LICENSE Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'license' different from other nouns like it?

The words freedom and liberty are common synonyms of license . While all three words mean "the power or condition of acting without compulsion," license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom. // freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license

Q: Where would 'freedom' be a reasonable alternative to 'license'?

Although the words freedom and license have much in common, freedom has a broad range of application from total absence of restraint to merely a sense of not being unduly hampered or frustrated. // freedom of the press

Q: When is it sensible to use 'liberty' instead of 'license'?

The synonyms liberty and license are sometimes interchangeable, but liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion. // the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty

license 1 of 2

noun

ˈlī-sᵊn(t)s

variants or licence

Definition of license next

as in permission

the approval by someone in authority for the doing of something the company is seeking license to operate several more power plants in the state

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in delegation

the granting of power to perform various acts or duties a restaurant owner has to get a license to serve food and drink

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in authorization

the right to act or move freely military commanders on the ground must be granted considerable license, as wars cannot be micromanaged by people back in Washington

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license

2 of 2

verb

variants also licence

as in to enable

to give official or legal power to a state statute licenses county sheriffs to choose their own deputies

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word license different from other nouns like it?

The words freedom and liberty are common synonyms of license. While all three words mean "the power or condition of acting without compulsion," license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom.

freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license

Where would freedom be a reasonable alternative to license?

Although the words freedom and license have much in common, freedom has a broad range of application from total absence of restraint to merely a sense of not being unduly hampered or frustrated.

freedom of the press

When is it sensible to use liberty instead of license?

The synonyms liberty and license are sometimes interchangeable, but liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion.

the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of license

Noun

Tracy Baxter was the training support specialist at the ATP Flight School when Sam Lilley earned his commercial pilot license and instructor ratings. —

Chris Kenning, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025 New debut launch then targeted November, but FAA only gave launch license on Dec. 27, same day as the rocket’s first test hot fire on the pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 36. —

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2025

Verb

While a show like Friends or Seinfeld can snag hundreds of millions of dollars in licensing revenue from a Max or Netflix, most subscription streamers aren’t going to spend much cash striking a deal for the exclusive rights to old episodes of Hell’s Kitchen or some random comedy from the 1980s. —

Josef Adalian, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025 Tacopina also claimed that Rocky is licensed to carry a firearm in California. —

Daniela Avila, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for license

Recent Examples of Synonyms for license

Noun

Harvard-Westlake paid more than $40 million for the land in 2021, then had to go through years of community meetings while getting permits and receiving permission from the city to build.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2025
The big picture: The early days of Trump's second administration — as Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) crew execute a hostile takeover of the federal government's digital infrastructure — are giving Washington a crash course in the importance of system permissions.

— Richard Collings, Axios, 4 Feb. 2025