observance

Other forms of observance

plural

observances·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about observance

What does observance mean?

observance means "the act of observing; taking a patient look". That is the primary sense; the word has 4 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in observance?

observance has 3 syllables: ob-ser-vance. The stress falls on "ser". In IPA it is /əbˈzɝvəns/.

What is another word for observance?

Close synonyms include observation, watching, ceremony, ceremonial, ceremonial occasion. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

What is the opposite of observance?

The recorded antonyms are nonobservance.

Is observance a common word?

observance is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.