Synonyms are words or phrases that have a meaning similar to other words in the same language and there is very little difference in the meaning of both the words. Synonym comes from the Greek “syn” and “onym” which literally means “together” and “name”. For example, close and shut are synonyms in some contexts in English. Synonyms are quite often used by writers and they are the reason text looks better and sounds better. We will discuss the importance of synonyms and take a look at some of the best websites to refer to, for finding the best synonyms. Read below all about – 10 Best Sites To Find Synonyms And Similar Words.
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Why Are Synonyms Used?
The usage of synonyms allows you to express yourself more colorfully. Be it writing or be it saying something, if you used the same words repeatedly, it would make your expression very bland.
Synonyms are a valuable asset in games as they also help you fair in a better way in games like Scrabble or crosswords. On the other hand, synonyms also help you describe and paint a picture with words. This is an underrated talent and it has been the reason we have been blessed with some great fictional stories over the years. However, the problem is how do you add synonyms in your vocabulary? If this was not the age of the Internet, the suggestion would have been to read more. Reading more is a good idea but, the Internet has ensured that you can look up synonyms, too, which makes the whole thing a lot easier!
10 Best Synonym-Finders:
For your convenience, we have listed ten of the best synonym-finders.
1) Google Search:
By far and large, the best website for finding synonyms online is a simple Google search. Although, technically Google would be bringing you that information from another website, but this is still an extremely easy way of finding synonyms for the words you want to. I give it full marks for the convenience and how fast it comes up with the synonyms.
Talking about Google, they also have an iGoogle gadget, What’s Another Word For..?” on the personalized Google page. That synonym-finder provides you access to over 100,000 words.
2) Thesaurus:
Thesaurus is one of the most famous online dictionaries. The biggest advantage of using this website for finding a synonym is the fact that it gives you many words to choose from. You can get a lot of options for each word you are searching up and this is a valuable asset. It is a part of the website dictionary.com and both of these are run perfectly and to your convenience. It allows you to search for more hints in the sidebar as well as finding the right synonym given the big number of synonyms available.
3) Synonym.com:
This is a very simple app and tends to serve the purpose at hand. It has three options for each word you would search in, synonyms, antonyms and definitions. It does have a pop-up advertisement on its interface but that should hardly be a bother. It also helps you find the synonyms with each “sense” of the word, as a single word in English language can have multiple meanings or “senses” so it helps you divide the synonyms for each meaning/sense.
4) Synonyms.net:
Not to be confused with synonym.com, this is a separate website. It is, though, a better website to find synonyms. This provides a lot of information regarding each word you search for and then also hyperlinks every single synonym that comes up. This allows you to quickly search for the exact meaning of that synonym, instead of typing it all over again. You also have audio support for pronunciation, plus an option for translating it in another language and also a word image for the searched word. There is citation aid, as well as, an option to ask a question about the word.
5) Synonym Finder:
This is a word app, which serves one function, as the name suggests; finding synonyms. It is, though, a very neat app, that gives you the option of hyperlinked words and the meanings of those words plus their usage in a sentence. The search box allows you to find the antonyms of a word and definitions of that word, too.
6) Thsrs:
Full marks for the brilliant name. It is a shorter thesaurus, as the website will let you know. The purpose that this website serves is also very similar to its name. It allows you to find synonyms that are shorter than the words you search for. This will help you to tweet within the character limit!
7) Big Huge Thesaurus:
After listing Thsrs on the list, it was only fair to list Big Huge Thesaurus, right? It uses the Princeton University’s WordNet database for its searches along with Carnegie Mellon Pronouncing Dictionary and suggestions from the community, too. The searches come back with a lot of words to choose from and it also has a lovely app that is free for iOS users. Conveniently, it is called iThesaurus and it is linked with Big Huge Thesaurus.
8) The Free Dictionary:
This is a word tool that has a much broader range than your normal synonym finders. It contains several word-reference tools, like “starts with” or “ends with”. It comes up with meanings, antonyms, and related words with many host references.
9) Define It Fast:
It is definitely fast! The aim is to return with the fastest result but the speed is not the only great thing. It will come up with synonyms, definitions, related words, and more specific words. It also uses Princeton University’s WordNet database.
10) Snappy Words:
Snappy Words is the different to all the other websites on the list. It displays the definitions and synonyms in a color-coded graph. Not only does it look cool but it also serves the purpose of depicting the relation between the words. Scrolling the mouse over the words will display their meanings and synonyms.