Another Word for Impact: Synonyms for the Noun and the Verb

On this page10 sections

1. Quick picker
2. Impact as "the effect of something": effect, influence, consequence
3. When the effects spread: repercussions, fallout, ripple effect
4. Impact as a physical hit: collision, crash, blow, force
5. Impact as a verb: affect, shape, hit, improve
6. Another word for impactful
7. On a resume or in a performance review
8. Words that are easy to misuse
9. Practice
10. Quick answers

The closest other word for impact as a noun is effect: the effect of the new law says the same thing as the impact of the new law. When the effect is large, use influence, consequence or repercussions; when you mean a physical blow, use collision, crash or force. As a verb, impact is usually best replaced by affect, or by a more exact verb such as shape, harm, improve or hit.

Impact has become a default word in reports, essays and resumes, and it is vague by nature: it tells the reader that something changed without saying how, or whether the change was good. That is why the best replacement is often not a synonym of the same size but a word that states the direction. “The strike delayed 400 flights” beats “the strike impacted flights”. The sections below go meaning by meaning, with an example sentence for each word.

Quick picker

Impact as “the effect of something”: effect, influence, consequence

This is the everyday sense in the impact of social media or the impact on prices. The synonyms differ in size and in how neutral they are.

• Effect is the plain, neutral word and fits almost anywhere. Scientists are studying the effect of noise on sleep.
• Influence suggests a gradual, indirect effect, often on people, opinions or style. You can hear the influence of jazz in her early songs.
• Result and outcome name what happened in the end. The result of the merger was a smaller, stronger company.
• Consequence is a result that follows from a decision or action, and it often leans negative. Missing the deadline had serious consequences.
• Significance and importance fit when impact means “how much something matters”. Few people grasped the significance of the discovery at the time.
• Bearing is used in the phrase have a bearing on: to be relevant to. His age has no bearing on the decision.
• Difference works in the common phrase make a difference, a warm, plain way to say have an impact. The extra tutor made a real difference to the class.

For effects that last, English has several images. A person or event can leave a mark or leave an impression; a career leaves a legacy; an industry has an environmental footprint. The festival’s carbon footprint shrank by a third after it banned single-use cups.

The word influence has a wider range of its own, including power over people and decisions. That side is covered on the page about another word for influence.

When the effects spread: repercussions, fallout, ripple effect

Some replacements say that an event set off further effects, usually ones nobody wanted.

• Repercussions are indirect, often unpleasant results that arrive later. The court’s ruling will have repercussions for every landlord in the state.
• Fallout is the bad result of a scandal, a quarrel or a failed decision. It is a metaphor from the radioactive dust that falls after a nuclear explosion. The minister resigned to limit the political fallout.
• Ramifications are the many branching results of a decision, and the word is formal. Lawyers are still working out the ramifications of the new tax rules.
• Aftermath is the period just after a disaster or a big event. In the aftermath of the flood, neighbours shared food and generators.
• Knock-on effect (mainly British) and ripple effect describe one change causing another, then another. A delay at the port has a knock-on effect on every shop that is waiting for stock.
• Toll is the damage or suffering something causes, in the phrase take a toll on. Night shifts took a toll on his health.

When you want a linking phrase and not a noun, see another word for as a result.

Impact as a physical hit: collision, crash, blow, force

The oldest meaning of impact is physical: one thing striking another. Here the replacements are concrete, and each suits different objects.

• Collision is used for moving things that run into each other: vehicles, ships, players, particles. Two cyclists were hurt in a collision at the junction.
• Crash is a violent, noisy collision, usually of a vehicle. The crash closed the motorway for three hours.
• Blow is a hard hit from a hand, a weapon or a tool. A single blow from the hammer split the stone. It is also used for bad news: losing the contract was a heavy blow.
• Strike fits lightning, missiles and anything that hits a target. The lightning strike knocked out power to the village.
• Jolt and bump are smaller: a sudden shake or a light knock. The plane landed with a jolt.
• Force, shock and brunt describe the power of the hit, not the event. The front of the car took the brunt of the crash.

Two fixed phrases keep the word itself: on impact means “at the moment of hitting” (the glass shattered on impact), and a point of impact is the exact place where something hit. In technical writing, such as accident reports and engineering, impact is the standard term and there is no need to replace it.

