English Synonyms and Antonyms / With Notes on the Correct Use of Prepositions
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APIECE.
Synonyms:
| distributively, | each, | individually, | separately, | severally. |
There is no discernible difference in sense between so much apiece and so much each; the former is the more common and popular, the latter the more elegant expression. Distributively is generally used of numbers and abstract relations. Individually emphasizes the independence of the individuals; separately and severally still more emphatically hold them apart. The signers of a note may become jointly and severally responsible, that is, each liable for the entire amount, as if he had signed it alone. Witnesses are often brought separately into court, in order that no one may be influenced by the testimony of another. If a company of laborers demand a dollar apiece, that is a demand that each shall receive that sum; if they individually demand a dollar, each individual makes the demand.
Antonyms:
| accumulatively, | confusedly, | indiscriminately, | together, | unitedly. |
| collectively, | en masse, | synthetically, | ||
APOLOGY.
Synonyms:
| acknowledgment, | defense, | excuse, | plea, |
| confession, | exculpation, | justification, | vindication. |
All these words express one's answer to a charge of wrong or error that is or might be made. Apology has undergone a remarkable change from its old sense of a valiant defense—as in Justin Martyr's Apologies for the Christian faith—to its present meaning of humble confession and concession. He who offers an apology admits himself, at least technically and seemingly, in the wrong. An apology is for what one has done or left undone; an excuse may be for what one proposes to do or leave undone as well; as, one sends beforehand his excuse for not accepting an invitation; if he should fail either to be present or to excuse himself, an apology would be in order. An excuse for a fault is an attempt at partial justification; as, one alleges haste as an excuse for carelessness. Confession is a full acknowledgment of wrong, generally of a grave wrong, with or without apology or excuse. Plea ranges in sense from a prayer for favor or pardon to an attempt at full vindication. Defense, exculpation, justification, and vindication are more properly antonyms than synonyms of apology in its modern sense, and should be so given, but for[52] their connection with its historic usage. Compare CONFESS; DEFENSE
Antonyms:
| accusation, | charge, | condemnation, | injury, | offense, |
| censure, | complaint, | imputation, | insult, | wrong. |
Prepositions:
An apology to the guest for the oversight would be fitting.
APPARENT.
Synonyms:
| likely, | presumable, | probable, | seeming. |
The apparent is that which appears; the word has two contrasted senses, either of that which is manifest, visible, certain, or of that which merely seems to be and may be very different from what is; as, the apparent motion of the sun around the earth. Apparent kindness casts a doubt on the reality of the kindness; apparent neglect implies that more care and pains may have been bestowed than we are aware of. Presumable implies that a thing may be reasonably supposed beforehand without any full knowledge of the facts. Probable implies that we know facts enough to make us moderately confident of it. Seeming expresses great doubt of the reality; seeming innocence comes very near in meaning to probable guilt. Apparent indicates less assurance than probable, and more than seeming. A man's probable intent we believe will prove to be his real intent; his seeming intent we believe to be a sham; his apparent intent may be the true one, tho we have not yet evidence on which to pronounce with certainty or even with confidence. Likely is a word with a wide range of usage, but always implying the belief that the thing is, or will be, true; it is often used with the infinitive, as the other words of this list can not be; as, it is likely to happen. Compare EVIDENT
Antonyms:
| doubtful, | dubious, | improbable, | unimaginable, | unlikely. |
Prepositions:
(When apparent is used in the sense of evident): His guilt is apparent in every act to all observers.
APPEAR.
Synonyms:
| have the appearance or semblance, | look, | seem. |
Appear and look refer to what manifests itself to the senses; to a semblance or probability presented directly to the mind. Seem[53] applies to what is manifest to the mind on reflection. It suddenly appears to me that there is smoke in the distance; as I watch, it looks like a fire; from my knowledge of the locality and observation of particulars, it seems to me a farmhouse must be burning.
Antonyms:
| be, | be certain, real, or true, | be the fact, | exist. |
Prepositions:
Appear at the front; among the first; on or upon the surface; to the eye; in evidence, in print; from reports; near the harbor; before the public; in appropriate dress; with the insignia of his rank; above the clouds; below the surface; under the lee; over the sea; through the mist; appear for, in behalf of, or against one in court.
APPENDAGE.
Synonyms:
| accessory, | addition, | appurtenance, | concomitant, |
| accompaniment, | adjunct, | attachment, | extension, |
| addendum, | appendix, | auxiliary, | supplement. |
An adjunct (something joined to) constitutes no real part of the thing or system to which it is joined, tho perhaps a valuable addition; an appendage is commonly a real, tho not an essential or necessary part of that with which it is connected; an appurtenance belongs subordinately to something by which it is employed, especially as an instrument to accomplish some purpose. A horse's tail is at once an ornamental appendage and a useful appurtenance; we could not call it an adjunct, tho we might use that word of his iron shoes. An attachment in machinery is some mechanism that can be brought into optional connection with the principal movement; a hemmer is a valuable attachment of a sewing-machine. An extension, as of a railroad or of a franchise, carries out further something already existing. We add an appendix to a book, to contain names, dates, lists, etc., which would encumber the text; we add a supplement to supply omissions, as, for instance, to bring it up to date. An appendix may be called an addendum; but addendum may be used of a brief note, which would not be dignified by the name of appendix; such notes are often grouped as addenda. An addition might be matter interwoven in the body of the work, an index, plates, editorial notes, etc., which might be valuable additions, but not[54] within the meaning of appendix or supplement. Compare ACCESSORY; AUXILIARY
Antonyms:
| main body, | original, | total, | whole. |
Prepositions:
That which is thought of as added we call an appendage to; that which is looked upon as an integral part is called an appendage of
APPETITE.
Synonyms:
| appetency, | impulse, | lust, | propensity, |
| craving, | inclination, | passion, | relish, |
| desire, | liking, | proclivity, | thirst, |
| disposition, | longing, | proneness, | zest. |
Appetite is used only of the demands of the physical system, unless otherwise expressly stated, as when we say an appetite for knowledge; passion includes all excitable impulses of our nature, as anger, fear, love, hatred, etc. Appetite is thus more animal than passion; and when we speak of passions and appetites as conjoined or contrasted, we think of the appetites as wholly physical and of the passions as, in part at least, mental or spiritual. We say an appetite for food, a passion for fame. Compare DESIRE
Antonyms:
| antipathy, | detestation, | dislike, | distaste, | indifference, | repugnance, |
| aversion, | disgust, | disrelish, | hatred, | loathing, | repulsion. |
Compare ANTIPATHY
Preposition:
He had an insatiable appetite for the marvellous.
APPORTION.
Synonyms:
| allot, | appropriate, | deal, | distribute, | grant, |
| appoint, | assign, | dispense, | divide, | share. |
To allot or assign may be to make an arbitrary division; the same is true of distribute or divide. That which is apportioned is given by some fixed rule, which is meant to be uniform and fair; as, representatives are apportioned among the States according to population. To dispense is to give out freely; as, the sun dispenses light and heat. A thing is appropriated to or for a specific purpose (to which it thus becomes proper, in the original sense of being its own); money appropriated by Congress for one purpose can not be expended for any other. One may apportion what he only holds in trust; he shares what is his own. Compare ALLOT[55]
Antonyms:
| cling to, | consolidate, | gather together, | receive, |
| collect, | divide arbitrarily, | keep together, | retain. |
Prepositions:
Apportion to each a fair amount; apportion the property among the heirs, between two claimants; apportion according to numbers, etc.
APPROXIMATION.
Synonyms:
| approach, | likeness, | neighborhood, | resemblance, |
| contiguity, | nearness, | propinquity, | similarity. |
In mathematics, approximation is not guesswork, not looseness, and not error. The process of approximation is as exact and correct at every point as that by which an absolute result is secured; the result only fails of exactness because of some inherent difficulty in the problem. The attempt to "square the circle" gives only an approximate result, because of the impossibility of expressing the circumference in terms of the radius. But the limits of error on either side are known, and the approximation has practical value. Outside of mathematics, the correct use of approximation (and the kindred words approximate and approximately) is to express as near an approach to accuracy and certainty as the conditions of human thought or action in any given case make possible. Resemblance and similarity may be but superficial and apparent; approximation is real. Approach is a relative term, indicating that one has come nearer than before, tho the distance may yet be considerable; an approximation brings one really near. Nearness, neighborhood, and propinquity are commonly used of place; approximation, of mathematical calculations and abstract reasoning; we speak of approach to the shore, nearness to the town, approximation to the truth.
Antonyms:
| difference, | distance, | error, | remoteness, | unlikeness, | variation. |
Prepositions:
The approximation of the vegetable to the animal type.
ARMS.
Synonyms:
| accouterments, | armor, | harness, | mail, | weapons. |
Arms are implements of attack; armor is a defensive covering. The knight put on his armor; he grasped his arms. With the disuse of defensive armor the word has practically gone out of military use, but it is still employed in the navy, where the distinction[56] is clearly preserved; any vessel provided with cannon is an armed vessel; an armored ship is an ironclad. Anything that can be wielded in fight may become a weapon, as a pitchfork or a paving-stone; arms are especially made and designed for conflict.
ARMY.
Synonyms:
| armament, | forces, | military, | soldiers, |
| array, | host, | multitude, | soldiery, |
| force, | legions, | phalanx, | troops. |
An army is an organized body of men armed for war, ordinarily considerable in numbers, always independent in organization so far as not to be a constituent part of any other command. Organization, unity, and independence, rather than numbers are the essentials of an army. We speak of the invading army of Cortes or Pizarro, tho either body was contemptible in numbers from a modern military standpoint. We may have a little army, a large army, or a vast army. Host is used for any vast and orderly assemblage; as, the stars are called the heavenly host. Multitude expresses number without order or organization; a multitude of armed men is not an army, but a mob. Legion (from the Latin) and phalanx (from the Greek) are applied by a kind of poetic license to modern forces; the plural legions is preferred to the singular. Military is a general word for land-forces; the military may include all the armed soldiery of a nation, or the term may be applied to any small detached company, as at a fort, in distinction from civilians. Any organized body of men by whom the law or will of a people is executed is a force; the word is a usual term for the police of any locality.
