English Synonyms and Antonyms

<h3>ATTITUDE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>pose,</td><td>position,</td><td>posture.</td></tr> </table> <p><i>Position</i> 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 <i>attitude</i>, <i>pose</i>, or <i>posture</i> of a corpse; unless, in some rare case, we might say the body was found in a sitting <i>posture</i>, where the <i>posture</i> is thought of as assumed in life, or as, at first glance, suggesting life. A <i>posture</i> is assumed without any special reference to expression of feeling; as, an erect <i>posture</i>, a reclining <i>posture</i>; <i>attitude</i> is the <i>position</i> appropriate to the expression of some feeling; the <i>attitude</i> may be unconsciously taken through the strength of the feeling; as, an <i>attitude</i> of defiance; or it may be consciously assumed in the attempt to express the feeling; as, he assumed an <i>attitude</i> of humility. A <i>pose</i> is a <i>position</i> studied for artistic effect, or considered with reference to such effect; the unconscious <i>posture</i> of a spectator or listener may be an admirable <i>pose</i> from an artist's standpoint.</p> <hr /> <h3>ATTRIBUTE, <span class="nbi">v.</span></h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>ascribe,</td><td>associate,</td><td>connect,</td><td>impute,</td><td>refer.</td></tr> <tr><td>assign,</td><td colspan="4">charge,</td></tr> </table> <p>We may <i>attribute</i> to a person either that which belongs to him or that which we merely suppose to be his. We <i>attribute</i> to God infinite power. We may <i>attribute</i> a wrong intent to an innocent person. We may <i>attribute</i> a result, rightly or wrongly, to a certain cause; in such case, however, <i>attribute</i> carries always a concession of uncertainty or possible error. Where we are quite sure, we simply <i>refer</i> a matter to the cause or class to which it belongs or <i>ascribe</i> to one what is surely his, etc. Many diseases formerly <i>attributed</i> to witchcraft are now <i>referred</i> to the action of micro-organisms. We may <i>attribute</i> a matter in silent thought; we <i>ascribe</i> anything openly in speech or writing; King Saul said of the singing women, "They have <i>ascribed</i> unto David ten thousands, and to me they have <i>ascribed</i> but thousands." We <i>associate</i> things which may have no necessary or causal relation; as, we may <i>associate</i> the striking of a clock with the serving of dinner, tho the two are not necessarily connected. We <i>charge</i> a person with what we deem blameworthy. We may <i>impute</i> good or evil, but more commonly evil.<span class="pgn"><SPAN name="Page_66" id="Page_66"></SPAN></span></p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>deny,</td><td>disconnect,</td><td>dissociate,</td><td>separate,</td><td>sever,</td><td>sunder.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> <p>It is uncharitable to attribute evil motives <i>to</i> (archaic <i>unto</i>) others.</p> <hr /> <h3><SPAN name="ATTRIBUTE_n" id="ATTRIBUTE_n"></SPAN>ATTRIBUTE, <span class="nbi">n.</span></h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>property,</td><td>quality.</td></tr> </table> <p>A <i>quality</i> (L. <i>qualis</i>, such)&mdash;the "suchness" of anything, according to the German idiom&mdash;denotes what a thing really is in some one respect; an <i>attribute</i> is what we conceive a thing to be in some one respect; thus, while <i>attribute</i> may, <i>quality</i> must, express something of the real nature of that to which it is ascribed; we speak of the <i>attributes</i> of God, the <i>qualities</i> of matter. "Originally 'the <i>attributes</i> of God' was preferred, probably, because men assumed no knowledge of the actual <i>qualities</i> of the Deity, but only of those more or less fitly attributed to him." J. A. H. <span class="smc">Murray</span>. [<span class="smcl">M.