We Need To Change How We Think About Synonyms

We Need To Change How We Think About SynonymsThe popular way of thinking about synonyms has its uses, but a more nuanced and precise way exists.Howard ChaiFollow3 min read·Apr 21, 2017 --

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(Image via: QWikLit) Have you ever encountered that little game where somebody shows you two pictures that appear to be identical and then asks you to find the difference. Words and their

synonyms are just like those pictures: on first glance, they appear to illustrate the same thing, but the closer you look, the more differences you’ll see.

At a young age, we’re taught that synonyms are different words with similar meanings. Like many of the writing “rules” we’re taught at that age — “don’t begin a sentence with a conjunction”;

“essays should be five paragraphs” — they’re not entirely true. Our belief surrounding synonyms should be lumped into that same category — they’re conceived to help young writers learn

basics, and they’re not pure bullshit, but there’s more nuance to them.

Let’s get technical, with “ask” and “request” as an example. “I ask that you leave me in peace” and “I request that you leave me in peace” communicate the same message: “please leave me

alone.” However, they don’t exactly sound the same. “Ask” just sounds like you’re asking; “request” sounds like you’re filling out proper paperwork that involves boxes to tick and blanks to

fill. It sounds formal, and it conveys a different tone.

Tone isn’t something we’re taught when we’re novice writers, but as we blossom, it becomes an integral, yet occasionally still overlooked, part of writing. This isn’t limited to written

communication. If I was talking to my brother, “asking” him to leave me alone would be fine, but if I was, somehow and for whatever reason, talking to the President, I would pick my words

with care and “request” that he/she leave me alone (unless that President is Orange and his last name rhymes with “plump”. If that’s the case, I’d just say “fuck off”, with no offence to

Orange people).

Think about words and their synonyms like colors and their shades. If I placed a cherry next to a fire hydrant, you might refer to both things as “red”, but you wouldn’t use the same red

pencil crayon if you had to color them in. If we’re willing to make that distinction, why not also make it with words? “Request” is really just a shade of “ask” — it’s classified underneath

the “ask” umbrella, and just provides nuance when it comes to communication.

In a similar but different light, if I punch a wall and the wall screams “shit”, then I punch another wall and it yells “fuck”, which wall do you think is in more pain? In that case, “shit”

and “fuck” are used in the same way to convey the same message, but there’s also a clear difference in force.

And that’s how we should think about synonyms. As savvy writers, we shouldn’t think of synonyms as different words with similar meanings, we should think of synonyms as similar-meaning words

that differ in tone and force. Thinking about synonyms that way will be useful to you in ways that go beyond avoiding repetition or sounding sophisticated, and it may also improve your

interpersonal skills and relationships, unless you’re talking to a President who’s Orange and his last name rhymes with “plump.”

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