A synonym is a word that means the same, or almost the same thing, as another word.
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4answers
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What is the purpose of using the word “automagically” when we already have “automatically”?
Is there a difference between the two? I see it used regularly in the tech community to mean automatically.
Has the word been adopted into any recognised dictionary?
For example:
That was the ...
38
votes
3answers
1k views
“Toward” or “towards”?
Which one should should I use? For some reason I have always used "towards", but I see some people saying "toward", like here:
A great deal of his work in economic
theory has been directed ...
30
votes
3answers
2k views
Alternatives to “and/or”?
As a programmer, I have no problem with seeing or using "and/or" in technical documentation. For example,
I can upvote an answer that satisfies me and/or mark it as accepted.
That's perfectly ...
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16answers
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Polite synonyms for “a——hole-ish” behavior
Are there any polite synonyms for asshole-ish behavior? A good synonym would probably have about the same impact and wouldn't send people looking for their dictionaries.
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5answers
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Less vulgar synonyms for “circlejerk”
Someone asked in the Math.StackExchange chatroom what a "more refined word for circlejerk" might be. UrbanDictionary defines this (in our desired usage) as:
[...] pompous, self-congratulatory ...
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3answers
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When are “because”, “since”,“for” and “as” interchangeable?
I am not a native speaker. On a previous question of mine, I thanked for an answer by saying:
So the phrase is not an idiom, since it is applied in its literal sense.
I consciously chose since ...
22
votes
8answers
4k views
Is there a subtle difference between “somebody” and “someone”, “anybody” and “anyone”?
Are there any subtle differences between "somebody" and "someone", or can they be used completely interchangeably? Similarly, can you imagine a situation in which you would prefer "anybody" to ...
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9answers
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Do the words “jail” and “prison” refer to different things?
In everyday speech, the terms jail and prison are used interchangeably in many situations. However, my understanding is that, at least in the US, they actually refer to slightly different things. For ...
21
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5answers
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Is there a name for synonyms that appear to have opposite meanings?
The words flammable and inflammable mean the same thing, but (to someone unfamiliar with their meaning) appear to be opposites (because of the "in" prefix). Is there a name for such word pairs that ...
20
votes
17answers
2k views
Noun for “person with intermediate skill”
I'm looking for the noun form of "person with intermediate skill". For example, in the context of a particular activity, "person with no skill" might be designated a novice, and "person with much ...
20
votes
9answers
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Using “dear”, “darling”, or “honey” to address a friend
As far as I know dear, darling, and honey are commonly used between lovers, but I suppose there are more words like that. What else is commonly used?
Which of these can be used to address a ...
19
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14answers
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Is there a word to describe a person who likes chaos?
I am wondering if there is a word to describe a person who likes chaos. By this I mean a few specific things:
The person is pleased to hear when chaos is created, or confusion emerges
The person ...
18
votes
14answers
5k views
What is a synonym for “girlfriend”?
I'm in my mid 40s and dating this lady of a similar vintage. I am trying to find a good word to describe our relationship, but "girlfriend" and "boyfriend" seems inappropriate for us. It reminds me of ...
18
votes
3answers
3k views
“Assume”, “presume”, “suppose”
I believe that "assume", "presume", "suppose" are similar in meaning of to take some facts as a truth without proof.
But it seems to me that "presume" is more formal, "assume" is less formal and ...
17
votes
2answers
502 views
Why “homophobia” and not “sexualism” or similar?
A phobia is an irrational fear of something. An intolerance to something is usually an -ism, not a -phobia, as in
sexism
racism
ageism
Yet people who object to homosexual practices or discriminate ...
16
votes
10answers
2k views
Is “chubby” offensive?
I said to a person that she is "chubby" and, apparently, she took it very seriously. What I meant to say is that she's not skin and bones... some more pounds than needed but, precisely because of ...
16
votes
4answers
4k views
Difference between “ability” and “capability”
What is the difference in usage between ability and capability?
15
votes
15answers
1k views
Specific verb for “training an apprentice”?
Does a specific verb exist for the process of passing on information or skills including the passing of responsibilities between an experienced worker and a new one? The verb train is too general, as ...
15
votes
5answers
1k views
Difference between “retro” and “vintage”
What's the difference between retro and vintage? (or antique for that matter)
15
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9answers
2k views
15
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5answers
7k views
Differences between “sledge”, “sleigh” and “sled”
Is there a difference between a sledge, a sleigh and a sled?
Dictionary definitions suggest they are synonymous, but it certainly sounds wrong to refer to Santa Claus on a sledge.
15
votes
3answers
1k views
Why are not “infamous” and “inflammable” the opposite of “famous” and “flammable”?
Why are not infamous and inflammable the opposite of famous and flammable, like incomplete, inactivity, inappropriate and so on?
15
votes
5answers
5k views
What is the difference between “gift” and “present”?
What is the difference between gift and present?
14
votes
3answers
1k views
Can one “decrease” or “increase” sound volume?
My daughter's English teacher insists that synonyms for "turn up" and "turn down" (volume)do not include the words increase and decrease. We wondered if we had been using increase and decrease ...
14
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6answers
6k views
Word for person who loves to share knowledge
What is a word for a person who loves to share knowledge? So far I have educator in mind. Is there any other word?
14
votes
4answers
597 views
Are synonyms always bidirectional?
By bidirectional I mean, if word A is synonymous with word B, does it follow that word B is always synonymous with word A? Are there any common exceptions to this rule?
Extending this - if word A is ...