</span>] Holiness is an <i>attribute</i> of God; the <i>attributes</i> of many heathen deities have been only the <i>qualities</i> of wicked men joined to superhuman power. A <i>property</i> (L. <i>proprius</i>, 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 <i>qualities</i> or the <i>properties</i> of matter, <i>quality</i> is the more general, <i>property</i> the more limited term. A <i>quality</i> is inherent; a <i>property</i> may be transient; physicists now, however, prefer to term those <i>qualities</i> manifested by all bodies (such as impenetrability, extension, etc.), <i>general properties</i> of matter, while those peculiar to certain substances or to certain states of those substances (as fluidity, malleability, etc.) are termed <i>specific properties</i>; in this wider use of the word <i>property</i>, it becomes strictly synonymous with <i>quality</i>. Compare <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#CHARACTERISTIC">CHARACTERISTIC</SPAN></span>; <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#EMBLEM">EMBLEM</SPAN></span>.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>being,</td><td>essence,</td><td>nature,</td><td>substance.</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <h3><SPAN name="AUGUR" id="AUGUR"></SPAN>AUGUR.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>betoken,</td><td>divine,</td><td>foretell,</td><td>predict,</td><td>prognosticate,</td></tr> <tr><td>bode,</td><td>forebode,</td><td>portend,</td><td>presage,</td><td>prophesy.</td></tr> </table> <p>"Persons or things <i>augur</i>; persons only <i>forebode</i> or <i>presage</i>; things only <i>betoken</i> or <i>portend</i>." <span class="smc">Crabb</span> <i>English Synonymes</i>. We <i>augur</i> well for a voyage from past good fortune and a good start; we <i>presage</i> success from the stanchness of the ship and the skill<span class="pgn"><SPAN name="Page_67" id="Page_67"></SPAN></span> of the captain. We <i>forebode</i> misfortune either from circumstances that <i>betoken</i> failure, or from gloomy fancies for which we could not give a reason. Dissipation among the officers and mutiny among the crew <i>portend</i> disaster. <i>Divine</i> has reference to the ancient soothsayers' arts (as in <i>Gen.</i> xliv, 5, 15), and refers rather to reading hearts than to reading the future. We say I could not <i>divine</i> his motive, or his intention.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>assure,</td><td>demonstrate,</td><td>establish,</td><td>make sure,</td><td>settle,</td></tr> <tr><td>calculate,</td><td>determine,</td><td>insure,</td><td>prove,</td><td>warrant.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> <p>I augur <i>from</i> all circumstances a prosperous result; I augur ill <i>of</i> the enterprise; "augurs ill <i>to</i> the rights of the people," <span class="smc">Thomas Jefferson</span> <i>Writings</i> vol. ii, p. 506. [<span class="smcl">T. &amp; M.</span> '53.] I augur well, or this augurs well, <i>for</i> your cause.</p> <hr /> <h3><SPAN name="AUTHENTIC" id="AUTHENTIC"></SPAN>AUTHENTIC.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>accepted,</td><td>certain,</td><td>original,</td><td>sure,</td></tr> <tr><td>accredited,</td><td>current,</td><td>real,</td><td>true,</td></tr> <tr><td>authoritative,</td><td>genuine,</td><td>received,</td><td>trustworthy,</td></tr> <tr><td>authorized,</td><td>legitimate,</td><td>reliable,</td><td>veritable.</td></tr> </table> <p>That is <i>authentic</i> which is true to the facts; that is <i>genuine</i> which is true to its own claims; as, <i>authentic</i> history; <i>genuine</i> money.</p> <div class="bq1"><p>A '<i>genuine</i>' work is one written by the author whose name it bears; an '<i>authentic</i>' work is one which relates truthfully the matters of which it treats. For example, the apocryphal Gospel of St. Thomas is neither '<i>genuine</i>' nor '<i>authentic</i>.' It is not '<i>genuine</i>,' for St. Thomas did not write it; it is not '<i>authentic</i>,' for its contents are mainly fables and lies.</p> <p class="tdr"><span class="smc">Trench</span> <i>On the Study of Words</i> lect. vi, p. 189. [<span class="smcl">W. J. W.