What does the word synonyms mean

Last Update: Jan 03, 2023

This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Now, we have got the complete detailed explanation and answer for everyone, who is interested!

Asked by: Melisa Konopelski

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A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words begin, start, commence, and initiate are all synonyms of one another: they are synonymous.

What does Synoyms mean?

1 : having the character of a synonym also : alike in meaning or significance. 2 : having the same connotations, implications, or reference to runners, Boston is synonymous with marathon — Runners World.

What are synonyms give examples?

What Is A Synonym?

What are synonyms give 5 examples?

II. Examples of Synonyms

What is synonyms and it example?

A synonym is a word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word in certain contexts. The adjective form is synonymous. Synonymy is the relationship that exists between words with closely related meanings. The word comes from the Greek meaning «same name.» Contrast with an antonym.

18 related questions found

This article is about the general meaning of «synonym». For other uses, see Synonym (disambiguation).

A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words begin, start, commence, and initiate are all synonyms of one another: they are synonymous. The standard test for synonymy is substitution: one form can be replaced by another in a sentence without changing its meaning. Words are considered synonymous in only one particular sense: for example, long and extended in the context long time or extended time are synonymous, but long cannot be used in the phrase extended family. Synonyms with exactly the same meaning share a seme or denotational sememe, whereas those with inexactly similar meanings share a broader denotational or connotational sememe and thus overlap within a semantic field. The former are sometimes called cognitive synonyms and the latter, near-synonyms,^[2] plesionyms^[3] or poecilonyms.^[4]

LexicographyEdit

Some lexicographers claim that no synonyms have exactly the same meaning (in all contexts or social levels of language) because etymology, orthography, phonic qualities, connotations, ambiguous meanings, usage, and so on make them unique. Different words that are similar in meaning usually differ for a reason: feline is more formal than cat; long and extended are only synonyms in one usage and not in others (for example, a long arm is not the same as an extended arm). Synonyms are also a source of euphemisms.

Metonymy can sometimes be a form of synonymy: the White House is used as a synonym of the administration in referring to the U.S. executive branch under a specific president.^[5] Thus, a metonym is a type of synonym, and the word metonym is a hyponym of the word synonym.^{[citation needed]}

The analysis of synonymy, polysemy, hyponymy, and hypernymy is inherent to taxonomy and ontology in the information science senses of those terms.^[6] It has applications in pedagogy and machine learning, because they rely on word-sense disambiguation.^[7]

EtymologyEdit

The word is borrowed from Latin synōnymum, in turn borrowed from Ancient Greek synōnymon (συνώνυμον), composed of sýn (σύν ‘together, similar, alike’) and —ōnym— (-ωνυμ-), a form of onoma (ὄνομα ‘name’).^[8]

SourcesEdit

Synonyms are often some from the different strata making up a language. For example, in English, Norman French superstratum words and Old English substratum words continue to coexist.^[9] Thus, today we have synonyms like the Norman-derived people, liberty and archer, and the Saxon-derived folk, freedom and bowman. For more examples, see the list of Germanic and Latinate equivalents in English.

Loanwords are another rich source of synonyms, often from the language of the dominant culture of a region. Thus, most European languages have borrowed from Latin and ancient Greek, especially for technical terms, but the native terms continue to be used in non-technical contexts. In East Asia, borrowings from Chinese in Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese often double native terms. In Islamic cultures, Arabic and Persian are large sources of synonymous borrowings.

For example, in Turkish, kara and siyah both mean ‘black’, the former being a native Turkish word, and the latter being a borrowing from Persian. In Ottoman Turkish, there were often three synonyms: water can be su (Turkish), âb (Persian), or mâ (Arabic): «such a triad of synonyms exists in Ottoman for every meaning, without exception». As always with synonyms, there are nuances and shades of meaning or usage.^[10]

In English, similarly, we often have Latin (L) and Greek (Gk) terms synonymous with Germanic ones: thought, notion (L), idea (Gk); ring, circle (L), cycle (Gk). English often uses the Germanic term only as a noun, but has Latin and Greek adjectives: hand, manual (L), chiral (Gk); heat, thermal (L), caloric (Gk). Sometimes the Germanic term has become rare, or restricted to special meanings: tide, time/temporal, chronic.^[11]

Many bound morphemes in English are borrowed from Latin and Greek and are synonyms for native words or morphemes: fish, pisci- (L), ichthy- (Gk).

