answering
4 synonyms and 0 antonyms for answering, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The act of giving a reply.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Etymology
From Middle English answerynge, built from answer plus -ing.
Full origin of answering →Frequently asked questions
What does “answering” mean?
The word “answering” means the act of giving a reply. In plain terms, the act of replying to something.
How do you pronounce “answering”?
“Answering” is pronounced AHN-suh-rihng (/ˈæn.sɚ.ɪŋ/ in IPA).
How do you use “answering” in a sentence?
Here is “answering” used in a sentence: “His answering of every question felt rehearsed.”
What part of speech is “answering”?
“Answering” is a noun.
Where does the word “answering” come from?
The word “answering” comes from Middle English. From Middle English answerynge, built from answer plus -ing.
Is “answering” a common word?
“Answering” is a fairly common word in modern English.
What is the difference between answering and replying?
Answering is the act of giving a reply to a question, a call, or a request, and it also covers physical responses such as answering the door. Replying focuses on responding to a message or to something said, particularly in writing — you reply to an email or a letter. In everyday use they overlap, but only answer works in fixed pairings like answering the phone.
What is an answering machine?
An answering machine is a device that takes over the job of answering a telephone: it plays a recorded greeting and records a message when nobody picks up. The word answering there is the noun sense, 'the act of giving a reply,' used attributively. An answering service is the human equivalent — a business that answers calls on a company's behalf.