ARRAIGN.
Synonyms:
| accuse, | charge, | impeach, | prosecute, |
| censure, | cite, | indict, | summon. |
Arraign is an official word; a person accused of crime is arraigned when he is formally called into court, the indictment read to him, and the demand made of him to plead guilty or not guilty; in more extended use, to arraign is to call in question for fault in any formal, public, or official way. One may charge another with any fault, great or trifling, privately or publicly, formally or informally. Accuse is stronger than charge, suggesting more of the formal and criminal; a person may charge a[57] friend with unkindness or neglect; he may accuse a tramp of stealing. Censure carries the idea of fault, but not of crime; it may be private and individual, or public and official. A judge, a president, or other officer of high rank may be impeached before the appropriate tribunal for high crimes; the veracity of a witness may be impeached by damaging evidence. A person of the highest character may be summoned as defendant in a civil suit; or he may be cited to answer as administrator, etc. Indict and arraign apply strictly to criminal proceedings, and only an alleged criminal is indicted or arraigned. One is indicted by the grand jury, and arraigned before the appropriate court.
Antonyms:
| acquit, | discharge, | exonerate, | overlook, | release, |
| condone, | excuse, | forgive, | pardon, | set free. |
Prepositions:
Arraign at the bar, before the tribunal, of or for a crime; on or upon an indictment.
ARRAY.
Synonyms:
| army, | collection, | line of battle, | parade, |
| arrangement, | disposition, | order, | show, |
| battle array, | exhibition, | order of battle, | sight. |
The phrase battle array or array of battle is archaic and poetic; we now say in line or order of battle. The parade is for exhibition and oversight, and partial rehearsal of military manual and maneuvers. Array refers to a continuous arrangement of men, so that all may be seen or reviewed at once. This is practically impossible with the vast armies of our day. We say rather the disposition of troops, which expresses their location so as to sustain and support, though unable to see or readily communicate with each other. Compare DRESS
ARREST.
Synonyms:
| apprehend, | detain, | restrain, | stop, |
| capture, | hold, | secure, | take into custody, |
| catch, | make prisoner, | seize, | take prisoner. |
The legal term arrest carries always the implication of a legal offense; this is true even of arresting for debt. But one may be detained by process of law when no offense is alleged against him, as in the case of a witness who is held in a house of detention till a case comes to trial. One may be restrained of his liberty without arrest, as in an insane asylum; an individual or corporation[58] may be restrained by injunction from selling certain property. In case of an arrest, an officer may secure his prisoner by fetters, by a locked door, or other means effectually to prevent escape. Capture is commonly used of seizure by armed force; as, to capture a ship, a fort, etc. Compare HINDER; OBSTRUCT
Antonyms:
| discharge, | dismiss, | free, | liberate, | release, | set free. |
Prepositions:
Arrested for crime, on suspicion, by the sheriff; on, upon, or by virtue of a warrant; on final process; in execution.
ARTIFICE.
Synonyms:
| art, | craft, | finesse, | invention, | stratagem, |
| blind, | cunning, | fraud, | machination, | subterfuge, |
| cheat, | device, | guile, | maneuver, | trick, |
| contrivance, | dodge, | imposture, | ruse, | wile. |
A contrivance or device may be either good or bad. A cheat is a mean advantage in a bargain; a fraud, any form of covert robbery or injury. Imposture is a deceitful contrivance for securing charity, credit, or consideration. A stratagem or maneuver may be of the good against the bad, as it were a skilful movement of war. A wile is usually but not necessarily evil.
E'en children followed with endearing wile
Goldsmith Deserted Village, l.184.
A trick is often low, injurious, and malicious; we say a mean trick; the word is sometimes used playfully with less than its full meaning. A ruse or a blind may be quite innocent and harmless. An artifice is a carefully and delicately prepared contrivance for doing indirectly what one could not well do directly. A device is something studied out for promoting an end, as in a mechanism; the word is used of indirect action, often, but not necessarily directed to an evil, selfish, or injurious end. Finesse is especially subtle contrivance, delicate artifice, whether for good or evil. Compare FRAUD
Antonyms:
| artlessness, | fairness, | guilelessness, | ingenuousness, | openness, | sincerity, |
| candor, | frankness, | honesty, | innocence, | simplicity, | truth. |
ARTIST.
Synonyms:
| artificer, | artisan, | mechanic, | operative, | workman. |
Artist, artificer and artisan are all from the root of art, but artist holds to the esthetic sense, while artificer and artisan follow the mechanical or industrial sense of the word (see ART under SCIENCE).[59] Artist thus comes only into accidental association with the other words of this group, not being a synonym of any one of them and having practically no synonym of its own. The work of the artist is creative; that of the artisan mechanical. The man who paints a beautiful picture is an artist; the man who makes pin-heads all day is an artisan. The artificer is between the two, putting more thought, intelligence, and taste into his work than the artisan, but less of the idealizing, creative power than the artist. The sculptor, shaping his model in clay, is artificer, as well as artist; patient artisans, working simply by rule and scale, chisel and polish the stone. The man who constructs anything by mere routine and rule is a mechanic. The man whose work involves thought, skill, and constructive power is an artificer. The hod-carrier is a laborer; the bricklayer is a mechanic; the master mason is an artificer. Those who operate machinery nearly self-acting are operatives
ASK.
Synonyms:
| beg, | crave, | entreat, | petition, | request, | solicit, |
| beseech, | demand, | implore, | pray, | require, | supplicate. |
One asks what he feels that he may fairly claim and reasonably expect; "if a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father," Luke xi, 11; he begs for that to which he advances no claim but pity. Demand is a determined and often an arrogant word; one may rightfully demand what is his own or his due, when it is withheld or denied; or he may wrongfully demand that to which he has no claim but power. Require is less arrogant and obtrusive than demand, but is exceedingly strenuous; as, the court requires the attendance of witnesses. Entreat implies a special earnestness of asking, and beseech, a still added and more humble intensity; beseech was formerly often used as a polite intensive for beg or pray; as, I beseech you to tell me. To implore is to ask with weeping and lamentation; to supplicate is to ask, as it were, on bended knees. Crave and request are somewhat formal terms; crave has almost disappeared from conversation; request would seem distant between parent and child. Pray is now used chiefly of address to the Supreme Being; petition is used of written request to persons in authority; as, to petition the legislature to pass an act, or the governor to pardon an offender.
Antonyms:
| claim, | command, | deny, | enforce, | exact, | extort, | insist, | refuse, | reject. |
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Prepositions:
Ask a person for a thing; ask a thing of or from a person; ask after or about one's health, welfare, friends, etc.
ASSOCIATE.
Synonyms:
| accomplice, | coadjutor, | comrade, | fellow, | mate, |
| ally, | colleague, | confederate, | friend, | partner, |
| chum, | companion, | consort, | helpmate, | peer. |
An associate as used officially implies a chief, leader, or principal, to whom the associate is not fully equal in rank. Associate is popularly used of mere friendly relations, but oftener implies some work, enterprise, or pursuit in which the associated persons unite. We rarely speak of associates in crime or wrong, using confederates or accomplices instead. Companion gives itself with equal readiness to the good or evil sense, as also does comrade. One may be a companion in travel who would not readily become an associate at home. A lady advertises for a companion; she would not advertise for an associate. Peer implies equality rather than companionship; as, a jury of his peers. Comrade expresses more fellowship and good feeling than companion. Fellow has almost gone out of use in this connection, except in an inferior or patronizing sense. Consort is a word of equality and dignity, as applied especially to the marriage relation. Compare ACCESSORY; ACQUAINTANCE; FRIENDSHIP
Antonyms:
| antagonist, | enemy, | foe, | hinderer, | opponent, | opposer, | rival, | stranger. |
Prepositions:
These were the associates of the leader in the enterprise.
ASSOCIATION.
Synonyms:
| alliance, | confederacy, | familiarity, | lodge, |
| club, | confederation, | federation, | participation, |
| community, | conjunction, | fellowship, | partnership, |
| companionship, | connection, | fraternity, | society, |
| company, | corporation, | friendship, | union. |
We speak of an alliance of nations, a club of pleasure-seekers, a community of Shakers, a company of soldiers or of friends, a confederacy, confederation, federation, or union of separate states under one general government, a partnership or company of business men, a conjunction of planets. The whole body of Freemasons constitute a fraternity; one of their local organizations is called a lodge. A corporation or company is formed for[61] purposes of business; an association or society (tho also incorporated) is for learning, literature, benevolence, religion, etc. Compare ASSOCIATE; ACQUAINTANCE; FRIENDSHIP
Antonyms:
| disintegration, | independence, | isolation, | separation, | solitude. |
Prepositions:
An association of scholars for the advancement of knowledge; association with the good is ennobling.
ASSUME.
Synonyms:
| accept, | arrogate, | postulate, | put on, |
| affect, | claim, | presume, | take, |
| appropriate, | feign, | pretend, | usurp. |
The distinctive idea of assume is to take by one's own independent volition, whether well or ill, rightfully or wrongfully. One may accept an obligation or assume an authority that properly belongs to him, or he may assume an obligation or indebtedness that could not be required of him. He may assume authority or office that is his right; if he assumes what does not belong to him, he is said to arrogate or usurp it. A man may usurp the substance of power in the most unpretending way; what he arrogates to himself he assumes with a haughty and overbearing manner. One assumes the robes or insignia of office by putting them on, with or without right. If he takes to himself the credit and appearance of qualities he does not possess, he is said to affect or feign, or to pretend to, the character he thus assumes. What a debater postulates he openly states and takes for granted without proof; what he assumes he may take for granted without mention. A favorite trick of the sophist is quietly to assume as true what would at once be challenged if expressly stated. What a man claims he asserts his right to take; what he assumes he takes
ASSURANCE.