Another source of synonyms is coinages, which may be motivated by linguistic purism. Thus, the English word foreword was coined to replace the Romance preface. In Turkish, okul was coined to replace the Arabic-derived mektep and mederese, but those words continue to be used in some contexts.^[12]

UsesEdit

Synonyms often express a nuance of meaning or are used in different registers of speech or writing.

Different technical fields may appropriate synonyms for specific technical meanings.

Some writers avoid repeating the same word in close proximity, and prefer to use synonyms: this is called elegant variation. Many modern style guides criticize this.

ExamplesEdit

Synonyms can be any part of speech, as long as both words belong to the same part of speech. Examples:

• noun: drink and beverage
• verb: buy and purchase
• adjective: big and large
• adverb: quickly and speedily
• preposition: on and upon

Synonyms are defined with respect to certain senses of words: pupil as the aperture in the iris of the eye is not synonymous with student. Similarly, he expired means the same as he died, yet my passport has expired cannot be replaced by my passport has died.

A thesaurus or synonym dictionary lists similar or related words; these are often, but not always, synonyms.^[13]

• The word poecilonym is a rare synonym of the word synonym. It is not entered in most major dictionaries and is a curiosity or piece of trivia for being an autological word because of its meta quality as a synonym of synonym.
• Antonyms are words with opposite or nearly opposite meanings. For example: hot ↔ cold, large ↔ small, thick ↔ thin, synonym ↔ antonym
• Hypernyms and hyponyms are words that refer to, respectively, a general category and a specific instance of that category. For example, vehicle is a hypernym of car, and car is a hyponym of vehicle.
• Homophones are words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings. For example, witch and which are homophones in most accents (because they are pronounced the same).
• Homographs are words that have the same spelling but different meanings. For example, one can record a song or keep a record of documents.
• Homonyms are words that have the same pronunciation and spelling but different meanings. For example, rose (a type of flower) and rose (past tense of rise) are homonyms.

See alsoEdit

• -onym
• Synonym (taxonomy)
• Cognitive synonymy
• Elegant variation, the gratuitous use of a synonym in prose
• Synonym ring
• Synonymy in Japanese
• Thesauri and synonym dictionaries – Reference work for synonyms

ReferencesEdit

External linksEdit

Last Updated:
8 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences

I. Synonyms and
synonymic sets

Synonyms are usually defined as words similar in meaning; as words
that express the same idea but it is wrong to say that synonyms are
identical in meaning since the range of the idea they express may be
very wide. In comparing synonyms we are mostly interested in their
difference than in their similarity, although the latter is also of
importance.

English is very rich in synonyms. There are about
8000 synonymic groups in English. A group of synonyms is called a
synonymic set, e.g. famous, celebrated,
renowned, illustrious may make a
synonymic set.

A polysemantic word may enter as many synonymic groups as it has
lexical semantic variants, e.g. the word “fresh” goes into 5
synonymic sets:

Fresh – original – novel – striking – up-to-date

Fresh – another – different – new

Fresh – invigorating – pure

Fresh – inexperienced – green- raw

Fresh – impertinent – rude

Each synonymic set has a word, which expresses the
most general idea and holds a commanding position over other words –
it is called the synonymic dominant. For instance in the series to
leave – to depart – to quit – to retire – to clear out
the word “to leave” is general and neutral and can stand for each
of the other four terms being the synonymic dominant of this group.
Thus the synonymic dominant is the most general word belonging to the
general stock of words stylistically neutral, of greater frequency
and of widest colloqability.

Synonyms are grouped according to their similarity
in their meaning and are contrasted within a group on a principle of
dissimilation, e.g. weak, feeble,
powerless.

In traditional linguistics synonyms are defined on basis of the
notional criteria; according to it synonyms are words of the same
category of parts of speech conveying the same notion but differing
either in shades of meaning or in stylistic characteristics. This
definition was given by Russian academician Vinogradov.

The definition of synonyms based on the semantic criteria runs as
follows: “Lexical synonyms are different words of the same part of
speech (having the same grammatical distribution) which have some
common denotational components in their semantic structure but differ
either in some denotational components and/or in some connotational
components and thus usually have different lexical colloqability.”
This definition was given by Pr. Elena Borisovna Cherkasskaya.

