Synonym
Definition
Synonyms are different words with similar or identical meanings. Antonyms are words with opposite meanings.An example of synonyms are the words cat and feline. Each describes any member of the family Felidae. Similarly, if we talk about a long time or an extended time, long and extended become synonyms.
Examples of other English synonyms are:
- car and automobile
- baby and infant
- student and pupil
- pretty and attractive
- smart and intelligent
- sick and ill
- funny and humorous
- died and expired
Synonyms can be nouns, adverbs or adjectives, as long as both members of the pair are the same part of speech.
Some lexicographers claim that there are no synonyms that have exactly the same meaning (in all contexts or social levels of language); however, most speakers of languages sense that some synonym pairs are identical in meaning, for all practical purposes. Different words 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, such as a long arm and an extended arm. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synonym [Jul 2004]
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