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Other forms: synonyms

A synonym is a word that means the same thing as another word. If you replace a word in a sentence with its synonym, the meaning of the sentence won’t really change that much.

There are, of course, shades of meaning, and not every synonym is an exact substitute, but sometimes we just need a different word for a change. Some words have dozens of synonyms, such as funny: amusing, hilarious, laughable, slapstick, witty, and many others. Other words, sadly, have no synonyms, like postmodernism. Check your thesaurus (dictionary of synonyms) — it’s all there!

Definitions of synonym

noun

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

synonyms:

equivalent word

see moresee less

Antonyms:

antonym, opposite, opposite word

a word that expresses a meaning opposed to the meaning of another word, in which case the two words are antonyms of each other

type of:

word

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

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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. A synonym for the term synonym is poecilonym.

Key Takeaways

English has gathered many words from different languages, leading to synonyms.
There is academic debate about whether two different words can truly be the same.
Near-synonyms are very close in meaning.

Synonyms occur in a language in different contexts, such as formal and informal language, like you’d use in conversation vs. a business or academic paper. Also, some synonyms have slightly different connotations when they’re used, even though they might mean the same thing. For example, look at the differences between the terms for money: moolah, greenbacks, cash, currency, and revenues, which all occur in different contexts and levels of formality. Synonyms may also be nested inside one another, which is referred to as a kangaroo word.

Also, English has inherited and borrowed many words from other languages and kept some duplicates. (It’s also why some words have sound alike or don’t spell out as they sound, but those are additional topics.)

Synonyms saw a rise in the English language during the Norman conquest when the ruling class spoke Norman French and the lower classes continued to speak Old English. As a result, the Norman-originated word people exists alongside the Saxon-derived folk.

«The consequence of extensive borrowing from French, Latin, and Greek throughout the history of English is the creation of groups of synonyms occupying different registers (contexts within which they may be used): freedom and liberty; happiness and felicity; depth and profundity.»

— author Simon Horobin

«Insights into the relationships between such synonyms can be gleaned by comparing their uses in forming new words. The Old English word bird gives us a term of abuse, birdbrain, Latin avis is the source of more technical words such as aviation and aviary, while Greek ornith is the root of exclusively scientific formations, such as ornithology.»

— «How English Became English.» Oxford University Press, 2016

Can Two Words Be Truly Synonymous?

There is some debate as to whether two words can truly be synonymous. If they’re different words, they must mean something slightly different or have contexts where you’d use one or the other, the reasoning goes, which makes them only nearly synonymous but not truly the same thing.

Two words just can’t be completely interchangeable in all occurrences. When would two words have all of exactly the same meanings?

«The search for synonyms is a well-established classroom exercise, but it is as well to remember that lexemes rarely (if ever) have exactly the same meaning. … There are usually stylistic, regional, emotional, or other differences to consider. … Two lexemes might be synonymous in one sentence but different in another: range and selection are synonyms in What a nice __ of furnishings, but not in There’s the mountain __.

— David Crystal in «How Language Works.» Overlook, 2006

When a language does have two different words that mean the exact same thing, oftentimes one will stop being used, as it’s unnecessary, or it will take on a different meaning over time. And two synonyms used in different contexts, by definition, can’t be exactly the same.

At best, the theory relates, that the closest absolute synonymity can get is a technical word for something and a common name used in conversation for the same thing or dialect differences, such as between British English and American English (lorry vs. truck, boot vs. trunk.)

However, if we look at the definition of synonymous, that is, words meaning nearly the same thing rather than exactly the same thing in every situation, the theory that synonymity is impossible might just not hold up.

This aspect of English—having words that have different meanings in different contexts, as well as having doublets and triplets—is also a result of the language having inherited and borrowed so many words from different languages.

The doublets frail and fragile came to English from the same Latin root fragilis, but one came from French and one from Latin directly. The triplets real, royal, and regal came from Anglo-Norman, French, and Latin, notes Britannica.

Near-Synonyms

Near-synonyms would be just that—words that are closely related as to just about be interchangeable but have different connotations, attitudes, or implications that you’d want to be aware of, making one word more appropriate for a context than another. Anything you can find in a thesaurus has a list of near-synonyms galore. For example, lie finds falsehood, fib, misrepresentation, and untruth, each with different nuances and shades of meaning that each can give to the context it’s used in.

It can be tricky when translating between languages, as you need to know the implications and connotations for the word in the original language and make sure you pick up those nuances in the destination language.

The Lighter Side of Synonyms

Paul Dickson’s book «Intoxerated» claims, «The English language includes more synonyms for ‘drunk’ than for any other word.» Here are just a few of the 2,964 synonyms for drunk in his book:

Blind
Blitzed
Blotto
Bombed
Buzzed
Hammered
High
Inebriated
Loaded
Looped
Merry
Messed up
Off the wagon
Pickled
Pifflicated
Plastered
Ripped
Sloshed
Smashed
Snockered
Soused
Stewed
Three sheets to the wind
Tight
Tipsy
Trashed
Wasted
Wrecked
—»Intoxerated: The Definitive Drinker’s Dictionary.» Melville House, 2012

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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.

