To _send_ is to cause to go or pass from one place to another, and

always in fact or thought away from the agent or agency that controls

the act. _Send_ in its most common use involves personal agency without

personal presence; according to the adage, "If you want your business

done, go; if not, _send_;" one _sends_ a letter or a bullet, a messenger

or a message. In all the derived uses this same idea controls; if one

_sends_ a ball into his own heart, the action is away from the directing

hand, and he is viewed as the passive recipient of his own act; it is

with an approach to personification that we speak of the bow _sending_

the arrow, or the gun the shot. To _despatch_ is to _send_ hastily or

very promptly, ordinarily with a destination in view; to _dismiss_ is to

_send_ away from oneself without reference to a destination; as, to

_dismiss_ a clerk, an application, or an annoying subject. To

_discharge_ is to _send_ away so as to relieve a person or thing of a

load; we _discharge_ a gun or _discharge_ the contents; as applied to

persons, _discharge_ is a harsher term than _dismiss_. To _emit_ is to

_send_ forth from within, with no reference to a destination; as, the

sun _emits_ light and heat. _Transmit_, from the Latin, is a dignified

term, often less vigorous than the Saxon _send_, but preferable at times

in literary or scientific use; as, to _transmit_ the crown, or the feud,

from generation to generation; to _transmit_ a charge of electricity.

_Transmit_ fixes the attention more on the intervening agency, as _send_

does upon the points of departure and destination.

Antonyms:

bring, convey, give, hold, receive,

carry, get, hand, keep, retain.

Prepositions:

To send _from_ the hand _to_ or _toward_ (rarely _at_) a mark; send

_to_ a friend _by_ a messenger or _by_ mail; send a person _into_

banishment; send a shell _among_ the enemy.

* * * * *

SENSATION.

Synonyms:

emotion, feeling, perception, sense.

_Sensation_ is the mind's consciousness due to a bodily affection, as of

heat or cold; _perception_ is the cognition of some external object

which is the cause or occasion of the _sensation_; the _sensation_ of

heat may be connected with the _perception_ of a fire. While

_sensations_ are connected with the body, _emotions_, as joy, grief,

etc., are wholly of the mind. "As the most of them [the _sensations_]

are positively agreeable or the opposite, they are nearly akin to those

_emotions_, as hope or terror, or those passions, as anger and envy,

which are acknowledged by all to belong exclusively to the spirit, and

to involve no relation whatever to matter or the bodily organism. Such

_feelings_ are not infrequently styled _sensations_, though improperly."

PORTER _Human Intellect_ Sec. 112, p. 128. [S. '90.] _Feeling_ is a general

term popularly denoting what is felt, whether through the body or by the

mind alone, and includes both _sensation_ and _emotion_. A _sense_ is an

organ or faculty of _sensation_ or of _perception_.

* * * * *

SENSIBILITY.

Synonyms:

feeling, impressibility, sensitiveness, susceptibility.

_Sensibility_ in the philosophical sense, denotes the capacity of

emotion or feeling, as distinguished from the intellect and the will.

(Compare synonyms for SENSATION.) In popular use _sensibility_ denotes

sometimes capacity of feeling of any kind; as, _sensibility_ to heat or

cold; sometimes, a peculiar readiness to be the subject of feeling,

especially of the higher feelings; as, the _sensibility_ of the artist

or the poet; a person of great or fine _sensibility_. _Sensitiveness_

denotes an especial delicacy of _sensibility_, ready to be excited by

the slightest cause, as displayed, for instance, in the

"sensitive-plant." _Susceptibility_ is rather a capacity to take up,

receive, and, as it were, to contain feeling, so that a person of great

_susceptibility_ is capable of being not only readily but deeply moved;

_sensitiveness_ is more superficial, _susceptibility_ more pervading.

Thus, in physics, the _sensitiveness_ of a magnetic needle is the ease

with which it may be deflected, as by another magnet; its

_susceptibility_ is the degree to which it can be magnetized by a given

magnetic force or the amount of magnetism it will hold. So a person of

great _sensitiveness_ is quickly and keenly affected by any external

influence, as by music, pathos, or ridicule, while a person of great

_susceptibility_ is not only touched, but moved to his inmost soul.

Antonyms:

coldness, hardness, insensibility, numbness, unconsciousness.

deadness,

Prepositions:

The sensibility _of_ the organism _to_ atmospheric changes.

* * * * *

SEVERE.

Synonyms:

austere, inflexible, rigorous, uncompromising,

hard, morose, stern, unmitigated,

harsh, relentless, stiff, unrelenting,

inexorable, rigid, strict, unyielding.

That is _severe_ which is devoid of all softness, mildness, tenderness,

indulgence or levity, or (in literature and art) devoid of unnecessary

ornament, amplification, or embellishment of any kind; as, a _severe_

style; as said of anything painful, _severe_ signifies such as heavily

taxes endurance or resisting power; as, a _severe_ pain, fever, or

winter. _Rigid_ signifies primarily _stiff_, resisting any effort to

change its shape; a corpse is said to be _rigid_ in death; hence, in

metaphorical sense, a _rigid_ person or character is one that resists

all efforts to change the will or course of conduct; a _rigid_ rule or

statement is one that admits of no deviation. _Rigorous_ is nearly akin

to _rigid_, but is a stronger word, having reference to action or active

qualities, as _rigid_ does to state or character; a _rigid_ rule may be

_rigorously_ enforced. _Strict_ (L. _stringo_, bind) signifies bound or

stretched tight, tense, strenuously exact. _Stern_ unites harshness and

authority with strictness or severity; _stern_, as said even of

inanimate objects, suggests something authoritative or forbidding.

_Austere_ signifies severely simple or temperate, _strict_ in

self-restraint or discipline, and similarly _unrelenting_ toward others.

We speak of _austere_ morality, _rigid_ rules, _rigorous_ discipline,

_stern_ commands, _severe_ punishment, _harsh_ speech or a _harsh_

voice, _hard_ requirements, _strict_ injunctions, and _strict_

obedience. _Strict_ discipline holds one exactly and unflinchingly to

the rule; _rigorous_ discipline punishes severely any infraction of it.

The _austere_ character is seldom lovely, but it is always strong and

may be grand, commanding, and estimable.

Antonyms:

affable, easy, gentle, lenient, pliable, sweet, tractable,

bland, genial, indulgent, mild, soft, tender, yielding.

* * * * *

SHAKE.

Synonyms:

agitate, jar, quake, shiver, totter,

brandish, joggle, quaver, shudder, tremble,

flap, jolt, quiver, sway, vibrate,

fluctuate, jounce, reel, swing, wave,

flutter, oscillate, rock, thrill, waver.

A thing is _shaken_ which is subjected to short and abruptly checked

movements, as forward and backward, up and down, from side to side, etc.

A tree is "_shaken_ with a mighty wind;" a man slowly _shakes_ his head.

A thing _rocks_ that is sustained from below; it _swings_ if suspended

from above, as a pendulum, or pivoted at the side, as a crane or a

bridge-draw; to _oscillate_ is to _swing_ with a smooth and regular

returning motion; a _vibrating_ motion may be tremulous or _jarring_.

The pendulum of a clock may be said to _swing_, _vibrate_, or

_oscillate_; a steel bridge _vibrates_ under the passage of a heavy

train; the term _vibrate_ is also applied to molecular movements.

_Jolting_ is a lifting from and letting down suddenly upon an unyielding

surface; as, a carriage _jolts_ over a rough road. A _jarring_ motion is

abruptly and very rapidly repeated through an exceedingly limited space;

the _jolting_ of the carriage _jars_ the windows. _Rattling_ refers

directly to the sound produced by _shaking_. To _joggle_ is to _shake_

slightly; as, a passing touch _joggles_ the desk on which one is

writing. A thing _trembles_ that _shakes_ perceptibly and with an

appearance of uncertainty and instability, as a person under the

influence of fear; a thing _shivers_ when all its particles are stirred

with a slight but pervading tremulous motion, as a human body under the

influence of cold; _shuddering_ is a more pronounced movement of a

similar kind, in human beings often the effect of emotional or moral

recoil; hence, the word is applied by extension to such feelings even

when they have no such outward manifestation; as, one says, "I _shudder_

at the thought." To _quiver_ is to have slight and often spasmodic

contractile motions, as the flesh under the surgeon's knife. _Thrill_ is

applied to a pervasive movement felt rather than seen; as, the nerves

_thrill_ with delight; _quiver_ is similarly used, but suggests somewhat

more of outward manifestation. To _agitate_ in its literal use is nearly

the same as to _shake_, tho we speak of the sea as _agitated_ when we

could not say it is _shaken_; the Latin _agitate_ is preferred in

scientific or technical use to the Saxon _shake_, and especially as

applied to the action of mechanical contrivances; in the metaphorical

use _agitate_ is more transitory and superficial, _shake_ more

fundamental and enduring; a person's feelings are _agitated_ by

distressing news; his courage, his faith, his credit, or his testimony

is _shaken_. _Sway_ applies to the movement of a body suspended from

above or not firmly sustained from below, and the motion of which is

less pronounced than _swinging_, smoother than _vibrating_, and not

necessarily constant as _oscillating_; as, the _swaying_ of a reed in

the wind. _Sway_ used transitively especially applies to motions of

grace or dignity; _brandish_ denotes a threatening or hostile motion; a

monarch _sways_ the scepter; the ruffian _brandishes_ a club. To _reel_

or _totter_ always implies liability to fall; _reeling_ is more violent

than _swaying_, _tottering_ more irregular; a drunken man _reels_; we

speak of the _tottering_ step of age or infancy. An extended mass which

seems to lack solidity or cohesion is said to _quake_; as, a _quaking_

bog. _Quaver_ is applied almost exclusively to tremulous sounds of the

human voice. _Flap_, _flutter_, and _fluctuate_ refer to wave-like

movements, _flap_ generally to such as produce a sharp sound; a cock

_flaps_ his wings; _flutter_ applies to a less pronounced and more

irregular motion; a captive bird or a feeble pulse _flutters_. Compare

FLUCTUATE.

* * * * *

SHELTER.

Synonyms:

cover, guard, protect, shield,

defend, harbor, screen, ward.

Anything is _covered_ over which something is completely extended; a

vessel is _covered_ with a lid; the head is _covered_ with a hat. That

which _covers_ may also _defend_ or _protect_; thus, troops interposed

between some portion of their own army and the enemy are often called a

_covering_ party. To _shelter_ is to _cover_ so as to _protect_ from

injury or annoyance; as, the roof _shelters_ from the storm; woods

_shelter_ from the heat. To _defend_ (L. _defendere_, to strike away)

implies the actual, _protect_ (L. _protegere_, to cover before) implies

the possible use of force or resisting power; _guard_ implies sustained

vigilance with readiness for conflict; we _defend_ a person or thing

against actual attack; we _guard_ or _protect_ against possible assault

or injury. A powerful person may _protect_ one who is weak by simply

declaring himself his friend; he _defends_ him by some form of active

championship. An inanimate object may _protect_, as a garment from cold;

_defend_ is used but rarely, and by somewhat violent metaphor, in such

connection. _Protect_ is more complete than _guard_ or _defend_; an

object may be faithfully _guarded_ or bravely _defended_ in vain, but

that which is _protected_ is secure. To _shield_ is to interpose

something over or before that which is assailed, so as to save from

harm, and has a comparatively passive sense; one may _guard_ another by

standing armed at his side, _defend_ him by fighting for him, or

_shield_ him from a missile or a blow by interposing his own person.

_Harbor_ is generally used in an unfavorable sense; confederates or

sympathizers _harbor_ a criminal; a person _harbors_ evil thoughts or

designs. See CHERISH. Compare synonyms for HIDE; DEFENSE.

Antonyms:

betray, expel, expose, give up, refuse, reject, surrender.

cast out,

Prepositions:

Shelter _under_ a roof _from_ the storm; _in_ the fortress, _behind_ or

_within_ the walls, _from_ attack.

* * * * *

SIGN.

Synonyms:

emblem, mark, presage, symbol, token,

indication, note, prognostic, symptom, type.

manifestation, omen, signal,

A _sign_ (L. _signum_) is any distinctive _mark_ by which a thing may be

recognized or its presence known, and may be intentional or accidental,

natural or artificial, suggestive, descriptive, or wholly arbitrary;

thus, a blush may be a _sign_ of shame; the footprint of an animal is a

_sign_ that it has passed; the _sign_ of a business house now usually

declares what is done or kept within, but formerly might be an object

having no connection with the business, as "the _sign_ of the trout;"

the letters of the alphabet are _signs_ of certain sounds. While a

_sign_ may be involuntary, and even unconscious, a _signal_ is always

voluntary, and is usually concerted; a ship may show _signs_ of distress

to the casual observer, but _signals_ of distress are a distinct appeal

for aid. A _symptom_ is a vital phenomenon resulting from a diseased

condition; in medical language a _sign_ is an _indication_ of any

physical condition, whether morbid or healthy; thus, a hot skin and

rapid pulse are _symptoms_ of pneumonia; dulness of some portion of the

lungs under percussion is one of the physical _signs_. Compare AUGUR;

CHARACTERISTIC; EMBLEM.

* * * * *

SIN.

Synonyms:

crime, fault, misdeed, vice,

criminality, guilt, offense, viciousness,

delinquency, ill-doing, transgression, wickedness,

depravity, immorality, ungodliness, wrong,

evil, iniquity, unrighteousness, wrong-doing.

