_Power_ is the most general term of this group, including every quality,

property, or _faculty_ by which any change, effect, or result is, or may

be, produced; as, the _power_ of the legislature to enact laws, or of

the executive to enforce them; the _power_ of an acid to corrode a

metal; the _power_ of a polished surface to reflect light. _Ability_ is

nearly coextensive with _power_, but does not reach the positiveness and

vigor that may be included in the meaning of _power_, _ability_ often

implying latent, as distinguished from active _power_; we speak of an

exertion of _power_, but not of an exertion of _ability_. _Power_ and

_ability_ include _capacity_, which is _power_ to receive; but _ability_

is often distinguished from _capacity_, as power that may be manifested

in doing, as _capacity_ is in receiving; one may have great _capacity_

for acquiring knowledge, and yet not possess _ability_ to teach.

_Efficiency_ is active _power_ to effect a definite result, the _power_

that actually does, as distinguished from that which may do.

_Competency_ is equal to the occasion, _readiness_ prompt for the

occasion. _Faculty_ is an inherent quality of mind or body; _talent_,

some special mental _ability_. _Dexterity_ and _skill_ are readiness and

facility in action, having a special end; _talent_ is innate,

_dexterity_ and _skill_ are largely acquired. Our _abilities_ include

our natural _capacity_, _faculties_, and _talents_, with all the

_dexterity_, _skill_, and _readiness_ that can be acquired. _Efficacy_

is the power to produce an intended effect as shown in the production of

it; as, the _efficacy_ of a drug. _Efficiency_ is effectual agency,

competent _power_; _efficiency_ is applied in mechanics as denoting the

ratio of the effect produced to the _power_ expended in producing it;

but this word is chiefly used of intelligent agents as denoting the

quality that brings all one's _power_ to bear promptly and to the best

purpose on the thing to be done. Compare ADDRESS; DEXTERITY; SKILFUL.

Antonyms:

awkwardness, helplessness, inability, incompetence, stupidity,

dulness, imbecility, inaptitude, inefficiency, unskilfulness,

feebleness, impotence, incapacity, maladroitness, weakness.

* * * * *

PRAISE.

Synonyms:

acclaim, approbation, compliment, laudation,

acclamation, approval, encomium, panegyric,

adulation, cheering, eulogy, plaudit,

applause, cheers, flattery, sycophancy.

_Praise_ is the hearty approval of an individual, or of a number or

multitude considered individually, and is expressed by spoken or written

words; _applause_, the spontaneous outburst of many at once. _Applause_

is expressed in any way, by stamping of feet, clapping of hands, waving

of handkerchiefs, etc., as well as by the voice; _acclamation_ is the

spontaneous and hearty approval of many at once, and strictly by the

voice alone. Thus one is chosen moderator by _acclamation_ when he

receives a unanimous _viva voce_ vote; we could not say he was nominated

by _applause_. _Acclaim_ is the more poetic term for _acclamation_,

commonly understood in a loftier sense; as, a nation's _acclaim_.

_Plaudit_ is a shout of _applause_, and is commonly used in the plural;

as, the _plaudits_ of a throng. _Applause_ is also used in the general

sense of _praise_. _Approbation_ is a milder and more qualified word

than _praise_; while _praise_ is always uttered, _approbation_ may be

silent. "_Approbation_ speaks of the thing or action.... _Praise_ is

always personal." A. W. AND J. C. HARE _Guesses at Truth_ first series,

p. 549. [MACM. '66.] _Acceptance_ refers to an object or action;

_approbation_ may refer to character or natural traits. _Approval_

always supposes a testing or careful examination, and frequently implies

official sanction; _approbation_ may be upon a general view. The

industry and intelligence of a clerk win his employer's _approbation_;

his decision in a special instance receives his _approval_. _Praise_ is

always understood as genuine and sincere, unless the contrary is

expressly stated; _compliment_ is a light form of _praise_ that may or

may not be sincere; _flattery_ is insincere and ordinarily fulsome

_praise_.

Antonyms:

abuse, contempt, hissing, repudiation,

animadversion, denunciation, ignominy, scorn,

blame, disapprobation, obloquy, slander,

censure, disapproval, reproach, vilification,

condemnation, disparagement, reproof, vituperation.

* * * * *

PRAY.

Synonyms:

ask, bid, entreat, invoke, request,

beg, call upon, implore, petition, supplicate.

beseech, conjure, importune, plead,

To _pray_, in the religious sense, is devoutly to address the Supreme

Being with reverent petition for divine grace or any favor or blessing,

and in the fullest sense with thanksgiving and praise for the divine

goodness and mercy; the once common use of the word to express any

earnest _request_, as "I _pray_ you to come in," is now rare, unless in

writings molded on older literature, or in certain phrases, as "_Pray_

sit down;" even in these "please" is more common; "I _beg_ you" is also

frequently used, as expressing a polite humility of _request_. _Beseech_

and _entreat_ express great earnestness of _petition_; _implore_ and

_supplicate_ denote the utmost fervency and intensity, _supplicate_

implying also humility. Compare ASK; PLEAD.

* * * * *

PRECARIOUS.

Synonyms:

doubtful, hazardous, risky, unsettled,

dubious, insecure, unassured, unstable,

equivocal, perilous, uncertain, unsteady.

_Uncertain_ is applied to things that human knowledge can not certainly

determine or that human power can not certainly control; _precarious_

originally meant dependent on the will of another, and now, by extension

of meaning, dependent on chance or hazard, with manifest unfavorable

possibility verging toward probability; as, one holds office by a

_precarious_ tenure, or land by a _precarious_ title; the strong man's

hold on life is _uncertain_, the invalid's is _precarious_.

Antonyms:

actual, immutable, real, steady, undeniable,

assured, incontestable, settled, strong, undoubted,

certain, infallible, stable, sure, unquestionable.

firm,

* * * * *

PRECEDENT.

Synonyms:

antecedent, case, instance, pattern,

authority, example, obiter dictum, warrant.

A _precedent_ is an authoritative _case_, _example_, or _instance_. The

communism of the early Christians in Jerusalem is a wonderful _example_

or _instance_ of Christian liberality, but not a _precedent_ for the

universal church through all time. _Cases_ decided by irregular or

unauthorized tribunals are not _precedents_ for the regular

administration of law. An _obiter dictum_ is an opinion outside of the

_case_ in hand, which can not be quoted as an authoritative _precedent_.

Compare CAUSE; EXAMPLE.

* * * * *

PREDESTINATION.

Synonyms:

fate, foreknowledge, foreordination, necessity.

_Predestination_ is a previous determination or decision, which, in the

divine action, reaches on from eternity. _Fate_ is heathen, an

irresistible, irrational power determining all events with no manifest

connection with reason or righteousness; _necessity_ is philosophical, a

blind something in the nature of things binding the slightest action or

motion in the chain of inevitable, eternal sequence; _foreordination_

and _predestination_ are Christian, denoting the rational and righteous

order or decree of the supreme and all-wise God. _Foreknowledge_ is

simply God's antecedent knowledge of all events, which some hold to be

entirely separable from his _foreordination_, while others hold

_foreordination_ to be inseparably involved in _foreknowledge_.

Antonyms:

accident, choice, freedom, independence,

chance, free agency, free will, uncertainty.

Prepositions:

Predestination _of_ believers _to_ eternal life.

* * * * *

PREJUDICE.

Synonyms:

bias, preconception, presumption,

partiality, prepossession, unfairness.

A _presumption_ (literally, a taking beforehand) is a partial decision

formed in advance of argument or evidence, usually grounded on some

general principle, and always held subject to revision upon fuller

information. A _prejudice_ or _prepossession_ is grounded often on

feeling, fancy, associations, etc. A _prejudice_ against foreigners is

very common in retired communities. There is always a _presumption_ in

favor of what exists, so that the burden of proof is upon one who

advocates a change. A _prepossession_ is always favorable, a _prejudice_

always unfavorable, unless the contrary is expressly stated. Compare

INJURY.

Antonyms:

certainty, conviction, evidence, reason,

conclusion, demonstration, proof, reasoning.

Prepositions:

_Against_; rarely, _in favor of_, _in one's favor_.

* * * * *

PRETENSE.

Synonyms:

affectation, disguise, pretext, simulation,

air, dissimulation, ruse, subterfuge,

assumption, excuse, seeming, trick,

cloak, mask, semblance, wile.

color, pretension, show,

A _pretense_, in the unfavorable, which is also the usual sense, is

something advanced or displayed for the purpose of concealing the

reality. A person makes a _pretense_ of something for the credit or

advantage to be gained by it; he makes what is allowed or approved a

_pretext_ for doing what would be opposed or condemned; a tricky

schoolboy makes a _pretense_ of doing an errand which he does not do, or

he makes the actual doing of an errand a _pretext_ for playing truant. A

_ruse_ is something (especially something slight or petty) employed to

blind or deceive so as to mask an ulterior design, and enable a person

to gain some end that he would not be allowed to approach directly. A

_pretension_ is a claim that is or may be contested; the word is now

commonly used in an unfavorable sense. Compare ARTIFICE; HYPOCRISY.

Antonyms:

actuality, frankness, ingenuousness, reality, sincerity,

candor, guilelessness, openness, simplicity, truth.

fact, honesty,

* * * * *

PREVENT.

Synonyms:

anticipate, forestall, obviate, preclude.

The original sense of _prevent_, to come before, act in advance of,

which is now practically obsolete, was still in good use when the

authorized version of the Bible was made, as appears in such passages

as, "When Peter was come into the house, Jesus _prevented_ him" (_i.

e._, addressed him first), _Matt._ xvii, 25; "Thou _preventest_ him with

the blessings of goodness" (_i. e._, by sending the blessings before the

desire is formulated or expressed), _Ps._ xxi, 3. _Anticipate_ is now

the only single word usable in this sense; to _forestall_ is to take or

act in advance in one's own behalf and to the prejudice of another or

others, as in the phrase "to _forestall_ the market." But to

_anticipate_ is very frequently used in the favorable sense; as, his

thoughtful kindness _anticipated_ my wish (_i. e._, met the wish before

it was expressed): or we say, "I was about to accost him when he

_anticipated_ me" (by speaking first); or one _anticipates_ a payment

(by making it before the time); in neither of these cases could we use

_forestall_ or _prevent_. To _obviate_ (literally, to stop the way of or

remove from the way), is to _prevent_ by interception, so that something

that would naturally withstand or disturb may be kept from doing so; to

_preclude_, (literally, to close or shut in advance) is to _prevent_ by

anticipation or by logical necessity; walls and bars _precluded_ the

possibility of escape; a supposition is _precluded_; a necessity or

difficulty is _obviated_. _Prevent_, which at first had only the

anticipatory meaning, has come to apply to the stopping of an action at

any stage, the completion or conclusion only being thought of as

negatived by anticipation; the enemy passed the outworks and were barely

_prevented_ from capturing the fortress. Compare HINDER; PROHIBIT.

Preposition:

He was prevented by illness _from_ joining the expedition.

* * * * *

PREVIOUS.

Synonyms:

antecedent, foregoing, front, preceding,

anterior, former, introductory, preliminary,

earlier, forward, precedent, prior.

