Words
Anathema
1.something or someone that one vehemently dislikes."racial hatred was anathema to her"
Similar: abhorrent hateful odious repugnant repellent offensive abomination abhorrence aversion monstrosity outrage evil disgrace bane bugbear bĂȘte noire pariah
2.a formal curse by a pope or a council of the Church, excommunicating a person or denouncing a doctrine."the Pope laid special emphasis on the second of these anathemas"
Similar:curse ban excommunication damnation proscription debarment denunciation malediction execration imprecation
LITERARY a strong curse."the sergeant clutched the ruined communicator, muttering anathemas"
Origin: early 16th century: from ecclesiastical Latin, ‘excommunicated person, excommunication’, from Greek anathema ‘thing dedicated’, (later) ‘thing devoted to evil, accursed thing’, from anatithenai ‘to set up’.
See also: SB 10.14.4
Overture
1. an orchestral piece at the beginning of an opera, play, etc."the overture to Mozart's ‘Don Giovanni’"
Similar: prelude, introduction, opening, introductory, movement, voluntary, verset
an independent orchestral composition in one movement.
"Tchaikovsky's ‘1812 Overture’"
2. an introduction to something more substantial."the talks were no more than an overture to a long debate"
Similar:preliminary, prelude, curtain-raiser, introduction, lead-in, precursor, forerunner, harbinger, herald, start, beginning, opener
3. an approach or proposal made to someone with the aim of opening negotiations or establishing a relationship."he began making overtures to British merchant banks"
Similar:opening, move, conciliatory move, move, approach, advances, feeler, signal, proposal, proposition, pass, offer, tender, suggestion
Origin: late Middle English (in the sense ‘aperture’): from Old French, from Latin apertura ‘aperture’.
Impertinent
1. not showing proper respect; rude."an impertinent question"
Similar: rude insolent impolite unmannerly ill-mannered bad-mannered uncivil discourteous disrespectful impudent cheeky audacious bold brazen brash shameless presumptuous forward pert tactless undiplomatic unsubtle personal brass-necked fresh flip saucy sassy nervy malapert contumelious mannerless
Opposite: polite
2.FORMAL not pertinent to a particular matter; irrelevant."talk of ‘rhetoric’ and ‘strategy’ is impertinent to this process"
Similar: irrelevant inapplicable inapposite inappropriate immaterial unrelated unconnected not germane beside the point out of place nothing to do with it neither here nor there
Opposite: relevant pertinent
Origin late Middle English (in impertinent (sense 2)): from Old French, or from late Latin impertinent- ‘not having reference to’, from Latin in- ‘not’ + pertinere ‘pertain’.
Duplicitous
1.deceitful.
"a duplicitous philanderer"
2. LAW (of a charge or plea) containing more than one allegation.
Duplicitiy
1. deceitfulness."he was accused of duplicity and branded a traitor"
Similar: deceitfulness deceit deception deviousness two-facedness double-dealing underhandedness dishonesty falseness falsity fraud fraudulence sharp practice swindling cheating chicanery trickery craft guile artifice subterfuge skulduggery treachery unfairness unjustness perfidy improbity crookedness shadiness foxiness dirty tricks shenanigans monkey business funny business hanky-panky jiggery-pokery monkeyshines codology knavery knavishness management
Opposite: honesty
2. ARCHAIC the state of being double.
Origin late Middle English: from Old French duplicite or late Latin duplicitas, from Latin duplic- ‘twofold’ (see duplex).
Oring of duplex: Origin mid 16th century (as an adjective): from Latin duplex, duplic-, from duo ‘two’ + plicare ‘to fold’. The noun dates from the 1920s.
Elusive
difficult to find, catch, or achieve."success will become ever more elusive"
Similar: difficult to catch/find difficult to track down evasive slippery shifty always on the move cagey difficult to remember."the elusive thought he had had moments before"
Origin early 18th century: from Latin elus- ‘eluded’ (from the verb eludere ) + -ive.
(elusive is sometimes confused with illusive, because it sounds similar)
Illusive
adjective: illusive deceptive; illusory."an illusive haven"
Origin early 17th century: from medieval Latin illusivus, from Latin illus- ‘mocked’, from the verb illudere (see illusion).
Attrition
1. the process of reducing something's strength or effectiveness through sustained attack or pressure."the council is trying to wear down the opposition by attrition"
Similar: wearing down, wearing away, weakening, debilitation, enfeebling, sapping, attenuation, harassment, harrying
the gradual reduction of a workforce by employees leaving and not being replaced rather than by redundancy.
"the company said that it will reduce its worldwide employment by about 10% through attrition"
wearing away by friction; abrasion."the skull shows attrition of the edges of the teeth"
Similar: abrasion, friction, rubbing, chafing, corroding, corrosion, erosion. eating away, grinding, scraping, wearing away, wearing, excoriation, deterioration, damaging, detrition
2. CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY (in scholastic theology) sorrow for sin, falling short of contrition.
Origin late Middle English (in attrition (sense 2)): from late Latin attritio(n- ), from atterere ‘to rub’.war of attrition
Complicit
involved with others in an activity that is unlawful or morally wrong.
"the careers of those complicit in the cover-up were blighted"
the fact or condition of being involved with others in an activity that is unlawful or morally wrong.
"they were accused of complicity in the attempt to overthrow the government"
synonyms: collusion, involvement, collaboration, connivance, abetment; conspiracy; informal being in cahoots "they were accused of complicity in the attempt to overthrow the government"
antonyms: ignorance
Origin
mid 17th century: from Middle English complice ‘an associate’, from Old French, from late Latin complex, complic- ‘allied’, from Latin complicare ‘fold together’ (see complicate). Compare with accomplice.
Savant
a learned person, especially a distinguished scientist.
synonyms: intellectual, scholar, sage, philosopher, thinker, learned person, wise person, Solomon; guru, master, authority; mahatma, maharishi, pandit
"Sir Isaiah Berlin, the Oxford savant"
antonyms: ignoramus, fool
Origin
early 18th century: French, literally ‘knowing (person)’, present participle (used as a noun) of savoir.
Sabotage
1.
deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct (something), especially for political or military advantage.
"power lines from South Africa were sabotaged by rebel forces"
synonyms: wreck, deliberately damage, vandalize, destroy, obstruct, disrupt, cripple, impair, incapacitate
"a guerrilla group sabotaged the national electricity grid"
disrupt, spoil, ruin, wreck, undermine, filibuster, impair, damage, threaten, subvert;
informalthrow a spanner in the works of, muller;
informalthrow a monkey wrench in the works of
"it would be very easy for me to sabotage your plans"
noun: sabotage
1.
the action of sabotaging something.
"a coordinated campaign of sabotage"
synonyms: wrecking, deliberate damage, vandalism, destruction, obstruction, disruption, crippling, impairment, incapacitation; rareecotage
"the fire may have been an act of sabotage"
disruption, spoiling, ruining, wrecking, undermining, filibustering, impairment, damage, subversion;
informala spanner in the works;
informala monkey wrench in the works
"this procedure is open to sabotage by an awkward participant"
Origin
early 20th century: from French, from saboter ‘kick with sabots, wilfully destroy’ (see sabot).
