Synonyms of why

why 1 of 2

interjection

as in oh

how surprising, doubtful, or unbelievable

why, what a strange thing to say!

why, that's not possible!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• oh
• no
• what
• hey
• well
• gee
• indeed
• ha
• hello
• ah
• my word
• aha
• pshaw
• come on
• there
• fie
• pooh
• fiddlesticks
• lo
• whoops
• gee whiz
• phooey
• woops
• ugh
• the devil
• oops
• (the) deuce
• the dickens
• gad
• egad
• gadzooks
• zounds

why

2 of 2

noun

1

as in reason

something (as a belief) that serves as the basis for another thing

asked the whys behind the surprising decision

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reason
• motive
• grounds
• subject
• wherefore
• cause
• authority
• consideration
• account
• impetus
• incentive
• occasion
• stimulus
• inspiration
• antecedent
• instigation

2

as in mystery

something hard to understand or explain

how one decides that a certain person is "the one" is one of the great whys of life

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mystery
• enigma
• conundrum
• puzzle
• problem
• riddle
• secret
• puzzlement
• closed book
• matter
• mystification
• challenge
• head-scratcher
• perplexity
• case
• trouble
• poser
• stumper
• brainteaser
• knot

Examples of why in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Interjection

Noun

Worst of all, the cult of lethality attempts to divorce the how of killing from the why, an insane proposition given that military force is deployed in the service of political outcomes. —Jared Keller, The New Republic, 9 Sep. 2019

And the why is that it’s, unfortunately, human nature that has presented itself in so many, many ways. —Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 13 July 2018