Thesaurus results for UTENSIL

Q: How is the word 'utensil' different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of utensil are appliance , implement , instrument , and tool . While all these words mean "a relatively simple device for performing work," utensil applies to a device used in domestic work or some routine unskilled activity. // kitchen utensils

Q: When is 'appliance' a more appropriate choice than 'utensil'?

While the synonyms appliance and utensil are close in meaning, appliance refers to a tool or instrument utilizing a power source and suggests portability or temporary attachment. // household appliances

Q: When would 'implement' be a good substitute for 'utensil'?

The words implement and utensil can be used in similar contexts, but implement may apply to anything necessary to perform a task. // crude stone implements // farm implements

Q: When might 'instrument' be a better fit than 'utensil'?

While in some cases nearly identical to utensil , instrument suggests a device capable of delicate or precise work. // the dentist's instruments

Q: How do 'tool' and 'implement' relate to one another, in the sense of 'utensil'?

Tool suggests an implement adapted to facilitate a definite kind or stage of work and suggests the need of skill more strongly than implement . // a carpenter's tools

utensil

noun

yu̇-ˈten(t)-səl

Definition of utensil

as in tool

an article intended for use in work participants in the class must supply their own writing utensils

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How is the word utensil different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of utensil are appliance, implement, instrument, and tool. While all these words mean "a relatively simple device for performing work," utensil applies to a device used in domestic work or some routine unskilled activity.

kitchen utensils

When is appliance a more appropriate choice than utensil?

While the synonyms appliance and utensil are close in meaning, appliance refers to a tool or instrument utilizing a power source and suggests portability or temporary attachment.

household appliances

When would implement be a good substitute for utensil?

The words implement and utensil can be used in similar contexts, but implement may apply to anything necessary to perform a task.

crude stone implements

farm implements

When might instrument be a better fit than utensil?

While in some cases nearly identical to utensil, instrument suggests a device capable of delicate or precise work.

the dentist's instruments

How do tool and implement relate to one another, in the sense of utensil?

Tool suggests an implement adapted to facilitate a definite kind or stage of work and suggests the need of skill more strongly than implement.

a carpenter's tools

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 utensil The recall announcement directed consumers to wash and sanitize any containers that may have come into contact with the affected product, and wash and sanitize hands and utensils that may have touched the product. — Mason Leib, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 Most RVs have a basic kitchen with a stove, fridge, and a small sink, but the cookware and utensils can vary from one to another. — Sara Hansen, Denver Post, 11 Aug. 2026 Winding alleys house artisan workshops and squat homes crammed with prop cooking utensils, and down one street stands a sept that resembles a Romanesque church. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 Gluten-free food is prepared separately from other plates, where the staff changes all gloves, dishes and utensils. — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 9 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for utensil

Recent Examples of Synonyms for utensil

Noun

Tubes from hospital equipment were still attached to his face, gunshot wounds on his right side were still gaping, and tattoos which included a gun and a bullet casing were still embedded in his skin, a permanent memorial to the tools of his demise.

— Andy Rose, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
Their choices were tools that understand their work and keep them in control.

— Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of tool

Noun

Philadelphia School District officials told CBS News Philadelphia that schools are responsible for determining how students' devices will be secured during the school day.

— Wakisha Bailey, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
In 2013, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said that the US could sell food, medicine, and medical devices to Iran.

— Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of device

Noun

When a buyback operation retires $4 billion of 30-year bonds, that borrowing need grows by $4 billion, and with coupon auction sizes frozen, the marginal instrument is the bill.

— James Broughel, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
That’s exactly what happened with money market funds, another savings instrument that the banks fought using questionable arguments, only to be proven wrong.

— Omid Malekan, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of instrument

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usurps

utensil

utensils

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“Utensil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/utensil. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of utensil

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