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English Synonyms and Antonyms

<h3>CABAL.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>combination,</td><td>confederacy,</td><td>crew,</td><td>gang,</td></tr> <tr><td>conclave,</td><td>conspiracy,</td><td>faction,</td><td>junto.</td></tr> </table> 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. <hr /> <h3>CALCULATE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>account,</td><td>consider,</td><td>enumerate,</td><td>rate,</td></tr> <tr><td>cast,</td><td>count,</td><td>estimate,</td><td>reckon,</td></tr> <tr><td>compute,</td><td>deem,</td><td>number,</td><td>sum up.</td></tr> </table> 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. <h4>Prepositions:</h4> It is vain to calculate on or upon an uncertain result. <hr /> <h3>CALL, v.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>bawl,</td><td>cry (out),</td><td>roar,</td><td>shriek,</td></tr> <tr><td>bellow,</td><td>ejaculate,</td><td>scream,</td><td>vociferate,</td></tr> <tr><td>clamor,</td><td>exclaim,</td><td>shout,</td><td>yell.</td></tr> </table> 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. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>be silent,</td><td>be still,</td><td>hark,</td><td>hearken,</td><td>hush,</td><td>list,</td><td>listen.</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <h3>CALM.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>collected,</td><td>imperturbable,</td><td>sedate,</td><td>still,</td></tr> <tr><td>composed,</td><td>peaceful,</td><td>self-possessed,</td><td>tranquil,</td></tr> <tr><td>cool,</td><td>placid,</td><td>serene,</td><td>undisturbed,</td></tr> <tr><td>dispassionate,</td><td>quiet,</td><td>smooth,</td><td>unruffled.</td></tr> </table> That is calm which is free from disturbance or agitation; in the physical sense, free from violent motion or action; in the mental 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. <div class="bq1"><div class="poem" style="width: 16em;"> The star of the unconquered will, He rises in my breast, Serene, and resolute, and still, And calm, and self-possessed. </div> Longfellow Light of Stars st. 7. </div> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>agitated,</td><td>excited,</td><td>frenzied,</td><td>passionate,</td><td>ruffled,</td><td>violent,</td></tr> <tr><td>boisterous,</td><td>fierce,</td><td>furious,</td><td>raging,</td><td>stormy,</td><td>wild,</td></tr> <tr><td>disturbed,</td><td>frantic,</td><td>heated,</td><td>roused,</td><td>turbulent,</td><td>wrathful.</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <h3>CANCEL.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>abolish,</td><td>discharge,</td><td>nullify,</td><td>rescind,</td></tr> <tr><td>abrogate,</td><td>efface,</td><td>obliterate,</td><td>revoke,</td></tr> <tr><td>annul,</td><td>erase,</td><td>quash,</td><td>rub off or out,</td></tr> <tr><td>blot out,</td><td>expunge,</td><td>remove,</td><td>scratch out,</td></tr> <tr><td>cross off or out,</td><td>make void,</td><td>repeal,</td><td>vacate.</td></tr> </table> Cancel, efface, erase, expunge, and obliterate have as their first meaning the removal of written characters or other forms of record. To cancel is, literally, to make a lattice by cross-lines, exactly our English cross out; to efface is to rub off, smooth away the face, as of an inscription; to erase is to scratch out, commonly for the purpose of writing something else in the same space; to expunge, is to punch out with some sharp instrument, so as to show that the words are no longer part of the writing; to obliterate is to cover over or remove, as a letter, as was done by reversing the Roman stylus, and rubbing out with the rounded end what had been written with the point on the waxen tablet. What has been canceled, erased, expunged, may perhaps still be traced; what is obliterated is gone forever, as if it had never been. In many establishments, when a debt is discharged by payment, the record is canceled. The figurative use of the words keeps close to the primary sense. Compare ABOLISH. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>approve,</td><td>enact,</td><td>establish,</td><td>perpetuate,</td><td>reenact,</td><td>uphold,</td></tr> <tr><td>confirm,</td><td>enforce,</td><td>maintain,</td><td>record,</td><td>sustain,</td><td>write.</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <h3>CANDID.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>aboveboard,</td><td>honest,</td><td>open,</td><td>truthful,</td></tr> <tr><td>artless,</td><td>impartial,</td><td>simple,</td><td>unbiased,</td></tr> <tr><td>fair,</td><td>ingenuous,</td><td>sincere,</td><td>unprejudiced,</td></tr> <tr><td>frank,</td><td>innocent,</td><td>straightforward,</td><td>unreserved,</td></tr> <tr><td>guileless,</td><td>naive,</td><td>transparent,</td><td>unsophisticated.</td></tr> </table> A candid statement is meant to be true to the real facts and just to all parties; a fair statement is really so. Fair is applied to the conduct; candid is not; as, fair treatment, "a fair field, and no favor." One who is frank has a fearless and unconstrained truthfulness. Honest and ingenuous unite in expressing contempt for deceit. On the other hand, artless, guileless, naive, simple, and unsophisticated express the goodness which comes from want of the knowledge or thought of evil. As truth is not always agreeable or timely, candid and frank have often an objectionable sense; "to be candid with you," "to be perfectly frank," are regarded as sure preludes to something disagreeable. Open and unreserved may imply unstudied truthfulness or defiant recklessness; as, open admiration, open robbery. There may be transparent integrity or transparent fraud. Sincere applies to the feelings, as being all that one's words would imply. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>adroit,</td><td>cunning,</td><td>diplomatic,</td><td>intriguing,</td><td>sharp,</td><td>subtle,</td></tr> <tr><td>artful,</td><td>deceitful,</td><td>foxy,</td><td>knowing,</td><td>shrewd,</td><td>tricky,</td></tr> <tr><td>crafty,</td><td>designing,</td><td>insincere,</td><td>maneuvering,</td><td>sly,</td><td>wily.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> Candid in debate; candid to or toward opponents; candid with friend or foe; to be candid about or in regard to the matter. <hr /> <h3>CAPARISON.