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Synonyms

Synonyms are different words that have the same or similar

meanings. They come in every part of speech, including nouns, verbs,
adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions.
As a synonym example, let’s look at synonyms for good. As one of
the most commonly used words, good has a lot of synonyms that mean
the same or almost the same
thing: fine, excellent, satisfactory, wonderful, superb, etc. 
English, with its long history of absorbing terminology from a
wealth of other tongues, is a language particularly rich
in synonyms —words so close in meaning that in many contexts they
are interchangeable, like the nouns tongue and language in the first
part of this sentence. Just about every popular dictionary
defines synonym as a term having “the same or nearly the same”
meaning as another, but there is an important difference between “the
same” and “nearly the same.”
Noun synonyms sometimes mean exactly the same thing.
A Dalmatian is a coach dog —same dog. A bureau is a chest of
drawers. And if you ask for a soda on the east coast of the U.S., you’ll
get the same drink that asking for a pop will get you farther west. The
object referred to remains constant. But forest and wood, though often
interchangeable, have different shades of meaning: a forest tends to be
larger and denser than a wood. And when we move from nouns to
other parts of speech, we almost always find subtle but important
differences among synonyms: although the meanings overlap, they
differ in emphasis and connotation. A sunset might be described equally
well as beautiful or resplendent, but a beautiful baby would not usually
be described as resplendent, which implies an especially dazzling
appearance. The verbs make and construct mean roughly the same
thing, but one is more likely to make a cake but construct a building,
which is a more complex undertaking.

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Lists of synonyms are useful when we are struggling to write and

looking for just the right word, but each word must be considered in
light of its specific definition. Notes at the bottom of a dictionary
entry—especially usage notes and synonym studies—are often where
we’ll find the detailed information that allows us to improve
(or refine or polish ) our writing.
Polysemantic words have different synonymic series for each
of
their senses. For example, ill in the sense of “not in full physical or
mental
health” is synonymous with ailing, indisposed, sick, unwell. If it means
“bad”, possible synonyms for it are evil, wicked, wrong.
Synonyms occur in a number of idioms and proverbs in English.
Examples of the former include to be on pins and needles, while the
latter
may be illustrated by It never rains but it pours. They may also be
employed as stylistic devices contributing to giving more expressive
force to
a particular description or to nuancing it, as Hulban (1975: 162 -164)
illustrates quoting G.B. Shaw:
I give you up. You are factproof. I am lazy; I am idle; and I
am breaking
down from overwork. Don’t you like these dear old-world places? I
do.
I don’t. They ought all to be rooted up, pulled down, burnt to the
ground

What’s the purpose of synonyms?

What are synonyms for? What’s the point of having two words
with the same meaning when one is enough? There are two main uses
for synonyms, which we’ll explain in detail below: 

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● Synonyms can improve word choice, or choosing the single

best word for what you’re trying to communicate. 
● Synonyms are necessary to avoid overusing the same word.

Types of synonyms

There are several types of synonyms, such as: strict / perfect

/
absolute synonyms, ideographic synonyms and stylistic synonyms.

Two lexical units would be perfect synonyms(i.e. would have

identical meanings) “if and only if all their contextual relations were
identical” says Cruse (1986: 268). The linguist adds that it would be
“impracticable” to prove that two lexical items are perfect synonyms
following this definition, since that would mean checking their
occurrences
in all conceivable contexts, a thing that is surely impossible, the number
of
such contexts being infinite. However, proving that absolute synonymy
remains at the level of theory and does not practically exist in real
contexts
of language use (a point of view expressed by numerous other linguists)
should not be very difficult, since a single discrepancy in the pattern of
the
contextual relations of the candidates to absolute synonymy would be
sufficient proof in this sense. Cruse (1986: 268)) chooses to demonstrate
the practical impossibility of absolute synonymy starting from his
opinion
that “equinormality in all contexts is the same as identity of meaning”.
Based on this approach, two lexical items that are not equally normal
in at
least one syntactic context cannot be considered strict synonyms.
Besides the test of normality, there are other arguments brought
against perfect synonymy. One of these is, for example, the fact that the

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economy of language would not tolerate (except, perhaps, for a very

limited
period of time) the existence of two lexical items with exactly the same
meaning. Another one is of a historical nature. If absolute synonyms do
occur at a certain moment in the development of a language, what
happens
is that, usually, one of the items falls into obsolescence and is,
ultimately,
no longer used, it remains to be used in particular dialects or stylistic
varieties only or it begins to be employed in contexts from which the
other
is excluded. Thus, Jackson and Amvela (2007: 109) offer a list of
archaic or
obsolete words which have fallen out of use and have been replaced by
the
items mentioned in brakets: culver (pigeon), fain (willing), divers
(various), levin (lightning), dorp (village), trig (neat), warrener
(gamekeeper), wight (human being), erst (formerly). On the other
hand,
when enemy was imported into English from French, its Anglo-Saxon
correspondent foe began to be used more in the literary than in the
everyday language. In the same way, mutton (from the French
mouton) and
sheep were perfect synonyms for a very limited period of time, up to the
moment when the former specialized to designate the meat of sheep,
while
the latter got restricted to refer to the animal itself.
The discussion of synonymy so far has attempted at demonstrating
by arguments that perfect synonymy is rejected by actual language use.
“When we speak of synonymy, then, we mean varying degrees of ‘loose’
synonymy, where we identify not only a significant overlap in meaning
between two words, but also some contexts at least where they cannot
substitute for each other” (Jackson, Amvela 2007: 109). Loose
synonymy is
illustrated by at least two types of synonyms, ideographic and stylistic.
Ideographic synonyms share the core meaning, but differ
in
shades of meaning in that certain notes characteristic of the notions,

