同義語(どうぎご)

A linguistic term for words that share the same or nearly the same meaning. In practice, true synonyms (words with identical meaning in all contexts) are rare; most so-called synonyms differ in register, nuance, or collocational range.

Common collocations

• 同義語(どうぎご)辞典(じてん): thesaurus (synonym dictionary)
• 同義語(どうぎご)を探(さが)す: to look for a synonym
• 完全(かんぜん)な同義語(どうぎご): perfect synonym
• 同義語(どうぎご)関係(かんけい): synonymous relationship

Similar words

• 類義語(るいぎご): near-synonym, word with similar meaning (broader term; includes words that are close but not identical in meaning)
• 対義語(たいぎご): antonym (word with opposite meaning)
• 類語(るいご): similar word (casual abbreviation of 類義語(るいぎご))

Usage

同義語(どうぎご) implies words that are interchangeable in most contexts, while 類義語(るいぎご) includes words that are merely similar. In everyday conversation, 類義語(るいぎご) is used more broadly to encompass both categories.