You may have already looked at antonyms (words meaning the opposite to each other) but now here’s a challenge about synonyms.

Can you help us out with these, word detective?
 

What do you notice about the words below?

vital        significant        special

 

They all mean the same thing…important!

 

 

These words are called synonyms.

Synonyms are words that mean the same or have a very similar meaning to other words.

We could also use the following words as synonyms for important: major, crucial and prominent

 

Which of the following are synonyms for apprehensive?

appalled        nervous        critical        anxious        concerned  

 

Nervous, anxious and concerned are all synonyms for apprehensive, as they mean the same or a similar thing.

 

A thesaurus is a great resource to use to look up synonyms for words.

 

Let’s try another:

We need to select a word from the left set of brackets that is a synonym for a word in the right set of brackets.

There is only one possible pair.

(repeat, rehearse, recite)    (theatrical, dramatic, practise)

 

The answers are rehearse and practise, as they both mean that you are going through something in preparation.

 

 

Try this one:

(obscure, legible, idealistic)    (contorted, indistinct, constricted)

 

The answers are obscure and indistinct as they both mean something is unclear.

 

Pssstt!! Here’s a handy hint to help you reach superstar status: 

The first letter of the word synonym is the same as the first letter for similar.  

It’s a clever trick to remember what synonym means.

 

If you come across any new words in this activity, make a note of them so that you can use them in your writing.

 

 

It’s now your turn to identify synonyms.  

Good luck!