen loot

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

trace

2 of 2

noun

ˈtrās

as in trail

a mark or series of marks left on a surface by something that has passed along it the wolf came and went without leaving a trace on the hard, dry ground

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as in road

a passage cleared for public vehicular travel an old trace that dates back to the days of the covered wagon

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as in path

a rough course or way formed by or as if by repeated footsteps stay on the trace, or you'll get lost in these thick woods

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as in relic

a tiny often physical indication of something lost or vanished a ship that appears to have vanished without a trace on the high seas

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as in shred

a very small amount doctors detected only a trace of bacteria in the blood sample but put the patient on antibiotics just in case

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in hint

an almost imperceptible sign of something there didn't seem to be so much as a trace of the truth to anything he said

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in footstep

the mark or impression made by a foot followed the traces of the deer into the deep woods

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word trace distinct from other similar nouns?

The words track and vestige are common synonyms of trace. While all three words mean "a perceptible sign made by something that has passed," trace may suggest any line, mark, or discernible effect.

the killer left no traces

When could track be used to replace trace?

The synonyms track and trace are sometimes interchangeable, but track implies a continuous line that can be followed.

the fossilized tracks of dinosaurs

When might vestige be a better fit than trace?

The words vestige and trace can be used in similar contexts, but vestige applies to a tangible reminder such as a fragment or remnant of what is past and gone.

boulders that are vestiges of the last ice age

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 trace

Verb

The Royal Watcher then traced the parure to Sotheby's Auction in Geneva, Switzerland, where it was sold for £55,357 in May 1993. —

Rachel Raposas, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025 Nothing is imminent – and much of it can be traced back to the lofty asking prices from San Diego executive A.J. Preller. —

Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 1 Feb. 2025

Noun

More News: Jimmie Johnson Reaches Legacy Motor Club Milestone With Ownership Update The roots of this humorous feud trace back to O'Neal's remarks about Johnson's long history with the Daytona 500, having made 22 attempts. —

Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 1 Feb. 2025 But traces have been found in earthenware pots dating to this period. —

Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for trace

Recent Examples of Synonyms for trace

Verb

The 2025 summit in Paris, governments and AI companies agreed at the time, would be the place to define red-lines for AI: risk thresholds that would require mitigations at the international level.

— Billy Perrigo/Paris, TIME, 11 Feb. 2025
All of that information goes into the agency’s computers, which process the data to begin defining what’s going on in different parts of the atmosphere.

— Christine Wiedinmyer, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2025