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synonym — a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language

Part of speech: NOUN

Definition: a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈsɪnənɪm/

Example Sentences

  • The teacher asked us to find a synonym for 'happy', so I wrote 'delighted' but my friend wrote 'not sad', which made everyone laugh.
  • In academic writing, using synonyms helps you avoid repeating the same word too many times.
  • My little brother thinks 'synonym' means a robot that speaks two languages, which is technically not a synonym for the correct answer.

synonym

NOUN

[/ˈsɪnənɪm/]

a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language

'Happy' and 'joyful' are synonyms that mean almost the same thing.
💡 Concept

'Happy' and 'joyful' are synonyms that mean almost the same thing.

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈsɪnənɪm/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈsɪnənɪm/

🌳Etymology

Prefixsyn--
Rootonym

Origin

Derived from Greek, combining syn- (together, alike) and -onym (name). The term originally referred to words sharing the same name or meaning, and evolved to denote words with equivalent or nearly identical meanings.

Breakdown

syn- (together, alike) + -onym (name, from Greek onoma). The compound literally means 'same name,' applied to words that express the same or similar concept.

🎵Rhyme

antonym
acronym
pseudonym

🔗Collocations

find a synonym
synonym for
close synonym
use a synonym
list of synonyms
synonym dictionary

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“The teacher asked us to find a synonym for 'happy', so I wrote 'delighted' but my friend wrote 'not sad', which made everyone laugh.”

“In academic writing, using synonyms helps you avoid repeating the same word too many times.”

😄 Fun example

“My little brother thinks 'synonym' means a robot that speaks two languages, which is technically not a synonym for the correct answer.”

“The dictionary listed 'huge' as a synonym for 'big', which was helpful for my essay.”

📚Related Words

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