The verb heal is used to talk about freeing people or things from ailments and making them healthy, whole, or sound. The synonym restore is not used in exactly the same way; you might heal from a wound, but you would not restore from a wound. You could, however, restore order, that is, reestablish order or bring it back into existence, or you could restore a painting, that is, bring it back to a former condition. But neither of these uses overlap squarely with heal. Restore is closest to heal when used in the context of bringing a person or thing back to a state of health, soundness, or vigor after suffering damage or depletion: After a grueling week that left her feeling quite exhausted, a long hike in the woods restored her vitality. In the context of ecology, the related noun restoration refers to the act of bringing ecosystems that have been damaged or destroyed back into balance by way of human intervention. The theme for Earth Day 2021 is Restore Our Earth, a call to action that invites everyone to take an active part in bringing the world’s ecosystems back into balance through natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking.

You might be a procrastinator if one of your favorite words is later (it’s okay, we relate). Specifically, we mean the adverb, as in, Let’s make a decision later. Here, later means “at a time in the future,” or “afterward.” A strong synonym for later is the adverb subsequently. The key idea behind the word subsequently (and the adjective subsequent from which the adverb derives) is that of following or of a sequential order. Both the adverb and the adjective ultimately stem from the Latin verb sequī meaning “to follow.” The prefix sub- indicates proximity or nearness in time. These etymological tidbits shed light on the ways in which subsequently stands apart from later: while their dictionary definitions may be identical, subsequently is the better choice for indicating a relationship or interdependency between chronological events, as in, I visited the Museum of Natural History in New York and subsequently decided to become a paleontologist.

If your grocery list includes cheese and bread, it means that your (very sandwich-friendly) grocery list contains these items, likely among other items. Your list might also include pasta, lettuce, and orange juice. The synonym encompass means “to include comprehensively.” Paying special attention to that last part, “comprehensively,” let’s revisit the aforementioned grocery list: it would not make sense to say that your grocery list encompasses cheese and bread; rather, you might say that your list encompasses a wide range of primo ingredients for a full three-course meal. The use of this verb broadens the scope of your list, and suggests that you’ve included a generous sampling of ingredients to satisfy all your hungry guests, from aperitif to dessert.