_Sin_ is any lack of holiness, any defect of moral purity and truth,

whether in heart or life, whether of commission or omission. "All

_unrighteousness_ is _sin_," _1 John_ v, 17. _Transgression_, as its

etymology indicates, is the stepping over a specific enactment, whether

of God or man, ordinarily by overt act, but in the broadest sense, in

volition or desire. _Sin_ may be either act or state; _transgression_ is

always an act, mental or physical. _Crime_ is often used for a flagrant

violation of right, but in the technical sense denotes specific

violation of human law. _Guilt_ is desert of and exposure to punishment

because of _sin_. _Depravity_ denotes not any action, but a perverted

moral condition from which any act of _sin_ may proceed. _Sin_ in the

generic sense, as denoting a state of heart, is synonymous with

_depravity_; in the specific sense, as in the expression a _sin_, the

term may be synonymous with _transgression_, _crime_, _offense_,

_misdeed_, etc., or may denote some moral activity that could not be

characterized by terms so positive. _Immorality_ denotes outward

violation of the moral law. _Sin_ is thus the broadest word, and

_immorality_ next in scope; all _crimes_, properly so called, and all

_immoralities_, are _sins_; but there may be _sin_, as ingratitude,

which is neither _crime_, _transgression_, nor _immorality_; and there

may be _immorality_ which is not _crime_, as falsehood. Compare

CRIMINAL.

Antonyms:

blamelessness, goodness, integrity, rectitude, sinlessness,

excellence, holiness, morality, right, uprightness,

godliness, innocence, purity, righteousness, virtue.

Compare synonyms for VIRTUE.

* * * * *

SING.

Synonyms:

carol, chant, chirp, chirrup, hum, warble.

To _sing_ is primarily and ordinarily to utter a succession of

articulate musical sounds with the human voice. The word has come to

include any succession of musical sounds; we say the bird or the rivulet

_sings_; we speak of "the _singing_ quality" of an instrument, and by

still wider extension of meaning we say the teakettle or the cricket

_sings_. To _chant_ is to _sing_ in solemn and somewhat uniform cadence;

_chant_ is ordinarily applied to non-metrical religious compositions. To

_carol_ is to _sing_ joyously, and to _warble_ (kindred with _whirl_) is

to _sing_ with trills or quavers, usually also with the idea of joy.

_Carol_ and _warble_ are especially applied to the _singing_ of birds.

To _chirp_ is to utter a brief musical sound, perhaps often repeated in

the same key, as by certain small birds, insects, etc. To _chirrup_ is

to utter a somewhat similar sound; the word is often used of a brief,

sharp sound uttered as a signal to animate or rouse a horse or other

animal. To _hum_ is to utter murmuring sounds with somewhat monotonous

musical cadence, usually with closed lips; we speak also of the _hum_ of

machinery, etc.

* * * * *

SKEPTIC.

Synonyms:

agnostic, deist, doubter, infidel, unbeliever.

atheist, disbeliever, freethinker,

The _skeptic_ doubts divine revelation; the _disbeliever_ and the

_unbeliever_ reject it, the _disbeliever_ with more of intellectual

dissent, the _unbeliever_ (in the common acceptation) with indifference

or with opposition of heart as well as of intellect. _Infidel_ is an

opprobrious term that might once almost have been said to be

geographical in its range. The Crusaders called all Mohammedans

_infidels_, and were so called by them in return; the word is commonly

applied to any decided opponent of an accepted religion. The _atheist_

denies that there is a God; the _deist_ admits the existence of God, but

denies that the Christian Scriptures are a revelation from him; the

_agnostic_ denies either that we do know or that we can know whether

there is a God.

Antonyms:

believer, Christian.

* * * * *

SKETCH.

Synonyms:

brief, draft, outline, plan,

design, drawing, picture, skeleton.

A _sketch_ is a rough, suggestive presentation of anything, whether

graphic or literary, commonly intended to be preliminary to a more

complete or extended treatment. An _outline_ gives only the bounding or

determining lines of a figure or a scene; a _sketch_ may give not only

lines, but shading and color, but is hasty and incomplete. The lines of

a _sketch_ are seldom so full and continuous as those of an _outline_,

being, like the shading or color, little more than indications or

suggestions according to which a finished _picture_ may be made; the

artist's first representation of a sunset, the hues of which change so

rapidly, must of necessity be a _sketch_. _Draft_ and _plan_ apply

especially to mechanical drawing, of which _outline_, _sketch_, and

_drawing_ are also used; a _plan_ is strictly a view from above, as of a

building or machine, giving the lines of a horizontal section,

originally at the level of the ground, now in a wider sense at any

height; as, a _plan_ of the cellar; a _plan_ of the attic. A mechanical

_drawing_ is always understood to be in full detail; a _draft_ is an

incomplete or unfinished _drawing_; a _design_ is such a preliminary

_sketch_ as indicates the object to be accomplished or the result to be

attained, and is understood to be original. One may make a _drawing_ of

any well-known mechanism, or a _drawing_ from another man's _design_;

but if he says, "The _design_ is mine," he claims it as his own

invention or composition. In written composition an _outline_ gives

simply the main divisions, and in the case of a sermon is often called a

_skeleton_; a somewhat fuller suggestion of illustration, treatment, and

style is given in a _sketch_. A lawyer's _brief_ is a succinct statement

of the main facts involved in a case, and of the main heads of his

argument on points of law, with reference to authorities cited; the

_brief_ has none of the vagueness of a _sketch_, being sufficiently

exact and complete to form, on occasion, the basis for the decision of

the court without oral argument, when the case is said to be "submitted

on _brief_." Compare DESIGN.

* * * * *

SKILFUL.

Synonyms:

accomplished, apt, dexterous, happy, proficient,

adept, clever, expert, ingenious, skilled,

adroit, deft, handy, practised, trained.

_Skilful_ signifies possessing and using readily practical knowledge and

ability, having alert and well-trained faculties with reference to a

given work. One is _adept_ in that for which he has a natural gift

improved by practise; he is _expert_ in that of which training,

experience, and study have given him a thorough mastery; he is

_dexterous_ in that which he can do effectively, with or without

training, especially in work of the hand or bodily activities. In the

case of the noun, "an expert" denotes one who is "experienced" in the

fullest sense, a master of his branch of knowledge. A _skilled_ workman

is one who has thoroughly learned his trade, though he may be naturally

quite dull; a _skilful_ workman has some natural brightness, ability,

and power of adaptation, in addition to his acquired knowledge and

dexterity. Compare CLEVER; DEXTERITY; POWER.

Antonyms:

awkward, clumsy, inexpert, shiftless, unskilled, untrained.

bungling, helpless, maladroit, unhandy, untaught,

Prepositions:

Skilful _at_ or _in_ a work, _with_ a pen or tool of any kind.

* * * * *

SLANDER.

Synonyms:

asperse, decry, disparage, revile,

backbite, defame, libel, traduce,

calumniate, depreciate, malign, vilify.

To _slander_ a person is to utter a false and injurious report

concerning him; to _defame_ is specifically and directly to attack one's

reputation; to _defame_ by spoken words is to _slander_, by written

words, to _libel_. To _asperse_ is, as it were, to bespatter with

injurious charges; to _malign_ is to circulate studied and malicious

attacks upon character; to _traduce_ is to exhibit one's real or assumed

traits in an odious light; to _revile_ or _vilify_ is to attack with

vile abuse. To _disparage_ is to represent one's admitted good traits or

acts as less praiseworthy than they would naturally be thought to be, as

for instance, by ascribing a man's benevolence to a desire for

popularity or display. To _libel_ or _slander_ is to make an assault

upon character and repute that comes within the scope of law; the

_slander_ is uttered, the _libel_ written, printed, or pictured. To

_backbite_ is to speak something secretly to one's injury; to

_calumniate_ is to invent as well as utter the injurious charge. One may

"abuse," "assail," or _vilify_ another to his face; he _asperses_,

_calumniates_, _slanders_, or _traduces_ him behind his back.

Antonyms:

defend, eulogize, extol, laud, praise, vindicate.

* * * * *

SLANG.

Synonyms:

cant, colloquialism, vulgarism, vulgarity.

A _colloquialism_ is an expression not coarse or low, and perhaps not

incorrect, but below the literary grade; educated persons are apt to

allow themselves some _colloquialisms_ in familiar conversation, which

they would avoid in writing or public speaking. _Slang_, in the primary

sense, denotes expressions that are either coarse and rude in themselves

or chiefly current among the coarser and ruder part of the community;

there are also many expressions current in special senses in certain

communities that may be characterized as _slang_; as, college _slang_;

club _slang_; racing _slang_. In the evolution of language many words

originally _slang_ are adopted by good writers and speakers, and

ultimately take their place as accepted English. A _vulgarism_ is an

expression decidedly incorrect, and the use of which is a mark of

ignorance or low breeding. _Cant_, as used in this connection, denotes

the barbarous jargon used as a secret language by thieves, tramps, etc.

Compare DICTION; LANGUAGE.

* * * * *

SLOW.

Synonyms:

dawdling, dilatory, gradual, lingering, slack,

delaying, drowsy, inactive, moderate, sluggish,

deliberate, dull, inert, procrastinating, tardy.

_Slow_ signifies moving through a relatively short distance, or with a

relatively small number of motions in a given time; _slow_ also applies

to that which is a relatively long while in beginning or accomplishing

something; a watch or a clock is said to be _slow_ when its indications

are behind those of the standard time. _Tardy_ is applied to that which

is behind the proper or desired time, especially in doing a work or

arriving at a place. _Deliberate_ and _dilatory_ are used of persons,

tho the latter may be used also of things, as of a stream; a person is

_deliberate_ who takes a noticeably long time to consider and decide

before acting or who acts or speaks as if he were deliberating at every

point; a person is _dilatory_ who lays aside, or puts off as long as

possible, necessary or required action; both words may be applied either

to undertaking or to doing. _Gradual_ (L. _gradus_, a step) signifies

advancing by steps, and refers to _slow_ but regular and sure

progression. _Slack_ refers to action that seems to indicate a lack of

tension, as of muscle or of will, _sluggish_ to action that seems as if

reluctant to advance.

Antonyms:

See synonyms for NIMBLE.

* * * * *

SNEER.

Synonyms:

fling, gibe, jeer, mock, scoff, taunt.

A _sneer_ may be simply a contemptuous facial contortion, or it may be

some brief satirical utterance that throws a contemptuous side-light on

what it attacks without attempting to prove or disprove; a depreciatory

implication may be given in a _sneer_ such as could only be answered by

elaborate argument or proof, which would seem to give the attack undue

importance:

Who can refute a _sneer_?

PALEY _Moral Philosophy_ bk. v, ch. ix.

A _fling_ is careless and commonly pettish; a _taunt_ is intentionally

insulting and provoking; the _sneer_ is supercilious; the _taunt_ is

defiant. The _jeer_ and _gibe_ are uttered; the _gibe_ is bitter, and

often sly or covert; the _jeer_ is rude and open. A _scoff_ may be in

act or word, and is commonly directed against that which claims honor,

reverence, or worship. Compare BANTER.

Preposition:

Only an essentially vicious mind is capable of a sneer _at_ virtue.

* * * * *

SOCIALISM.

Synonyms:

collectivism, communism, fabianism.

_Socialism_, as defined by its advocates, is a theory of civil polity

that aims to secure the reconstruction of society, increase of wealth,

and a more equal distribution of the products of labor through the

public collective ownership of land and capital (as distinguished from

property), and the public collective management of all industries. Its

aim is extended industrial cooperation; _socialism_ is a purely economic

term, applying to landownership and productive capital. Many socialists

call themselves _collectivists_, and their system _collectivism_.

_Communism_ would divide all things, including the profits of individual

labor, among members of the community; many of its advocates would

abolish marriage and the family relation. _Anarchism_ is properly an

antonym of _socialism_, as it would destroy, by violence if necessary,

all existing government and social order, leaving the future to

determine what, if anything, should be raised upon their ruins.

* * * * *

SOUND.

Synonyms:

noise, note, tone.

_Sound_ is the sensation produced through the organs of hearing or the

physical cause of this sensation. _Sound_ is the most comprehensive word

of this group, applying to anything that is audible. _Tone_ is _sound_

considered as having some musical quality or as expressive of some

feeling; _noise_ is _sound_ considered without reference to musical

quality or as distinctly unmusical or discordant. Thus, in the most

general sense _noise_ and _sound_ scarcely differ, and we say almost

indifferently, "I heard a _sound_," or "I heard a _noise_." We speak of

a fine, musical, or pleasing _sound_, but never thus of a _noise_. In

music, _tone_ may denote either a musical _sound_ or the interval

between two such _sounds_, but in the most careful usage the latter is

now distinguished as the "interval," leaving _tone_ to stand only for

the _sound_. _Note_ in music strictly denotes the character representing

a _sound_, but in loose popular usage it denotes the _sound_ also, and

becomes practically equivalent to _tone_. Aside from its musical use,

_tone_ is chiefly applied to that quality of the human voice by which

feeling is expressed; as, he spoke in a cheery _tone_; the word is

similarly applied to the voices of birds and other animals, and

sometimes to inanimate objects. As used of a musical instrument, _tone_

denotes the general quality of its sounds collectively considered.