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>accouterments,</td><td>harness,</td><td>housings,</td><td>trappings.</td></tr> </table> Harness was formerly used of the armor of a knight as well as of a horse; it is now used almost exclusively of the straps and appurtenances worn by a horse when attached to a vehicle; the animal is said to be "kind in harness." The other words apply to the ornamental outfit of a horse, especially under saddle. We speak also of the accouterments of a soldier. Caparison is used rarely and somewhat slightingly, and trappings quite contemptuously, for showy human apparel. Compare ARMS; DRESS. <hr /> <h3>CAPITAL.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>chief city,</td><td>metropolis,</td><td>seat of government.</td></tr> </table> The metropolis is the chief city in the commercial, the capital in the political sense. The capital of an American State is rarely its metropolis. <hr /> <h3>CARE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>anxiety,</td><td>concern,</td><td>oversight,</td><td>trouble,</td></tr> <tr><td>attention,</td><td>direction,</td><td>perplexity,</td><td>vigilance,</td></tr> <tr><td>caution,</td><td>forethought,</td><td>precaution,</td><td>wariness,</td></tr> <tr><td>charge,</td><td>heed,</td><td>prudence,</td><td>watchfulness,</td></tr> <tr><td>circumspection,</td><td>management,</td><td>solicitude,</td><td>worry.</td></tr> </table> Care concerns what we possess; anxiety, often, what we do not; riches bring many cares; poverty brings many anxieties. Care also signifies watchful attention, in view of possible harm; as, "This side up with care;" "Take care of yourself;" or, as a sharp warning, "Take care!" Caution has a sense of possible harm and risk only to be escaped, if at all, by careful deliberation and observation. Care inclines to the positive, caution to the negative; care is shown in doing, caution largely in not doing. Precaution is allied with care, prudence with caution; a man rides a dangerous horse with care; caution will keep him from mounting the horse; precaution looks to the saddle-girths, bit and bridle, and all that may make the rider secure. Circumspection is watchful observation and calculation, but without the timidity implied in caution. Concern denotes a serious interest, milder than anxiety; as, concern for the safety of a ship at sea. Heed implies attention without disquiet; it is now largely displaced by attention and care. Solicitude involves especially the element of desire, not expressed in anxiety, and of hopefulness, not implied in care. A parent feels constant solicitude for his children's welfare, anxiety as to dangers that threaten it, with care to guard against them. Watchfulness recognizes the possibility of danger, wariness the probability. A man who is not influenced by caution to keep out of danger may display great wariness in the midst of it. Care has also the sense of responsibility, with possible control, as expressed in charge, management, oversight; as, these children are under my care; send the money to me in care of the firm. Compare ALARM; ANXIETY; PRUDENCE. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>carelessness,</td><td>heedlessness,</td><td>indifference,</td><td>negligence,</td><td>oversight,</td><td>remissness,</td></tr> <tr><td>disregard,</td><td>inattention,</td><td>neglect,</td><td>omission,</td><td>recklessness,</td><td>slight.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> Take care of the house; for the future; about the matter. <hr /> <h3>CAREER.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>charge,</td><td>flight,</td><td>passage,</td><td>race,</td></tr> <tr><td>course,</td><td>line of achievement,</td><td>public life,</td><td>rush.</td></tr> </table> A career was originally the ground for a race, or, especially, for a knight's charge in tournament or battle; whence career was early applied to the charge itself. <div class="bq1">If you will use the lance, take ground for your career.... The four horsemen met in full career. Scott Quentin Durward ch. 14, p. 194. [D. F. & CO.] </div> In its figurative use career signifies some continuous and conspicuous work, usually a life-work, and most frequently one of honorable achievement. Compare BUSINESS. <hr /> <h3>CARESS.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>coddle,</td><td>embrace,</td><td>fondle,</td><td>pamper,</td></tr> <tr><td>court,</td><td>flatter,</td><td>kiss,</td><td>pet.</td></tr> </table> To caress is less than to embrace; more dignified and less familiar than to fondle. A visitor caresses a friend's child; a mother fondles her babe. Fondling is always by touch; caressing may be also by words, or other tender and pleasing attentions. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> See synonyms for AFFRONT. <h4>Prepositions:</h4> Caressed by or with the hand; caressed by admirers, at court. <hr /> <h3>CARICATURE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>burlesque,</td><td>extravaganza,</td><td>mimicry,</td><td>take-off,</td></tr> <tr><td>exaggeration,</td><td>imitation,</td><td>parody,</td><td>travesty.</td></tr> </table> A caricature is a grotesque exaggeration of striking features or peculiarities, generally of a person; a burlesque treats any subject in an absurd or incongruous manner. A burlesque is written or acted; a caricature is more commonly in sketch or picture. A parody changes the subject, but keeps the style; a travesty keeps the subject, but changes the style; a burlesque does not hold itself to either subject or style; but is content with a general resemblance to what it may imitate. A caricature, parody, or travesty must have an original; a burlesque may be an independent composition. An account of a schoolboys' quarrel after the general manner of Homer's Iliad would be a burlesque; the real story of the Iliad told in newspaper style would be a travesty. An extravaganza is a fantastic composition, musical, dramatic, or narrative. Imitation is serious; mimicry is either intentionally or unintentionally comical. <hr /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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