Guide 182 / 200 4 swaps Formal register
Professional words for “come up with”
Four verbs for generating an idea.
i · When it mattersTwo lines, no filler
"Come up with" is casual and vague. "Develop" is for ideas that need work; "devise" is for clever schemes; "conceive" is for first conceptions; "formulate" is for precise statements.
ii · The swaps4 ways
- 01Develop neutral
grow an idea over time
Develop a plan for the handover.
- 02Devise formal
think up a clever solution
Devise a workaround for the rate limit.
- 03Conceive formal
original first conception
The programme was conceived in 2022.
- 04Formulate formal
state precisely
Formulate a position for the regulator.