* * * * *

SPEAK.

Synonyms:

announce, converse, discourse, say,

articulate, declaim, enunciate, talk,

chat, declare, express, tell,

chatter, deliver, pronounce, utter.

To _utter_ is to give forth as an audible sound, articulate or not. To

_talk_ is to _utter_ a succession of connected words, ordinarily with

the expectation of being listened to. To _speak_ is to give articulate

utterance even to a single word; the officer _speaks_ the word of

command, but does not _talk_ it. To _speak_ is also to _utter_ words

with the ordinary intonation, as distinguished from singing. To _chat_

is ordinarily to _utter_ in a familiar, conversational way; to _chatter_

is to _talk_ in an empty, ceaseless way like a magpie.

Prepositions:

Speak _to_ (address) a person; speak _with_ a person (converse with

him); speak _of_ or _about_ a thing (make it the subject of remark);

speak _on_ or _upon_ a subject; in parliamentary language, speak _to_

the question.

* * * * *

SPEECH.

Synonyms:

address, dissertation, oration, speaking,

discourse, harangue, oratory, talk,

disquisition, language, sermon, utterance.

_Speech_ is the general word for _utterance_ of thought in _language_. A

_speech_ may be the delivering of one's sentiments in the simplest way;

an _oration_ is an elaborate and prepared _speech_; a _harangue_ is a

vehement appeal to passion, or a _speech_ that has something

disputatious and combative in it. A _discourse_ is a set _speech_ on a

definite subject, intended to convey instruction. Compare CONVERSATION;

DICTION; LANGUAGE.

Antonyms:

hush, silence, speechlessness, stillness, taciturnity.

* * * * *

SPONTANEOUS.

Synonyms:

automatic, impulsive, involuntary, voluntary,

free, instinctive, unbidden, willing.

That is _spontaneous_ which is freely done, with no external compulsion

and, in human actions, without special premeditation or distinct

determination of the will; that is _voluntary_ which is freely done with

distinct act of will; that is _involuntary_ which is independent of the

will, and perhaps in opposition to it; a _willing_ act is not only in

accordance with will, but with desire. Thus _voluntary_ and

_involuntary_, which are antonyms of each other, are both partial

synonyms of _spontaneous_. We speak of _spontaneous_ generation,

_spontaneous_ combustion, _spontaneous_ sympathy, an _involuntary_

start, an _unbidden_ tear, _voluntary_ agreement, _willing_ submission.

A babe's smile in answer to that of its mother is _spontaneous_; the

smile of a pouting child wheedled into good humor is _involuntary_. In

physiology the action of the heart and lungs is called _involuntary_;

the growth of the hair and nails is _spontaneous_; the action of

swallowing is _voluntary_ up to a certain point, beyond which it becomes

_involuntary_ or _automatic_. In the fullest sense of that which is not

only without the will but distinctly in opposition to it, or compulsory,

_involuntary_ becomes an antonym, not only of _voluntary_ but of

_spontaneous_; as, _involuntary_ servitude. A _spontaneous_ outburst of

applause is of necessity an act of volition, but so completely dependent

on sympathetic impulse that it would seem frigid to call it _voluntary_,

while to call it _involuntary_ would imply some previous purpose or

inclination not to applaud.

* * * * *

SPY.

Synonyms:

detective, emissary, scout.

The _scout_ and the _spy_ are both employed to obtain information of the

numbers, movements, etc., of an enemy. The _scout_ lurks on the

outskirts of the hostile army with such concealment as the case admits

of, but without disguise; a _spy_ enters in disguise within the enemy's

lines. A _scout_, if captured, has the rights of a prisoner of war; a

_spy_ is held to have forfeited all rights, and is liable, in case of

capture, to capital punishment. An _emissary_ is rather political than

military; sent rather to secretly influence opponents than to bring

information concerning them; so far as he does the latter, he is not

only an _emissary_, but a _spy_.

* * * * *

STAIN.

Synonyms:

blot, discolor, dishonor, soil, sully, tinge,

color, disgrace, dye, spot, tarnish, tint.

To _color_ is to impart a color desired or undesired, temporary or

permanent, or, in the intransitive use, to assume a color in any way;

as, he _colored_ with shame and vexation. To _dye_ is to impart a color

intentionally and with a view to permanence, and especially so as to

pervade the substance or fiber of that to which it is applied. To

_stain_ is primarily to _discolor_, to impart a color undesired and

perhaps unintended, and which may or may not be permanent. Thus, a

character "_dyed_ in the wool" is one that has received some early,

permanent, and pervading influence; a character _stained_ with crime or

guilt is debased and perverted. _Stain_ is, however, used of giving an

intended and perhaps pleasing color to wood, glass, etc., by an

application of coloring-matter which enters the substance a little below

the surface, in distinction from painting, in which coloring-matter is

spread upon the surface; _dyeing_ is generally said of wool, yarn,

cloth, or similar materials which are dipped into the _coloring_ liquid.

Figuratively, a standard or a garment may be _dyed_ with blood in

honorable warfare; an assassin's weapon is _stained_ with the blood of

his victim. To _tinge_ is to _color_ slightly, and may also be used of

giving a slight flavor, or a slight admixture of one ingredient or

quality with another that is more pronounced.

* * * * *

STATE.

Synonyms:

affirm, aver, declare, predicate, set forth,

allege, avouch, depose, pronounce, specify,

assert, avow, express, propound, swear,

asseverate, certify, inform, protest, tell,

assure, claim, maintain, say, testify.

To _state_ (L. _sto_, stand) is to _set forth_ explicitly, formally, or

particularly in speech or writing. _Assert_ (L. _ad_, to, and _sero_,

bind) is strongly personal, signifying to _state_ boldly and positively

what the one making the statement has not attempted and may not attempt

to prove. _Affirm_ has less of egotism than _assert_ (as seen in the

word _self-assertion_), coming nearer to _aver_. It has more solemnity

than _declare_, and more composure and dignity than _asseverate_, which

is to _assert_ excitedly. In legal usage, _affirm_ has a general

agreement with _depose_ and _testify_; it differs from _swear_ in not

invoking the name of God. To _assure_ is to _state_ with such authority

and confidence as the speaker feels ought to make the hearer sure.

_Certify_ is more formal, and applies rather to written documents or

legal processes. _Assure_, _certify_, _inform_, apply to the person;

_affirm_, etc., to the thing. _Assert_ is combative; _assure_ is

conciliatory. I _assert_ my right to cross the river; I _assure_ my

friend it is perfectly safe. To _aver_ is to _state_ positively what is

within one's own knowledge or matter of deep conviction. One may

_assert_ himself, or _assert_ his right to what he is willing to contend

for; or he may _assert_ in discussion what he is ready to maintain by

argument or evidence. To _assert_ without proof is always to lay oneself

open to the suspicion of having no proof to offer, and seems to arrogate

too much to one's personal authority, and hence in such cases both the

verb _assert_ and its noun _assertion_ have an unfavorable sense; we say

a mere _assertion_, a bare _assertion_, his unsupported _assertion_; he

_asserted_ his innocence has less force than he _affirmed_ or

_maintained_ his innocence. _Affirm_, _state_, and _tell_ have not the

controversial sense of _assert_, but are simply declarative. To

_vindicate_ is to defend successfully what is assailed. Almost every

criminal will _assert_ his innocence; the honest man will seldom lack

means to _vindicate_ his integrity.

Antonyms:

contradict, controvert, disprove, gainsay, refute, retract,

contravene, deny, dispute, oppose, repudiate, waive.

* * * * *

STEEP.

Synonyms:

abrupt, high, precipitous, sharp, sheer.

_High_ is used of simple elevation; _steep_ is said only of an incline

where the vertical measurement is sufficiently great in proportion to

the horizontal to make it difficult of ascent. _Steep_ is relative; an

ascent of 100 feet to the mile on a railway is a _steep_ grade; a rise

of 500 feet to the mile makes a _steep_ wagon-road; a roof is _steep_

when it makes with the horizontal line an angle of more than 45 deg.. A

_high_ mountain may be climbed by a winding road nowhere _steep_, while

a little hill may be accessible only by a _steep_ path. A _sharp_

ascent or descent is one that makes a sudden, decided angle with the

plane from which it starts; a _sheer_ ascent or descent is

perpendicular, or nearly so; _precipitous_ applies to that which is of

the nature of a precipice, and is used especially of a descent; _abrupt_

is as if broken sharply off, and applies to either acclivity or

declivity. Compare HIGH.

Antonyms:

easy, flat, gentle, gradual, horizontal, level, low, slight.

* * * * *

STORM.

Synonyms:

agitation, disturbance, tempest.

A _storm_ is properly a _disturbance_ of the atmosphere, with or without

rain, snow, hail, or thunder and lightning. Thus we have rain-_storm_,

snow-_storm_, etc., and by extension, magnetic _storm_. A _tempest_ is a

_storm_ of extreme violence, always attended with some precipitation, as

of rain, from the atmosphere. In the moral and figurative use, _storm_

and _tempest_ are not closely discriminated, except that _tempest_

commonly implies greater intensity. We speak of _agitation_ of feeling,

_disturbance_ of mind, a _storm_ of passion, a _tempest_ of rage.

Antonyms:

calm, fair weather, hush, peace, serenity, stillness, tranquillity.

* * * * *

STORY.

Synonyms:

account, legend, narrative, recital, relation,

anecdote, myth, novel, record, tale.

incident, narration,

A _story_ is the telling of some series of connected incidents or

events, whether real or fictitious, in prose or verse, orally or in

writing; or the series of incidents or events thus related may be termed

a _story_. In children's talk, a _story_ is a common euphemism for a

falsehood. _Tale_ is nearly synonymous with _story_, but is somewhat

archaic; it is used for an imaginative, legendary, or fictitious

_recital_, especially if of ancient date; as, a fairy _tale_; also, for

an idle or malicious report; as, do not tell _tales_; "where there is no

_tale_-bearer, the strife ceaseth." _Prov._ xxvi, 20. An _anecdote_

tells briefly some _incident_, assumed to be fact. If it passes close

limits of brevity, it ceases to be an _anecdote_, and becomes a

_narrative_ or _narration_. A traditional or mythical _story_ of ancient

times is a _legend_. A history is often somewhat poetically called a

_story_; as, the _story_ of the American civil war. Compare ALLEGORY;

FICTION; HISTORY.

Antonyms:

annals, biography, chronicle, history, memoir.

* * * * *

STUPIDITY.

Synonyms:

apathy, insensibility, slowness, stupefaction,

dulness, obtuseness, sluggishness, stupor.

_Stupidity_ is sometimes loosely used for temporary _dulness_ or partial

_stupor_, but chiefly for innate and chronic _dulness_ and

_sluggishness_ of mental action, _obtuseness_ of apprehension, etc.

_Apathy_ may be temporary, and be dispelled by appeal to the feelings or

by the presentation of an adequate motive, but _stupidity_ is inveterate

and commonly incurable. Compare APATHY; IDIOCY; STUPOR.

Antonyms:

acuteness, brilliancy, keenness, sagacity,

alertness, cleverness, quickness, sense,

animation, intelligence, readiness, sensibility.

* * * * *

STUPOR.

Synonyms:

apathy, fainting, stupefaction, syncope,

asphyxia, insensibility, swoon, torpor,

coma, lethargy, swooning, unconsciousness.

_Stupor_ is a condition of the body in which the action of the senses

and faculties is suspended or greatly dulled--weakness or loss of

sensibility. The _apathy_ of disease is a mental affection, a state of

morbid indifference; _lethargy_ is a morbid tendency to heavy and

continued sleep, from which the patient may perhaps be momentarily

aroused. _Coma_ is a deep, abnormal sleep, from which the patient can

not be aroused, or is aroused only with difficulty, a state of profound

_insensibility_, perhaps with full pulse and deep, stertorous breathing,

and is due to brain-oppression. _Syncope_ or _swooning_ is a sudden loss

of sensation and of power of motion, with suspension of pulse and of

respiration, and is due to failure of heart-action, as from sudden

nervous shock or intense mental emotion. _Insensibility_ is a general

term denoting loss of feeling from any cause, as from cold,

intoxication, or injury. _Stupor_ is especially profound and confirmed

_insensibility_, properly comatose. _Asphyxia_ is a special form of

_syncope_ resulting from partial or total suspension of respiration, as

in strangulation, drowning, or inhalation of noxious gases.

* * * * *

SUBJECTIVE.

Synonym:

objective.

_Subjective_ and _objective_ are synonyms in but one point of view,

being, for the most part, strictly antonyms. _Subjective_ signifies

relating to the subject of mental states, that is, to the person who

experiences them; _objective_ signifies relating to the object of mental

states, that is, to something outside the perceiving mind; in brief

phrase it may be said that _subjective_ relates to something within the

mind, _objective_ to something without. A mountain, as a mass of a

certain size, contour, color, etc., is an _objective_ fact; the

impression our mind receives, the mental picture it forms of the

mountain, is _subjective_. But this _subjective_ impression may become

itself the object of thought (called "subject-object"), as when we

compare our mental picture of the mountain with our idea of a plain or

river. The direct experiences of the soul, as joy, grief, hope, fear,

are purely _subjective_; the outward causes of these experiences, as

prosperity, bereavement, disappointment, are _objective_. That which has

independent existence or authority apart from our experience or thought

is said to have _objective_ existence or authority; thus we speak of the

_objective_ authority of the moral law. Different individuals may

receive different _subjective_ impressions from the same _objective_

fact, that which to one is a cause of hope being to another a cause of

fear, etc. The style of a writer is called _objective_ when it derives

its materials mainly from or reaches out toward external objects; it is

called _subjective_ when it derives its materials mainly from or

constantly tends to revert to the personal experience of the author.

