crypto
10 synonyms and 2 antonyms for crypto, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — Digital money that exists only as records on a computer network, kept secure by mathematics rather than issued or guaranteed by a government or bank.
Synonyms
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.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun informal
Digital money that exists only as records on a computer network, kept secure by mathematics rather than issued or guaranteed by a government or bank.
“He keeps a small amount of crypto on an exchange and the rest offline.”
Opposites
2. noun
The wider industry, technology and community built around cryptocurrencies.
“She left banking to work in crypto.”
3. noun technical, dated in this sense
Cryptography: the study and practice of encoding information so that only intended parties can read it.
“The paper was published at a crypto conference in the 1990s.”
How to use crypto
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
"Crypto" is the everyday short form; "cryptocurrency" is the fuller, more formal word. Cryptographers sometimes object to the newer sense, since "crypto" long meant cryptography in their field.
Etymology
A shortening of cryptocurrency, itself from crypto- (from Greek kruptos, hidden) plus currency, so named because the system relies on cryptography.
Full origin of crypto →