</span>]</p> </div> <p class="noin"><i>Authentic</i> is, however, used by reputable writers as synonymous with <i>genuine</i>, tho usually where genuineness carries a certain authority. We speak of <i>accepted</i> conclusions, <i>certain</i> evidence, <i>current</i> money, <i>genuine</i> letters, a <i>legitimate</i> conclusion or <i>legitimate</i> authority, <i>original</i> manuscripts, <i>real</i> value, <i>received</i> interpretation, <i>sure</i> proof, a <i>true</i> statement, a <i>trustworthy</i> witness, a <i>veritable</i> discovery.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>apocryphal,</td><td>counterfeit,</td><td>exploded,</td><td>false,</td><td>spurious,</td></tr> <tr><td>baseless,</td><td>disputed,</td><td>fabulous,</td><td>fictitious,</td><td>unauthorized.</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <h3><SPAN name="AUXILIARY" id="AUXILIARY"></SPAN>AUXILIARY.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>accessory,</td><td>ally,</td><td>coadjutor,</td><td>helper,</td><td>promoter,</td></tr> <tr><td>aid,</td><td>assistant,</td><td>confederate,</td><td>mercenary,</td><td>subordinate.</td></tr> </table> <p>An <i>auxiliary</i> is a person or thing that helps in a subordinate<span class="pgn"><SPAN name="Page_68" id="Page_68"></SPAN></span> capacity. <i>Allies</i> unite as equals; <i>auxiliaries</i> are, at least technically, inferiors or subordinates. Yet the <i>auxiliary</i> is more than a mere <i>assistant</i>. The word is oftenest found in the plural, and in the military sense; <i>auxiliaries</i> are troops of one nation uniting with the armies, and acting under the orders, of another. <i>Mercenaries</i> serve only for pay; <i>auxiliaries</i> often for reasons of state, policy, or patriotism as well. Compare <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#ACCESSORY">ACCESSORY</SPAN></span>; <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#APPENDAGE">APPENDAGE</SPAN></span>.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>antagonist,</td><td>hinderer,</td><td>opponent,</td><td>opposer.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> <p>The auxiliaries <i>of</i> the Romans; an auxiliary <i>in</i> a good cause; an auxiliary <i>to</i> learning.</p> <hr /> <h3>AVARICIOUS.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>close,</td><td>greedy,</td><td>niggardly,</td><td>penurious,</td><td>sordid,</td></tr> <tr><td>covetous,</td><td>miserly,</td><td>parsimonious,</td><td>rapacious,</td><td>stingy.</td></tr> </table> <p><i>Avaricious</i> and <i>covetous</i> refer especially to acquisition, <i>miserly</i>, <i>niggardly</i>, <i>parsimonious</i>, and <i>penurious</i> to expenditure. The <i>avaricious</i> man has an eager craving for money, and ordinarily desires both to get and to keep, the <i>covetous</i> man to get something away from its possessor; tho one may be made <i>avaricious</i> by the pressure of great expenditures. <i>Miserly</i> and <i>niggardly</i> persons seek to gain by mean and petty savings; the <i>miserly</i> by stinting themselves, the <i>niggardly</i> by stinting others. <i>Parsimonious</i> and <i>penurious</i> 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 <i>niggardly</i>. The <i>close</i> man holds like a vise all that he gets. <i>Near</i> and <i>nigh</i> are provincial words of similar import. The <i>rapacious</i> have the robber instinct, and put it in practise in some form, as far as they dare. The <i>avaricious</i> and <i>rapacious</i> are ready to reach out for gain; the <i>parsimonious</i>, <i>miserly</i>, and <i>niggardly</i> prefer the safer and less adventurous way of avoiding expenditure. <i>Greedy</i> and <i>stingy</i> are used not only of money, but often of other things, as food, etc. The <i>greedy</i> child wishes to enjoy everything himself; the <i>stingy</i> child, to keep others from getting it.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>bountiful,</td><td>free,</td><td>generous,</td><td>liberal,</td><td>munificent,</td><td>prodigal,</td><td>wasteful.