In modern research of synonyms the criteria of interchangeability is
sometimes applied. According to this, synonyms are defined as words,
which are interchangeable at least in some context without any
considerable alteration in denotational meaning. The application of
these criteria is limited due to the differences in the semantic
components of meanings of synonyms leading to the differences in
their colloqability.

In fact all the definitions of synonyms are opened criticism and
further perfection.

1. Functions of synonyms in speech

Synonyms have 3 main functions in speech:

• The function of substitution in order to avoid repetition and
  monotony

• The function of précising in meaning in order to reach a greater
  accuracy and avoid vagueness.

• The expressive stylistic function, e.g.
  clean (free from dirt) – neat (clean and tidy) – trim (in good
  order, neat and spruce) – spruce (neat, trim and smart)

1. Types of synonyms

According to the classification of synonyms developed by academician
Vinogradov, there are 3 types of synonyms:

• Idiographic synonyms. He describes idiographic
  synonyms as words conveying the same notion but differing in
  meaning. Idiographic synonyms refer to the same general concept but
  they differ sometimes in the denotational meaning, e.g.
  a look (a conscious and direct in devour to see) – a glance (a
  look, which is quick and sudden) – a glimpse (a look implying
  only momentary sights). These
  idiographic synonyms differ in quickness of the action and the time
  of duration.

• Stylistic synonyms are words of the same
  denotational meaning used in different speech styles. They have the
  same denotational components but differ in stylistic components of
  their semantic structure, e.g.
  enemy/farter (neutral) – foe/sire (poetical) – adversary/parent
  (bookish) – opponent (official) / Dad (coloq.).

• Absolute synonyms in English are words of
  exactly the same meaning, words identical in meanings, e.g.
  fricatives and spirants; fatherland and motherland.
  Absolute synonyms are very rare. According to F.R. Palmer it would
  seem unlikely, “that two words with exactly the same meaning
  would both survive in a language”.

1. Sources of synonyms in English

The following points are usually considered as sources of synonyms:

• Borrowings.

Borrowings from French, Latin and Greek are the
most numerous ones in English. They often express an idea or name a
thing for which they already exist in a native word. That’s how
synonyms appear in the vocabulary. In most cases the native word is
more ordinary tan its foreign counterpart, e.g.
to buy – to purchase, brotherly – fraternal, world – universe.

But there exit plenty of cases of all borrowings
having become thoroughly assimilated. Some of them even express the
most general idea in synonymic sets and serve as synonymic dominants:
valley – dale, piece – lump/cake, to
decide – to settle, action – did…

There are examples of triplets: one native – one
from French – one directly from Latin, e.g.
ask–question-interrogate; teaching-guidance-instruction; to
gather-to assemble-to collect; kingly-royal-regal.

• Dialectisms.

Dialectisms are words from local dialects, which
have entered the English vocabulary as regular words creating
synonyms to the words of Standard English, e.g. Scotch
synonyms: lass – girl, bonny – pretty, daft –
crazy/foolish/wild.

• Word-building processes.

Word-building processes, which are at work in the English Language,
create synonyms to words already in use. The following cases are to
be considered here:

• composite or phrasal verbs (составные
  глаголы), e.g.
  to choose – to pick out; to abandon – to give up; to enter –
  to come in; to descend – to go down; to ascend – to go up;

• compounding which comprises composition and
  conversion working simultaneously,
  e.g. fight-back – resistance; precipitation – fall-out;
  conscription – a call up;

• conversion, e.g.
  to verbalize – to word; laughter – a laugh; to moisten – to
  wet;

• shortening, e.g.
  microphone – mike; popular – pop; examinations – exams;

• affixation or loss of affixes, e.g.
  anxiety – anxiousness; affectivity – affectiveness; amongst –
  among; await – wait;

• set expressions,
  e.g.
  to laugh – to give a laugh; to walk – to take a walk;

In this connection the problem of synonyms and lexical variants
arises: should these cases be regarded as synonyms or lexical
variants.

1. Euphemisms as a specific type of synonyms

Euphemism is a Greek word (EU means “well” and
PHEMOS means “speaking” thus “Euphemism” means speaking
well). A euphemism is a substitution of a harsh, obscene, indelicate
or otherwise unpleasant word by a less offensive word or periphrastic
expression, e.g. quieer
is a euphemism for mad;
intoxicated
is a euphemism for drunk;
in one’s birthday suit = naked.

