fitting 1 of 2

adjective

ˈfi-tiŋ How to pronounce fitting (audio)
Definition of fittingnext
as in suitable
meeting the requirements of a purpose or situation it is only fitting that you should be the one to take her back to the airport since she flew out to see you

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fitting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of fit
1
as in befitting
archaic to be fitting or proper we hardly know them, so for Christmas a simple card will fit

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in corresponding
to be in agreement on every point now that you've explained your absence to me, my records and the office's fit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in adjusting
to change (something) so as to make it suitable for a new use or situation I can undo the hem on these old culottes and fit them into a skirt

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in preparing
to make competent (as by training, skill, or ability) for a particular office or function that final computer course should fit him for a career in programming

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in accommodating
to make or have room for we can fit you in the booth if the rest of us squeeze closer together

Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in arranging
to make ready in advance I won't have time to fit the spare room for the guests

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective fitting differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of fitting are appropriate, apt, felicitous, fit, happy, meet, proper, and suitable. While all these words mean "right with respect to some end, need, use, or circumstance," fitting implies harmony of mood or tone.

a fitting end

When would appropriate be a good substitute for fitting?

While the synonyms appropriate and fitting are close in meaning, appropriate implies eminent or distinctive fitness.

an appropriate gift

When is it sensible to use apt instead of fitting?

In some situations, the words apt and fitting are roughly equivalent. However, apt connotes a fitness marked by nicety and discrimination.

apt quotations

When might felicitous be a better fit than fitting?

The words felicitous and fitting are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, felicitous suggests an aptness that is opportune, telling, or graceful.

a felicitous phrase

When could fit be used to replace fitting?

While in some cases nearly identical to fitting, fit stresses adaptability and sometimes special readiness for use or action.

fit for battle

Where would happy be a reasonable alternative to fitting?

The meanings of happy and fitting largely overlap; however, happy suggests what is effectively or successfully appropriate.

a happy choice of words

In what contexts can meet take the place of fitting?

The synonyms meet and fitting are sometimes interchangeable, but meet suggests a just proportioning.

meet payment

When is proper a more appropriate choice than fitting?

The words proper and fitting can be used in similar contexts, but proper suggests a suitability through essential nature or accordance with custom.

proper acknowledgement

When can suitable be used instead of fitting?

Although the words suitable and fitting have much in common, suitable implies an answering to requirements or demands.

clothes suitable for camping

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 fitting
Adjective
By the time Melania arrives at the Inaugural festivities, the film has given itself over to a series of rituals (the candlelight dinner, the Inaugural itself, the luncheon, the Starlight Ball), which feels weirdly fitting since the filmmaking itself is so ritualized. —James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026 Ill-fitting gloves can also make simple tasks more frustrating. —Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
As a bonus, we’re rewarded with-sexy guys romping about in and out of form-fitting leather chaps and then in and out of tight wrestling tights. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026 Tacvasen Lightweight Workout Jacket During her recent trip to Australia, Oprah was spotted wearing several wrinkle-proof, form-fitting athletic jackets. —Annie Blackman, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fitting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fitting
  1. suitable
  2. befitting
  3. corresponding
  4. adjusting
  5. preparing
  6. accommodating
  7. appropriate
  8. suiting
Adjective
  • In addition, invest in a professional headshot (often available through career development offices) and begin assembling a versatile professional wardrobe suitable for interviews and a variety of workplace settings.
    — Micki Meyer, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026
  • This ultimately means that a suitable cathode must still be paired with it to create a complete battery cell.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of suitable
Verb
  • How to determine whether their in-season pivot to 13-personnel – three tight ends, one receiver, one running back – was a part of the long-term identity of the offense, or merely befitting the 2025 roster construction.
    — Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 10 Feb. 2026
  • For the entire 15-minute show, they’ve been contorted into pieces of furniture Lawson fabricated, pieces befitting something between an asylum and BDSM dungeon, and reminiscent of Allen Jones’s 1960s Pop sculpture series, which depicts fiberglass women in fetishware as home objects.
    — Anna Peele, Vanity Fair, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of befitting
Verb
  • As a result, the white stucco façade has a rhythmic sequence of bays, each corresponding to a room within.
    — Busola Evans, Architectural Digest, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Both spaces boast corresponding color palettes and an elevated rustic theme to fit the rest of the house.
    — Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
Definition of corresponding
Verb
  • By adjusting for variables such as smoking, physical activity and underlying health conditions, the researchers were able to isolate the specific relationship between caffeine intake and long-term brain health, SWNS noted.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
  • How to Stop Them Prevent grubs from taking over your yard this spring by adjusting your watering schedule.
    — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of adjusting
Verb
  • Levy Restaurants was reportedly only preparing 200 for Sunday’s game day.
    — Jayna Bardahl, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
  • The agency is preparing to send four astronauts back to the Moon this March on a high-stakes, ten-day mission to the far side.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026
Definition of preparing
Verb
  • The bill would also explicitly prohibit the Kansas Department of Revenue from accommodating gender marker change requests on driver’s licenses, state ID cards and birth certificates.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
  • The latrines formed part of the Scholastica Baths, the city’s largest bathing complex, capable of accommodating up to 1,000 people, and an important social center.
    — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Definition of accommodating
Adjective
  • Some growers have also started to focus more on roses that are appropriate to their local climates, Kukielski says.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Observing the relationship between parental contact with their children and the payment of child support obligations, facilitate and encourage parental access and involvement (when appropriate).
    — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Definition of appropriate
Verb
  • Stars including Oscar nominee Teyana Taylor, Heated Rivalry's François Arnaud, and music icon Queen Latifah strutted the grey carpet before taking front-row seats for the suiting specialist's latest looks.
    — Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 7 Feb. 2026
  • The suiting vibe might suggest a classic menswear look, but Bad Bunny’s dapper black and white ensemble was actually based on a womenswear look that first came down the brand’s spring 2023 couture runway in Paris.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 2 Feb. 2026
Definition of suiting

Browse Nearby Words

fitted (out)
fitting
fitting (in)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fitting. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on fitting

Nglish: Translation of fitting for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

'Buck naked' or 'butt naked'?

What does 'etcetera' mean?

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Did Orange the Fruit or the Color Come First?

Why Is the Letter ‘Z’ Associated With Sleeping?

The Words of the Week - Feb. 13

Why do we call it 'ides of March'?
See More

Popular

See More

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Did Orange the Fruit or the Color Come First?
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All