Synonyms
A synonym is a word or phrase that you specify as equivalent to some number of other words or phrases. An IBM® Content Search Services search server automatically searches for all synonyms for a search term. You define synonyms to avoid specifying all of the alternative names for a thing or concept in the full-text search expression.
For example, if you define WebSphere® Application
Server and was as synonyms,
searching for was is equivalent to searching for was OR WebSphere Application
Server
.
Synonyms apply to the explicit search term only. For example, suppose that you define is and Image Services to be synonyms. A search for was does not find instances of Image Services even though it finds instances of is (because is is a lexical variant of was).
Synonym application exceptions
Synonyms do not apply to some search expressions. A search term in any of the following contexts is not treated as a synonym.
| Search term attribute | Search expression example for the search term brown |
|---|---|
| All uppercase letters | the quick BROWN fox |
| Search terms that are enclosed in quotation marks (including proximity searches) or are part of a phrase. | |
| Wildcard searches (* or ? operator) | the quick brown* fox |
| Fuzzy searches (~ operator) | the quick brown~0.8 fox |