Euphemisms are divided into 2 main groups according to the character
of words they subdtitute:

• Religious and superstitious taboos are
  words and set phrases which are avoided in speech for religious
  reasons or because of superstition,
  e.g. God – goodness, gracious, gosh; Devil – deuce, Dickens,
  Nicolas, old Nick, Darwin; to die – to pass away, to go to one’s
  last home, to go to the way of all flash, to join the majority, to
  kick the bucket;

• Social and moral taboos
  are words and idioms which are avoided in speech as not acceptable
  in the polite conversation, e.g.
  trousers – unmentionables; toilet – powder-room, retiring-room,
  wash-room, restroom, lady’s room, public comfort station, WC
  (Windsor Castle), public conveniences;
  pregnant – in an interesting/delicate
  condition; in a family way, with the baby coming, pig with child;
  drunk – intoxicated, tipsy, under the influence, mellow, fresh,
  high, merry, flustered, overcome, full, to be drunk as a lord/owl,
  boiled, fried, tanked, tight, stiff, pickled, soaked;

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Synonymy relates to the topic of semantics, which concerns the study of meaning in language. The term synonymy originates from the Greek words sún and onoma, which mean with and name.

The first sentence uses awful to describe the weather and the second uses terrible. Although both sentences use different words, they have the same meaning: bad. In other words, awful and terrible are synonyms of bad.

To test whether two words are synonyms (or synonymous), we can use a substitution method: if one word can be replaced by another without changing the meaning/sense of the sentence, the two words are synonyms. The opposite of synonymy is antonymy. Synonymy can be found across all parts of speech: in nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc.

Let’s put the synonyms into a sentence and use the substitution method:

1a. You have a big house.

1b. You have a large house.

By substituting big with large, we can keep the sentence’s meaning (the description of the house) in a similar degree/sense as the original sentence.

2a. He had a difficult decision to make.

2b. He had a hard decision to make.

The same as before, the substitution of difficult with hard does not change the sentence’s meaning (the description of the decision).

Synonymy in literature

Instead of repeating the word one kind, Lee chooses its synonym: alike, to relay a similar meaning to ‘very similar’. The same thing happens in the case of stayed shut up in the house and stay inside. Using synonymy, Lee enriches the prose by avoiding repetition while keeping the meaning similar in both cases.

Wake is a synonym of watch. Here, wake means ‘to stay awake to watch or tend’ (Oxford English Dictionary). Notice the slightly richer sense of see in watch compared to wake, yet the two words carry a similar meaning. By adopting synonymy, Shakespeare enhances the quality of the words he uses.

Absolute synonyms

With absolute synonyms, the meaning and function of the synonymous words are exactly the same. If you have a pair of absolutely synonymous words, you can substitute the words in every possible context (semantic, grammatical, sociolinguistic, etc.) with its synonym. This condition is very rare because, usually, two words that refer to the same meaning/object can’t co-exist. An example of an absolute synonym is airport and aerodrome. The former is what we commonly use nowadays, whereas the latter is an old-fashioned word.

Partial synonyms

Partial synonyms, on the other hand, occur when words have very closely related meanings. The meanings are not exactly the same, only partially, but close enough to relay the same message. Partial synonyms can differ in their collocation, register, and regional/social variation.

Have a look at these examples of partial synonyms:

1. We have a big problem.	Although gigantic is synonymous with big, the word combination of gigantic problem (1c) doesn’t sound natural. This is what’s called a collocation (a pairing of words with a high level of frequency).
a. We have a large problem.
b. We have a huge problem.
c. We have a gigantic problem.

2a. The tickets can only be bought online.	Generally, buy and purchase mean ‘to obtain something by paying money for it’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionary). However, the two words differ in their register. Buy is considered a general term, whereas purchase is often used in a more formal context.
2 B. The tickets can only be purchased online.

3a. It’s been a very chilly autumn this year.	Both autumn and fall mean ‘the season of the year between summer and winter.’ But, autumn is Commonly used in British English, while fall is used in American English. They differ in regional/social variety.
3b. It’s been a very chilly fall this year.

Important to note: Homonym is a broader term for homophone (words that sound the same but have different meanings) and homograph (words that are spelt the same but have different meanings). Synonyms have similar meanings but homonyms have different meanings.