Synonyms:
| arrogance, | boldness, | impudence, | self-confidence, |
| assertion, | confidence, | presumption, | self-reliance, |
| assumption, | effrontery, | self-assertion, | trust. |
Assurance may have the good sense of a high, sustained confidence and trust; as, the saint's assurance of heaven. Confidence is founded upon reasons; assurance is largely a matter of feeling. In the bad sense, assurance is a vicious courage, with belief of one's ability to outwit or defy others; the hardened criminal is[62] remarkable for habitual assurance. For the calm conviction of one's own rectitude and ability, self-confidence is a better word than assurance; self-reliance expresses confidence in one's own resources, independently of others' aid. In the bad sense assurance is less gross than impudence, which is (according to its etymology) a shameless boldness. Assurance is in act or manner; impudence may be in speech. Effrontery is impudence defiantly displayed. Compare FAITH; PRIDE
Antonyms:
| bashfulness, | consternation, | distrust, | hesitancy, | shyness, |
| confusion, | dismay, | doubt, | misgiving, | timidity. |
ASTUTE.
Synonyms:
| acute, | discerning, | penetrating, | sharp, |
| clear-sighted, | discriminating, | penetrative, | shrewd, |
| crafty, | keen, | perspicacious, | subtile, |
| cunning, | knowing, | sagacious, | subtle. |
Acute, from the Latin, suggests the sharpness of the needle's point; keen, from the Saxon, the sharpness of the cutting edge. Astute, from the Latin, with the original sense of cunning has come to have a meaning that combines the sense of acute or keen with that of sagacious. The astute mind adds to acuteness and keenness an element of cunning or finesse. The astute debater leads his opponents into a snare by getting them to make admissions, or urge arguments, of which he sees a result that they do not perceive. The acute, keen intellect may take no special advantage of these qualities; the astute mind has always a point to make for itself, and seldom fails to make it. A knowing look, air, etc., in general indicates practical knowledge with a touch of shrewdness, and perhaps of cunning; in regard to some special matter, it indicates the possession of reserved knowledge which the person could impart if he chose. Knowing has often a slightly invidious sense. We speak of a knowing rascal, meaning cunning or shrewd within a narrow range, but of a knowing horse or dog, in the sense of sagacious, implying that he knows more than could be expected of such an animal. A knowing child has more knowledge than would be looked for at his years, perhaps more than is quite desirable, while to speak of a child as intelligent is altogether complimentary.
Antonyms:
| blind, | idiotic, | shallow, | stolid, | undiscerning, |
| dull, | imbecile, | short-sighted, | stupid, | unintelligent. |
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ATTACHMENT.
Synonyms:
| adherence, | devotion, | friendship, | regard, |
| adhesion, | esteem, | inclination, | tenderness, |
| affection, | estimation, | love, | union. |
An attachment is a feeling that binds a person by ties of heart to another person or thing; we speak of a man's adherence to his purpose, his adhesion to his party, or to anything to which he clings tenaciously, tho with no special tenderness; of his attachment to his church, to the old homestead, or to any persons or objects that he may hold dear. Affection expresses more warmth of feeling; we should not speak of a mother's attachment to her babe, but of her affection or of her devotion. Inclination expresses simply a tendency, which may be good or bad, yielded to or overcome; as, an inclination to study; an inclination to drink. Regard is more distant than affection or attachment, but closer and warmer than esteem; we speak of high esteem, kind regard. Compare ACQUAINTANCE; APPENDAGE; FRIENDSHIP; LOVE; UNION
Antonyms:
| alienation, | aversion, | distance, | estrangement, | repugnance, |
| animosity, | coolness, | divorce, | indifference, | separation, |
| antipathy, | dislike, | enmity, | opposition, | severance. |
Prepositions:
Attachment of a true man to his friends; attachment to a leader for his nobility of character; the attachments between two persons or things; attachment by muscular fibers, or by a rope, etc.
ATTACK, v.
Synonyms:
| assail, | beset, | combat, | invade, |
| assault, | besiege, | encounter, | set upon, |
| beleaguer, | charge, | fall upon, | storm. |
To attack is to begin hostilities of any kind. A general invades a country by marching in troops; he attacks a city by drawing up an army against it; he assaults it by hurling his troops directly upon its defenses. Assail and assault, tho of the same original etymology, have diverged in meaning, so that assault alone retains the meaning of direct personal violence. One may assail another with reproaches; he assaults him with a blow, a brandished weapon, etc. Armies or squadrons charge; combat and encounter may be said of individual contests. To beset is to set around, or, so to speak, to stud one's path, with menaces, attacks, or persuasions. To besiege and beleaguer are[64] the acts of armies. To encounter is to meet face to face, and may be said either of the attacking or of the resisting force or person, or of both.
Antonyms:
| aid, | cover, | protect, | shelter, | support, | uphold, |
| befriend, | defend, | resist, | shield, | sustain, | withstand. |
Prepositions:
We were attacked by the enemy with cannon and musketry.
ATTACK, n.
Synonyms:
| aggression, | incursion, | invasion, | onslaught, |
| assault, | infringement, | onset, | trespass. |
| encroachment, | intrusion, | ||
An attack may be by word; an aggression is always by deed. An assault may be upon the person, an aggression is upon rights, possessions, etc. An invasion of a nation's territories is an act of aggression; an intrusion upon a neighboring estate is a trespass. Onslaught signifies intensely violent assault, as by an army or a desperado, tho it is sometimes used of violent speech.
Antonyms:
| defense, | repulsion, | resistance, | retreat, | submission, | surrender. |
Prepositions:
The enemy made an attack upon (or on) our works.
ATTAIN.
Synonyms:
| accomplish, | arrive at, | gain, | master, | reach, |
| achieve, | compass, | get, | obtain, | secure, |
| acquire, | earn, | grasp, | procure, | win. |
A person may obtain a situation by the intercession of friends, he procures a dinner by paying for it. Attain is a lofty word, pointing to some high or desirable result; a man attains the mountain summit, he attains honor or learning as the result of strenuous and earnest labor. Even that usage of attain which has been thought to refer to mere progress of time carries the thought of a result desired; as, to attain to old age; the man desires to live to a good old age; we should not speak of his attaining his dotage. One may attain an object that will prove not worth his labor, but what he achieves is in itself great and splendid; as, the Greeks at Marathon achieved a glorious victory. Compare DO; GET; REACH
Antonyms:
| abandon, | fail, | forfeit, | give up, | let go, | lose, | miss. |
[65]
ATTITUDE.
Synonyms:
| pose, | position, | posture. |
Position as applied to the arrangement or situation of the human body or limbs may denote that which is conscious or unconscious, of the living or the dead; but we do not speak of the attitude, pose, or posture of a corpse; unless, in some rare case, we might say the body was found in a sitting posture, where the posture is thought of as assumed in life, or as, at first glance, suggesting life. A posture is assumed without any special reference to expression of feeling; as, an erect posture, a reclining posture; attitude is the position appropriate to the expression of some feeling; the attitude may be unconsciously taken through the strength of the feeling; as, an attitude of defiance; or it may be consciously assumed in the attempt to express the feeling; as, he assumed an attitude of humility. A pose is a position studied for artistic effect, or considered with reference to such effect; the unconscious posture of a spectator or listener may be an admirable pose from an artist's standpoint.
ATTRIBUTE, v.
Synonyms:
| ascribe, | associate, | connect, | impute, | refer. |
| assign, | charge, | |||
We may attribute to a person either that which belongs to him or that which we merely suppose to be his. We attribute to God infinite power. We may attribute a wrong intent to an innocent person. We may attribute a result, rightly or wrongly, to a certain cause; in such case, however, attribute carries always a concession of uncertainty or possible error. Where we are quite sure, we simply refer a matter to the cause or class to which it belongs or ascribe to one what is surely his, etc. Many diseases formerly attributed to witchcraft are now referred to the action of micro-organisms. We may attribute a matter in silent thought; we ascribe anything openly in speech or writing; King Saul said of the singing women, "They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands." We associate things which may have no necessary or causal relation; as, we may associate the striking of a clock with the serving of dinner, tho the two are not necessarily connected. We charge a person with what we deem blameworthy. We may impute good or evil, but more commonly evil.[66]
Antonyms:
| deny, | disconnect, | dissociate, | separate, | sever, | sunder. |
Prepositions:
It is uncharitable to attribute evil motives to (archaic unto) others.
ATTRIBUTE, n.
Synonyms:
| property, | quality. |
A quality (L. qualis, such)—the "suchness" of anything, according to the German idiom—denotes what a thing really is in some one respect; an attribute is what we conceive a thing to be in some one respect; thus, while attribute may, quality must, express something of the real nature of that to which it is ascribed; we speak of the attributes of God, the qualities of matter. "Originally 'the attributes of God' was preferred, probably, because men assumed no knowledge of the actual qualities of the Deity, but only of those more or less fitly attributed to him." J. A. H. Murray[M.] Holiness is an attribute of God; the attributes of many heathen deities have been only the qualities of wicked men joined to superhuman power. A property (L. proprius, one's own) is what belongs especially to one thing as its own peculiar possession, in distinction from all other things; when we speak of the qualities or the properties of matter, quality is the more general, property the more limited term. A quality is inherent; a property may be transient; physicists now, however, prefer to term those qualities manifested by all bodies (such as impenetrability, extension, etc.), general properties of matter, while those peculiar to certain substances or to certain states of those substances (as fluidity, malleability, etc.) are termed specific properties; in this wider use of the word property, it becomes strictly synonymous with quality. Compare CHARACTERISTIC; EMBLEM
Antonyms:
| being, | essence, | nature, | substance. |
AUGUR.
Synonyms:
| betoken, | divine, | foretell, | predict, | prognosticate, |
| bode, | forebode, | portend, | presage, | prophesy. |
"Persons or things augur; persons only forebode or presage; things only betoken or portend." Crabb English Synonymes. We augur well for a voyage from past good fortune and a good start; we presage success from the stanchness of the ship and the skill[67] of the captain. We forebode misfortune either from circumstances that betoken failure, or from gloomy fancies for which we could not give a reason. Dissipation among the officers and mutiny among the crew portend disaster. Divine has reference to the ancient soothsayers' arts (as in Gen. xliv, 5, 15), and refers rather to reading hearts than to reading the future. We say I could not divine his motive, or his intention.
