key

The word “key” has 1 syllable: key

It's pronounced as /kiː/

What is synonym and antonym for key?

In the thesaurus, “key” has 200 synonyms and 46 antonyms.

Here are synonyms and antonyms for key along with examples of usage in sentences.

Synonyms for key

access
accession
accommodate
accomplishment
achievement
adapt
admission
admittance
align
aline
approach
approval
arch
arrange
array
attainment
attune
authorization
balance
basic
big
blend
blueprint
brand
capital
caption
cardinal
celebrated
central
certification
chief
cipher
clue
code
combine
conciliate
conform
connect
coordinate
core
correlate
coup
critical
crucial
crux
cue
decisive
design
distinguished
dominant
door
doorway
dovetail
earmark
elementary
eminent
entrance
entree
entry
equalize
essential
even
explanation
famed
famous
first
fit
foremost
fulcrum
fundamental
fuse
gateway
grand
great
greatest
ground plan
guide
harmonize
high-level
highest
hinge
illustrious
important
incomparable
index
indicator
indispensable
influential
ingress
instrumental
integrate
interpretation
join
latchkey
lead
leading
legend
lever
life-and-death
life-or-death
main
major
manner
marker
master
match
matchless
material
means
merge
method
mighty
momentous
necessary
nexus
noble
notable
noteworthy
nucleus
number one
numero uno
open door
open sesame
opener
orchestrate
order
outstanding
overbearing
overmastering
overriding
pair
paramount
passkey
passport
password
permission
pivot
pivotal
plan
pointer
predominant
preeminent
premier
pressing
prestigious
primal
primary
principal
prior
program
proportion
qualification
reconcile
regularize
renowned
requisite
root
scale
scheme
screw
secret
senior
sign
signal
significant
skeleton
sovereign
sovran
square
standardize
star
stellar
strategy
style
success
suit
superior
supreme
symptom
synchronize
synthesize
system
table
technique
ticket
top
translation
triumph
tune
unequaled
unequalled
unify
unite
unparalleled
unsurpassed
urgent
vital
way
weighty
welcome mat

Antonyms for key

additional
alienate
auxiliary
collateral
confuse
disarray
discharge
disharmonize
dismissal
disorder
disorganize
disrupt
disturb
ejection
estrange
expulsion
exterior
exteriority
extra
inconsequential
inconsiderable
inessential
inferior
insignificant
last
least
lesser
lock
minor
negligible
nonessential
ouster
outside
question
rejection
removal
secondary
skew
slight
subordinate
subsidiary
trifling
trivial
unimportant
unnecessary
upset

Meanings of key

noun
1. An object designed to open and close a lock.
2. An object designed to fit between two other objects (such as a shaft and a wheel) in a mechanism and maintain their relative orientation.
3. A crucial step or requirement.
4. A guide explaining the symbols or terminology of a map or chart; a legend.
5. A guide to the correct answers of a worksheet or test.
6. One of several small, usually square buttons on a typewriter or computer keyboard, mostly corresponding to text characters.
7. In musical instruments, one of the valve levers used to select notes, such as a lever opening a hole on a woodwind.
8. In instruments with a keyboard such as an organ or piano, one of the levers, or especially the exposed front end of it, which are depressed to cause a particular sound or note to be produced.
9. The lowest note of a scale; keynote.
10. In musical theory, the total melodic and harmonic relations, which exist between the tones of an ideal scale, major or minor; tonality.
11. In musical theory and notation, the tonality centering in a given tone, or the several tones taken collectively, of a given scale, major or minor.
12. In musical notation, a sign at the head of a staff indicating the musical key.
13. The general pitch or tone of a sentence or utterance.
14. A modification of an advertisement so as to target a particular group or demographic.
15. An indehiscent, one-seeded fruit furnished with a wing, such as the fruit of the ash and maple; a samara.
16. A manual electrical switching device primarily used for the transmission of Morse code.
17. A piece of information (e.g. a passphrase) used to encode or decode a message or messages.
18. A password restricting access to an IRC channel.
19. In a relational database, a field used as an index into another table (not necessarily unique).
20. A value that uniquely identifies an entry in a container.
21. The free-throw lane together with the circle surrounding the free-throw line, the free-throw lane having formerly been narrower, giving the area the shape of a skeleton key hole.
22. A series of logically organized groups of discriminating information which aims to allow the user to correctly identify a taxon.
23. A piece of wood used as a wedge.
24. The last board of a floor when laid down.
25. A keystone.
26. That part of the plastering which is forced through between the laths and holds the rest in place.
27. A wooden support for a rail on the bullhead rail system.
28. The degree of roughness, or retention ability of a surface to have applied a liquid such as paint, or glue.
29. The thirty-third card of the Lenormand deck.
30. (print and film) The black ink layer, especially in relation to the three color layers of cyan, magenta, and yellow. See also CMYK.
31. A color to be masked or made transparent.
32. One of a string of small islands.
33. A stone or concrete structure on navigable water used for loading and unloading vessels; a wharf.
34. In the International System of Units, the base unit of mass; conceived of as the mass of one litre of water, but now defined by taking the fixed numerical value of the Planck constant h to be 6.626 070 15 × 10-34 when expressed in units of kg⋅m2⋅s−1. Symbol: kg.
35. The unit of weight such that a one-kilogram mass is also a one-kilogram weight.
verb
1. To fit (a lock) with a key.
2. To fit (pieces of a mechanical assembly) with a key to maintain the orientation between them.
3. To mark or indicate with a symbol indicating membership in a class.
4. (telegraphy and radio telegraphy) To depress (a telegraph key).
5. To operate (the transmitter switch of a two-way radio).
6. (more usually to key in) To enter (information) by typing on a keyboard or keypad.
7. To vandalize (a car, etc.) by scratching with an implement such as a key.
8. To link (as one might do with a key or legend).
9. To be identified as a certain taxon when using a key.
10. To modify (an advertisement) so as to target a particular group or demographic.
11. To attune to; to set at; to pitch.
12. To fasten or secure firmly; to fasten or tighten with keys or wedges.
adjective
1. Indispensable, supremely important.
2. Important, salient.

Example Sentences

She misplaced her key and couldn't get into her house.
Understanding the key concepts is essential for mastering this subject.
The key to success is perseverance and hard work.
He played a key role in organizing the event.
Time management is the key to balancing work and personal life.

On this page you'll find 246 synonyms, antonyms, or another words to key, such as: access, accession, accommodate, accomplishment, achievement, adapt, additional.

Make sure to choose synonyms and antonyms that are appropriate for the context of the sentence.