Half — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective adverb /ˈhaf/

Meaning & Definition of Half

Half (noun)

  1. either of two equal parts that compose something; also, a part approximately equal to one of these
  2. half an hour —used in designation of time
  3. one of a pair

Half (adjective)

  1. being one of two equal parts
  2. that is approximately equal to either of two equal parts that compose something, amounting to approximately half
  3. falling short of the full or complete thing, partial

Half (adverb)

  1. in an equal part or degree
  2. not completely, partially
  3. by any means, at all

Half (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. one of two equal or nearly equal parts

    "to be fair, we should each get half the pie"

    similar: moiety
    related: halvers, hemisphere, meridian, semicircle, component, constituent, division, element, fraction, part, piece, portion, section, segment
    near: aggregate, sum, total, whole

  2. either of a pair matched in one or more qualities

    "it's the bottom half of the ninth inning, and the Yankees are up at bat"

    similar: companion, fellow, match, mate, twin
    related: coordinate, coequal, counterpart, equal, equivalent, like, parallel, peer, rival, carbon copy, double, duplicate, facsimile, identical twin, likeness, mirror image, replica, ringer, analogue, similarity
    near: antipode, antithesis, contrary, converse, opposite, reverse

Half (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. lacking some necessary part

    "half measures that did nothing but prolong the problem"

    similar: deficient, fragmental, fragmentary, halfway, incomplete, partial
    related: broken, damaged, flawed, impaired, imperfect, injured, marred, spoiled, sketchy, unassembled, uncompleted, unfinished
    opposite: complete, entire, full, intact, integral, perfect, whole
    near: flawless, unbroken, undamaged, unimpaired, uninjured, unmarred, completed, finished

Half (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. in any way or respect

    "this cut on your arm isn't half as bad as it looks"

    similar: anywise, at all, ever
    related: somehow, someway, remotely

  2. in some measure or degree

    "what you said is only half true"

    similar: halfway, incompletely, part, partially, partly, partway, in part
    related: fragmentarily, enough, fairly, kindly (chiefly Southern), kind of, like, moderately, more or less, pretty, quite, rather, relatively, something, somewhat, sort of
    opposite: all, altogether, completely, entirely, fully, perfectly, quite, totally, utterly, wholly
    near: absolutely, dead, downright, plain, especially, exceedingly, exceptionally, extremely, greatly, highly, hugely, particularly, very

Related Entry: Half-baked (adjective)

Half-baked is a different word from Half. The synonyms below are for half-baked, not for half.

  1. showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment

    "he's always got some half-baked solution to a difficult, complex problem"

    similar: absurd, asinine, balmy, barmy (chiefly British), batty, brainless, bubbleheaded, cockeyed, crackbrained, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, fatuous, featherheaded, fool, foolish, fruity (slang), gaga, half-witted, harebrained, inept, insane, jerky, kooky, loony, loony tunes, lunatic (informal), lunkheaded, mad, meshuga, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, senseless, silly, simpleminded, stupid, tomfool, unwise, wacko, wacky, weak-minded, witless, zany, out to lunch
    related: airheaded, birdbrained, boobish, brain-dead, chowderheaded, chuckleheaded, clueless, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky (slang), dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, feebleminded, gormless (chiefly British), idiotic, imbecile, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, mindless, moronic, oafish, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, thoughtless, thick, thickheaded, unintelligent, vacuous, fallacious, illogical, invalid, irrational, nonrational, surd, unreasonable, unreasoning, unsound, weak, farcical, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, notional, buffoonish, clownish, ill-advised, unconsidered, unreasoned
    opposite: judicious, prudent, sagacious, sage, sane, sapient, sensible, sound, wise
    near: brainy, bright, clever, intelligent, smart, logical, rational, reasonable, valid, well-advised

Related Entry: Half-pint (adjective)

Half-pint is a different word from Half. The synonyms below are for half-pint, not for half.

  1. of a size that is less than average

    "one of those half-pint refrigerators that are designed for small apartments"

    similar: bantam, diminutive, dinky, dwarfish, fine, Lilliputian, little, pint-size, pocket, pocket-size, puny, pygmy, shrimpy, slight, small, smallish, subnormal, toylike, undersized
    related: dwarf, toy, runtish, runty, scrubby, stunted, bitty, inappreciable, infinitesimal, little bitty, micro, microscopic, mini, miniature, miniaturized, minikin, minim, minuscule, minute, pinpoint, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee, weeny, meager, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy, deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, wanting, bite-size, capsule
    opposite: big, biggish, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome, husky, king-size, large, largish, outsize, overscale, oversize, sizable, substantial, tidy, whacking, whopping
    near: bulky, hefty, hulking, massive, voluminous, boxcar, Brobdingnagian, Bunyanesque, cavernous, colossal, cyclopean, elephantine, enormous, galactic, gargantuan, giant, gigantic, gross, Himalayan, herculean, heroic, huge, humongous, immense, jumbo, leviathan, mammoth, monolithic, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, pharaonic, prodigious, staggering, stupendous, titanic, tremendous, vast, abundant, ample, appreciable, bountiful, copious, generous, healthy, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, fat, thick, broad, wide, boundless, cosmic, immeasurable, incalculable, infinite, adequate, enough, sufficient

Related Entry: Half-pint (noun)

Half-pint is a different word from Half. The synonyms below are for half-pint, not for half.

