Synonym Plugin for Obsidian

Synonyms for Swedish and English words with Multi-language Support. Add your own language files. Find synonyms directly in Obsidian with local dictionary support and online lookup.

Features

• Bilingual UI: Switch between English and Swedish interface (default: English)
• Local Dictionary: Fast offline synonym lookup using comprehensive dictionary files
• Online Lookup: Complement local results with online sources (Thesaurus.com for English, Synonymer.se for Swedish)
• Custom Synonyms: Add your own custom synonyms that take priority over all other sources
• Multi-language Support: Automatically detects available language dictionaries in the assets folder
• Context Menu Integration: Right-click on any word to find or add synonyms
• Command Palette: Quick access via command palette
• Ribbon Icon: One-click access from the sidebar

Installation

1. Copy the following files to your vault's plugin folder:

   .obsidian/plugins/synonym/
   ├── main.js
   ├── manifest.json
   └── assets/
       ├── th_sv_SE_v2.dat
       ├── th_sv_SE_v2.idx
       └── custom-synonyms.json
   

2. Enable the plugin in Obsidian's Community Plugins settings

Usage

Finding Synonyms

1. Select a word in your note
2. Right-click and choose "Find synonyms"
3. Click on a synonym to replace the selected word

Alternative methods:

• Use the ribbon icon (clipboard icon) in the left sidebar
• Use the command palette: "Show synonyms for selected word"

Adding Custom Synonyms

Method 1: Via Right-Click Menu

1. Select a word
2. Right-click and choose "Add synonym"
3. Enter your custom synonym in the dialog

Method 2: Edit the Custom Synonyms File

Edit the custom-synonyms.json file directly in the plugin's assets folder.

Custom Synonyms File Format

The custom-synonyms.json file must be located in the plugin's assets folder:

{
  "word": ["synonym-1", "synonym-2", "synonym-3"],
  "example": ["sample", "rolemodel"],
  "fast": ["quick", "speedy", "hasty"]
}

Important formatting rules:

• All words must be in lowercase
• Each word is a key with an array of synonyms
• Synonyms are case-sensitive in the results but matching is case-insensitive

Settings

Interface Language

Switch between English and Swedish UI. When changed, the default online source also switches automatically (English → Thesaurus.com, Swedish → Synonymer.se). Default: English.

Dictionary Language

Choose which local language dictionary to use. The plugin automatically detects available .dat files in the assets folder.

Online Lookup

Enable/disable online synonym lookup to complement local dictionary results.

Online Source

Choose between Thesaurus.com (English) and Synonymer.se (Swedish). This is set automatically when switching interface language, but can be overridden manually.

Max Synonyms

Set the maximum number of synonyms to display (3–25, default: 10).

Source Priority

The plugin searches for synonyms in this order:

1. Custom synonyms (assets/custom-synonyms.json) – Highest priority
2. Assets dictionary (e.g. th_sv_SE_v2.dat) – Comprehensive local dictionary
3. Online sources – When enabled, adds additional synonyms from the web

Adding More Languages

To add support for additional languages, download thesaurus files from the LibreOffice dictionaries repository:

Available Language Dictionaries

Language	Files	Download
English (US)	th_en_US_v2.dat	en_US thesaurus
English (UK)	th_en_GB_v2.dat	en_GB thesaurus
Swedish	th_sv_SE_v2.dat, th_sv_SE_v2.idx	sv_SE thesaurus
German	th_de_DE_v2.dat	de_DE thesaurus
French	th_fr_FR_v2.dat	fr_FR thesaurus
Spanish	th_es_ES_v2.dat	es_ES thesaurus
Portuguese (BR)	th_pt_BR_v2.dat	pt_BR thesaurus
Italian	th_it_IT_v2.dat	it_IT thesaurus

Installation Steps

1. Download both the .dat and .idx files for your desired language
2. Place the files in your plugin's assets folder:

   .obsidian/plugins/synonym/assets/
   

3. Reload the plugin
4. The new language will appear in the "Dictionary language" dropdown in settings

Troubleshooting

No synonyms found

• Check that the assets folder contains the dictionary files
• Verify your internet connection if using online lookup

Custom synonyms not working

• Ensure the JSON file is valid (use a JSON validator)
• Check that words are in lowercase
• Reload the plugin after editing custom-synonyms.json

Plugin not loading

• Verify all required files are present
• Check the console (Ctrl+Shift+I) for error messages
• Try disabling and re-enabling the plugin

Credits

• Dictionary data: Swedish thesaurus (th_sv_SE_v2), Synlex
• Online sources: Thesaurus.com, Synonymer.se
• Icon: Obsidian's built-in clipboard-list icon

License

MIT

Version History

1.0.2

• Added bilingual UI (English/Swedish) with language switcher in settings
• Interface language now automatically sets the default online source
• Default UI language changed to English

1.0.1

• Added support for local dictionary files (th_sv_SE_v2.dat)
• Added custom synonyms feature
• Added multi-language support
• Increased max synonyms to 25
• Improved online lookup reliability
• Fixed iOS compatibility issues

1.0.0

• Initial release
• Basic synonym lookup