Sabot
1.
a kind of simple shoe, shaped and hollowed out from a single block of wood, traditionally worn by French and Breton peasants.
2.
a device which ensures the correct positioning of a bullet or shell in the barrel of a gun, attached either to the projectile or inside the barrel and falling away as it leaves the muzzle.
3.
a box from which cards are dealt at casinos in gambling games such as baccarat and chemin de fer.
Origin: early 17th century: French, blend of savate ‘shoe’ and botte ‘boot’.
Pleonasm
the use of more words than are necessary to convey meaning (e.g., see with one's eyes, black darkness, burning fire.), either as a fault of style or for emphasis.
Origin
mid 16th century: via late Latin from Greek pleonasmos, from pleonazein ‘be superfluous.’
Interject
say (something) abruptly, especially as an aside or interruption.
"she interjected the odd question here and there"
synonyms: interpose, introduce, throw in, insert, interpolate, add More
Origin
late 16th century: from Latin interject- ‘interposed’, from the verb interjicere, from inter- ‘between’ + jacere ‘to throw’.
say (something) abruptly, especially as an aside or interruption.
"she interjected the odd question here and there"
synonyms: interpose, introduce, throw in, insert, interpolate, add More
Origin
late 16th century: from Latin interject- ‘interposed’, from the verb interjicere, from inter- ‘between’ + jacere ‘to throw’.
Interpolation
1.
the insertion of something of a different nature into something else.
"the interpolation of songs into the piece"
MATHEMATICS
the insertion of an intermediate value or term into a series by estimating or calculating it from surrounding known values.
"yields were estimated using linear interpolation"
2.
a remark interjected in a conversation.
"as the evening progressed their interpolations became more ridiculous"
Interpolating
1. To insert or introduce between other elements or parts.
2. a. To insert (material) into a text.
b. To insert into a conversation.
Interpreting
1. to insert or introduce (a comment, passage, etc) into (a conversation, text, etc)
2. to falsify or alter (a text, manuscript, etc) by the later addition of (material, esp spurious or valueless passages)
3. (intr) to make additions, interruptions, or insertions
Interuption
1.To break the continuity or uniformity of: Rain interrupted our baseball game.
2. To stop (someone engaged in an activity) by saying or doing something: The baby interrupted me while I was onthe phone. v.intr.
To cause an activity to stop by saying or doing something.
Euphemism
A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
"“Downsizing” as a euphemism for cuts"
Synonyms: polite term, indirect term, circumlocution, substitute, alternative, understatement, genteelism "'influential person' is the local euphemism for underworld don"
Origin late 16th century: from Greek euphÄmismos, from euphÄmizein ‘use auspicious words,’ from eu ‘well’ + phÄmÄ ‘speaking.’
Infer
Deduce or conclude (information) from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements.
"From these facts we can infer that crime has been increasing"
Synonyms: deduce, conclude, conjecture, surmise, reason, interpret; More Origin late 15th century (in the sense ‘bring about, inflict’): from Latin inferre ‘bring in, bring about’ (in medieval Latin ‘deduce’), from in- ‘into’ + ferre ‘bring.’
Respectively
Separately or individually and in the order already mentioned (used when enumerating two or more items or facts that refer back to a previous statement).
"They received sentences of one year and eight months, respectively"
Tacit
understood or implied without being stated.
"your silence may be taken to mean tacit agreement"
synonyms: implicit, understood, implied, hinted, suggested; More
antonyms: explicit
Origin
early 17th century (in the sense ‘wordless, noiseless’): from Latin tacitus, past participle of tacere ‘be silent.’
Complicit
involved with others in an illegal activity or wrongdoing.
"all of these people are complicit in some criminal conspiracy"
Origin
mid 17th century: from Middle English complice ‘an associate,’ from Old French, from late Latin complex, complic- ‘allied,’ from Latin complicare ‘fold together’ (see complicate). Compare with accomplice.
The difference between euthanasia and switching off life support or withdrawing treatment
Some argue mistakenly that there is no ethical difference between euthanasia and switching off life support or stopping futile medical treatment.
There is a vast difference.
When life support is switched off or treatment is stopped, the person dies from their underlying illness, from natural causes. When euthanasia is performed, a person dies from a lethal injection deliberately given to cause death.
From: euthanasiadebate.org.nz
From: euthanasiadebate.org.nz
having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
"the pernicious influences of the mass media"
synonyms: harmful, damaging, destructive, injurious, hurtful, detrimental, deleterious, dangerous, adverse, inimical, unhealthy, unfavorable, bad, evil, baleful, wicked, malign, malevolent, malignant, noxious, poisonous, corrupting; literarymaleficent "a pernicious influence on society" antonyms: beneficial
Origin late Middle English: from Latin perniciosus ‘destructive,’ from pernicies ‘ruin,’ based on nex, nec- ‘death.’
Pundit
1. an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called on to give opinions about it to the public.
"a globe-trotting financial pundit"
synonyms: expert, authority, specialist, doyen(ne), master, guru, sage, savant, maven; More
2. variant spelling of pandit.
Origin: mid 17th century (in sense 2): from Sanskrit paáčážita ‘learned man,’ use as noun of paáčážita ‘learned, skilled.’ Sense 1 is first recorded in the early 19th century.
Guru
(in Hinduism and Buddhism) a spiritual teacher, especially one who imparts initiation.
synonyms: spiritual teacher, teacher, tutor, sage, mentor, spiritual leader, leader, master; More
antonyms: disciple
each of the ten first leaders of the Sikh religion.
an influential teacher or popular expert.
"a management guru"
synonyms: expert, authority, pundit, leading light, master, specialist; informal whiz
"a management guru"
antonyms: amateur
Origin: from Hindi and Punjabi, from Sanskrit guru ‘weighty, grave’ (compare with Latin gravis ), hence ‘elder, teacher.’
Magisterial
1. having or showing great authority.
"a magisterial pronouncement"
synonyms: authoritative, masterful, assured, lordly, commanding, assertive
"a magisterial pronouncement"
antonyms: humble
domineering; dictatorial.
"he dropped his somewhat magisterial style of questioning"
synonyms: domineering, dictatorial, autocratic, imperious, overbearing, peremptory, high-handed, arrogant, supercilious, patronizing; informal bossy
"his magisterial style of questioning"
antonyms: hesitant, tentative
2. relating to or conducted by a magistrate.
(of a person) holding the office of a magistrate.
Origin: early 17th century: from medieval Latin magisterialis, from late Latin magisterius, from Latin magister ‘master.’
Hermeneutic
a method or theory of interpretation.
Origin: late 17th century: from Greek hermÄneutikos, from hermÄneuein ‘interpret.’
Fundamentalism
a form of a religion, especially Islam or Protestant Christianity, that upholds belief in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture.
strict adherence to the basic principles of any subject or discipline.
"free-market fundamentalism"
a dislike of humankind.
