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Laborious Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Synonyms & antonyms
Hi dear Teachers,
I'd like to ask you something about Synonyms and Antonyms.
Actually, when I try to learn the Synonyms or Antonyms of a particular word in English, I find it a little difficult to memorize all of them (provided by a dictionary). For instance, this http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ has plenty of synonyms and antonyms for every word. Are all the synonyms or antonyms provided by dictionaries actually synonyms or antonyms for a particular word?
Can we use them in place of one another whenever we want?
Thank you teachers.
LB
I'd like to ask you something about Synonyms and Antonyms.
Actually, when I try to learn the Synonyms or Antonyms of a particular word in English, I find it a little difficult to memorize all of them (provided by a dictionary). For instance, this http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ has plenty of synonyms and antonyms for every word. Are all the synonyms or antonyms provided by dictionaries actually synonyms or antonyms for a particular word?
Can we use them in place of one another whenever we want?
Thank you teachers.
LB
Top answer
I doubt that any good dictionary is going to try to mislead you, but since many words have various meanings, and often have subtle shades of meaning, I would be cautious about using the synonyms and antonyms supplied by the dictionary interchangeably. The synonym listed may be fine in one context but not in another. You may also find words listed that are so rarely used that many people will not know them, which makes them appropriate only for a highly literate audience.
- I doubt that any good dictionary is going to try to mislead you, but since many words have various meanings, and often have subtle shades of meaning, I would be cautious about using the synonyms and antonyms supplied by the dictionary interchangeably.
- The synonym listed may be fine in one context but not in another.
- You may also find words listed that are so rarely used that many people will not know them, which makes them appropriate only for a highly literate audience.
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2 Answers
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I doubt that any good dictionary is going to try to mislead you, but since many words have various meanings, and often have subtle shades of meaning, I would be cautious about using the synonyms and antonyms supplied by the dictionary interchangeably. The synonym listed may be fine in one context but not in another. You may also find words listed that are so rarely used that many people will not k
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LaboriousAre all the synonyms or antonyms provided by dictionaries actually synonyms or antonyms for a particular word?It's really a thesaurus you're seeing. Here is a good one: link.
LaboriousCan we use them in place of one another whenever we want?Almost n
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