Synonym definition
A synonym is a word, adjective, verb or expression that has the same meaning as another, or almost the same meaning. Synonyms are other words that mean the same thing. This avoids repetitions in a sentence without changing its meaning.
Antonym definition
An antonym is a word, adjective, verb or expression whose meaning is opposite to that of a word. Antonyms are used to express the opposite of a word.
Use of synonyms and antonyms
Synonyms and antonyms are intended to:
- — Enrich a text, an email, a message.
- — Avoid repetitions in a text.
Examples of synonyms
The words acknowledge, enjoy, welcome are synonyms for «appreciate».
Examples of antonyms
The words blockage, encumbrance, handicap are antonyms for «help».
Use of synonyms-thesaurus.com
In your daily life, for writing an email, a text, an essay, if you want to avoid repetitions or find the opposite meaning of a word. This site allows you to find in one place, all the synonyms and antonyms of the English language. Synonyms-thesaurus.com is more than 70,800 synonyms and 47,200 antonyms available.
General terms and conditions of use
© 2018 Synonyms-thesaurus.com — All rights reserved.
- Top Definitions
- Quiz
- Related Content
- Examples
- British
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
[ sin—uh-nim ]
/ ˈsɪn ə nɪm /
See the most commonly confused word associated with
synonym
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
noun
a word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word in the same language, as happy, joyful, elated. A dictionary of synonyms and antonyms (or opposites), such as Thesaurus.com, is called a thesaurus.
a word or expression accepted as another name for something, as Arcadia for pastoral simplicity or Wall Street for U.S. financial markets;metonym.
Biology. one of two or more scientific names applied to a single taxon.
COMPARE MEANINGS
Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.
VIDEO FOR SYNONYM
How Do You Use Synonyms To Replace Common Words?
Synonyms can make our conversation and sentences sound better and more eloquent. But how do you actually use synonyms in place of common words?
MORE VIDEOS FROM DICTIONARY.COM
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of synonym
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English sinoneme, from Old French sinonime and Latin synōnymum, from Greek synṓnymon, noun use of neuter of synṓnymos synonymous
grammar notes for synonym
English, with its long history of absorbing terminology from a wealth of other tongues, is a language particularly rich in synonyms —words so close in meaning that in many contexts they are interchangeable, like the nouns tongue and language in the first part of this sentence. Just about every popular dictionary defines synonym as a term having “the same or nearly the same” meaning as another, but there is an important difference between “the same” and “nearly the same.”
Noun synonyms sometimes mean exactly the same thing. A Dalmatian is a coach dog —same dog. A bureau is a chest of drawers. And if you ask for a soda on the east coast of the United States, you’ll get the same drink that asking for a pop will get you farther west. The object referred to remains constant. But forest and wood, though often interchangeable, have different shades of meaning: a forest tends to be larger and denser than a wood. And when we move from nouns to other parts of speech, we almost always find subtle but important differences among synonyms: although the meanings overlap, they differ in emphasis and connotation. A sunset might be described equally well as beautiful or resplendent, but a beautiful baby would not usually be described as resplendent, which implies an especially dazzling appearance. The verbs make and construct mean roughly the same thing, but one is more likely to make a cake but construct a building, which is a more complex undertaking.
Lists of synonyms are useful when we are struggling to write and looking for just the right word, but each word must be considered in light of its specific definition. Notes at the bottom of a dictionary entry—especially usage notes and synonym studies—are often where we’ll find the detailed information that allows us to improve (or refine or polish ) our writing.
OTHER WORDS FROM synonym
syn·o·nym·ic [sin-uh—nim-ik], /ˌsɪn əˈnɪm ɪk/, syn·o·nym·i·cal, adjectivesyn·o·nym·i·ty [sin-uh—nim-i-tee], /ˌsɪn əˈnɪm ɪ ti/, noun
Words nearby synonym
synodic month, Synod of Whitby, synoecious, synoekete, synoicous, synonym, synonym dictionary, synonymist, synonymize, synonymous, synonyms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Words related to synonym
How to use synonym in a sentence
-
Several companies sell the drug in the US, for prices that range from $10 to $50 apiece, but Plan B has the largest market share and is a de-facto synonym for the morning-after pill.