"the streak of misanthropy in his nature"
synonyms: hatred of mankind, antisocial behaviour, cynicism, scepticism, reclusiveness
Origin
mid 17th century: from Greek misanthrĆpia, from miso- ‘hating’ + anthrĆpos ‘man’.
deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
"her musical tastes are eclectic"
synonyms: wide-ranging, broad-based, extensive, comprehensive, encyclopedic; More
2.
PHILOSOPHY
of, denoting, or belonging to a class of ancient philosophers who did not belong to or found any recognized school of thought but selected such doctrines as they wished from various schools.
a person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
Origin late 17th century (as a term in philosophy): from Greek eklektikos, from eklegein ‘pick out,’ from ek ‘out’ + legein ‘choose.’
Nepotism
the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.
synonyms: favoritism, preferential treatment, the old boy network, looking after one's own, bias, partiality, partisanship
"hiring my daughter was not nepotism—it was just good business"
antonyms: impartiality
Origin mid 17th century: from French nĂ©potisme, from Italian nepotismo, from nipote ‘nephew’ (with reference to privileges bestowed on the “nephews” of popes, who were in many cases their illegitimate sons).
US Nepotism Laws:
(b)
A public official may not appoint, employ, promote, advance, or advocate for appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement, in or to a civilian position in the agency in which he is serving or over which he exercises jurisdiction or control any individual who is a relative of the public official. An individual may not be appointed, employed, promoted, or advanced in or to a civilian position in an agency if such appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement has been advocated by a public official, serving in or exercising jurisdiction or control over the agency, who is a relative of the individual.
(c)
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/3110
An individual appointed, employed, promoted, or advanced in violation of this section is not entitled to pay, and money may not be paid from the Treasury as pay to an individual so appointed, employed, promoted, or advanced.
Rancorous
characterized by bitterness or resentment.
"sixteen miserable months of rancorous disputes"
synonyms: bitter, spiteful, hateful, resentful, acrimonious, malicious, malevolent, hostile, venomous, vindictive, baleful, vitriolic, vengeful, pernicious, mean, nasty; More
antonyms: amicable
Schadenfreude
pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.
Origin German Schadenfreude, from Schaden ‘harm’ + Freude ‘joy.’
Gregarious
(of a person) fond of company; sociable.
"he was a popular and gregarious man"
synonyms: sociable, social, company-loving, companionable, convivial, clubbable; More
antonyms: unsociable, reserved
(of animals) living in flocks or loosely organized communities.
"gregarious species forage in flocks from colonies or roosts"
synonyms: social, organized, living in shoals/flocks/herds
"these fish are small and gregarious"
(of plants) growing in open clusters or in pure associations.
"in the wild, trees are usually gregarious plants"
Origin
mid 17th century: from Latin gregarius (from grex, greg- ‘a flock’) + -ous.
Quintessential
representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class.
"he was the quintessential tough guy—strong, silent, and self-contained"
synonyms: typical, prototypical, stereotypical, archetypal, classic, model, essential, standard, stock, representative, true to type, conventional; ideal, consummate, exemplary, best, ultimate, supreme, absolute
"skiing was the quintessential 1980s yuppie holiday"
Unanimous
(of two or more people) fully in agreement.
"the doctors were unanimous in their diagnoses"
synonyms: united, in complete agreement, in complete accord, of one mind, like-minded, of the same mind, in harmony, at one, with one voice, concordant, undivided; rareconsentient
"doctors were unanimous about the effects of lead emission on health"
antonyms: divided, at odds
(of an opinion, decision, or vote) held or carried by everyone involved.
"this requires the unanimous approval of all member states"
synonyms: uniform, consistent, solid, united, concerted, congruent, undivided
"a unanimous vote of confidence"
Origin
early 17th century: from Latin unanimus (from unus ‘one’ + animus ‘mind’) + -ous.
Misanthrope
a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.
"Scrooge wasn't the mean-spirited misanthrope most of us believe him to be"
synonyms: hater of mankind, cynic, sceptic, churl, grouch, grump, recluse, hermit, anchorite; hikikomori
Origin
mid 16th century: from Greek misanthrĆpos, from misein ‘to hate’ + anthrĆpos ‘man’.
Imbroglio
an extremely confused, complicated, or embarrassing situation.
"the abdication imbroglio of 1936"
synonyms: complicated situation, complication, complexity, problem, difficulty, predicament, plight, trouble, entanglement, confusion, muddle, mess, quandary, dilemma; More
archaic
a confused heap.
Origin
mid 18th century: Italian, from imbrogliare ‘confuse’; related to embroil.
Traitor
a person who betrays someone or something, such as a friend, cause, or principle.
"he was a traitor to his own class"
synonyms: betrayer, back-stabber, double-crosser, double-dealer, renegade, Judas, quisling, fifth columnist, viper; More
antonyms: loyalist, patriot
Origin: Middle English: from Old French traitour, from Latin traditor, from tradere ‘hand over’.
Undignified
appearing foolish and unseemly; lacking in dignity.
"an undignified exit"
synonyms: unseemly, demeaning, unbecoming, ungentlemanly, unladylike, unworthy, unfitting, unbefitting, degrading, debasing, cheapening, belittling, lowering, shaming, shameful, humiliating, mortifying, dishonourable, ignominious, discreditable, ignoble, inglorious, unceremonious, scandalous, disgraceful, indecent, untoward, unsuitable, abject, sorry, low, base, wretched; informal infra dig
"there was an undignified scramble for seats on the train"
antonyms: dignified, seemly
Infra dig
INFORMAL • BRITISH
beneath one; demeaning.
"she regarded playing for the Pony Club as deeply infra dig"
Origin
early 19th century: abbreviation of Latin infra dignitatem ‘beneath (one's) dignity’.
Indignation
anger or annoyance provoked by what is perceived as unfair treatment.
"the letter filled Lucy with indignation"
synonyms: resentment, umbrage, affront, disgruntlement, anger, distress, unhappiness, discontent, dissatisfaction, displeasure, hurt, pain, upset, offence, pique, spleen, crossness, exasperation, vexation, irritation, annoyance, chagrin; More
antonyms: contentment
Origin: late Middle English (also in the sense ‘disdain, contempt’): from Latin indignatio(n- ), from indignari ‘regard as unworthy’.
Coalition
a temporary alliance for combined action, especially of political parties forming a government.
"a coalition between Liberals and Conservatives"
synonyms: alliance, union, partnership, affiliation, bloc, caucus; More
Origin: early 17th century (in the sense ‘fusion’): from medieval Latin coalitio(n- ), from the verb coalescere (see coalesce). Usage in politics dates from the late 18th century.
Hypothermia
the condition of having an abnormally (typically dangerously) low body temperature.
"she was suffering from hypothermia"
Origin: late 19th century: from hypo- ‘below’ + Greek thermÄ ‘heat’.
Sic
sic erat scriptum, "thus was it written".
Used in brackets - [sic] - after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed exactly as found in the source text, complete with any erroneous or archaic spelling, surprising assertion, faulty reasoning, or other matter that might otherwise be taken as an error of transcription.
This is to show that the word is quoted exactly as it stands in the original, as in a story must hold a child's interest and ‘enrich his (sic) life’.