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Preposition:</h4> <p>The monarch was avaricious <i>of</i> power.</p> <hr /><p><span class="pgn"><SPAN name="Page_69" id="Page_69"></SPAN></span></p> <h3><SPAN name="AVENGE" id="AVENGE"></SPAN>AVENGE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>punish,</td><td>retaliate,</td><td>revenge,</td><td>vindicate,</td><td>visit.</td></tr> </table> <p><i>Avenge</i> and <i>revenge</i>, once close synonyms, are now far apart in meaning. To <i>avenge</i> is to <i>visit</i> some offense with punishment, in order to <i>vindicate</i> 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 <i>avenged</i> him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian," <i>Acts</i> vii, 24. To <i>revenge</i> is to inflict harm or suffering upon another through personal anger and resentment at something done to ourselves. <i>Avenge</i> is unselfish; <i>revenge</i> is selfish. <i>Revenge</i>, according to present usage, could not be said of God. To <i>retaliate</i> may be necessary for self-defense, without the idea of <i>revenge</i>. Compare <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#REVENGE">REVENGE</SPAN></span>.</p> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> <p>Avenge <i>on</i> or <i>upon</i> (rarely, avenge oneself <i>of</i>) a wrong-doer.</p> <hr /> <h3><SPAN name="AVOW" id="AVOW"></SPAN>AVOW.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>knowledge,</td><td>aver,</td><td>confess,</td><td>own,</td><td>profess,</td><td>testify,</td></tr> <tr><td>admit,</td><td>avouch,</td><td>declare,</td><td>proclaim,</td><td>protest,</td><td>witness.</td></tr> </table> <p><i>Acknowledge</i>, <i>admit</i>, and <i>declare</i> refer either to oneself or to others; all the other words refer only to one's own knowledge or action. To <i>avow</i> is to declare boldly and openly, commonly as something one is ready to justify, maintain, or defend. A man <i>acknowledges</i> another's claim or his own promise; he <i>admits</i> an opponent's advantage or his own error; he <i>declares</i> either what he has seen or experienced or what he has received from another; he <i>avers</i> what he is sure of from his own knowledge or consciousness; he gives his assurance as the voucher for what he <i>avouches</i>; he <i>avows</i> openly a belief or intention that he has silently held. <i>Avow</i> and <i>avouch</i> take a direct object; <i>aver</i> is followed by a conjunction: a man <i>avows</i> his faith, <i>avouches</i> a deed, <i>avers</i> that he was present. <i>Avow</i> has usually a good sense; what a person <i>avows</i> he at least does not treat as blameworthy, criminal, or shameful; if he did, he would be said to <i>confess</i> it; yet there is always the suggestion that some will be ready to challenge or censure what one <i>avows</i>; as, the clergyman <i>avowed</i> his dissent from the doctrine of his church. <i>Own</i> applies to all things, good or bad, great or small, which one takes as his own. Compare <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#CONFESS">CONFESS</SPAN></span>; <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#STATE">STATE</SPAN></span>.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>contradict,</td><td>deny,</td><td>disavow,</td><td>disclaim,</td><td>disown,</td><td>ignore,</td><td>repudiate.</td></tr> </table> <hr /><p><span class="pgn"><SPAN name="Page_70" id="Page_70"></SPAN></span></p> <h3>AWFUL.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>alarming,</td><td>direful,</td><td>frightful,</td><td>majestic,</td><td>solemn,</td></tr> <tr><td>appalling,</td><td>dread,</td><td>grand,</td><td>noble,</td><td>stately,</td></tr> <tr><td>august,</td><td>dreadful,</td><td>horrible,</td><td>portentous,</td><td>terrible,</td></tr> <tr><td>dire,</td><td>fearful,</td><td>imposing,</td><td>shocking,</td><td>terrific.