Words you think are synonyms but aren’t

The thesaurus is a very handy tool: If you’re puzzling over a word that conveys your exact meaning, or trying really hard to avoid using a commonplace word, the thesaurus gives you an instant list of options. But, while many of the words in the thesaurus can be plausibly subbed in for one another, oftentimes they don’t have the exact same thing. Here are some familiar pairs of words you might think have the same meaning, but don’t quite.

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Here’s an example of two words that overlap in certain ways but aren’t synonyms at all: Both “stalwart” and “stubborn” describe a state of being unmovable. Whereas “stalwart” has a positive connotation (someone who is stalwart is steady and reliable), “stubborn” connotes a negative judgment (being stubborn implies some level of ignorance along with the steadiness).

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Some people say “obtuse” when they mean “abstruse,” and this is unfortunate because “obtuse” is an insult: it means dim-witted. By contrast, “abstruse” refers to something that is difficult to understand in general. To put it another way, just because you have trouble understanding an abstruse concept doesn’t mean you’re obtuse.

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While these two cover some of the same ground (both are adverbs describing actions that are harmful), “discriminatory” describes an action that is harmful because it unfairly draws a distinction between different categories of people or things (such as age, race, religion, or gender). “Prejudicial” generally describes an action that is harmful.

One who is infertile (having difficulty conceiving a child) might or might not be sterile (incapable of conceiving a child). One who is sterile will always be infertile, however.

The “oid” in “factoid” can make the word “factoid” appear to mean a small fact, such as a bit of trivia. However, the suffix, “oid,” means something that resembles something else. In other words, factoids merely resemble facts. They aren’t facts, at all. In fact, factoids are false facts.

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The problem with the word “deceptively” is that it’s a bit deceptive, so to speak. In other words, it could mean one thing, as well as that thing’s exact opposite. So while you may be using it correctly, technically, your audience may not understand what you actually mean. Still with us? For example, if you describe a house as “deceptively small,” you may mean that it’s quite the opposite of small even though it might appear small. But the person you’re talking to may believe that you’re saying the house is smaller than it appears.

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Like “deceptively,” the word “belies” causes confusion because it has two meanings that mean the opposite of one another. According to the dictionary, “belie” is a verb that means disguise or gives a false impression. For example, you may be using a smile to belie your lying eyes while some people use “belie” to mean “betray” as in “your eyes belie the malice beneath your smile.” This latter use is so common, so it’s difficult to know what someone means when they write or say “belies” instead of “disguises” or “betrays.”

These two share some overlap, but they aren’t the same and can’t necessarily be used interchangeably. Your religion refers to your system of belief or worship in a higher power of some kind (usually a God or gods). Your ethnicity refers to your culturally defined identity.

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The words “bisexual” and “pansexual” both refer to a fluidity in one’s sexual preferences. But “bisexual” is defined as being attracted to both men and to women. The word, therefore, presumes that there are only two genders. The definition of “pansexual” is being attracted to both men and women, as well as people who identify as no gender or some other gender.