Antonyms:
| assure, | demonstrate, | establish, | make sure, | settle, |
| calculate, | determine, | insure, | prove, | warrant. |
Prepositions:
I augur from all circumstances a prosperous result; I augur ill of the enterprise; "augurs ill to the rights of the people," Thomas Jefferson Writings vol. ii, p. 506. [T.& M. '53.] I augur well, or this augurs well, for your cause.
AUTHENTIC.
Synonyms:
| accepted, | certain, | original, | sure, |
| accredited, | current, | real, | true, |
| authoritative, | genuine, | received, | trustworthy, |
| authorized, | legitimate, | reliable, | veritable. |
That is authentic which is true to the facts; that is genuine which is true to its own claims; as, authentic history; genuine money.
A 'genuine' work is one written by the author whose name it bears; an 'authentic' work is one which relates truthfully the matters of which it treats.For example, the apocryphal Gospel of St.Thomas is neither 'genuine' nor 'authentic.'It is not 'genuine,' for St.Thomas did not write it; it is not 'authentic,' for its contents are mainly fables and lies.
Trench On the Study of Words lect. vi, p. 189. [W.J.W.]
Authentic is, however, used by reputable writers as synonymous with genuine, tho usually where genuineness carries a certain authority. We speak of accepted conclusions, certain evidence, current money, genuine letters, a legitimate conclusion or legitimate authority, original manuscripts, real value, received interpretation, sure proof, a true statement, a trustworthy witness, a veritable discovery.
Antonyms:
| apocryphal, | counterfeit, | exploded, | false, | spurious, |
| baseless, | disputed, | fabulous, | fictitious, | unauthorized. |
AUXILIARY.
Synonyms:
| accessory, | ally, | coadjutor, | helper, | promoter, |
| aid, | assistant, | confederate, | mercenary, | subordinate. |
An auxiliary is a person or thing that helps in a subordinate[68] capacity. Allies unite as equals; auxiliaries are, at least technically, inferiors or subordinates. Yet the auxiliary is more than a mere assistant. The word is oftenest found in the plural, and in the military sense; auxiliaries are troops of one nation uniting with the armies, and acting under the orders, of another. Mercenaries serve only for pay; auxiliaries often for reasons of state, policy, or patriotism as well. Compare ACCESSORY; APPENDAGE
Antonyms:
| antagonist, | hinderer, | opponent, | opposer. |
Prepositions:
The auxiliaries of the Romans; an auxiliary in a good cause; an auxiliary to learning.
AVARICIOUS.
Synonyms:
| close, | greedy, | niggardly, | penurious, | sordid, |
| covetous, | miserly, | parsimonious, | rapacious, | stingy. |
Avaricious and covetous refer especially to acquisition, miserly, niggardly, parsimonious, and penurious to expenditure. The avaricious man has an eager craving for money, and ordinarily desires both to get and to keep, the covetous man to get something away from its possessor; tho one may be made avaricious by the pressure of great expenditures. Miserly and niggardly persons seek to gain by mean and petty savings; the miserly by stinting themselves, the niggardly by stinting others. Parsimonious and penurious may apply to one's outlay either for himself or for others; in the latter use, they are somewhat less harsh and reproachful terms than niggardly. The close man holds like a vise all that he gets. Near and nigh are provincial words of similar import. The rapacious have the robber instinct, and put it in practise in some form, as far as they dare. The avaricious and rapacious are ready to reach out for gain; the parsimonious, miserly, and niggardly prefer the safer and less adventurous way of avoiding expenditure. Greedy and stingy are used not only of money, but often of other things, as food, etc. The greedy child wishes to enjoy everything himself; the stingy child, to keep others from getting it.
Antonyms:
| bountiful, | free, | generous, | liberal, | munificent, | prodigal, | wasteful. |
Preposition:
The monarch was avaricious of power.
[69]
AVENGE.
Synonyms:
| punish, | retaliate, | revenge, | vindicate, | visit. |
Avenge and revenge, once close synonyms, are now far apart in meaning. To avenge is to visit some offense with punishment, in order to vindicate the righteous, or to uphold and illustrate the right by the suffering or destruction of the wicked. "And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian," Acts vii, 24. To revenge is to inflict harm or suffering upon another through personal anger and resentment at something done to ourselves. Avenge is unselfish; revenge is selfish. Revenge, according to present usage, could not be said of God. To retaliate may be necessary for self-defense, without the idea of revenge. Compare REVENGE
Prepositions:
Avenge on or upon (rarely, avenge oneself of) a wrong-doer.
AVOW.
Synonyms:
| knowledge, | aver, | confess, | own, | profess, | testify, |
| admit, | avouch, | declare, | proclaim, | protest, | witness. |
Acknowledge, admit, and declare refer either to oneself or to others; all the other words refer only to one's own knowledge or action. To avow is to declare boldly and openly, commonly as something one is ready to justify, maintain, or defend. A man acknowledges another's claim or his own promise; he admits an opponent's advantage or his own error; he declares either what he has seen or experienced or what he has received from another; he avers what he is sure of from his own knowledge or consciousness; he gives his assurance as the voucher for what he avouches; he avows openly a belief or intention that he has silently held. Avow and avouch take a direct object; aver is followed by a conjunction: a man avows his faith, avouches a deed, avers that he was present. Avow has usually a good sense; what a person avows he at least does not treat as blameworthy, criminal, or shameful; if he did, he would be said to confess it; yet there is always the suggestion that some will be ready to challenge or censure what one avows; as, the clergyman avowed his dissent from the doctrine of his church. Own applies to all things, good or bad, great or small, which one takes as his own. Compare CONFESS; STATE
Antonyms:
| contradict, | deny, | disavow, | disclaim, | disown, | ignore, | repudiate. |
[70]
AWFUL.
Synonyms:
| alarming, | direful, | frightful, | majestic, | solemn, |
| appalling, | dread, | grand, | noble, | stately, |
| august, | dreadful, | horrible, | portentous, | terrible, |
| dire, | fearful, | imposing, | shocking, | terrific. |
Awful should not be used of things which are merely disagreeable or annoying, nor of all that are alarming and terrible, but only of such as bring a solemn awe upon the soul, as in the presence of a superior power; as, the awful hush before the battle. That which is awful arouses an oppressive, that which is august an admiring reverence; we speak of the august presence of a mighty monarch, the awful presence of death. We speak of an exalted station, a grand mountain, an imposing presence, a majestic cathedral, a noble mien, a solemn litany, a stately march, an august assembly, the awful scene of the Judgment Day.
Antonyms:
| base, | contemptible, | inferior, | paltry, |
| beggarly, | despicable, | lowly, | undignified, |
| commonplace, | humble, | mean, | vulgar. |
AWKWARD.
Synonyms:
| boorish, | clumsy, | rough, | unhandy, |
| bungling, | gawky, | uncouth, | unskilful. |
| clownish, | maladroit, | ungainly, |
Awkward, from awk (kindred with off, from the Norwegian), is off-ward, turned the wrong way; it was anciently used of a back-handed or left-handed blow in battle, of squinting eyes, etc. Clumsy, on the other hand (from clumse, also through the Norwegian), signifies benumbed, stiffened with cold; this is the original meaning of clumsy fingers, clumsy limbs. Thus, awkward primarily refers to action, clumsy to condition. A tool, a vehicle, or the human frame may be clumsy in shape or build, awkward in motion. The clumsy man is almost of necessity awkward, but the awkward man may not be naturally clumsy. The finest untrained colt is awkward in harness; a horse that is clumsy in build can never be trained out of awkwardness. An awkward statement has an uncomfortable, and perhaps recoiling force; a statement that contains ill-assorted and incongruous material in ill-chosen language is clumsy. We speak of an awkward predicament, an awkward scrape. An awkward excuse commonly reflects on the one who offers it. We say the admitted facts have an[71] awkward appearance. In none of these cases could clumsy be used. Clumsy is, however, applied to movements that seem as unsuitable as those of benumbed and stiffened limbs. A dancing bear is both clumsy and awkward
Antonyms:
| adroit, | clever, | dexterous, | handy, | skilful. |
Prepositions:
The raw recruit is awkward in action; at the business.
AXIOM.
Synonym:
| truism. |
Both the axiom and the truism are instantly seen to be true, and need no proof; but in an axiom there is progress of thought, while the truism simply says the same thing over again, or says what is too manifest to need saying. The axiom that "things which are equal to the same thing are equal to one another" unfolds in the latter part of the sentence the truth implied in the first part, which might have been overlooked if not stated. In the truism that "a man can do all he is capable of," the former and the latter part of the sentence are simply identical, and the mind is left just where it started. Hence the axiom is valuable and useful, while the truism is weak and flat, unless the form of statement makes it striking or racy, as "all fools are out of their wits." Compare PROVERB
Antonyms:
| absurdity, | contradiction, | demonstration, | nonsense, | paradox, | sophism. |
BABBLE.
Synonyms:
| blab, | cackle, | gabble, | murmur, | prattle, |
| blurt, | chat, | gossip, | palaver, | tattle, |
| blurt out, | chatter, | jabber, | prate, | twaddle. |
Most of these words are onomatopoetic. The cackle of a hen, the gabble of a goose, the chatter of a magpie, the babble of a running stream, as applied to human speech, indicate a rapid succession of what are to the listener meaningless sounds. Blab and blurt (commonly blurt out) refer to the letting out of what the lips can no longer keep in; blab, of a secret; blurt out, of passionate feeling. To chat is to talk in an easy, pleasant way, not without sense, but without special purpose. Chatting is the practise of adults, prattling that of children. To prate is to talk idly,[72] presumptuously, or foolishly, but not necessarily incoherently. To jabber is to utter a rapid succession of unintelligible sounds, generally more noisy than chattering. To gossip is to talk of petty personal matters, as for pastime or mischief. To twaddle is to talk feeble nonsense. To murmur is to utter suppressed or even inarticulate sounds, suggesting the notes of a dove, or the sound of a running stream, and is used figuratively of the half suppressed utterances of affection or pity, or of complaint, resentment, etc. Compare SPEAK
Prepositions:
Babies babble for the moon; the crowd babbles of a hero; the sick man babbles of home.
