Question: My biggest challenge is about synonyms. It is hard to differentiate differences of meanings of synonym words. Even after I consult various dictionaries, some times it is hard to get clarity. In such cases

1. May I ask questions about word differences to the community?
2. If not, what other sources are there to help me?
3. As a non-native English speaker, I can have trouble grasping the meaning. At such times, may I ask the ELU community for more elaboration for any meaning?
4. I’ve noticed that some of users are very good at answering and explaining such questions, but that other users feel these are not good questions. In such situations, may I directly ask the specific user about this question without polluting the site and then give them credit for it once I got answer?

Answer: 
This is an important question, and one I am glad to see raised. 

I agree with every word of the responses so far — Inglish Teeture’s, J.R.'s and Bill Franke’s answers, and Edwin Ashworth’s comment.

I would like to add a word about **tools** for exploring synonyms. First, dictionaries. It is essential to consult multiple good dictionaries; for different dictionaries offer different perspectives. [**Here**](https://english.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2573/list-of-general-references) is a handy list of good dictionaries and similar references. And it is not enough merely to scan a dictionary entry; as I commented on your recent question, “The people who write dictionaries take great pains to ‘pack’ their meaning into a very few words, and it is often necessary for you to expend equal effort in ‘unpacking’ the meaning.”

Second, in line with Inglish Teeture’s advice to examine synonyms *in context*, I should like to recommend [**corpus.byu.edu**](http://corpus.byu.edu/), where there are several large *corpora*—searchable databases of language. By registering there (it’s free) you will be able to search those databases for occurrences of words in actual contexts, not made-up examples such as you find in textbooks and dictionaries. The sources of these uses are identified and classified—Fiction, Magazine, Newspaper, Academic, Spoken, and so forth—so you may get a sense not only of *how* but also *when* and *where* words are used. Each citation is twenty or thirty words long, and you may consult a longer passage from which it is extracted. And the number of citations is staggering; for instance, with respect to your own recent question, the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) reports almost 500 instances of *derision* and more than 3500 instances of *contempt*.

These won't solve all your problems, for there are subtleties they do not point out explicitly. And keep in mind that corpora do not distinguish between good use and bad. “Native speaker” does not mean “accomplished speaker”, and it is not true that whatever is said or written by a native speaker is *de jure* ‘correct’. Every native speaker gets one vote—no less, no more—on what constitutes ‘correct use’, and you will see a variety of opinions displayed in corpora and dictionaries. When those opinions appear contradictory, bring them here; I can assure you that if you fortify your questions with appropriate citations they will be not only accepted but applauded. (But be prepared to encounter a similar diversity of opinion here, too!)
Words have contextual meanings and that is how they need to be studied – contextually. While *correct* is a synonym of *right* in one sense, it is not in other senses of the word.

If you observe and study words according to their contextual meanings, learning synonyms won't be a big challenge. You need to do a lot of reading and listen to people speak in English. Unless you do that, what you pick up from dictionaries won't be of much help. Try building your own sentences with the new words you have learnt. And of course, communities like English.StackExchange.Com are great places to ask questions and clarify your doubts.

So, yes, you can ask questions here and get your doubts clarified. But please search the site and make sure your questions are not duplicates.