Loading page
direction has 15 distinct synonyms spread across 7 of its 9 senses. Each sense below keeps its own list, because a synonym belongs to a meaning and not to a word: swapping one sense's substitute into another sense's sentence is how a thesaurus makes writing worse. WordNet records no antonym for it — antonymy is a relation between word forms rather than concepts, so it is deliberately sparse.
Counts are distinct word forms across every sense. A synonym that appears under three senses is counted once here and shown three times below, under each sense it belongs to.
the spatial relation between something and the course along which it points or moves
“he checked the direction and velocity of the wind”
a general course along which something has a tendency to develop
“I couldn't follow the direction of his thoughts”
something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action
the act of managing something
“he was given overall management of the program”
a message describing how something is to be done
“he gave directions faster than she could follow them”
the act of setting and holding a course
“a new council was installed under the direction of the king”
a formal statement of a command or injunction to do something
“the judge's charge to the jury”
the concentration of attention or energy on something
“the focus of activity shifted to molecular biology”
Synonyms, antonyms and the broader and narrower relations for direction come from Princeton University’s WordNet. Full sources and licences.