By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
There are quite a few colourful synonyms for nonsense and a number of them have curious and noteworthy origins. Some of them can be rather direct and even coarse: a fact which reveals a lot about our need to find blunt, no-nonsense words to counteract the effects of (perceived or real) nonsense.
So, let’s take a closer look at some of the available synonyms for nonsense: words which mean roughly the same and provide some alternatives to that term.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘Unique’ is a strange word. It’s often assumed that there are no true synonyms for unique, because the word literally presupposes that the thing or person described as ‘unique’ is truly one of a kind, rather than simply rare. ‘Unique’, some people declare, is a unique word.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘Additionally’ is a useful word: so useful that a writer can find themselves in danger of overusing it in certain contexts. What viable alternative words are there which can serve as good synonyms for the word additionally?
Let’s take a look at the best additionally synonyms, exploring how they might be used as a substitute for that commonly used word.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Beauty is an important subject for many writers, whether describing a person, a landscape, a painting, or even another piece of writing. We talk of ‘beautiful poetry’, a ‘beautiful view’, and ‘beautiful works of art’. But as these examples show, the word ‘beautiful’ can soon be overused so it is emptied of much, if not all, meaning.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘Excellent’ is such a common word, and we so often want a word that describes something that is really good: a good performance, a fine meal, a splendid person, and so on. And ‘excellent’ is the word people often reach for.
But this post is all about trying to find some alternatives to ‘excellent’, ranging from common synonyms for ‘excellent’ right the way through to rare but rather … well, excellent words that mean the same as ‘excellent’.