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Synonyms

synonymous

American  
[si-non-uh-muhs] / sɪˈnɒn ə məs /

adjective

  1. having the character of synonyms or a synonym; equivalent in meaning; expressing or implying the same idea.


synonymous British  
/ sɪˈnɒnɪməs /

adjective

  1. (often foll by with) being a synonym (of)

  2. closely associated (with) or suggestive (of)

    his name was synonymous with greed

"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

Other Word Forms

  • nonsynonymous adjective
  • nonsynonymously adverb
  • synonymously adverb
  • synonymousness noun
  • unsynonymous adjective
  • unsynonymously adverb

Etymology

Origin of synonymous

First recorded in 1600–10; from Medieval Latin synōnymus, from Greek synṓnymos, equivalent to syn- prefix + -ōnym- “name, word” + -os adjective suffix; syn-, -onym, -ous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While Hollywood is synonymous with the Oscars, the ceremony has not always been held there.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Robert S. Mueller III, the former FBI director and special counsel whose name became synonymous with the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, died Friday at age 81.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

So why have England become so synonymous with the boot?

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

At the Munich Security Conference this month, Rubio stated that the “entire romance of the cowboy archetype that became synonymous with the American West” was “born in Spain.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

I take ‘laws of nature’ and ‘scientific laws’ to be synonymous, although I am aware that some philosophers want to use these as labels to distinguish two different types of law.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton