In short, the more synonyms you know, the better you’ll be at choosing the best word for what you want to communicate. The differences between good, fine, and excellent can affect communication, so if you say a meal was “fine,” it has a slightly different meaning than if you say the meal was “excellent,” even though they’re synonyms. Ĭhoosing the precise word is essential to writing well. However, while good, fine, and excellent are all similar, there are some subtle differences: Fine tends to have a lesser degree of good, while excellent tends to have a greater degree of good. If you want to call something good, you can also call it fine or excellent. Let’s return to our synonym example for good. This variety of words is partly thanks to English’s usage of loan words, or words from other languages. While some languages have only one word for one meaning, English uses a variety of words to convey a single meaning, each with its own unique and subtle distinction. Synonyms are necessary to avoid overusing the same word.įirst, synonyms are crucial for choosing the perfect word.Synonyms can improve word choice, or choosing the single best word for what you’re trying to communicate.What are synonyms for? What’s the point of having two words with the same meaning when one is enough? There are two main uses for synonyms, which we’ll explain in detail below: Especially in a thesaurus, a word’s entry often lists both synonyms and antonyms to help your writing. Understanding synonyms and antonyms is helpful when using a dictionary or thesaurus. For example, an antonym of good is bad, while a synonym of good is fine. While synonyms are words with the same or similar meaning, antonyms are words with opposite meanings. When discussing synonyms, the term antonym often comes up. Still, the central idea is the same: All these synonyms refer to something that is positive and not bad. Notice how the meanings are not always identical for example, excellent is a high degree of good, while satisfactory is more like a minimal amount of good. As one of the most commonly used words, good has a lot of synonyms that mean the same or almost the same thing: fine, excellent, satisfactory, wonderful, superb, etc. They come in every part of speech, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions.Īs a synonym example, let’s look at synonyms for good. Synonyms are different words that have the same or similar meanings. The man who gets the most satisfactory results is not always the man with the most brilliant single mind, but rather the man who can best coordinate the brains and talents of his associates.Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly What is a synonym? We regret that we have been unable to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement with the USW prior to contract expiration, we remain committed to resolving the remaining issues through collective bargaining at the bargaining table. Obviously we won't find a satisfactory solution for Ukraine without a common strategy toward Russia. To give a satisfactory decision as to the truth it is necessary to be rather an arbitrator than a party to the dispute. We say an able orator, a capable accountant.ĭisqualified, inadequate, incompetent, inferior, insufficient, poor, unequal, unfit, unqualified, unsatisfactory, unsuitable, useless, worthlessĪble, adapted, adequate, capable, commensurate, competent, equal, fit, fitted, fitting, qualified, sufficient, suitable A capable man will come up to any ordinary demand. An able man will do something well in any position. Able and capable suggest general ability and reserved power, able being the higher word of the two. Qualified refers to acquired abilities competent to both natural and acquired a qualified teacher may be no longer competent, by reason of ill health. Work is satisfactory if it satisfies those for whom it is done, though it may be very poor work judged by some higher standard.

A clergyman may have strength adequate to the work of a porter but that would not be a fit or suitable occupation for him. Adapted, fit, suitable, and qualified refer to the qualities which match or suit the occasion. Commensurate is the more precise and learned word, signifying that which exactly measures the matter in question. Adequate, commensurate, and sufficient signify equal to some given occasion or work as, a sum sufficient to meet expenses an adequate remedy for the disease.

Another word for satisfactory