This article deals with the general meaning of the term "synonym". For biological synonyms, see Synonym (taxonomy) In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. Usage and terminology are different for zoology and botany.

Synonyms are different words (or sometimes phrases) with identical or very similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic , Classical (c. 5th–4th centuries BC), and Hellenistic (c. 3rd century BC–6th century AD) periods of ancient Greece and the ancient world. It is predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek. Its Hellenistic phase is known as Koine syn (σύν) ("with") and onoma (ὄνομα) ("name"). The words car and automobile are synonyms. Similarly, if we talk about a long time or an extended time, long and extended become synonyms. In the figurative sense, two words are often said to be synonymous if they have the same connotation:

"a widespread impression that … Hollywood was synonymous with immorality" (Doris Kearns Goodwin Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American biographer and historian, and an oft-seen political commentator. She is the author of biographies of several U.S. Presidents, including Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream; The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga; No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt (which won the)

Synonyms can be any part of speech In grammar, a lexical category is a linguistic category of words (or more precisely lexical items), which is generally defined by the syntactic or morphological behaviour of the lexical item in question. Common linguistic categories include noun and verb, among others. There are open word classes, which constantly acquire new members, and closed (e.g. nouns Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of expressions. The syntactic rules for nouns differ from language to language. In English, nouns may be defined as those words which can occur with articles and attributive adjectives and can function as the head of a noun phrase, verbs A verb is a doing word . In syntax, a verb is a word (part of speech) that usually denotes an action (bring, read), an occurrence (decompose, glitter), or a state of being (exist, stand). Depending on the language, a verb may vary in form according to many factors, possibly including its tense, aspect, mood and voice. It may also agree with the, adjectives In grammar, an adjective is a word whose main syntactic role is to modify a noun or pronoun, giving more information about the noun or pronoun's referent. Some examples can be seen in the box to the right. Collectively, adjectives form one of the traditional English eight parts of speech, though linguists today distinguish adjectives from words, adverbs An adverb is a part of speech. It is any word that modifies any other part of language: verbs, adjectives , clauses, sentences and other adverbs, except for nouns; modifiers of nouns are primarily determiners and adjectives or prepositions In grammar, a preposition is a part of speech that introduces a prepositional phrase. For example, in the sentence "The cat sleeps on the sofa", the word "on" is a preposition, introducing the prepositional phrase "on the sofa". In English, the most used prepositions are "of", "to", "in",), as long as both members of the pair are the same part of speech. More examples of English synonyms are:

Note that synonyms are defined with respect to certain senses of words; for instance, 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.

In English many synonyms evolved from a mixture of Norman French and English words, often with some words associated with the Saxon countryside ("folk", "freedom") and synonyms with the Norman nobility ("people", "liberty").

Some lexicographers General lexicography focuses on the design, compilation, use and evaluation of general dictionaries, i.e. dictionaries that provide a description of the language in general use. Such a dictionary is usually called a general dictionary or LGP dictionary. Specialized lexicography focuses on the design, compilation, use and evaluation of specialized claim that no synonyms have exactly the same meaning (in all contexts or social levels of language) because etymology For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages, and texts about the languages, to gather knowledge about how words were used at earlier stages, and when they entered the languages in question. Etymologists also apply the methods of comparative linguistics to reconstruct information about languages that, orthography The orthography of a language specifies the correct way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Orthography is derived from Greek ὀρθός orthós ("correct") and γράφειν gráphein ("to write"). Orthography is distinct from typography, phonic Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech. It is concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds (phones), and the processes of their physiological production, auditory reception, and neurophysiological perception qualities, ambiguous meanings, usage, etc. 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 A euphemism is a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener, or in the case of doublespeak, to make it less troublesome for the speaker. It also may be a substitution of a description of something or someone rather than the name, to avoid revealing.

The purpose of a thesaurus A thesaurus is a work that lists words grouped together according to similarity of meaning , in contrast to a dictionary, which contains definitions and pronunciations is to offer the user a listing of similar or related words; these are often, but not always, synonyms.

Related terms

Antonyms In lexical semantics, opposites are words that lie in an inherently incompatible binary relationship as in the opposite pairs male : female, long : short, up : down, and precede : follow. The notion of incompatibility here refers to fact that one word in an opposite pair entails that it is not the other pair member. For example, something that is are words with opposite or nearly opposite meanings. For example:

The words synonym and antonym are themselves antonyms.