</td></tr> </table> <p><i>Awful</i> should not be used of things which are merely disagreeable or annoying, nor of all that are <i>alarming</i> and <i>terrible</i>, but only of such as bring a solemn awe upon the soul, as in the presence of a superior power; as, the <i>awful</i> hush before the battle. That which is <i>awful</i> arouses an oppressive, that which is <i>august</i> an admiring reverence; we speak of the <i>august</i> presence of a mighty monarch, the <i>awful</i> presence of death. We speak of an <i>exalted</i> station, a <i>grand</i> mountain, an <i>imposing</i> presence, a <i>majestic</i> cathedral, a <i>noble</i> mien, a <i>solemn</i> litany, a <i>stately</i> march, an <i>august</i> assembly, the <i>awful</i> scene of the Judgment Day.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>base,</td><td>contemptible,</td><td>inferior,</td><td>paltry,</td></tr> <tr><td>beggarly,</td><td>despicable,</td><td>lowly,</td><td>undignified,</td></tr> <tr><td>commonplace,</td><td>humble,</td><td>mean,</td><td>vulgar.</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <h3><SPAN name="AWKWARD" id="AWKWARD"></SPAN>AWKWARD.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>boorish,</td><td>clumsy,</td><td>rough,</td><td>unhandy,</td></tr> <tr><td>bungling,</td><td>gawky,</td><td>uncouth,</td><td rowspan="2">unskilful.</td></tr> <tr><td>clownish,</td><td>maladroit,</td><td>ungainly,</td></tr> </table> <p><i>Awkward</i>, from <i>awk</i> (kindred with <i>off</i>, from the Norwegian), is <i>off-ward</i>, turned the wrong way; it was anciently used of a back-handed or left-handed blow in battle, of squinting eyes, etc. <i>Clumsy</i>, on the other hand (from <i>clumse</i>, also through the Norwegian), signifies benumbed, stiffened with cold; this is the original meaning of <i>clumsy</i> fingers, <i>clumsy</i> limbs. Thus, <i>awkward</i> primarily refers to action, <i>clumsy</i> to condition. A tool, a vehicle, or the human frame may be <i>clumsy</i> in shape or build, <i>awkward</i> in motion. The <i>clumsy</i> man is almost of necessity <i>awkward</i>, but the <i>awkward</i> man may not be naturally <i>clumsy</i>. The finest untrained colt is <i>awkward</i> in harness; a horse that is <i>clumsy</i> in build can never be trained out of awkwardness. An <i>awkward</i> statement has an uncomfortable, and perhaps recoiling force; a statement that contains ill-assorted and incongruous material in ill-chosen language is <i>clumsy</i>. We speak of an <i>awkward</i> predicament, an <i>awkward</i> scrape. An <i>awkward</i> excuse commonly reflects on the one who offers it. We say the admitted facts have an<span class="pgn"><SPAN name="Page_71" id="Page_71"></SPAN></span> <i>awkward</i> appearance. In none of these cases could <i>clumsy</i> be used. <i>Clumsy</i> is, however, applied to movements that seem as unsuitable as those of benumbed and stiffened limbs. A dancing bear is both <i>clumsy</i> and <i>awkward</i>.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>adroit,</td><td>clever,</td><td>dexterous,</td><td>handy,</td><td>skilful.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> <p>The raw recruit is awkward <i>in</i> action; <i>at</i> the business.</p> <hr /> <h3>AXIOM.</h3> <h4>Synonym:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>truism.</td></tr> </table> <p>Both the <i>axiom</i> and the <i>truism</i> are instantly seen to be true, and need no proof; but in an <i>axiom</i> there is progress of thought, while the <i>truism</i> simply says the same thing over again, or says what is too manifest to need saying. The <i>axiom</i> 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 <i>truism</i> 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 <i>axiom</i> is valuable and useful, while the <i>truism</i> is weak and flat, unless the form of statement makes it striking or racy, as "all fools are out of their wits." Compare <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#PROVERB">PROVERB</SPAN></span>.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>absurdity,</td><td>contradiction,</td><td>demonstration,</td><td>nonsense,</td><td>paradox,</td><td>sophism.</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />