put off
12 synonyms and 4 antonyms for put off, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Phrasal verb — To move something to a later time, or to delay doing something you would rather not do.
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.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. phrasal verb
To move something to a later time, or to delay doing something you would rather not do.
“We had to put off the wedding until her father was out of hospital.”
Opposites
2. phrasal verb
To make someone lose interest in or feel distaste for something.
“The smell of the fish market put me off my lunch.”
Opposites
How to use put off
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Neutral and very common in everyday speech.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between "put off" and "put out"?
"Put off" means to postpone or to repel; "put out" means to extinguish something, to inconvenience someone, or to describe someone as annoyed. "He put off the meeting" delays it; "he was put out by the meeting" means he was irritated.
Is "put off" separable?
Yes. You can say "put off the decision" or "put the decision off", and with a pronoun the split is compulsory: "put it off", never "put off it".
What does "putting off" mean when talking about food?
It means killing your appetite. "That description put me off my dinner" means you no longer want to eat, not that you have delayed eating.