Hypernyms In linguistics, a hyponym is a word or phrase whose semantic range is included within that of another word, its hypernym. For example, scarlet, vermilion, carmine, and crimson are all hyponyms of red , which is, in turn, a hyponym of colour and hyponyms In linguistics, a hyponym is a word or phrase whose semantic range is included within that of another word, its hypernym. For example, scarlet, vermilion, carmine, and crimson are all hyponyms of red , which is, in turn, a hyponym of colour 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.

Homonyms In linguistics, a homonym is one of a group of words that share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings, usually as a result of the two words having different origins. The state of being a homonym is called homonymy are words that sound or are spelled the same, but have different meanings.

See also

External links

Look up synonym in Wiktionary Wiktionary is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 151 languages. Unlike standard dictionaries, it is written collaboratively by volunteers, dubbed "Wiktionarians", using wiki software, allowing articles to be changed by almost anyone with access to the website, the free dictionary.
Lexicography General lexicography focuses on the design, compilation, use and evaluation of general dictionaries, i.e. dictionaries that provide a description of the language in general use. Such a dictionary is usually called a general dictionary or LGP dictionary. Specialized lexicography focuses on the design, compilation, use and evaluation of specialized
Types of reference works A reference work is a compendium of information, usually of a specific type, compiled in a book for ease of reference. That is, the information is intended to be quickly found when needed. Reference works are usually referred to for particular pieces of information, rather than read cover to cover. The writing style used in these works is Dictionary A dictionary is a collection of words in a specific language, often listed alphabetically, with definitions, etymologies, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon. According to Nielsen 2008 a dictionary may be regarded as a lexicographical product that is · Glossary A glossary is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. Traditionally, a glossary appears at the end of a book and includes terms within that book which are either newly introduced or at least uncommon · Lexicon In linguistics, the lexicon of a language is its vocabulary, including its words and expressions. More formally, it is a language's inventory of lexemes · Thesaurus A thesaurus is a work that lists words grouped together according to similarity of meaning , in contrast to a dictionary, which contains definitions and pronunciations
Types of dictionaries A dictionary is a collection of words in a specific language, often listed alphabetically, with definitions, etymologies, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon. According to Nielsen 2008 a dictionary may be regarded as a lexicographical product that is Bilingual A bilingual dictionary or translation dictionary is a specialized dictionary used to translate words or phrases from one language to another. Bilingual dictionaries can be unidirectional, meaning that they list the meanings of words of one language in another, or can be bidirectional, allowing translation to and from both languages. Bidirectional · Biographical Biographical dictionaries — a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information — have been written in many languages. Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country . Others are specialized, in that they cover important names in a subject field, such as architecture or engineering · Conceptual A conceptual dictionary is a dictionary that groups words by concept or semantic relation instead of arranging them in alphabetical order. Examples of conceptual dictionaries are picture dictionaries, thesauri, and visual dictionaries · Defining A defining vocabulary is a published, stable, and culturally accepted core glossary specifically used by dictionary publishers to standardize their use of simple words to explain complex words, and culture-specific idioms or metaphors. It can also be published as a defining dictionary, but the most common use of such dictionaries is to assist in · Electronic An electronic dictionary is either a small handheld computer with integrated reference materials, or a PDA or a smartphone with a dictionary program. Electronic dictionaries are also programs that can be downloaded from the Internet or purchased on a CD-ROM or DVD and installed on a desktop computer or on a lap top, such as an Apple Macintosh or a · Encyclopedic An encyclopedic dictionary typically includes a large number of short listings, arranged alphabetically, and discussing a wide range of topics. Encyclopedic dictionaries can be general, containing articles on topics in many different fields; or they can specialize in a particular field . They may also be organized around a particular academic, · LSP A language for specific purposes dictionary is a dictionary that intends to describe a variety of one or more languages used by experts within a particular subject field. The discipline that deals with LSP dictionaries is usually called specialised lexicography and is a branch of lexicography · Machine-readable A machine-readable dictionary is a dictionary in an electronic form that can be loaded in a database and can be queried via application software. It