_Antecedent_ may denote simple priority in time, implying no direct

connection between that which goes before and that which follows; as,

the striking of one clock may be always _antecedent_ to the striking of

another with no causal connection between them. _Antecedent_ and

_previous_ may refer to that which goes or happens at any distance in

advance, _preceding_ is limited to that which is immediately or next

before; an _antecedent_ event may have happened at any time before; the

_preceding_ transaction is the one completed just before the one with

which it is compared; a _previous_ statement or chapter may be in any

part of the book that has gone before; the _preceding_ statement or

chapter comes next before without an interval. _Previous_ often

signifies first by right; as, a _previous_ engagement. _Foregoing_ is

used only of that which is spoken or written; as, the _foregoing_

statements. _Anterior_, while it can be used of time, is coming to be

employed chiefly with reference to place; as the _anterior_ lobes of the

brain. _Prior_ bears exclusive reference to time, and commonly where

that which is first in time is first also in right; as, a _prior_

demand. _Former_ is used of time, or of position in written or printed

matter, not of space in general. We can say _former_ times, a _former_

chapter, etc., but not the _former_ part of a garden; we should say the

_front_ part of the garden, the _forward_ car of a train. _Former_ has a

close relation, or sharp contrast, with something following; the

_former_ always implies the latter, even when not fully expressed, as in

_Acts_ i, 1, and _Eccles._ vii, 10.

Antonyms:

after, consequent, hind, hindmost, latter, subsequent,

concluding, following, hinder, later, posterior, succeeding.

Preposition:

Such was the state of things previous _to_ the revolution. [_Previous

to_ is often used adverbially, in constructions where _previously to_

would be more strictly correct; as, these arrangements were made

_previous to_ my departure.]

* * * * *

PRICE.

Synonyms:

charge, cost, expenditure, expense, outlay, value, worth.

The _cost_ of a thing is all that has been expended upon it, whether in

discovery, production, refinement, decoration, transportation, or

otherwise, to bring it to its present condition in the hands of its

present possessor; the _price_ of a thing is what the seller asks for

it. In regular business, as a rule, the seller's _price_ on his wares

must be more than their _cost_ to him; when goods are sold, the _price_

the buyer has paid becomes their _cost_ to himself. In exceptional

cases, when goods are sold at _cost_, the seller's _price_ is made the

same as the _cost_ of the goods to him, the _cost_ to the seller and the

_cost_ to the buyer becoming then identical. _Price_ always implies that

an article is for sale; what a man will not sell he declines to put a

_price_ on; hence the significance of the taunting proverb that "every

man has his _price_." _Value_ is the estimated equivalent for an

article, whether the article is for sale or not; the market _value_ is

what it would bring if exposed for sale in the open market; the

intrinsic _value_ is the inherent utility of the article considered by

itself alone; the market _value_ of an old and rare volume may be very

great, while its intrinsic _value_ may be practically nothing. _Value_

has always more reference to others' estimation (literally, what the

thing will avail with others) than _worth_, which regards the thing in

and by itself; thus, intrinsic _value_ is a weaker expression than

intrinsic _worth_. _Charge_ has especial reference to services,

_expense_ to minor outlays; as, the _charges_ of a lawyer or physician;

traveling _expenses_; household _expenses_.

* * * * *

PRIDE.

Synonyms:

arrogance, ostentation, self-exaltation,

assumption, presumption, self-respect,

conceit, reserve, superciliousness,

disdain, self-complacency, vainglory,

haughtiness, self-conceit, vanity.

insolence, self-esteem,

_Haughtiness_ thinks highly of itself and poorly of others. _Arrogance_

claims much for itself and concedes little to others. _Pride_ is an

absorbing sense of one's own greatness; _haughtiness_ feels one's own

superiority to others; _disdain_ sees contemptuously the inferiority of

others to oneself. _Presumption_ claims place or privilege above one's

right; _pride_ deems nothing too high. _Insolence_ is open and rude

expression of contempt and hostility, generally from an inferior to a

superior, as from a servant to a master or mistress. In the presence of

superiors overweening _pride_ manifests itself in _presumption_ or

_insolence_; in the presence of inferiors, or those supposed to be

inferior, _pride_ manifests itself by _arrogance_, _disdain_,

_haughtiness_, _superciliousness_, or in either case often by cold

_reserve_. (See RESERVE under MODESTY.) _Pride_ is too self-satisfied to

care for praise; _vanity_ intensely craves admiration and applause.

_Superciliousness_, as if by the uplifted eyebrow, as its etymology

suggests (L. _supercilium_, eyebrow, from _super_, over and _cilium_,

eyelid), silently manifests mingled _haughtiness_ and _disdain_.

_Assumption_ quietly takes for granted superiority and privilege which

others would be slow to concede. _Conceit_ and _vanity_ are associated

with weakness, _pride_ with strength. _Conceit_ may be founded upon

nothing; _pride_ is founded upon something that one is, or has, or has

done; _vanity_, too, is commonly founded on something real, tho far

slighter than would afford foundation for _pride_. _Vanity_ is eager for

admiration and praise, is elated if they are rendered, and pained if

they are withheld, and seeks them; _pride_ could never solicit

admiration or praise. _Conceit_ is somewhat stronger than

_self-conceit_. _Self-conceit_ is ridiculous; _conceit_ is offensive.

_Self-respect_ is a thoroughly worthy feeling; _self-esteem_ is a more

generous estimate of one's own character and abilities than the rest of

the world are ready to allow. _Vainglory_ is more pompous and boastful

than _vanity_. Compare EGOTISM; OSTENTATION.

Antonyms:

humility, meekness, modesty, self-abasement, self-distrust.

lowliness,

* * * * *

PRIMEVAL.

Synonyms:

aboriginal, indigenous, patriarchal, primitive,

ancient, native, primal, primordial,

autochthonic, old, primary, pristine,

immemorial, original, prime, uncreated.

_Aboriginal_ (L. _ab_, from, _origo_, origin) signifies pertaining to

the _aborigines_ or earliest known inhabitants of a country in the

widest sense, including not merely human beings but inferior animals and

plants as well. _Autochthonic_ (Gr. _autos_, self, and _chth[=o]n_,

earth) signifies sprung from the earth, especially from the soil of

one's native land. _Primeval_ (L. _primum_, first, and _aevum_, age),

signifies strictly belonging to the first ages, earliest in time, but

often only the earliest of which man knows or conceives, _immemorial_.

_Aboriginal_, _autochthonic_, and _primeval_ combine the meanings of

_ancient_ and _original_; _aboriginal_ inhabitants, _autochthonic_

races, _primeval_ forests. _Prime_ and _primary_ may signify either

first in time, or more frequently first in importance; _primary_ has

also the sense of elementary or preparatory; we speak of a _prime_

minister, a _primary_ school. _Primal_ is chiefly poetic, in the sense

of _prime_; as, the _primal_ curse. _Primordial_ is first in an order of

succession or development; as, a _primordial_ leaf. _Primitive_

frequently signifies having the original characteristics of that which

it represents, as well as standing first in time; as, the _primitive_

church. _Primitive_ also very frequently signifies having the original

or early characteristics without remoteness in time. _Primeval_

simplicity is the simplicity of the earliest ages; _primitive_

simplicity may be found in retired villages now. _Pristine_ is an

elegant word, used almost exclusively in a good sense of that which is

_original_ and perhaps _ancient_; as, _pristine_ purity, innocence,

vigor. That which is both an _original_ and natural product of a soil or

country is said to be _indigenous_; that which is actually produced

there is said to be _native_, though it may be of foreign extraction;

humming-birds are _indigenous_ to America; canaries may be _native_, but

are not _indigenous_. _Immemorial_ refers solely to time, independently

of quality, denoting, in legal phrase, "that whereof the memory of man

runneth not to the contrary;" as, an _immemorial_ custom; an

_immemorial_ abuse. Compare OLD.

Antonyms:

adventitious, foreign, late, new, recent.

exotic, fresh, modern, novel,

Compare synonyms for NEW.

* * * * *

PROFIT.

Synonyms:

advantage, expediency, proceeds, service,

avail, gain, receipts, usefulness,

benefit, good, return, utility,

emolument, improvement, returns, value.

The _returns_ or _receipts_ include all that is received from an outlay

or investment; the _profit_ is the excess (if any) of the _receipts_

over the outlay; hence, in government, morals, etc., the _profit_ is

what is really good, helpful, useful, valuable. _Utility_ is chiefly

used in the sense of some immediate or personal and generally some

material _good_. _Advantage_ is that which gives one a vantage-ground,

either for coping with competitors or with difficulties, needs, or

demands; as to have the _advantage_ of a good education; it is

frequently used of what one has beyond another or secures at the

expense of another; as, to have the _advantage_ of another in an

argument, or to take _advantage_ of another in a bargain. _Gain_ is what

one secures beyond what he previously possessed. _Benefit_ is anything

that does one good. _Emolument_ is _profit_, _return_, or _value_

accruing through official position. _Expediency_ has respect to _profit_

or _advantage_, real or supposed, considered apart from or perhaps in

opposition to right, in actions having a moral character. Compare

UTILITY.

Antonyms:

damage, detriment, harm, injury, ruin,

destruction, disadvantage, hurt, loss, waste.

Prepositions:

The profit _of_ labor; _on_ capital; _in_ business.

* * * * *

PROGRESS.

Synonyms:

advance, development, improvement, proficiency,

advancement, growth, increase, progression.

attainment,

_Progress_ (L. _pro_, forward, _gradior_, go) is a moving onward or

forward, whether in space or in the mental or moral realm, and may be

either mechanical, individual, or social. _Attainment_, _development_,

and _proficiency_ are more absolute than the other words of the group,

denoting some point of advantage or of comparative perfection reached by

forward or onward movement; we speak of _attainments_ in virtue or

scholarship, _proficiency_ in music or languages, the _development_ of

new powers or organs; _proficiency_ includes the idea of skill.

_Advance_ may denote either a forward movement or the point gained by

forward movement, but always relatively with reference to the point from

which the movement started; as, this is a great _advance_. _Advance_

admits the possibility of retreat; _progress_ (L. _progredi_, to walk

forward) is steady and constant forward movement, admitting of pause,

but not of retreat; _advance_ suggests more clearly a point to be

reached, while _progress_ lays the emphasis upon the forward movement;

we may speak of slow or rapid _progress_, but more naturally of swift

_advance_. _Progress_ is more frequently used of abstractions; as, the

_progress_ of ideas; _progression_ fixes the attention chiefly upon the

act of moving forward. In a thing good in itself all _advance_ or

_progress_ is _improvement_; there is a growing tendency to restrict the

words to this favorable sense, using _increase_ indifferently of good or

evil; one may say without limitation, "I am an advocate of _progress_."

Antonyms:

check, delay, falling off, retrogression, stop,

decline, falling back, relapse, stay, stoppage.

Prepositions:

The progress _of_ truth; progress _in_ virtue; _toward_ perfection;

_from_ a lower _to_ a higher state.

* * * * *

PROHIBIT.

Synonyms:

debar, forbid, inhibit, preclude,

disallow, hinder, interdict, prevent.

To _prohibit_ is to give some formal command against, and especially to

make some authoritative legal enactment against. _Debar_ is said of

persons, _disallow_ of acts; one is _debarred_ from anything when shut

off, as by some irresistible authority or necessity; one is _prohibited_

from an act in express terms; he may be _debarred_ by silent necessity.

An act is _disallowed_ by the authority that might have allowed it; the

word is especially applied to acts which are done before they are

pronounced upon; thus, a government may _disallow_ the act of its

commander in the field or its admiral on the high seas. _Inhibit_ and

_interdict_ are chiefly known by their ecclesiastical use. As between

_forbid_ and _prohibit_, _forbid_ is less formal and more personal,

_prohibit_ more official and judicial, with the implication of readiness

to use such force as may be needed to give effect to the enactment; a

parent _forbids_ a child to take part in some game or to associate with

certain companions; the slave-trade is now _prohibited_ by the leading

nations of the world. Many things are _prohibited_ by law which can not

be wholly _prevented_, as gambling and prostitution; on the other hand,

things may be _prevented_ which are not _prohibited_, as the services of

religion, the payment of debts, or military conquest. That which is

_precluded_ need not be _prohibited_. Compare ABOLISH; HINDER; PREVENT.

