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Definition
Synonymous parallelism occurs when two or more cola have the same basic meaning. In other words, the second colon more or less repeats the first colon. Consider the examples below.
Example 1
The earth is the LORD's, and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it. (Psalm 24:1)
This is a fairly straightforward case of synonymous parallelism. Both cola are essentially saying the same thing: everything belongs to God. Here is the same bicolon arranged according to its parallelism:
The earth is the LORD's and all it contains
The world (. . .) and those who dwell in it
In this example, "earth" and "world" are parallel terms. In the same manner, the phrases "and all it contains" and "those who dwell in it" are likewise set in parallel to each other. The phrase, "is the LORD's" is not repeated in the second colon, but its meaning is obviously implied (this is referred to as an "ellipsis").
Since this bicolon is an example of synonymous parallelism, it would probably be a mistake to interpret the parallel terms/phrases as though they were communicating distinctly different ideas. It is possible to view that the second colon makes a small emphasis on the final phrase ("those who dwell in it"), drawing our attention to God's sovereignty over all humanity.
Example 2
O LORD, how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me. (Psalm 3:1)
In this bicolon, the Psalmist is expressing a complaint to God through the use of synonymous parallelism. The following arrangement reflects the Hebrew word order:
O LORD how my adversaries have increased
(. . .) rising up against me many are
Note that the order of parallel terms/phrases have been reversed in this example. The phrase "O LORD" has been omitted in the second colon, but again it is clearly implied.
Example 3
For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13)
Each colon in this example expresses the idea that God was intimately involved in the formation of the Psalmist.
For you formed my inward parts
You wove me in my mother's womb
The two verbs, "formed" and "wove" are directly parallel, but the second part of each colon are not grammatical equivalents. Still, the synonymous meaning between the cola is fairly straightforward.