True synonyms

Posted by David FG on February 02, 2005

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the only true synonyms in English are 'Gorse, furze and whin' which all mean exactly the same thing (a yellow-flowered shrub common in Europe, officially known as Ulex europaeus) and have no other meaning and are always completely interchangeable.

Can anyone think of any other words which mean precisely the same thing on every occasion, without even the slightest nuance of a difference?

DFG

• True synonyms Bob 02/February/05
  • True synonyms GW 02/February/05
    • True synonyms ESC 03/February/05
      • True synonyms Henry 03/February/05
        • Vacuum Lewis 03/February/05
          • Same but different Henry 03/February/05