das Synonym
synonym
A word that has the same or a very similar meaning as another word.
EXAMPLE
„Glücklich“ ist ein Synonym für „froh“.
'Glücklich' (happy) is a synonym for 'froh' (glad).
das Synonym
synonym
das Synonym, die Synonyme
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Synonym, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Synonyme |
| genitive | des Synonyms |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Synonym | die Synonyme die Synonyma |
| accusative | das Synonym | die Synonyme die Synonyma |
| dative | dem Synonym | den Synonymen den Synonyma |
| genitive | des Synonyms | der Synonyme der Synonyma |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word structure
The word comes from Greek: 'syn' means 'together' and 'onym' means 'name'. A synonym is therefore literally a 'together-name', a word that is related to another by name.
EXAMPLE
Die Herkunft des Wortes hilft, seine Bedeutung zu verstehen.
The origin of the word helps you understand its meaning.
Fixed preposition
When stating what a word is a synonym for, German always uses the preposition 'für' (for) followed by the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Können Sie mir ein Synonym für „kompliziert“ nennen?
Can you give me a synonym for 'kompliziert' (complicated)?
Typical verbs
In language use, 'Synonym' (synonym) is often combined with verbs like 'suchen' (to look for), 'finden' (to find), 'verwenden' (to use), or 'kennen' (to know).
EXAMPLE
Für dieses Fachwort müssen wir ein passenderes Synonym finden.
We need to find a more suitable synonym for this technical term.
Compare with
Synonym vs äquivalent
equivalent
A Synonym is a single word with the same or a very similar meaning as another word. Äquivalent is more general and means that something is equal in value, meaning, or effect; it does not have to be a word with the same meaning. Use Synonym for two words and äquivalent for a more general correspondence.
Synonym
„Schnell“ ist ein Synonym für „rasch“.
“Schnell” is a synonym for “rasch”.
äquivalent
„Rasch“ ist in diesem Satz zu „schnell“ äquivalent.
In this sentence, “rasch” is equivalent to “schnell”.
In real life
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