Just because two words are synonyms doesn’t necessarily mean they’re interchangeable. In fact, some substitutions can subtly — or seriously — impact your writing. Consider if Louis Armstrong’s song “What a Wonderful World” were titled “What a Fantastic World.” While “fantastic” has a similar definition to “wonderful,” it conveys a different meaning. In addition to the meaning “excellent; superlative,” it has a connection to the fantasy world. It means “based on fantasy” or “marked by extravagant fantasy or extreme individuality.”.
“Wonderful” is more based in reality, with the definition “unusually good; admirable.” Despite being listed as such in the thesaurus, “wonderful” and “fantastic” aren’t true substitutes. Instead, they’re examples of “false” or “near” synonyms.
False synonyms feature closely related definitions and may even look or sound alike, but they behave differently. They may differ in tone, connotation, or formality. For example, “persistent” and “stubborn” share similar definitions, yet “she’s persistent” has a more neutral tone, while “she’s stubborn” sounds negative.
Likewise, the choices between “help” versus “assist” and “buy” versus “purchase” show how formality can shift meaning. Consider the difference between “How can I help you?” and “How may I assist you?” The first is casual, and the latter is more formal.
Similarly, false synonyms might have different emotional connotations. Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” would evoke different feelings if its title used a different synonym: “Dear Caroline,” “Lovely Caroline,” or “Precious Caroline.” While these descriptors have similar tones and formalities, they elicit different feelings than “sweet.”
So, are there any “true” or “absolute” synonyms? They’re rare — in fact, many linguists argue that absolute synonyms do not exist. Most of the words we refer to as synonyms are actually false (or near) synonyms. Due to the nuances of English, different words almost always carry subtle distinctions.
Why do false synonyms matter? Because word choice matters when it comes to shaping tone, clarity, and even credibility, further demonstrating how one small word can change everything.
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