synonym

[sin-uh-nim]

noun

1. 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.

2. a word or expression accepted as another name for something, as Arcadia for pastoral simplicity or Wall Street for U.S. financial markets; metonym.

3. Biology.,  one of two or more scientific names applied to a single taxon.

synonym

/ ˈsɪnənɪm /

noun

1. a word that means the same or nearly the same as another word, such as bucket and pail

2. a word or phrase used as another name for something, such as Hellene for a Greek

3. biology a taxonomic name that has been superseded or rejected

Grammar Note

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 Word Forms

• synonymic adjective
• synonymical adjective
• synonymity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of synonym¹

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 ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of synonym¹

C16: via Late Latin from Greek sunōnumon, from _syn- + onoma name

Example Sentences

Affordability isn’t a synonym for inflation, which is the rate of change in the overall price level.

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“The children have a knack for synonyms,” Penelope explained modestly, although she took great pride in her students’ accomplishments, as all good teachers do.

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“Dull and boring are fine examples of synonyms.”

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Soon afterward, in April 1937, the fascist militaries of Germany and Italy dropped bombs on a Spanish town with a name that quickly became a synonym for the slaughter of civilians: Guernica.

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“Pie is the American synonym of prosperity and its varying contents the calendar of the changing seasons,” declares the New York Times in an article that ran on May 3, 1902, titled, appropriately enough, “PIE.”

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