What is a Synonym?

Synonyms are words with the same or nearly the same meaning as another word in the language.

Note: Synonyms are defined by the sense of the word – pupil is not synonymous with student when it’s referred to as part of the eye.

Examples of Synonyms

Pupil and student.

Buy and purchase.

Quickly and speedily.

On and upon.

Synonyms are used in poetry to create different effects, to give a wider choice when being descriptive.

Oxymorons are used in poetry to create dramatic expression.

Why don’t you try writing a poem using synonyms and enter it into one of our poetry competitions.

For information on poetry terms other than an adjective visit our poetry glossary – poetry terms.