Compare INHERENT.

* * * * *

SUBSIDY.

Synonyms:

aid, bounty, indemnity, reward, support,

allowance, gift, pension, subvention, tribute.

bonus, grant, premium,

A _subsidy_ is pecuniary aid directly granted by government to an

individual or commercial enterprise, or money furnished by one nation to

another to aid it in carrying on war against a common enemy. A nation

grants a _subsidy_ to an ally, pays a _tribute_ to a conqueror. An

_indemnity_ is in the nature of things limited and temporary, while a

_tribute_ might be exacted indefinitely. A nation may also grant a

_subsidy_ to its own citizens as a means of promoting the public

welfare; as, a _subsidy_ to a steamship company. The somewhat rare term

_subvention_ is especially applied to a _grant_ of governmental aid to a

literary or artistic enterprise. Governmental _aid_ to a commercial or

industrial enterprise other than a transportation company is more

frequently called a _bounty_ than a _subsidy_; as, the sugar _bounty_.

The word _bounty_ may be applied to almost any regular or stipulated

_allowance_ by a government to a citizen or citizens; as, a _bounty_ for

enlisting in the army; a _bounty_ for killing wolves. A _bounty_ is

offered for something to be done; a _pension_ is granted for something

that has been done.

* * * * *

SUBVERT.

Synonyms:

destroy, overthrow, ruin, supplant,

extinguish, overturn, supersede, suppress.

To _subvert_ is to overthrow from or as from the very foundation;

utterly destroy; bring to ruin. The word is now generally figurative, as

of moral or political ruin. To _supersede_ implies the putting of

something that is wisely or unwisely preferred in the place of that

which is removed; to _subvert_ does not imply substitution. To

_supplant_ is more often personal, signifying to take the place of

another, usually by underhanded means; one is _superseded_ by authority,

_supplanted_ by a rival. Compare ABOLISH.

Antonyms:

conserve, keep, perpetuate, preserve, sustain, uphold.

* * * * *

SUCCEED.

Synonyms:

achieve, attain, flourish, prevail, prosper, thrive, win.

A person _succeeds_ when he accomplishes what he attempts, or _attains_

a desired object or result; an enterprise or undertaking _succeeds_ that

has a prosperous result. To _win_ implies that some one loses, but one

may _succeed_ where no one fails. A solitary swimmer _succeeds_ in

reaching the shore; if we say he _wins_ the shore we contrast him with

himself as a possible loser. Many students may _succeed_ in study; a few

_win_ the special prizes, for which all compete. Compare FOLLOW.

Antonyms:

be defeated, come short, fail, fall short, lose, miss, miscarry.

* * * * *

SUGGESTION.

Synonyms:

hint, implication, innuendo, insinuation, intimation.

A _suggestion_ (L. _sub_, under, and _gero_, bring) brings something

before the mind less directly than by formal or explicit statement, as

by a partial statement, an incidental allusion, an illustration, a

question, or the like. _Suggestion_ is often used of an unobtrusive

statement of one's views or wishes to another, leaving consideration and

any consequent action entirely to his judgment, and is hence, in many

cases, the most respectful way in which one can convey his views to a

superior or a stranger. A _suggestion_ may be given unintentionally, and

even unconsciously, as when we say an author has "a _suggestive_ style."

An _intimation_ is a _suggestion_ in brief utterance, or sometimes by

significant act, gesture, or token, of one's meaning or wishes; in the

latter case it is often the act of a superior; as, God in his providence

gives us _intimations_ of his will. A _hint_ is still more limited in

expression, and is always covert, but frequently with good intent; as,

to give one a _hint_ of danger or of opportunity. _Insinuation_ and

_innuendo_ are used in the bad sense; an _insinuation_ is a covert or

partly veiled injurious utterance, sometimes to the very person

attacked; an _innuendo_ is commonly secret as well as sly, as if

pointing one out by a significant nod (L. _in_, in, to, and _nuo_, nod).

* * * * *

SUPERNATURAL.

Synonyms:

miraculous, preternatural, superhuman.

The _supernatural_ (_super_, above) is above or superior to the

recognized powers of nature; the _preternatural_ (_preter_, beyond) is

aside from or beyond the recognized results or operations of natural

law, often in the sense of inauspicious; as, a _preternatural_ gloom.

_Miraculous_ is more emphatic and specific than _supernatural_, as

referring to the direct personal intervention of divine power. Some hold

that a miracle, as the raising of the dead, is a direct suspension and

even violation of natural laws by the fiat of the Creator, and hence is,

in the strictest sense, _supernatural_; others hold that the miracle is

simply the calling forth of a power residing in the laws of nature, but

not within their ordinary operation, and dependent on a distinct act of

God, so that the _miraculous_ might be termed "extranatural," rather

than _supernatural_. All that is beyond human power is _superhuman_; as,

prophecy gives evidence of _superhuman_ knowledge; the word is

sometimes applied to remarkable manifestations of human power,

surpassing all that is ordinary.

Antonyms:

common, commonplace, everyday, natural, ordinary, usual.

* * * * *

SUPPORT.

Synonyms:

bear, cherish, keep, maintain, sustain,

carry, hold up, keep up, prop, uphold.

_Support_ and _sustain_ alike signify to _hold up_ or _keep up_, to

prevent from falling or sinking; but _sustain_ has a special sense of

continuous exertion or of great strength continuously exerted, as when

we speak of _sustained_ endeavor or a _sustained_ note; a flower is

_supported_ by the stem or a temple-roof by arches; the foundations of a

great building _sustain_ an enormous pressure; to _sustain_ life implies

a greater exigency and need than to _support_ life; to say one is

_sustained_ under affliction is to say more both of the severity of the

trial and the completeness of the _upholding_ than if we say he is

_supported_. To _bear_ is the most general word, denoting all _holding

up_ or _keeping up_ of any object, whether in rest or motion; in the

derived senses it refers to something that is a tax upon strength or

endurance; as, to _bear_ a strain; to _bear_ pain or grief. To

_maintain_ is to _keep_ in a state or condition, especially in an

excellent and desirable condition; as, to _maintain_ health or

reputation; to _maintain_ one's position; to _maintain_ a cause or

proposition is to hold it against opposition or difficulty. To _support_

may be partial, to _maintain_ is complete; _maintain_ is a word of more

dignity than _support_; a man _supports_ his family; a state _maintains_

an army or navy. To _prop_ is always partial, signifying to add

_support_ to something that is insecure. Compare ABET; ENDURE; KEEP.

Antonyms:

abandon, break down, demolish, destroy, let go, throw down,

betray, cast down, desert, drop, overthrow, wreck.

Prepositions:

The roof is supported _by_, _on_, or _upon_ pillars; the family was

supported _on_ or _upon_ a pittance, or _by_ charity.

* * * * *

SUPPOSE.

Synonyms:

conjecture, deem, guess, imagine, surmise, think.

To _suppose_ is temporarily to assume a thing as true, either with the

expectation of finding it so or for the purpose of ascertaining what

would follow if it were so. To _suppose_ is also to think a thing to be

true while aware or conceding that the belief does not rest upon any

sure ground, and may not accord with fact; or yet again, to _suppose_ is

to imply as true or involved as a necessary inference; as, design

_supposes_ the existence of a designer. To _conjecture_ is to put

together the nearest available materials for a provisional opinion,

always with some expectation of finding the facts to be as

_conjectured_. To _imagine_ is to form a mental image of something as

existing, tho its actual existence may be unknown, or even impossible.

To _think_, in this application, is to hold as the result of thought

what is admitted not to be matter of exact or certain knowledge; as, I

do not know, but I _think_ this to be the fact: a more conclusive

statement than would be made by the use of _conjecture_ or _suppose_.

Compare DOUBT; HYPOTHESIS.

Antonyms:

ascertain, be sure, conclude, discover, know, prove.

* * * * *

SURRENDER.

Synonyms:

abandon, cede, give over, relinquish,

alienate, give, give up, sacrifice,

capitulate, give oneself up, let go, yield.

To _surrender_ is to _give up_ upon compulsion, as to an enemy in war,

hence to _give up_ to any person, passion, influence, or power. To

_yield_ is to give place or give way under pressure, and hence under

compulsion. _Yield_ implies more softness or concession than

_surrender_; the most determined men may _surrender_ to overwhelming

force; when one _yields_, his spirit is at least somewhat subdued. A

monarch or a state _cedes_ territory perhaps for a consideration;

_surrenders_ an army, a navy, or a fortified place to a conqueror; a

military commander _abandons_ an untenable position or unavailable

stores. We _sacrifice_ something precious through error, friendship, or

duty, _yield_ to convincing reasons, a stronger will, winsome

persuasion, or superior force. Compare ABANDON.

* * * * *

SYNONYMOUS.

Synonyms:

alike, equivalent, like, similar,

correspondent, identical, same, synonymic.

corresponding, interchangeable,

_Synonymous_ (Gr. _syn_, together, and _onyma_, name) strictly signifies

being _interchangeable_ names for the same thing, or being one of two

or more _interchangeable_ names for the same thing; to say that two

words are _synonymous_ is strictly to say they are _alike_,

_equivalent_, _identical_, or the _same_ in meaning; but the use of

_synonymous_ in this strict sense is somewhat rare, and rather with

reference to statements than to words.

To say that we are morally developed is _synonymous_ with saying

that we have reaped what some one has suffered for us.

H. W. BEECHER _Royal Truths_ p. 294. [T. & F. '66.]

In the strictest sense, _synonymous_ words scarcely exist; rarely, if

ever, are any two words in any language _equivalent_ or _identical_ in

meaning; where a difference in meaning can not easily be shown, a

difference in usage commonly exists, so that the words are not

_interchangeable_. By _synonymous_ words (or _synonyms_) we usually

understand words that coincide or nearly coincide in some part of their

meaning, and may hence within certain limits be used interchangeably,

while outside of those limits they may differ very greatly in meaning

and use. It is the office of a work on synonyms to point out these

correspondences and differences, that language may have the flexibility

that comes from freedom of selection within the common limits, with the

perspicuity and precision that result from exact choice of the fittest

words to express each shade of meaning outside of the common limits. To

consider _synonymous_ words _identical_ is fatal to accuracy; to forget

that they are _similar_, to some extent _equivalent_, and sometimes

_interchangeable_, is destructive of freedom and variety.

* * * * *

SYSTEM.

Synonyms:

manner, method, mode, order, regularity, rule.

_Order_ in this connection denotes the fact or result of proper

arrangement according to the due relation or sequence of the matters

arranged; as, these papers are in _order_; in alphabetical _order_.

_Method_ denotes a process, a general or established way of doing or

proceeding in anything; _rule_, an authoritative requirement or an

established course of things; _system_, not merely a law of action or

procedure, but a comprehensive plan in which all the parts are related

to each other and to the whole; as, a _system_ of theology; a railroad

_system_; the digestive _system_; _manner_ refers to the external

qualities of actions, and to those often as settled and characteristic;

we speak of a _system_ of taxation, a _method_ of collecting taxes, the

_rules_ by which assessments are made; or we say, as a _rule_ the

payments are heaviest at a certain time of year; a just tax may be made

odious by the _manner_ of its collection. _Regularity_ applies to the

even disposition of objects or uniform recurrence of acts in a series.

There may be _regularity_ without _order_, as in the recurrence of

paroxysms of disease or insanity; there may be _order_ without

_regularity_, as in the arrangement of furniture in a room, where the

objects are placed at varying distances. _Order_ commonly implies the

design of an intelligent agent or the appearance or suggestion of such

design; _regularity_ applies to an actual uniform disposition or

recurrence with no suggestion of purpose, and as applied to human

affairs is less intelligent and more mechanical than _order_. The most

perfect _order_ is often secured with least _regularity_, as in a fine

essay or oration. The same may be said of _system_. There is a

_regularity_ of dividing a treatise into topics, paragraphs, and

sentences, that is destructive of true rhetorical _system_. Compare

HABIT; HYPOTHESIS.

Antonyms:

chaos, derangement, disarrangement, disorder, irregularity.

confusion,

* * * * *

TACITURN.

Synonyms:

close, mute, reticent, speechless,

dumb, reserved, silent, uncommunicative.

_Dumb_, _mute_, _silent_ and _speechless_ refer to fact or state;

_taciturn_ refers to habit and disposition. The talkative person may be

stricken _dumb_ with surprise or terror; the obstinate may remain

_mute_; one may be _silent_ through preoccupation of mind or of set

purpose; but the _taciturn_ person is averse to the utterance of thought

or feeling and to communication with others, either from natural

disposition or for the occasion. One who is _silent_ does not speak at

all; one who is _taciturn_ speaks when compelled, but in a grudging way

that repels further approach. _Reserved_ suggests more of method and

intention than _taciturn_, applying often to some special time or topic;

one who is communicative regarding all else may be _reserved_ about his

business. _Reserved_ is thus closely equivalent to _uncommunicative_,

but is a somewhat stronger word, often suggesting pride or haughtiness,

as when we say one is _reserved_ toward inferiors. Compare PRIDE.

