Synonym

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈsɪn.əˌnɪm/

Definitions

1. A word or phrase that can be substituted for another with a similar or identical meaning in a particular context
2. An alternative lexical item or expression that conveys the same or nearly the same sense as another word or phrase within a given usage
3. A term that serves as a linguistic equivalent to another, sharing equivalent or closely related meanings and usable interchangeably in communication

Etymology: The Greek compound "sunōnumos" was built from "sun," meaning "with" or "together," and "onoma," meaning "name." Its literal sense was therefore something like "having the same name," and it was used of things that shared a designation. The neuter form "sunōnumon" passed into Latin as "synonymum," and the word reached English through Middle English "sinonyme." The notable twist is that the Greek root for "name" also gives English words like "anonymous" (literally "without a name") and "onomastics," the study of proper names. Synonym therefore sits in the same family as words that are concerned with naming rather than with meaning in the abstract.

Synonyms: equivalent, alternative, substitute, analog, correspondent

Antonyms: antonym, opposite, contrary, inverse, reverse