Impact as a verb: affect, shape, hit, improve

Some readers and editors dislike impact as a verb meaning “affect” (the cuts will impact schools). The use is long established and dictionaries record it, but it remains a word that some style guides advise against in formal writing, and it has the same weakness as the noun: it does not say what kind of change took place. A more exact verb is nearly always available.

The neutral choice is affect. Remember the usual pairing: affect is the verb and effect is the noun, so “the change affects everyone” but “the change has an effect on everyone”. Influence, shape, sway and touch suit people and opinions. For a bad effect choose harm, damage, hit, undermine or disrupt; for a good one, help, benefit, strengthen or boost (more options are under another word for improve).

Note the grammar when you switch. The noun takes on: an impact on sales, an effect on sales. The verbs affect and influence take a direct object with no preposition: it affects sales, not it affects on sales.

Another word for impactful

Impactful is common in marketing and business speech, and many careful writers avoid it. These adjectives do the same work and say more:

• for results and methods: effective, powerful, successful. It was the most effective campaign the charity has run. (See also another word for effective.)
• for importance: significant, influential, far-reaching, meaningful. The ruling was far-reaching. (More under another word for significant.)
• for speeches, films and images: moving, striking, memorable, compelling, hard-hitting. The documentary ends with a striking final shot.

On a resume or in a performance review

“Made an impact” is a resume phrase that tells a recruiter very little. Replace it with what changed and, where you honestly can, by how much. The numbers in the examples below are placeholders; use your own real figures or leave the number out.

Useful verbs here are increased, reduced, cut, grew, improved, launched, delivered, saved and transformed (keep that last one for changes that really were large). When you need a noun, contribution, results and achievements are safer than impact: her contribution to the project. There are more ideas in the guide to synonyms for “add value” on a resume.

Words that are easy to misuse

• Affect / effect. As a replacement for the verb impact, you almost always want affect. Effect as a verb means “bring about”: to effect a change is to make it happen, not to influence it.
• Consequence is not neutral. “The consequences of the award” sounds as if the award caused trouble. Use effect or result for good news.
• Fallout, repercussions and toll are negative. You cannot talk about “the fallout of winning the scholarship”.
• Collision needs movement on at least one side, and usually two things of a similar kind. A ball hitting a window is an impact or a hit, not normally a collision.
• Influence is gentle and gradual. An earthquake does not “influence” a city; it damages or devastates it.
• Impression is an effect on someone’s mind or feelings only. A tax has an effect on prices, not an impression.

Practice

Choose the best word for each gap. Answers are below.

1. The new bus lane has had little ______ on journey times. (effect / collision / toll)
2. Years of heavy lifting took a ______ on his back. (legacy / toll / result)
3. The scandal’s political ______ reached the prime minister’s office. (fallout / footprint / jolt)
4. The drought will ______ this year’s wheat harvest. (effect / affect / impression)
5. The windscreen cracked on ______. (blow / impact / outcome)
6. Her grandmother’s stories ______ the way she writes. (shaped / collided / hit)
7. The two boats were damaged in a ______ near the harbour mouth. (repercussion / collision / bearing)
8. His age has no ______ on whether he gets the job. (bearing / brunt / aftermath)

Answers: 1. effect; 2. toll; 3. fallout; 4. affect; 5. impact (the fixed phrase on impact); 6. shaped; 7. collision; 8. bearing.

Quick answers

What is a better word for impact?

For the noun, effect is the plain choice and influence, consequence or difference are more specific. For the verb, use affect, or better, a verb that says what changed: improve, harm, delay, shape.

What is a synonym for positive impact?

Benefit, improvement, boost, contribution and a real difference all work. “The program made a real difference to local families” is warmer and clearer than “had a positive impact on”.

What is a synonym for negative impact?

Harm, damage, toll, fallout, repercussions and adverse effect (formal). As a verb: hurt, damage, undermine.

Is it wrong to use impact as a verb?

No. It is established and dictionaries list it, but some editors and style guides prefer affect or a more exact verb in formal writing, so replacing it is the safe choice in essays and reports.

What can I say instead of “make an impact”?

Make a difference, leave a mark, make your mark, have an effect, change things. On a resume, name the result instead.

For more overused words and their replacements, browse the list of synonyms.