-
Hashish oil is basically a synonym for cannabis oil, which comes from marijuana.
-
As a synonym for a break-up note sent by a woman to a man in uniform, the Dear John letter made its debut in a major national newspaper in October 1943.
-
I think that the word “country” is a synonym for so many other words.
-
As a synonym for “nonsense,” bunk proved to be just the sort of satisfying, blunt word users crave.
-
Most importantly, foreign policy should not be reduced to a synonym for military action and covert operations.
-
Less canonically, “natural marriage” is also at times used as a rough synonym for “common-law marriage.”
-
It’s a telling tic that we often use «urban» as a synonym for «black.»
-
My students seem to really want to use “however” as a conjunction—more or less a synonym for “but.”
-
A synonym given for submissive is “compliant,” and among those given for submit is “yield” and “defer.”
-
One of the most beautiful symbols of the Catacombs is the dove, the perpetual synonym of peace.
-
It came to mean an entertainment of music and dancing, and was used as a synonym for masquerades.
-
Another synonym of tonos which becomes very common in the later writers on music is the word tropos.
-
Change the structure of the sentence, substitute one synonym for another, and the whole effect is destroyed.
-
The profits were beyond all reason, and the word publican became a synonym for sinner.
British Dictionary definitions for synonym
noun
a word that means the same or nearly the same as another word, such as bucket and pail
a word or phrase used as another name for something, such as Hellene for a Greek
biology a taxonomic name that has been superseded or rejected
Derived forms of synonym
synonymic or synonymical, adjectivesynonymity, noun
Word Origin for synonym
C16: via Late Latin from Greek sunōnumon, from syn- + onoma name
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Contents
- 1 Similar words with the same meaning in English and French
- 1.1 Words with exactly the same spelling
- 1.2 Ignore diacritics and capitalisation
- 1.3 Infinitive + r
- 1.4 Infinitive + er
- 1.5 + e
- 1.6 Insert one letter
- 1.7 Remove one letter
- 1.8 Substitute one letter
- 1.9 Exchange two letters
- 1.10 Other similar words
Similar words with the same meaning in English and French[]
At least one meaning is the same.
Words with exactly the same spelling[]
- absence f.
- absent
- accent m.
- accident m.
- air m.
- alphabet m.
- angle m.
- animal m.
- art m.
- attention f.
- avalanche f.
- balance f.
- bar m.
- bizarre
- blond
- bus m.
- café m.
- cage f.
- centre m.
- certain
- chaos m.
- compassion f.
- concert m.
- condition f.
- conscience f.
- contact m.
- content
- correct
- costume m.
- cousin m.
- crime m.
- crucial
- culture f.
- cycle m.
- danger m.
- dessert m.
- direct
- distance f.
- distant
- distinct
- district m.
- double
- exact
- exception f.
- excuse f.
- existence f.
- explosion f.
- film m.
- format m.
- fortune f.
- fruit m.
- garage m.
- hamster m.
- humble
- idiot m.
- image f.
- important
- intelligent
- large
- litre m.
- local
- long
- machine f.
- message m.
- million m.
- minute f.
- mission f.
- moustache f.
- nation f.
- nature f.
- noble
- opinion f.
- orange f.
- page f.
- pigeon m.
- place f.
- poison m.
- police f.
- position f.
- possible
- prison f.
- probable
- province f.
- prudent
- public
- question f.
- race f.
- royal
- rural
- sabotage m.
- satisfaction f.
- science f.
- silence m.
- simple
- situation f.
- six
- social
- sport m.
- stable
- statue f.
