The English language (and, we may presume, many other languages) has both antonyms and synonyms. There are many more words with synonyms than there are words with antonyms, since many things exist which do not have an opposite (the word sandwich, for instance, may be said to have synonyms in the words hoagie, grinder, submarine, and many other words, but there is no opposite of sandwich). Antonym is also a much more recent addition to English than synonym is; it first appeared in the 1860s, whereas synonym has been used for more than 500 years. Additionally, both nouns have adjectival forms: synonymous and antonymous. Synonymous, which is often used loosely ("She has become synonymous with good taste"), is the more common of the two.
Example Sentences
I very much enjoyed the chapter on obscenity, which asks the difficult question of how words deemed taboo differ from their inoffensive synonyms … . It can't obviously be the referent of the term, since that is the same, and it isn't merely that the taboo words are more accurately descriptive … Colin McGinn, The New York Review of Books, 27 Sept. 2007The debris hurtled by so fast that the New York Times editorial page seemed to run out of synonyms for disgust, revulsion and abuse. Michael Duffy et al., Time, 5 Mar. 2001"Hollywood" is not, of course, a place. Nor is it a synonym for the entertainment business. There are upstanding citizens who make their living in that field. P. J. O'Rourke, Republican Party Reptile, 1987 “Small” and “little” are synonyms.
Recent Examples on the WebEven the casual use of the term refugee on the streets of Warsaw as a synonym for Ukrainian was noteworthy. Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, 3 May 2022 Using reticent as a synonym for reluctant is perfectly correct today, whether or not Eliot would agree or the College Board would give credit for that answer. Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 July 2022 Several companies sell the drug in the US, for prices that range from $10 to $50 apiece, but Plan B has the largest market share and is a de-facto synonym for the morning-after pill. Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, 30 June 2022 Álex Quiñónez was the synonym of humility and a clear example of resilience.Fox News, 23 Oct. 2021 Unlock extra features for the extension, like synonym access and a dark mode, with a subscription to Mate Pro. Reece Rogers, Wired, 31 Mar. 2022 It can be injected or administered as a nasal spray called Narcan, a brand name that has become a synonym for saving lives.Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2022 But these are not entirely passive human beings: the usual synonym for un badaud is un curieux, who may lack the sophisticated investigative gaze of the flaneur but is not entirely impervious to his surroundings. Julian Barnes, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2022 Clive Davis’ name is a synonym for the ultimate record man. Jem Aswad, Variety, 7 Apr. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English sinonyme, from Latin synonymum, from Greek synōnymon, from neuter of synōnymos synonymous, from syn- + onyma name — more at name