BANISH.
Synonyms:
| ban, | dismiss, | evict, | expatriate, | ostracize, |
| discharge, | drive out, | exile, | expel, | oust. |
| dislodge, | eject, | |||
Banish, primarily to put under ban, to compel by authority to leave a place or country, perhaps with restriction to some other place or country. From a country, a person may be banished, exiled, or expatriated; banished from any country where he may happen to be, but expatriated or exiled only from his own. One may expatriate or exile himself; he is banished by others. Banish is a word of wide import; one may banish disturbing thoughts; care may banish sleep. To expel is to drive out with violence or rudeness, and so often with disgrace.
Prepositions:
Cataline was banished from Rome; John the Apostle was banished to Patmos.
BANK.
Synonyms:
| beach, | bound, | brink, | edge, | margin, | shore, |
| border, | brim, | coast, | marge, | rim, | strand. |
Bank is a general term for the land along the edge of a water course; it may also denote a raised portion of the bed of a river, lake, or ocean; as, the Banks of Newfoundland. A beach is a strip or expanse of incoherent wave-worn sand, which is often pebbly or full of boulders; we speak of the beach of a lake or ocean; a beach is sometimes found in the bend of a river. Strand is a more poetic term for a wave-washed shore, especially as a place for landing or embarking; as, the keel grates on the strand[73] The whole line of a country or continent that borders the sea is a coast. Shore is any land, whether cliff, or sand, or marsh, bordering water. We do not speak of the coast of a river, nor of the banks of the ocean, tho there may be banks by or under the sea. Edge is the line where land and water meet; as, the water's edge. Brink is the place from which one may fall; as, the river's brink; the brink of a precipice; the brink of ruin.
BANTER.
Synonyms:
| badinage, | derision, | jeering, | raillery, | sarcasm, |
| chaff, | irony, | mockery, | ridicule, | satire. |
Banter is the touching upon some fault, weakness, or fancied secret of another in a way half to pique and half to please; badinage is delicate, refined banter. Raillery has more sharpness, but is usually good-humored and well meant. Irony, the saying one thing that the reverse may be understood, may be either mild or bitter. All the other words have a hostile intent. Ridicule makes a person or thing the subject of contemptuous merriment; derision seeks to make the object derided seem utterly despicable—to laugh it to scorn. Chaff is the coarse witticism of the streets, perhaps merry, oftener malicious; jeering is loud, rude ridicule, as of a hostile crowd or mob. Mockery is more studied, and may include mimicry and personal violence, as well as scornful speech. A satire is a formal composition; a sarcasm may be an impromptu sentence. The satire shows up follies to keep people from them; the sarcasm hits them because they are foolish, without inquiring whether it will do good or harm; the satire is plainly uttered; the sarcasm is covert.
BARBAROUS.
Synonyms:
| atrocious, | brutal, | merciless, | uncivilized, |
| barbarian, | cruel, | rude, | uncouth, |
| barbaric, | inhuman, | savage, | untamed. |
Whatever is not civilized is barbarian; barbaric indicates rude magnificence, uncultured richness; as, barbaric splendor, a barbaric melody. Barbarous refers to the worst side of barbarian life, and to revolting acts, especially of cruelty, such as a civilized man would not be expected to do; as, a barbarous deed. We may, however, say barbarous nations, barbarous tribes, without implying anything more than want of civilization and culture. Savage[74] is more distinctly bloodthirsty than barbarous. In this sense we speak of a savage beast and of barbarous usage.
Antonyms:
| civilized, | cultured, | elegant, | humane, | polite, | tender, |
| courtly, | delicate, | graceful, | nice, | refined, | urbane. |
BARRIER.
Synonyms:
| bar, | bulwark, | obstruction, | rampart, |
| barricade, | hindrance, | parapet, | restraint, |
| breastwork, | obstacle, | prohibition, | restriction. |
A bar is something that is or may be firmly fixed, ordinarily with intent to prevent entrance or egress; as, the bars of a prison cell; the bars of a wood-lot. A barrier obstructs, but is not necessarily impassable. Barrier is used of objects more extensive than those to which bar is ordinarily applied. A mountain range may be a barrier to exploration; but a mass of sand across the entrance to a harbor is called a bar. Discovered falsehood is a bar to confidence. Barricade has become practically a technical name for an improvised street fortification, and, unless in some way modified, is usually so understood. A parapet is a low or breast-high wall, as about the edge of a roof, terrace, etc., especially, in military use, such a wall for the protection of troops; a rampart is the embankment surrounding a fort, on which the parapet is raised; the word rampart is often used as including the parapet. Bulwark is a general word for any defensive wall or rampart; its only technical use at present is in nautical language, where it signifies the raised side of a ship above the upper deck, topped by the rail. Compare BOUNDARY; IMPEDIMENT
Antonyms:
| admittance, | opening, | road, | transit, |
| entrance, | passage, | thoroughfare, | way. |
Prepositions:
A barrier to progress, against invasion; a barrier between nations.
BATTLE.
Synonyms:
| action, | combat, | encounter, | passage of arms, |
| affair, | conflict, | engagement, | skirmish, |
| bout, | contest, | fight, | strife. |
Conflict is a general word which describes opponents, whether individuals or hosts, as dashed together. One continuous conflict between entire armies is a battle. Another battle may be fought upon the same field after a considerable interval; or a new battle[75] may follow immediately, the armies meeting upon a new field. An action is brief and partial; a battle may last for days. Engagement is a somewhat formal expression for battle; as, it was the commander's purpose to avoid a general engagement. A protracted war, including many battles, may be a stubborn contest. Combat, originally a hostile encounter between individuals, is now used also for extensive engagements. A skirmish is between small detachments or scattered troops. An encounter may be either purposed or accidental, between individuals or armed forces. Fight is a word of less dignity than battle; we should not ordinarily speak of Waterloo as a fight, unless where the word is used in the sense of fighting; as, I was in the thick of the fight
Antonyms:
| armistice, | concord, | peace, | suspension of hostilities, | truce. |
Prepositions:
A battle of giants; battle between armies; a battle for life, against invaders; a battle to the death; the battle of (more rarely at) Marathon.
BEAT.
Synonyms:
| bastinado, | chastise, | overcome, | spank, | thrash, |
| batter, | conquer, | pommel, | strike, | vanquish, |
| belabor, | cudgel, | pound, | surpass, | whip, |
| bruise, | defeat, | scourge, | switch, | worst. |
| castigate, | flog, | smite, | ||
Strike is the word for a single blow; to beat is to strike repeatedly, as a bird beats the air with its wings. Others of the above words describe the manner of beating, as bastinado, to beat on the soles of the feet; belabor, to inflict a comprehensive and exhaustive beating; cudgel, to beat with a stick; thrash, as wheat was beaten out with the old hand-flail; to pound (akin to L. pondus, a weight) is to beat with a heavy, and pommel with a blunt, instrument. To batter and to bruise refer to the results of beating; that is battered which is broken or defaced by repeated blows on the surface (compare synonyms for SHATTER); that is bruised which has suffered even one severe contusion. The metaphorical sense of beat, however, so far preponderates that one may be very badly bruised and battered, and yet not be said to be beaten, unless he has got the worst of the beating. To beat a combatant is to disable or dishearten him for further fighting. Hence beat becomes[76] the synonym for every word which implies getting the advantage of another. Compare CONQUER
Antonyms:
| fail, | fall, | get the worst of, | go down, | go under, | surrender. |
Almost all antonyms in this class are passive, and can be formed indefinitely from the conquering words by the use of the auxiliary be; as, be beaten, be defeated, be conquered, etc.
Prepositions:
Beat with a stick over the head; beat by a trick; out of town; beat to the ground; into submission.
BEAUTIFUL.
Synonyms:
| attractive, | charming, | exquisite, | handsome, |
| beauteous, | comely, | fair, | lovely, |
| bewitching, | delightful, | fine, | picturesque, |
| bonny, | elegant, | graceful, | pretty. |
The definition of beauty, "perfection of form," is a good key to the meaning of beautiful, if we understand "form" in its widest sense. There must also be harmony and unity, and in human beings spiritual loveliness, to constitute an object or a person really beautiful. Thus, we speak of a beautiful landscape, a beautiful poem. But beautiful implies also, in concrete objects, softness of outline and delicacy of mold; it is opposed to all that is hard and rugged, hence we say a beautiful woman, but not a beautiful man. Beautiful has the further limit of not transcending our powers of appreciation. Pretty expresses in a far less degree that which is pleasing to a refined taste in objects comparatively small, slight, and dainty; as, a pretty bonnet; a pretty girl. That is handsome which is not only superficially pleasing, but well and harmoniously proportioned, with usually the added idea that it is made so by art, breeding, or training; as, a handsome horse; a handsome house. Handsome is a term far inferior to beautiful; we may even say a handsome villain. Fair denotes what is bright, smooth, clear, and without blemish; as, a fair face. The word applies wholly to what is superficial; we can say "fair, yet false." In a specific sense, fair has the sense of blond, as opposed to dark or brunette. One who possesses vivacity, wit, good nature, or other pleasing qualities may be attractive without beauty. Comely denotes an aspect that is smooth, genial, and wholesome, with a certain fulness of contour and pleasing symmetry, tho falling[77] short of the beautiful; as, a comely matron. That is picturesque which would make a striking picture.
Antonyms:
| awkward, | frightful, | grotesque, | repulsive, | uncouth, |
| clumsy, | ghastly, | hideous, | shocking, | ungainly, |
| deformed, | grim, | horrid, | ugly, | unlovely, |
| disgusting, | grisly, | odious, | unattractive, | unpleasant. |
Prepositions:
Beautiful to the eye; beautiful in appearance, in spirit; "beautiful for situation," Ps. xlviii, 2; beautiful of aspect, of its kind.