- strict
- style m.
- substance f.
- surface f.
- surprise f.
- table f.
- taxi m.
- temple m.
- tennis m.
- terrible
- test m.
- ticket m.
- torrent m.
- torture f.
- total
- trace f.
- tradition f.
- train m.
- transport m.
- triple
- tube m.
- tunnel m.
- type m.
- ultimatum m.
- union f.
- unique
- urgent
- usage m.
- vacuum m.
- vague
- vain
- vampire m.
- vase m.
- village m.
- violence f.
- violent
- virus m.
- vision f.
- volume m.
- vote m.
- voyage m.
- zone f.
- zoo m.
Ignore diacritics and capitalisation[]
The words have the same spelling if diacritics and capitalisation are ignored.
- age — âge m.
- cable — câble m.
- cinema — cinéma m.
- demonstration — démonstration f.
- desert — désert m.
- detail — détail m.
- difference — différence f.
- different — différent
- elephant — éléphant m.
- evolution — évolution f.
- extreme — extrême
- heritage — héritage m.
- hotel — hôtel m.
- ideal — idéal
- illegal — illégal
- male — mâle
- metre — mètre m.
- ocean — océan m.
- opera — opéra m.
- operation — opération f.
- region — région f.
- revolution — révolution f.
- special — spécial
- supreme — suprême
- telephone — téléphone m.
- temperature — température f.
- theatre — théâtre m.
- theme — thème m.
- zero — zéro
Infinitive + r[]
French infinitive = English infinitive + r. Diacritics and capitalisation are ignored.
- change — changer
- compare — comparer
- continue — continuer
- excuse — excuser
- propose — proposer
- use — user
Infinitive + er[]
French infinitive = English infinitive + er. Diacritics and capitalisation are ignored.
- accept — accepter
- exist — exister
- insult — insulter
- pay — payer
- touch — toucher
- visit — visiter
+ e[]
French word = English word + e. Diacritics and capitalisation are ignored.
- adult — adulte
- ball — balle f.
- calm — calme
- chain — chaîne f.
- fraud — fraude f.
- group — groupe m.
- harp — harpe f.
- humid — humide
- hymn — hymne m.
- lamp — lampe f.
- pair — paire f.
- period — période f.
- plant — plante f.
- pyramid — pyramide f.
- rest — reste m.
- salad — salade f.
- sign — signe m.
- soup — soupe f.
- superb — superbe
- symbol — symbole m.
- system — système m.
- tent — tente f.
- text — texte m.
- tourism — tourisme m.
- tourist — touriste m. and f.
Insert one letter[]
Insert one letter to transform the English word into the French word (but not an e at the end, see list above). Diacritics and capitalisation are ignored.
- cat — chat m.
- comparison — comparaison f.
- envelope — enveloppe f.
- hero — héros m.
- human — humain
- literature — littérature f.
- no — non
- paper — papier m.
- urban — urbain
Remove one letter[]
Remove one letter to transform the English word into the French word. Diacritics and capitalisation are ignored.
- access — accès m.
- advantage — avantage m.
- angel — ange m.
- ball — bal m.
- complete — complet
- cotton — coton m.
- destiny — destin m.
- hospital — hôpital m.
- object — objet m.
- one — on
- progress — progrès m.
- pure — pur
- sack — sac m.
- sour — sur
- sure — sûr
- success — succès m.
- traffic — trafic m.
- universe — univers m.
Substitute one letter[]
Substitute one letter to transform the English word into the French word. The words have at least two letters. Diacritics and capitalisation are ignored.
- an — un
- beauty — beauté f.
- circle — cercle m.
- common — commun
- example — exemple m.
- dance — danse f.
- idea — idée f.
- in — en
- park — parc m.
- society — société f.
Exchange two letters[]
Exchange two neighbouring letters to transform the English word into the French word. Diacritics and capitalisation are ignored.
