Synonym Chooser

How is the word same different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of same are equal, equivalent, identical, selfsame, and very. While all these words mean "not different or not differing from one another," same may imply and selfsame always implies that the things under consideration are one thing and not two or more things.

took the same route
derived from the selfsame source

In what contexts can equal take the place of same?

Although the words equal and same have much in common, equal implies being identical in value, magnitude, or some specified quality.

equal shares in the business

When could equivalent be used to replace same?

The synonyms equivalent and same are sometimes interchangeable, but equivalent implies amounting to the same thing in worth or significance.

two houses equivalent in market value

When might identical be a better fit than same?

While in some cases nearly identical to same, identical may imply selfsameness or suggest absolute agreement in all details.

identical results

How is very related to other words for same?

Very, like selfsame, may imply identity, or, like same may imply likeness in kind.

the very point I was trying to make

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of same Craig experiences that same temporal shift two other times in the film: When staring at a bouquet of Tami’s flowers, and while holding an ancient stone axe Austin has bought online. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 22 May 2025 That same evening, deputies went to Green’s home to speak with her, the report said, per the Herald. Lesley Cosme Torres, People.com, 21 May 2025 That same need for organizational agility and resilience is being brought to the fore in today’s turbulent economic and political climate. Alexander Clausbruch, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025 But in book club fiction, that same moment can take a darker turn, leading to rehab, divorce or tragedy. Jessica Guerrieri, People.com, 9 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for same
Recent Examples of Synonyms for same
Adjective
  • The creator replaced it with a nearly identical bronze statue shortly after, but moved its location to private property nearby and attached it to concrete and metal rods.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 16 May 2025
  • Hippler filed a separate, nearly identical order specific to the defense.
    Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 15 May 2025
Adjective
  • The eighth episode of the sixth and final season of the Hulu series circled all the way back to the very beginning.
    Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2025
  • We are reminded by our guides that Everton won the first league title at Anfield and that Liverpool FC owe their very existence to that rent dispute.
    Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 15 May 2025
Adjective
  • The Gleason score is created through something similar to a point system.
    Julia Gomez, USA Today, 20 May 2025
  • The outfit is similar to one of the designs in his spring 1997 ready-to-wear collection.
    Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • China and imports Target's first-quarter comparable sales fell 3.8%, compared to analysts' estimates of a 1.08% decline.
    Siddharth Cavale, USA Today, 22 May 2025
  • That reverses a comparable store sales increase of 1.5% in the previous quarter.
    Anne D'Innocenzio, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025
Adjective
  • The work of flattening out three-dimensional sculpture into a two-dimensional painting was analogous to intellectualizing and abstracting Blackness as media became more mobile in the early twentieth century.
    Delinda Collier, Artforum, 1 May 2025
  • Together, these provide a wealth of data that any neuroscientist would envy — analogous to a perfect map of a person’s brain, along with separate electrodes to monitor the activity of each neuron.
    Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Same.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/same. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on same

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