That counts for other languages as well. I used two words that really mean the same thing, but have a slightly different load. Also, the way in which a word has been used in historical context adds to te 'shade' of a word or the synonym.
After someone some decades ago used the words: "Totalen Krieg", totaal will be a reminder for a long time, though it's used casually.

Zwoegen, meaning : labouring heavily, has the following synonyms:
ploeteren, baggeren, hengsten, labueren, pezen, sappelen, sloven, slaven and more.They all have a slight different meaning yet they can be used crossways.

Zed made clear to begin with that English has this too.