- blue — bleu
- center — centre m.
- chamber — chambre f.
- letter — lettre f.
- tender — tendre
- tiger — tigre m.
Other similar words[]
- colour, color — couleur m.
- dance — danser
- disaster — désastre m.
- finish — finir
- grammar — grammaire f.
- history — histoire f.
- honour, honor — honneur m.
- judge — juger
- language — langue f.
- necessary — nécessaire
- participate — participer
- person — personne f.
- punish — punir
- similar — similaire
Word Of The Day
lingua franca
A region usually adopts a lingua franca, or common language, when its inhabitants speak many different languages or dialects.
When people hear the term lingua franca, they often think of English. Although there are millions of people worldwide who don’t speak English, it has still become the lingua franca of many regions and areas of communication. One example is aviation — for airline pilots around the world, English is the lingua franca. The term means «Frankish tongue» in Italian, a reference to the original, 11th-century lingua franca, a mixture of Italian, French, Turkish, and other Mediterranean languages.
Want to expand your vocabulary?
Get Word of the Day delivered straight to your inbox!
Sign up now (it’s free!)
Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.
Get started
Commonly Confused Words
See all >
A comprehensive guide to correct word choice
allusion / illusion / delusion
Novelists, magicians, and other tricksters keep these words busy. Novelists love an allusion, an indirect reference to something like a secret treasure for the reader to find; magicians heart illusions, or fanciful fake-outs; but tricksters suffer from delusions, ideas that have no basis in reality.
read more >
predominate / predominant
If you win an election by a 3:1 margin, are you the predominant winner or the predominate winner?
read more >
discreet / discrete
Discreet means on the down low, under the radar, careful, but discrete means individual or detached. They come from the same ultimate source, the Latin discrētus, for separated or distinct, but discreet has taken its own advice and quietly gone its separate way.
read more >
Finally, a dictionary with a soul
Our definitions were written by humans, for humans.
Each word has a friendly explanation that makes it easy to remember.
Real world examples
Discover thousands of example sentences from current newspapers,
magazines, and literature.
World’s smartest, fastest dictionary
Find the word you’re looking for faster than any other online dictionary.
That’s less time searching, more time learning.
Many English words have multiple meanings. This means that the same word, with the same spelling and pronunciation may have more than one meaning. Sometimes the meanings may be very different. This can be confusing for people learning English. You may wonder,” How do I know what the meaning is?” The best way is rely on context, illustrations, or diagrams in the text. However, if you still are not sure of the meaning, look it up. A dictionary will tell you all the meanings of any word. This posting cannot discuss every word with multiple meanings. There are simply too many of them. In this posting, however, I talk about 25 common words with multiple meanings. These are word you may see and hear in your daily life. I show you parts of speech, definitions, and example sentences for each meaning of each word.The download at the end will give you additional practice understanding words with multiple meanings.
Here is the free English video lesson I taught on YouTube:
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to see all of our lessons and get the latest videos right away!
You can download the practice sheet NOW!
Below is a list of common words with multiple meanings.
B
- bank
2. bark
3. bill
4. break
5. bug
C
6. charge
7. company
8. current
D-H
9. date
10. fair
11. fast
12. fly
13. hit
J-N
14. jam
15. left
16. mine
17. nail
P-R
18. patient
19. pool
20. pupil
21. run
S-T
22. season
23. set
24. take
25. turn
You now know many common English words with multiple meanings. Often you can guess the meaning of the word through context. If that is not helpful, however, don’t hesitate to look the word up. The download will give you additional practice understanding words with multiple meanings.
You can download the practice sheet NOW!
Idioms of the day
- no picnic–This means something is difficult and not pleasant. I’m glad I moved, but making all the preparations was no picnic.
- turn a blind eye to–This means to not notice a very obvious problem. Her husband comes home drunk every night, but she turns a blind eye to his problems. She insists that he’s not an alcoholic.
