Words can be related to each other in meaning in different ways. These are called semantic relations.

a) Synonymy

Synonymy is the relation of sameness or similarity in meaning.
Examples:

• big – large

• begin – start

• child – kid

However, synonyms are rarely exactly the same; they often differ in style, context, or emotion.
Example: “child” is neutral, but “kid” is more informal.

b) Antonymy

Antonymy is the relation of opposites in meaning.
There are different types of antonyms:

• Gradable antonyms: show degrees (hot–cold, tall–short)

• Complementary antonyms: one excludes the other (alive–dead, true–false)

• Relational antonyms: describe opposite roles (teacher–student, buy–sell)

c) Hyponymy

Hyponymy shows a “type of” relationship.
A hyponym is a more specific term, and a hypernym is a more general term.

Example:

• Rose, tulip, lily → hyponyms of flower

• Flower → hypernym of rose, tulip, lily

So, if something is a rose, it is automatically a flower.

d) Polysemy

Polysemy occurs when a single word has multiple related meanings.
Examples:

• Head → the part of the body / the leader of a group / the top of something

• Foot → part of the body / bottom of a mountain / base of a page

These meanings are connected and develop from the same original concept.