now synonym essay

Related Words and Phrases

Bottom_desktop desktop:[300x250].

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Synonyms and antonyms of now in English

• WITHOUT DELAY OR WAITING

Synonyms and examples

Antonym and example, now | american thesaurus.

Word of the Day

not a living soul

Hidden in plain sight: words and phrases connected with hiding

Learn more with +Plus

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
• English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
• English–Dutch Dutch–English
• English–French French–English
• English–German German–English
• English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
• English–Italian Italian–English
• English–Japanese Japanese–English
• English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
• English–Polish Polish–English
• English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
• English–Spanish Spanish–English
• English–Swedish Swedish–English
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists

To add ${headword} to a word list please sign up or log in.

Add ${headword} to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{message}}

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.

Places on our 2024 summer school are filling fast. Don’t miss out. Enrol now to avoid disappointment

• 40 Useful Words and Phrases for Top-Notch Essays

To be truly brilliant, an essay needs to utilise the right language. You could make a great point, but if it’s not intelligently articulated, you almost needn’t have bothered.

Developing the language skills to build an argument and to write persuasively is crucial if you’re to write outstanding essays every time. In this article, we’re going to equip you with the words and phrases you need to write a top-notch essay, along with examples of how to utilise them.

It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and there will often be other ways of using the words and phrases we describe that we won’t have room to include, but there should be more than enough below to help you make an instant improvement to your essay-writing skills.

If you’re interested in developing your language and persuasive skills, Oxford Royale offers summer courses at its Oxford Summer School , Cambridge Summer School , London Summer School , San Francisco Summer School and Yale Summer School . You can study courses to learn english , prepare for careers in law , medicine , business , engineering and leadership.

General explaining

Let’s start by looking at language for general explanations of complex points.

1. In order to

Usage: “In order to” can be used to introduce an explanation for the purpose of an argument. Example: “In order to understand X, we need first to understand Y.”

2. In other words

Usage: Use “in other words” when you want to express something in a different way (more simply), to make it easier to understand, or to emphasise or expand on a point. Example: “Frogs are amphibians. In other words, they live on the land and in the water.”

3. To put it another way

Usage: This phrase is another way of saying “in other words”, and can be used in particularly complex points, when you feel that an alternative way of wording a problem may help the reader achieve a better understanding of its significance. Example: “Plants rely on photosynthesis. To put it another way, they will die without the sun.”

4. That is to say

Usage: “That is” and “that is to say” can be used to add further detail to your explanation, or to be more precise. Example: “Whales are mammals. That is to say, they must breathe air.”

5. To that end

Usage: Use “to that end” or “to this end” in a similar way to “in order to” or “so”. Example: “Zoologists have long sought to understand how animals communicate with each other. To that end, a new study has been launched that looks at elephant sounds and their possible meanings.”

Adding additional information to support a point

Students often make the mistake of using synonyms of “and” each time they want to add further information in support of a point they’re making, or to build an argument . Here are some cleverer ways of doing this.

6. Moreover

Usage: Employ “moreover” at the start of a sentence to add extra information in support of a point you’re making. Example: “Moreover, the results of a recent piece of research provide compelling evidence in support of…”

7. Furthermore

Usage:This is also generally used at the start of a sentence, to add extra information. Example: “Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that…”

8. What’s more

Usage: This is used in the same way as “moreover” and “furthermore”. Example: “What’s more, this isn’t the only evidence that supports this hypothesis.”

9. Likewise

Usage: Use “likewise” when you want to talk about something that agrees with what you’ve just mentioned. Example: “Scholar A believes X. Likewise, Scholar B argues compellingly in favour of this point of view.”

10. Similarly

Usage: Use “similarly” in the same way as “likewise”. Example: “Audiences at the time reacted with shock to Beethoven’s new work, because it was very different to what they were used to. Similarly, we have a tendency to react with surprise to the unfamiliar.”

