Synonyms: Find Similar Words & Examples

Synonym is a noun. [‘ˈsɪnəˌnɪm’] two words that can be interchanged in a context are said to be synonymous relative to that context.

The English language is replete with synonyms in large part because England was invaded by so many different language speakers. Romans, Vikings, and William the Conqueror all played a role to meld a simplified Germanic language with borrowed words from French, Latin and many others. In fact, loanwords are estimated to come from 350 different languages.

How to Use the Thesaurus

Use the search box at the top of the page and type two characters at least, then select the best match that appears in a list below the search box.

Word of the day: condensation

Synonyms

Antonyms

1. condensation

noun. [‘ˌkɑːndənˈseɪʃən’] (psychoanalysis) an unconscious process whereby two ideas or images combine into a single symbol; especially in dreams.

Synonyms

• unconscious process

Antonyms

• official
• saltwater

Featured Games

2. condensation

noun. [‘ˌkɑːndənˈseɪʃən’] a shortened version of a written work.

Synonyms

• summary
• abridgment
• sum-up
• abridgement

Antonyms

• sink
• source
• inactivity
• discontinuance

3. condensation

noun. [‘ˌkɑːndənˈseɪʃən’] the process or result of becoming smaller or pressed together.

Synonyms

• coarctation
• constriction
• shrinkage
• compression
• shrinking

Antonyms

• discontinuation
• peristalsis
• anastalsis
• dormant

4. condensation

noun. [‘ˌkɑːndənˈseɪʃən’] atmospheric moisture that has condensed because of cold.

Synonyms

• atmospheric phenomenon
• condensate
• dew

Antonyms

• inaction
• passive
• active
• stabilisation

5. condensation

noun. [‘ˌkɑːndənˈseɪʃən’] the act of increasing the density of something.

Synonyms

• inspissation
• compression
• thickening
• condensing

Antonyms

• increase
• expansion
• moderating
• simple

6. condensation

noun. [‘ˌkɑːndənˈseɪʃən’] the process of changing from a gaseous to a liquid or solid state.

Synonyms

• natural process
• activity
• action

Antonyms

• defense
• evolution
• increment
• irreversible process

Trending Words

• condensation
• chain
• psalm
• sketchbook
• smile

New features:

Example sentences and example quotes

We looked at five million documents to find unique example sentences. We also explored books to find example quotes with each word.

The Synonym.com Word Unscrambler

We have used a common open-souce word list to help you unscramble letters to find words that contain those letters. Our word unscrambler wil let you find words that either start or end with from 3 to 28 characters and is optimized for mobile devices and slow internet connections.

Pronunciation, Spelling, and Etymology

Alongside each word is an audio icon. When pressed, a voice will pronounce the word. English spelling is often difficult to discern whether letters are silent, so we display the international phonetic alphabet (IPA) alongside each word. If you are learning english as a second language, we recommend you familiarize yourself with the alphabet. English is one of the few languages where spelling contests are held, because vocalizing a word and understanding the word etymology are merely hints to how an english word is spelled.

We offer a separate tab with etymology because we know you most need a synonym or an antonym for a particular word. But if spelling bees are in your future, then the etymology of a word will help you understand the likely spelling.

Learning new vocabulary

We also offer a learning vocabulary system based on the science of learning. You swipe a card to the right if you know the meaning of the word. If you are unsure about a word’s meaning, you can tap or click the card to see the meaning, then swipe the card to the left to review the word again in the deck.

If you are studying for the vocabulary portion of an exam, our vocabulary study game is the way to go. Personally, I passed many a vocab exam using this method. It works!

Word Games: The Sea Scrambler and WORDTIGO

To play WORDTIGO you move to rotate the antonyms into the target before they enter the center circle. A thumbs-up is shown if you are correct and a thumbs-down if you are not correct. As you accumulate points, the words enter the center circle at a faster pace. The game gets hard quickly.

To play The Sea Scrambler I would suggest cheating with our Word Unscrambler. You will be given a certain number of letters and asked to create words to fill out the puzzle. To unscramble letters, use the Synonym.com Word Unscrambler

If you like word games, you might enjoy our mobile friendly sudoku or our free online jigsaw puzzle on our sister site. We also offer a free online version of solitaire and a classic version of minesweeper!

Similar

 

Two shapes are Similar when one can become the other after a resize, flip, slide or turn.

Resizing

If one shape can become another using Resizing (also called or even ), then the shapes are Similar:

These Shapes are Similar!

If there is no need to resize, then the shapes are better called Congruent*.

There may be Turns, Flips or Slides, Too!

Sometimes it can be hard to see if two shapes are Similar, because you may also need to turn, flip or slide a shape.

Examples

Here are 3 examples of shapes that are Similar:

 

 

Resized
 
Resized and
Reflected
 
Resized and
Rotated

Why is it Useful?

When two shapes are similar, then:

• corresponding angles are equal, and
• the lines are in proportion.

This can make life a lot easier when solving geometry puzzles, as in this example:

Example: What is the missing length here?

 

Notice that the red triangle has the same angles as the blue triangle …

… they both have one right angle, and a shared angle in the left corner

 

In fact we can flip the red triangle over, rotate it a little, resize it, and it will fit exactly on top of the blue triangle. So they are similar triangles.

So the line lengths are in proportion:

• The blue triangle has two sides with the ratio 130/127
• The red triangle has matching sides in the ratio ?/80

and we can calculate:

? = 80 ×

130127

= 81.9

(No fancy calculations, just common sense.)

Congruent or Similar?

Shapes are Congruent when they are the same size (but may have been rotated, reflected or moved). So when the shapes become the same:

When we …
 
Then the shapes are …

… only Rotate, Reflect and/or Translate 

Congruent

… also need to Resize

Similar

*Are Congruent Shapes also Similar?

Most people (including us) say “Congruent shapes are also Similar“.

Example:

We can move and rotate the orange shape to exactly match the blue shape, so the two shapes are Congruent.

We don’t have to resize for the shapes to be similar! So they are also Similar even though no resizing was needed.