Antonyms:

allow, empower, let, require,

authorize, enjoin, license, sanction,

command, give consent, order, suffer,

consent to, give leave, permit, tolerate,

direct, give permission, put up with, warrant.

Prepositions:

An act is prohibited _by_ law; a person is prohibited _by_ law _from_

doing a certain act. _Prohibit_ was formerly construed, as _forbid_

still is, with the infinitive, but the construction with _from_ and the

verbal noun has now entirely superseded the older usage.

* * * * *

PROMOTE.

Synonyms:

advance, encourage, forward, prefer, raise,

aid, exalt, foster, push, urge forward,

assist, excite, further, push on, urge on.

elevate, foment, help,

To _promote_ (L. _pro_, forward, and _moveo_, move) is to cause to move

forward toward some desired end or to raise to some higher position,

rank, or dignity. We _promote_ a person by _advancing_, _elevating_, or

_exalting_ him to a higher position or dignity. A person _promotes_ a

scheme or an enterprise which others have projected or begun, and which

he _encourages_, _forwards_, _furthers_, _pushes_, or _urges on_,

especially when he acts as the agent of the prime movers and supporters

of the enterprise. One who _excites_ a quarrel originates it; to

_promote_ a quarrel is strictly to _foment_ and _urge_ it _on_, the one

who _promotes_ keeping himself in the background. Compare ABET; QUICKEN.

Antonyms:

See synonyms for ABASE; ALLAY.

* * * * *

PROPITIATION.

Synonyms:

atonement, expiation, reconciliation, satisfaction.

_Atonement_ (at-one-ment), originally denoting _reconciliation_, or the

bringing into agreement of those who have been estranged, is now chiefly

used, as in theology, in the sense of some offering, sacrifice, or

suffering sufficient to win forgiveness or make up for an offense;

especially and distinctively of the sacrificial work of Christ in his

humiliation, suffering and death. _Expiation_ is the enduring of the

full penalty of a wrong or crime. _Propitiation_ is an offering, action,

or sacrifice that makes the governing power propitious toward the

offender. _Satisfaction_ in this connection denotes the rendering a full

legal equivalent for the wrong done. _Propitiation_ appeases the

lawgiver; _satisfaction_ meets the requirements of the law.

Antonyms:

alienation, curse, penalty, reprobation, vengeance,

chastisement, estrangement, punishment, retribution, wrath.

condemnation, offense,

* * * * *

PROPITIOUS.

Synonyms:

auspicious, benignant, favorable, gracious, kindly,

benign, clement, friendly, kind, merciful.

That which is _auspicious_ is of _favorable_ omen; that which is

_propitious_ is of favoring influence or tendency; as, an _auspicious_

morning; a _propitious_ breeze. _Propitious_ applies to persons,

implying _kind_ disposition and _favorable_ inclinations, especially

toward the suppliant; _auspicious_ is not used of persons.

Antonyms:

adverse, forbidding, ill-disposed, repellent, unfriendly,

antagonistic, hostile, inauspicious, unfavorable, unpropitious.

Preposition:

May heaven be propitious _to_ the enterprise.

* * * * *

PROPOSAL.

Synonyms:

bid, offer, overture, proposition.

An _offer_ or _proposal_ puts something before one for acceptance or

rejection, _proposal_ being the more formal word; a _proposition_ sets

forth truth (or what is claimed to be truth) in formal statement. The

_proposition_ is for consideration, the _proposal_ for action; as, a

_proposition_ in geometry, a _proposal_ of marriage; but _proposition_

is often used nearly in the sense of _proposal_ when it concerns a

matter for deliberation; as, a _proposition_ for the surrender of a

fort. A _bid_ is commercial and often verbal; as, a _bid_ at an auction;

_proposal_ is used in nearly the same sense, but is more formal. An

_overture_ opens negotiation or conference, and the word is especially

used of some movement toward reconciliation; as, _overtures_ of peace.

Antonyms:

acceptance, denial, disapproval, refusal, rejection, repulse.

* * * * *

PROPOSE.

Synonym:

purpose.

In its most frequent use, _propose_ differs from _purpose_ in that what

we _purpose_ lies in our own mind, as a decisive act of will, a

determination; what we _propose_ is offered or stated to others. In this

use of the word, what we _propose_ is open to deliberation, as what we

_purpose_ is not. In another use of the word, one _proposes_ something

to or by himself which may or may not be stated to others. In this

latter sense _propose_ is nearly identical with _purpose_, and the two

words have often been used interchangeably. But in the majority of cases

what we _purpose_ is more general, what we _propose_ more formal and

definite; I _purpose_ to do right; I _propose_ to do this specific thing

because it is right. In the historic sentence, "I _propose_ to move

immediately on your works," _purpose_ would not have the same sharp

directness.

* * * * *

PROTRACT.

Synonyms:

continue, delay, elongate, lengthen, procrastinate,

defer, draw out, extend, postpone, prolong.

To _protract_ is to cause to occupy a longer time than is usual,

expected, or desirable. We _defer_ a negotiation which we are slow to

enter upon; we _protract_ a negotiation which we are slow to conclude;

_delay_ may be used of any stage in the proceedings; we may _delay_ a

person as well as an action, but _defer_ and _protract_ are not used of

persons. _Elongate_ is not used of actions or abstractions, but only of

material objects or extension in space; _protract_ is very rarely used

of concrete objects or extension in space; we _elongate_ a line,

_protract_ a discussion. _Protract_ has usually an unfavorable sense,

implying that the matter referred to is already unduly long, or would be

so if longer _continued_; _continue_ is neutral, applying equally to the

desirable or the undesirable. _Postpone_ implies a definite intention to

resume, as _defer_ also does, though less decidedly; both are often used

with some definite limitation of time; as, to _postpone_ till, until, or

to a certain day or hour. One may _defer_, _delay_, or _postpone_ a

matter intelligently and for good reason; he _procrastinates_ through

indolence and irresolution. Compare HINDER.

Antonyms:

abbreviate, conclude, curtail, hurry, reduce,

abridge, contract, hasten, limit, shorten.

Prepositions:

To protract a speech _by_ verbosity, _through_ an unreasonable time,

_to_, _till_, or _until_ a late hour.

* * * * *

PROVERB.

Synonyms:

adage, axiom, maxim, saw,

aphorism, byword, motto, saying,

apothegm, dictum, precept, truism.

The _proverb_ or _adage_ gives homely truth in condensed, practical

form, the _adage_ often pictorial. "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick"

is a _proverb_; "The cat loves fish, but dares not wet her feet," is an

_adage_. Both the _proverb_ and the _adage_, but especially the latter,

are thought of as ancient and widely known. An _aphorism_ partakes of

the character of a definition; it is a summary statement of what the

author sees and believes to be true. An _apothegm_ is a terse statement

of what is plain or easily proved. The _aphorism_ is philosophical, the

_apothegm_ practical. A _dictum_ is a statement of some person or

school, on whom it depends for authority; as, a _dictum_ of Aristotle. A

_saying_ is impersonal, current among the common people, deriving its

authority from its manifest truth or good sense; as, it is an old

_saying_, "the more haste, the worse speed." A _saw_ is a _saying_ that

is old, but somewhat worn and tiresome. _Precept_ is a command to duty;

_motto_ or _maxim_ is a brief statement of cherished truth, the _maxim_

being more uniformly and directly practical; "God is love" may be a

_motto_, "Fear God and fear naught," a _maxim_. The _precepts_ of the

Sermon on the Mount will furnish the Christian with invaluable _maxims_

or _mottoes_. A _byword_ is a phrase or _saying_ used reproachfully or

contemptuously.

* * * * *

PROWESS.

Synonyms:

bravery, gallantry, intrepidity,

courage, heroism, valor.

_Bravery_, _courage_, _heroism_, and _intrepidity_ may be silent,

spiritual, or passive; they may be exhibited by a martyr at the stake.

_Prowess_ and _valor_ imply both daring and doing; we do not speak of

the _prowess_ of a martyr, a child, or a passive sufferer. _Valor_ meets

odds or perils with courageous action, doing its utmost to conquer at

any risk or cost; _prowess_ has power adapted to the need; dauntless

_valor_ is often vain against superior _prowess_. _Courage_ is a nobler

word than _bravery_, involving more of the deep, spiritual, and enduring

elements of character; such an appreciation of peril as would extinguish

_bravery_ may only intensify _courage_, which is resistant and

self-conquering; _courage_ applies to matters in regard to which _valor_

and _prowess_ can have no place, as submission to a surgical operation,

or the facing of censure or detraction for conscience' sake. Compare

BRAVE; FORTITUDE.

Antonyms:

cowardice, cowardliness, effeminacy, fear, pusillanimity, timidity.

* * * * *

PRUDENCE.

Synonyms:

care, discretion, judgment,

carefulness, forecast, judiciousness,

caution, foresight, providence,

circumspection, forethought, wisdom.

consideration, frugality,

_Prudence_ may be briefly defined as good _judgment_ and _foresight_,

inclining to _caution_ and _frugality_ in practical affairs. _Care_ may

respect only the present; _prudence_ and _providence_ look far ahead and

sacrifice the present to the future, _prudence_ watching, saving,

guarding, _providence_ planning, doing, preparing, and perhaps expending

largely to meet the future demand. _Frugality_ is in many cases one form

of _prudence_. In a besieged city _prudence_ will reduce the rations,

_providence_ will strain every nerve to introduce supplies and to raise

the siege. _Foresight_ merely sees the future, and may even lead to the

recklessness and desperation to which _prudence_ and _providence_ are so

strongly opposed. _Forethought_ is thinking in accordance with wise

views of the future, and is nearly equivalent to _providence_, but it is

a more popular and less comprehensive term; we speak of man's

_forethought_, God's _providence_. Compare CARE; FRUGALITY; WISDOM.

Antonyms:

folly, imprudence, rashness, thoughtlessness,

heedlessness, indiscretion, recklessness, wastefulness.

improvidence, prodigality,

* * * * *

PURCHASE.

Synonyms:

acquire, barter for, get, procure, secure.

bargain for, buy, obtain,

_Buy_ and _purchase_ are close synonyms, signifying to _obtain_ or

_secure_ as one's own by paying or promising to pay a price; in numerous

cases the two words are freely interchangeable, but with the difference

usually found between words of Saxon and those of French or Latin

origin. The Saxon _buy_ is used for all the homely and petty concerns of

common life, the French _purchase_ is often restricted to transactions

of more dignity; yet the Saxon word _buy_ is commonly more emphatic, and

in the higher ranges of thought appeals more strongly to the feelings.

One may either _buy_ or _purchase_ fame, favor, honor, pleasure, etc.,

but when our feelings are stirred we speak of victory or freedom as

dearly _bought_. "_Buy_ the truth, and sell it not" (_Prov._ xxiii, 23)

would be greatly weakened by the rendering "_Purchase_ the truth, and do

not dispose of it." Compare BUSINESS; GET; PRICE; SALE.

Antonyms:

barter, dispose of, exchange, put to sale, sell.

Prepositions:

Purchase _at_ a price; _at_ a public sale; _of_ or _from_ a person;

_for_ cash; _with_ money; _on_ time.

* * * * *

PURE.

Synonyms:

absolute, guiltless, simple, unmixed,

chaste, holy, spotless, unpolluted,

classic, immaculate, stainless, unspotted,

classical, incorrupt, true, unstained,

clean, innocent, unadulterated, unsullied,

clear, mere, unblemished, untainted,

continent, perfect, uncorrupted, untarnished,

genuine, real, undefiled, upright,

guileless, sheer, unmingled, virtuous.

That is _pure_ which is free from mixture or contact with anything that

weakens, impairs, or pollutes. Material substances are called _pure_ in

the strict sense when free from foreign admixture of any kind; as,

_pure_ oxygen; the word is often used to signify free from any defiling

or objectionable admixture (the original sense); we speak of water as

_pure_ when it is bright, clear, and refreshing, tho it may contain

mineral salts in solution; in the medical and chemical sense, only

distilled water (_aqua pura_) is _pure_. In moral and religious use

_pure_ is a strong word, denoting positive excellence of a high order;

one is _innocent_ who knows nothing of evil, and has experienced no

touch of temptation; one is _pure_ who, with knowledge of evil and

exposure to temptation, keeps heart and soul _unstained_. _Virtuous_

refers primarily to right action; _pure_ to right feeling and motives;

as, "Blessed are the _pure_ in heart: for they shall see God," _Matt._

v, 8. Compare FINE; INNOCENT.

Antonyms:

adulterated, foul, indecent, obscene, tainted,

defiled, gross, indelicate, polluted, tarnished,

dirty, immodest, lewd, stained, unchaste,

filthy, impure, mixed, sullied, unclean.

* * * * *

PUT.

Synonyms:

deposit, lay, place, set.

_Put_ is the most general term for bringing an object to some point or

within some space, however exactly or loosely; we may _put_ a horse in a

pasture, or _put_ a bullet in a rifle or into an enemy. _Place_ denotes

more careful movement and more exact location; as, to _place_ a crown on

one's head, or a garrison in a city. To _lay_ is to _place_ in a

horizontal position; to _set_ is to _place_ in an upright position; we

_lay_ a cloth, and _set_ a dish upon a table. To _deposit_ is to _put_

in a place of security for future use; as, to _deposit_ money in a bank;

the original sense, to _lay_ down or let down (quietly), is also common;

as, the stream _deposits_ sediment.

* * * * *

QUEER.

Synonyms:

anomalous, erratic, odd, strange,

bizarre, extraordinary, peculiar, uncommon,

comical, fantastic, preposterous, unique,

crotchety, funny, quaint, unmatched,

curious, grotesque, ridiculous, unusual,

droll, laughable, singular, whimsical.

eccentric, ludicrous,

_Odd_ is unmated, as an _odd_ shoe, and so uneven, as an _odd_ number.

_Singular_ is alone of its kind; as, the _singular_ number. What is

_singular_ is _odd_, but what is _odd_ may not be _singular_; as, a

drawerful of _odd_ gloves. A _strange_ thing is something hitherto

unknown in fact or in cause. A _singular_ coincidence is one the

happening of which is unusual; a _strange_ coincidence is one the cause

of which is hard to explain. That which is _peculiar_ belongs especially

to a person as his own; as, Israel was called Jehovah's "_peculiar_

people," _i. e._, especially chosen and cherished by him; in its

ordinary use there is the implication that the thing _peculiar_ to one

is not common to the majority nor quite approved by them, though it may

be shared by many; as, the Shakers are _peculiar_. _Eccentric_ is off or

aside from the center, and so off or aside from the ordinary and what is

considered the normal course; as, genius is commonly _eccentric_.

_Eccentric_ is a higher and more respectful word than _odd_ or _queer_.

_Erratic_ signifies wandering, a stronger and more censorious term than

_eccentric_. _Queer_ is transverse or oblique, aside from the common in

a way that is _comical_ or perhaps slightly _ridiculous_. _Quaint_

denotes that which is pleasingly _odd_ and fanciful, often with

something of the antique; as, the _quaint_ architecture of medieval

towns. That which is _funny_ is calculated to provoke laughter; that

which is _droll_ is more quietly amusing. That which is _grotesque_ in

the material sense is irregular or misshapen in form or outline or

ill-proportioned so as to be somewhat _ridiculous_; the French _bizarre_

is practically equivalent to _grotesque_.

Antonyms:

common, familiar, normal, regular,

customary, natural, ordinary, usual.

* * * * *

QUICKEN.

Synonyms:

accelerate, drive on, hasten, promote,

advance, expedite, hurry, speed,

despatch, facilitate, make haste, urge,

drive, further, press forward, urge on.

To _quicken_, in the sense here considered, is to increase speed, move

or cause to move more rapidly, as through more space or with, a greater

number of motions in the same time. To _accelerate_ is to increase the

speed of action or of motion. A motion whose speed increases upon itself

is said to be _accelerated_, as the motion of a falling body, which

becomes swifter with every second of time. To _accelerate_ any work is

to _hasten_ it toward a finish, commonly by _quickening_ all its

operations in orderly unity toward the result. To _despatch_ is to do

and be done with, to get a thing off one's hands. To _despatch_ an enemy

is to kill him outright and quickly; to _despatch_ a messenger is to

send him in haste; to _despatch_ a business is to bring it quickly to an

end. _Despatch_ is commonly used of single items. To _promote_ a cause

is in any way to bring it forward, _advance_ it in power, prominence,

etc. To _speed_ is really to secure swiftness; to _hasten_ is to attempt

it, whether successfully or unsuccessfully. _Hurry_ always indicates

something of confusion. The _hurried_ man forgets dignity, appearance,

comfort, courtesy, everything but speed; he may forget something vital

to the matter in hand; yet, because reckless haste may attain the great

object of speed, _hurry_ has come to be the colloquial and popular word

for acting quickly. To _facilitate_ is to _quicken_ by making easy; to

_expedite_ is to _quicken_ by removing hindrances. A good general will

improve roads to _facilitate_ the movements of troops, _hasten_ supplies

and perfect discipline to _promote_ the general efficiency of the force,

_despatch_ details of business, _expedite_ all preparations, in order to

_accelerate_ the advance and victory of his army.

Antonyms:

check, clog, delay, drag, hinder, impede, obstruct, retard.

* * * * *

QUOTE.

Synonyms:

cite, extract, plagiarize, repeat.

excerpt, paraphrase, recite,

To _quote_ is to give an author's words, either exactly, as in direct

quotation, or in substance, as in indirect quotation; to _cite_ is,

etymologically, to call up a passage, as a witness is summoned. In

_citing_ a passage its exact location by chapter, page, or otherwise,

must be given, so that it can be promptly called into evidence; in

_quoting_, the location may or may not be given, but the words or

substance of the passage must be given. In _citing_, neither the

author's words nor his thought may be given, but simply the reference to

the location where they may be found. To _quote_, in the proper sense,

is to give credit to the author whose words are employed. To

_paraphrase_ is to state an author's thought more freely than in

indirect quotation, keeping the substance of thought and the order of

statement, but changing the language, and commonly interweaving more or

less explanatory matter as if part of the original writing. One may

_paraphrase_ a work with worthy motive for homiletic, devotional, or

other purposes (as in the metrical versions of the Psalms), or he may

_plagiarize_ atrociously in the form of _paraphrase_, appropriating all

that is valuable in another's thought, with the hope of escaping

detection by change of phrase. To _plagiarize_ is to _quote_ without

credit, appropriating another's words or thought as one's own. To

_recite_ or _repeat_ is usually to _quote_ orally, tho _recite_ is

applied in legal phrase to a particular statement of facts which is not

a quotation; a kindred use obtains in ordinary speech; as, to _recite_

one's misfortunes.

* * * * *

RACY.

Synonyms:

flavorous, lively, pungent, spicy,

forcible, piquant, rich, spirited.

_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.

Antonyms:

cold, flat, insipid, stale, tasteless,

dull, flavorless, prosy, stupid, vapid.

* * * * *

RADICAL.

Synonyms:

complete, ingrained, perfect,

constitutional, innate, positive,

entire, native, primitive,

essential, natural, thorough,

extreme, organic, thoroughgoing,

fundamental, original, total.

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_.

Antonyms:

conservative, incomplete, palliative, slight, tentative,

inadequate, moderate, partial, superficial, trial.

* * * * *

RARE.

Synonyms:

curious, odd, scarce, unique,

extraordinary, peculiar, singular, unparalleled,

incomparable, precious, strange, unprecedented,

infrequent, remarkable, uncommon, unusual.

_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.

Antonyms:

See synonyms for GENERAL; NORMAL; USUAL.

* * * * *

REACH.

Synonyms:

arrive, attain, come to, enter, gain, get to, land.

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.

Antonyms:

depart, go, go away, leave, set out, set sail, start, weigh anchor.

embark,

* * * * *

REAL.

Synonyms:

actual, demonstrable, genuine, true,

authentic, developed, positive, unquestionable,

certain, essential, substantial, veritable.

_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.

Antonyms:

conceived, feigned, illusory, supposed, unreal,

fabulous, fictitious, imaginary, supposititious, untrue,

fanciful, hypothetical, reported, theoretical, visionary.

* * * * *

REASON, _v._

Synonyms:

argue, debate, discuss, establish, question,

contend, demonstrate, dispute, prove, wrangle.

controvert,

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_.

Prepositions:

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.

* * * * *

REASON, _n._

Synonyms:

account, cause, end, motive, principle,

aim, consideration, ground, object, purpose.

argument, design,

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; Caesar was a tyrant; Therefore Caesar deserved

death," "Caesar was a tyrant" would in the strictest sense be called the

_argument_; but if we say "Caesar deserved death because he was a

tyrant," the latter clause would be termed the _reason_. Compare CAUSE;

REASON, _v._; MIND; REASONING.

Prepositions:

The reason _of_ a thing that is to be explained; the reason _for_ a

thing that is to be done.

* * * * *

REASONING.

Synonyms:

argument, argumentation, debate, ratiocination.

_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_.

* * * * *

REBELLIOUS.

Synonyms:

contumacious, mutinous, uncontrollable,

disobedient, refractory, ungovernable,

insubordinate, seditious, unmanageable.

intractable,

_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.

Antonyms:

compliant, docile, manageable, subservient,

controllable, dutiful, obedient, tractable,

deferential, gentle, submissive, yielding.

Prepositions:

Rebellious _to_ or _against_ lawful authority.

* * * * *

RECORD.

Synonyms:

account, enrolment, instrument, register,

archive, entry, inventory, roll,

catalogue, enumeration, memorandum, schedule,

chronicle, history, memorial, scroll.

document, inscription, muniment,

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 striae 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.

* * * * *

RECOVER.

Synonyms:

be cured _or_ healed, heal, recuperate, restore,

be restored, reanimate, regain, resume,

cure, recruit, repossess, retrieve.

The transitive use of _recover_ in the sense of _cure_, _heal_, etc., as

in _2 Kings_ v, 6, "That thou mayest _recover_ him of his leprosy," is

now practically obsolete. The chief transitive use of _recover_ is in

the sense to obtain again after losing, _regain_, _repossess_, etc.; as,

to _recover_ stolen goods; to _recover_ health. The intransitive sense,

_be cured_, _be restored_, etc., is very common; as, to _recover_ from

sickness, terror, or misfortune.

Antonyms:

die, fail, grow worse, relapse, sink.

Prepositions:

_From_; rarely _of_; (_Law_) to recover judgment _against_, to recover

damages _of_ or _from_ a person.

* * * * *

REFINEMENT.

Synonyms:

civilization, cultivation, culture, elegance, politeness.

_Civilization_ applies to nations, denoting the sum of those civil,

social, economic, and political attainments by which a community is

removed from barbarism; a people may be civilized while still far from

_refinement_ or _culture_, but _civilization_ is susceptible of various

degrees and of continued progress. _Refinement_ applies either to

nations or individuals, denoting the removal of what is coarse and rude,

and a corresponding attainment of what is delicate, elegant, and

beautiful. _Cultivation_, denoting primarily the process of cultivating

the soil or growing crops, then the improved condition of either which

is the result, is applied in similar sense to the human mind and

character, but in this usage is now largely superseded by the term

_culture_, which denotes a high development of the best qualities of

man's mental and spiritual nature, with especial reference to the

esthetic faculties and to graces of speech and manner, regarded as the

expression of a refined nature. _Culture_ in the fullest sense denotes

that degree of _refinement_ and development which results from continued

_cultivation_ through successive generations; a man's faculties may be

brought to a high degree of _cultivation_ in some specialty, while he

himself remains uncultured even to the extent of coarseness and

rudeness. Compare HUMANE; POLITE.

Antonyms:

barbarism, brutality, coarseness, rudeness, savagery,

boorishness, clownishness, grossness, rusticity, vulgarity.

* * * * *

REFUTE.

Synonyms:

confound, confute, disprove, overthrow, repel.

To _refute_ and to _confute_ are to answer so as to admit of no reply.

To _refute_ a statement is to demonstrate its falsity by argument or

countervailing proof; _confute_ is substantially the same in meaning,

tho differing in usage. _Refute_ applies either to arguments and

opinions or to accusations; _confute_ is not applied to accusations and

charges, but to arguments or opinions. _Refute_ is not now applied to

persons, but _confute_ is in good use in this application; a person is

_confuted_ when his arguments are _refuted_.

* * * * *

RELIABLE.

Synonyms:

trustworthy, trusty.

The word _reliable_ has been sharply challenged, but seems to have

established its place in the language. The objection to its use on the

ground that the suffix _-able_ can not properly be added to an

intransitive verb is answered by the citation of such words as

"available," "conversable," "laughable," and the like, while, in the

matter of usage, _reliable_ has the authority of Coleridge, Martineau,

Mill, Irving, Newman, Gladstone, and others of the foremost of recent

English writers. The objection to the application of _reliable_ to

persons is not sustained by the use of the verb "rely," which is applied

to persons in the authorized version of the Scriptures, in the writings

of Shakespeare and Bacon, and in the usage of good speakers and writers.

_Trusty_ and _trustworthy_ refer to inherent qualities of a high order,

_trustworthy_ being especially applied to persons, and denoting moral

integrity and truthfulness; we speak of a _trusty_ sword, a _trusty_

servant; we say the man is thoroughly _trustworthy_. _Reliable_ is

inferior in meaning, denoting merely the possession of such qualities as

are needed for safe reliance; as, a _reliable_ pledge; _reliable_

information. A man is said to be _reliable_ with reference not only to

moral qualities, but to judgment, knowledge, skill, habit, or perhaps

pecuniary ability; a thoroughly _trustworthy_ person might not be

_reliable_ as a witness on account of unconscious sympathy, or as a

security by reason of insufficient means. A _reliable_ messenger is one

who may be depended on to do his errand correctly and promptly; a

_trusty_ or _trustworthy_ messenger is one who may be admitted to

knowledge of the views and purposes of those who employ him, and who

will be faithful beyond the mere letter of his commission. We can speak

of a railroad-train as _reliable_ when it can be depended on to arrive

on time; but to speak of a _reliable_ friend would be cold, and to speak

of a warrior girding on his _reliable_ sword would be ludicrous.

* * * * *

RELIGION.

Synonyms:

devotion, godliness, morality, piety, theology,

faith, holiness, pietism, righteousness, worship.

_Piety_ is primarily filial duty, as of children to parents, and hence,

in its highest sense, a loving obedience and service to God as the

Heavenly Father; _pietism_ often denotes a mystical, sometimes an

affected _piety_; _religion_ is the reverent acknowledgment both in

heart and in act of a divine being. _Religion_, in the fullest and

highest sense, includes all the other words of this group. _Worship_ may

be external and formal, or it may be the adoring reverence of the human

spirit for the divine, seeking outward expression. _Devotion_, which in

its fullest sense is self-consecration, is often used to denote an act

of _worship_, especially prayer or adoration; as, he is engaged in his

_devotions_. _Morality_ is the system and practise of duty as required

by the moral law, consisting chiefly in outward acts, and thus may be

observed without spiritual rectitude of heart; _morality_ is of

necessity included in all true _religion_, which involves both outward

act and spiritual service. _Godliness_ (primarily godlikeness) is a

character and spirit like that of God. _Holiness_ is the highest,

sinless perfection of any spirit, whether divine or human, tho often

used for purity or for consecration. _Theology_ is the science of

_religion_, or the study and scientific statement of all that the human

mind can know of God. _Faith_, strictly the belief and trust which the

soul exercises toward God, is often used as a comprehensive word for a

whole system of _religion_ considered as the object of _faith_; as, the

Christian _faith_; the Mohammedan _faith_.

Antonyms:

atheism, godlessness, irreligion, sacrilege, ungodliness,

blasphemy, impiety, profanity, unbelief, wickedness.

* * * * *

RELUCTANT.

Synonyms:

averse, disinclined, loath, slow,

backward, indisposed, opposed, unwilling.

_Reluctant_ (L. _re_, back, and _lucto_, strive, struggle) signifies

struggling against what one is urged or impelled to do, or is actually

doing; _averse_ (L. _a_, from, and _verto_, turn) signifies turned away

as with dislike or repugnance; _loath_ (AS. _lath_, evil, hateful)

signifies having a repugnance, disgust, or loathing for, tho the

adjective _loath_ is not so strong as the verb _loathe_. A dunce is

always _averse_ to study; a good student is _disinclined_ to it when a

fine morning tempts him out; he is _indisposed_ to it in some hour of

weariness. A man may be _slow_ or _backward_ in entering upon that to

which he is by no means _averse_. A man is _loath_ to believe evil of

his friend, _reluctant_ to speak of it, absolutely _unwilling_ to use it

to his injury. A legislator may be _opposed_ to a certain measure, while

not _averse_ to what it aims to accomplish. Compare ANTIPATHY.

Antonyms:

desirous, disposed, eager, favorable, inclined, willing.

* * * * *

REMARK.

Synonyms:

annotation, comment, note, observation, utterance.

A _remark_ is a saying or brief statement, oral or written, commonly

made without much premeditation; a _comment_ is an explanatory or

critical _remark_, as upon some passage in a literary work or some act

or speech in common life. A _note_ is something to call attention, hence

a brief written statement; in correspondence, a _note_ is briefer than a

letter. A _note_ upon some passage in a book is briefer and less

elaborate than a _comment_. _Annotations_ are especially brief _notes_,

commonly marginal, and closely following the text. _Comments_,

_observations_, or _remarks_ may be oral or written, _comments_ being

oftenest written, and _remarks_ oftenest oral. An _observation_ is

properly the result of fixed attention and reflection; a _remark_ may

be the suggestion of the instant. _Remarks_ are more informal than a

speech.

* * * * *

REND.

Synonyms:

break, cleave, mangle, rive, sever, sunder,

burst, lacerate, rip, rupture, slit, tear.

_Rend_ and _tear_ are applied to the separating of textile substances

into parts by force violently applied (_rend_ also to frangible

substances), _tear_ being the milder, _rend_ the stronger word. _Rive_

is a wood-workers' word for parting wood in the way of the grain without

a clean cut. To _lacerate_ is to _tear_ roughly the flesh or animal

tissue, as by the teeth of a wild beast; a _lacerated_ wound is

distinguished from a wound made by a clean cut or incision. _Mangle_ is

a stronger word than _lacerate_; _lacerate_ is more superficial,

_mangle_ more complete. To _burst_ or _rupture_ is to _tear_ or _rend_

by force from within, _burst_ denoting the greater violence; as, to

_burst_ a gun; to _rupture_ a blood-vessel; a steam-boiler may be

_ruptured_ when its substance is made to divide by internal pressure

without explosion. To _rip_, as usually applied to garments or other

articles made by sewing or stitching, is to divide along the line of a

seam by cutting or breaking the stitches; the other senses bear some

resemblance or analogy to this; as, to _rip_ open a wound. Compare

BREAK.

Antonyms:

heal, mend, reunite, secure, sew, solder, stitch, unite, weld.

join,

* * * * *

RENOUNCE.

Synonyms:

abandon, disavow, disown, recant, repudiate,

abjure, discard, forswear, refuse, retract,

deny, disclaim, recall, reject, revoke.

_Abjure_, _discard_, _forswear_, _recall_, _recant_, _renounce_,

_retract_, and _revoke_, like _abandon_, imply some previous connection.

_Renounce_ (L. _re_, back, and _nuntio_, bear a message) is to declare

against and give up formally and definitively; as, to _renounce_ the

pomps and vanities of the world. _Recant_ (L. _re_, back, and _canto_,

sing) is to take back or _deny_ formally and publicly, as a belief that

one has held or professed. _Retract_ (L. _re_, back, and _traho_, draw)

is to take back something that one has said as not true or as what one

is not ready to maintain; as, to _retract_ a charge or accusation; one

_recants_ what was especially his own, he _retracts_ what was directed

against another. _Repudiate_ (L. _re_, back, or away, and _pudeo_, feel

shame) is primarily to _renounce_ as shameful, hence to divorce, as a

wife; thus in general to put away with emphatic and determined

repulsion; as, to _repudiate_ a debt. To _deny_ is to affirm to be not

true or not binding; as, to _deny_ a statement or a relationship; or to

refuse to grant as something requested; as, his mother could not _deny_

him what he desired. To _discard_ is to cast away as useless or

worthless; thus, one _discards_ a worn garment; a coquette _discards_ a

lover. _Revoke_ (L. _re_, back, and _voco_, call), etymologically the

exact equivalent of the English _recall_, is to take back something

given or granted; as, to _revoke_ a command, a will, or a grant;

_recall_ may be used in the exact sense of _revoke_, but is often

applied to persons, as _revoke_ is not; we _recall_ a messenger and

_revoke_ the order with which he was charged. _Abjure_ (L. _ab_, away,

and _juro_, swear) is etymologically the exact equivalent of the Saxon

_forswear_, signifying to put away formally and under oath, as an error,

heresy, or evil practise, or a condemned and detested person. A man

_abjures_ his religion, _recants_ his belief, _abjures_ or _renounces_

his allegiance, _repudiates_ another's claim, _renounces_ his own,

_retracts_ a false statement. A person may _deny_, _disavow_,

_disclaim_, _disown_ what has been truly or falsely imputed to him or

supposed to be his. He may _deny_ his signature, _disavow_ the act of

his agent, _disown_ his child; he may _repudiate_ a just claim or a base

suggestion. A native of the United States can not _abjure_ or _renounce_

allegiance to the Queen of England, but will promptly _deny_ or

_repudiate_ it. Compare ABANDON.

Antonyms:

acknowledge, assert, cherish, defend, maintain, proclaim, uphold,

advocate, avow, claim, hold, own, retain, vindicate.

* * * * *

REPENTANCE.

Synonyms:

compunction, contriteness, regret, self-condemnation,

contrition, penitence, remorse, sorrow.

