Learn to identify SYNONYM of a word

Synonyms mean the words which have the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or other words in a language. It is basically a word or an expression that serves as an abstract or symbolic replacement for another.

Synonyms can be any part of speech (such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs or prepositions), given that both words are the same part of speech. Some examples of English synonyms:

•    Verb -"buy" and "purchase"
•    Adjective-"big" and "large"
•    Adverb -"quickly" and "speedily"
•    Preposition- "on" and "upon"

Learn to identify ANTONYMS of a word

Tricks to identify synonym of a word:

Let us discuss some ways that can help you in identifying the synonym of a word.

1.    ORIGIN OF WORDS:

‘Where did the words come from?’

Understanding the roots of words may help you find the meaning of the word even if you have no idea about it.

For example, have you ever heard of the word Eunoia? It may sound intimidating. But someone familiar with English for quite some time can at least reach half the answer.

The trick is to divide the word. It is eu + noia. Eu has the meaning of pleasant or something good.

So, let’s solve the below question:

Find the synonym of the word ‘EUNOIA’

a)      Well written

b)     Good will

c)      Fear

d)     Nightmare

Now run your thoughts after dividing the word. As you now understand the root ‘eu’, you can exclude C and D. Now come to the second part! Noia

Think of some words that you know similar to noia. By this time you must have got it. Paranoia! It is a mental condition and so our answer should have something to do with our will or thoughts. So undisputedly B is the answer.

Learn what are HOMONYMS

2.    RULE OF ELIMINATION:

Another method is to reach the way out by neglecting the improbable. There will be certain options that don’t fit the context of the sentence or even the word.

Look at the example below:

Find the synonym of the highlighted word in the sentence:

The subject is esoteric that it is not understood by many.

a)      Abstruse

b)     Unambiguous

c)      Facile

d)     Superficial

It is understood from the sentence that the subject is not easy to understand and hence the answer we are looking for is the word that means something that cannot be understood easily.

Options B and C can be eliminated as they are just the opposite of what we are looking for. Option D can also be eliminated that its meaning has nothing to do with our question. So, A can be the right answer. Abstruse means hard to understand.

Learn to improve your Reading Comprehension Skills

3.    IMPROVE YOUR VOCABULARY:

Thesaurus:

This is another easy way to study and memorize words. There are a lot of online thesauruses available in which a word and its closely related words can be found in one place.

Word list:

Keep a pocket note book in which you can jot down a few words every day, say 10-20. The most important thing is you must go through the list frequently.

Online flashcards:

Mobile and tablet users can try and download free flash cards online that may help you in learning or remembering words.

So, enjoy building your word power!