The adverb sic, meaning "intentionally so written", first appeared in English circa 1856.
The adverb sic, meaning "intentionally so written", first appeared in English circa 1856.
Alchemy
the medieval forerunner of chemistry, concerned with the transmutation of matter, in particular with attempts to convert base metals into gold or find a universal elixir.
"occult sciences, such as alchemy and astrology"
synonyms: chemistry; More
a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.
"finding the person who's right for you requires a very subtle alchemy"
Origin
late Middle English: via Old French and medieval Latin from Arabic al-kÄ«miyÄ', from al ‘the’ + kÄ«miyÄ' (from Greek khÄmia, khÄmeia ‘art of transmuting metals’).
Context
the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood.
"the proposals need to be considered in the context of new European directives"
synonyms: circumstances, conditions, surroundings, factors, state of affairs; More
the parts of something written or spoken that immediately precede and follow a word or passage and clarify its meaning.
"skilled readers use context to construct meaning from words as they are read"
Origin
late Middle English (denoting the construction of a text): from Latin contextus, from con- ‘together’ + texere ‘to weave’.
Provocative
causing anger or another strong reaction, especially deliberately.
"a provocative article"
synonyms: annoying, irritating, exasperating, infuriating, provoking, maddening, goading, vexing, galling; More
antonyms: soothing, calming
intended or intending to arouse sexual desire or interest.
"a provocative sidelong glance"
synonyms: sexy, sexually arousing, sexually exciting, alluring, seductive, tempting, suggestive, inviting, tantalizing, titillating; More
antonyms: modest, decorous
Origin
late Middle English: from Old French provocatif, -ive, from late Latin provocativus, from provocat- ‘called forth, challenged’, from the verb provocare (see provoke).
Translate provocative to
adjective
1. provocant
Prevalent
widespread in a particular area or at a particular time.
"the social ills prevalent in society today"
synonyms: widespread, prevailing, frequent, usual, common, general, universal, pervasive, extensive, ubiquitous, ordinary; endemic, rampant, rife; recognized, established, accepted; current, popular, fashionable, in fashion, in style, in vogue
"the work attitudes still prevalent in the UK"
antonyms: uncommon, rare
archaic
predominant; powerful.
Origin
late 16th century: from Latin praevalent- ‘having greater power’, from the verb praevalere (see prevail).
Mutually exclusive
related in such a way that each thing makes the other thing impossible : not able to be true at the same time or to exist together
War and peace are mutually exclusive. [=war and peace cannot exist at the same time]
mutually exclusive events
— often used after not to describe things that can exist together or at the same time
In a marriage, love and conflict are not mutually exclusive. [=both love and conflict can exist in a marriage at the same time]
Diplomat
an official representing a country abroad.
synonyms: ambassador, envoy, emissary, consul, attaché, plenipotentiary, chargé d'affaires, official; archaiclegate
"a British diplomat working in our consulate in Germany"
a person who can deal with others in a sensitive and tactful way.
synonyms: tactful person, conciliator, reconciler, peacemaker; More
Origin
early 19th century: from French diplomate, back-formation from diplomatique ‘diplomatic’, from Latin diploma (see diploma).
Emanate
(of a feeling, quality, or sensation) issue or spread out from (a source).
"warmth emanated from the fireplace"
synonyms: emerge, flow, pour, proceed, issue, ensue, come out, come forth, spread out, come; More
originate from; be produced by.
"the proposals emanated from a committee"
give out or emit (a feeling, quality, or sensation).
"he emanated a powerful brooding air"
synonyms: exude, give off, give out, send out, send forth, pour out, throw out, spread, discharge, disgorge, emit, exhale, radiate; literarydistil
"the delicious aura of perfume which the women emanated"
Origin
mid 18th century: from Latin emanat- ‘flowed out’, from the verb emanare, from e- (variant of ex- ) ‘out’ + manare ‘to flow’.
(of a feeling, quality, or sensation) issue or spread out from (a source).
"warmth emanated from the fireplace"
synonyms: emerge, flow, pour, proceed, issue, ensue, come out, come forth, spread out, come; More
originate from; be produced by.
"the proposals emanated from a committee"
give out or emit (a feeling, quality, or sensation).
"he emanated a powerful brooding air"
synonyms: exude, give off, give out, send out, send forth, pour out, throw out, spread, discharge, disgorge, emit, exhale, radiate; literarydistil
"the delicious aura of perfume which the women emanated"
Origin
mid 18th century: from Latin emanat- ‘flowed out’, from the verb emanare, from e- (variant of ex- ) ‘out’ + manare ‘to flow’.
Capricious
given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behaviour.
"a capricious and often brutal administration"
synonyms: fickle, inconstant, changeable, variable, unstable, mercurial, volatile, erratic, vacillating, irregular, inconsistent, fitful, arbitrary; More
antonyms: stable, consistent
changing according to no discernible rules; unpredictable.
"a capricious climate"
Origin
early 17th century: from French capricieux, from Italian (see capriccioso).
Responsibility
1.
the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone.
synonyms: authority, control, power, leadership, management, influence; duty
"we train those staff who show an aptitude for managerial responsibility"
2.
the state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something.
"the group has claimed responsibility for a string of murders"
synonyms: blame, fault, guilt, culpability, blameworthiness, liability
"the organization denied responsibility for the bomb attack at the airport"
a moral obligation to behave correctly towards or in respect of.
"individuals have a responsibility to control their behaviour"
synonyms: trustworthiness, level-headedness, rationality, sanity, reason, reasonableness, sense, common sense, stability, maturity, adultness, reliability, dependability, competence
"teenagers may not be showing enough sense of responsibility to be safely granted privileges"
3.
the opportunity or ability to act independently and take decisions without authorization.
"we expect individuals to take on more responsibility"
a thing which one is required to do as part of a job, role, or legal obligation.
plural noun: responsibilities
"he will take over the responsibilities of Overseas Director"
synonyms: duty, task, function, job, role, place, charge, business, onus, burden, liability, accountability, answerability, province; informal pigeon
"it was his responsibility to find witnesses"
Exempt
1.
free from an obligation or liability imposed on others.
"these patients are exempt from all charges"
synonyms: free from, not liable to, not subject to; More
antonyms: liable to, subject to
verb
verb: exempt; 3rd person present: exempts; past tense: exempted; past participle: exempted; gerund or present participle: exempting
1.
free (a person or organization) from an obligation or liability imposed on others.
"they were exempted from paying the tax"
synonyms: free from, not liable to, not subject to; More
antonyms: liable to, subject to
noun
noun: exempt; plural noun: exempts
1.
a person who is exempt from something, especially the payment of tax.
Origin
late Middle English: from Latin exemptus ‘taken out, freed’, past participle of eximere .
Vest
1.
confer or bestow (power, authority, property, etc.) on someone.
"executive power is vested in the President"
synonyms: entrust to, invest in, bestow on, confer on, grant to, give to; More
give (someone) the legal right to power, property, etc.
"the local planning authorities are vested with powers to regulate land use and development"
(of power, property, etc.) come into the possession of.