_Regret_ is _sorrow_ for any painful or annoying matter. One is moved

with _penitence_ for wrong-doing. To speak of _regret_ for a fault of

our own marks it as slighter than one regarding which we should express

_penitence_. _Repentance_ is _sorrow_ for sin with _self-condemnation_,

and complete turning from the sin. _Penitence_ is transient, and may

involve no change of character or conduct. There may be _sorrow_ without

_repentance_, as for consequences only, but not _repentance_ without

_sorrow_. _Compunction_ is a momentary sting of conscience, in view

either of a past or of a contemplated act. _Contrition_ is a subduing

_sorrow_ for sin, as against the divine holiness and love. _Remorse_ is,

as its derivation indicates, a biting or gnawing back of guilt upon the

heart, with no turning of heart from the sin, and no suggestion of

divine forgiveness.

Antonyms:

approval, content, obduracy, self-complacency,

comfort, hardness, obstinacy, self-congratulation,

complacency, impenitence, self-approval, stubbornness.

Prepositions:

Repentance _of_ or _in_ heart, or _from_ the heart; repentance _for_

sins; _before_ or _toward_ God; _unto_ life.

* * * * *

REPORT.

Synonyms:

account, narrative, rehearsal, rumor, story,

description, recital, relation, statement, tale.

narration, record,

_Account_ carries the idea of a commercial summary. A _statement_ is

definite, confined to essentials and properly to matters within the

personal knowledge of the one who states them; as, an ante-mortem

_statement_. A _narrative_ is a somewhat extended and embellished

_account_ of events in order of time, ordinarily with a view to please

or entertain. A _description_ gives especial scope to the pictorial

element. A _report_ (L. _re_, back, and _porto_, bring), as its

etymology implies, is something brought back, as by one sent to obtain

information, and may be concise and formal or highly descriptive and

dramatic. Compare ALLEGORY; HISTORY; RECORD.

* * * * *

REPROOF.

Synonyms:

admonition, chiding, disapproval, reprimand,

animadversion, comment, objurgation, reproach,

blame, condemnation, rebuke, reproval,

censure, criticism, reflection, upbraiding.

check, denunciation, reprehension,

_Blame_, _censure_, and _disapproval_ may either be felt or uttered;

_comment_, _criticism_, _rebuke_, _reflection_, _reprehension_, and

_reproof_ are always expressed. The same is true of _admonition_ and

_animadversion_. _Comment_ and _criticism_ may be favorable as well as

censorious; they imply no superiority or authority on the part of him

who utters them; nor do _reflection_ or _reprehension_, which are

simply turning the mind back upon what is disapproved. _Reprehension_ is

supposed to be calm and just, and with good intent; it is therefore a

serious matter, however mild, and is capable of great force, as

expressed in the phrase severe _reprehension_. _Reflection_ is often

from mere ill feeling, and is likely to be more personal and less

impartial than _reprehension_; we often speak of unkind or unjust

_reflections_. _Rebuke_, literally a stopping of the mouth, is

administered to a forward or hasty person; _reproof_ is administered to

one intentionally or deliberately wrong; both words imply authority in

the reprover, and direct expression of _disapproval_ to the face of the

person _rebuked_ or _reproved_. _Reprimand_ is official _censure_

formally administered by a superior to one under his command.

_Animadversion_ is _censure_ of a high, authoritative, and somewhat

formal kind. _Rebuke_ may be given at the outset, or in the midst of an

action; _animadversion_, _reflection_, _reprehension_, _reproof_, always

follow the act; _admonition_ is anticipatory, and meant to be

preventive. _Check_ is allied to _rebuke_, and given before or during

action; _chiding_ is nearer to _reproof_, but with more of personal

bitterness and less of authority. Compare CONDEMN; REPROVE.

Antonyms:

applause, approval, encomium, eulogy, panegyric, praise.

approbation, commendation,

* * * * *

REPROVE.

Synonyms:

admonish, condemn, reprimand,

blame, expostulate with, reproach,

censure, find fault with, take to task,

chasten, rebuke, upbraid,

check, remonstrate with, warn.

chide, reprehend,

To _censure_ is to pronounce an adverse judgment that may or may not be

expressed to the person _censured_; to _reprove_ is to _censure_

authoritatively, openly, and directly to the face of the person

_reproved_; to _rebuke_ is to _reprove_ with sharpness, and often with

abruptness, usually in the midst of some action or course of action

deemed censurable; to _reprimand_ is to _reprove_ officially; to _blame_

is a familiar word signifying to pass _censure_ upon, make answerable,

as for a fault; _blame_ and _censure_ apply either to persons or acts;

_reprove_ and _rebuke_ are applied chiefly, and _reprimand_ exclusively

to persons. To _reproach_ is to _censure_ openly and vehemently, and

with intense personal feeling as of grief or anger; as, to _reproach_

one for ingratitude; _reproach_ knows no distinction of rank or

character; a subject may _reproach_ a king or a criminal judge. To

_expostulate_ or _remonstrate with_ is to mingle reasoning and appeal

with _censure_ in the hope of winning one from his evil way,

_expostulate_ being the gentler, _remonstrate_ the severer word.

_Admonish_ is the mildest of _reproving_ words, and may even be used of

giving a caution or warning where no wrong is implied, or of simply

reminding of duty which might be forgotten. _Censure_, _rebuke_, and

_reprove_ apply to wrong that has been done; _warn_ and _admonish_ refer

to anticipated error or fault. When one is _admonished_ because of wrong

already done, the view is still future, that he may not repeat or

continue in the wrong. Compare CONDEMN; REPROOF.

Antonyms:

abet, approve, countenance, impel, instigate,

applaud, cheer, encourage, incite, urge on.

* * * * *

REQUITE.

Synonyms:

avenge, punish, remunerate, revenge,

compensate, quit, repay, reward,

pay, reciprocate, retaliate, satisfy,

pay off, recompense, return, settle with.

To _repay_ or to _retaliate_, to _punish_ or to _reward_, may be to make

some return very inadequate to the benefit or injury received, or the

right or wrong done; but to _requite_ (according to its etymology) is to

make so full and adequate a _return_ as to _quit_ oneself of all

obligation of favor or hostility, of punishment or _reward_. _Requite_

is often used in the more general sense of _recompense_ or _repay_, but

always with the suggestion, at least, of the original idea of full

equivalent; when one speaks of _requiting_ kindness with ingratitude,

the expression gains force from the comparison of the actual with the

proper and appropriate _return_. Compare PAY.

Antonyms:

absolve, excuse, forgive, overlook, pass over,

acquit, forget, neglect, pardon, slight.

Preposition:

To requite injury _with_ injury is human, but not Christian.

* * * * *

REST.

Synonyms:

calm, pause, quietness, slumber,

calmness, peace, quietude, stay,

cessation, peacefulness, recreation, stillness,

ease, quiescence, repose, stop,

intermission, quiet, sleep, tranquillity.

_Ease_ denotes freedom from cause of disturbance, whether external or

internal. _Quiet_ denotes freedom from agitation, or especially from

annoying sounds. _Rest_ is a _cessation_ of activity especially of

wearying or painful activity. _Recreation_ is some pleasing activity of

certain organs or faculties that affords _rest_ to other parts of our

nature that have become weary. _Repose_ is a laying down, primarily of

the body, and figuratively a similar freedom from toil or strain of

mind. _Repose_ is more complete than _rest_; a _pause_ is a momentary

_cessation_ of activity; a black-smith finds a temporary _rest_ while

the iron is heating, but he does not yield to _repose_; in a _pause_ of

battle a soldier _rests_ on his arms; after the battle the victor

_reposes_ on his laurels. _Sleep_ is the perfection of _repose_, the

most complete _rest_; _slumber_ is a light and ordinarily pleasant form

of _sleep_. In the figurative sense, _rest_ of mind, soul, conscience,

is not mere _cessation_ of activity, but a pleasing, tranquil relief

from all painful and wearying activity; _repose_ is even more deep,

tranquil, and complete.

Antonyms:

agitation, disturbance, movement, stir, tumult,

commotion, excitement, restlessness, strain, unrest,

disquiet, motion, rush, toil, work.

* * * * *

RESTIVE.

Synonyms:

balky, impatient, rebellious, restless,

fidgety, intractable, recalcitrant, skittish,

fractious, mulish, refractory, stubborn,

fretful, mutinous, resentful, unruly,

frisky, obstinate, restiff, vicious.

_Balky_, _mulish_, _obstinate_, and _stubborn_ are synonyms of _restive_

only in an infrequent if not obsolete use; the supposed sense of

"tending to rest," "standing stubbornly still," is scarcely supported by

any examples, and those cited to support that meaning often fail to do

so. The disposition to offer active resistance to control by any means

whatever is what is commonly indicated by _restive_ in the best English

speech and literature. Dryden speaks of "the pampered colt" as

"_restiff_ to the rein;" but the rein is not used to propel a horse

forward, but to hold him in, and it is against this that he is

"_restiff_." A horse may be made _restless_ by flies or by martial

music, but with no refractoriness; the _restive_ animal impatiently

resists or struggles to break from control, as by bolting, flinging his

rider, or otherwise. With this the metaphorical use of the word agrees,

which is always in the sense of such terms as _impatient_,

_intractable_, _rebellious_, and the like; a people _restive_ under

despotism are not disposed to "rest" under it, but to resist it and

fling it off.

Antonyms:

docile, manageable, passive, quiet, tractable,

gentle, obedient, peaceable, submissive, yielding.

* * * * *

RESTRAIN.

Synonyms:

abridge, constrain, hold in, keep under,

bridle, curb, keep, repress,

check, hinder, keep back, restrict,

circumscribe, hold, keep down, suppress,

confine, hold back, keep in, withhold.

To _restrain_ is to _hold back_ from acting, proceeding, or advancing,

either by physical or moral force. _Constrain_ is positive; _restrain_

is negative; one is _constrained_ to an action; he is _restrained_ from

an action. _Constrain_ refers almost exclusively to moral force,

_restrain_ frequently to physical force, as when we speak of putting one

under restraint. To _restrain_ an action is to hold it partially or

wholly in check, so that it is under pressure even while it acts; to

_restrict_ an action is to fix a limit or boundary which it may not

pass, but within which it is free. To _repress_, literally to press

back, is to hold in check, and perhaps only temporarily, that which is

still very active; it is a feebler word than _restrain_; to _suppress_

is finally and effectually to put down; _suppress_ is a much stronger

word than _restrain_; as, to _suppress_ a rebellion. Compare ARREST;

BIND; KEEP.

Antonyms:

aid, arouse, encourage, free, incite, release,

animate, emancipate, excite, impel, let loose, set free.

* * * * *

RETIREMENT.

Synonyms:

loneliness, privacy, seclusion, solitude.

In _retirement_ one withdraws from association he has had with others;

we speak of the _retirement_ of a public man to private life, tho he may

still be much in company. In _seclusion_ one shuts himself away from the

society of all except intimate friends or attendants; in _solitude_ no

other person is present. While _seclusion_ is ordinarily voluntary,

_solitude_ may be enforced; we speak of the _solitude_ rather than the

_seclusion_ of a prisoner. As "private" denotes what concerns ourselves

individually, _privacy_ denotes freedom from the presence or observation

of those not concerned or whom we desire not to have concerned in our

affairs; _privacy_ is more commonly temporary than _seclusion_; we

speak of a moment's _privacy_. There may be _loneliness_ without

_solitude_, as amid an unsympathizing crowd, and _solitude_ without

_loneliness_, as when one is glad to be alone.

Antonyms:

association, companionship, company, converse, fellowship, society.

* * * * *

REVELATION.

Synonyms:

apocalypse, disclosure, manifestation.

