List of 426 Sets of Synonyms - How they Differ - Total of 2307 Words - 33

SYNONYMS: base, basis, foundation, ground, groundwork.
These nouns all pertain to what underlies and supports.

Base is applied chiefly to material objects: amazed by the size of the monument's base.
Basis is used in a non-physical sense: The basis of a democratic state is liberty.
Foundation applies physically (the foundation of a house) and figuratively (a statement without foundation in fact). It often stresses firmness of support for something of relative magnitude: Our flagrant disregard for the law attacks the foundation of this society.
Ground may denote an actual working surface, as in art (a white design on a blue ground); more often it is used figuratively in the sense of a justifiable reason: grounds for divorce.
Groundwork is most often applied figuratively, in the sense of a necessary preliminary: laid the groundwork for future negotiations.