In conversation, we use some words interchangeably, as if they meant the same thing. But if synonyms meant exactly the same thing, we wouldn’t need different words, would we? If we understand the distinctions, we know which choice is best.
Honorarium or Compensation
An honorarium is a reward of an unspecified nature or amount. Compensation is payment of an agreed-upon fee. The speaker anticipated an honorarium of a gift card or cash because he had no agreement for any compensation.
Instance or Instant
An instance is an occurrence, a moment in time. Instant refers to something sudden or quick, marking the speed of time. After three instances of failure, he was looking for instant success. A moment can be an instance, but not an instant. Example: For an insane instant moment, she wanted him to kiss her.
Ironic or Unusual
Anything that deviates from the norm, from what would be expected, is unusual. Something is ironic when the meaning is in direct contrast, opposite to what would be expected. The nickname Tater Tot is ironic when it refers to a lineman playing in the NFL, and his never playing college ball would be unusual.
Lie or Lay
Confusion comes in the way the verbs are used in different tenses.
(1) The verb lie means to tell something that isn’t true. Jack is lying. He lies now, lied yesterday, and has lied more times than one can count.
(2) Or lie means to be at rest. Jack lies now, lay yesterday, and has lain when tired.
(3) Lay means to put or place something. If a chicken yields an egg, it lays now, laid yesterday, and has laid an egg almost every day. When the grammatically correct verb form doesn’t match what is common in everyday speech, find a different word so readers won’t mistakenly think you wrote incorrectly.
Naked or Nude
Nude refers to a person wearing no clothes, and only rarely might be used as a metaphor, such as nude furniture, referring to unfinished wood. The meaning of naked can go much further than being unclothed, meaning stripped down, vulnerable, unprotected. Artists learn to paint nudes, and that’s the naked truth.
Near or Close
Think of close as referring to something intimate, near as something positioned a little farther away. We might have a close call, a close friend, or a close encounter of the third kind. In the near future, we might move to a neighborhood to near the big city.
