Search more than 275,000 synonyms, antonyms, related words, and idiomatic phrases. The thesaurus is more than just a list of synonyms; it is your guide to more precise and effective use of language.

synonym

noun

syn·​o·​nym ˈsi-nə-ˌnim 

1

: one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses

"Small" and "little" are synonyms.

People sometimes use introversion as a synonym for shyness.

—Ashley Stahl

2

: a word, phrase, or name that by association is held to embody something (such as a concept or quality)

a tyrant whose name has become a synonym for oppression

Watching grass grow has long been a synonym for boredom.

—Diane Bell

The postwar building boom transformed Waikiki Beach from an uncrowded, exclusive resort to a thicket of high-rise hotels, … and the word Waikiki became a synonym for what overdevelopment can do to a beautiful stretch of shoreline.

—Caroline Bates

also : an object held to do this

… dark suits are essentially a synonym for generic world leader uniform …

—Vanessa Friedman

3

biology : one of two or more scientific names used to designate the same taxonomic group compare homonym

synonymic

ˌsi-nə-ˈni-mik 

adjective

or less commonly synonymical

ˌsi-nə-ˈni-mi-kəl 

synonymity

ˌsi-nə-ˈni-mə-tē 

noun

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Some Differences Between Synonyms and Antonyms

The English language (and, we may presume, many other languages) has both antonyms and synonyms. There are many more words with synonyms than there are words with antonyms, since many things exist which do not have an opposite (the word sandwich, for instance, may be said to have synonyms in the words hoagie, grinder, submarine, and many other words, but there is no opposite of sandwich). Antonym is also a much more recent addition to English than synonym is; it first appeared in the 1860s, whereas synonym has been used for more than 500 years. Additionally, both nouns have adjectival forms: synonymous and antonymous. Synonymous, which is often used loosely ("She has become synonymous with good taste"), is the more common of the two.

Examples of synonym in a Sentence

I very much enjoyed the chapter on obscenity, which asks the difficult question of how words deemed taboo differ from their inoffensive synonyms …  . It can't obviously be the referent of the term, since that is the same, and it isn't merely that the taboo words are more accurately descriptive … —Colin McGinn, The New York Review of Books, 27 Sept. 2007

The debris hurtled by so fast that the New York Times editorial page seemed to run out of synonyms for disgust, revulsion and abuse. —Michael Duffy et al., Time, 5 Mar. 2001

"Hollywood" is not, of course, a place. Nor is it a synonym for the entertainment business. There are upstanding citizens who make their living in that field. —P. J. O'Rourke, Republican Party Reptile, 1987

“Small” and “little” are synonyms.

Recent Examples on the Web

There was something arbitrary about the way this term and its synonyms were bandied about. —Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025

On the topic of taxonomy, most Sansevieria have been moved lately into the genus Dracaena, based on recent DNA analysis, with the Sansevieria name now considered an older synonym. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2025

Executives continue to use those descriptors, or synonyms for them, for the upcoming holiday season. —Courtney Reagan, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025

Weird what words former Rockies turn into synonyms. —Troy Renck, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English sinonyme, from Latin synonymum, from Greek synōnymon, from neuter of synōnymos synonymous, from syn- + onyma name — more at name

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for synonym

• antonym
• kibbutzim
• pseudonym
• brim
• clim
• dim
• grim
• gym
• him
• hymn
• im
• limb

Kids Definition

synonym

noun

syn·​onym

ˈsin-ə-ˌnim

: a word having the same or almost the same meaning as another word in the same language

synonymity

ˌsin-ə-ˈnim-ət-ē

noun

Medical Definition

synonym

noun

syn·​onym ˈsin-ə-ˌnim 

: a taxonomic name rejected as being incorrectly applied or incorrect in form

synonymity

ˌsin-ə-ˈnim-ət-ē 

noun

plural synonymities