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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?

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

Источник

With the vast nature of the English language, it’s natural that some words have overlapping meanings, or one word may have a very similar meaning to another word. And while these overlapping words are already a lot, you might also be confused about what to call these alike meaning words.

The word ‘synonyms’ is the most preferred way to describe two words that mean the same. ‘Synonym’ is straightforward with its meaning that when two words are synonymous, it means two words have almost or the same exact definition. Thus, making it the most appropriate word in any context.

Synonyms

Calling two words ‘synonymous’ is one way to indicate that two words mean the same thing. The word ‘synonym’ also follows an equal definition. However, it would be good to note that not all synonyms exactly mean the same, and there is still a most appropriate word for any context.

For example, ‘thin’ and ‘narrow’ maybe synonymous in a way. However, it seems off to describe a person as narrow or a road as thin. In that way, even if the two words mean the same, there is still a more preferred or appropriate word in a given context. It’s best to describe the road as narrow and a person as thin or skinny. But another synonym for the two words would be slim or slender, which we can use to describe either a person or a road.

Words Alike

Describing two words as ‘alike’ is another way of saying that the two are synonymous. In other contexts, it could also mean that two things are similar in a way. Many also prefer to use ‘alike’ as it still means similar, but does not imply exact duplicates.

The word ‘alike’ is also versatile as it is not only used to describe two words, but other things that are similar to each other. In the context of words or synonyms, we say ‘brave’ and ‘courageous’ are two words alike. But, we can also say ‘both of you look alike’ or ‘the two of them dress alike’ to express similarity in visuals and fashion, respectively. Thus, saying two words are alike is another way of saying they mean the same thing.

Similar Words

The words ‘alike’ and ‘similar’ are synonyms, and in this context, they mean the exact same thing. Like ‘alike,’ describing two words as similar means that the two words have definitions that are almost the same or in some way alike, but it does not imply exactly the same.

The only difference between using ‘similar’ and ‘alike’ is the grammar rules or how we structure them in a sentence. We usually say that two words are alike, but when we use ‘similar,’ we say that the two are similar words. So, we say, ‘beautiful and pretty are words alike,’ but we say ‘beautiful and pretty are similar words.’ Despite this difference, the two phrases and words are still synonymous and mean the exact same.

Likewise

‘Likewise’ is another synonym for ‘alike’ and ‘similar,’ and these three words mean that two words are alike or in the same way. Saying that two words are likewise is like saying that one word is also another. However, saying there are limitations in saying two words are likewise.

Saying that two words are likewise may imply that the two words mean exactly the same. For example, saying that ‘long and tall are likewise’ is the same as saying ‘long is also tall’ and implies that the two are interchangeable. However, saying that a person is tall may not have the same meaning as saying a person is long (this may also be totally improper and inappropriate). So, it’s best to use ‘likewise’ only for words that mean the exact same.

Parallel Words

Describing two words as parallel is another way of saying the two are synonymous. However, there are limitations to saying this, as it implies that the two are exactly the same or their meanings are exact duplicates of one another, just like how parallel lines are.

The limitation in using the term ‘parallel’ is that not all synonymous words may exactly be the same as another. It means that they are similar but not exactly parallel. For example, ‘happy and joyful are parallel words,’ meaning they are exactly the same in this particular context. However, you can’t say ‘nerdy and smart are parallel words’ because the two words may not mean exactly the same. Smart may be a compliment, while nerdy may come off as something offensive.

Equal/Equivalent

Like the word ‘parallel,’ using the word ‘equal’ or ‘equivalent’ implies that two words mean exactly the same thing. In Math, equal or equivalent terms are usually interchangeable in positions. In the same way, saying words are equal implies that they are interchangeable with each other.

Using the term equal or equivalent may not be applicable in all cases, as not all synonyms are always interchangeable in all contexts. For example, the word ugly and horrible may be equals or equivalents when describing a person’s looks. However, ugly is not an appropriate equivalent of horrible when describing the taste of a food.

Describing two words are the ‘same’ is a graver version of saying two words are ‘similar’ or ‘alike.’ Unlike the two latter words, the word ‘same’ emphasizes or implies that the two given words are exactly the same. It’s another way of saying the two are equal or parallel.

However, describing something as ‘the same’ is not always applicable and varies depending on the context. In one context where two words are interchangeable, ‘Dirty and filthy are the same’ for example, here, ‘same’ works. However, there are also synonymous and similar words that aren’t exactly the same and are not interchangeable with each other.

Identical Words

Describing two words as ‘identical’ strongly implies that the two are exactly the same. A simple analogy for this is that, identical twins are usually twins that are almost exact duplicates of each other. In the same way, identical words imply they are duplicates or totally the same.

However, not all words are always the same. So, using ‘identical’ actually needs more caution, especially since it may give off a wrong meaning that two words are precisely the same but may not be the case all the time. For example saying ‘charm and beauty are identical words’ may be true for some individuals or in a given context, but it may not be the case for others or other contexts.