Antonyms:

communicative, free, garrulous, loquacious, talkative, unreserved.

* * * * *

TASTEFUL.

Synonyms:

artistic, delicate, esthetic, fastidious, nice,

chaste, delicious, esthetical, fine, tasty.

dainty, elegant, exquisite,

_Elegant_ (L. _elegans_, select) refers to that assemblage of qualities

which makes anything choice to persons of culture and refinement; it

refers to the lighter, finer elements of beauty in form or motion,

especially denoting that which exhibits faultless taste and perfection

of finish. That which is _elegant_ is made so not merely by nature, but

by art and culture; a woodland dell may be beautiful or picturesque, but

would not ordinarily be termed _elegant_. _Tasteful_ refers to that in

which the element of taste is more prominent, standing, as it were, more

by itself, while in _elegant_ it is blended as part of the whole.

_Tasty_ is an inferior word, used colloquially in a similar sense.

_Chaste_ (primarily _pure_), denotes in literature and art that which is

true to the higher and finer feelings and free from all excess or

meretricious ornament. _Dainty_ and _delicate_ refer to the lighter and

finer elements of taste and beauty, _dainty_ tending in personal use to

an excessive scrupulousness which is more fully expressed by

_fastidious_. _Nice_ and _delicate_ both refer to exact adaptation to

some standard; the bar of a balance can be said to be nicely or

delicately poised; as regards matters of taste and beauty, _delicate_ is

a higher and more discriminating word than _nice_, and is always used in

a favorable sense; a _delicate_ distinction is one worth observing; a

_nice_ distinction may be so, or may be overstrained and unduly subtle;

_fine_ in such use, is closely similar to _delicate_ and _nice_, but

(tho capable of an unfavorable sense) has commonly a suggestion of

positive excellence or admirableness; a _fine_ touch does something;

_fine_ perceptions are to some purpose; _delicate_ is capable of the

single unfavorable sense of frail or fragile; as, a _delicate_

constitution. _Esthetic_ or _esthetical_ refers to beauty or the

appreciation of the beautiful, especially from the philosophic point of

view. _Exquisite_ denotes the utmost perfection of the _elegant_ in

minute details; we speak of an _elegant_ garment, an _exquisite_ lace.

_Exquisite_ is also applied to intense keenness of any feeling; as,

_exquisite_ delight; _exquisite_ pain. See BEAUTIFUL; DELICIOUS; FINE.

Antonyms:

clumsy, displeasing, grotesque, inartistic, rough,

coarse, distasteful, harsh, inharmonious, rude,

deformed, fulsome, hideous, meretricious, rugged,

disgusting, gaudy, horrid, offensive, tawdry.

* * * * *

TEACH.

Synonyms:

discipline, give instruction, inform, nurture,

drill, give lessons, initiate, school,

educate, inculcate, instill, train,

enlighten, indoctrinate, instruct, tutor.

To _teach_ is simply to communicate knowledge; to _instruct_

(originally, to build in or into, put in order) is to impart knowledge

with special method and completeness; _instruct_ has also an

authoritative sense nearly equivalent to command. To _educate_ is to

draw out or develop harmoniously the mental powers, and, in the fullest

sense, the moral powers as well. To _train_ is to direct to a certain

result powers already existing. _Train_ is used in preference to

_educate_ when the reference is to the inferior animals or to the

physical powers of man; as, to _train_ a horse; to _train_ the hand or

eye. To _discipline_ is to bring into habitual and complete subjection

to authority; _discipline_ is a severe word, and is often used as a

euphemism for _punish_; to be thoroughly effective in war, soldiers must

be _disciplined_ as well as _trained_. To _nurture_ is to furnish the

care and sustenance necessary for physical, mental, and moral growth;

_nurture_ is a more tender and homelike word than _educate_. Compare

EDUCATION.

* * * * *

TEMERITY.

Synonyms:

audacity, heedlessness, presumption,

foolhardiness, over-confidence, rashness,

hardihood, precipitancy, recklessness,

hastiness, precipitation, venturesomeness.

_Rashness_ applies to the actual rushing into danger without counting

the cost; _temerity_ denotes the needless exposure of oneself to peril

which is or might be clearly seen to be such. _Rashness_ is used chiefly

of bodily acts, _temerity_ often of mental or social matters; there may

be a noble _rashness_, but _temerity_ is always used in a bad sense. We

say it is amazing that one should have had the _temerity_ to make a

statement which could be readily proved a falsehood, or to make an

unworthy proposal to one sure to resent it; in such use _temerity_ is

often closely allied to _hardihood_, _audacity_, or _presumption_.

_Venturesomeness_ dallies on the edge of danger and experiments with it;

_foolhardiness_ rushes in for want of sense, _heedlessness_ for want of

attention, _rashness_ for want of reflection, _recklessness_ from

disregard of consequences. _Audacity_, in the sense here considered,

denotes a dashing and somewhat reckless courage, in defiance of

conventionalities, or of other men's opinions, or of what would be

deemed probable consequences; as, the _audacity_ of a successful

financier. Compare EFFRONTERY.

Antonyms:

care, circumspection, cowardice, hesitation, timidity, wariness.

caution,

* * * * *

TERM.

Synonyms:

article, denomination, member, phrase,

condition, expression, name, word.

_Term_ in its figurative uses always retains something of its literal

sense of a boundary or limit. The _articles_ of a contract or other

instrument are simply the portions into which it is divided for

convenience; the _terms_ are the essential statements on which its

validity depends--as it were, the landmarks of its meaning or power; a

_condition_ is a contingent _term_ which may become fixed upon the

happening of some contemplated event. In logic a _term_ is one of the

essential members of a proposition, the boundary of statement in some

one direction. Thus, in general use _term_ is more restricted than

_word_, _expression_, or _phrase_; a _term_ is a _word_ that limits

meaning to a fixed point of statement or to a special class of subjects,

as when we speak of the definition of _terms_, that is of the

key-_words_ in any discussion; or we say, that is a legal or scientific

_term_. Compare BOUNDARY; DICTION.

* * * * *

TERSE.

Synonyms:

brief, concise, neat, short,

compact, condensed, pithy, succinct.

compendious, laconic, sententious,

Anything _short_ or _brief_ is of relatively small extent. That which is

_concise_ (L. _con-_, with, together, and _caedo_, cut) is trimmed down,

and that which is _condensed_ (L. _con-_, with, together, and _densus_,

thick) is, as it were, pressed together, so as to include as much as

possible within a small space. That which is _compendious_ (L. _com-_,

together, and _pendo_, weigh) gathers the substance of a matter into a

few words, weighty and effective. The _succinct_ (L. _succinctus_, from

_sub-_, under, and _cingo_, gird; girded from below) has an alert

effectiveness as if girded for action. The _summary_ is compacted to the

utmost, often to the point of abruptness; as, we speak of a _summary_

statement or a _summary_ dismissal. That which is _terse_ (L. _tersus_,

from _tergo_, rub off) has an elegant and finished completeness within

the smallest possible compass, as if rubbed or polished down to the

utmost. A _sententious_ style is one abounding in sentences that are

singly striking or memorable, apart from the context; the word may be

used invidiously of that which is pretentiously oracular. A _pithy_

utterance gives the gist of a matter effectively, whether in rude or

elegant style.

Antonyms:

diffuse, lengthy, long, prolix, tedious, verbose, wordy.

* * * * *

TESTIMONY.

Synonyms:

affidavit, attestation, deposition, proof,

affirmation, certification, evidence, witness.

_Testimony_, in legal as well as in common use, signifies the statements

of witnesses. _Deposition_ and _affidavit_ denote _testimony_ reduced to

writing; the _deposition_ differs from the _affidavit_ in that the

latter is voluntary and without cross-examination, while the former is

made under interrogatories and subject to cross-examination. _Evidence_

is a broader term, including the _testimony_ of witnesses and all facts

of every kind that tend to prove a thing true; we have the _testimony_

of a traveler that a fugitive passed this way; his footprints in the

sand are additional _evidence_ of the fact. Compare DEMONSTRATION; OATH.

* * * * *

THEREFORE.

Synonyms:

accordingly, consequently, then, whence,

because, hence, thence, wherefore.

_Therefore_, signifying for that (or this) reason, is the most precise

and formal word for expressing the direct conclusion of a chain of

reasoning; _then_ carries a similar but slighter sense of inference,

which it gives incidentally rather than formally; as, "All men are

mortal; Caesar is a man; _therefore_ Caesar is mortal;" or, "The contract

is awarded; _then_ there is no more to be said." _Consequently_ denotes

a direct result, but more frequently of a practical than a theoretic

kind; as, "Important matters demand my attention; _consequently_ I shall

not sail to-day." _Consequently_ is rarely used in the formal

conclusions of logic or mathematics, but marks rather the freer and

looser style of rhetorical argument. _Accordingly_ denotes

correspondence, which may or may not be consequence; it is often used in

narration; as, "The soldiers were eager and confident; _accordingly_

they sprang forward at the word of command." _Thence_ is a word of more

sweeping inference than _therefore_, applying not merely to a single set

of premises, but often to all that has gone before, including the

reasonable inferences that have not been formally stated. _Wherefore_ is

the correlative of _therefore_, and _whence_ of _hence_ or _thence_,

appending the inference or conclusion to the previous statement without

a break. Compare synonyms for BECAUSE.

* * * * *

THRONG.

Synonyms:

concourse, crowd, host, jam, mass, multitude, press.

A _crowd_ is a company of persons filling to excess the space they

occupy and pressing inconveniently upon one another; the total number in

a _crowd_ may be great or small. _Throng_ is a word of vastness and

dignity, always implying that the persons are numerous as well as

pressed or pressing closely together; there may be a dense _crowd_ in a

small room, but there can not be a _throng_. _Host_ and _multitude_ both

imply vast numbers, but a _multitude_ may be diffused over a great space

so as to be nowhere a _crowd_; _host_ is a military term, and properly

denotes an assembly too orderly for crowding. _Concourse_ signifies a

spontaneous gathering of many persons moved by a common impulse, and has

a suggestion of stateliness not found in the word _crowd_, while

suggesting less massing and pressure than is indicated by the word

_throng_.

* * * * *

TIME.

Synonyms:

age, duration, epoch, period, sequence, term,

date, eon, era, season, succession, while.

_Sequence_ and _succession_ apply to events viewed as following one

another; _time_ and _duration_ denote something conceived of as enduring

while events take place and acts are done. According to the necessary

conditions of human thought, events are contained in _time_ as objects

are in space, _time_ existing before the event, measuring it as it

passes, and still existing when the event is past. _Duration_ and

_succession_ are more general words than _time_; we can speak of

infinite or eternal _duration_ or _succession_, but _time_ is commonly

contrasted with eternity. _Time_ is measured or measurable _duration_.

* * * * *

TIP.

Synonyms:

cant, dip, incline, list, slope,

careen, heel over, lean, slant, tilt.

To _tilt_ or _tip_ is to throw out of a horizontal position by raising

one side or end or lowering the other; the words are closely similar,

but _tilt_ suggests more of fluctuation or instability. _Slant_ and

_slope_ are said of things somewhat fixed or permanent in a position out

of the horizontal or perpendicular; the roof _slants_, the hill

_slopes_. _Incline_ is a more formal word for _tip_, and also for

_slant_ or _slope_. To _cant_ is to set slantingly; in many cases _tip_

and _cant_ might be interchanged, but _tip_ is more temporary, often

momentary; one _tips_ a pail so that the water flows over the edge; a

mechanic _cants_ a table by making or setting one side higher than the

other. A vessel _careens_ in the wind; _lists_, usually, from shifting

of cargo, from water in the hold, etc. _Careening_ is always toward one

side or the other; _listing_ may be forward or astern as well. To _heel

over_ is the same as to _careen_, and must be distinguished from "keel

over," which is to capsize.

* * * * *

TIRE.

Synonyms:

exhaust, fatigue, harass, jade, wear out, weary.

fag,

To _tire_ is to reduce strength in any degree by exertion; one may be

_tired_ just enough to make rest pleasant, or even unconsciously

_tired_, becoming aware of the fact only when he ceases the exertion;

or, on the other hand, he may be, according to the common phrase, "too

_tired_ to stir;" but for this extreme condition the stronger words are

commonly used. One who is _fatigued_ suffers from a conscious and

painful lack of strength as the result of some overtaxing; an invalid

may be _fatigued_ with very slight exertion; when one is _wearied_, the

painful lack of strength is the result of long-continued demand or

strain; one is _exhausted_ when the strain has been so severe and

continuous as utterly to consume the strength, so that further exertion

is for the time impossible. One is _fagged_ by drudgery; he is _jaded_

by incessant repetition of the same act until it becomes increasingly

difficult or well-nigh impossible; as, a horse is _jaded_ by a long and

unbroken journey.

Antonyms:

invigorate, refresh, relax, relieve, repose, rest, restore.

recreate,

* * * * *

TOOL.

Synonyms:

apparatus, implement, machine, utensil,

appliance, instrument, mechanism, weapon.

A _tool_ is something that is both contrived and used for extending the

force of an intelligent agent to something that is to be operated upon.

