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English Synonyms and Antonyms

<h3>RACY.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>flavorous,</td><td>lively,</td><td>pungent,</td><td>spicy,</td></tr> <tr><td>forcible,</td><td>piquant,</td><td>rich,</td><td>spirited.</td></tr> </table> Racy applies in the first instance to the pleasing flavor characteristic of certain wines, often attributed to the soil from which they come. Pungent denotes something sharply irritating to the organs of taste or smell, as pepper, vinegar, ammonia; piquant denotes a quality similar in kind to pungent but less in degree, stimulating and agreeable; pungent spices may be deftly compounded into a piquant sauce. As applied to literary products, racy refers to that which has a striking, vigorous, pleasing originality; spicy to that which is stimulating to the mental taste, as spice is to the physical; piquant and pungent in their figurative use keep very close to their literal sense. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>cold,</td><td>flat,</td><td>insipid,</td><td>stale,</td><td>tasteless,</td></tr> <tr><td>dull,</td><td>flavorless,</td><td>prosy,</td><td>stupid,</td><td>vapid.</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <h3>RADICAL.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>complete,</td><td>ingrained,</td><td>perfect,</td></tr> <tr><td>constitutional,</td><td>innate,</td><td>positive,</td></tr> <tr><td>entire,</td><td>native,</td><td>primitive,</td></tr> <tr><td>essential,</td><td>natural,</td><td>thorough,</td></tr> <tr><td>extreme,</td><td>organic,</td><td>thoroughgoing,</td></tr> <tr><td>fundamental,</td><td>original,</td><td>total.</td></tr> </table> The widely divergent senses in which the word radical is used, by which it can be at some time interchanged with any word in the above list, are all formed upon the one primary sense of having to do with or proceeding from the root (L. radix); a radical difference is one that springs from the root, and is thus constitutional, essential, fundamental, organic, original; a radical change is one that does not stop at the surface, but reaches down to the very root, and is entire, thorough, total; since the majority find superficial treatment of any matter the easiest and most comfortable, radical measures, which strike at the root of evil or need, are apt to be looked upon as extreme. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>conservative,</td><td>incomplete,</td><td>palliative,</td><td>slight,</td><td>tentative,</td></tr> <tr><td>inadequate,</td><td>moderate,</td><td>partial,</td><td>superficial,</td><td>trial.</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <h3>RARE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>curious,</td><td>odd,</td><td>scarce,</td><td>unique,</td></tr> <tr><td>extraordinary,</td><td>peculiar,</td><td>singular,</td><td>unparalleled,</td></tr> <tr><td>incomparable,</td><td>precious,</td><td>strange,</td><td>unprecedented,</td></tr> <tr><td>infrequent,</td><td>remarkable,</td><td>uncommon,</td><td>unusual.</td></tr> </table> Unique is alone of its kind; rare is infrequent of its kind; great poems are rare; "Paradise Lost" is unique. To say of a thing that it is rare is simply to affirm that it is now seldom found, whether previously common or not; as, a rare old book; a rare word; to call a thing scarce implies that it was at some time more plenty, as when we say food or money is scarce. A particular fruit or coin may be rare; scarce applies to demand and use, and almost always to concrete things; to speak of virtue, genius, or heroism as scarce would be somewhat ludicrous. Rare has the added sense of precious, which is sometimes, but not necessarily, blended with that above given; as, a rare gem. Extraordinary, signifying greatly beyond the ordinary, is a neutral word, capable of a high and good sense or of an invidious, opprobrious, or contemptuous signification; as, extraordinary genius; extraordinary wickedness; an extraordinary assumption of power; extraordinary antics; an extraordinary statement is incredible without overwhelming proof. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> See synonyms for GENERAL; NORMAL; USUAL. <hr /> <h3>REACH.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>arrive,</td><td>attain,</td><td>come to,</td><td>enter,</td><td>gain,</td><td>get to,</td><td>land.</td></tr> </table> To reach, in the sense here considered, is to come to by motion or progress. Attain is now oftenest used of abstract relations; as, to attain success. When applied to concrete matters, it commonly signifies the overcoming of hindrance and difficulty; as, the storm-beaten ship at length attained the harbor. Come is the general word for moving to or toward the place where the speaker or writer is or supposes himself to be. To reach is to come to from a distance that is actually or relatively considerable; to stretch the journey, so to speak, across the distance, as, in its original meaning, one reaches an object by stretching out the hand. To gain is to reach or attain something eagerly sought; the wearied swimmer reaches or gains the shore. One comes in from his garden; he reaches home from a journey. To arrive is to come to a destination, to reach a point intended or proposed. The European steamer arrives in port, or reaches the harbor; the dismantled wreck drifts ashore, or comes to land. Compare ATTAIN. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>depart,</td><td>embark,</td><td>go,</td><td>go away,</td><td>leave,</td><td>set out,</td><td>set sail,</td><td>start,</td><td>weigh anchor.</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <h3>REAL.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>actual,</td><td>demonstrable,</td><td>genuine,</td><td>true,</td></tr> <tr><td>authentic,</td><td>developed,</td><td>positive,</td><td>unquestionable,</td></tr> <tr><td>certain,</td><td>essential,</td><td>substantial,</td><td>veritable.</td></tr> </table> Real (L. res, a thing) signifies having existence, not merely in thought, but in fact, or being in fact according to appearance or claim; denoting the thing as distinguished from the name, or the existent as opposed to the non-existent. Actual has respect to a thing accomplished by doing, real to a thing as existing by whatever means or from whatever cause, positive to that which is fixed or established, developed to that which has reached completion by a natural process of unfolding. Actual is in opposition to the supposed, conceived, or reported, and furnishes the proof of its existence in itself; real is opposed to feigned or imaginary, and is capable of demonstration; positive, to the uncertain or doubtful; developed, to that which is undeveloped or incomplete. The developed is susceptible of proof; the positive precludes the necessity for proof. The present condition of a thing is its actual condition; ills are real that have a substantial reason; proofs are positive when they give the mind certainty; a plant is developed when it has reached its completed stage. Real estate is land, together with trees, water, minerals, or other natural accompaniments, and any permanent structures that man has built upon it. Compare AUTHENTIC. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>conceived,</td><td>feigned,</td><td>illusory,</td><td>supposed,</td><td>unreal,</td></tr> <tr><td>fabulous,</td><td>fictitious,</td><td>imaginary,</td><td>supposititious,</td><td>untrue,</td></tr> <tr><td>fanciful,</td><td>hypothetical,</td><td>reported,</td><td>theoretical,</td><td>visionary.</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <h3>REASON, v.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>argue,</td><td>debate,</td><td>discuss,</td><td>establish,</td><td>question,</td></tr> <tr><td>contend,</td><td rowspan="2">demonstrate,</td><td rowspan="2">dispute,</td><td rowspan="2">prove,</td><td rowspan="2">wrangle.</td></tr> <tr><td>controvert,</td></tr> </table> To reason is to examine by means of the reason, to prove by reasoning, or to influence or seek to influence others by reasoning or reasons. Persons may contend either from mere ill will or self-interest, or from the highest motives; "That ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints," Jude 3. To argue (L. arguo, show) is to make a matter clear by reasoning; to discuss (L. dis, apart, and quatio, shake) is, etymologically, to shake it apart for examination and analysis. Demonstrate strictly applies to mathematical or exact reasoning; prove may be used in the same sense, but is often applied to reasoning upon matters of fact by what is called probable evidence, which can give only moral and not absolute or mathematical certainty. To demonstrate is to force the mind to a conclusion by irresistible reasoning; to prove is rather to establish a fact by evidence; as, to prove one innocent or guilty. That which has been either demonstrated or proved so as to secure general acceptance is said to be established. Reason is a neutral word, not, like argue, debate, discuss, etc., naturally or necessarily implying contest. We reason about a matter by bringing up all that reason can give us on any side. A dispute may be personal, fractious, and petty; a debate is formal and orderly; if otherwise, it becomes a mere wrangle. <h4>Prepositions:</h4> We reason with a person about a subject, for or against an opinion; we reason a person into or out of a course of action; or we may reason down an opponent or opposition; one reasons from a cause to an effect. <hr /> <h3>REASON, n.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>account,</td><td>cause,</td><td>end,</td><td>motive,</td><td>principle,</td></tr> <tr><td>aim,</td><td>consideration,</td><td>ground,</td><td>object,</td><td>purpose.</td></tr> <tr><td>argument,</td><td colspan="4">design,</td></tr> </table> While the cause of any event, act, or fact, as commonly understood, is the power that makes it to be, the reason of or for it is the explanation given by the human mind; but reason is, in popular language, often used as equivalent to cause, especially in the sense of final cause. In the statement of any reasoning, the argument may be an entire syllogism, or the premises considered together apart from the conclusion, or in logical strictness the middle term only by which the particular conclusion is connected with the general statement. But when the reasoning is not in strict logical form, the middle term following the conclusion is called the reason; thus in the statement "All tyrants deserve death; Cæsar was a tyrant; Therefore Cæsar deserved death," "Cæsar was a tyrant" would in the strictest sense be called the argument; but if we say "Cæsar deserved death because he was a tyrant," the latter clause would be termed the reason. Compare CAUSE; REASON, v.; MIND; REASONING. <h4>Prepositions:</h4> The reason of a thing that is to be explained; the reason for a thing that is to be done. <hr /> <h3>REASONING.