In this article we will get acquainted with such an important linguistic concept as words that are close in meaning. This is an extremely important language category. Agree that there are a lot of words in speech that are similar in meaning. We will tell you what synonyms are and what groups they are divided into.
What is a synonym?
If in the same statement in each sentence the same word is repeated, then the perception of information becomes as complicated as possible. We pay attention to the duplicated word and completely miss the meaning of the whole phrase. As a result, the text becomes uninformative.
It is important to know how to choose the right words that are close in meaning. They are needed in order to expand our vocabulary and eliminate repetitions in the text.
In Ozhegov's dictionary, it is indicated that synonyms are words or phrases that match in meaning with another word or expression. That is, you can put an equal sign between two speech units.
Similar words - this is a fairly broad category. They canconditionally divided into several types.
Semantic synonyms
These are words that differ in some slight shade of meaning. They can be interchanged and used in the same style of speech.
Let's give an example of a number of semantic synonyms: joy, jubilation, ecstasy.
These words share one common meaning: a sense of satisfaction with life. But each semantic synonym has its own unique shade of meaning.
- Joy is a feeling of inner pleasure.
- Glee is a feeling of great fun.
- Intoxication is a state of ecstasy and admiration.
That is, the words are similar, but slightly different in meaning, have one unique shade of meaning. Remember that words that are close in meaning are not completely identical language units. Some difference in values is still observed.
Stylistic synonyms
Already by the name it is clear that such synonyms belong to different styles of speech. You probably know that words can be both neutral and stylistically colored.
Neutral speech units are acceptable for all styles. Stylistically colored words are used in a colloquial style. They express the expression, emotions of the author. Words that are close in meaning are speech units that can refer to different styles of speech.
Let's give examples: face, face, muzzle.
These three words are acceptable to use in different styles. The face is a neutral word, the face is bookish, the muzzle iscolloquial. Please note that the use of jargon in scientific or business texts is considered a stylistic error.
Absolute synonyms
The last group indicates words that have absolutely no difference in meaning. They belong to the same style and do not have any additional connotation.
Often an absolute synonym for a word is a scientific term. This is due to the fact that several variants of the same concept appear, only they came from different languages.
Let's give an example: hippopotamus (a word of Greek origin) and hippopotamus (a noun appeared in Hebrew). Both of these words refer to the same animal. And the names are different due to the fact that nouns have different etymologies.
Synonyms and phraseology
As already mentioned, not only individual words, but also entire phrases can be synonyms. Including stable expressions.
You can replace whole idioms. Here is an example:
- cat cried - a drop in the ocean;
- to distant lands - where Makar did not drive calves.
Phraseologisms will enrich your colloquial speech and help express your thoughts expressively. Synonymous set phrases can be used in colloquial or artistic style texts.