11. Another key thing to remember

Usage: Use the phrase “another key point to remember” or “another key fact to remember” to introduce additional facts without using the word “also”. Example: “As a Romantic, Blake was a proponent of a closer relationship between humans and nature. Another key point to remember is that Blake was writing during the Industrial Revolution, which had a major impact on the world around him.”

12. As well as

Usage: Use “as well as” instead of “also” or “and”. Example: “Scholar A argued that this was due to X, as well as Y.”

13. Not only… but also

Usage: This wording is used to add an extra piece of information, often something that’s in some way more surprising or unexpected than the first piece of information. Example: “Not only did Edmund Hillary have the honour of being the first to reach the summit of Everest, but he was also appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.”

14. Coupled with

Usage: Used when considering two or more arguments at a time. Example: “Coupled with the literary evidence, the statistics paint a compelling view of…”

15. Firstly, secondly, thirdly…

Usage: This can be used to structure an argument, presenting facts clearly one after the other. Example: “There are many points in support of this view. Firstly, X. Secondly, Y. And thirdly, Z.

16. Not to mention/to say nothing of

Usage: “Not to mention” and “to say nothing of” can be used to add extra information with a bit of emphasis. Example: “The war caused unprecedented suffering to millions of people, not to mention its impact on the country’s economy.”

Words and phrases for demonstrating contrast

When you’re developing an argument, you will often need to present contrasting or opposing opinions or evidence – “it could show this, but it could also show this”, or “X says this, but Y disagrees”. This section covers words you can use instead of the “but” in these examples, to make your writing sound more intelligent and interesting.

17. However

Usage: Use “however” to introduce a point that disagrees with what you’ve just said. Example: “Scholar A thinks this. However, Scholar B reached a different conclusion.”

18. On the other hand

Usage: Usage of this phrase includes introducing a contrasting interpretation of the same piece of evidence, a different piece of evidence that suggests something else, or an opposing opinion. Example: “The historical evidence appears to suggest a clear-cut situation. On the other hand, the archaeological evidence presents a somewhat less straightforward picture of what happened that day.”

19. Having said that

Usage: Used in a similar manner to “on the other hand” or “but”. Example: “The historians are unanimous in telling us X, an agreement that suggests that this version of events must be an accurate account. Having said that, the archaeology tells a different story.”

20. By contrast/in comparison

Usage: Use “by contrast” or “in comparison” when you’re comparing and contrasting pieces of evidence. Example: “Scholar A’s opinion, then, is based on insufficient evidence. By contrast, Scholar B’s opinion seems more plausible.”

21. Then again

Usage: Use this to cast doubt on an assertion. Example: “Writer A asserts that this was the reason for what happened. Then again, it’s possible that he was being paid to say this.”

22. That said

Usage: This is used in the same way as “then again”. Example: “The evidence ostensibly appears to point to this conclusion. That said, much of the evidence is unreliable at best.”

Usage: Use this when you want to introduce a contrasting idea. Example: “Much of scholarship has focused on this evidence. Yet not everyone agrees that this is the most important aspect of the situation.”

Adding a proviso or acknowledging reservations

Sometimes, you may need to acknowledge a shortfalling in a piece of evidence, or add a proviso. Here are some ways of doing so.

24. Despite this

Usage: Use “despite this” or “in spite of this” when you want to outline a point that stands regardless of a shortfalling in the evidence. Example: “The sample size was small, but the results were important despite this.”

25. With this in mind

Usage: Use this when you want your reader to consider a point in the knowledge of something else. Example: “We’ve seen that the methods used in the 19th century study did not always live up to the rigorous standards expected in scientific research today, which makes it difficult to draw definite conclusions. With this in mind, let’s look at a more recent study to see how the results compare.”

26. Provided that

Usage: This means “on condition that”. You can also say “providing that” or just “providing” to mean the same thing. Example: “We may use this as evidence to support our argument, provided that we bear in mind the limitations of the methods used to obtain it.”

27. In view of/in light of

Usage: These phrases are used when something has shed light on something else. Example: “In light of the evidence from the 2013 study, we have a better understanding of…”

28. Nonetheless

Usage: This is similar to “despite this”. Example: “The study had its limitations, but it was nonetheless groundbreaking for its day.”

29. Nevertheless

Usage: This is the same as “nonetheless”. Example: “The study was flawed, but it was important nevertheless.”

30. Notwithstanding

Usage: This is another way of saying “nonetheless”. Example: “Notwithstanding the limitations of the methodology used, it was an important study in the development of how we view the workings of the human mind.”

Giving examples

Good essays always back up points with examples, but it’s going to get boring if you use the expression “for example” every time. Here are a couple of other ways of saying the same thing.

31. For instance

Example: “Some birds migrate to avoid harsher winter climates. Swallows, for instance, leave the UK in early winter and fly south…”

32. To give an illustration

Example: “To give an illustration of what I mean, let’s look at the case of…”

Signifying importance

When you want to demonstrate that a point is particularly important, there are several ways of highlighting it as such.

33. Significantly

Usage: Used to introduce a point that is loaded with meaning that might not be immediately apparent. Example: “Significantly, Tacitus omits to tell us the kind of gossip prevalent in Suetonius’ accounts of the same period.”

34. Notably

Usage: This can be used to mean “significantly” (as above), and it can also be used interchangeably with “in particular” (the example below demonstrates the first of these ways of using it). Example: “Actual figures are notably absent from Scholar A’s analysis.”

35. Importantly

Usage: Use “importantly” interchangeably with “significantly”. Example: “Importantly, Scholar A was being employed by X when he wrote this work, and was presumably therefore under pressure to portray the situation more favourably than he perhaps might otherwise have done.”

Summarising

You’ve almost made it to the end of the essay, but your work isn’t over yet. You need to end by wrapping up everything you’ve talked about, showing that you’ve considered the arguments on both sides and reached the most likely conclusion. Here are some words and phrases to help you.

36. In conclusion

Usage: Typically used to introduce the concluding paragraph or sentence of an essay, summarising what you’ve discussed in a broad overview. Example: “In conclusion, the evidence points almost exclusively to Argument A.”

37. Above all

Usage: Used to signify what you believe to be the most significant point, and the main takeaway from the essay. Example: “Above all, it seems pertinent to remember that…”

38. Persuasive

Usage: This is a useful word to use when summarising which argument you find most convincing. Example: “Scholar A’s point – that Constanze Mozart was motivated by financial gain – seems to me to be the most persuasive argument for her actions following Mozart’s death.”

39. Compelling

Usage: Use in the same way as “persuasive” above. Example: “The most compelling argument is presented by Scholar A.”

40. All things considered

Usage: This means “taking everything into account”. Example: “All things considered, it seems reasonable to assume that…”

How many of these words and phrases will you get into your next essay? And are any of your favourite essay terms missing from our list? Let us know in the comments below, or get in touch here to find out more about courses that can help you with your essays.

At Oxford Royale Academy, we offer a number of  summer school courses for young people who are keen to improve their essay writing skills. Click here to apply for one of our courses today, including law , business , medicine  and engineering .

Comments are closed.

Synonyms of 'now' in British English

Phrases:  , idiom:  , additional synonyms, synonyms of 'now' in american english.

Browse alphabetically now

• now and then or again
• All ENGLISH synonyms that begin with 'N'

Related terms of now

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Score: 0 / 5

Wordle Helper

Scrabble Tools

• TheFreeDictionary
• Word / Article
• Starts with
• Free toolbar & extensions
• Word of the Day
• Free content

Synonyms for now

• at the moment
• immediately
• straightaway
• from now on
• henceforward
• from this time on
• from this time forward
• for the moment
• for the time being
• for the present
• for the meantime

now and then or again

• occasionally
• from time to time
• on occasion
• once in a while
• intermittently
• infrequently
• sporadically

at this moment

Without delay.

• straight off

at the present; these days

In existence now.

• contemporary
• present-day

the current time

The momentary present, related words, in these times, at the present moment, without delay or hesitation.

• like a shot
• novelization
• novelty shop
• November 11
• Nov-Esperanto
• Novosibirsk
• now and again
• now and then
• no-win situation
• noxiousness
• Novy Margelan
• Novy rat disease
• Novy Urengoy
• Novy Urgench
• Novy, Frederick G
• Novy, Frederick G.
• Novy, Karel
• Nový, Karel
• Novy-MacNeal-Nicolle
• Novye Aneny
• Novye Belokorovichi
• Novye Burasy
• Novye Gorki
• Novye Sanzhary
• Novyi Bykov
• Novyi Iarychev
• Novyi Oskol
• Novyi Rozdol
• Novyi Torial
• Novyi Vostok
• Novyi Zritel
• Now & Again
• Now (album)
• now (one's) cooking (with gas)
• now (someone) has gone and done it
• now (something), now (something else)
• Now (Steve Roach)
• now (that) you mention it
• Now . . . now
• NOW account
• NOW Accounts
• now and again/then
• now and anon
• Now and now
• Now and Then, Here and There
• Now at erst
• Facebook Share

• ABBREVIATIONS
• BIOGRAPHIES
• CALCULATORS
• CONVERSIONS
• DEFINITIONS

  Vocabulary      

What is another word for now ?

Synonyms for now naʊ now, this thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word now ., wiktionary rate these synonyms: 4.0 / 1 vote.

Synonyms: here and now

English Synonyms and Antonyms Rate these synonyms: 3.3 / 3 votes

The strong and general human tendency to procrastination is shown in the progressive weakening of the various words in this group. Immediately primarily signifies without the intervention of anything as a medium, hence without the intervention of any, even the briefest, interval or lapse of time. By and by , which was once a synonym, has become an antonym of immediately , meaning at some (perhaps remote) future time. Directly , which once meant with no intervening time, now means after some little while; presently no longer means in this very present, but before very long. Even immediately is sliding from its instantaneousness, so that we are fain to substitute at once , instantly , etc., when we would make promptness emphatic. Right away and right off are vigorous conversational expressions in the United States.

Synonyms: at once , directly , forthwith , immediately , instanter , instantly , presently , right away , right off , straightway , this instant , without delay

Antonyms: after a while , by and by , hereafter , in the future , some time

Princeton's WordNet Rate these synonyms: 3.3 / 3 votes

the momentary present

"Now is a good time to do it"; "it worked up to right now"

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

"President Kennedy now calls in the National Guard"; "Washington now decides to cross the Delaware"; "the ship is now listing to port"

Synonyms: at once , straightaway , like a shot , directly , straight off , at present , nowadays , immediately , right away , instantly , today , forthwith

nowadays, now, today adverb

in these times

"it is solely by their language that the upper classes nowadays are distinguished"- Nancy Mitford; "we now rarely see horse-drawn vehicles on city streets"; "today almost every home has television"

used to preface a command or reproof or request

"now hear this!"; "now pay attention"

now, at present adverb

at the present moment

"goods now on sale"; "the now-aging dictator"; "they are now abroad"; "he is busy at present writing a new novel"; "it could happen any time now"

immediately, instantly, straightaway, straight off, directly, now, right away, at once, forthwith, like a shot adverb

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

"he answered immediately"; "found an answer straightaway"; "an official accused of dishonesty should be suspended forthwith"; "Come here now!"

Synonyms: at one time , straight , at present , like a shot , instantly , instantaneously , in a flash , at once , outright , nowadays , at a time , today , direct , directly , forthwith , promptly , straight off , straightaway , right away , flat , immediately

(prefatory or transitional) indicates a change of subject or activity

"Now the next problem is..."

in the immediate past

"told me just now"

Dictionary of English Synonymes Rate these synonyms: 0.0 / 0 votes

now adjective

Synonyms: at this time , at once , at this moment , at present

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words Rate these synonyms: 1.0 / 1 vote

Synonyms: instantly , immediately , at once , instanter

PPDB, the paraphrase database Rate these paraphrases: 0.0 / 0 votes

List of paraphrases for "now":

currently , far , today , already , henceforth , nowadays , not , anymore , presently , nu , present , ora , here , naked , maintaining , immediately , longer

Suggested Resources

What does NOW stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the NOW acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

How to pronounce now?

How to say now in sign language, words popularity by usage frequency, how to use now in a sentence.

John Fleck :

This shows us that the kind of dire scenarios that we've been preparing for and hoping would not happen are here now.

Rick Santorum :

I don't know how that was a hard question, i've been asked that question a hundred times and the answer is pretty clear. The information was not correct...I think everybody accepts that now.

Luis Gutierrez :

Even though The President dropped the ball, The President is now doing a victory dance in the end zone, or should we call it the dead zone ? Trump's comments also drew swift condemnation from elected officials and residents of the island, where blackouts remain common, 60,000 homes still have makeshift roofs and 13 percent of municipalities lack stable phone or internet service. Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello said in a Facebook post in Spanish, the victims of Puerto Rico, and the people of Puerto Rico in general, do not deserve to be questioned about their pain. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yuln Cruz, a Democrat who has sparred with President Trump multiple times, tweeted that President Trump is so vain President Trump thinks this is about President Trump. NO IT IS NOT. In New York, which has the largest Puerto Rican population in the mainland United States, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called Trump’s tweets.

Thomas Hayes :

All eyes are on tech as it now has a chance to regain some of the strength that it lost in recent months.

Eva Pusztai-Fahidi :

If I think back at the long period of time, the 70 years, that have gone by between me leaving Auschwitz-Birkenau and now, this trial is one of the most important events in my life.

Use the citation below to add these synonyms to your bibliography:

Style: MLA Chicago APA

"now." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. < https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/now >.

Discuss these now synonyms with the community:

Report Comment

We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe. If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.

You need to be logged in to favorite .

Create a new account.

Your name: * Required

Your email address: * Required

Pick a user name: * Required

Username: * Required

Password: * Required

Forgot your password?    Retrieve it

Are we missing a good synonym for now ?

Image credit, the web's largest resource for, synonyms & antonyms, a member of the stands4 network, free, no signup required :, add to chrome, add to firefox, browse synonyms.com, are you a human thesaurus, what is the synonym for somniferous, nearby & related entries:.

• novocaine noun
• now and again adverb
• now and then adverb
• now now adverb
• now you mention it
• nowadays adverb

Alternative searches for now :

• Search for now on Amazon

Synonyms of essay

• as in article
• as in attempt
• as in to attempt
• More from M-W
• To save this word, you'll need to log in. Log In

Thesaurus Definition of essay

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dissertation
• composition
• prolegomenon
• undertaking
• trial and error
• experimentation

Thesaurus Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

• have a go at
• try one's hand (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb essay differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of essay are attempt , endeavor , strive , and try . While all these words mean "to make an effort to accomplish an end," essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting.

When might attempt be a better fit than essay ?

While the synonyms attempt and essay are close in meaning, attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort.

Where would endeavor be a reasonable alternative to essay ?

Although the words endeavor and essay have much in common, endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty.

When is strive a more appropriate choice than essay ?

While in some cases nearly identical to essay , strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort.

How do try and attempt relate to one another, in the sense of essay ?

Try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

Articles Related to essay

To 'Essay' or 'Assay'?

You'll know the difference if you give it the old college essay

Thesaurus Entries Near essay

Cite this entry.

“Essay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/essay. Accessed 1 May. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on essay

Nglish: Translation of essay for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of essay for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about essay

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the day.

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

More commonly misspelled words, commonly misspelled words, how to use em dashes (—), en dashes (–) , and hyphens (-), absent letters that are heard anyway, how to use accents and diacritical marks, popular in wordplay, the words of the week - apr. 26, 9 superb owl words, 'gaslighting,' 'woke,' 'democracy,' and other top lookups, 10 words for lesser-known games and sports, your favorite band is in the dictionary, games & quizzes.

telstar 35 trimaran for sale