Synonyms for

Apes

Verb / eɪps / Another word for apes — explore alternatives below. For syllable breakdowns and pronunciation, see this word on Syllablesworld.

Definition

Apes are primates that are similar to monkeys but do not have tails.

Synonyms & similar words

ape imitator caricature anthropoid copycat emulator aper primates gorillas chimpanzees orangutans monkeys lemurs baboons macaques gibbons siamangs tarsiers marmosets capuchins langurs bonobos

Synonyms by register

Formal

simians primates

Informal

monkeys great apes

Literary

brutes beasts

Antonyms

humans people mankind mortals civilized beings

Common collocations

  • great apes
  • human apes
  • apes and monkeys
  • intelligent apes
  • ancient apes
  • apes and humans
  • apes in the wild

Word family

noun ape
verb ape

Usage note

While 'apes' can refer to any member of the superfamily Hominoidea, it is often used informally to distinguish them from monkeys. The verb 'to ape' means to imitate or mimic.

Example sentences

  1. The apes at the zoo were very active today.
  2. The orangutan is a type of ape that lives in the rainforest.
  3. The chimpanzee is a very intelligent ape.
  4. The gorilla is the largest of all the apes.
  5. The gibbons at the zoo love to swing on the ropes.

Quotes

  • The difference between man and the other animals is unbridgeable. Mathematics is alone sufficient to prove in man the possession of a faculty unexistent in other creatures. - G. H. Hardy
  • The apes are, after all, arboreal animals, and those who have studied them declare that the word 'jungle' means to them the same thing as does the word 'ocean' to us. - R. H. F. Scott
  • The apes yawn and adore their fleas in the sun. - Elizabeth Bishop

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