Even though the word wing is replaced with extension, we still get the same information about ‘a new section of the hospital is currently being constructed and it is for the maternity department’. The meaning of extension isn’t exactly the same as wing , but similar.

The same explanation can also be found here. We still get the same information about where my room is: on the west side of the building.

Polysemy — multiple meanings: wing — animal parts for flying & a section of a building.

The meaning of wing in this sentence refers to ‘a section of building’ and not ‘animal parts for flying’.

Synonymy vs. Polysemy

• In synonymy, you can substitute a word with its similar meaning and the sense/meaning of the sentence doesn’t change. A is similar to B .
• Synonyms are usually used as a means of avoiding word repetition. However, be careful of the slightly different meanings of synonymous words. Always be mindful of the context and valency of the sentence.
• Polysemy isn’t about word substitution. Because a single polysemic word has many meanings (A means B and C) , it can cause ambiguity. It is often used for wordplay or for creating “hidden” meanings.

Asked by: Foster Gusikowski

Score: 4.1/5
(59 votes)

A synonym is simply a word that means the same as the given word. It comes from the Greek “syn” and “onym,” which mean “together” and “name,” respectively. … A thesaurus is a general phrase that describes a type of dictionary that provides a list of words that have the same or similar meaning as the word referenced.

What is a synonym and example?

A synonym is a word that has the same meaning as another word. … For example, the word “walk” has synonyms like “stroll,” “amble,” “saunter,” or “go.” – These words have an identical meaning to the word “walk.” Words that are similar but not identical are called near synonyms.

What does the word synonyms mean?

1 : one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses. 2a : a word or phrase that by association is held to embody something (such as a concept or quality) a tyrant whose name has become a synonym for oppression. b : metonym.

What are synonyms give 5 examples?

II. Examples of Synonyms

Why are synonyms used?

In writing, especially creative-writing, repeating the same words numerous times can make writing dull or uninteresting. … The use of synonyms also helps to make your writing more vivid and to create a more intriguing image in the mind of the reader.

17 related questions found

You might hear a lot of terms regarding semantics that sound similar: homonym, metonym, synonym, and so on. Today, our word of the day is synonym. In this article, you will learn what a synonym is, how to use a synonym, and why synonyms are useful. 

What Does Synonym Mean?

According to Dictionary, the definition of synonym is a word with the same meaning or similar meaning as another word. synonym is three syllables — syn-o-nym — and the pronunciation of synonyms is ˈsɪnənɪm. A dictionary of synonyms is called a thesaurus.

You might run into near-synonyms, which are related words to synonyms but might have a slightly different definition or be a different part of speech.

Why Should You Use Synonyms?

You might wonder why it would be useful to know multiple words that all mean the same thing. Why not just know one of them and leave the rest? Many times, synonyms of words come with different connotations. 

Connotation is the feeling that a word evokes, separate from its dictionary definition. Sometimes, two words might mean the same thing, but one has a positive connotation while the other has a negative connotation. 

Learning synonyms is also an efficient way to learn new words. If you know the definition of one word and then learn all of the synonyms of that word, you have just expanded your vocabulary exponentially!

Knowing synonyms can also be helpful when it comes to taxonomic names or scientific names. The average person might not know the technical term for a species of plant or animal, so knowing the common words for these things can prove very useful.

What Is the Etymology of Synonym?

The word synonym has been in the English language for a very long time – since the early 1400s! This word comes from the Ancient Greek syn, Greek sunōnumon and synōnymon, the Latin onoma, and the Latin synōnymum.

What Are Examples of Synonyms?

Below, you will find several example sentences of synonyms. Each of these examples of synonyms uses two words with the same denotation but a different connotation. See if you can identify which word has a positive connotation and which word has a negative connotation.

Example #1: Youthful vs. Sophomoric

Sentence 1: The new intern at the company brought youthful energy to every meeting.

Sentence 2: The new intern at the company brought sophomoric energy to every meeting.

Question: Which of the above synonyms has a positive connotation in this context? Which one has a negative connotation?

Answer: Youthful has a positive connotation, and sophomoric has a negative connotation.

Example #2: Secluded vs. Isolated

Sentence 1: The parents took their children to a secluded cabin in the woods to escape city life.

Sentence 2: The parents took their children to an isolated cabin in the woods to escape city life.

Question: Which of the above synonyms has a positive connotation in this context? Which one has a negative connotation?