_Revelation_ (L. _re_, back, and _velum_, veil), literally an unveiling,

is the act or process of making known what was before secret or hidden,

or what may still be future. _Apocalypse_ (Gr. _apo_, from, and

_kalypto_, cover), literally an uncovering, comes into English as the

name of the closing book of the Bible. The _Apocalypse_ unveils the

future, as if to the very gaze of the seer; the whole gospel is a

_disclosure_ of the mercy of God; the character of Christ is a

_manifestation_ of the divine holiness and love; all Scripture is a

_revelation_ of the divine will. Or we might say that nature is a

_manifestation_ of the divine character and will, of which Scripture is

the fuller and more express _revelation_.

Antonyms:

cloud, concealment, mystery, shrouding,

cloudiness, hiding, obscuration, veiling.

* * * * *

REVENGE.

Synonyms:

avenging, retaliation, retribution, vengeance.

requital,

_Revenge_ is the act of making return for an injury done to oneself by

doing injury to another person. _Retaliation_ and _revenge_ are personal

and often bitter. _Retaliation_ may be partial; _revenge_ is meant to be

complete, and may be excessive. _Vengeance_, which once meant an

indignant vindication of justice, now signifies the most furious and

unsparing _revenge_. _Revenge_ emphasizes more the personal injury in

return for which it is inflicted, _vengeance_ the ill desert of those

upon whom it is inflicted. A _requital_ is strictly an even return, such

as to quit one of obligation for what has been received, and even if

poor or unworthy is given as complete and adequate. _Avenging_ and

_retribution_ give a solemn sense of exact justice, _avenging_ being

more personal in its infliction, whether by God or man, and

_retribution_ the impersonal visitation of the doom of righteous law.

Compare AVENGE; HATRED; REQUITE.

Antonyms:

compassion, forgiveness, mercy, pardon, pity, reconciliation.

excuse, grace,

Prepositions:

To take revenge _upon_ the enemy, _for_ the injury.

* * * * *

REVOLUTION.

Synonyms:

anarchy, insurrection, revolt,

confusion, lawlessness, riot,

disintegration, mutiny, sedition,

disorder, rebellion, tumult.

insubordination,

The essential idea of _revolution_ is a change in the form of government

or constitution, or a change of rulers, otherwise than as provided by

the laws of succession, election, etc.; while such change is apt to

involve armed hostilities, these make no necessary part of the

_revolution_. The _revolution_ by which Dom Pedro was dethroned, and

Brazil changed from an empire to a republic, was accomplished without a

battle, and almost without a shot. _Anarchy_ refers to the condition of

a state when human government is superseded or destroyed by factions or

other causes. _Lawlessness_ is a temper of mind or condition of the

community which may result in _anarchy_. _Confusion_, _disorder_,

_riot_, and _tumult_ are incidental and temporary outbreaks of

_lawlessness_, but may not be _anarchy_. _Insubordination_ is individual

disobedience. _Sedition_ is the plotting, _rebellion_ the fighting,

against the existing government, but always with the purpose of

establishing some other government in its place. When _rebellion_ is

successful it is called _revolution_; but there may be _revolution_

without _rebellion_; as, the English _Revolution_ of 1688. A _revolt_ is

an uprising against existing authority without the comprehensive views

of change in the form or administration of government that are involved

in _revolution_. _Anarchy_, when more than temporary _disorder_, is a

proposed _disintegration_ of society, in which it is imagined that

social order might exist without government. Slaves make _insurrection_;

soldiers or sailors break out in _mutiny_; subject provinces rise in

_revolt_. Compare SOCIALISM.

Antonyms:

authority, domination, government, obedience, sovereignty,

command, dominion, law, order, submission,

control, empire, loyalty, rule, supremacy.

* * * * *

REVOLVE.

Synonyms:

roll, rotate, turn.

Any round body _rolls_ which continuously touches with successive

portions of its surface successive portions of another surface; a

wagon-wheel _rolls_ along the ground. To _rotate_ is said of a body that

has a circular motion about its own center or axis; to _revolve_ is said

of a body that moves in a curving path, as a circle or an ellipse, about

a center outside of itself, so as to return periodically to the same

relative position that it held at some previous time. A _revolving_ body

may also either _rotate_ or _roll_ at the same time; the earth

_revolves_ around the sun, and _rotates_ on its own axis; in popular

usage, the earth is often said to _revolve_ about its own axis, or to

have a daily "revolution," but _rotate_ and "rotation" are the more

accurate terms. A cylinder over which an endless belt is drawn is said

to _roll_ as regards the belt, tho it _rotates_ as regards its own axis.

Any object that is in contact with or connected with a _rolling_ body is

often said to _roll_; as, the car _rolls_ smoothly along the track.

Objects whose motion approximates or suggests a rotary motion along a

supporting surface are also said to _roll_; as, ocean waves _roll_ in

upon the shore, or the ship _rolls_ in the trough of the sea. _Turn_ is

a conversational and popular word often used vaguely for _rotate_ or

_revolve_, or for any motion about a fixed point, especially for a

motion less than a complete "rotation" or "revolution;" a man _turns_

his head or _turns_ on his heel; the gate _turns_ on its hinges.

Antonyms:

bind, chafe, grind, slide, slip, stand, stick.

* * * * *

RIDDLE, _n._

Synonyms:

conundrum, enigma, paradox, problem, puzzle.

_Conundrum_, a word of unknown origin, signifies some question or

statement in which some hidden and fanciful resemblance is involved, the

answer often depending upon a pun; an _enigma_ is a dark saying; a

_paradox_ is a true statement that at first appears absurd or

contradictory; a _problem_ is something thrown out for solution;

_puzzle_ (from _oppose_) referred originally to the intricate arguments

by which disputants opposed each other in the old philosophic schools.

The _riddle_ is an ambiguous or paradoxical statement with a hidden

meaning to be guessed by the mental acuteness of the one to whom it is

proposed; the _riddle_ is not so petty as the _conundrum_, and may

require much acuteness for its answer; a _problem_ may require simply

study and scholarship, as a _problem_ in mathematics; a _puzzle_ may be

in something other than verbal statement, as a dissected map or any

perplexing mechanical contrivance. Both _enigma_ and _puzzle_ may be

applied to any matter difficult of answer or solution, _enigma_

conveying an idea of greater dignity, _puzzle_ applying to something

more commonplace and mechanical; there are many dark _enigmas_ in human

life and in the course of providence; the location of a missing object

is often a _puzzle_.

Antonyms:

answer, axiom, explanation, proposition, solution.

* * * * *

RIGHT, _n._

Synonyms:

claim, franchise, liberty, prerogative,

exemption, immunity, license, privilege.

A _right_ is that which one may properly demand upon considerations of

justice, morality, equity, or of natural or positive law. A _right_ may

be either general or special, natural or artificial. "Life, liberty, and

the pursuit of happiness" are the natural and inalienable _rights_ of

all men; _rights_ of property, inheritance, etc., are individual and

special, and often artificial, as the _right_ of inheritance by

primogeniture. A _privilege_ is always special, exceptional, and

artificial; it is something not enjoyed by all, or only to be enjoyed on

certain special conditions, a peculiar benefit, favor, advantage, etc. A

_privilege_ may be of doing or avoiding; in the latter case it is an

_exemption_ or _immunity_; as, a _privilege_ of hunting or fishing;

_exemption_ from military service; _immunity_ from arrest. A _franchise_

is a specific _right_ or _privilege_ granted by the government or

established as such by governmental authority; as, the elective

_franchise_; a railroad _franchise_. A _prerogative_ is an official

_right_ or _privilege_, especially one inherent in the royal or

sovereign power; in a wider sense it is an exclusive and peculiar

_privilege_ which one possesses by reason of being what he is; as,

reason is the _prerogative_ of man; kings and nobles have often claimed

_prerogatives_ and _privileges_ opposed to the inherent _rights_ of the

people. Compare DUTY; JUSTICE.

* * * * *

RISE.

Synonyms:

arise, ascend, emanate, flow, issue, proceed, spring.

To _rise_ is to move up or upward whether slowly or quickly, whether

through the least or greatest distance; the waves _rise_; the mists

_rise_; the river _rises_ after heavy rains; as said of persons, to

_rise_ is to come to an erect position after kneeling, sitting,

reclining, or lying down; as, to _rise_ from a sick-bed; my friend

_rose_ as I entered; the guests _rose_ to depart; so a deliberative

assembly or a committee is said to _rise_ when it breaks up a session; a

sun or star _rises_ when to our apprehension it comes above the horizon

and begins to go up the sky. To _ascend_ is to go far upward, and is

often used in a stately sense; as, Christ _ascended_ to heaven. The

shorter form _rise_ is now generally preferred to the longer form

_arise_, except in poetic or elevated style. The sun _rises_ or

_arises_; the river _springs_ at a bound from the foot of the glacier

and _flows_ through the lands to the ocean. Smoke _issues_ from a

chimney and _ascends_ toward the sky. Light and heat _emanate_ from the

sun.

Antonyms:

decline, descend, drop, fall, go down, set, settle, sink.

Prepositions:

Rise _from_ slumber; rise _to_ duty; rise _at_ the summons; we rose

_with_ the lark.

* * * * *

ROBBER.

Synonyms:

bandit, depredator, freebooter, pirate,

brigand, despoiler, highwayman, plunderer,

buccaneer, footpad, marauder, raider,

burglar, forager, pillager, thief.

A _robber_ seeks to obtain the property of others by force or

intimidation; a _thief_ by stealth and secrecy. In early English _thief_

was freely used in both senses, as in Shakespeare and the Authorized

Version of the English Bible, which has "two _thieves_" (_Matt._ xxvii,

38), where the Revised Version more correctly substitutes "two

_robbers_."

* * * * *

ROYAL.

Synonyms:

august, kingly, majestic, princely,

kinglike, magnificent, munificent, regal.

_Royal_ denotes that which actually belongs or pertains to a monarch;

the _royal_ residence is that which the king occupies, _royal_ raiment

that which the king wears. _Regal_ denotes that which in outward state

is appropriate for a king; a subject may assume _regal_ magnificence in

residence, dress, and equipage. _Kingly_ denotes that which is worthy of

a king in personal qualities, especially of character and conduct; as,

a _kingly_ bearing; a _kingly_ resolve. _Princely_ is especially used of

treasure, expenditure, gifts, etc., as _princely_ munificence, a

_princely_ fortune, where _regal_ could not so well be used and _royal_

would change the sense. The distinctions between these words are not

absolute, but the tendency of the best usage is as here suggested.

Antonyms:

beggarly, contemptible, mean, poor, servile, slavish, vile.

* * * * *

RUSTIC.

Synonyms:

agricultural, coarse, pastoral, uncouth,

artless, countrified, plain, unpolished,

awkward, country, rude, unsophisticated,

boorish, hoidenish, rural, untaught,

bucolic, inelegant, sylvan, verdant.

clownish, outlandish,

_Rural_ and _rustic_ are alike derived from the Latin _rus_, country,

and may be alike defined as pertaining to, characteristic of, or

dwelling in the country; but in usage _rural_ refers especially to

scenes or objects in the country, considered as the work of nature;

_rustic_ refers to their effect upon man or to their condition as

affected by human agency; as, a _rural_ scene; a _rustic_ party; a

_rustic_ lass. We speak, however, of the _rural_ population, _rural_

simplicity, etc. _Rural_ has always a favorable sense; _rustic_

frequently an unfavorable one, as denoting a lack of culture and

refinement; thus, _rustic_ politeness expresses that which is

well-meant, but awkward; similar ideas are suggested by a _rustic_

feast, _rustic_ garb, etc. _Rustic_ is, however, often used of a studied

simplicity, an artistic rudeness, which is pleasing and perhaps

beautiful; as, a _rustic_ cottage; a _rustic_ chair. _Pastoral_ refers

to the care of flocks, and to the shepherd's life with the pleasing

associations suggested by the old poetic ideal of that life; as,

_pastoral_ poetry. _Bucolic_ is kindred to _pastoral_, but is a less

elevated term, and sometimes slightly contemptuous.

