Synonyms of pen

pen 1 of 5

noun (1)

as in penitentiary

a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody

earned six years in a federal pen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• penitentiary
• jail
• prison
• coop
• brig
• jug
• cage
• hock
• jailhouse
• cooler
• big house
• lockup
• stockade
• bridewell
• calaboose
• guardroom
• pokey
• joint
• slammer
• hoosegow
• tank
• bastille
• nick
• clink
• cell
• stir
• slam
• hold
• tolbooth
• quod
• can
• bull pen
• dungeon
• hole
• ward
• guardhouse
• block
• labor camp
• concentration camp
• keep
• prison camp
• work camp
• gulag
• stalag
• glasshouse
• reform school
• oubliette
• hulk(s)
• reformatory
• training school

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• outside

pen

2 of 5

noun (2)

as in cage

an enclosure with an open framework for keeping animals

a goat pen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cage
• coop
• corral
• pound
• kennel
• hutch
• fence
• fold
• stockade
• kraal
• cote
• aquarium
• henhouse
• run
• pigpen
• dovecote
• sheepfold
• terrarium
• live-box

pen

3 of 5

noun (3)

as in writer

a person who creates a written work

Alexander Hamilton is reckoned to be the pseudonymous pen behind two thirds of the Federalist Papers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• writer
• author
• novelist
• man of letters
• biographer
• poet
• storyteller
• woman of letters
• penman
• litterateur
• scribe
• scrivener
• scribbler
• screenwriter
• blogger
• playwright
• dramatist
• wordsmith
• stylist
• columnist
• reporter
• ghostwriter
• journalist
• cowriter
• hack
• essayist
• coauthor
• memoirist
• fictionist
• memorialist
• autobiographer
• scriptwriter
• auteur
• hatchet man
• pamphleteer
• hagiographer
• bard
• belletrist
• fabulist
• satirist
• scenarist
• versifier
• fictioneer
• newspaperman
• sportswriter
• romancer
• wordmonger
• rhymer
• coscenarist
• paragrapher
• proser
• prosaist
• prosateur

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• nonauthor

pen

4 of 5

verb (1)

ˈpen 

as in to house

to close or shut in by or as if by barriers

remember to pen up the dogs when visitors come over

Synonyms & Similar Words

• house
• cage
• enclose
• confine
• closet
• box (in)
• encase
• fence (in)
• hem (in)
• include
• wall (in)
• hedge
• surround
• envelop
• corral
• encage
• mew (up)
• coop (up)
• bound
• immure
• ring
• limit
• restrict
• contain
• circumscribe
• armor
• encompass
• frame
• enframe
• encircle
• enfold
• encapsule
• enlace
• encapsulate
• ensheathe
• ensphere
• cocoon
• encyst
• enwomb

pen

5 of 5

verb (2)

as in to write

to compose and set down on paper the words of

though relatively unknown at the time of his death, the composer had penned some of the most memorable show tunes of his era

Synonyms & Similar Words

• write
• author
• scribble
• compose
• scratch (out)
• record
• print
• craft
• letter
• type
• rewrite
• sign
• draft
• formulate
• word
• revise
• transcribe
• cast
• draw up
• phrase
• prepare
• pencil (in)
• recast
• typewrite
• redraft
• frame
• couch
• take down
• autograph
• register
• put
• express

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pen

Noun

It’s also written by those with ready access to pen, paper, and, in many cases, patronage. —Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026

Even moisturizer, a sleep mask, earplugs, and a journal and pen can be tucked away in a drawer. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 23 Apr. 2026

Verb

Not wanting to make the same mistakes, the late singer leaned into life as a husband and father with his second wife Yoko Ono and their son Sean, and penned the sweet tune in the process. —Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026

Hicks penned an open letter in March, urging non-viable Democratic candidates to drop out. —Linh Tat, Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026