Answer: Secluded has a positive connotation, and isolated has a negative connotation.

Example #3: Ancient vs. Vintage

Sentence 1: The teenager’s father gave him an ancient pickup truck from the 1960s to drive.

Sentence 2: The teenager’s father gave him a vintage pickup truck from the 1960s to drive.

Question: Which of the above synonyms has a positive connotation in this context? Which one has a negative connotation?

Answer: Vintage has a positive connotation, and ancient has a negative connotation.

Example #4: Humorous vs. Goofy

Sentence 1: The CEO gave a humorous speech at the company’s annual conference.

Sentence 2: The CEO gave a goofy speech at the company’s annual conference

Question: Which of the above synonyms has a positive connotation in this context? Which one has a negative connotation?

Answer: Humorous has a positive connotation, and goofy has a negative connotation.

Example #5: Assertive vs. Domineering

Sentence 1: The employees chatted about their boss’ assertive behavior during the meeting.

Sentence 2: The employees chatted about their boss’ domineering behavior during the meeting.

Question: Which of the above synonyms has a positive connotation in this context? Which one has a negative connotation?

Answer: Assertive has a positive connotation, and domineering has a negative connotation.

What Are Translations of Synonym?

Different languages besides the English language contain their fair share of synonyms. If you are studying a different language, you can reference this list of translations of synonym from Nice Translator.

• Dutch: synoniem
• Catalan: sinònim
• Polish: synonim
• Swahili: Synonym
• Italian: sinonimo
• Marathi: प्रतिशब्द
• Lithuanian: sinonimas
• Chinese (PRC): 代名词
• Turkish: eşanlamlı sözcük
• Estonian: sünonüüm
• Danish: synonym
• Greek: συνώνυμο
• Hindi: पर्याय
• Hebrew: שֵׁם נִרדָף
• Hungarian: szinonima
• Latvian: sinonīms
• Chinese (Taiwan): 代名詞
• Arabic: مرادف
• German: Synonym
• Icelandic: samheiti
• Portuguese (Brazil): sinônimo
• Malay: sinonim
• Serbian: синоним
• Ukrainian: синонім
• Romanian: sinonim
• Russian: синоним
• Basque: sinonimo
• Amharic: ተመሳሳይ ስም
• Swedish: synonym
• Bulgarian: синоним
• Bengali: প্রতিশব্দ
• Norwegian: synonym
• Slovak: synonymum
• Malayalam: പരായം
• Kannada: ಸಮಾನಾರ್ಥಕ
• Vietnamese: Từ đồng nghĩa
• Czech: synonymum
• Urdu: مترادف
• Welsh: chyfystyron
• Telugu: పర్యాయపదం
• Thai: คำพ้องความหมาย
• Indonesian: persamaan Kata
• French: synonyme
• Korean: 동의어
• Croatian: sinonim
• Spanish: sinónimo
• Portuguese (Portugal): sinônimo
• Filipino: kasingkahulugan
• Tamil: ஒத்த பெயர்
• Finnish: synonyymi
• Japanese: シノニム
• Slovenian: sinonim
• Gujarati: પર્યાય

What Are Synonyms of Synonym?

Power Thesaurus provides several synonyms for the word synonym!

• acceptation
• alternate
• alternative
• alternative expression
• alternative word
• analog
• convertible terms
• copy
• duplicate
• equivalence
• equivalent
• equivalent word
• euphemism
• expression
• identical same
• metonym
• other word
• paraphrase
• same
• substitute
• very same

What Are Antonyms of Synonym?

Antonyms are words with the opposite meaning of a given word. Take a look at these synonyms of the word antonym, which are also antonyms of synonym, from Power Thesaurus.

• another adverse
• antilogy
• antipode
• antipodes
• antithesis
• antonym
• contradictory
• contrary
• contrast
• converse
• counter
• foil
• inverse
• negation
• negative
• negatory
• obverse
• opposite
• opposite word
• opposites
• other extreme
• reverse
• term

Conclusion

A synonym is a word with the same or a similar meaning to another word or phrase.

Sources:

Synonym | Nice Translator 

Antonym synonyms – 100 Words and Phrases for Antonym | Power Thesaurus 

87 Words and Phrases for Synonym | Power Thesaurus 

Synonym Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com 

What is synonym and its examples?

What are 5 examples of synonyms?

