alpha

Questions about alpha

What is the opposite of alpha?

WordNet records no antonym for alpha. Antonymy in WordNet is a relation between specific word forms rather than between concepts, so it is recorded only where lexicographers judged the pairing direct. An absence here means none was recorded, not that none can be imagined.

Why are the synonyms for alpha split into groups?

Because alpha carries 4 recorded senses and each has its own set of substitutes. A single flat list would put words from unrelated meanings side by side with nothing to tell them apart, which is exactly how a writer picks the wrong one. The grouping comes from WordNet's synsets, not from an editorial judgement of ours.

Does this page cover every sense of alpha?

It covers the 2 senses that carry a synonym, antonym, broader or narrower term. The remaining 2 senses have none recorded, so they are left off a thesaurus page and shown in full on the word page instead.

Where do the synonyms for alpha come from?

From Princeton University's WordNet, a lexical database maintained by lexicographers since 1985. A synonym here means a word form that shares a synset with this word — a set of forms interchangeable in one recorded context. Nothing on this page is generated by a language model.

Other views of alpha

• Full entry for alphaAll 4 senses, with examples, usage labels, syllables and pronunciation.
• Rhymes for alphaWords matching from the last stressed vowel onward, grouped by syllable count.
• Thesaurus homeHow WordNet synsets work, and the collections built for synonym work.