BECAUSE.
Synonyms:
| as, | for, | inasmuch as, | since. |
Because, literally by-cause, is the most direct and complete word for giving the reason of a thing. Since, originally denoting succession in time, signifies a succession in a chain of reasoning, a natural inference or result. As indicates something like, coordinate, parallel. Since is weaker than because; as is weaker than since; either may introduce the reason before the main statement; thus, since or as you are going, I will accompany you. Often the weaker word is the more courteous, implying less constraint; for example, as you request it, I will come, rather than I will come because you request it. Inasmuch as is a formal and qualified expression, implying by just so much, and no more; thus, inasmuch as the debtor has no property, I abandon the claim. For is a loose connective, giving often mere suggestion or indication rather than reason or cause; as, it is morning, for (not because) the birds are singing.
Antonyms:
| altho, | however, | nevertheless, | notwithstanding, | yet. |
Compare synonyms for BUT; NOTWITHSTANDING
BECOMING.
Synonyms:
| befitting, | congruous, | fit, | meet, | seemly, |
| beseeming, | decent, | fitting, | neat, | suitable, |
| comely, | decorous, | graceful, | proper, | worthy. |
That is becoming in dress which suits the complexion, figure, and other qualities of the wearer, so as to produce on the whole a pleasing effect. That is decent which does not offend modesty or propriety. That is suitable which is adapted to the age, station, situation, and other circumstances of the wearer; coarse, heavy[78] boots are suitable for farm-work; a juvenile style of dress is not suitable for an old lady. In conduct much the same rules apply. The dignity and gravity of a patriarch would not be becoming to a child; at a funeral lively, cheery sociability would not be decorous, while noisy hilarity would not be decent; sumptuous display would not be suitable for a poor person. Fit is a compendious term for whatever fits the person, time, place, occasion, etc.; as, a fit person; a fit abode; a fit place. Fitting, or befitting, is somewhat more elegant, implying a nicer adaptation. Meet, a somewhat archaic word, expresses a moral fitness; as, meet for heaven. Compare BEAUTIFUL
Antonyms:
| awkward, | ill-fitting, | indecent, | unbecoming, | unseemly, |
| ill-becoming, | improper, | indecorous, | unfit, | unsuitable. |
Prepositions:
The dress was becoming to the wearer. Such conduct was becoming in him.
BEGINNING.
Synonyms:
| arising, | inauguration, | origin, | source, |
| commencement, | inception, | outset, | spring, |
| fount, | initiation, | rise, | start. |
| fountain, | opening, | ||
The Latin commencement is more formal than the Saxon beginning, as the verb commence, is more formal than begin. Commencement is for the most part restricted to some form of action, while beginning has no restriction, but may be applied to action, state, material, extent, enumeration, or to whatever else may be conceived of as having a first part, point, degree, etc. The letter A is at the beginning (not the commencement) of every alphabet. If we were to speak of the commencement of the Pacific Railroad, we should be understood to refer to the enterprise and its initiatory act; if we were to refer to the roadway we should say "Here is the beginning of the Pacific Railroad." In the great majority of cases begin and beginning are preferable to commence and commencement as the simple, idiomatic English words, always accurate and expressive. "In the beginning was the word," John i, 1. An origin is the point from which something starts or sets out, often involving, and always suggesting causal connection; as, the origin of evil; the origin of a nation, a government, or a family. A source is that which furnishes a first and continuous supply, that which flows forth freely or may be readily recurred to; as, the source of a river; a source of knowledge; a source of inspiration;[79] fertile land is a source (not an origin) of wealth. A rise is thought of as in an action; we say that a lake is the source of a certain river, or that the river takes its rise from the lake. Motley wrote of "The Rise of the Dutch Republic." Fount, fountain, and spring, in their figurative senses, keep close to their literal meaning. Compare CAUSE
Antonyms:
See synonyms for END
BEHAVIOR.
Synonyms:
| action, | breeding, | conduct, | deportment, | manner, |
| bearing, | carriage, | demeanor, | life, | manners. |
Behavior is our action in the presence of others; conduct includes also that which is known only to ourselves and our Maker. Carriage expresses simply the manner of holding the body, especially in sitting or walking, as when it is said of a lady "she has a fine carriage." Bearing refers to the bodily expression of feeling or disposition; as, a haughty bearing; a noble bearing. Demeanor is the bodily expression, not only of feelings, but of moral states; as, a devout demeanor. Breeding, unless with some adverse limitation, denotes that manner and conduct which result from good birth and training. Deportment is behavior as related to a set of rules; as, the pupil's deportment was faultless. A person's manner may be that of a moment, or toward a single person; his manners are his habitual style of behavior toward or before others, especially in matters of etiquette and politeness; as, good manners are always pleasing.
Prepositions:
The behavior of the pastor to or toward his people, on or upon the streets, before the multitude, or in the church, with the godly, or with the worldly, was alike faultless.
BEND.
Synonyms:
| bias, | curve, | diverge, | mold, | submit, | twist, |
| bow, | deflect, | incline, | persuade, | turn, | warp, |
| crook, | deviate, | influence, | stoop, | twine, | yield. |
In some cases a thing is spoken of as bent where the parts make an angle; but oftener to bend is understood to be to draw to or through a curve; as, to bend a bow. To submit or yield is to bend the mind humbly to another's wishes. To incline or influence is to bend another's wishes toward our own; to persuade is to[80] draw them quite over. To warp is to bend silently through the whole fiber, as a board in the sun. To crook is to bend irregularly, as a crooked stick. Deflect, deviate, and diverge are said of any turning away; deviate commonly of a slight and gradual movement, diverge of a more sharp and decided one. To bias is to cut across the texture, or incline to one side; in figurative use always with an unfavorable import. Mold is a stronger work than bend; we may bend by a superior force that which still resists the constraint; as, a bent bow; we mold something plastic entirely to some desired form.
BENEVOLENCE.
Synonyms:
| almsgiving, | charity, | kind-heartedness, | munificence, |
| beneficence, | generosity, | kindliness, | philanthropy, |
| benignity, | good-will, | kindness, | sympathy, |
| bounty, | humanity, | liberality, | unselfishness. |
According to the etymology and original usage, beneficence is the doing well, benevolence the wishing or willing well to others; but benevolence has come to include beneficence, and to displace it. We should not now speak of benevolence which did not help, unless where there was no power to help; even then we should rather say good-will or sympathy. Charity, which originally meant the purest love for God and man (as in 1 Cor. xiii), is now almost universally applied to some form of almsgiving, and is much more limited in meaning than benevolence. Benignity suggests some occult power of blessing, such as was formerly ascribed to the stars; we may say a good man has an air of benignity. Kindness and tenderness are personal; benevolence and charity are general. Kindness extends to all sentient beings, whether men or animals, in prosperity or in distress. Tenderness especially goes out toward the young, feeble, and needy, or even to the dead. Humanity is so much kindness and tenderness toward man or beast as it would be inhuman not to have; we say of some act of care or kindness, "common humanity requires it." Generosity is self-forgetful kindness in disposition or action; it includes much besides giving; as, the generosity of forgiveness. Bounty applies to ample giving, which on a larger scale is expressed by munificence. Liberality indicates broad, genial kindly views, whether manifested in gifts or otherwise. We speak of the bounty of a generous host, the liberality or munificence of the founder of a college, or of the liberality of a theologian toward the holders of conflicting[81] beliefs. Philanthropy applies to wide schemes for human welfare, often, but not always, involving large expenditures in charity or benevolence. Compare MERCY
Antonyms:
| barbarity, | greediness, | ill-will, | malignity, | self-seeking, |
| brutality, | harshness, | inhumanity, | niggardliness, | stinginess, |
| churlishness, | illiberality, | malevolence, | selfishness, | unkindness. |
Prepositions:
Benevolence of, on the part of, or from the wealthy, to or toward the poor.
BIND.
Synonyms:
| compel, | fetter, | oblige, | restrict, | shackle, |
| engage, | fix, | restrain, | secure, | tie. |
| fasten, | ||||
Binding is primarily by something flexible, as a cord or bandage drawn closely around an object or group of objects, as when we bind up a wounded limb. We bind a sheaf of wheat with a cord; we tie the cord in a knot; we fasten by any means that will make things hold together, as a board by nails, or a door by a lock. The verbs tie and fasten are scarcely used in the figurative sense, tho, using the noun, we speak of the ties of affection. Bind has an extensive figurative use. One is bound by conscience or honor; he is obliged by some imperious necessity; engaged by his own promise; compelled by physical force or its moral equivalent.
Antonyms:
| free, | loose, | set free, | unbind, | unfasten, | unloose, | untie. |
Prepositions:
Bind to a pillar; unto an altar; to a service; bind one with chains or in chains; one is bound by a contract; a splint is bound upon a limb; the arms may be bound to the sides or behind the back; bind a wreath about, around, or round the head; twigs are bound in or into fagots; for military purposes, they are bound at both ends and in the middle; one is bound by a contract, or bound under a penalty to fulfil a contract.
BITTER.
Synonyms:
| acerb, | acidulous, | caustic, | pungent, | stinging, |
| acetous, | acrid, | cutting, | savage, | tart, |
| acid, | acrimonious, | harsh, | sharp, | vinegarish, |
| acidulated, | biting, | irate, | sour, | virulent. |
Acid, sour, and bitter agree in being contrasted with sweet, but[82] the two former are sharply distinguished from the latter. Acid or sour is the taste of vinegar or lemon-juice; bitter that of quassia, quinine, or strychnine. Acrid is nearly allied to bitter. Pungent suggests the effect of pepper or snuff on the organs of taste or smell; as, a pungent odor. Caustic indicates the corroding effect of some strong chemical, as nitrate of silver. In a figurative sense, as applied to language or character, these words are very closely allied. We say a sour face, sharp words, bitter complaints, caustic wit, cutting irony, biting sarcasm, a stinging taunt, harsh judgment, a tart reply. Harsh carries the idea of intentional and severe unkindness, bitter of a severity that arises from real or supposed ill treatment. The bitter speech springs from the sore heart. Tart and sharp utterances may not proceed from an intention to wound, but merely from a wit recklessly keen; cutting, stinging, and biting speech indicates more or less of hostile intent, the latter being the more deeply malicious. The caustic utterance is meant to burn, perhaps wholesomely, as in the satire of Juvenal or Cervantes. Compare MOROSE
Antonyms:
| dulcet, | honeyed, | luscious, | nectared, | saccharine, | sweet. |
BLEACH, v.