14
votes
3answers
439 views
How do you tell if synonyms of “almost” default to meaning “less than”?
Having just had a chat with Em1, I noticed that some words or phrases that mean almost will mean less than when used alone, and other synonyms will mean greater than.
For example, nearly and close to ...
14
votes
2answers
398 views
Envision vs Envisage
Is there a context where envision is not a synonym of envisage, or vice versa?
Envisage's definition:
contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event
Envision's ...
13
votes
8answers
948 views
Are all myths superstitions, or are all superstitions myths?
Are all myths superstitions, or is it the other way around, i.e. all superstition being myths?
Or can these words basically be used interchangeably?
The dictionary definitions of these words seem ...
13
votes
4answers
2k views
What is the difference between an apocalypse and a cataclysm?
What is the difference between an apocalypse and a cataclysm? I've been told that an apocalypse is an act of God, but we seem to use it as a generic term for any grand disaster. What is the ...
12
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11answers
1k views
Cases where “mistake” and “error” are not interchangeable
Are there cases where error and mistake are not interchangeable?
12
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6answers
4k views
What is a less offensive synonym for “hypocrite”?
Is there a word that describe a person who doesn't "practice what they preach"? Basically, is there a synonym for "hypocrite" that carries less pejorative connotations?
For example, let's say a ...
12
votes
6answers
4k views
When is it appropriate to use “Yeah” and “Yep” as variants of the word “Yes”?
As a learner of English I know that yes is a standard variant and other two are informal, spoken words. I know nothing more about it, and try always use the yes variant, just not to sound ...
12
votes
7answers
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Are there any differences between “I believe” vs “I think” vs “I reckon”?
These are the three most common ways to say "I think." (At least, I believe so. I mean, I think so. Um...)
Are there any subtle differences between them?
Are there situations where one of the three ...
11
votes
12answers
984 views
Professional term for “useless: should be omitted”
I need a way to say something is useless, in that including it is actually harmful, but not so harshly.
As in,
"The last sentence is useless and should be omitted"
Where the last sentence in a ...
11
votes
5answers
5k views
Popular alternatives to “thank you”
The context for my question might be a bit strange.
I have stuttering and therefore I have some difficulties pronouncing some words starting with particular phonetics. And I've found that if a ...
11
votes
6answers
2k views
Is there a more concise term for a long-term girlfriend/boyfriend than “significant other”?
I've been together with my boyfriend for around 9 years now. There are times when I want to communicate that I am referring to someone who plays a major role in my life, like that of a husband, and ...
11
votes
5answers
5k views
Difference between “pain” and “ache”
What's the difference between pain and ache?
I often see the two words used (almost) interchangeably. At the same time the phrase "aches and pains" is pretty common, and seems to suggest that the two ...
11
votes
4answers
861 views
“Obvious” vs. “Evident”
Are obvious and evident totally synonymous? I've noticed that both are generally translated to the same French word. However, as a native English speaker I kinda interpret them differently; obvious ...
11
votes
4answers
2k views
“high rate of speed” or “high speed” to mean going fast
Why do reporters (and sometimes police officers) say that somebody was going at a high rate of speed when they actually mean high speed?
In physics, speed is already the rate of distance over time, ...
11
votes
1answer
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“Farthest” vs. “furthest”
My spellchecker insists on replacing "furthest" with "farthest". I was under the impression that farthest is strictly speaking in terms of distance, whereas furthest is more abstract.
A poster on ...
10
votes
6answers
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Synonym of “s--t eating grin” suitable for polite company
Can anyone think of a synonym for "shit eating grin" that would be usable in polite company?
This definition from the OED captures the meaning I'm looking for perfectly:
A broad grin expressing ...
10
votes
4answers
5k views
“flat” vs. “apartment”
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 8th edition
Flat:
noun. [ countable ] ( BrE ) a set of rooms for living in, including a kitchen, usually on one floor of a building.
Apartment：
noun. ( ...
10
votes
11answers
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What is a good synonym for “interesting”?
What's a good synonym for the word "interesting" or "interested"? I find that I use those words a bit too often (e.g. "I'm definitely interested!", "Yeah, that sounds really interesting, I would love ...
10
votes
4answers
2k views
What is the distinction between “among” and “amongst”?
It seems amongst is quite often used as a synonym for among but it is supposed to sound more distinguished. Is there any difference in the meaning?
10
votes
8answers
924 views
Word for “decorated too much”
I'm looking for a word (verb) meaning decorate/embellish too much — in a bad sense — and in particular having the tint of being too much so that something instead of being beautiful becomes fussy and ...
10
votes
4answers
1k views
Is there a subtle difference between “inherent” and “intrinsic”?
I've always used "inherent" and "intrinsic" interchangeably. Dictionary.com doesn't offer much help in distinguishing them.
10
votes
3answers
852 views
The use of “random” to mean “arbitrary”, “unidentified”, “unknown”, etc
I'm seeing the use of "random" instead of "arbitrary", etc., with increasing frequency. To me, "random" has a specific meaning and is not synonymous with these other words. Is it correct to use it in ...
9
votes
9answers
818 views
American Equivalent of “Bog Standard”
I'm searching for an American English phrase that is the most readily equivalent to the British expression bog standard (which means, as I understand, plain, ordinary or unremarkable).
I'm tempted to ...
9
votes
3answers
676 views
Is there an adjective form of Jubilee?
With the Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne approaching, I'm seeing the word Jubilee more frequently than normal.
Is there a word to describe the people celebrating with the same root as the ...
