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 →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between crypto and blockchain?
Crypto usually means the digital money itself, while a blockchain is the shared record-keeping system that money runs on. Every cryptocurrency uses some kind of blockchain or similar ledger, but blockchains can also be used to record things that are not money, such as ownership or supply-chain data.
Is crypto the same thing as Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is one cryptocurrency, the first widely used one, described in a 2008 whitepaper published under the name Satoshi Nakamoto. "Crypto" is the general category, which now covers thousands of different currencies and tokens.
Why is it called crypto?
Because the system depends on cryptography, the mathematics of encoding information. Cryptographic signatures prove who owns what and stop the same coin being spent twice, without a bank checking the records.