Those things by which pacific and industrial operations are performed

are alone properly called _tools_, those designed for warlike purposes

being designated _weapons_. An _instrument_ is anything through which

power is applied and a result produced; in general usage, the word is of

considerably wider meaning than _tool_; as, a piano is a musical

_instrument_. _Instrument_ is the word usually applied to _tools_ used

in scientific pursuits; as, we speak of a surgeon's or an optician's

_instruments_. An _implement_ is a mechanical agency considered with

reference to some specific purpose to which it is adapted; as, an

agricultural _implement_; _implements_ of war. _Implement_ is a less

technical and artificial term than _tool_. The paw of a tiger might be

termed a terrible _implement_, but not a _tool_. A _utensil_ is that

which may be used for some special purpose; the word is especially

applied to articles used for domestic or agricultural purposes; as,

kitchen _utensils_; farming _utensils_. An _appliance_ is that which is

or may be applied to the accomplishment of a result, either

independently or as subordinate to something more extensive or

important; every mechanical _tool_ is an _appliance_, but not every

_appliance_ is a _tool_; the traces of a harness are _appliances_ for

traction, but they are not _tools_. _Mechanism_ is a word of wide

meaning, denoting any combination of mechanical devices for united

action. A _machine_ in the most general sense is any mechanical

_instrument_ for the conversion of motion; in this sense a lever is a

_machine_; but in more commonly accepted usage a _machine_ is

distinguished from a _tool_ by its complexity, and by the combination

and coordination of powers and movements for the production of a result.

A chisel by itself is a _tool_; when it is set so as to be operated by a

crank and pitman, the entire _mechanism_ is called a _machine_; as, a

mortising-_machine_. An _apparatus_ may be a _machine_, but the word is

commonly used for a collection of distinct articles to be used in

connection or combination for a certain purpose--a mechanical equipment;

as, the _apparatus_ of a gymnasium; especially, for a collection of

_appliances_ for some scientific purpose; as, a chemical or surgical

_apparatus_; an _apparatus_ may include many _tools_, _instruments_, or

_implements_. _Implement_ is for the most part and _utensil_ is

altogether restricted to the literal sense; _instrument_, _machine_, and

_tool_ have figurative use, _instrument_ being used largely in a good,

_tool_ always in a bad sense; _machine_ inclines to the unfavorable

sense, as implying that human agents are made mechanically subservient

to some controlling will; as, an _instrument_ of Providence; the _tool_

of a tyrant; a political _machine_.

* * * * *

TOPIC.

Synonyms:

division, issue, motion, proposition, subject,

head, matter, point, question, theme.

A _topic_ (Gr. _topos_, place) is a _head_ of discourse. Since a _topic_

for discussion is often stated in the form of a _question_, _question_

has come to be extensively used to denote a debatable _topic_,

especially of a practical nature--an _issue_; as, the labor _question_;

the temperance _question_. In deliberative assemblies a _proposition_

presented or moved for acceptance is called a _motion_, and such a

_motion_ or other matter for consideration is known as the _question_,

since it is or may be stated in interrogative form to be answered by

each member with a vote of "aye" or "no;" a member is required to speak

to the _question_; the chairman puts the _question_. In speaking or

writing the general _subject_ or _theme_ may be termed the _topic_, tho

it is more usual to apply the latter term to the subordinate

_divisions_, _points_, or _heads_ of discourse; as, to enlarge on this

_topic_ would carry me too far from my _subject_; a pleasant drive will

suggest many _topics_ for conversation.

* * * * *

TRACE.

Synonyms:

footmark, impression, remains, token, trail,

footprint, mark, remnant, track, vestige.

footstep, memorial, sign,

A _memorial_ is that which is intended or fitted to bring to remembrance

something that has passed away; it may be vast and stately. On the other

hand, a slight _token_ of regard may be a cherished _memorial_ of a

friend; either a concrete object or an observance may be a _memorial_. A

_vestige_ is always slight compared with that whose existence it

recalls; as, scattered mounds containing implements, weapons, etc., are

_vestiges_ of a former civilization. A _vestige_ is always a part of

that which has passed away; a _trace_ may be merely the _mark_ made by

something that has been present or passed by, and that is still

existing, or some slight evidence of its presence or of the effect it

has produced; as, _traces_ of game were observed by the hunter. Compare

CHARACTERISTIC.

* * * * *

TRANSACT.

Synonyms:

accomplish, carry on, do, perform,

act, conduct, negotiate, treat.

There are many acts that one may _do_, _accomplish_, or _perform_

unaided; what he _transacts_ is by means of or in association with

others; one may _do_ a duty, _perform_ a vow, _accomplish_ a task, but

he _transacts_ business, since that always involves the agency of

others. To _negotiate_ and to _treat_ are likewise collective acts, but

both these words lay stress upon deliberation with adjustment of mutual

claims and interests; _transact_, while it may depend upon previous

deliberation, states execution only. Notes, bills of exchange, loans,

and treaties are said to be _negotiated_, the word so used covering not

merely the preliminary consideration, but the final settlement.

_Negotiate_ has more reference to execution than _treat_; nations may

_treat_ of peace without result, but when a treaty is _negotiated_,

peace is secured; the citizens of the two nations are then free to

_transact_ business with one another. Compare DO.

* * * * *

TRANSACTION.

Synonyms:

act, action, affair, business, deed, doing, proceeding.

One's _acts_ or _deeds_ may be exclusively his own; his _transactions_

involve the agency or participation of others. A _transaction_ is

something completed; a _proceeding_ is or is viewed as something in

progress; but since _transaction_ is often used to include the steps

leading to the conclusion, while _proceedings_ may result in _action_,

the dividing line between the two words becomes sometimes quite faint,

tho _transaction_ often emphasizes the fact of something done, or

brought to a conclusion. Both _transactions_ and _proceedings_ are used

of the records of a deliberative body, especially when published;

strictly used, the two are distinguished; as, the Philosophical

_Transactions_ of the Royal Society of London give in full the papers

read; the _Proceedings_ of the American Philological Association give in

full the _business_ done, with mere abstracts of or extracts from the

papers read. Compare ACT; BUSINESS.

* * * * *

TRANSCENDENTAL.

Synonyms:

a priori, intuitive, original, primordial, transcendent.

_Intuitive_ truths are those which are in the mind independently of all

experience, not being derived from experience nor limited by it, as that

the whole is greater than a part, or that things which are equal to the

same thing are equal to one another. All _intuitive_ truths or beliefs

are _transcendental_. But _transcendental_ is a wider term than

_intuitive_, including all within the limits of thought that is not

derived from experience, as the ideas of space and time. "Being is

_transcendental_.... As being can not be included under any genus, but

transcends them all, so the properties or affections of being have also

been called _transcendental_." K.-F. _Vocab. Philos._ p. 530.

"_Transcendent_ he [Kant] employed to denote what is wholly beyond

experience, being neither given as an a posteriori nor _a priori_

element of cognition--what therefore transcends every category of

thought." K.-F. _Vocab. Philos._ p. 531. _Transcendental_ has been

applied in the language of the Emersonian school to the soul's supposed

_intuitive_ knowledge of things divine and human, so far as they are

capable of being known to man. Compare MYSTERIOUS.

* * * * *

TRANSIENT.

Synonyms:

brief, fleeting, fugitive, short,

ephemeral, flitting, momentary, temporary,

evanescent, flying, passing, transitory.

_Transient_ and _transitory_ are both derived from the same original

source (L. _trans_, over, and _eo_, go), denoting that which quickly

passes or is passing away, but there is between them a fine shade of

difference. A thing is _transient_ which in fact is not lasting; a thing

is _transitory_ which by its very nature must soon pass away; a thing is

_temporary_ (L. _tempus_, time) which is intended to last or be made use

of but a little while; as, a _transient_ joy; this _transitory_ life; a

_temporary_ chairman. _Ephemeral_ (Gr. _epi_, on, and _hemera_, day)

literally lasting but for a day, often marks more strongly than

_transient_ exceeding brevity of duration; it agrees with _transitory_

in denoting that its object is destined to pass away, but is stronger,

as denoting not only its certain but its speedy extinction; thus that

which is _ephemeral_ is looked upon as at once slight and perishable,

and the word carries often a suggestion of contempt; man's life is

_transitory_, a butterfly's existence is _ephemeral_; with no solid

qualities or worthy achievements a pretender may sometimes gain an

_ephemeral_ popularity. That which is _fleeting_ is viewed as in the act

of passing swiftly by, and that which is _fugitive_ (L. _fugio_, flee)

as eluding attempts to detain it; that which is _evanescent_ (L.

_evanesco_, from _e_, out, and _vanus_, empty, vain) as in the act of

vanishing even while we gaze, as the hues of the sunset.

Antonyms:

abiding, eternal, immortal, lasting, perpetual, undying,

enduring, everlasting, imperishable, permanent, persistent, unfading.

* * * * *

UNION.

Synonyms:

coalition, conjunction, juncture, unification,

combination, junction, oneness, unity.

_Unity_ is _oneness_, the state of being one, especially of that which

never has been divided or of that which can not be conceived of as

resolved into parts; as, the _unity_ of God or the _unity_ of the human

soul. _Union_ is a bringing together of things that have been distinct,

so that they combine or coalesce to form a new whole, or the state or

condition of things thus brought together; in a _union_ the separate

individuality of the things united is never lost sight of; we speak of

the _union_ of the parts of a fractured bone or of the _union_ of hearts

in marriage. But _unity_ can be said of that which is manifestly or even

conspicuously made up of parts, when a single purpose or ideal is so

subserved by all that their possible separateness is lost sight of; as,

we speak of the _unity_ of the human body, or of the _unity_ of the

church. Compare ALLIANCE; ASSOCIATION; ATTACHMENT; HARMONY; MARRIAGE.

Antonyms:

analysis, disconnection, disunion, divorce, separation,

contrariety, disjunction, division, schism, severance.

decomposition, dissociation,

* * * * *

USUAL.

Synonyms:

accustomed, everyday, general, ordinary, public,

common, familiar, habitual, prevailing, regular,

customary, frequent, normal, prevalent, wonted.

_Usual_ (L. _usus_, use, habit, wont) signifies such as regularly or

often recurs in the ordinary course of events, or is habitually repeated

in the life of the same person. _Ordinary_ (L. _ordo_, order) signifies

according to an established order, hence of _everyday_ occurrence. In

strictness, _common_ and _general_ apply to the greater number of

individuals in a class; but both words are in good use as applying to

the greater number of instances in a series, so that it is possible to

speak of one person's _common_ practise or _general_ custom, tho

_ordinary_ or _usual_ would in such case be preferable. Compare GENERAL;

NORMAL.

Antonyms:

exceptional, infrequent, rare, strange, unparalleled,

extraordinary, out-of-the-way, singular, uncommon, unusual.

* * * * *

UTILITY.

Synonyms:

advantage, expediency, serviceableness,

avail, profit, use,

benefit, service, usefulness.

_Utility_ (L. _utilis_, useful) signifies primarily the quality of being

useful, but is somewhat more abstract and philosophical than

_usefulness_ or _use_, and is often employed to denote adaptation to

produce a valuable result, while _usefulness_ denotes the actual

production of such result. We contrast beauty and _utility_. We say of

an invention, its _utility_ is questionable, or, on the other hand, its

_usefulness_ has been proved by ample trial, or I have found it of

_use_; still, _utility_ and _usefulness_ are frequently interchanged.

_Expediency_ (L. _ex_, out, and _pes_, foot; literally, the getting the

foot out) refers primarily to escape from or avoidance of some

difficulty or trouble; either _expediency_ or _utility_ may be used to

signify _profit_ or _advantage_ considered apart from right as the

ground of moral obligation, or of actions that have a moral character,

_expediency_ denoting immediate _advantage_ on a contracted view, and

especially with reference to avoiding danger, difficulty, or loss, while

_utility_ may be so broadened as to cover all existence through all

time, as in the utilitarian theory of morals. _Policy_ is often used in

a kindred sense, more positive than _expediency_ but narrower than

_utility_, as in the proverb, "Honesty is the best _policy_." Compare

PROFIT.

Antonyms:

disadvantage, futility, inadequacy, inutility, uselessness,

folly, impolicy, inexpediency, unprofitableness, worthlessness.

* * * * *

VACANT.

Synonyms:

blank, leisure, unfilled, untenanted, void,

empty, unemployed, unoccupied, vacuous, waste.

That is _empty_ which contains nothing; that is _vacant_ which is

without that which has filled or might be expected to fill it; _vacant_

has extensive reference to rights or possibilities of occupancy. A

_vacant_ room may not be _empty_, and an _empty_ house may not be

_vacant_. _Vacant_, as derived from the Latin, is applied to things of

some dignity; _empty_, from the Saxon, is preferred in speaking of

slight, common, or homely matters, tho it may be applied with special

force to the highest; we speak of _empty_ space, a _vacant_ lot, an

_empty_ dish, an _empty_ sleeve, a _vacant_ mind, an _empty_ heart, an

_empty_ boast, a _vacant_ office, a _vacant_ or _leisure_ hour. _Void_

and _devoid_ are rarely used in the literal sense, but for the most part

confined to abstract relations, _devoid_ being followed by _of_, and

having with that addition the effect of a prepositional phrase; as, the

article is _devoid of_ sense; the contract is _void_ for want of

consideration. _Waste_, in this connection, applies to that which is

made so by devastation or ruin, or gives an impression of desolation,

especially as combined with vastness, probably from association of the

words _waste_ and vast: _waste_ is applied also to uncultivated or

unproductive land, if of considerable extent; we speak of a _waste_

track or region, but not of a _waste_ city lot. _Vacuous_ refers to the

condition of being _empty_ or _vacant_, regarded as continuous or

characteristic.