"the bankrupt's property vests in his trustee"
2.
(of a chorister or member of the clergy) put on vestments.
"he approaches the altar to vest for Mass"
literary
dress (someone).
"the Speaker vested him with a rich purple robe"
Origin
late Middle English (as a verb): from Old French vestu ‘clothed’, past participle of vestir, from Latin vestire ; the noun (early 17th century, denoting a loose outer garment) from French veste, via Italian from Latin vestis ‘garment’.
Quisling
a traitor who collaborates with an enemy force occupying their country.
"he had the Quisling owner of the factory arrested"
synonyms: collaborator, fraternizer, colluder, sympathizer; More
Origin
Second World War: from the name of Major Vidkun Quisling (1887–1945), the Norwegian army officer and diplomat who ruled Norway on behalf of the German occupying forces (1940–45).
noun
1. collaborateur
2. collabo
Foible
1.
a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone's character.
"they have to tolerate each other's little foibles"
synonyms: weakness, weak point, weak spot, failing, shortcoming, flaw, imperfection, blemish, fault, defect, frailty, infirmity, inadequacy, limitation; More
antonyms: strength
2.
FENCING
the part of a sword blade from the middle to the point.
Origin
late 16th century (as an adjective in the sense ‘feeble’): from obsolete French, in Old French fieble (see feeble). Both noun senses also formerly occurred as senses of the word feeble and all date from the 17th century.
Deduction
“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” – Sherlock Holmes
1.
arrive at (a fact or a conclusion) by reasoning; draw as a logical conclusion.
"little can be safely deduced from these figures"
synonyms: conclude, come to the conclusion, reason, work out, gather, infer, draw the inference; extrapolate, glean, divine, intuit, come to understand, understand, assume, presume, conjecture, surmise, reckon, dare say; figure; informal suss out
"from the observation of fossils, he deduced that the whole Earth had once been covered by water"
2.
the inference of particular instances by reference to a general law or principle.
"the detective must uncover the murderer by deduction from facts"
synonyms: conclusion, inference, supposition, hypothesis, thesis, assumption, presumption, suspicion, conviction, belief; More
Origin
late Middle English (in the sense ‘lead or convey’): from Latin deducere, from de- ‘down’ + ducere ‘lead’.
a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning.
"researchers are entrusted with drawing inferences from the data"
synonyms: deduction, conclusion, reasoning, conjecture, speculation, surmise, thesis, theorizing, hypothesizing, presumption, assumption, supposition, reckoning, extrapolation, reading between the lines; More
the process of inferring something.
"his emphasis on order and health, and by inference cleanliness"
Origin
late 16th century: from medieval Latin inferentia, from inferent- ‘bringing in’, from the verb inferre (see infer).
Evoke (Evocative)
1.
bring or recall (a feeling, memory, or image) to the conscious mind.
"the sight evoked pleasant memories of his childhood"
synonyms: bring to mind, call to mind, put one in mind of, call up, conjure up, summon up, summon, invoke, give rise to, bring forth, elicit, induce, kindle, stimulate, stir up, awaken, arouse, excite, raise, suggest; More
elicit (a response).
"the Green Paper evoked critical reactions from various bodies"
synonyms: bring to mind, call to mind, put one in mind of, call up, conjure up, summon up, summon, invoke, give rise to, bring forth, elicit, induce, kindle, stimulate, stir up, awaken, arouse, excite, raise, suggest; More
2.
invoke (a spirit or deity).
"Akasha is evoked in India when a house is being built to ensure its completion"
synonyms: bring to mind, call to mind, put one in mind of, call up, conjure up, summon up, summon, invoke, give rise to, bring forth, elicit, induce, kindle, stimulate, stir up, awaken, arouse, excite, raise, suggest; More
Origin
early 17th century (in sense 2): from Latin evocare, from e- (variant of ex- ) ‘out of, from’ + vocare ‘to call’.
Corroborate
gerund or present participle: corroborating
confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding).
"the witness had corroborated the boy's account of the attack"
synonyms: confirm, verify, endorse, ratify, authenticate, validate, certify; support, back up, back, uphold, stand by, bear out, bear witness to, attest to, testify to, vouch for, give credence to, substantiate, sustain, bolster, reinforce, lend weight to
"Thomas corroborated the boy's account of the attack"
antonyms: contradict
Origin
mid 16th century (in the sense ‘make physically stronger’): from Latin corroborat- ‘strengthened’, from the verb corroborare, from cor- ‘together’ + roborare, from robur ‘strength’.
Collaborate
1.
work jointly on an activity or project.
"he collaborated with him on numerous hotel projects"
synonyms: cooperate, join (up), join forces, team up, get together, come together, band together, work together, work jointly, participate, unite, combine, merge, link, ally, associate, amalgamate, integrate, form an alliance, pool resources, club together
"India has collaborated with several nations on space projects"
2.
cooperate traitorously with an enemy.
"during the last war they collaborated with the Nazis"
synonyms: fraternize, conspire, collude, cooperate, consort, sympathize
"they were suspected of having collaborated with the enemy"
antonyms: resist
Origin
late 19th century: from Latin collaborat- ‘worked with’, from the verb collaborare, from col- ‘together’ + laborare ‘to work’.
Hubris
excessive pride or self-confidence.
"the self-assured hubris among economists was shaken in the late 1980s"
synonyms: arrogance, conceit, conceitedness, haughtiness, pride, vanity, self-importance, self-conceit, pomposity, superciliousness, feeling of superiority; More
antonyms: modesty
(in Greek tragedy) excessive pride towards or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis.
Origin
Greek
Sophomore
a second-year university or high-school student.
"freshmen performed better than either sophomores or juniors"
denoting the second recording, film, etc. released or created by a particular musician, group, director, etc.
"the duo's sophomore album"
Origin
mid 17th century: perhaps from earlier sophumer, from sophum, sophom (obsolete variants of sophism)
providing psychological relief through the open expression of strong emotions; causing catharsis. "crying is a cathartic release" synonyms: purgative, purging, purifying, cleansing, cleaning, releasing, relieving, freeing, delivering, exorcising, ridding; abreactive; raredepurative, lustral "writing my first book was a very cathartic experience for me"
Antonyms: repressive
Origin: early 17th century (in medical use): via late Latin from Greek kathartikos, from katharsis ‘cleansing’ (see catharsis).
Tenable
1.
able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection.
"such a simplistic approach is no longer tenable"
synonyms: defensible, justifiable, defendable, supportable, sustainable, maintainable, arguable, able to hold water, reasonable, rational, sound, viable, workable, plausible, credible, believable, conceivable, acceptable, imaginable
"this politically convenient view is no longer tenable"
antonyms: indefensible, untenable
2.
(of an office, position, scholarship, etc.) able to be held or used.
"a scholarship of £200 per annum tenable for three years"
Origin
late 16th century: from French, from tenir ‘to hold’, from Latin tenere.
