as in dwarf
a person of no importance or influence
the magazine's editor in chief was notorious for treating staffers as insects, often not even bothering to learn their names
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 insect
Sterile insect technique has been used for years to decrease and control pests.
—
Kori McNair,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2026
Every wedding, every cherry blossom season in Japan, every birth, reactor accidents too, swarms of insects, kittens playing with woolen balls, people disfigured by war, palm trees at sunset—five billion photos a day.
—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
30 June 2026
Food Becomes More Readily Available Rainfall tends to bring out more than just frogs—additional insects come out, too.
—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
30 June 2026
In an attempt to escape, the insects fly upward and blunder into a bottle filled with ethanol, which kills them and preserves their remains.
—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for insect
Kori McNair,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2026
Every wedding, every cherry blossom season in Japan, every birth, reactor accidents too, swarms of insects, kittens playing with woolen balls, people disfigured by war, palm trees at sunset—five billion photos a day.
—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
30 June 2026
Food Becomes More Readily Available Rainfall tends to bring out more than just frogs—additional insects come out, too.
—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
30 June 2026
In an attempt to escape, the insects fly upward and blunder into a bottle filled with ethanol, which kills them and preserves their remains.
—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for insect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insect
Noun
-
For pots, look for dwarf zinnia varieties that won’t require staking.
-
As virality goes, this is not a big number, but the passion that the account has aroused dwarfs its reach.
Noun
-
But in my view, our relationships to animals, whose lives are untouched by the existential woes and artifices of personhood, are the richest and most evident ciphers for our own often inscrutable psyches.
-
Consider a dashboard that shows applications, including keys and libraries; network traffic protocols and ciphers; hardware, such as HSMs and TPMs; and third-party dependencies, including cryptographic or software bills of materials.
Noun
-
Despite the tragicomic instability and the rotating cast of nobodies temporarily tasked with running the country, when seen in macroeconomic terms, Peru appears to be doing just fine, thank you.
-
Unlike some of his more strapping forebears (think Liam Neeson, Kevin Costner, or Aaron Eckhart), Odenkirk specializes in nobodies and normals: people one would not expect to be killing machines.
Noun
-
Wear lightweight, loose and light-colored clothing and a brimmed hat.
-
The lightweight frames have rubber temple grips and adjustable nose pads.
Noun
-
While students honed their skills at the Santa Monica studio for the last year and four months, Blanck found an old pilates studio in Pacific Highlands for rent, but the numbers just didn't add up.
-
Each ticket costs $5, and players may pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers — five different numbers from 1 to 70 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 24 (the gold Mega Ball) — or select Easy Pick/Quick Pick.
Cite this Entry
“Insect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insect. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