Synonyms:
| blanch, | make white, | whiten, | whitewash. |
To whiten is to make white in general, but commonly it means to overspread with white coloring-matter. Bleach and blanch both signify to whiten by depriving of color, the former permanently, as linen; the latter either permanently (as, to blanch celery) or temporarily (as, to blanch the cheek with fear). To whitewash is to whiten superficially, especially by false approval.
Antonyms:
| blacken, | color, | darken, | dye, | soil, | stain. |
BLEMISH.
Synonyms:
| blot, | defacement, | disgrace, | injury, | spot, |
| blur, | defect, | dishonor, | reproach, | stain, |
| brand, | deformity, | fault, | smirch, | stigma, |
| crack, | dent, | flaw, | soil, | taint, |
| daub, | disfigurement, | imperfection, | speck, | tarnish. |
Whatever mars the beauty or completeness of an object is a blemish, whether original, as squinting eyes, or the result of accident or disease, etc., as the pits of smallpox. A blemish is superficial; a flaw or taint is in structure or substance. In the moral[83] sense, we speak of a blot or stain upon reputation; a flaw or taint in character. A defect is the want or lack of something; fault, primarily a failing, is something that fails of an apparent intent or disappoints a natural expectation; thus a sudden dislocation or displacement of geological strata is called a fault. Figuratively, a blemish comes from one's own ill-doing; a brand or stigma is inflicted by others; as, the brand of infamy.
BLOW.
Synonyms:
| box, | concussion, | disaster, | misfortune, | stripe, |
| buffet, | cuff, | knock, | rap, | stroke, |
| calamity, | cut, | lash, | shock, | thump. |
A blow is a sudden impact, as of a fist or a club; a stroke is a sweeping movement; as, the stroke of a sword, of an oar, of the arm in swimming. A shock is the sudden encounter with some heavy body; as, colliding railway-trains meet with a shock; the shock of battle. A slap is given with the open hand, a lash with a whip, thong, or the like; we speak also of the cut of a whip. A buffet or cuff is given only with the hand; a blow either with hand or weapon. A cuff is a somewhat sidelong blow, generally with the open hand; as, a cuff or box on the ear. A stripe is the effect or mark of a stroke. In the metaphorical sense, blow is used for sudden, stunning, staggering calamity or sorrow; stroke for sweeping disaster, and also for sweeping achievement and success. We say a stroke of paralysis, or a stroke of genius. We speak of the buffets of adverse fortune. Shock is used of that which is at once sudden, violent, and prostrating; we speak of a shock of electricity, the shock of an amputation, a shock of surprise. Compare BEAT
BLUFF.
Synonyms:
| abrupt, | brusk, | impolite, | rough, |
| blunt, | coarse, | inconsiderate, | rude, |
| blustering, | discourteous, | open, | uncivil, |
| bold, | frank, | plain-spoken, | unmannerly. |
Bluff is a word of good meaning, as are frank and open. The bluff man talks and laughs loudly and freely, says and does whatever he pleases with fearless good nature, and with no thought of annoying or giving pain to others. The blunt man says things which he is perfectly aware are disagreeable, either from a defiant indifference to others' feelings, or from the pleasure of tormenting.
Antonyms:
| bland, | courteous, | genial, | polished, | polite, | refined, | reserved, | urbane. |
[84]
BODY.
Synonyms:
| ashes, | clay, | dust, | frame, | system, |
| carcass, | corpse, | form, | remains, | trunk. |
Body denotes the entire physical structure, considered as a whole, of man or animal; form looks upon it as a thing of shape and outline, perhaps of beauty; frame regards it as supported by its bony framework; system views it as an assemblage of many related and harmonious organs. Body, form, frame, and system may be either dead or living; clay and dust are sometimes so used in religious or poetic style, tho ordinarily these words are used only of the dead. Corpse and remains are used only of the dead. Corpse is the plain technical word for a dead body still retaining its unity; remains may be used after any lapse of time; the latter is also the more refined and less ghastly term; as, friends are invited to view the remains. Carcass applies only to the body of an animal, or of a human being regarded with contempt and loathing. Compare COMPANY
Antonyms:
| intellect, | intelligence, | mind, | soul, | spirit. |
BOTH.
Synonyms:
| twain, | two. |
Both refers to two objects previously mentioned, or had in mind, viewed or acting in connection; as, both men fired at once; "two men fired" might mean any two, out of any number, and without reference to any previous thought or mention. Twain is a nearly obsolete form of two. The two, or the twain, is practically equivalent to both; both, however, expresses a closer unity. We would say both men rushed against the enemy; the two men flew at each other. Compare EVERY
Antonyms:
| each, | either, | every, | neither, | none, | no one, | not any. |
BOUNDARY.
Synonyms:
| barrier, | confines, | limit, | margin, |
| border, | edge, | line, | term, |
| bound, | enclosure, | marches, | termination, |
| bourn, | frontier, | marge, | verge. |
| bourne, | landmark, | ||
The boundary was originally the landmark, that which marked off one piece of territory from another. The bound is the[85] limit, marked or unmarked. Now, however, the difference between the two words has come to be simply one of usage. As regards territory, we speak of the boundaries of a nation or of an estate; the bounds of a college, a ball-ground, etc. Bounds may be used for all within the limits, boundary for the limiting line only. Boundary looks to that which is without; bound only to that which is within. Hence we speak of the bounds, not the boundaries, of a subject, of the universe, etc.; we say the students were forbidden to go beyond the bounds. A barrier is something that bars ingress or egress. A barrier may be a boundary, as was the Great Wall of China. Bourn, or bourne, is a poetical expression for bound or boundary. A border is a strip of land along the boundary. Edge is a sharp terminal line, as where river or ocean meets the land. Limit is now used almost wholly in the figurative sense; as, the limit of discussion, of time, of jurisdiction. Line is a military term; as, within the lines, or through the lines, of an army. Compare BARRIER; END
Antonyms:
| center, | citadel, | estate, | inside, | interior, | land, | region, | territory. |
Prepositions:
The boundaries of an estate; the boundary between neighboring territories.
BRAVE.
Synonyms:
| adventurous, | courageous, | fearless, | undaunted, |
| bold, | daring, | gallant, | undismayed, |
| chivalric, | dauntless, | heroic, | valiant, |
| chivalrous, | doughty, | intrepid, | venturesome. |
The adventurous man goes in quest of danger; the bold man stands out and faces danger or censure; the brave man combines confidence with resolution in presence of danger; the chivalrous man puts himself in peril for others' protection. The daring step out to defy danger; the dauntless will not flinch before anything that may come to them; the doughty will give and take limitless hard knocks. The adventurous find something romantic in dangerous enterprises; the venturesome may be simply heedless, reckless, or ignorant. All great explorers have been adventurous; children, fools, and criminals are venturesome. The fearless and intrepid possess unshaken nerves in any place of danger. Courageous is more than brave, adding a moral element: the courageous man steadily encounters perils to which he may be keenly sensitive, at the call of duty; the gallant are brave in a dashing, showy, and[86] splendid way; the valiant not only dare great dangers, but achieve great results; the heroic are nobly daring and dauntless, truly chivalrous, sublimely courageous. Compare FORTITUDE
Antonyms:
| afraid, | cringing, | fearful, | pusillanimous, | timid, |
| cowardly, | faint-hearted, | frightened, | shrinking, | timorous. |
BREAK.
Synonyms:
| bankrupt, | crack, | destroy, | rive, | shatter, | split, |
| burst, | crush, | fracture, | rupture, | shiver, | sunder, |
| cashier, | demolish, | rend, | sever, | smash, | transgress. |
To break is to divide sharply, with severance of particles, as by a blow or strain. To burst is to break by pressure from within, as a bombshell, but it is used also for the result of violent force otherwise exerted; as, to burst in a door, where the door yields as if to an explosion. To crush is to break by pressure from without, as an egg-shell. To crack is to break without complete severance of parts; a cracked cup or mirror may still hold together. Fracture has a somewhat similar sense. In a fractured limb, the ends of the broken bone may be separated, tho both portions are still retained within the common muscular tissue. A shattered object is broken suddenly and in numerous directions; as, a vase is shattered by a blow, a building by an earthquake. A shivered glass is broken into numerous minute, needle-like fragments. To smash is to break thoroughly to pieces with a crashing sound by some sudden act of violence; a watch once smashed will scarcely be worth repair. To split is to cause wood to crack or part in the way of the grain, and is applied to any other case where a natural tendency to separation is enforced by an external cause; as, to split a convention or a party. To demolish is to beat down, as a mound, building, fortress, etc.; to destroy is to put by any process beyond restoration physically, mentally, or morally; to destroy an army is so to shatter and scatter it that it can not be rallied or reassembled as a fighting force. Compare REND
Antonyms:
| attach, | bind, | fasten, | join, | mend, | secure, | solder, | unite, | weld. |
Prepositions:
Break to pieces, or in pieces, into several pieces (when the object is thought of as divided rather than shattered); break with a friend; from or away from a suppliant; break into a house; out of prison; break across one's knee; break through a hedge; break in upon one's retirement; break over the rules; break on or upon the shore, against the rocks.
[87]
BRUTISH.
