same
adjective
Simple meaning
Not different or other.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
saymIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈseɪm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Not different or other; not another or others; not different as regards self; selfsame; identical.
Closely similar or comparable in kind or quality or quantity or degree
“Curtains the same color as the walls.”
Lacking variety from; indistinguishable.
Similar, alike.
Used to express the unity of an object or person which has various different descriptions or qualities.
A reply of confirmation of identity.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Not different or other; not another or others; not different as regards self; selfsame; identical.
Used this way, same is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use same
- “Are you the same person who phoned me yesterday?”adjective
- “You have the same hair I do!”adjective
- “Round here it can be cloudy and sunny even in the same day.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Two people of the same sex who live together as a family.
Despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession).
At the same instant.
Almost simultaneously.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.