Questions tagged [synonyms]
A synonym is a word that means exactly, or nearly the same thing, as another word.
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What to use instead of "smallest" in these contexts?
These are what I've found, so feel free to add to it.
First sentence:
It was the smallest/lowest/least significant/ value among all three categories in 1990.
The second sentence:
It reached the ...
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cajole vs coax meaning and usage
The definition of Cajole in cambridge dictionary says: to persuade someone to do something they might not want to do, by pleasant talk and (sometimes false) promises
And the definition for Coax: to ...
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Are "I have no idea" and "I have no ideas" both correct, and if so, are they synonymous?
I am considering these two sentences:
I have no idea.
I have no ideas.
Are they both correct, and if so, are they synonymous?
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Are "I like when" and "I like it when" both grammatically correct, and if so, are they synonymous?
Example:
Why don't airlines like when one intentionally misses a flight to save money?
Why don't airlines like it when one intentionally misses a flight to save money?
Are they both grammatically ...
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What is the difference between “looking at oneself” and “watching oneself on”?
Example sentences
(a) He’s so obsessed with himself. He keeps looking at himself in the mirror.
(b) He’s so obsessed with himself. He keeps watching himself on the mirror.
As a native speaker of ...
Micheal Gignac
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Good source for English grammar exercises
A friend of mine recently experienced a stroke due to complications from COVID. He is dealing with expressive and receptive aphasia, and struggles to conjugate some verb tenses, remember synonyms, and ...
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The word "decorum" as a synonym for "fairness"?
Would 'decorum' work as a synonym for 'fairness'? The context is "The Decorum of Justice" which is the title for one of my spoken word poems. "The Fairness of Justice" just doesn't ...
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Can you paraphrase "How long do we give it" in the excerpt below?
I'm still developing my English so it's great if you answer my question in a very short and direct way; the shorter it is, the better.
I don't get the meaning of "HOW LONG DO WE GIVE IT" in ...
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choice between 'unique' and 'exclusive' here
This is from a webpage :
Some say that, because Sam is so well known, he gets treated better on
his flights. While that may be true, not everything he experiences is
unique to him. He said,
“If you ...
user157844
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Can the verb 'ask' mean 'to have or express doubts about something'?
This is from a webpage :
The monarchy wants to present itself as a modern and diverse
institution. Its supporters say that it is important in diplomacy, but
others ask if it is really necessary these ...
user157844
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One word for highly frustrated/hopeless
Is there a stronger word for "highly frustrated" or "feeling very hopeless"?
So If I want to tell someone that I am highly frustrated by the work I am doing or convey that it's ...
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priority vs. privilege
This is from a webpage.
“The brains of humans contain a mechanism that is designed to give
priority to bad news.” — Daniel Kahneman
I am curious whether 'priority' could be replaced with 'privilege' ...
user157844
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Synonym for overexploiting? With a twist
I swear I heard a synonym for "overexploiting" that started with "over-" and had a "wringing" or "twisting" meaning. But I can't find it.
Here's an example of ...
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Overheard/to be heard
I need to say that a person spoke to another in a way with the intention people near by could also hear it.
Can I put it as follows?
John spoke to Jane to be heard by his family.
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Kindergeburtstag
There is a problem within German where bound forms with -en are ambiguously plural or rectus singular of some form. So Kindergeburtstag is composed of Kind "child", and Geburtstag "...
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What is the difference between toxic and poisonous? [closed]
Is there a difference between the two? Can we use one as a synonym to the other?
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When in English people say that things have needs, is it literal?
In Spanish, things cannot have needs. Only living creatures have needs. In English, instead, it’s very common for things to have needs, as in “This floor needs to be washed” to mean “This floor should ...
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Ink, dye, pigment: can we outline the meanings?
So, even after looking the words up there seems to be overlapping.
ink: mostly when talking about a pen, a plume; also for printer and printouts, and some mollusks' defensive arts & crafts
dye: ...
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Take oneself by the collar
Others can see the difficulty, but the boy must take himself by the collar and make himself cultivate a poise and calm that smothers the fidgets.
What does "take oneself by the collar" mean?...
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Difference between "have to" and "must" regarding certainty
They are alike "used to say that something is very likely" according to M-W Learner's. Then, is "must" replaceable for "had to" in the below? It comes at 11:00 in the NBC ...
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Do you know any synonyms of "gone wrong"
I am looking for a list of synonyms (ideally formal) to say that something (an endeavor) has "gone wrong". Any suggestions are welcome.
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Do you know synonyms of "so-called"?
Do you know any good synonyms of so-called? I could not find any synonyms in dictionaries.
Thank you so much.
PS: I'd like to use it to say that a concept is commonly called in an inappropriate way.
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Synonyms of "to be poor/bad/deficient at doing something"
I am looking for synonym expressions of:
are bad at doing something
is poor at doing something
are deficient at doing something
Ideally the synonym expressions should be formal (I feel that "...
user167211
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What are some words and/or phrases to describe devaluing and overvaluing something?
What words or phrases are used to describe the following?
to cause the value of something to go higher than it's actually worth because you paid for it more because you're rich and don't care
to ...
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Better ways to say "I used to think" [closed]
I want to say:
I used to think that if one script changed, only its containing assembly is recompiled.
