ADVOCATE Synonyms: 120 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'advocate' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of advocate are back , champion , support , and uphold . While all these words mean "to favor actively one that meets opposition," advocate stresses urging or pleading. // advocated prison reform

Q: When is it sensible to use 'back' instead of 'advocate'?

Although the words back and advocate have much in common, back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling. // refusing to back the call for sanctions

Q: When can 'champion' be used instead of 'advocate'?

In some situations, the words champion and advocate are roughly equivalent. However, champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause. // championed the rights of children

Q: When is 'support' a more appropriate choice than 'advocate'?

The synonyms support and advocate are sometimes interchangeable, but support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given. // supports waterfront development

Q: Where would 'uphold' be a reasonable alternative to 'advocate'?

While the synonyms uphold and advocate are close in meaning, uphold implies extended support given to something attacked. // upheld the legitimacy of the military action

advocate 1 of 2

noun

ˈad-və-kət

Definition of advocate

as in proponent

a person who actively supports or favors a cause Mark Twain, Noah Webster, and President Theodore Roosevelt are among past advocates of a reformed spelling system

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in lawyer

a person whose profession is to conduct lawsuits for clients or to advise about legal rights and obligations with such a strong case against him, he's going to need the best advocate that money can buy

Synonyms & Similar Words

advocate

2 of 2

verb

ˈad-və-ˌkāt

as in to endorse

to promote the interests or cause of environmentalists advocating agricultural methods designed to slow the destruction of rain forests

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word advocate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of advocate are back, champion, support, and uphold. While all these words mean "to favor actively one that meets opposition," advocate stresses urging or pleading.

advocated prison reform

When is it sensible to use back instead of advocate?

Although the words back and advocate have much in common, back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling.

refusing to back the call for sanctions

When can champion be used instead of advocate?

In some situations, the words champion and advocate are roughly equivalent. However, champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause.

championed the rights of children

When is support a more appropriate choice than advocate?

The synonyms support and advocate are sometimes interchangeable, but support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given.

supports waterfront development

Where would uphold be a reasonable alternative to advocate?

While the synonyms uphold and advocate are close in meaning, uphold implies extended support given to something attacked.

upheld the legitimacy of the military action

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 advocate

Noun

Calls for change Several legal experts and advocates believe statutes of limitations for all or many such types of assaults should be eliminated. — Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026 Unless advocates can adapt to this reality, official backing for international religious freedom will continue to decline. — Matthew Schmitz, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026

Verb

After environmentalists advocated for protecting these unique creatures, the nuclear-weapons manufacturing on their site was halted. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Acknowledge the strain openly, advocate vocally for resources and celebrate small wins. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for advocate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for advocate

Noun

On the other side of the campaign, John Adams was labeled by Jefferson's proponents as a monarchist with aspirations to become king of the new United States.

— Cal Thomas, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Curiously, few of these proponents ever mention the New York Mets and their spending.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of proponent

Noun

Lawyers for the estate countered Monday that SAPS, as a corporate defendant, could not represent itself and was required to appear through a lawyer.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
Roberts later pressed Kevin Russell, a lawyer for the Boulder officials, on the practical implications of siding with his position.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of lawyer

Verb

Hours after the ad was released, the husband-and-wife duo held a press conference to endorse Killin for Congress.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
There isn’t a world in which Mattel, who now owns and manages Pleasant Company, would canonically endorse Samantha joining the IWW.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of endorse

Noun

Other supporters argue that adding the ban to the Missouri Constitution would strengthen it.

— Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026
Two vocal supporters of Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra filed a formal campaign finance complaint against his rival, Steve Hilton, on Tuesday over the Republican campaign’s use of paid online promoters.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of supporter

Noun

Jamal, who co-founded the Somali Justice Advocacy Center, which helps immigrants find pro bono attorneys, also helped retain a lawyer for the Somali teenager charged with piracy in the infamous Captain Richard Phillips hostage-taking.

— Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
Federal government attorneys say the lawsuits are a backdoor way to regulate heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions and amount to an unconstitutional power grab.

— LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of attorney

Verb

SeaGuardian is the maritime variant of the MQ-9B Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) operated by the USN as part of a Company-Owned, Company-Operated (COCO) contract with GA-ASI supporting an ongoing capability assessment for the 7th Fleet.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
That is an extraordinarily broad claim, and current evidence does not support it.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of support

Browse Nearby Words

advisory

advocate

advocated

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“Advocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/advocate. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of advocate

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