Analysis of “Encompasses Synonym”
1. Understanding the Word “Encompasses”
“Encompasses” is the third - person singular form of the verb “encompass” in the present tense. The verb “encompass” has several meanings.
- It can mean to surround or enclose something completely. For example, “The fence encompasses the entire garden,” which implies that the fence goes all the way around the garden, creating a boundary that contains it.
- It also means to include a wide range of things, ideas, or concepts. For example, “This course encompasses various aspects of history,” meaning the course includes different elements of history such as political history, social history, and cultural history.
2. The Concept of a “Synonym”
A synonym is a word or phrase that has a similar meaning to another word or phrase. Synonyms can be used to add variety to writing and speech and to avoid repetition. For example, “begin” and “start” are synonyms; they can often be used interchangeably in sentences like “Let's begin/start the meeting.”
3. Synonyms for “Encompasses”
- Includes: This is a very close synonym. When we say “The package includes a book and a pen,” we mean the package has these items inside it. In a similar way, “This anthology includes poems from different centuries” is similar to saying “This anthology encompasses poems from different centuries” because both convey the idea of containing or having within.
- Covers: It can mean to deal with or span a particular range. For example, “The textbook covers all the topics we need to study.” This is similar to saying the textbook encompasses those topics. It gives the sense that the textbook has within it the information about all the necessary topics.
- Embodies: It means to represent or express a broad concept or a collection of ideas. For example, “The new policy embodies the values of fairness and equality.” In a way, it's like the policy encompasses these values, holding them within and representing them.
- Comprises: It is often used to say that a whole is made up of parts. For example, “The United Kingdom comprises four countries.” This is related to the idea of encompassing in that it shows what is contained within a larger entity. In a sense, when we say something comprises other things, it's also encompassing them as part of a whole.