Wordsmith

An Obsidian plugin for easily replacing a word with a synonym, antonym, and other related lookups. Pull from multiple sources as once, easily tabbing through the results to choose the perfect substitution.

Features

Multi-Source Lookup

Query multiple thesaurus sources simultaneously:

• Local databases - WordNet and Moby thesaurus for offline access
• Datamuse API - Free online thesaurus (no API key required)
• Premium APIs - Optional integrations with Merriam-Webster, Big Huge Thesaurus, WordsAPI, API Ninjas, Altervista, and Free Dictionary

Word Relationships

Find different types of word relationships:

• Synonyms - Words with similar meanings
• Antonyms - Words with opposite meanings
• Related words - Conceptually connected terms
• Hypernyms - More general terms (e.g., "vehicle" for "car")
• Hyponyms - More specific terms (e.g., "sedan" for "car")

Spelling Suggestions

Get spelling corrections when you look up a misspelled word. Supports both online suggestions and an offline Hunspell dictionary.

Quick Replace

A lightweight popover that shows replacement options near your cursor for fast word swapping.

Installation

From Obsidian Community Plugins

Note: This plugin hasn't been submitted yet, so this isn't available.

1. Open Settings → Community Plugins
2. Search for "Wordsmith"
3. Click Install, then Enable

BRAT Installation (for beta testing)

1. Open Settings -> Community Plugins
2. Search for "BRAT"
3. Install, Enable the plugin, and open BRAT settings.
4. Find the button that says "Add Beta Plugin" and click it.
5. Enter the address of this repo and install it: https://github.com/ahayman/Obsidian-Wordsmith
6. Enable the Wordsmith plugin and open settings to add and download sources.

Manual Installation

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release
2. Create folder: <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/wordsmith/
3. Copy the files into this folder
4. Reload Obsidian and enable the plugin in Settings → Community Plugins

Usage

Commands

All commands work on the word under your cursor:

Command	Description
Find synonyms	Open the full lookup modal with synonyms
Find antonyms	Open the full lookup modal with antonyms
Find related words	Open the full lookup modal with related words
Find hypernyms	Open the full lookup modal with hypernyms
Find hyponyms	Open the full lookup modal with hyponyms
Quick replace - synonym	Show synonym suggestions in a quick popover
Quick replace - antonym	Show antonym suggestions in a quick popover

Access these commands through the command palette (Ctrl/Cmd + P) or assign hotkeys in Obsidian's settings.

Full Lookup Modal

The main modal provides a comprehensive view of results:

1. Tabs - Switch between different data sources to see their results
2. Filter chips - Toggle relationship types (Syn, Ant, Rel, Hyper, Hypo)
3. Search - Filter results by typing in the search box
4. Grouped results - Results are organized by definition/meaning
5. Expand/collapse - Click "Show more" to see all results for a definition

Keyboard navigation:

• Arrow keys to navigate results
• Tab to switch between sources
• Enter to select a word
• Escape to close

Quick Replace Popover

A minimal interface for fast replacements:

1. Results appear in a small popover near your cursor
2. Press 1-5 to select a suggestion, or use arrow keys
3. Press Tab to cycle through different definitions
4. Press Enter to replace the word
5. Press Escape or click outside to close

Settings

Display

• Maximum results - Limit results per source (10-100)

Data Sources

• Enable or disable individual sources
• Drag to reorder sources (affects tab order)
• Add API services with your own API keys

Cache

• Cache size - Number of words to cache (0 disables caching)
• Clear cache - Remove all cached results

Local Data

Download offline databases for use without internet:

• WordNet - Comprehensive lexical database (~11MB)
• Moby thesaurus - Large synonym collection (~7.7MB)

Spelling

• Offline dictionary - Hunspell dictionary for offline spelling suggestions (~2MB)
• Offline spelling only - Disable online spelling services

Adding API Services

Some thesaurus APIs require an API key. To add one:

1. Open plugin settings
2. Click "+ Add API service"
3. Select a service from the dropdown
4. Enter your API key
5. Click Add

Supported services:

• Merriam-Webster - Collegiate Thesaurus API
• Big Huge Thesaurus - Simple REST API
• WordsAPI - Via RapidAPI
• API Ninjas - Thesaurus endpoint
• Altervista - Multilingual support
• Free Dictionary - No API key required