We say that two or more words are synonyms when
they have the same or nearly the same meaning, e.g. shut and close. However,
there’s seldom strict synonymy, but loose synonymy, so we’d better speak of near-synonyms.
For reasons of economy, to have two or more words with exactly the same meaning
is a luxury that languages cannot afford. The main reasons why it’s difficult
to find strict synonymy or one hundred percent synonyms are the following:
Differentation of meaning. Words often change their meaning
with the passing of time: originally, to starve = to die, but when to die (probably
of Scandinavian origin) began to be generally used the meaning of to starve was
restricted to die of hunger; originally, mutton from French mouton
= sheep, but it came
to mean the ‘flesh of the animal’ and for the animal ‘sheep’ was retained.
Many lexemes are synonymous in some contexts
but not in others: close/shut: we can say close/shut the
door, but only the shop is closed;
find/discover: we found/discovered the children hiding in the shed,
but Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin; busy/occupied: I’m afraid Mr Smith is busy/occupied at the
moment, but I’m afraid this seat is occupied; freedom/liberty: the rights and freedoms/liberties of
citizens, but you’re at liberty to do as you please.
Different collocations, however slight: answer and reply are
synonymous in practically any context, but you can say, for instance, “you have
only one answer correct on the test”, but cannot substitute reply for answer
in this case
Different register: Or in other words stylistic variety, that is variation in a person’s speech or
writing, depending on the type of situation, the person or persons addressed,
the topic discussed, etc., e.g. standard English drunk,
formal inebriated, intoxicated, informal/colloquial pissed, slang sloshed; standard
English to die, formal to expire, to pass away (euphemistic),
informal/colloquial to croak, to cash in
one’s chips, to turn up one’s toes/to kick the bucket (dysphemistic), slang
to snuff it, to conk out, etc. There
is also technical vocabulary: cardiac for
heart, or pulmonary for lung, and
jargon: prof (profe), to flunk (catear) and crib sheet (chuleta), for example, are
student jargon.
The two synonyms belong to different dialects: lift (BrE.)/elevator
(AmE.); likewise, pavement/sidewalk, biscuit/cookie, dustbin/trashcan, boot/trunk, etc.
EXERCISE
Find synonym(s) or near synonym(s) for the following:
1.- awfully
2.- moreover
3.- to repair
4.- to endure
5.- huge
6.- slothful
7.- surly
8.- accurate
9.- to intrigue
10.- to stammer
KEY
1.- very, extremely, terribly, frightfully, dreadfully
2.- besides, furthermore
3.- to mend, to fix (up)
4.- to bear, to suffer, to tolerate, to put up with
5.- enormous, immense, very big
6.- lazy
7.- bad-tempered, sullen, sulky
8.- exact, precise
9.- to puzzle
10.- to stutter
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