I used to think he was from France.
But I feel "think" is not proper, native speaker ...
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"It sees" Clint Barton as he partners with Kate Bishop to confront enemies from his past
What would be another way to say "to see" in the following context? How about "to be characterized by" or "to be the time for"? Thank you!
"It sees Clint Barton as ...
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Looking for good synonyms of "requires"
Writing requires mastering vocabulary.
I am looking to build a list of synonyms of "requires" that could substitute it in the above example, the goal being to enrich my vocabulary in my ...
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"1-year term contract" vs. "1-year contract"
What's the difference, if any, between "1-year term contract" and "1-year contract"? I.e., what does the "term" add?
Example of use:
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Any other way of saying "be related to"?
I want to know more ways of saying "be related to".
I can come up with "be relevant to","have relevance with","have connection with".
Added Later:
It is ...
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Correct meaning and usage of "ignorant"
I saw the question about this word, but it is more like an example of how not to use this word. From definitions I found on google, it looks like this word is used to describe someone who is not ...
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Use of 'obligatory to' vs 'obligatory for' [closed]
The context is in the late 1800s and early 1900s when there was no organized labor, i.e., brotherhood of workers, or trade unions. Aside from history, if you were an industrialist and your empire was ...
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Unbreakable reasoning
Is "an unbreakable reasoning" idiomatic in English?
(the meaning being that the reasoning has no flaws and can not be invalidated)
Could you propose synonym adjectives of unbreakable in this ...
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Formal synonyms of "being good with numbers"
Do you know any formal synonym words/expressions of "being good with numbers"?
I can think of expressions such as "numerical literacy", but they do not mean exactly the same.
Thank ...
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Can "correct" be used in the sense of "decent" in "My day was correct/decent"?
After a discussion with a French native speaker, I am asking here:
Can the sentence "My day was correct" be used synonymously with "My day was decent" when answering to "How ...
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Difference between "afterwards" and "subsequently"
What is the difference between "afterwards" and "subsequently"?
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paraphrasing , better alternatives for "traditional societies" and "caring for children"
As you might know, paraphrasing is very important in the introduction section of the IELTS writing, task2. Here I tried to paraphrase a sentence and wanted to know your opinion on that. Do you have ...
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Synonyms of "comes with a lag"
Could you provide synonym expressions of "comes with a lag" as used below? This is a recurrent expression in my studies. I am not sure if it is correct. I have found it in certain sources. I ...
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A short synonym of nomenclature?
I cannot recall an English word which means the devising or choosing of names for things, and I know what the word is in Chinese(命名法), then I translated it using Google translate and got nomenclature. ...
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How to talk about a delay
Could you provide synonyms of "lags behind" as used in this example sentence?
The chemical reaction lags behind the application of heat.
I am seeking idioms to say that chemical reactions ...
user163894
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Synonyms of "a neighbourhood of"
Would you know any synonyms for "a neighbourhood of" as used here:
The reactants in Test Tube C reached a neighbourhood of stability 40 seconds after they combined to form iron sulfide.
...
user163894
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Seeking synonyms for "prices move in step" or "prices move in unison"
I am looking for synonym expressions to say "prices move in step" or "prices move in unison".
The number of "prices" mentioned in the above examples are indefinite, but ...
user163195
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Synonyms for "rather"
For instance, when I was asked which I would like to have intelligence or creativity if I had to choose (it was a wierd question though), I answered, like "Well, I think intelligence and ...
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"wouldn't touch it with a barge pole" is used only in UK?
I understand that the phrase "would not touch with a barge pole" is used to say that you would not want to have anything to do with it. Some of my friends told me this phrase is only used in ...
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Is the phrase “bring to someone’s attention” a polite way to tell someone off?
Is it possible to tell these sentences to tell someone off in a nice way?
My teacher brought to my attention because I was talking a lot in class.
My teacher warned me for talking a lot in her class.
...
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"Some" vs. "Certain"
Can "some" and "certain" be used interchangeably in this example? Are they perfect synonyms in the example?
Some cars are red.
Certain cars are red.
PS: There is a similar ...
user161917
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Where are you flying to? vs Where are you going to fly?
Why is it so common for the attendant to ask at airports during check-in ''Where are you flying to?'' instead of ''Where are you going to fly?''
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Synonym of "Alternative"
Barron's TOEFL model test:
Some 40 million people today receive their electricity from geothermal energy at a cost competitive with that of alternative energy sources.
The word alternative in the ...
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I'll get you some coffee vs I'll go get you some coffee
ex.1: I'll get you some coffee.
ex.2: I'll go get you some coffee.
ex.3: I'll get some coffee to you (sounds natural to a native speaker?)
Do examples 1 and 2 mean the same thing?
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''it seems it was only yesterday'' vs ''it seems like only yesterday''
What's the difference entre : ex.1 : It’s been over a year since we met, but it seems it was only yesterday.
ex.2: It’s been over a year since we met, but it seems like only yesterday.
Does the verb &...
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Denotation and connotation of the phrase
As doctors often do, I took a trial shot at it as a point of departure. "Has she had a sore throat?"
In English, we can understand this very easily but very difficult to explain "trial ...
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