EN

Synonyms for seaman

19 synonyms
1 antonym
2 meanings

noun

Most common

sailor navigator mariner seafarer sea dog old salt crew merman

Synonyms by meaning

Noun

1. Sailor — synonym of sailor, particularly on a maritime vessel

sailor, seafarer, mariner, navigator, jacky, matlow, waterman dated, shipper dated, lobscouser dated

2. Sea dog

sea dog, jack, tar, old salt, jack-tar, salt, gob

Other

crew, merman, tarpaulin

Antonyms

All antonyms of seaman →

Definitions

n. 1
Synonym of sailor, particularly on a maritime vessel.
n. 2
A person of the lowest rank in the Navy, below able seaman.

Related words

Word family: seamancraft seamanlike seamanly seamanship
Phrases: able-bodied seaman able seaman leading seaman merchant seaman

Forms

Plural: seamen → sailors, seafarers, mariners, navigators…

Example sentences

sailor The sailor climbed the ratlines to reach the mast.
navigator My GPS navigator doesn't work abroad.
mariner Mariner 9 was launched on May 30, 1971.
seafarer In 1498, the seafarer and explorer Vasco da Gama found a route to India.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
seaman		falling
sailor		rising
navigator		steady
mariner		steady
seafarer		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: tar¹, gob¹
4 letters: jack¹, crew¹, salt¹
5 letters: jacky²
6 letters: sailor², merman², matlow
7 letters: mariner³, shipper²
8 letters: waterman³, seafarer³
9 letters: navigator⁴, tarpaulin
10 letters: lobscouser

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (jacky² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: matelot
Deutsch: Matrose