4Synonyms #94 - Word of Justice Coming from the Beak 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟨 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 i don't get BEAK ? More on reddit.com

This has come up before, and it is very hard to come up with true synonyms. Languages don't like true synonyms, because there's no point in having two words for the exact same thing. The meanings, or at least the connotations, will drift apart. You might find some in the case where different dialects or regions have different words for the same thing, like soda and pop. But then you typically don't have one person using both words, so it's not quite the same thing. More on reddit.com

Don't know who's calling you overly formal. "Until" is fine in casual speech. You're probably using other words that trigger the "weirdly formal" box but people don't realize that those words are the real issue. More on reddit.com

By definition, not much. Although there are times where I would use one and not the other. For example, let's say I found a really cool tree in the forest. I would probably say "I came across a cool tree in the forest today!" when talking about it, or "I stumbled upon a cool tree in the forest today!" However, I probably wouldn't say "I ran into a cool tree in the forest today!" because who I'm talking to may think I was running and hit a tree (injury). Another example, let's say I saw an old friend who I hadn't seen in a while, and was telling my brother about it afterwards. I would probably say "I ran into an old friend today!". But I wouldn't say "I came across an old friend today!". I'm not sure what the rule is for that, or if there even is one, but it feels wrong. I think, in general, I use "run into" when talking about people, and "come across" when talking about inanimate objects or animals. More on reddit.com