  1. a person of no importance or influence

    "when I called the company to complain, I was shuttled from one half-pint to the next"

    similar: cipher, dwarf, insect, insignificancy, lightweight, morsel, nobody, nonentity, nothing, nullity, number, pip-squeak, pygmy, snippersnapper, twerp, whippersnapper, zero, zilch
    related: no-name, noncelebrity, least, inferior, mediocrity, obscurity, figurehead, puppet, nonperson, unperson, outcast, pariah, reject
    opposite: big shot, big wheel, bigwig, eminence, figure, kahuna, kingpin, magnate, nabob, personage, somebody, VIP
    near: chief, head, lead, leader, celebrity, luminary, notable, personality, planet, star, superstar, authority, superior, great power, party, power

Related Entry: Half-wit (noun)

Half-wit is a different word from Half. The synonyms below are for half-wit, not for half.

  1. a person who lacks good sense or judgment

    "some half-wit had left the gate open, and all the sheep had gotten loose"

    similar: berk (British), booby, charlie (British), cuckoo, ding-a-ling, ding-dong, dingbat, dipstick, doofus (slang), featherhead, fool, git (British), goose, jackass, lunatic (informal), maniac (informal), mooncalf, nincompoop, ninny, ninnyhammer, nit (chiefly British), nitwit, nut, nutcase, simp, simpleton, turkey, yo-yo
    related: daredevil, madman, airhead, birdbrain, blockhead, dodo, dolt, donkey, dope, dork (slang), dumbbell, dummy, dunce, fathead, gander, goon, idiot, ignoramus, imbecile, know-nothing, knucklehead, moron, numskull, pinhead, schlub (slang), schlump (slang), schnook (slang), stock, featherbrain, scatterbrain, butt, dupe, laughingstock, mockery, monkey, chump, loser, schlemiel, character, codger, crackbrain, crackpot, crank, kook, oddball, screwball, weirdo
    near: sage, thinker, brain, genius

  2. a stupid person

    "even a half-wit knows that ice cream melts if it's not in the freezer"

    similar: airhead, birdbrain, blockhead, bonehead, bubblehead, chowderhead, chucklehead, clodpoll, clot (British), cluck, clunk, cretin, cuddy (British dialect), deadhead, dim bulb (slang), dimwit, dip, dodo, dolt, donkey, doofus (slang), dope, dork (slang), dullard, dum-dum, dumbbell, dumbhead, dummkopf, dummy, dunce, dunderhead, fathead, gander, golem, goof, goon, hammerhead, hardhead, idiot, ignoramus, imbecile, jackass, know-nothing, knucklehead, lamebrain, loggerhead (chiefly dialect), loon, lump, lunkhead, meathead, mome (archaic), moron, mug (chiefly British), mutt, nimrod (slang), nincompoop, ninny, ninnyhammer, nit (chiefly British), nitwit, noddy, noodle, numskull, oaf, pinhead, prat (British), ratbag (chiefly Australian), saphead, schlub (slang), schnook (slang), simpleton, stock, stupe, stupid, thickhead, turkey, woodenhead, yahoo, yo-yo, dumb cluck
    related: booby, buffoon, fool, goose, loony, madman, nut, zany, loser, gawk, featherbrain, scatterbrain, beast, boor, cad, churl, clown, creep, cur, heel, jerk, skunk, snake, stinker, villain
    opposite: brain, genius
    near: intellect, intellectual, sage, thinker, whiz, wizard, polymath, Renaissance man, sharpie

Related Entry: Half-witted (adjective)

Half-witted is a different word from Half. The synonyms below are for half-witted, not for half.

  1. not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily

    "the young genius mastered calculus while his peers, who seemed half-witted in comparison, labored over basic addition and subtraction"

    similar: airheaded, birdbrained, bonehead, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky (slang), dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, fatuous, gormless (chiefly British), knuckleheaded, lamebrain, lunkheaded, mindless, oafish, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, senseless, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, stupid, thick, thick-witted, thickheaded, unintelligent, unsmart, vacuous, weak-minded, witless
    related: cretinous, feebleminded, simpleminded, boobish, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, moronic, ignorant, illiterate, lowbrow, uneducated, uninformed, unintellectual, untaught, unthinking, absurd, asinine, balmy, cockeyed, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, featherheaded, fool, half-baked, harebrained, insane, kooky, loony, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, silly, tomfool, unwise, wacky, zany, fallacious, illogical, invalid, irrational, unreasonable
    opposite: apt, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, fast, hyperintelligent, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, sharp, sharp-witted, smart, supersmart, ultrasmart
    near: ingenious, resourceful, acute, astute, discerning, insightful, keen, knowing, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, sagacious, sage, sapient, savvy, wise, cerebral, erudite, highbrow, intellectual, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, thinking, well-read, educated, informed, schooled, skilled, trained, crafty, cunning, foxy, shrewd, wily, judicious, prudent, sane, sensible, sound, logical, rational, reasonable, valid

