OUTLINE Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'outline' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of outline are contour , profile , and silhouette . While all these words mean "the line that bounds and gives form to something," outline applies to a line marking the outer limits or edges of a body or mass. // traced the outline of his hand

Q: When might 'contour' be a better fit than 'outline'?

The meanings of contour and outline largely overlap; however, contour stresses the quality of an outline or a bounding surface as being smooth, jagged, curving, or sharply angled. // a car with flowing contours

Q: When can 'profile' be used instead of 'outline'?

In some situations, the words profile and outline are roughly equivalent. However, profile suggests a varied and sharply defined outline against a lighter background. // a portrait of her face in profile

Q: When is it sensible to use 'silhouette' instead of 'outline'?

The synonyms silhouette and outline are sometimes interchangeable, but silhouette suggests a shape especially of a head or figure with all detail blacked out in shadow leaving only the outline clearly defined. // photograph in silhouette against a bright sky

outline 1 of 2

verb

Definition of outline

as in to trace

to draw or make apparent the outline of she carefully outlined the tree before she started drawing in the leaves

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to summarize

to make into a short statement of the main points (as of a report) outlined the important points in the introduction

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

outline

2 of 2

noun

ˈau̇t-ˌlīn

as in silhouette

a line that traces the outer limits of an object or surface place your hand on the paper and draw an outline around it

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in summary

a short statement of the main points a printed outline of the lecture has been made available for all attendees

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun outline differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of outline are contour, profile, and silhouette. While all these words mean "the line that bounds and gives form to something," outline applies to a line marking the outer limits or edges of a body or mass.

traced the outline of his hand

When might contour be a better fit than outline?

The meanings of contour and outline largely overlap; however, contour stresses the quality of an outline or a bounding surface as being smooth, jagged, curving, or sharply angled.

a car with flowing contours

When can profile be used instead of outline?

In some situations, the words profile and outline are roughly equivalent. However, profile suggests a varied and sharply defined outline against a lighter background.

a portrait of her face in profile

When is it sensible to use silhouette instead of outline?

The synonyms silhouette and outline are sometimes interchangeable, but silhouette suggests a shape especially of a head or figure with all detail blacked out in shadow leaving only the outline clearly defined.

photograph in silhouette against a bright sky

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 outline

Verb

Opening statements are scheduled to start Tuesday, with lawyers representing California, Colorado, New Jersey and Kentucky detailing their claims before Meta’s legal team outlines the company’s defenses. — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026 The president's warning to Oman came as a 60-day window for the United States to negotiate with Iran ‒ outlined in a memorandum of understanding in June ‒ expired. — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026

Noun

But classes, workshops, books and experience have taught me practical approaches to developing outlines, deepening character arcs or revising scenes. — Rajani Larocca, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026 Compressed color values—in contrast to the wide modulations in tone that Cassatt allowed elsewhere—heighten the sense of mass, while unexpected bright blue outlines seal their contours. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for outline

Recent Examples of Synonyms for outline

Verb

People can become infected in one place and travel elsewhere before monitoring teams know they have been exposed, potentially creating new chains of transmission that are difficult to trace.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Most conflicts between humans and bears are traced back to human food, garbage, pet food, bird seed, or other things that attract bears.

— Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of trace

Verb

Oprah Winfrey asked Harry to summarize his reasons for leaving Britain in a 2021 interview that was broadcast around the world.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026
Efficiency Versus Comprehension Most of today's AI solutions for selling on sites like Amazon improve efficiency—write faster, optimize faster, summarize faster and push existing workflows a little further.

— David Greenblatt, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of summarize

Noun

This summary does an injustice to the originality and the sophistication of Tregenza’s way with narrative form.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026
That court hearing was preceded by an unusual and disturbing summary of the case filed with the court by Hochman.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of summary

Verb

But cultivating consumer trust, as opposed to pursuing rapid product expansion and chasing virality, has become a defining — and differentiating — aspect of Westman Atelier’s go-to-market model.

— Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
This vector is defined by a list of coordinates, where each coordinate measures how much of a particular attribute that person has.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of define

Noun

When planning paths and features, follow the contour of the slope rather than going straight up and down to slow water and create less treacherous access.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 11 Aug. 2026
The system functions by pulling airflow across a wide aerodynamic contour to assist the main engines.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of contour

Verb

According to Dalrymple and Anand, the two spent hours sketching each other, and Duleep played with the royal children, becoming good friends with Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026
Around the age of 10 I was enrolled in a community art class where, on the first day, we were instructed to sketch a bowl of fruit placed on a table in front of us.

— Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of sketch

Browse Nearby Words

outlets

outline

outlined

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Outline.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outline. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of outline

verb

noun

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