Sedition
conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.
synonyms: incitement (to riot/rebellion), agitation, rabble-rousing, fomentation (of discontent), troublemaking, provocation, inflaming; rebellion, revolt, insurrection, rioting, mutiny, insurgence, insurgency, subversion, civil disorder, insubordination, disobedience, resistance, defiance
"advocating multiparty democracy is considered sedition"
Origin
late Middle English (in the sense ‘violent strife’): from Old French, or from Latin seditio(n- ), from sed- ‘apart’ + itio(n- ) ‘going’ (from the verb ire ).
Sycophant
a person who acts obsequiously towards someone important in order to gain advantage.
synonyms: toady, creep, crawler, fawner, flatterer, flunkey, truckler, groveller, doormat, lickspittle, kowtower, obsequious person, minion, hanger-on, leech, puppet, spaniel, Uriah Heep; informal bootlicker, yes-man; vulgar slangarse-licker, arse-kisser, brown-nose; vulgar slangsuckhole
"he was surrounded by flatterers and sycophants"
Origin
mid 16th century (denoting an informer): from French sycophante, or via Latin from Greek sukophantÄs ‘informer’, from sukon ‘fig’ + phainein ‘to show’, perhaps with reference to making the insulting gesture of the ‘fig’ (sticking the thumb between two fingers) to informers.
Sexism
prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex.
"sexism in language is an offensive reminder of the way the culture sees women"
synonyms: chauvinism, discrimination, prejudice, bias; machismo, laddishness
"he admitted that the company had been accused of sexism"
Synesthesia
Synesthesia Definition
In literature, synesthesia refers to a technique adopted by writers to present ideas, characters, or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one sense, like hearing, sight, smell, and touch at a given time.
Generally, the term synesthesia refers to a certain medical condition in which one of the five senses simultaneously stimulates another sense. A person with such a condition may not only see letters of the alphabet, but also associate them with particular scents. This happens when the different parts of the brain that are responsible in identifying color, sound, taste, and smell somehow get interlinked, and thus one sense triggers another sense.
Everyday Life Examples of Synesthesia
In everyday language, we find many examples of synesthesia, such as the frequently used adjective “cool.” This word is generally associated with temperature. However, in casual conversation, we hear phrases like “cool dress,”, “cool color,” or “you look cool,” wherein the visual sensation is blended with the sense of touch. Moreover, we commonly hear phrases like “loud colors,” “frozen silence,” “warm colors,” and “bitter cold.”
Examples of Synesthesia in Literature
In literature, synesthesia is a figurative use of words that intends to draw out a response from readers by stimulating multiple senses.
Example #1: The Divine Comedy (By Dante Alighieri)
Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy contains a good synesthesia example in literature. In the first canto, the poet tells us about a place called “Inferno.” He says,
“Back to the region where the sun is silent.”
Here, Dante binds the sense of sight (sun) with the sense of hearing (silent).
Example #2: Ode to a Nightingale (By John Keats)
We notice synesthetic imageries in John Keats’ Ode to a Nightingale:
“Tasting of Flora and the country green,
Dance, and Provencal song, and sun burnt mirth!”
In the above example, Keats combines visual sensation with the sensations of taste and hearing. In the same poem, he further states:
“In some melodious plot,
Of beechen green,
Singest of summer in full throated ease.”
Keats associates the act of melodious singing with a plot covered with green beechen trees, and thus connects visual sense with the sense of hearing.
Example #3: King Lear (By William Shakespeare)
We see Shakespeare employing the synesthetic device in his play King Lear, Act 2, Scene 2:
“Thou art a lady: if only to go warm were gorgeous,
Why nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear’st,
Which scarcely keeps thee warm.”
In the above excerpt, King Lear makes fun of his daughter Goneril for wearing revealing attire. He associates the word “warm” with “gorgeous,” which is an attempt to blend the sense of touch with the sense of sight.
Example #4: A Tuft of Flowers (By Robert Frost)
Robert Frost, in his poem A Tuft of Flowers, uses synesthesia:
“The butterfly and I had lit upon,
Nevertheless, a message from the dawn,
That made me hear the wakening birds around,
And hear his long scythe whispering to the ground…”
In the above excerpt, the speaker reveals a blend of sensory experiences he is experiencing. The speaker’s visual sense and his sense of hearing make him aware of his surroundings.
Example #5: Dying (By Emily Dickinson)
Emily Dickinson, in her poem Dying, uses synesthesia:
“With blue, uncertain, stumbling buzz,
Between the light and me;
And then the windows failed, and then
could not see to see.”
Here, the poetess added a visual element to the buzzing sound “buzz” by describing it as having a blue color.
Example #6: The Whole World Over (By Julia Glass)
The character Saga, in Julia Glass’ novel The Whole World Over, has a condition of synesthesia, in which she seems to sense colors in the words she reads, as illustrated below:
“The word would fill her mind for a few minutes with a single color: not an unpleasant sensation but still an intrusion… Patriarch: Brown, she thought, a temple of a word, a shiny red brown, like the surface of a chestnut.”
These lines are comments spoken by Duffy, who thinks that Saga’s synesthesia is a distraction.
Function of Synesthesia
Writers employ this device to be creative in communicating their ideas to the readers. It makes their ideas more vivid, and adds more layers of meaning to a text for the readers’ pleasure. By blending different senses, writers make their works more interesting and appealing.
Cajole
persuade (someone) to do something by sustained coaxing or flattery.
"he hoped to cajole her into selling him her house"
synonyms: persuade, wheedle, coax, talk into, manoeuvre, get round, prevail on, beguile, blarney, flatter, seduce, lure, entice, tempt, inveigle, woo; informal sweet-talk, soft-soap, butter up, twist someone's arm; archaic blandish
"he had been cajoled into escorting Nadia to a concert"
antonyms: bully
Origin
mid 17th century: from French cajoler.
Palliative
1.
(of a medicine or medical care) relieving pain without dealing with the cause of the condition.
"orthodox medicines tend to be palliative rather than curative"
synonyms: soothing, alleviating, sedative, calmative, calming; rarealleviative, alleviatory, lenitive, demulcent, assuasive, mitigatory, mitigative, paregoric
"the role of these drugs is essentially palliative"
(of an action) intended to alleviate a problem without addressing the underlying cause.
"short-term palliative measures had been taken"
noun
noun: palliative; plural noun: palliatives
1.
a palliative medicine, measure, etc.
"antibiotics and other palliatives"
synonyms: painkiller, analgesic, pain reliever, sedative, tranquillizer, anodyne, calmative, opiate, bromide; rarelenitive, demulcent, mitigative, paregoric
"antibiotics and palliatives"
Origin
late Middle English (as an adjective): from French palliatif, -ive or medieval Latin palliativus, from the verb palliare ‘to cloak’ (see palliate).
Enuresis
involuntary urination, especially by children at night.
"nocturnal enuresis can be due to a urinary tract infection"
Origin
early 19th century: modern Latin, from Greek enourein ‘urinate in’, from en- ‘in’ + ouron ‘urine’.
Loutish
(of a man or boy) uncouth and aggressive; thuggish.
