GOALS Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

goals

noun

plural of goal

as in objectives

something that one hopes or intends to accomplish leaving the world a better place than I found it is one of my main goals

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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 goals Mercury in your 10th House quincunxes Saturn in your 3rd, creating friction between your public goals and the details, conversations, or information required to support them. — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 9 Oct. 2026 Income, bills, savings goals and other expenses change over time. — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 8 Oct. 2026 Ovechkin announced earlier in the week that this season would be the last in the NHL for the league's career leader in goals. — CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 The useful figure is one that fits the discretionary money left after necessities and financial goals are covered. — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026 Put students and their learning first, setting clear district goals and holding district leadership accountable. — Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 For decades, too many of Florida’s brightest young people left the state to chase goals like these. — Michael Simas, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026 But the two goals quietly work against each other, and nobody owns the friction. — Monte Wyatt, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Artturi Lehkonen had two goals, Brock Nelson had a goal and two assist and Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves for Colorado, which scored four times on the power play and allowed two shorthanded goals. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for goals

Noun

Before meeting with a patient advocate, identify your main objectives – for example, preparing for a transition home, clarifying a treatment plan or understanding medication changes.

— Jennifer Schlinger, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
Its little narrative nips and tucks, its simple additions to the existing record, its notes of humanity draw us into these people’s worlds, their objectives, and their frustrations.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of objectives

Noun

No student information is to be disclosed for immigration enforcement purposes without a court order or subpoena, according to state law.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Other independents in the Senate, including Maine's Angus King on the moderate end and Vermont's Bernie Sanders on the left, caucus with Democrats for organizational purposes and committee assignments.

— NICHOLAS INGRAM, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of purposes

Noun

Construction originally began back in 2006 as part of Qatar's ambitious plans to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
That's according to a person familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly and cautioned the plans could shift.

— NICHOLAS INGRAM, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of plans

Noun

Naomi’s work clashes with both men’s professional aims, of course, but the real power of the story lies in its last third, which is set two and a half decades into the future and provides an unusual vision of climate change.

— Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
My aims are to improve our quality of life on everything from affordability to traffic to public safety; to restore fiscal sanity to our public finances; and to end the brazen self-dealing that has become business as usual in local government.

— Miami Herald staff, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of aims

Noun

The signatures of these AI leaders might not reveal much about their intentions or their motivations.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
To that end, Gershin added more backgrounds and foley, adding detail and supervising a pass in Dolby Atmos, all along being careful not to betray the intentions of the original work.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of intentions

Noun

The party also faces divisions over how to balance criticism of the Israeli government with concerns about Israel’s security and Iran’s regional ambitions.

— Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
The sharp pullback comes at a difficult time for the kingdom’s growth ambitions.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of ambitions

Noun

The proposition is to connect China’s factories with its creator economy; Black Lake’s agents bridge the gap by converting ideas into designs, a 3D simulation, and industrial data sent to a factory.

— Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
When looking for best ideas for the fourth quarter nothing jumped off the charts to me — literally — like bitcoin .

— Jay Woods, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of ideas

Noun

Sea turtles now nest on the secluded sandy beach that’s for all intents and purposes private, save for villagers occasionally visiting the small oceanfront temple for ceremonies.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
For all intents and purposes, my genetic disorder is a breeze to deal with.

— Megan Mostyn-Brown, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of intents

Browse Nearby Words

go along

goals

goat

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

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Synonyms of goals

noun

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