✅  Injury is the best word to refer to an impairment, hurt, loss, or other damage, which can be physical, emotional, or social (injury to his head; injury to their reputation).

✅  Wound is the best word for an injury caused by external violent actions (a deep chest wound). Wound can also refer to an emotional hurt that feels as strong as a physical hurt (Her rejection caused a deep wound).

✅  Injury can be used to describe the same kind of damage as wound, that is, something that breaks the skin. However, injury covers a wider range of damage (internal injury; shoulder injury).

✅  Injury can sound formal or detached from the pain (Their injuries were severe), while wound sounds formal in a poetic sense when referring to emotional pain (Your recent betrayal opened up an old wound).

Try writing a paragraph about overcoming a past wound with the help of Grammar Coach.

✅  Despite introduces something that is an active opposition to an outcome (We got home on time despite the road closures).

✅  Notwithstanding suggests that something has met with a hindrance (Notwithstanding their hours of practice, they lost the game).

✅  Both words mean to overcome an obstacle in order to do something, and they’re used interchangeably, although despite is much more frequent.

✅  Despite is only placed at the start of a clause, before its object (Despite his lack of sleep, he managed to pass the exam), whereas notwithstanding is more flexible, and is often placed at the end of a clause (My broken leg notwithstanding, I'm feeling great).

Despite your busy schedule, take some time for these synonyms for notwithstanding.

✅  Mysterious is the best word to describe something unknown, strange, or puzzling (a mysterious letter).

✅  Inscrutable is best to describe something that can’t be understood, made sense of, or interpreted (inscrutable decision), and is generally limited to expressions, gestures, statements, and meanings.

↔️  When describing facial expressions, these synonyms can be used interchangeably (a mysterious look; an inscrutable smile), but mysterious sparks curiosity or awe, while inscrutable implies that something is so impenetrable it can’t be figured out at all.

Unlock the secrets of these inscrutable synonyms!