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Rules For Synonyms
Synonyms Rules
What are Synonyms?
The term synonym means a phrase or word which means similar to another word or phrase in the same language.
According to linguistic studies, most of the English words are derived from Latin and Greek language. Each English word contains a root or a suffix or prefix, so all we have to do is to find that root, analyze whether it is of Greek or a Latin origin and then derive the meaning out of the word.
A synonyms may have multiple meaning of the same word. However, always remember that any change in synonym is relative to its type – adjective, adverb, preposition, verb.
- Verb – Jump and bounce
- Preposition – in and within
- Adverb – Comfortably and warmly
- Adjective – Gorgeous and beautiful

Rules For Synonyms
Rule #1 – Building Word Families
Word families are like a family tree where you have the main word and then branch it out with other words that hold a same meaning. The meaning is somewhat similar to the parent or the root word. Let’s take an example below:
For Example:
- Let the root word be Happy – now we have to associate more words that branch out from Happy:
- Gay
- Merry
- Joyful
- Jovial
- Jolly
- Delighted
- Gleeful ……………..etc.
Build your vocabulary with this specially curated list of Most Important Words for Antonyms and Synonyms NOW!
Rule #2 – Associative Words
There are a certain set of words that can be associated to a number of different words carrying a somewhat similar meaning. For these types of words few of the letters are same for all the associated words with the same meaning. For these words, a positive word will only associate with positive words and negatives will associate with negative ones.
For example:
- Apple – Now you need to have words that you can associate with apple. As much as you think you will get a longer list. let’s say:
- fruit, red, citrus, healthy, sour, sweet, brand, rotten, peeled, skewed, green, pie, flavor, chop, slice etc. This association helps you to get more words inside your head than you would normally do.
- fruit, red, citrus, healthy, sour, sweet, brand, rotten, peeled, skewed, green, pie, flavor, chop, slice etc. This association helps you to get more words inside your head than you would normally do.
- Dog – Let’s associate some words with dog:
- breed, animal, faithful, domestic, pet,stray, shaggy, naughty, panting, chained, licked, bite, howl, bark, shout, sniff, paw, beware etc.
Rule #3 – Prefix and Suffix
Adding a prefix or a suffix to get several words that men the same is another rule that you can give you a book full of words easy to remember and use. Let’s see the list given below:
Below mentioned are some commonly used root/prefixes and suffixes with their respective key word, which will help to derive meaning of a variety of English words having similar meanings:
Root | Meaning | Example |
1. Act | do, act | agent, counteract |
2. Agr | field | agriculture, agoraphobia |
3. Alt | high | altitude, alter |
4. Alter | other | alternative, altercation |
5. Am | friend | amity, amorous |
6. Apt | fit | adapt, aptitude |
7. Ben | good | benovelant, benefactor |
8. Bibl | book | biblical, bibliography |
9. Bio | life | biography, boiology |
10. Brev | short | brevity, abbreviation |
11. Chrom | colour | chromium, chromatic |
12. Chron | time | chronology, chronic |
13. Cord | heart | cordial, accord |
14. cid | kill | suicide, precision |
15. cred | believe | incredible, credentials |
16. corp | body | corpulent, corpse |
17. cosm | world | cosmic, cosmopolitan |
18. dem | people | democracy, demographics |
19. derm | skin | epidermics, dermatologists |
20. dic/dict | speak | indicate, contradict |
21. domain | lord, master | dominate, indomitable |
22. dorm | sleep | dormant, dormitory |
23. fort | strong | fortitude, fortify |
24. form | shape | conform, reform |
25. frag, fract | break | fracture, fragile |
26. gen | birth,kind | generation, generic |
27. graph | write | autograph, graphic |
28. grat | please | gratitude, congratulate |
29. hydr | water | hydration, dehydrated |
30. ject | throw | inject, projection |
31. junct | join | conjunction, junction |
32. log | word, study | catalogue, psychology |
33. magn | great | magnificent, magnitude |
34. man | hand | manufacture, manual |
35. mater | mother | maternal |
36. mega | large | megaphone, megaton |
37. ment | mind | mentality, mentally |
38. merg | sink | submerge, merge |
39. meter | measure | chronometer, symmetry |
40. migr | wander | migrate, immigration |
41. mir | look | mirror, admire |
42. mort | death | mortality, immortality |
43. mult | many | multitude, multifarious |
44. mut | change | mutation, transmute |
45. nat | born | natal, innate |
46. ocul | eye | binocular |
47. ped | child | Pediatrics, pedagogue |
48. pet | seek | impetus, petition |
49. phob | fear | claustrophobia |
50. phon | sound | phonic, phoenix |
51. pot | drink | potion, potable |
52. prehend/s | take, grasp | apprehend, comprehend |
53. psych | mind | psychic, psychology |
54. rupt | break | rupture, erupt |
55. sci, scio | know | science, conscious |
56. sent,sens | feel | sentiment, sensible |
57. serv | keep | conserve, reserve |
58. soph | wisdom | sophisticated, philosophy |
59. somn | sleep | insomnia, insomlonence |
60. tang, ting | touch | tangent, contingency, contigeous |
61. tele | distance | telegraph, |
62. term | end | terminal, terminate |
63. therm | heat | thermal, thermos |
64. tract | draw | attract, extract |
65. urb | city | urban, suburb |
66. vac | empty | vacate, evacuate |
67. voc, vok | call | revoke, vocation |
68. vid, vis | see | visible, evident |
69. verb | word | verbose, verbatim |
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