100 Best Synonyms for “Instead”

No.	Item	Definition
1.	acting for	serving on behalf of
2.	ahead of	in preference to
3.	alternately	as another option
4.	alternatively	as another option
5.	another option	a different choice
6.	another route	a different option
7.	another way	by a different method
8.	as a replacement	serving in another’s place
9.	as a substitute	serving as a replacement
10.	as opposed to	rather than that
11.	barring that	unless that happens
12.	before	ahead of another choice
13.	better	more suitably instead
14.	but rather	but instead
15.	by another means	through a different method
16.	by preference	according to what is preferred
17.	by replacement	through taking another’s place
18.	by substitution	through replacement
19.	choosing	selecting as preferred
20.	closer to the mark	more accurate instead
21.	contrary to	opposed to that choice
22.	counter to	opposed to that
23.	counterpoised to	set against as alternative
24.	covering for	serving in place of
25.	designating	appointing as replacement
26.	differently	in another manner
27.	doing duty for	serving in place of
28.	doubling for	acting as a stand-in
29.	electing	choosing by preference
30.	elsewise	in another way
31.	employing	putting into use
32.	except that	with that excluded
33.	failing	if that does not happen
34.	favoring	showing preference for
35.	filling the role of	serving in that role
36.	for	in place of
37.	going with	choosing this option
38.	if not	otherwise; failing that
39.	in contrast to	rather than compared with
40.	in default of	for lack of
41.	in exchange	as a return substitute
42.	in lieu	in place of
43.	in place	as a substitute
44.	in preference	with greater favor
45.	in return	as a substitute exchange
46.	in someone’s stead	in that person’s place
47.	in stead of	in place of
48.	in substitution for	used as a replacement
49.	in the alternative	as another possibility
50.	more accurately	in a truer way
51.	more aptly	more suitably
52.	more correctly	more accurately
53.	more exactly	more accurately instead
54.	more fittingly	in a more suitable way
55.	more nearly	more closely instead
56.	more precisely	with greater accuracy instead
57.	more suitably	in a better way
58.	more to the point	more appropriately instead
59.	naming	selecting as the option
60.	opposed to	set against that
61.	opting for	choosing this alternative
62.	or else	as another possibility
63.	or rather	more accurately instead
64.	other than that	apart from that choice
65.	otherwise	if not that way
66.	over	in preference to
67.	picking	choosing one option
68.	pinch-hitting for	temporarily replacing someone
69.	preferably	by preference
70.	preferentially	with preference given
71.	preferring	liking this option better
72.	prior to choosing	before selecting that
73.	putting in	placing as replacement
74.	rather	in preference to that
75.	resorting to	turning to another option
76.	save that	except for that
77.	serving for	functioning in place of
78.	set against	placed in opposition to
79.	short of	lacking that option
80.	sooner	more willingly
81.	standing for	representing in place of
82.	standing in	acting in another’s place
83.	subbing for	informally replacing someone
84.	substitutively	by way of substitution
85.	taking	choosing or accepting
86.	that failing	if that does not work
87.	therefor	for that in exchange
88.	through another option	using a different choice
89.	to better advantage	more advantageously
90.	to better effect	with better results instead
91.	turning to	choosing another option
92.	using	employing this option
93.	versus	as opposed to
94.	via another route	by a different way
95.	vice	in place of
96.	when absent	if not present
97.	where not	if not there
98.	where unavailable	if not obtainable
99.	with another choice	using a different option
100.	without that	lacking that option