Some lexicographers claim that no synonyms have exactly the same meaning (in all contexts or social levels of language) because etymology, orthography, phonic qualities, connotations, ambiguous meanings, usage, and so on make them unique. The former are sometimes called cognitive synonyms and the latter, near-synonyms, plesionyms or poecilonyms. Synonyms with exactly the same meaning share a seme or denotational sememe, whereas those with inexactly similar meanings share a broader denotational or connotational sememe and thus overlap within a semantic field. Words are considered synonymous in only one particular sense: for example, long and extended in the context long time or extended time are synonymous, but long cannot be used in the phrase extended family.

The standard test for synonymy is substitution: one form can be replaced by another in a sentence without changing its meaning. For example, in the English language, the words begin, start, commence, and initiate are all synonyms of one another: they are synonymous. With the advent of digital scanners, maybe the word will revert to its original meaning.Synonym list in cuneiform on a clay tablet, Neo-Assyrian period Ī synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. Scan used to mean “to search intently, or carefully.” Then it morphed into searching lightly, or quickly. Sorry, I hit submit before I was finished. Scan is one of those words that has been used incorrectly for so long that the wrong meaning is now the common meaning. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below: Wink: to look at while blinking one eye to signal or tease another person Watch: to look carefully or in expectationģ5. Study: to look at attentively or with attention to detailģ4. Stare (down): to look at someone else to try to dominateģ3. Scan: to look at quickly, or to look through text or a set of images or objects to find a specific oneģ2. Regard: to look at attentively or to evaluateĢ9. Peruse: to look at cursorily, or to do so carefullyĢ7.

Peer: to look at with curiosity or intensity, or to look at something difficult to seeĢ5. Peep: to look cautiously or secretively see also peek (also, slang for “see” or “watch”)Ģ4. Peek: to look briefly or furtively, or through a small or narrow openingĢ3. Outface: to look steadily at another to defy or dominate, or to do so figurativelyĢ2. Observe: to look carefully to obtain information or come to a conclusion, or to notice or to inspectġ9. Leer: to look furtively to one side, or to look at lecherously or maliciouslyġ8. Goggle: to look at with wide eyes, as if in surprise or wonderġ7. Glower: to look at with annoyance or angerġ6. Gloat: to look at with triumphant and/or malicious satisfactionġ5. Gaze: to look steadily, as with admiration, eagerness, or wonderġ4. Gawp: see gape (generally limited to British English)ġ1. Gape: to look at with surprise or wonder, or mindlessly, and with one’s mouth openġ0. Dip (into): to examine or read superficiallyĨ. Contemplate: to look at extensively and/or intenselyĥ. Consider: to look at reflectively or steadilyĤ.

Blink: to look at with disbelief, dismay, or surprise or in a cursory mannerģ. Many of these substitutions come in especially handy when it comes to finding one word to take the place of look-plus-adverb or look-plus-adjective-and-noun, as the definitions demonstrate.ġ. Look, it’s perfectly acceptable to use the verb look, but don’t hesitate to replace this fairly ordinary-looking word with one of its many more photogenic synonyms.

Synonym for the word writer