KNELL Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

knell 1 of 2

verb

Definition of knell

as in to ring

to make the clear sound heard when metal vibrates the church bells knelled to mark the death of the nation's beloved leader

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

knell

2 of 2

noun

as in peal

Related Words

as in indicator

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 knell

Noun

What’s more, Reid and Sherrell said, condescension from medical providers over cultural beliefs or practices can be a death knell for public health. — Cara Kelly, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026 The job loss alone might be a death knell for the Hollywood community, which Los Angeles County estimates could be in the thousands. — Mike Schur, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026 Experts suggest this isn't a death knell for American and European firms, who are strategically focusing on product refinement and reliability before mass scaling, aiming for sustainable market entry rather than rapid, potentially flawed, volume. — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026 For a big-market, win-now team like the Sparks, mediocrity is a death knell. — Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for knell

Recent Examples of Synonyms for knell

Verb

When deputies got to the home on West 4th North Street, what sounded like a gunshot rang out from the residence.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 9 Oct. 2026
One floor up from the lobby, on the floor of the exchange, Skydance CEO David Ellison, co-CEO Ynon Kreiz and the entire senior leadership team gathered to ring the opening bell.

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of ring

Noun

One of the more surreal responses to that experience is applause, which ripples through the audience of Paranormal Activity a beat after all the major scares, like rain settling in after a peal of thunder.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
Assuming the role of a human clapper, Holzinger struck its lip again and again, sending a sonorous peal across the Biennale grounds.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026

Definition of peal

Noun

The index is a weighted sum of six sub-indices that are derived from Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) data, PMI comments trackers and PMI commodity price and supply indicators that are compiled by S&P Global.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
The broad market's rise lifted some components of the S & P 500 – notably a few energy stocks – into overbought territory, based on the relative strength index (RSI), a momentum indicator that tracks the velocity and size of price changes.

— Tobias Burns, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of indicator

Verb

Despite being published nearly fifty years later, Love Days tolls the same alarm bells as The Story of Avis.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
Church bells tolled across the country when Leo’s charter flight landed at Paris’ Orly airport, and more than a million people are expected to turn out to see him.

— Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of toll

Noun

The aerospace company, led by Elon Musk, struck a deal to acquire a nationwide low-band spectrum that will advance Starlink’s wireless capabilities by enabling the signal to pass through walls and other obstacles.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
Duhamel and Asprey also discussed the FDA’s black box warning on testosterone, which has been in place since the 1970s and signals that a drug could cause serious harm.

— Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of signal

Verb

Bruce Blakeman, the Republican challenger in the gubernatorial race, also chimed on Mamdani's statement.

— Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
The loud-mouthed cameos from ex-soccer players Zlatan Ibrahimović and Eric Cantona in Nike’s World Cup hero film Rip the Script were indicative of this, chiming with an older, more arrogant vision of Nike seen in the ’90s and the aughts.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of chime

Noun

Cloudy chords, meditative tintinnabulation, the whoosh of wind and rain, blocks of iridescent brass — all these discrete sonorities trundled by, like a train of boxcars with panoramas painted on their sides.

— Justin Davidson, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
Shivaree, chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, apopemptic.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2021

Definition of tintinnabulation

Browse Nearby Words

kneesocks

knell

knelled

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Knell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knell. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of knell

verb

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

deportment

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes