Synonyms

As a collector of words, and a stickler for the precise, I get giddy over finding that perfect synonym to evoke exactly what I mean.

Back in the super early days of the Internet (looking at you here AOL.com), my favorite tool was the electronic version of the thesaurus, so I could describe whether my toddler, unsuccessful in acquiring a delicious cookie before dinner, was crushed, embittered, or merely frustrated without taking my heavy bound volume from the shelf and risking a paper cut by thumbing pages at warp speed.

But golly, folks, please don't use a synonym just because you want to choose a different word. Make sure you have

• a purpose for putting a "luxurious chaise" in the living room

and

• a dictionary to verify if a "luxurious" "chaise" might not be better, and more simply, described as Dad's easy chair.

If you're reaching for the virtual thesaurus because you think you might be using the words "easy chair" too much, the issue is more likely to be one of redundancy, not a need for synonyms.

Image: "searching for another word for synonym"

The One Look site may just be my favorite new toy. Faster than a speeding word pattern, more powerful than a reverse reference tool, able to comb tens of thousands of words in a single click. Look up words here! It's a dictionary, it's a thesaurus, it's the Superman to your Clark Kent.

The "about" page is a bit hidden, but you can find it here if you want inspo on how to frolic through the rolling fields of language fun to find exactly what you didn't know you needed.

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