Antonyms:

brimful, busy, filled, inhabited, overflowing,

brimmed, crammed, full, jammed, packed,

brimming, crowded, gorged, occupied, replete.

* * * * *

VAIN.

Synonyms:

abortive, futile, shadowy, unsatisfying,

baseless, idle, trifling, unserviceable,

bootless, inconstant, trivial, unsubstantial,

deceitful, ineffectual, unavailing, useless,

delusive, nugatory, unimportant, vapid,

empty, null, unprofitable, visionary,

fruitless, profitless, unreal, worthless.

_Vain_ (L. _vanus_, empty) keeps the etymological idea through all

changes of meaning; a _vain_ endeavor is _empty_ of result, or of

adequate power to produce a result, a _vain_ pretension is _empty_ or

destitute of support, a _vain_ person has a conceit that is _empty_ or

destitute of adequate cause or reason. That which is _bootless_,

_fruitless_, or _profitless_ fails to accomplish any valuable result;

that which is _abortive_, _ineffectual_, or _unavailing_ fails to

accomplish a result that it was, or was supposed to be, adapted to

accomplish. That which is _useless_, _futile_, or _vain_ is inherently

incapable of accomplishing a specified result. _Useless_, in the widest

sense, signifies not of use for any valuable purpose, and is thus

closely similar to _valueless_ and _worthless_. _Fruitless_ is more

final than _ineffectual_, as applying to the sum or harvest of endeavor.

That which is _useless_ lacks actual fitness for a purpose; that which

is _vain_ lacks imaginable fitness. Compare VACANT; OSTENTATION; PRIDE.

Antonyms:

adequate, effective, powerful, solid, useful,

advantageous, efficient, profitable, sound, valid,

beneficial, expedient, real, substantial, valuable,

competent, potent, serviceable, sufficient, worthy.

Compare synonyms for UTILITY.

* * * * *

VENAL.

Synonyms:

hireling, mercenary, purchasable, salable.

_Venal_ (L. _venalis_, from _venum_, sale) signifies ready to sell one's

influence, vote, or efforts for money or other consideration;

_mercenary_ (L. _mercenarius_, from _merces_, pay, reward) signifies

influenced chiefly or only by desire for gain or reward; thus,

etymologically, the _mercenary_ can be hired, while the _venal_ are

openly or actually for sale; _hireling_ (AS. _hyrling_, from _hyr_)

signifies serving for hire or pay, or having the spirit or character of

one who works or of that which is done directly for hire or pay.

_Mercenary_ has especial application to character or disposition; as, a

_mercenary_ spirit; _mercenary_ motives--_i. e._, a spirit or motives to

which money is the chief consideration or the moving principle. The

_hireling_, the _mercenary_, and the _venal_ are alike in making

principle, conscience, and honor of less account than gold or sordid

considerations; but the _mercenary_ and _venal_ may be simply open to

the bargain and sale which the _hireling_ has already consummated; a

clergyman may be _mercenary_ in making place and pay of undue importance

while not _venal_ enough to forsake his own communion for another for

any reward that could be offered him. The _mercenary_ may retain much

show of independence; _hireling_ service sacrifices self-respect as well

as principle; a public officer who makes his office tributary to private

speculation in which he is interested is _mercenary_; if he receives a

stipulated recompense for administering his office at the behest of some

leader, faction, corporation, or the like, he is both _hireling_ and

_venal_; if he gives essential advantages for pay, without subjecting

himself to any direct domination, his course is _venal_, but not

_hireling_. Compare PAY; VENIAL.

Antonyms:

disinterested, honest, incorruptible, public-spirited,

generous, honorable, patriotic, unpurchasable.

* * * * *

VENERATE.

Synonyms:

adore, honor, respect, revere, reverence.

In the highest sense, to _revere_ or _reverence_ is to hold in mingled

love and honor with something of sacred fear, as for that which while

lovely is sublimely exalted and brings upon us by contrast a sense of

our unworthiness or inferiority; to _revere_ is a wholly spiritual act;

to _reverence_ is often, tho not necessarily, to give outward expression

to the reverential feeling; we _revere_ or _reverence_ the divine

majesty. _Revere_ is a stronger word than _reverence_ or _venerate_. To

_venerate_ is to hold in exalted honor without fear, and is applied to

objects less removed from ourselves than those we _revere_, being said

especially of aged persons, of places or objects having sacred

associations, and of abstractions; we _venerate_ an aged pastor, the

dust of heroes or martyrs, lofty virtue or self-sacrifice, or some great

cause, as that of civil or religious liberty; we do not _venerate_ God,

but _revere_ or _reverence_ him. We _adore_ with a humble yet free

outflowing of soul. Compare VENERATION.

Antonyms:

contemn, detest, dishonor, scoff at, slight,

despise, disdain, disregard, scorn, spurn.

* * * * *

VENERATION.

Synonyms:

adoration, awe, dread, reverence.

_Awe_ is inspired by that in which there is sublimity or majesty so

overwhelming as to awaken a feeling akin to fear; in _awe_, considered

by itself, there is no element of esteem or affection, tho the sense of

vastness, power, or grandeur in the object is always present. _Dread_ is

a shrinking apprehension or expectation of possible harm awakened by any

one of many objects or causes, from that which is overwhelmingly vast

and mighty to that which is productive of momentary physical pain; in

its higher uses _dread_ approaches the meaning of _awe_, but with more

of chilliness and cowering, and without that subjection of soul to the

grandeur and worthiness of the object that is involved in _awe_. _Awe_

is preoccupied with the object that inspires it; _dread_ with

apprehension of personal consequences. _Reverence_ and _veneration_ are

less overwhelming than _awe_ or _dread_, and suggest something of

esteem, affection, and personal nearness. We may feel _awe_ of that

which we can not _reverence_, as a grandly terrible ocean storm; _awe_

of the divine presence is more distant and less trustful than

_reverence_. _Veneration_ is commonly applied to things which are not

subjects of _awe_. _Adoration_, in its full sense, is loftier than

_veneration_, less restrained and awed than _reverence_, and with more

of the spirit of direct, active, and joyful worship. Compare ESTEEM;

VENERATE.

Antonyms:

contempt, disdain, dishonor, disregard, scorn.

* * * * *

VENIAL.

Synonyms:

excusable, pardonable, slight, trivial.

_Venial_ (L. _venia_, pardon) signifies capable of being pardoned, and,

in common use, capable of being readily pardoned, easily overlooked.

Aside from its technical ecclesiastical use, _venial_ is always

understood as marking some fault comparatively _slight_ or _trivial_. A

_venial_ offense is one readily overlooked; a _pardonable_ offense

requires more serious consideration, but on deliberation is found to be

susceptible of pardon. _Excusable_ is scarcely applied to offenses, but

to matters open to doubt or criticism rather than direct censure; so

used, it often falls little short of justifiable; as, I think, under

those circumstances, his action was _excusable_. Protestants do not

recognize the distinction between _venial_ and mortal sins. _Venial_

must not be confounded with the very different word VENAL. Compare

VENAL.

Antonyms:

inexcusable, inexpiable, mortal, unpardonable, unjustifiable.

* * * * *

VERACITY.

Synonyms:

candor, honesty, reality, truthfulness,

frankness, ingenuousness, truth, verity.

_Truth_ is primarily and _verity_ is always a quality of thought or

speech, especially of speech, as in exact conformity to fact. _Veracity_

is properly a quality of a person, the habit of speaking and the

disposition to speak the _truth_; a habitual liar may on some occasions

speak the _truth_, but that does not constitute him a man of _veracity_;

on the other hand, a person of undoubted _veracity_ may state (through

ignorance or misinformation) what is not the _truth_. _Truthfulness_ is

a quality that may inhere either in a person or in his statements or

beliefs. _Candor_, _frankness_, _honesty_, and _ingenuousness_ are

allied with _veracity_, and _verity_ with _truth_, while _truthfulness_

may accord with either. _Truth_ in a secondary sense may be applied to

intellectual action or moral character, in the former case becoming a

close synonym of _veracity_; as, I know him to be a man of _truth_.

Antonyms:

deceit, duplicity, falsehood, fiction, lie,

deception, error, falseness, guile, mendacity,

delusion, fabrication, falsity, imposture, untruth.

Compare synonyms for DECEPTION.

* * * * *

VERBAL.

Synonyms:

literal, oral, vocal.

_Oral_ (L. _os_, the mouth) signifies uttered through the mouth or (in

common phrase) by word of mouth; _verbal_ (L. _verbum_, a word)

signifies of, pertaining to, or connected with words, especially with

words as distinguished from the ideas they convey; _vocal_ (L. _vox_,

the voice) signifies of or pertaining to the voice, uttered or modulated

by the voice, and especially uttered with or sounding with full,

resonant voice; _literal_ (L. _litera_, a letter) signifies consisting

of or expressed by letters, or according to the letter, in the broader

sense of the exact meaning or requirement of the words used; what is

called "the letter of the law" is its _literal_ meaning without going

behind what is expressed by the letters on the page. Thus _oral_ applies

to that which is given by spoken words in distinction from that which is

written or printed; as, _oral_ tradition; an _oral_ examination. By this

rule we should in strictness speak of an _oral_ contract or an _oral_

message, but _verbal_ contract and _verbal_ message, as indicating that

which is by spoken rather than by written words, have become so fixed in

the language that they can probably never be changed; this usage is also

in line with other idioms of the language; as, "I give you my _word_,"

"a true man's _word_ is as good as his bond," "by _word_ of mouth," etc.

A _verbal_ translation may be _oral_ or written, so that it is word for

word; a _literal_ translation follows the construction and idiom of the

original as well as the words; a _literal_ translation is more than one

that is merely _verbal_; both _verbal_ and _literal_ are opposed to

_free_. In the same sense, of attending to words only, we speak of

_verbal_ criticism, a _verbal_ change. _Vocal_ has primary reference to

the human voice; as, _vocal_ sounds, _vocal_ music; _vocal_ may be

applied within certain limits to inarticulate sounds given forth by

other animals than man; as, the woods were _vocal_ with the songs of

birds; _oral_ is never so applied, but is limited to articulate

utterance regarded as having a definite meaning; as, an _oral_

statement.

* * * * *

VICTORY.

Synonyms:

achievement, conquest, success, triumph.

advantage, mastery, supremacy,

_Victory_ is the state resulting from the overcoming of an opponent or

opponents in any contest, or from the overcoming of difficulties,

obstacles, evils, etc., considered as opponents or enemies. In the

latter sense any hard-won _achievement_, _advantage_, or _success_ may

be termed a _victory_. In _conquest_ and _mastery_ there is implied a

permanence of state that is not implied in _victory_. _Triumph_,

originally denoting the public rejoicing in honor of a _victory_, has

come to signify also a peculiarly exultant, complete, and glorious

_victory_. Compare CONQUER.

Antonyms:

defeat, disappointment, failure, miscarriage, retreat,

destruction, disaster, frustration, overthrow, rout.

* * * * *

VIGILANT.

Synonyms:

alert, cautious, on the lookout, wary,

awake, circumspect, sleepless, watchful,

careful, on the alert, wakeful, wide-awake.

_Vigilant_ implies more sustained activity and more intelligent volition

than _alert_; one may be habitually _alert_ by reason of native

quickness of perception and thought, or one may be momentarily _alert_

under some excitement or expectancy; one who is _vigilant_ is so with

thoughtful purpose. One is _vigilant_ against danger or harm; he may be

_alert_ or _watchful_ for good as well as against evil; he is _wary_ in

view of suspected stratagem, trickery, or treachery. A person may be

_wakeful_ because of some merely physical excitement or excitability, as

through insomnia; yet he may be utterly careless and negligent in his

wakefulness, the reverse of _watchful_; a person who is truly _watchful_

must keep himself _wakeful_ while on watch, in which case _wakeful_ has

something of mental quality. _Watchful_, from the Saxon, and _vigilant_,

from the Latin, are almost exact equivalents; but _vigilant_ has

somewhat more of sharp definiteness and somewhat more suggestion of

volition; one may be habitually _watchful_; one is _vigilant_ of set

purpose and for direct cause, as in the presence of an enemy. Compare

ALERT.

Antonyms:

careless, heedless, inconsiderate, oblivious,

drowsy, inattentive, neglectful, thoughtless,

dull, incautious, negligent, unwary.

* * * * *

VIRTUE.

Synonyms:

chastity, honesty, probity, truth,

duty, honor, purity, uprightness,

excellence, integrity, rectitude, virtuousness,

faithfulness, justice, righteousness, worth,

goodness, morality, rightness, worthiness.

_Virtue_ (L. _virtus_, primarily manly strength or courage, from _vir_,

a man, a hero) is, in its full sense, _goodness_ that is victorious

through trial, perhaps through temptation and conflict. _Goodness_, the

being morally good, may be much less than _virtue_, as lacking the

strength that comes from trial and conflict, or it may be very much more

than _virtue_, as rising sublimely above the possibility of temptation

and conflict--the infantile as contrasted with the divine _goodness_.

_Virtue_ is distinctively human; we do not predicate it of God.

