synonymy

noun

syn·​on·​y·​my sə-ˈnä-nə-mē 

plural synonymies

1

a

: a list or collection of synonyms often defined and discriminated from each other

b

: the study or discrimination of synonyms

2

: the scientific names that have been used to designate the same taxonomic group (such as a species)

also : a list of these

3

: the quality or state of being synonymous

Examples of synonymy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Medical language itself poses another barrier, with complex synonymy, polysemy and negation that AI still struggles to process accurately. —David Lareau, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Unfortunately, veganism and its synonymy to plants have spilled over from food to fashion, whereby anything labeled 'vegan' is thought to be made of plants rather than not made of animals. —Brooke Roberts-Islam, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1683, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

synonymy

noun

syn·​on·​y·​my sə-ˈnän-ə-mē 

plural synonymies

1

a

: the study or discussion of synonyms

b

: a list or collection of synonyms often defined and discussed

2

: the quality or state of being synonymous

Medical Definition

synonymy

noun

syn·​on·​y·​my -mē 

plural synonymies

: the scientific names that have been used in different publications to designate a taxonomic group (as a species)

also : a list of these