Synonyms:
| animal, | brutal, | ignorant, | sensual, | swinish, |
| base, | brute, | imbruted, | sottish, | unintellectual, |
| beastly, | carnal, | insensible, | stolid, | unspiritual, |
| bestial, | coarse, | lascivious, | stupid, | vile. |
A brutish man simply follows his animal instincts, without special inclination to do harm; the brutal have always a spirit of malice and cruelty. Brute has no special character, except as indicating what a brute might possess; much the same is true of animal, except that animal leans more to the side of sensuality, brute to that of force, as appears in the familiar phrase "brute force." Hunger is an animal appetite; a brute impulse suddenly prompts one to strike a blow in anger. Bestial, in modern usage, implies an intensified and degrading animalism. Any supremacy of the animal or brute instincts over the intellectual and spiritual in man is base and vile. Beastly refers largely to the outward and visible consequences of excess; as, beastly drunkenness. Compare ANIMAL
Antonyms:
| elevated, | exalted, | great, | intellectual, | noble, |
| enlightened, | grand, | humane, | intelligent, | refined. |
BURN.
Synonyms:
| blaze, | char, | flame, | incinerate, | set fire to, |
| brand, | consume, | flash, | kindle, | set on fire, |
| cauterize, | cremate, | ignite, | scorch, | singe. |
To burn is to subject to the action of fire, or of intense heat so as to effect either partial change or complete combustion; as, to burn wood in the fire; to burn one's hand on a hot stove; the sun burns the face. One brands with a hot iron, but cauterizes with some corrosive substance, as silver nitrate. Cremate is now used specifically for consuming a dead body by intense heat. To incinerate is to reduce to ashes; the sense differs little from that of cremate, but it is in less popular use. To kindle is to set on fire, as if with a candle; ignite is the more learned and scientific word for the same thing, extending even to the heating of metals to a state of incandescence without burning. To scorch and to singe are superficial, and to char usually so. Both kindle and burn have an extensive figurative use; as, to kindle strife; to burn with wrath, love, devotion, curiosity. Compare LIGHT
Antonyms:
| cool, | extinguish, | put out, | smother, | stifle, | subdue. |
[88]
Prepositions:
To burn in the fire, burn with fire; burn to the ground, burn to ashes; burn through the skin, or the roof; burn into the soil, etc.
BUSINESS.
Synonyms:
| affair, | commerce, | handicraft, | trading, |
| art, | concern, | job, | traffic, |
| avocation, | craft, | occupation, | transaction, |
| barter, | duty, | profession, | vocation, |
| calling, | employment, | trade, | work. |
A business is what one follows regularly; an occupation is what he happens at any time to be engaged in; trout-fishing may be one's occupation for a time, as a relief from business; business is ordinarily for profit, while the occupation may be a matter of learning, philanthropy, or religion. A profession implies scholarship; as, the learned professions. Pursuit is an occupation which one follows with ardor. An avocation is what calls one away from other work; a vocation or calling, that to which one is called by some special fitness or sense of duty; thus, we speak of the gospel ministry as a vocation or calling, rather than a business. Trade or trading is, in general, the exchanging of one thing for another; in the special sense, a trade is an occupation involving manual training and skilled labor; as, the ancient Jews held that every boy should learn a trade. A transaction is a single action, whether in business, diplomacy, or otherwise; affair has a similar, but lighter meaning; as, this little affair; an important transaction. The plural affairs has a distinctive meaning, including all activities where men deal with one another on any considerable scale; as, a man of affairs. A job is a piece of work viewed as a single undertaking, and ordinarily paid for as such. Trade and commerce may be used as equivalents, but trade is capable of a more limited application; we speak of the trade of a village, the commerce of a nation. Barter is the direct exchange of commodities; business, trade, and commerce are chiefly transacted by means of money, bills of exchange, etc. Business, occupation, etc., may be what one does independently; employment may be in the service of another. Work is any application of energy to secure a result, or the result thus secured; thus, we speak of the work of God. Art in the industrial sense is a system of rules and accepted methods for the accomplishment of some practical result; as, the art of printing; collectively, the arts. A craft is some occupation requiring technical skill or manual dexterity,[89] or the persons, collectively, engaged in its exercise; as, the weaver's craft
Prepositions:
The business of a druggist; in business with his father; doing business for his father; have you business with me? business in New York; business about, concerning, or in regard to certain property.
BUT.
Synonyms:
| and, | however, | notwithstanding, | that, |
| barely, | just, | only, | tho, |
| besides, | merely, | provided, | unless, |
| except, | moreover, | save, | yet. |
| further, | nevertheless, | still, | |
But ranges from the faintest contrast to absolute negation; as, I am willing to go, but (on the other hand) content to stay; he is not an honest man, but (on the contrary) a villain. The contrast may be with a silent thought; as, but let us go (it being understood that we might stay longer). In restrictive use, except and excepting are slightly more emphatic than but; we say, no injury but a scratch; or, no injury except some painful bruises. Such expressions as "words are but breath" (nothing but) may be referred to the restrictive use by ellipsis. So may the use of but in the sense of unless; as, "it never rains but it pours." To the same head must be referred the conditional use; as, "you may go, but with your father's consent" (i.e., "provided you have," "except that you must have," etc.). "Doubt but" is now less used than the more logical "doubt that." But never becomes a full synonym for and; and adds something like, but adds something different; "brave and tender" implies that tenderness is natural to the brave; "brave but tender" implies that bravery and tenderness are rarely combined. For the concessive use, compare NOTWITHSTANDING
BY.
Synonyms:
| by dint of, | by means of, | through, | with. |
By refers to the agent; through, to the means, cause, or condition; with, to the instrument. By commonly refers to persons; with, to things; through may refer to either. The road having become impassable through long disuse, a way was opened by pioneers with axes. By may, however, be applied to any object which is viewed as partaking of action and agency; as, the metal[90] was corroded by the acid; skill is gained by practise. We speak of communicating with a person by letter. Through implies a more distant connection than by or with, and more intervening elements. Material objects are perceived by the mind through the senses.
CABAL.
Synonyms:
| combination, | confederacy, | crew, | gang, |
| conclave, | conspiracy, | faction, | junto. |
A conspiracy is a combination of persons for an evil purpose, or the act of so combining. Conspiracy is a distinct crime under common, and generally under statutory, law. A faction is more extensive than a conspiracy, less formal in organization, less definite in plan. Faction and its adjective, factious, have always an unfavorable sense. Cabal commonly denotes a conspiracy of leaders. A gang is a company of workmen all doing the same work under one leader; the word is used figuratively only of combinations which it is meant to stigmatize as rude and mercenary; crew is used in a closely similar sense. A conclave is secret, but of larger numbers, ordinarily, than a cabal, and may have honorable use; as, the conclave of cardinals.
CALCULATE.
Synonyms:
| account, | consider, | enumerate, | rate, |
| cast, | count, | estimate, | reckon, |
| compute, | deem, | number, | sum up. |
Number is the generic term. To count is to number one by one. To calculate is to use more complicated processes, as multiplication, division, etc., more rapid but not less exact. Compute allows more of the element of probability, which is still more strongly expressed by estimate. We compute the slain in a great war from the number known to have fallen in certain great battles; compute refers to the present or the past, estimate more frequently to the future; as, to estimate the cost of a proposed building. To enumerate is to mention item by item; as, to enumerate one's grievances. To rate is to estimate by comparison, as if the object were one of a series. We count upon a desired future; we do not count upon the undesired. As applied to the present, we reckon or count a thing precious or worthless. Compare ESTEEM
Prepositions:
It is vain to calculate on or upon an uncertain result.
[91]
CALL, v.
Synonyms:
| bawl, | cry (out), | roar, | shriek, |
| bellow, | ejaculate, | scream, | vociferate, |
| clamor, | exclaim, | shout, | yell. |
To call is to send out the voice in order to attract another's attention, either by word or by inarticulate utterance. Animals call their mates, or their young; a man calls his dog, his horse, etc. The sense is extended to include summons by bell, or any signal. To shout is to call or exclaim with the fullest volume of sustained voice; to scream is to utter a shriller cry; to shriek or to yell refers to that which is louder and wilder still. We shout words; in screaming, shrieking, or yelling there is often no attempt at articulation. To bawl is to utter senseless, noisy cries, as of a child in pain or anger. Bellow and roar are applied to the utterances of animals, and only contemptuously to those of persons. To clamor is to utter with noisy iteration; it applies also to the confused cries of a multitude. To vociferate is commonly applied to loud and excited speech where there is little besides the exertion of voice. In exclaiming, the utterance may not be strikingly, tho somewhat, above the ordinary tone and pitch; we may exclaim by mere interjections, or by connected words, but always by some articulate utterance. To ejaculate is to throw out brief, disconnected, but coherent utterances of joy, regret, and especially of appeal, petition, prayer; the use of such devotional utterances has received the special name of "ejaculatory prayer." To cry out is to give forth a louder and more excited utterance than in exclaiming or calling; one often exclaims with sudden joy as well as sorrow; if he cries out, it is oftener in grief or agony. In the most common colloquial usage, to cry is to express grief or pain by weeping or sobbing. One may exclaim, cry out, or ejaculate with no thought of others' presence; when he calls, it is to attract another's attention.
Antonyms:
| be silent, | be still, | hark, | hearken, | hush, | list, | listen. |
CALM.
Synonyms:
| collected, | imperturbable, | sedate, | still, |
| composed, | peaceful, | self-possessed, | tranquil, |
| cool, | placid, | serene, | undisturbed, |
| dispassionate, | quiet, | smooth, | unruffled. |
That is calm which is free from disturbance or agitation; in the physical sense, free from violent motion or action; in the mental[92] or spiritual realm, free from excited or disturbing emotion or passion. We speak of a calm sea, a placid lake, a serene sky, a still night, a quiet day, a quiet home. We speak, also, of "still waters," "smooth sailing," which are different modes of expressing freedom from manifest agitation. Of mental conditions, one is calm who triumphs over a tendency to excitement; cool, if he scarcely feels the tendency. One may be calm by the very reaction from excitement, or by the oppression of overpowering emotion, as we speak of the calmness of despair. One is composed who has subdued excited feeling; he is collected when he has every thought, feeling, or perception awake and at command. Tranquil refers to a present state, placid, to a prevailing tendency. We speak of a tranquil mind, a placid disposition. The serene spirit dwells as if in the clear upper air, above all storm and shadow.