What is the full meaning of synonyms?

Is a synonym the opposite or the same?

What are 10 examples of synonyms?

What is the use of synonyms?

What is an example of a synonym?

How do you explain synonyms to a child?

Can could synonym?

How do I find synonyms for a word?

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What is a synonym for can t?

What is a synonym for should?

What are synonyms in English?

What is the synonym of essay?

Which is a synonym?

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Why do synonyms exist?

How many synonyms are there in English?

What do we mean by synonym?

A word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or other words in a language. noun

A word or expression that serves as a figurative or symbolic substitute for another. noun

One of two or more scientific names that have been applied to the same species or other taxonomic group. noun

A word having the same signification as another; one of two or more words which have the same meaning; by extension, a word having nearly the same meaning as another; one of two or more words which in use cover to a considerable extent the same ground: the opposite of antonym. noun

A word of one language which corresponds in meaning with a word in another language. See heteronym, 2, paronym, 2, and the quotation from Camden under synonymize. noun

In natural history, a systematic name having the same, or approximately the same, meaning or application as another which has superseded it; a technical name which, by the rules of nomenclature, is not tenable. noun

One of two or more words (commonly words of the same language) which are equivalents of each other; one of two or more words which have very nearly the same signification, and therefore may often be used interchangeably. See under synonymous. noun

An incorrect or incorrectly applied scientific name, as a new name applied to a species or genus already properly named, or a specific name preoccupied by that of another species of the same genus; — so used in the system of nomenclature (which see) in which the correct scientific names of certain natural groups (usually genera, species, and subspecies) are regarded as determined by priority. noun

One of two or more words corresponding in meaning but of different languages; a heteronym. noun

A word or phrase with a meaning that is the same as, or very similar to, another word or phrase. noun

Any of the formal names for the taxon, including the valid name (i.e. the senior synonym). noun

Any name for the taxon, usually a validly published, formally accepted one, but often also an unpublished name. noun

An alternative (often shorter) name defined for an object in a database. noun

Two words that can be interchanged in a context are said to be synonymous relative to that context noun

(strictly) A word whose meaning is the same as that of another word.

A word or phrase with a meaning that is the same as, or very similar to, another word or phrase.

Any of the formal names for a taxon, including the valid name (i.e. the senior synonym).

Any name for a taxon, usually a validly published, formally accepted one, but often also an unpublished name.

An alternative (often shorter) name defined for an object in a database.

1: one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses
2 : a word or phrase that by association is held to embody something (as a concept or quality) Urban Dictionary

Dumbass or Asshole
(a word you can say without saying a curse and it will confuse the hell out of anyone who dosent know what it means) Urban Dictionary

One of the functions most missing in Urbandictionary.com Urban Dictionary

Word meaning similar to another word Urban Dictionary

This is another stuffy professor word. its basically stuffy old man way to say aka Urban Dictionary

1. A word that means the same, or almost the same, as another word in the same language, either in all of its uses or in a specific context.
2. a word or expression that is used as another name for something in some styles of speaking or writing or to emphasize a specific aspect or association.
3. A duplicate taxonomic name that has been rejected or replaced. Urban Dictionary

A word you use when you don’t know how to spell the first one. Urban Dictionary

When your typing a letter, essay etc. and you need a synonym just right click the word and look for its synonym. You have just synonymized the word!! Urban Dictionary

George W. Bush’s favorite flavor. Urban Dictionary

Different words, but have the same definition. Urban Dictionary

There is a page Semantic relations on how these terms are used in Wiktionary.

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English sinonyme, from Latin synōnymum, from Ancient Greek συνώνυμον (sunṓnumon), neuter singular form of συνώνυμος (sunṓnumos, “synonymous”), from σύν (sún, “with”) + ὄνομα (ónoma, “name”); surface analysis, syn- +‎ -onym.

Pronunciation[edit]

• enPR: sĭn’ənĭm, IPA^(key): /ˈsɪnənɪm/

Noun[edit]

synonym (plural synonyms)

1. (semantics, strictly) A word whose meaning is the same as that of another word.

   Synonyms: equivalent, poecilonym

   Antonyms: antonym, opposite

2. (semantics, loosely) A word or phrase with a meaning that is the same as, or very similar to, another word or phrase.

   Synonym: metonym

   “Happy” is a synonym of “glad”.