"youths responsible for awful, loutish behaviour"
synonyms: uncouth, rude, impolite, unmannerly, ill-mannered, ill-bred, coarse; thuggish, boorish, oafish, rowdy, bullying, uncivilised, wild, rough, vulgar, philistine, common, crass; informal yobbish, slobbish
"a loutish youth"
antonyms: polite, well behaved
Petulance
the quality of being childishly sulky or bad-tempered.
"a slight degree of petulance had crept into his voice"
synonyms: peevishness, bad temper, ill temper, pettishness, pique, impatience, irritability, moodiness, sulkiness, snappishness, touchiness, waspishness, irascibility, tetchiness, testiness, querulousness, fractiousness, cantankerousness, grumpiness, grouchiness, crabbiness, ill humour, spleen; sullenness, surliness, sourness, churlishness, ungraciousness; mardiness; informal whinginess; informal crankiness, a sore head
(of a man or boy) uncouth and aggressive; thuggish.
"youths responsible for awful, loutish behaviour"
synonyms: uncouth, rude, impolite, unmannerly, ill-mannered, ill-bred, coarse; thuggish, boorish, oafish, rowdy, bullying, uncivilised, wild, rough, vulgar, philistine, common, crass; informal yobbish, slobbish
"a loutish youth"
antonyms: polite, well behaved
Petulance
the quality of being childishly sulky or bad-tempered.
"a slight degree of petulance had crept into his voice"
synonyms: peevishness, bad temper, ill temper, pettishness, pique, impatience, irritability, moodiness, sulkiness, snappishness, touchiness, waspishness, irascibility, tetchiness, testiness, querulousness, fractiousness, cantankerousness, grumpiness, grouchiness, crabbiness, ill humour, spleen; sullenness, surliness, sourness, churlishness, ungraciousness; mardiness; informal whinginess; informal crankiness, a sore head
Egregious
1.
outstandingly bad; shocking, appalling, terrible, awful, horrendous, frightful, atrocious, abominable, abhorrent, outrageous, monstrous, heinous, dire, unspeakable, shameful, unforgivable, intolerable, dreadful; formal grievous. Antonyms marvellous.
"egregious abuses of copyright", "an egregious error of judgement"
2.
ARCHAIC
remarkably good.
Origin
mid 16th century (in sense 2): from Latin egregius ‘illustrious’, literally ‘standing out from the flock’, from ex- ‘out’ + grex, greg- ‘flock’. Sense 1 (late 16th century) probably arose as an ironic use.
Credulity
a tendency to be too ready to believe that something is real or true.
"moneylenders prey upon their credulity and inexperience"
synonyms: gullibility, gullibleness, credulousness, naivety, naiveness, blind faith, trustfulness, over-trustfulness, lack of suspicion, innocence, ingenuousness, unworldliness, lack of experience, lack of sophistication, guilelessness, greenness, callowness, childlikeness, simpleness, simplicity, ignorance
"moneylenders prey upon their credulity and inexperience"
antonyms: worldliness, suspicion
Insouciance
casual lack of concern; indifference.
"an impression of boyish insouciance"
synonyms: nonchalance, unconcern, lack of concern, indifference, heedlessness, relaxedness, calm, calmness, equanimity, coolness, composure, casualness, ease, easy-going attitude, airiness, carefreeness, frivolousness, carelessness; informal cool
"his anxieties increased, despite Jen's insouciance"
antonyms: anxiety, concern
Origin
late 18th century: French, from insouciant, from in- ‘not’ + souciant ‘worrying’ (present participle of soucier ).
Conciliatory
intended or likely to placate or pacify.
"a conciliatory approach"
synonyms: propitiatory, placatory, appeasing, pacifying, pacific, mollifying, so as to pour oil on troubled waters, peacemaking, reconciliatory; rarepacificatory, propitiative, placative, irenic
"a conciliatory gesture"
antonyms: antagonistic
Didactic
intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.
"a didactic novel that set out to expose social injustice"
synonyms: instructive, instructional, educational, educative, informative, informational, doctrinal, preceptive, teaching, pedagogic, academic, scholastic, tuitional; edifying, improving, enlightening, illuminating, heuristic; pedantic, moralistic, homiletic; rarepropaedeutic
"the inmates preferred social rather than didactic activities"
in the manner of a teacher, particularly so as to appear patronizing.
"his tone ranged from didactic to backslapping"
Origin
mid 17th century: from Greek didaktikos, from didaskein ‘teach’.
Unassuming
not pretentious or arrogant; modest.
"he was an unassuming and kindly man"
synonyms: modest, self-effacing, humble, meek, mild, retiring, demure, restrained, reserved, withdrawn, reticent, diffident, shy, bashful, timid, timorous, shrinking, unconfident, insecure, unassertive; unobtrusive, unostentatious, unpretentious, unaffected, natural, genuine, simple, artless, ingenuous
"a quiet unassuming man"
antonyms: bold, boastful, pretentious
Nonjudgmental
not judged or judging on the basis of one's personal standards or opinions:
They tried to adopt a nonjudgmental attitude that didn't reflect their own biases. My guidance counselor in high school was sympathetic and nonjudgmental.
Origin
First recorded in 1960–65; non- + judgmental
Judgemental
of or concerning the use of judgement.
"judgemental decisions about the likelihood of company survival"
having or displaying an overly critical point of view.
"I don't like to sound judgemental, but it was a big mistake"
synonyms: critical, fault-finding, censorious, condemnatory, disapproving, disparaging, deprecating, negative, overcritical, hypercritical, scathing; pass-remarkable
"I don't like to sound judgemental but it really was a big mistake"
Charitable
1.
relating to the assistance of those in need.
"he has spent £50,000 on charitable causes"
synonyms: philanthropic, humanitarian, humane, altruistic, benevolent, beneficent, welfare, public-spirited, socially concerned, doing good works; More
(of an organization or activity) officially recognized as devoted to the assistance of those in need.
"they set up a charitable trust to run the hospital"
synonyms: philanthropic, humanitarian, humane, altruistic, benevolent, beneficent, welfare, public-spirited, socially concerned, doing good works; More
generous in giving to those in need.
"he had to collect his daily food from charitable people"
synonyms: big-hearted, giving, generous, liberal, open-handed, free-handed, magnanimous, munificent, bountiful; More
antonyms: mean
2.
apt to judge others leniently or favourably.
"those who were less charitable called for his resignation"
synonyms: magnanimous, generous, generous to a fault, liberal, tolerant, moderate, easy-going, broad-minded, understanding, considerate, sympathetic, lenient, indulgent, forgiving, kind, kindly, compassionate, kind-hearted, tender-hearted, benign, mild, gracious
"he was charitable in his judgements, never censorious"
antonyms: uncharitable
Origin
Middle English (in the sense ‘showing Christian love to God and man’): from Old French, from charite (see charity).
Charity
1.
an organization set up to provide help and raise money for those in need.
"the charity provides practical help for homeless people"
synonyms: non-profit-making organization, non-profit organization, not-for-profit organization, voluntary organization, charitable institution; More
the body of organizations viewed collectively as the object of fundraising or of donations.
"the proceeds of the sale will go to charity"
2.
the voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need.
