Synonym of the day

Synonym of the day

surmount

surmount is a synonym of overcome

verb [ ser-mount ]

surmount is another word for overcome

The verbs overcome and surmount are close synonyms; they both mean “to prevail over,” as in overcoming or surmounting obstacles or difficulties. Overcome is the more common of the two, and it has meanings that surmount does not. For instance, you can be overcome by grief, that is, overpowered or overwhelmed in body or mind—but you cannot very well be surmounted by grief. But surmount has meanings of its own as well. The earliest senses of the word were “to surpass in excellence” and “to exceed in amount.” While those meanings are obsolete now, the term does retain the suggestion of going above or beyond—in more ways than one. Surmount is also used to talk about getting to the top of things, literally (surmount a hill) and the state of being on top of or above something (a statue surmounting a pillar).

Commonly found as

surmount obstacles
The Nobel laureate surmounted many obstacles on the road to her scientific breakthrough.
successfully surmount
The teacher equipped his students with the tools they needed to successfully surmount the difficulties that lay ahead.

See all synonyms for overcome

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malicious

malicious is a synonym of mean

adjective [ muh-lish-uhs ]

malicious is another word for mean

There’s not a lot to like when it comes to today’s word pair. Mean is defined as “offensive, selfish, or unaccommodating.” A person might get mean when they don’t get their way. As unpleasant as that may be, today’s synonym is even worse: malicious means “full of, characterized by, or showing malice,” that is, a desire to inflict injury, harm or suffering on another. The difference is a matter of intent. Whereas a person can be mean out of pettiness or bad temper, reflexive qualities that aren’t necessarily targeted at anyone in particular, malicious behavior is done with the clear intent to cause pain or damage to someone or something.

Commonly found as

malicious intent
In the story, the protagonist wound up causing damage to a few friendships, but he did so without malicious intent. He was simply trying to get to the truth.
false + malicious
The article was full of allegations against the celebrity, who said they were all false and malicious.

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Synonym of the day

enormous

enormous is a synonym of large

adjective [ ih-nawr-muhs ]

enormous is another word for large

The adjectives large and enormous both imply great magnitude. Large is defined as “of more than average size, quantity, or degree,” and enormous is defined as “greatly exceeding the common size or extent.” The main difference between these two descriptors is that large operates within the boundaries of what is average or standard (I don’t want the small skillet; I need the large one!); enormous applies to what is out of the norm or unusual (the young singer has enormous potential). You may have noticed the word norm right there in the middle of the word—that's no coincidence, and it's a good reminder of the mold-breaking nature of the term. Usually when we use enormous, it is to emphasize that something stretches the limits of what seems possible or that it goes beyond what was expected or imagined.

Commonly found as

enormous amount
On the heels of her wildly successful debut novel, the author was under an enormous amount of pressure to produce a second book that was even better.
wield + enormous
The new residents complained that the homeowner's association wielded enormous power.

See all synonyms for large

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