ENCIPHER Synonyms: 16 Similar and Opposite Words

encipher

verb

Definition of encipher

as in to cipher

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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 encipher To protect sensitive communications traveling along public pathways, the senders enciphered—or encrypted—their words, often using machines that could replace each letter with a new letter. — Liza Mundy, Time, 10 Oct. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for encipher

Verb

The real challenge from AI will likely emerge in the weeks and months ahead as firms cipher through Judge Mehta’s enforcement of behavioral requirements.

— Tor Constantino, Forbes.com, 5 Sep. 2025
These remnants, signals from an earlier phase of our human condition, have been endlessly ciphered by generations of archaeologists in the Bears Ears region (which is named for twin buttes near its center).

— STEPHEN NASH, New York Times, 25 July 2017

Definition of cipher

Verb

Only Fortitude could be accessed by thieves, solely due to the production company’s failure to encrypt the drive, the spokesperson alleged.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
The goal is to encrypt a message so that someone who gets hold of it cannot split it into two usable versions that both reveal the message once the decrypting key is known.

— Peter Hall, Scientific American, 31 July 2026

Definition of encrypt

Verb

Now a team in China has managed to encode that formula into a physical system and explore its workings using a quantum computer.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2026
Languages also encode values—gender hierarchies baked into pronouns, honorifics that perpetuate caste distinctions—that liberal-minded activists may not be eager to preserve as valuable pieces of linguistic heritage.

— Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

Definition of encode

Verb

The tech company spent several months building and internally testing Cloudflare OS, which allows employees to describe workflows in natural language so that an AI agent can code them into applications.

— Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026
Shopify's e-commerce platform lets anyone build a digital shop and sell things without needing to code.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of code

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enchiladas

encipher

enciphered

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“Encipher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encipher. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of encipher

verb

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