Collocations for "alternative"
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word "alternative" in context.
WordReference English Collocations © 2025
alternative
ⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK.n
- a [good, viable, reasonable] alternative (to)
- [this] could be a [good] alternative (to)
- are looking for a [good] alternative (to)
- That is a terrible alternative!
- an alternative to [traditional, conventional] [medicine, practices]
- could serve as an alternative (to)
- We have no other alternative!
- had no alternative [but to leave, other than accepting]
- Are there any other alternatives?
- There must be another alternative!
- can be used as an alternative (for, in)
- [came up with, suggested, put forward] an alternative
- is used as an alternative in [cooking, building]
- was never (even) considered as an alternative
- this could be a better alternative (than)
- Have you considered the alternatives?
- sounds like a [reasonable, feasible] alternative
- have the alternative of [driving, flying, taking the train]
- The alternative would be [driving].
- given the lack of alternatives
- take an alternative route to [work, school]
- is an alternative [version, edition] of
- [find, look for, turn to] alternative [means, forms, methods]
- alternative methods [to, of]
- [practice, turn to] alternative medicine
- alternative [treatments, therapies]
- listen to alternative [rock, music]
- is an alternative [newspaper, publication]
- [use, research, convert to] alternative energy sources
- [should, need to] take an alternative approach (to)
- choose an alternative [idea, solution, source]
- [published, released] under an alternative [name, title]
- [should, have to] provide an alternative option
- the alternative option is to
- Do you have an alternative plan?
- has an alternative lifestyle
'alternative' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
acceptable
- advocate
- affordable
- cheap
- choose
- complementary
- date
- devise
- eagerly
- easy
- economical
- effective
- effectively
- electricity
- ending
- equally
- equivalent
- fuel
- harness
- healing
- healthy
- holistic
- introduce
- meaning
- medicine
- offer
- plausible
- prefer
- preferred
- provide
- relatively
- reliance
- risky
- secular
- sensible
- sleek
- slick
- source
- spelling
- suitable
- sustainable
- unlike
- valid
- viable
- wording
- worthwhile
- worthy