It is not uncommon for close synonyms to be understood to share the same meaning. The
difference between words like "hard" and "difficult", for example, goes tragically unnoticed.
One may employ one or the other with complete indifference, postulating no discrepancy between them.
In general this is well and good; most people lack the scrupulous pedanticalness to quibble over such trifles.
Nevertheless, for those of us with ample compulsiveness (and time),
it is of significant value to
comprehend such nuances