A camp brochure, a hobby list and a police report all say activities, but each needs a different replacement. For free time, pastimes and hobbies fit. Scheduled things to do become events, outings or programs, and business or illegal conduct becomes operations or dealings.
Best synonyms for activities
Things you do for fun
- pastimes
- hobbies
- pursuits
- interests
- diversions
- amusements
- recreations
Planned events and outings
- events
- programs
- outings
- excursions
- exercises
Work, business and organized dealings
- operations
- dealings
- undertakings
- endeavors
- tasks
Which synonym should you use?
| If you mean… | Best alternatives |
|---|---|
| Casual ways to fill spare time | pastimes, hobbies, amusements |
| Things you keep up over the years | hobbies, interests |
| Outdoor or athletic leisure | pursuits, recreations |
| A summer camp's full schedule | programs, events |
| A short group trip | outings, excursions |
| Practice work in a class | exercises, tasks |
| What a company or gang carries out | operations, dealings |
| Big, serious projects | undertakings, endeavors |
Activities synonyms explained
1. Pastimes
Things you do to pass free time, usually casual and low-pressure. It asks for less commitment than hobbies, which suggest something you keep up regularly.
Best used when: Describing how someone fills idle hours.
Fishing and crossword puzzles were his favorite pastimes.
2. Hobbies
Leisure activities you return to again and again, such as woodworking or stamp collecting. That regularity separates them from pastimes, and they never cover a one-time event.
Best used when: Listing what someone does outside work on a regular basis.
Her hobbies include birdwatching and restoring old radios.
3. Pursuits
Sounds more serious and purposeful than hobbies, and it usually comes with a modifier: outdoor pursuits, intellectual pursuits, leisure pursuits.
Best used when: Writing about leisure in a brochure, profile or formal description.
The lodge caters to outdoor pursuits such as climbing and kayaking.
4. Interests
Names what a person likes rather than what they do, so it works in a list of tastes but not for things a venue offers. It is broader and vaguer than hobbies.
Best used when: Introducing yourself on a form or profile.
Her interests include hiking, chess and local history.
5. Diversions
Things that take your mind off work or worry. The point is relief, not commitment, which sets it apart from hobbies.
Best used when: Talking about light entertainment during a stressful or dull stretch.
Card games were the only diversions in the long winter evenings.
6. Events
Specific occasions with a start and an end, such as a concert or a fair. Unlike programs, which name a whole series, an event is one thing you can put on a calendar.
Best used when: Listing scheduled gatherings at a library, school or town.
The library hosts three family events each month.
7. Programs
An organized series of activities under one name, like a summer or after-school program. It describes the whole package, where events describes the individual pieces. Because a program can also be the printed schedule handed out at a show, make sure the sentence points to things people do.
Best used when: Describing what a camp, school or club offers over a season.
The summer program includes swimming, archery and a talent show.
8. Outings
Short, informal group trips for pleasure, usually lasting a day or less. Milder and more casual than excursions.
Best used when: Mentioning a trip to a park, museum or ball game.
The senior center plans two outings a month, usually a lunch and a matinee.
9. Excursions
Planned trips, often guided or built into a larger trip such as a cruise or tour. More formal and organized than outings, and it can last longer than a day.
Best used when: Writing about tours booked as part of a vacation.
Guests can book shore excursions at every port.
10. Exercises
Structured tasks meant to practice a skill, common in lessons and training sessions. Without a context such as speaking exercises, readers may hear physical workouts instead.
Best used when: Describing classroom or workshop activities.
The students worked through the speaking exercises in pairs.
11. Operations
The organized work of a company, military unit or criminal group. It suggests scale and structure, so it is heavier than dealings, which stresses contact and transactions with others.
Best used when: Reporting on what a business or organized group carries out.
The company has scaled back its overseas operations.
12. Dealings
Transactions or contact between people or firms. It takes with, and in news writing it often hints at something questionable. It is narrower than operations.
Best used when: Referring to business contact with a specific person or firm.
Correct: The senator denied any dealings with the lobbyist.
Incorrect: The senator denied any dealings to the lobbyist.
Dealings takes with, not to, because it describes contact between two parties. The correct form is the first sentence.
13. Undertakings
Large or serious projects that someone commits to, often costly or demanding. It is more formal than tasks, and it focuses on the commitment rather than on the effort, which is where endeavors leans.
Best used when: Describing major projects such as renovations or expeditions.
Both undertakings required more than a year of planning.
14. Endeavors
Efforts aimed at a goal, usually in a slightly lofty tone that suits speeches, greeting cards and mission statements. It stresses trying, where undertakings stresses the project itself.
Best used when: Wishing someone well in their work or ambitions.
We wish her well in all her future endeavors.
FAQ
What can replace "criminal activities"?
Name the act if you know it. If you don't, operations suits an organized group, and dealings suits shady transactions with other people. Both are more specific than activities.
Is interests a safe swap for activities?
Only for what someone likes. Her interests include hiking works, but the camp offers many interests does not, because an interest is a taste, not something you do.