Exhibit
is to display as send is to dispatch.
Each
pair of words - exhibit and display, and send and dispatch - is an example of
an synonym. Simply put, they have matching meanings and connotations, they are
interchangeable.
Synonyms
are sometimes called metonyms or poecilonyms. The word synonymous derives from
synonym.
Other
examples of synonyms, or words that are synonymous to one another
include:
- Close
and shut - Baffle
and confuse - Rich
and wealthy - Stupid
and dumb - Start
and begin and commence
Writers
choosing between synonyms aren’t choosing different meanings, they’re choosing
different feelings. So, for example, the two words weak and frail are synonyms
but they each lend the same sentence a slightly different feel.
“She
was grey and drawn, made frail by her illness.”
“She
was grey and drawn, made weak by her illness.”
Frail
is a more poetic word, while weak is more prosaic. The same meaning is
expressed in different ways using synonyms.