Interchangeable Words

Saying two words are interchangeable directly means that the words are synonymous and interchangeable. It simply means that you could use both words in the given context. Given this, though, we only use it for two words that are precisely the same and appropriate for the said context.

For example, saying that ‘beautiful and pretty are interchangeable’ directly implies that you can use either of the two words in your sentence or the context you want to use it. However, we only use ‘interchangeable’ for two words that are precisely the same and interchangeable with each other, without any change of meaning.

Redundant

We say words are redundant when they are put in the same sentence but mean the same thing. ‘Redundant’ actually means exceeding what is necessary, meaning there are more than the needed words to describe what you want to do so. In the same way, one can redact redundant words.

An example of redundancy is saying, ‘she was shy and bashful during the first day.’ Here, ‘shy’ and ‘bashful’ may be redundant as they mean the same thing. While keeping the sentence as is works also, one may also remove redundancy by keeping only one of the two words, and discarding or redacting the other.

Tautologous

Saying a phrase is tautologous is another way of saying that it is redundant, implying that there is an unneeded repetition of ideas in a sentence. Though these words are usually redundant, there are different tautologous phrases that we often use in everyday conversations.

An example of a tautologous phrase would be ‘adequate enough.’ Essentially, adequate and enough have the same meaning of being as much as required or needed. So, putting ‘adequate’ and ‘enough’ together may seem redundant, but many speakers still use it in various contexts and daily conversations.

Pleonasm

Pleonasm is more of a linguistic style and expression. It is using redundant phrases and words, more words than necessary, to emphasize meaning and add more style. The word pleonasm, in it’s Latin origin, already means to be excessive, and so pleonasm also means being excessive in redundant phrases.

An example of pleonasm is saying ‘burning fire.’ Saying ‘burning’ and ‘fire’ becomes redundant, as saying ‘fire’ in itself already means it is burning. Another would be the phrase ‘hear with my own ears,’ which becomes redundant as the ears is the only way one can hear.

You may also like: 10 Terms For Two Words That Contradicts Each Other

Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.

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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.

Synonymy in semantics

Synonymy in semantics refers to a word with the same (or nearly the same) meaning as another word.

Let’s see if you’ve grasped the concept of synonymy by finding two synonymous words in these sentences:

Today’s weather is awful.
Today’s weather is terrible.

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.

Important note: Be careful of the slight differences between the synonyms. Not every synonymous word fits in all situations, eg small isn’t exactly the same as tiny. You have to consider some factors, including the context, the relationship between words, register, and regional variation, among others. Take a look at the ‘types of synonymy’ section for more details.

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.

A ≈ B

Synonym examples

Here are some examples of synonyms:

big-large
small — little
easy — effortless
difficult — hard

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

Synonymy is one of the literary devices in which a word is replaced with another word with a similar meaning, to avoid repetition.

Here are some examples of synonymy in literature:

If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time. It’s because he wants to stay inside.

— Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960.

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.

For thee I watch, whilst thou dost wake elsewhere.

— William Shakespeare, Sonnet 61, 1609.

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.

I love your daughter fondly, dearly, disinterestedly, devotedly. If ever there were love in the world, I love her.

— Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859.

Fondly and devotedly are synonyms that describe ‘a way to show great love for somebody/something’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionary). Using two different words with a similar meaning, Dickens describes how strong the character’s feelings are (how I love your daughter) without repeating the word.

Types of synonyms

Now that we’ve looked at the concept, let’s examine the two types of synonymy:

Absolute synonyms
Partial synonyms

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.

Synonymy and homonymy — what’s the difference?

Synonymous words are words that carry similar meanings (meaning 1 is similar to meaning 2 and meaning 3). Homonymous words (homonymy) are words that are pronounced the same or spelt the same (or both), but their meanings are dissimilar.

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.

Synonymy and polysemy — what’s the difference?

When a set of different words carries a similar meaning it is called synonymy. When a single word has several meanings (word form 1 has meaning 1 and meaning 2), it is called polysemy.

Synonymy — similar meanings: wing — extension & section.

They are building a new wing for the maternity department.
They are building a new extension for the maternity department.

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.

My room is on the west wing.
My room is on the west section (of the building).

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.

They are building a new wing for the maternity department.

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

The bird’s wing is broken.

Here, the meaning of wing is about the ‘animal parts for flying’ and not ‘a section of a building’.

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.

Synonymy — Key takeaways

Synonymy is a linguistic term for words with similar meanings.
If you replace one word with its synonym, the meaning/sense of the sentence doesn’t change. You can test synonymy by using the substitution method.
There are two types of synonymy: Absolute synonyms, when the meaning and function of the words is exactly the same, and partial synonyms, when the meaning and function of the words is only partially the same. This may depend on the collocation, register, and regional/social variety of the words.
Synonymy features words with similar meanings, while homonymy has words with different meaning but have the same pronunciation or spelling or both.
Synonymy involves words with similar meanings, while polysemy is words with multiple meanings did create wordplay.

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