Searching for experience synonyms led you here – to our Synonym Series, where we aim to give deeper meaning to words that are important to our project, The Happiness of Knowledge.
So, let us see what experience synonyms we can think of. The first that comes to mind is to feel. And not just the general feelings of attachment, respect, love. No, while those are essential, you already know about them. We want to go further under the surface.
Imagine: you are sitting under the sun in the grass in a lovely meadow with the wind cuddling you and the birds singing with passion. Will you feel that? Will you experience that? Feel the wind on your skin, immerse yourself in the song of the birds, close your eyes and let the sun rays warm your face… That is an experience.
We are talking about the small things we often take for granted – the little moments we often ignore. They are what makes life so incredible. We can swim in the ocean, run on the grass, lay down and watch the clouds pass. In those moments, we are feeling life itself; we are experiencing life itself.
To me, another experience synonym is sharing, in the sense of becoming a part of someone else’s life. See the world as they see it, experience life as they do. Through sharing experiences, you will yield another great gift: giving – whether giving aid, advice, or just a supporting shoulder. By sharing with others, you will have the opportunity to open up learn from their experiences.
Every one of us has a path to travel, and we have all discovered and gained various knowledge along the way. Sharing allows us to gather from all the experiences of others, gaining knowledge and wisdom – two words that are similar but not the same, as we’ve previously discussed.
To listen is also to experience, a synonym to me. By hearing, you understand life through the eyes and words of others. We all see life differently; we reflect on it through the prism of what has happened in the past and our future goals.
While listening, you can draw your own conclusions. For example, suppose you are looking for motivation to achieve your dream. By listening to people who have succeeded – or even listening to those who have not yet but are passionate and driven – you may be able to find that missing inner drive. Or, when you are scared, you can lean on stories from others who have overcome their fears – and learn from their experience. When you are feeling down, stressed, hopeless, those stories will help you find yourself again, even amid horrible circumstances.
To experience is not only to gain but to give as well. It’s providing a warm hug and feeling the love radiating from your friends and family. Inversly, it’s providing a shoulder for someone to cry on. Giving advice or merely offering a smile to a stranger is also experiencing life. You’re an active engager, or participant, which is definitely another experience synonym.
All those are experiences, even if they are small.
Small things gradually stack on top of each other and become something big, and, eventually, they make us who we are.
For experience is what makes a person. We are all the storms and safe harbors, all the smiles and tears, all the fears and happiness. Each feeling we have felt, each tear that we have wept, each bad thing we decided to leave in the past – they are all part of ourselves. And by experiencing them, we have experienced ourselves.
What is a more incredible feeling than being connected to your inner world? Only through these inner connections can you grow stronger and wiser and continue on your way to making the world a better place for at least one person. This connection is another experience synonym.
Experience can be a curse, too. But even then, we can find the blessing. Rather than seeing only the negative experience, there’s a lesson we can learn that will guide us on our path towards our true selves.
And we are not alone in that. Each one of us is going through various battles. Even though we are experiencing different circumstances – different events – we are in this together. Together we are stronger; we can withstand life’s hurricane winds, and we can grow roots and wings, roots to remember where we came from and wings to fly towards the future.
And, while we are still on it, to experience is to imagine.
Imagine a better version of yourself, a better world. Shouldn’t we leave behind a better world?
I will leave the answer up to you.
I hope these experience synonyms were enlightening. If you are enjoying our Synonym Series, we would be delighted to have you as a member of The Happiness of Knowledge, a project devoted to improving both the physical and the mental world of our readers. Join today, and start receiving new short stories once a week!