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

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 trace

Verb

The group’s roots can be traced to 2004, when an Iraqi extremist network led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi merged with al-Qaeda to form ISIS’s predecessor group, al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). —

Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 3 Jan. 2025 The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the guns were traced back to Livelsberger, who lawfully purchased them on Dec. 30. —

Tom Winter, NBC News, 2 Jan. 2025

Noun

Rather, art is often a conduit for or a trace of the collective generosity, solidarity, and compassion that provide those in need with care, respite, and dignity. —

Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2025 Sky Harbor International Airport recorded only trace amounts — an amount of precipitation so small it cannot be accurately measured — through the entirety of the fall season. —

Hayleigh Evans, Arizona Republic, 30 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for trace

Recent Examples of Synonyms for trace

Verb

But if the guitar hasn’t always been a central player in jazz, the best guitarists have usually had both the challenge and the advantage of having to define their own relationships to the genre.

Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
This evolution will also depend on advanced GPS/GNSS testing tools that simulate both normal and spoofed GPS signals with high accuracy to define new test parameters.

Eric Updyke, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025