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>argument,</td><td>argumentation,</td><td>debate,</td><td>ratiocination.</td></tr> </table> Argumentation and debate, in the ordinary use of the words, suppose two parties alleging reasons for and against a proposition; the same idea appears figuratively when we speak of a debate or an argument with oneself, or of a debate between reason and conscience. Reasoning may be the act of one alone, as it is simply the orderly setting forth of reasons, whether for the instruction of inquirers, the confuting of opponents, or the clear establishment of truth for oneself. Reasoning may be either deductive or inductive. Argument or argumentation was formerly used of deductive reasoning only. With the rise of the inductive philosophy these words have come to be applied to inductive processes also; but while reasoning may be informal or even (as far as tracing its processes is concerned) unconscious, argument and argumentation strictly imply logical form. Reasoning, as denoting a process, is a broader term than reason or argument; many arguments or reasons may be included in a single chain of reasoning. <hr /> <h3>REBELLIOUS.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>contumacious,</td><td>mutinous,</td><td>uncontrollable,</td></tr> <tr><td>disobedient,</td><td>refractory,</td><td>ungovernable,</td></tr> <tr><td>insubordinate,</td><td>seditious,</td><td>unmanageable.</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3">intractable,</td></tr> </table> Rebellious signifies being in a state of rebellion (see REBELLION under REVOLUTION), and is even extended to inanimate things that resist control or adaptation to human use. Ungovernable applies to that which successfully defies authority and power; unmanageable to that which resists the utmost exercise of skill or of skill and power combined; rebellious, to that which is defiant of authority, whether successfully or unsuccessfully; seditious, to that which partakes of or tends to excite a rebellious spirit, seditious suggesting more of covert plan, scheming, or conspiracy, rebellious more of overt act or open violence. While the unmanageable or ungovernable defies control, the rebellious or seditious may be forced to submission; as, the man has an ungovernable temper; the horses became unmanageable; he tamed his rebellious spirit. Insubordinate applies to the disposition to resist and resent control as such; mutinous, to open defiance of authority, especially in the army, navy, or merchant marine. A contumacious act or spirit is contemptuous as well as defiant. Compare OBSTINATE; REVOLUTION. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>compliant,</td><td>docile,</td><td>manageable,</td><td>subservient,</td></tr> <tr><td>controllable,</td><td>dutiful,</td><td>obedient,</td><td>tractable,</td></tr> <tr><td>deferential,</td><td>gentle,</td><td>submissive,</td><td>yielding.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> Rebellious to or against lawful authority. <hr /> <h3>RECORD.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>account,</td><td>enrolment,</td><td>instrument,</td><td>register,</td></tr> <tr><td>archive,</td><td>entry,</td><td>inventory,</td><td>roll,</td></tr> <tr><td>catalogue,</td><td>enumeration,</td><td>memorandum,</td><td>schedule,</td></tr> <tr><td>chronicle,</td><td>history,</td><td>memorial,</td><td>scroll.</td></tr> <tr><td>document,</td><td>inscription,</td><td colspan="2">muniment,</td></tr> </table> A memorial is any object, whether a writing, a monument, or other permanent thing that is designed or adapted to keep something in remembrance. Record is a word of wide signification, applying to any writing, mark, or trace that serves as a memorial giving enduring attestation of an event or fact; an extended account, chronicle, or history is a record; so, too, may be a brief inventory or memorandum; the inscription on a tombstone is a record of the dead; the striæ on a rock-surface are the record of a glacier's passage. A register is a formal or official written record, especially a series of entries made for preservation or reference; as, a register of births and deaths. Archives, in the sense here considered, are documents or records, often legal records, preserved in a public or official depository; the word archives is also applied to the place where such documents are regularly deposited and preserved. Muniments (L. munio, fortify) are records that enable one to defend his title. Compare HISTORY; STORY. <hr /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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