  2. showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment

    "had the half-witted idea to try to swim across the raging river, and would have drowned if someone hadn't rescued him"

    similar: absurd, asinine, balmy, barmy (chiefly British), batty, brainless, bubbleheaded, cockeyed, crackbrained, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, fatuous, featherheaded, fool, foolish, fruity (slang), gaga, half-baked, harebrained, inept, insane, jerky, kooky, loony, loony tunes, lunatic (informal), lunkheaded, mad, meshuga, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, senseless, silly, simpleminded, stupid, tomfool, unwise, wacko, wacky, weak-minded, witless, zany, out to lunch
    related: airheaded, birdbrained, boobish, brain-dead, chowderheaded, chuckleheaded, clueless, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky (slang), dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, feebleminded, gormless (chiefly British), idiotic, imbecile, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, mindless, moronic, oafish, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, thoughtless, thick, thickheaded, unintelligent, vacuous, fallacious, illogical, invalid, irrational, nonrational, surd, unreasonable, unreasoning, unsound, weak, farcical, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, notional, buffoonish, clownish, ill-advised, unconsidered, unreasoned
    opposite: judicious, prudent, sagacious, sage, sane, sapient, sensible, sound, wise
    near: brainy, bright, clever, intelligent, smart, logical, rational, reasonable, valid, well-advised

Related Entry: Half-world (noun)

Half-world is a different word from Half. The synonyms below are for half-world, not for half.

  1. a social sphere that exists outside of the mainstream

    "the half-world of tattoo addicts who regard the body embellishments not merely as fashion statements but as works of art and fundamental expressions of personal identity"

    similar: demimonde, demiworld, netherworld, underbelly, underworld
    related: abyss, depths

Related Entry: Half-truth (noun)

Half-truth is a different word from Half. The synonyms below are for half-truth, not for half.

  1. a statement that is only partly true and that is intended to deceive people

    "I'm tired of all these half-truths—I want to know the real story."

    similar: distortion, exaggeration, fable, fabrication, fairy tale, falsehood, falsity, fib, lie, mendacity, prevarication, story, tale, taradiddle, untruth, whopper, ambiguity, equivocation, obliquity, defamation, libel, slander, perjury, bluff, fiction, pose, pretense, humbug, jive, nonsense, canard, fallacy, misconception, myth, falsification, misinformation, misreport, misrepresentation, misstatement, deceit, deceitfulness, dishonesty, duplicity, fraudulence
    opposite: fact, truism, verity, honesty, truthfulness, veracity, authentication, confirmation, substantiation, validation, verification, truth

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Half

The most common words with a similar meaning to Half:

moiety, companion, fellow, match, mate, twin, deficient, fragmental, fragmentary, halfway, incomplete, partial, anywise, at all, ever, incompletely, part, partially, partly, partway, in part

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Half

Words with the opposite meaning of Half:

complete, entire, full, intact, integral, perfect, whole, all, altogether, completely, entirely, fully, perfectly, quite, totally, utterly, wholly

Related Words for Half

halvers, hemisphere, meridian, semicircle, component, constituent, division, element, fraction, piece, portion, section, segment, coordinate, coequal, counterpart, equal, equivalent, like, parallel, peer, rival, carbon copy, double, duplicate, facsimile, identical twin, likeness, mirror image, replica

Near Antonyms of Half

aggregate, sum, total, antipode, antithesis, contrary, converse, opposite, reverse, flawless, unbroken, undamaged, unimpaired, uninjured, unmarred, completed, finished, absolutely, dead, downright, plain, especially, exceedingly, exceptionally, extremely, greatly, highly, hugely, particularly, very

Word Forms of Half

Inflections: halves

Derived words: halfness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Half

Middle English, from Old English healf; akin to Old High German halb half

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Half

Words & Phrases Containing Half

half again as, half-and-half, half-ass, half-assed, half-baked, half bath

Frequently Asked Questions about Half

What does "Half" mean?

"Half" means either of two equal parts that compose something; also, a part approximately equal to one of these. As an a noun, an adjective and an adverb, it is defined as: either of two equal parts that compose something; also, a part approximately equal to one of these. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Half"?

Other words for "Half" include moiety, companion, fellow, match, mate, twin, deficient and fragmental. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Half" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Half"?

There are 83 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Half". Common alternatives include moiety, companion, fellow, match, mate, twin, deficient, fragmental, fragmentary and halfway.

What is the opposite of "Half"?

Antonyms of "Half" include complete, entire, full, intact, integral, perfect, whole and all. Near antonyms include aggregate, sum, total and antipode.

How do you use "Half" in a sentence?

Examples of "Half" in a sentence: "to be fair, we should each get half the pie"; "it's the bottom half of the ninth inning, and the Yankees are up at bat"; "half measures that did nothing but prolong the problem".

Is "Half" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Half" can be used as a noun, an adjective and an adverb, depending on the context.

Is "Half" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Half" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Half"?

"Half" is pronounced /ˈhaf/.