   • 1991, William T. Parry, Edward A. Hacker, Aristotelian Logic‎^[1]:

     The proportion of English words that have an exact synonym is small.

3. (zoology) Any of the formal names for a taxon, including the valid name (i.e. the senior synonym).
4. (taxonomy, botany) Any name for a taxon, usually a validly published, formally accepted one, but often also an unpublished name.
5. (databases) An alternative (often shorter) name defined for an object in a database.

   • 2011, Paul Nielsen, Uttam Parui, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Bible:

     Synonyms are part of the SQL standard and are used frequently by Oracle DBAs. Note that Oracle includes both private and public synonyms.

Synonyms[edit]

• synonymum (non-native speakers’ English)

Coordinate terms[edit]

• coordinate term, hypernym, hyponym
• More: see Wiktionary:Semantic relations

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

• homotypic
• heterotypic
• Wiktionary:Semantic relations

Nyms (with category [cat] if any)

nym	Sound	Spelling	Meaning	phone/graph
homonym	same	same	different	homophone & homograph
heteronym (cat)	different	same	different	homograph
heterograph	same	different	different	homophone (cat)
heterophone	different	same	same	homograph
synonym	different	different	same	—
alternative spelling	same	different	same	homophone
identical	same	same	same	not applicable
distinct	different	different	different	—

Danish[edit]

Adjective[edit]

synonym

1. synonymous

Inflection[edit]

Inflection of synonym
	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Common singular	synonym	—	—2
Neuter singular	synonymt	—	—2
Plural	synonyme	—	—2
Definite attributive1	synonyme	—	—
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding «indefinite» form is used. 2) The «indefinite» superlatives may not be used attributively.

Synonyms[edit]

• ensbetydende

Noun[edit]

synonym n (singular definite synonymet, plural indefinite synonymer)

1. synonym

Declension[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• “synonym” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “synonym” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

German[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /zynoˈnyːm/, [zy.no-], [ˌzʏ.no-]

Adjective[edit]

synonym (strong nominative masculine singular synonymer, not comparable)

1. synonymous

   Synonym: (rarer) synonymisch

Declension[edit]

[edit]

• Synonym
• Synonymie
• antonym, antonymisch
• Antonym
• Antonymie

Further reading[edit]

• “synonym” in Duden online
• “synonym” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Ancient Greek συνώνυμον (sunṓnumon), and συνώνυμος (sunṓnumos, “synonymous”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

synonym (neuter singular synonymt, definite singular and plural synonyme)

1. synonymous

Synonyms[edit]

• ensbetydende
• enstydig
• liketydig

Noun[edit]

synonym n (definite singular synonymet, indefinite plural synonym or synonymer, definite plural synonyma or synonymene)

1. synonym

Synonyms[edit]

• liketyding

Derived terms[edit]

• synonymordbok

[edit]

• synonymi
• synonymikk
• synonymitet
• synonympreparat

See also[edit]

• entydig

References[edit]

• “synonym” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Ancient Greek συνώνυμον (sunṓnumon), and συνώνυμος (sunṓnumos, “synonymous”).

Adjective[edit]

synonym (neuter synonymt, definite singular and plural synonyme, comparative synonymare, indefinite superlative synonymast, definite superlative synonymaste)

1. synonymous

Synonyms[edit]

• einstydande
• einstydig
• liketydig

Noun[edit]

synonym n (definite singular synonymet, indefinite plural synonym, definite plural synonyma)

1. synonym

Synonyms[edit]

• liketyding

Derived terms[edit]

• synonymordbok

[edit]

• synonymi
• synonymikk
• synonymitet
• synonympreparat

See also[edit]

• eintydig

References[edit]

• “synonym” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish[edit]

Adjective[edit]

synonym

1. synonymous

   Synonym: liktydig

Declension[edit]

Inflection of synonym
Indefinite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative2
Common singular	synonym	—	—
Neuter singular	synonymt	—	—
Plural	synonyma	—	—
Masculine plural3	synonyma	—	—
Definite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Masculine singular1	—	—	—
All	synonyma	—	—
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative. 3) Dated or archaic

Noun[edit]

synonym

1. synonym

Declension[edit]

Declension of synonym
	Singular	Plural
Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	synonym	synonymen	synonymer	synonymerna
Genitive	synonyms	synonymens	synonymers	synonymernas

Further reading[edit]

• synonym in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)