Before you pick a strength synonym, ask which kind of strength you mean: power and might for the body, durability for a material, resilience and fortitude for the mind, and asset or forte for a skill. Swapping across these senses is the most common mistake.
Further on you get another word for strength in six senses, a ladder of words from casual to formal, help with the plural strengths (useful in job interviews), and the antonyms.
Swatch at a glance
Best swaps
power, resilience, asset, toughnessPart of speech
Noun (plural: strengths)Most formal
fortitude, vigor, potencyMost casual
muscle, grit, backboneFor interviews
strong points, assets, forteAntonyms
weakness, frailty, flawWatch out
Force is power in action. A person has strength; a blow has force.
Six kinds of strength, six word sets
| Kind | Best words | Sample sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Body | power, might, muscle, stamina | Rowing builds stamina in the arms. |
| Material | durability, toughness, sturdiness | Test the durability of the rope. |
| Mind and spirit | resilience, grit, fortitude | Her grit kept the team going. |
| Good quality | asset, forte, strong point | Patience is his main asset. |
| Intensity | potency, concentration | Check the potency of the medicine. |
| Influence | clout, sway, numbers | The union had clout in the town. |
Notice that the words rarely cross over. A bridge has durability, not grit, and a medicine has potency, not muscle.
Reading the chip scale
Our chip strip moves left to right, casual to formal. Muscle and grit are spoken and vivid. Power is neutral. Vigor adds energy and health, and it sounds slightly bookish. Fortitude is the formal word for bearing pain or trouble with calm courage, as in a speech or a sympathy card.
Strengths in a job interview
When someone asks about your strengths, you can say strong points, assets, skills or, for one standout area, your forte. Forte is singular: "Data is my forte" works, "Data and design are my fortes" sounds awkward.
An interview answer: "One of my strengths is communication." Swap in a specific asset: "One of my assets is explaining technical ideas to clients, which cut our support calls by a third." The second version gives proof. More interview vocabulary waits in our career vocabulary lists.
Strength swaps, sentence by sentence
- He lifted the box with all his strength becomes he lifted the box with all his might.
- The strength of the walls becomes the sturdiness of the walls.
- She showed great strength after the accident becomes she showed great resilience after the accident.
- The strength of the coffee becomes the intensity of the coffee.
- Writing is her greatest strength becomes writing is her forte.
- The strength of the evidence becomes the weight of the evidence.
Strength synonym mistakes to avoid
Force is strength being used, often against something, so the force of the wind is fine but "her force as a leader" is odd. Energy is about having the drive to act, not about how much you can lift. Strong is the adjective; for those words see strong synonyms. Stability means staying steady, which is related but not the same.
Phrases that carry the idea
Spoken English has handy idioms: a pillar of strength (a person others lean on), from strength to strength (keep getting better), on the strength of (because of), and a tower of strength. Use them in speech or friendly writing rather than essays. For the verb sense, see strengthen synonyms.
Antonyms of strength
Weakness is the direct opposite, and the weak synonyms page has the adjectives. Frailty and feebleness describe the body, fragility describes things that break, and flaw or shortcoming describe a weak point in a person or plan.
- Her one flaw is impatience.
- The fragility of the glass made shipping hard.
Frequently asked questions
Which single word is closest to strength?
Power is the most general swap. For inner strength, resilience is usually the best fit.
Are there formal words for strength?
Fortitude is formal for courage in hard times, and vigor is formal for physical energy. Potency fits medicine and chemicals.
How do I talk about my strengths in an interview?
Try strong points, assets or key skills. If you have one area you are best at, call it your forte.
Which words describe inner strength?
Resilience, fortitude, grit and willpower all describe inner strength. Grit is casual and fortitude is formal.
Which noun is the antonym of strength?
Weakness is the direct antonym. Frailty, fragility and flaw cover the body, objects and character.
Is might a synonym for strength?
Yes, for great physical power, as in with all my might. It sounds a little old-fashioned outside that phrase.