Sinonima

Sinonima is a term that in some texts is used to refer to the concept of synonymy in linguistics. The standard noun for the phenomenon is sinonimia, and the corresponding adjective is sinónimo (feminine sinónima when describing a feminine noun). In this article, sinonima is treated as a form that may appear in various texts, while noting that sinonimia is the accepted linguistic label.

Sinonimia describes the relationship between two or more words that have the same or very similar meanings within a language. This relationship is context-dependent: words that are interchangeable in one situation may not be in another due to connotation, register, or collocation. The existence of sinonimia allows speakers and writers to vary expression and avoid repetition, while maintaining meaning.

Types commonly discussed include absolute synonyms, which are interchangeable in all contexts and have identical denotations (rare in practice); near or partial synonyms, which share core meaning but differ in nuance, formality, or usage; and contextual synonyms, where words are interchangeable only within specific domains or communities. The boundary between these types is often fluid and influenced by culture, region, and era.

In practice, dictionaries and thesauri organize sinonima to aid word choice. When selecting a synonym, factors such as tone, precision, frequency, and potential false friends should be considered. Semantic relationships beyond sinonimia, such as hypernymy, hyponymy, and antonymy, help describe how words relate in a larger lexical system.

See also: synonyms, thesaurus, lexical semantics, lexicography.