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phenomena, objects denoted by these words are accented. They may

also
differ in connotation, collocation patterns and idiomatic use. In the pair
of
synonyms to love – to adore, for example, to love is rather neutral,
while to
adore bears connotations of worship or passion. Crowd refers to a
disorganized group of people, while its synonym, mob refers to the
same
group, but connotes the idea of riotous intentions as well. As it is
pointed
out in the Longman Dictionary of the English Language (1991: 141),
quoted by Jacskon and Amvela (2007: 108), “Beg, entreat, beseech,
implore, supplicate and importune all signify the making of an appeal
which is likely to be refused or demurred at. A person begs for what
s/he
cannot claim as a right; beg suggests earnestness, insistence, and
sometimes self-abasement. By entreating someone, one hopes to
persuade
him / her by earnest pleading and reasoning. Beseech and implore
convey
eager anxiety which seeks to inspire sympathy or pity. Implore may be
stronger than beseech, with a suggestion of tearfulness or evident
anguish.
Supplicate adds to entreat a humble, prayerful attitude <invite, entreat,
supplicate to accompany you - Lord Chesterfield>. Importune denotes
persistence with one’s requests to the point of annoyance or even
harassmen.
Ideographic synonyms denote different shades of meaning or
degrees of a given quality. They sometimes called relative synonyms,

Exemple : beautiful, fine, handsome, pretty, pleasant ,different,

various ,large, great, huge, tremendous, colossal.

The category of stylistic synonyms includes words having the

same notional components of meaning, but differing in their stylistic
reference or degree of formality. Jackson and Amvela (2007: 111) offer
examples of pairs of synonyms in which one of the members is used in

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informal or less formal contexts, while the other is used in more formal
contexts. Such examples include: archer – toxophilite, argument –
disputation, beauty – pulchritude, cross – traverse, die – decease, give
up
– renounce, letter – missive, praise – eulogy, warning – caveat,
western –
occidental. They also mention pairs of synonymous words of which one
belongs to standard English and the other to English slang. The
following
examples illustrate this type of stylistic synonyms: astonished –
gobsmacked, crash – prang, destroy – zap, drunk - sloshed, face –
phizog,
heart – ticker, insane - barmy, money – rhino, steal – nick.

English is a language that is very rich in synonyms. The main

reason
for the abundance of synonymous words is connected with the history
of
the language, in particular, with its having borrowed an impressive
number
of lexical items from other languages.
In a pair of synonyms made up of a native and a borrowed word, it is
the native element that is felt to be neutral and, therefore, it is this
element
that is used most frequently. In literature, however, many of the words
for
which there is a native correspondent are French, while in the scientific
jargon, terms of Greek and Latin origin are preferred.
When described, such synonyms are usually organized on a double
or a triple scale, in which the source of borrowing into English is
indicated
and not the language to which the etymon of the words can be traced
back.
Hulban’s (1975; 158-159) examples of double and triple scales of
synonymy include:

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Examples of Synonyms

Here are some synonyms of words you use every day:

Bad: awful, terrible, horrible

Good: fine, excellent, great
Hot: burning, fiery, boiling
Cold: chilly, freezing, frosty
Easy: Simple, effortless, straightforward
Hard: difficult, challenging, tough
Big: large, huge, giant
Small: tiny, little, mini

Now, read the three sentences below:

The small child was quickly eating a cold ice cream cone, which gave
him a bad headache.The little kid was rapidly gobbling a frosty ice
cream cone, which gave him an awful headache.The youngster was
speedily consuming a freezing ice cream cone, which gave him a
terrible headache.

As you can see, the three sentences above share the same situation, but,
Sentences 2 and 3 paint a better picture because they use synonyms for
some of the dull words in Sentence 1. Words like “rapidly,” “gobbling,”
“awful,” and “terrible” are much more descriptive than “quickly,”
“eating,” and “bad”—they have the same meanings as Sentence 1, but
stronger connotations.

Exemples of synonyms in literature:

First exemple:

As mentioned, poetry probably wouldn’t exist without synonyms. In the

poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” William Wordsworth describes
an afternoon walk that was particularly special for him. In the selection
below, he uses synonyms to help his readers imagine the scene that he
saw:

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I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Here, Wordsworth uses the synonyms “crowd” and “host” to express

that he saw a large number of daffodils, which made them much more
magnificent. It’s a technique he is using to emphasize the beauty of his
experience. By using two different words with the same meaning, he is
able to paint a better picture with his words.

Secound exemple:

Synonyms are very important for creative, descriptive writing because

authors choose certain words to fit their style and tone. In the poem
“The Eagle,” Lord Tennyson uses synonyms for common words to
create this detailed imagery:

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;

Close to the sun in lonely lands,

Ring’d with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;

He watches from his mountain walls,

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And like a thunderbolt he falls.

Tennyson’s descriptive words paint a picture for the audience. But, if

you remove the synonyms he uses, it would be much less picturesque.
For example, he uses “azure” instead of “blue” to give you a better idea
of the color of the sky, and “crag” which sounds rougher than “cliff.”
Synonyms also make the poem more expressive; for instance, he uses
“lonely” instead of “isolated”—both words have almost the same
meaning, but “lonely” usually describes a human feeling, and “isolated”
usually describes a place. As you can see, Tennyson carefully chose his
words with purpose.

 Conclusion

In conclusion, synonyms are an essential part of the English language

that we could not live without, in writing or speaking. They are the
most powerful type of descriptive tool, making them an important part
of both prose and poetry alike. Synonyms provide freedom for word
choice and allow authors to choose words with the right connotation to
fit their style and serve their purpose.

Bibliography : https://literaryterms.net/synonym/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synonym
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/synonym
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/synonym
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/synonyms/

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