_Morality_ is conformity to the moral law in action, whether in matters

concerning ourselves or others, whether with or without right principle.

_Honesty_ and _probity_ are used especially of one's relations to his

fellow men, _probity_ being to _honesty_ much what _virtue_ in some

respects is to _goodness_; _probity_ is _honesty_ tried and proved,

especially in those things that are beyond the reach of legal

requirement; above the commercial sense, _honesty_ may be applied to the

highest truthfulness of the soul to and with itself and its Maker.

_Integrity_, in the full sense, is moral wholeness without a flaw; when

used, as it often is, of contracts and dealings, it has reference to

inherent character and principle, and denotes much more than superficial

or conventional _honesty_. _Honor_ is a lofty _honesty_ that scorns

fraud or wrong as base and unworthy of itself. _Honor_ rises far above

thought of the motto that "_honesty_ is the best policy." _Purity_ is

freedom from all admixture, especially of that which debases; it is

_chastity_ both of heart and life, but of the life because from the

heart. _Duty_, the rendering of what is due to any person or in any

relation, is, in this connection, the fulfilment of moral obligation.

_Rectitude_ and _righteousness_ denote conformity to the standard of

right, whether in heart or act; _righteousness_ is used especially in

the religious sense. _Uprightness_ refers especially to conduct.

_Virtuousness_ is a quality of the soul or of action; in the latter

sense it is the essence of virtuous action. Compare INNOCENT; JUSTICE;

RELIGION.

Antonyms:

evil, vice, viciousness, wickedness, wrong.

Compare synonyms for SIN.

* * * * *

WANDER.

Synonyms:

deviate, diverge, go astray, range, rove, swerve,

digress, err, ramble, roam, stray, veer.

To _wander_ (AS. _windan_, wind) is to move in an indefinite or

indeterminate way which may or may not be a departure from a prescribed

way; to _deviate_ (L. _de_, from, and _via_, a way) is to turn from a

prescribed or right way, physically, mentally, or morally, usually in an

unfavorable sense; to _diverge_ (L. _di_, apart, and _vergo_, incline,

tend) is to turn from a course previously followed or that something

else follows, and has no unfavorable implication; to _digress_ (L. _di_,

apart, aside, and _gradior_, step) is used only with reference to

speaking or writing; to _err_ is used of intellectual or moral action,

and of the moral with primary reference to the intellectual, an error

being viewed as in some degree due to ignorance. _Range_, _roam_, and

_rove_ imply the traversing of considerable, often of vast, distances of

land or sea; _range_ commonly implies a purpose; as, cattle _range_ for

food; a hunting-dog _ranges_ a field for game. _Roam_ and _rove_ are

often purposeless, and always without definite aim. To _swerve_ or

_veer_ is to turn suddenly from a prescribed or previous course, and

often but momentarily; _veer_ is more capricious and repetitious; the

horse _swerves_ at the flash of a sword; the wind _veers_; the ship

_veers_ with the wind. To _stray_ is to go in a somewhat purposeless way

aside from the regular path or usual limits or abode, usually with

unfavorable implication; cattle _stray_ from their pastures; an author

_strays_ from his subject; one _strays_ from the path of virtue. _Stray_

is in most uses a lighter word than _wander_. _Ramble_, in its literal

use, is always a word of pleasant suggestion, but in its figurative use

always somewhat contemptuous; as, _rambling_ talk.

* * * * *

WAY.

Synonyms:

alley, course, lane, path, route,

avenue, driveway, pass, pathway, street,

bridle-path, highroad, passage, road, thoroughfare,

channel, highway, passageway, roadway, track.

Wherever there is room for one object to pass another there is a _way_.

A _road_ (originally a ride_way_) is a prepared _way_ for traveling with

horses or vehicles, always the latter unless the contrary is expressly

stated; a _way_ suitable to be traversed only by foot-passengers or by

animals is called a _path_, _bridle-path_, or _track_; as, the _roads_

in that country are mere _bridle-paths_. A _road_ may be private; a

_highway_ or _highroad_ is public, _highway_ being a specific name for a

_road_ legally set apart for the use of the public forever; a _highway_

may be over water as well as over land. A _route_ is a line of travel,

and may be over many _roads_. A _street_ is in some center of

habitation, as a city, town, or village; when it passes between rows of

dwellings the country _road_ becomes the village _street_. An _avenue_

is a long, broad, and imposing or principal street. _Track_ is a word of

wide signification; we speak of a goat-_track_ on a mountain-side, a

railroad-_track_, a race-_track_, the _track_ of a comet; on a traveled

_road_ the line worn by regular passing of hoofs and wheels in either

direction is called the _track_. A _passage_ is between any two objects

or lines of enclosure, a _pass_ commonly between mountains. A _driveway_

is within enclosed grounds, as of a private residence. A _channel_ is a

water_way_. A _thoroughfare_ is a _way_ through; a _road_ or _street_

temporarily or permanently closed at any point ceases for such time to

be a _thoroughfare_. Compare AIR; DIRECTION.

* * * * *

WISDOM.

Synonyms:

attainment, insight, prudence,

depth, judgment, reason,

discernment, judiciousness, reasonableness,

discretion, knowledge, sagacity,

enlightenment, learning, sense,

erudition, prescience, skill,

foresight, profundity, understanding.

information,

_Enlightenment_, _erudition_, _information_, _knowledge_, _learning_,

and _skill_ are acquired, as by study or practise. _Insight_,

_judgment_, _profundity_ or _depth_, _reason_, _sagacity_, _sense_, and

_understanding_ are native qualities of mind, tho capable of increase by

cultivation. The other qualities are on the border-line. _Wisdom_ has

been defined as "the right use of _knowledge_," or "the use of the most

important means for attaining the best ends," _wisdom_ thus presupposing

_knowledge_ for its very existence and exercise. _Wisdom_ is mental

power acting upon the materials that fullest _knowledge_ gives in the

most effective way. There may be what is termed "practical _wisdom_"

that looks only to material results; but in its full sense, _wisdom_

implies the highest and noblest exercise of all the faculties of the

moral nature as well as of the intellect. _Prudence_ is a lower and more

negative form of the same virtue, respecting outward and practical

matters, and largely with a view of avoiding loss and injury; _wisdom_

transcends _prudence_, so that while the part of _prudence_ is

ordinarily also that of _wisdom_, cases arise, as in the exigencies of

business or of war, when the highest _wisdom_ is in the disregard of the

maxims of _prudence_. _Judgment_, the power of forming decisions,

especially correct decisions, is broader and more positive than

_prudence_, leading one to do, as readily as to refrain from doing; but

_judgment_ is more limited in range and less exalted in character than

_wisdom_; to say of one that he displayed good _judgment_ is much less

than to say that he manifested _wisdom_. _Skill_ is far inferior to

_wisdom_, consisting largely in the practical application of acquired

_knowledge_, power, and habitual processes, or in the ingenious

contrivance that makes such application possible. In the making of

something perfectly useless there may be great _skill_, but no _wisdom_.

Compare ACUMEN; ASTUTE; KNOWLEDGE; MIND; PRUDENCE; SAGACIOUS; SKILFUL.

Antonyms:

absurdity, folly, imbecility, miscalculation, senselessness,

error, foolishness, imprudence, misjudgment, silliness,

fatuity, idiocy, indiscretion, nonsense, stupidity.

Compare synonyms for ABSURD; IDIOCY.

* * * * *

WIT.

Synonyms:

banter, fun, joke, waggery,

burlesque, humor, playfulness, waggishness,

drollery, jest, pleasantry, witticism.

facetiousness, jocularity, raillery,

_Wit_ is the quick perception of unusual or commonly unperceived

analogies or relations between things apparently unrelated, and has been

said to depend upon a union of surprise and pleasure; it depends

certainly on the production of a diverting, entertaining, or merrymaking

surprise. The analogies with which _wit_ plays are often superficial or

artificial; _humor_ deals with real analogies of an amusing or

entertaining kind, or with traits of character that are seen to have a

comical side as soon as brought to view. _Wit_ is keen, sudden, brief,

and sometimes severe; _humor_ is deep, thoughtful, sustained, and always

kindly. _Pleasantry_ is lighter and less vivid than _wit_. _Fun_ denotes

the merry results produced by _wit_ and _humor_, or by any fortuitous

occasion of mirth, and is pronounced and often hilarious.

Antonyms:

dulness, seriousness, sobriety, solemnity, stolidity, stupidity.

gravity,

* * * * *

WORK.

Synonyms:

achievement, doing, labor, product,

action, drudgery, occupation, production,

business, employment, performance, toil.

deed, exertion.

_Work_ is the generic term for any continuous application of energy

toward an end; _work_ may be hard or easy. _Labor_ is hard and wearying

_work_; _toil_ is straining and exhausting _work_. _Work_ is also used

for any result of working, physical or mental, and has special senses,

as in mechanics, which _labor_ and _toil_ do not share. _Drudgery_ is

plodding, irksome, and often menial _work_. Compare ACT; BUSINESS.

Antonyms:

ease, leisure, recreation, relaxation, repose, rest, vacation.

idleness,

* * * * *

YET.

Synonyms:

besides, further, hitherto, now, still, thus far.

_Yet_ and _still_ have many closely related senses, and, with verbs of

past time, are often interchangeable; we may say "while he was _yet_ a

child," or "while he was _still_ a child." _Yet_, like _still_, often

applies to past action or state extending to and including the present

time, especially when joined with _as_; we can say "he is feeble _as

yet_," or "he is _still_ feeble," with scarcely appreciable difference

of meaning, except that the former statement implies somewhat more of

expectation than the latter. _Yet_ with a negative applies to completed

action, often replacing a positive statement with _still_; "he is not

gone _yet_" is nearly the same as "he is here _still_." _Yet_ has a

reference to the future which _still_ does not share; "we may be

successful _yet_" implies that success may begin at some future time;

"we may be successful _still_" implies that we may continue to enjoy in

the future such success as we are winning now.

* * * * *

YOUTHFUL.

Synonyms:

adolescent, callow, childlike, immature, puerile,

boyish, childish, girlish, juvenile, young.

_Boyish_, _childish_, and _girlish_ are used in a good sense of those to

whom they properly belong, but in a bad sense of those from whom more

maturity is to be expected; _childish_ eagerness or glee is pleasing in

a child, but unbecoming in a man; _puerile_ in modern use is distinctly

contemptuous. _Juvenile_ and _youthful_ are commonly used in a favorable

and kindly sense in their application to those still _young_; _youthful_

in the sense of having the characteristics of youth, hence fresh,

vigorous, light-hearted, buoyant, may have a favorable import as applied

to any age, as when we say the old man still retains his _youthful_

ardor, vigor, or hopefulness; _juvenile_ in such use would belittle the

statement. _Young_ is distinctively applied to those in the early stage

of life or not arrived at maturity. Compare NEW.

Antonyms:

Compare synonyms for OLD.

SUGGESTIONS TO THE TEACHER.

The following exercises have been prepared expressly and solely to

accompany the preceding text in which the distinctions of synonyms have

been carefully pointed out. It is not expected, intended, or desired

that the questions should be answered or the blanks in the examples

supplied offhand. In such study nothing can be worse than guesswork.

Hence, leading questions have been avoided, and the order of synonyms

given in Part I. has frequently been departed from or reversed in Part

II.

To secure the study of Part I. before coming into class, pupils should

not be allowed to open it during recitation, unless on rare occasions to

settle doubtful or disputed points. The very best method will be found

to be to have the examples included in the lesson, with any others that

may be added, copied on the blackboard before recitation, and no books

brought into class.

The _teacher_ should make a thorough study of the subject, not only

mastering what is given in Part I., but going beyond the necessarily

brief statements there given, and consulting the ultimate

authorities--the best dictionaries and the works of the best speakers

and writers. For the latter purpose a good cyclopedia of quotations,

like the Hoyt, will be found very helpful. The teacher should so study

out the subject as to be distinctly in advance of the class and able to

speak authoritatively. Such independent study will be found intensely

interesting, and can be made delightful and even fascinating to any

intelligent class.

In answer to questions calling for definitive statement, the teacher

should insist upon the very words of the text, unless the pupil can give

in his own words what is manifestly as good. This will often be found

not easy to do. Definition by synonym should be absolutely forbidden.

Reasonable questions should be encouraged, but the class should not be

allowed to become a debating society. The meaning of English words is

not a matter of conjecture, and all disputed points should be promptly

referred to the dictionary--usually to be looked up after the

recitation, and considered, if need be, at the next recitation. The

majority of them will not need to be referred to again, as the

difficulties will simply represent an inferior usage which the

dictionary will brush aside. One great advantage of synonym study is to

exterminate colloquialisms.

The class should be encouraged to bring quotations from first-class

authors with blanks to be filled, such quotations being held

authoritative, though not infallible; also quotations from the best

newspapers, periodicals, speeches, etc., with words underlined for

criticism, such quotations being held open to revision upon consultation

of authorities. The change of usage, whereby that may be correct to-day

which would not have been so at an earlier period, should be carefully

noted, but always upon the authority of an approved dictionary.

The examples have been in great part selected from the best literature,

and all others carefully prepared for this work. Hence, an appropriate

word to fill each blank can always be found by careful study of the

corresponding group of synonyms. In a few instances, either of two words

would appropriately fill a blank and yield a good sense. In such case,

either should be accepted as correct, but the resulting difference of

meaning should be clearly pointed out.