CHAPTER 2_______________________SYNONYMS

Imagine for a moment how dull the world would be if there were only one word to voice a particular
thought. If every person, place, or object could only be expressed with the same word over and over
again then reading, writing, and speaking would be extremely boring. Luckily, we have synonyms and
antonyms to add spice and flavor to our communication skills.

What Are Synonyms?

Synonyms are words that have the same or very similar meaning. All words can have a synonym. Nouns,
verbs, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions can have a synonym as long as both words are the same part
of speech.
Examples of Synonyms

A. Adjectives: beautiful, lovely, gorgeous, stunning, striking

B. Nouns: House, home, dwelling, residence, abode, quarters
C. Verbs: jump, bound, leap, hop, skip
D. Prepositions: in, inside, within

That’s just a very short list. Here are more examples for you:

A. Small, little, mini, short, tiny, petite, fine

B. Soft, silky, downy, weak, limp, soggy
C. Weak, wimpy, faint, flimsy
D. Hold, cling, clench, grasp, wait, grip
E. Run, dash, sprint,
F. Fast, prompt, quick
G. Smart, bright, intelligent, brilliant
H. Shy, bashful, introverted, quiet, withdrawn
I. Kind, considerate, gracious, sweet, thoughtful
J. Lazy, idle, lethargic, lackadaisical
K. Mean, bad-tempered, difficult, unpleasant, unfriendly
L. Friendly, sociable, outgoing, warm, extroverted
M. Rich, wealthy, well-to-do, affluent, well-off

The list could go on and on but the important point to consider is that all of the above synonyms could
be interchanged in a sentence. However, when you do replace a word with its synonym, you have to pay
close attention to the context so that the synonym will convey the same meaning. For Example:

My driver’s license has expired.

You couldn’t replace the word expired with the word die even though the two are synonyms. It wouldn’t
make sense. A driver’s license can’t die. So, you need to keep in mind that not every synonym of the
word you want to replace will be a good choice.

Every writer can enhance their writing skills by using a variety of words in their written work. We’ve
seen how this can be accomplished with synonyms, now let’s take a look at what we can do with
antonyms.
What are Antonyms?
Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. For example, the antonym of long is short. Often
words will have more than one antonym but as with synonyms it depends on the context. For instance,
the word warm could have the antonym cool or chilly. In order to choose the correct antonym, you have
to look at all the meanings and how the word is used. Cool can mean stylish as well as chilly so the word
cool may not be the best choice.

Antonyms fall within the three categories:

I. Graded antonyms
II. Relational antonyms
III. Complementary antonyms.
I. Graded antonyms are word pairs that have variations between the two opposites. For example,
big and little are antonyms but there are a lot of changes before you get to the opposite
meaning. Like this:

Big, huge, bulky, full-size, slight, petite, little

Other examples are:

Happy – sad

Healthy – sick

Smart – stupid

II. Relational antonyms are pairs that have a relationship. Each word wouldn’t exist without the
other. There can’t be a parent without a child or it’s either all or nothing. Other examples
include:

Open – close
Husband – wife
Front – back
Hello – goodbye
III. Complimentary antonyms are word pairs that have no degree of meaning. There are only two
opposite possibilities.
Dead- alive
True – false
Male- female
Daughter – son
On – off

When using antonyms always keep in mind the context of the word and then choose the best word that
means the opposite. As with synonyms, showing variations in meaning through the use of the correct
antonyms will add spark and interest to your writing. If you haven’t already, get to know your
Thesaurus. It could be your new best friend!