Antonyms:

accomplished, cultured, polished, refined, urbane,

city-like, elegant, polite, urban, well-bred.

* * * * *

SACRAMENT.

Synonyms:

ceremony, eucharist, observance, rite, solemnity.

communion, Lord's Supper, ordinance, service,

Any religious act, especially a public act, viewed as a means of

serving God is called a _service_; the word commonly includes the entire

series of exercises of a single occasion of public worship. A religious

_service_ ordained as an outward and visible sign of an inward and

spiritual grace is called a _sacrament_. _Ceremony_ is a form expressing

reverence, or at least respect; we may speak of religious _ceremonies_,

the _ceremonies_ of polite society, the _ceremonies_ of a coronation, an

inauguration, etc. An _observance_ has more than a formal obligation,

reaching or approaching a religious sacredness; a stated religious

_observance_, viewed as established by authority, is called an

_ordinance_; viewed as an established custom, it is a _rite_. The terms

_sacrament_ and _ordinance_, in the religious sense, are often used

interchangeably; the _ordinance_ derives its sacredness from the

authority that ordained it, while the _sacrament_ possesses a sacredness

due to something in itself, even when viewed simply as a representation

or memorial. The Lord's Supper is the Scriptural name for the

_observance_ commemorating the death of Christ; the word _communion_ is

once applied to it (_1 Cor._ x, 16), but not as a distinctive name; at

an early period, however, the name _communion_ was so applied, as

denoting the communing of Christians with their Lord, or with one

another. The term _eucharist_ describes the Lord's Supper as a

thanksgiving _service_; it is also called by preeminence _the

sacrament_, as the ratifying of a solemn vow of consecration to Christ.

* * * * *

SAGACIOUS.

Synonyms:

able, intelligent, perspicacious, sensible,

acute, keen, quick of scent, sharp,

apt, keen-sighted, quick-scented, sharp-witted,

clear-sighted, keen-witted, rational, shrewd,

discerning, judicious, sage, wise.

_Sagacious_ refers to a power of tracing the hidden or recondite by

slight indications, as by instinct or intuition; it is not now applied

to mere keenness of sense-perception. We do not call a hound _sagacious_

in following a clear trail; but if he loses the scent, as at the edge of

a stream, and circles around till he strikes it again, his conduct is

said to be _sagacious_. In human affairs _sagacious_ refers to a power

of ready, far-reaching, and accurate inference from observed facts

perhaps in themselves very slight, that seems like a special sense; or

to a similar readiness to foresee the results of any action, especially

upon human motives or conduct--a kind of prophetic common sense.

_Sagacious_ is a broader and nobler word than _shrewd_, and not capable

of the invidious sense which the latter word often bears; on the other

hand, _sagacious_ is less lofty and comprehensive than _wise_ in its

full sense, and more limited to matters of direct practical moment.

Compare ASTUTE; WISDOM.

Antonyms:

absurd, futile, obtuse, silly, sottish, undiscerning,

dull, ignorant, senseless, simple, stupid, unintelligent.

foolish, irrational,

* * * * *

SALE.

Synonyms:

bargain, barter, change, deal, exchange, trade.

A _bargain_ is strictly an agreement or contract to buy and sell, tho

the word is often used to denote the entire transaction and also as a

designation for the thing sold or purchased. _Change_ and _exchange_ are

words of wider signification, applying only incidentally to the transfer

of property or value; a _change_ secures something different in any way

or by any means; an _exchange_ secures something as an equivalent or

return, tho not necessarily as payment for what is given. _Barter_ is

the _exchange_ of one commodity for another, the word being used

generally with reference to portable commodities. _Trade_ in the broad

sense may apply to vast businesses (as the book-_trade_), but as

denoting a single transaction is used chiefly in regard to things of

moderate value, when it becomes nearly synonymous with _barter_. _Sale_

is commonly, and with increasing strictness, limited to the transfer of

property for money, or for something estimated at a money value or

considered as equivalent to so much money in hand or to be paid. A

_deal_ in the political sense is a _bargain_, substitution, or transfer

for the benefit of certain persons or parties against all others; as,

the nomination was the result of a _deal_; in business it may have a

similar meaning, but it frequently signifies simply a _sale_ or

_exchange_, a dealing; as, a heavy _deal_ in stocks.

* * * * *

SAMPLE.

Synonyms:

case, exemplification, instance,

example, illustration, specimen.

A _sample_ is a portion taken at random out of a quantity supposed to be

homogeneous, so that the qualities found in the _sample_ may reasonably

be expected to be found in the whole; as, a _sample_ of sugar; a

_sample_ of cloth. A _specimen_ is one unit of a series, or a fragment

of a mass, all of which is supposed to possess the same essential

qualities; as, a _specimen_ of coinage, or of architecture, or a

_specimen_ of quartz. No other unit or portion may be exactly like the

_specimen_, while all the rest is supposed to be exactly like the

_sample_. An _instance_ is a _sample_ or _specimen_ of action. Compare

EXAMPLE.

Antonyms:

abnormality, aggregate, exception, monstrosity, total, whole.

* * * * *

SATISFY.

Synonyms:

cloy, fill, sate, suffice,

content, glut, satiate, surfeit.

To _satisfy_ is to furnish just enough to meet physical, mental, or

spiritual desire. To _sate_ or _satiate_ is to gratify desire so fully

as for a time to extinguish it. To _cloy_ or _surfeit_ is to gratify to

the point of revulsion or disgust. _Glut_ is a strong but somewhat

coarse word applied to the utmost satisfaction of vehement appetites and

passions; as, to _glut_ a vengeful spirit with slaughter; we speak of

_glutting_ the market with a supply so excessive as to extinguish the

demand. Much less than is needed to _satisfy_ may _suffice_ a frugal or

abstemious person; less than a sufficiency may _content_ one of a

patient and submissive spirit. Compare PAY; REQUITE.

Antonyms:

check, disappoint, restrain, starve, straiten,

deny, refuse, restrict, stint, tantalize.

Prepositions:

Satisfy _with_ food, _with_ gifts, etc.; satisfy one (in the sense of

make satisfaction) _for_ labors and sacrifices; satisfy oneself _by_ or

_upon_ inquiry.

* * * * *

SCHOLAR.

Synonyms:

disciple, learner, pupil, savant, student.

The primary sense of a _scholar_ is one who is being schooled; thence

the word passes to denote one who is apt in school work, and finally one

who is thoroughly schooled, master of what the schools can teach, an

erudite, accomplished person: when used without qualification, the word

is generally understood in this latter sense; as, he is manifestly a

_scholar_. _Pupil_ signifies one under the close personal supervision or

instruction of a teacher or tutor. Those under instruction in schools

below the academic grade are technically and officially termed

_pupils_. The word _pupil_ is uniformly so used in the Reports of the

Commissioner of Education of the United States, but popular American

usage prefers _scholar_ in the original sense; as, teachers and

_scholars_ enjoyed a holiday. Those under instruction in Sunday-schools

are uniformly designated as Sunday-school _scholars_. _Student_ is

applied to those in the higher grades or courses of study, as the

academic, collegiate, scientific, etc. _Student_ suggests less

proficiency than _scholar_ in the highest sense, the _student_ being one

who is learning, the _scholar_ one who has learned. On the other hand,

_student_ suggests less of personal supervision than _pupil_; thus, the

college _student_ often becomes the private _pupil_ of some instructor

in special studies. For _disciple_, etc., compare synonyms for ADHERENT.

Antonyms:

dunce, fool, idiot, idler, ignoramus, illiterate person.

* * * * *

SCIENCE.

Synonyms:

art, knowledge.

_Knowledge_ of a single fact, not known as related to any other, or of

many facts not known as having any mutual relations or as comprehended

under any general law, does not reach the meaning of _science_;

_science_ is _knowledge_ reduced to law and embodied in system. The

_knowledge_ of various countries gathered by an observant traveler may

be a heterogeneous medley of facts, which gain real value only when

coordinated and arranged by the man of _science_. _Art_ always relates

to something to be done, _science_ to something to be known. Not only

must _art_ be discriminated from _science_, but _art_ in the industrial

or mechanical sense must be distinguished from _art_ in the esthetic

sense; the former aims chiefly at utility, the latter at beauty. The

mechanic _arts_ are the province of the artisan, the esthetic or fine

_arts_ are the province of the artist; all the industrial _arts_, as of

weaving or printing, arithmetic or navigation, are governed by exact

rules. _Art_ in the highest esthetic sense, while it makes use of rules,

transcends all rule; no rules can be given for the production of a

painting like Raffael's "Transfiguration," a statue like the Apollo

Belvedere, or a poem like the Iliad. _Science_ does not, like the

mechanic _arts_, make production its direct aim, yet its possible

productive application in the _arts_ is a constant stimulus to

scientific investigation; the _science_, as in the case of chemistry or

electricity, is urged on to higher development by the demands of the

_art_, while the _art_ is perfected by the advance of the _science_.

Creative _art_ seeking beauty for its own sake is closely akin to pure

_science_ seeking _knowledge_ for its own sake. Compare KNOWLEDGE;

LITERATURE.

* * * * *

SECURITY.

Synonyms:

bail, earnest, gage, pledge, surety.

The first four words agree in denoting something given or deposited as

an assurance of something to be given, paid, or done. An _earnest_ is of

the same kind as that to be given, a portion of it delivered in advance,

as when part of the purchase-money is paid, according to the common

expression, "to bind the bargain." A _pledge_ or _security_ may be

wholly different in kind from that to be given or paid, and may greatly

exceed it in value. _Security_ may be of real or personal

property--anything of sufficient value to make the creditor secure; a

_pledge_ is always of personal property or chattels. Every pawnshop

contains unredeemed _pledges_; land, merchandise, bonds, etc., are

frequently offered and accepted as _security_. A person may become

_security_ or _surety_ for another's payment of a debt, appearance in

court, etc.; in the latter case, he is said to become _bail_ for that

person; the person accused gives _bail_ for himself. _Gage_ survives

only as a literary word, chiefly in certain phrases; as, "the _gage_ of

battle."

Prepositions:

Security _for_ the payment of a debt; security _to_ the state, _for_ the

prisoner, _in_ the sum of a thousand dollars.

* * * * *

SELF-ABNEGATION.

Synonyms:

self-control, self-devotion, self-renunciation,

self-denial, self-immolation, self-sacrifice.

_Self-control_ is holding oneself within due limits in pleasures and

duties, as in all things else; _self-denial_, the giving up of pleasures

for the sake of duty. _Self-renunciation_ surrenders conscious rights

and claims; _self-abnegation_ forgets that there is anything to

surrender. There have been devotees who practised very little

_self-denial_ with very much _self-renunciation_. A mother will care for

a sick child with complete _self-abnegation_, but without a thought of

_self-denial_. _Self-devotion_ is heart-consecration of self to a

person or cause with readiness for any needed sacrifice.

_Self-sacrifice_ is the strongest and completest term of all, and

contemplates the gift of self as actually made. We speak of the

_self-sacrifice_ of Christ, where any other of the above terms would be

feeble or inappropriate.

Antonyms:

self-gratification, selfishness, self-seeking, self-will.

self-indulgence,

* * * * *

SEND.

Synonyms:

cast, despatch, emit, impel, propel,

dart, discharge, fling, lance, sling,

delegate, dismiss, forward, launch, throw,

depute, drive, hurl, project, transmit.