Synonyme

Synonyme, or synonyms, are words that share semantic content and can be used interchangeably in some contexts. They refer to the same concept or to closely related concepts, and they help speakers and writers avoid repetition while shaping nuance. It is important to note that perfect synonyms—words that are interchangeable in every possible situation—are rare in natural languages.

Synonymy is sense-specific. A word may be a synonym for one sense of another word but not for another, due to polysemy. For example, big and large are generally interchangeable when describing size but differ in collocation and formality; “big mistake” is natural, while “large mistake” sounds less common. Synonyms also vary in connotation, register, and regional usage, which affects their suitability in different contexts.

Context and nuance matter. Synonyms can differ in tone, politeness, formality, or cultural associations. For instance, “youth” and “kid” refer to young people but carry different levels of formality and social tone; “frustrated” and “annoyed” express related but not identical emotional states. The choice of synonym can influence reader perception and style.

Lexicography and computational linguistics treat synonyms as tools for diversity and coverage. Thesauri group words by similar meanings, and linguistic resources such as WordNet assemble synonym sets (synsets). In translation, information retrieval, and natural language processing, synonyms help expand meaning, but true paraphrase often requires changes beyond single-word substitutions.

Etymology: the term derives from Greek syn- “together” and onoma “name,” reflecting the idea of words that name the same concept.