may be a single language explanatory dictionary or a multi-language dictionary to support translations between two or more languages or a combination of both. Translation software between multiple · Maximizing A maximizing dictionary attempts to include as many words as possible from a particular speech community. An example is the Oxford English Dictionary, as it attempts to lemmatize as many words as possible. This is one way in which to classify dictionaries based on the number of entry words they contain and give information about, i.e. their · Medical A medical dictionary is a lexicon for words used in medicine. The three major English language medical dictionaries are Stedman's, Taber's, and Dorland's medical reference works. Other significant medical dictionaries are distributed by Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, and their French division Masson · Minimizing A dictionary is minimizing if it attempts to include only a limited selection of words from a particular speech community. An example of a minimizing dictionary is a dictionary containing the 2,000 most frequently used words in the English language, as it attempts to lemmatise (i.e. show as entry words) only a very limited number of English words · Monolingual learner's Monolingual learner's dictionaries are written for learners of a foreign language. Most such dictionaries are aimed at advanced learners, but in English there are ones for elementary and intermediate users too. These tools of language education are based on the supposition that learners must move from a bilingual dictionary to a monolingual one as · Multi-field A multi-field dictionary is a specialized dictionary that has been designed and compiled to cover the terms within two or more subject fields. Multi-field dictionaries should be contrasted with single-field dictionaries and sub-field dictionaries · Phonetic A phonetic dictionary is a single-field dictionary that allows you to locate the word by the way it sounds. These dictionaries are useful when the spelling of a word is unknown · Picture A picture dictionary is a dictionary that uses photos or drawings to illustrate what the headwords mean. Picture dictionaries are useful in a variety of teaching environments, such as teaching a young child about their native language, and in foreign language instruction for children and adults. Picture dictionaries are often organized by topic · Reverse A reverse dictionary is a compilation of words organized in some non-standard order that provides the user with information that would be difficult to obtain from a traditionally alphabetized dictionary. So, for example, A Reverse Dictionary of the Spanish Language and Walker's Rhyming Dictionary are reverse dictionaries the organization of which · Rhyming A rhyming dictionary is a specialist dictionary designed for use in writing poetry and lyrics. In a rhyming dictionary, words are categorized into equivalence classes that consist of words which rhyme with one another. They will also typically support several different kinds of rhymes, and possibly also alliteration as well · Rime A rime dictionary, rhyme dictionary, or rime book is an ancient type of Chinese dictionary used for writing poetry or other genre requiring rhymes. It collates characters by rime and tone, instead of radical. However, a Chinese dictionary collated by rime and tone is not necessarily a rime dictionary (read more about this at Chinese dictionary) · Single-field A single-field dictionary is a specialized dictionary that has been designed and compiled to cover the terms of one particular subject field. Single-field dictionaries should be contrasted with multi-field dictionaries and sub-field dictionaries · Specialized · Sub-field · Visual
Vocabulary topics Focal vocabulary · Function word · Headword · Holonymy · Hyponymy · Idiom · International Scientific Vocabulary · Lemma · Lexeme · Meronymy · Morphology · Synonym · Vocabulary size · Word
Lexicographic topics Controlled vocabulary · English lexicology and lexicography · Lexicographic error · Lexicographic information cost · Linguistic prescription · Specialised lexicography
Lexicographic projects Lexigraf · WordNet
Other List of lexicographers · List of online dictionaries

Categories: Lexical semantics | Types of words | Greek loanwords

 

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... its people give to us, students of South America, gives flow to the term first world, we learned in South America as a synonym for the United States. ...



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Pandemic is not a synonym for crisis It's Alive!!
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Pandemic is not a . synonym. for crisis. 1 06 2009 necessarily. In this case it's more SNAFU. I read this weekend's Sunday Herald during lunch today. There was a double page spread on the growing Swine Flu Crisis! (251 Infected!*). ...

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What is a synonym for commercialization?
Q. Greetings friends, I have been to synonym.com and Merriam-Webster Online and have searched the two paperback copies of Thesauruses and still cannot find a synonym for commercialization. Any ideas?
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A. development saleability advertisement depreciation degradation When looking for synonyms of nouns, it is best to start with the verb form. Once you have located the appropriate synonym, change it to the noun form if it is suitable.
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