synonym

plural synonyms · alternative obsolete synonime · alternative obsolete synonyme

1. human sciencesA term (word or phrase) which is synonymous with others.

   “Happy” is a synonym of “glad”.

   4 more examples

   Near-synonyms: near-synonym, parasynonym, plesionym

   The proportion of English words that have an exact synonym is small.

   1991, William T. Parry, Edward A. Hacker, Aristotelian Logic

   It's quite the turnaround from only a few months ago when Michael Kors (KORS) sales were sagging and its stock was tanking. Experts said the brand was "overexposed," a synonym for ugly in the fashion world.

   2016 February 26, Heather Long, “Michael Kors' secret to success”, in CNN Business, archived from the original on 02 Jul 2025

   According to the petition, posted on Change.org, the venerable publisher, which produces the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), offers a series of synonyms for woman, including “bitch, besom, piece, bit, mare, baggage, wench, petticoat, frail, bird, bint, biddy, filly.”

   2019 September 18, Lianne Kolirin, “Thousands sign petition to remove sexist terms from Oxford Dictionaries”, in CNN

   Synonyms: poecilonym, near-synonym, parasynonym, plesionym · Antonyms: antonym, opposite

2. Any of the various names that could in theory be used for a taxon in accordance with the relevant rules.
   1. informalbiologyThe subset of those names other than the one to be used according to the rules.
   2. broadlybiologyAny name that has been applied to a taxon other than the one to be used, including those not allowed by the rules such as misspellings or nomina nuda.
3. computingAn alternative (often shorter) name defined for an object in a database.

   Synonyms are part of the SQL standard and are used frequently by Oracle DBAs. Note that Oracle includes both private and public synonyms.

   2011, Paul Nielsen, Uttam Parui, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Bible

present singular third person synonyms · participle present synonyming · participle past synonymed · past synonymed · alternative obsolete synonime · alternative obsolete synonyme

1. transitiveTo make synonymous.

   […] if that properly belongs to the Saltatorii section, which Fabricius seems to believe by his synonyming it with his C. Viminalis […]

   1852, John Freeman, Life of the Rev. W. Kirby, page 267

   1 more example

   The fair fame of this good Knight has suffered greatly from the levity of his critics, and still more from the chattering of nugators, blatterones, sermocinators, and other superficial dignitaries; insomuch that his very name is synonymed with that of a liar.

   1848, United Service Magazine and Naval Military Journal, page 556