"the care of the poor must not be left to private charity"
synonyms: financial assistance, aid, welfare, relief, financial relief, funding; More
antonyms: selfishness
help or money given to those in need.
"an unemployed teacher living on charity"
3.
kindness and tolerance in judging others.
"she found it hard to look on her mother with much charity"
synonyms: goodwill, compassion, consideration, concern, kindness, kindliness, kind-heartedness, tenderness, tender-heartedness, warm-heartedness, brotherly love, love, sympathy, understanding, fellow feeling, thoughtfulness, indulgence, tolerance, liberality, decency, nobility, graciousness, lenience, leniency; literarybounty, bounteousness; rarecaritas
"show a bit of charity to those less fortunate than you"
antonyms: meanness
ARCHAIC
love of humankind, typically in a Christian context.
"faith, hope, and charity"
Origin
late Old English (in the sense ‘Christian love of one's fellows’): from Old French charite, from Latin caritas, from carus ‘dear’.
Benevolent
well meaning and kindly.
"he was something of a benevolent despot"
synonyms: kind, kindly, kind-hearted, warm-hearted, tender-hearted, big-hearted, good-natured, good, gracious, tolerant, benign, compassionate, caring, sympathetic, considerate, thoughtful, well meaning, obliging, accommodating, helpful, decent, neighbourly, public-spirited, charitable, altruistic, humane, humanitarian, philanthropic; generous, magnanimous, munificent, unselfish, ungrudging, unstinting, open-handed, free-handed, free, liberal, lavish, bountiful, beneficent, indulgent; literarybounteous; rarebenignant
"they thought him a benevolent and conscientious guardian"
antonyms: unkind, tight-fisted
(of an organization) serving a charitable rather than a profit-making purpose.
"a benevolent fund"
synonyms: charitable, non-profit-making, non-profit, not-for-profit; historical almsgiving; rare eleemosynary
"a benevolent institution for the aged and infirm"
Origin
late Middle English: from Old French benivolent, from Latin bene volent- ‘well wishing’, from bene ‘well’ + velle ‘to wish’.
Trepidation
1.
a feeling of fear or anxiety about something that may happen.
"the men set off in fear and trepidation"
synonyms: fear, apprehension, dread, fearfulness, apprehensiveness, agitation, anxiety, worry, nervousness, tension, misgivings, unease, uneasiness, foreboding, disquiet, disquietude, perturbation, discomposure, dismay, consternation, alarm, panic, trembling, jumpiness; nerviness; informal butterflies, jitteriness, the jitters, a cold sweat, a blue funk, the heebie-jeebies, the willies, the shakes, the yips, the jim-jams, collywobbles, cold feet; informal the (screaming) abdabs/habdabs; rhyming slang Joe Blakes
"he sat in the waiting room, full of trepidation"
antonyms: calm, equanimity, composure
2.
ARCHAIC
trembling movements or motion.
Origin
late 15th century: from Latin trepidatio(n- ), from trepidare ‘be agitated, tremble’, from trepidus ‘alarmed’.
Atrophy
ËatrÉfi'
verb: atrophy; 3rd person present: atrophies; past tense: atrophied; past participle: atrophied; gerund or present participle: atrophying
1.
(of body tissue or an organ) waste away, especially as a result of the degeneration of cells, or become vestigial during evolution.
"the calf muscles will atrophy"
synonyms: waste away, waste, become emaciated, wither, shrivel, shrivel up, shrink, become shrunken, dry up, decay, wilt; decline, deteriorate, degenerate, grow weak, weaken, become debilitated, become enfeebled
"the body parts which are no longer required gradually atrophy"
antonyms: strengthen
2.
gradually decline in effectiveness or vigour due to underuse or neglect.
"the imagination can atrophy from lack of use"
synonyms: peter out, taper off, tail off, dwindle, deteriorate, decline, wane, fade, fade away, fade out, give in, give up, give way, crumble, disintegrate, collapse, slump, go downhill, draw to a close, subside; be neglected, be abandoned, be disregarded, be forgotten
"in the final few days, the Labour campaign atrophied"
antonyms: flourish
noun
noun: atrophy
1.
the process of atrophying or state of having atrophied.
"gastric atrophy"
synonyms: wasting, wasting away, emaciation, withering, shrivelling, shrivelling up, shrinking, drying up, wilting, decaying, decay; declining, deteriorating, deterioration, degenerating, degeneration, weakening, debilitation, enfeeblement
"they located the gene that causes muscular atrophy"
antonyms: strengthening
Origin
late 16th century: from French atrophier (verb), atrophie (noun), from late Latin atrophia, from Greek, ‘lack of food’, from a- ‘without’ + trophÄ ‘food’.
Oxymoron
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g. faith unfaithful kept him falsely true ). A combination of contradictory or incongruous words (such as cruel kindness)
broadly : something (such as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements
Origin
mid 17th century: from Greek oxumĆron, neuter (used as a noun) of oxumĆros ‘pointedly foolish’, from oxus ‘sharp’ + mĆros ‘foolish’.
What is an oxymoron?
An oxymoron is a word or group of words that is self-contradicting, as in bittersweet or plastic glass. Oxymorons are often used in literature. One famous example abounding with oxymorons is the following speech by Romeo from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet:
Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!
O any thing, of nothing first create!
O heavy lightness! serious vanity!
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms!
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!
This love feel I, that feel no love in this.
Oxymorons are similar too, but distinct from the devices of paradox and antithesis. While an oxymoron is a self-contradicting word or group of words, a paradox is a statement or argument that seems to be contradictory or to go against common sense, but that is yet perhaps still true—for example, "less is more." Antithesis, meanwhile, refers to the contrast of ideas through the use of parallel language, as in the phrase "action, not words," and in President Kennedy's famous injunction: "Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."
The Greeks Use of the Word Oxymoron
The Greeks exhaustively classified the elements of rhetoric, or effective speech and writing, and gave the name oxymoron, literally "pointed foolishness," to the deliberate juxtaposing of seemingly contradictory words. The roots of oxymoron - oxys, meaning "sharp" or "keen," and moros, meaning "foolish" - are nearly antonyms themselves, making oxymoron nicely self-descriptive. Oxymoron originally applied to a meaningful paradox condensed into a couple of words, as in "precious bane," "lonely crowd," or "sweet sorrow." Today, however, oxymoron can also refer to unintentional contradictions, like "a plastic glass."
Examples of oxymoron in a Sentence
The phrase "Broadway rock musical" is an oxymoron. Broadway doesn't have the nerve to let the really hard stuff in the house.
— Mark Coleman, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 1996/ 9 Jan. 1997
Taken to its logical conclusion, this emphasis on the fragmentation of the body politic makes postmodern feminism an oxymoron: feminism and virtually all our laws against sex discrimination reflect the presumption that women do in fact constitute a political category.
— Wendy Kaminer, Atlantic, October 1993
Emphatic
1.
expressing something forcibly and clearly.
"the children were emphatic that they would like to repeat the experience"
synonyms: vehement, firm, wholehearted, forceful, forcible, energetic, vigorous, ardent, assertive, insistent; certain, direct, definite, out-and-out, one hundred per cent; decided, determined, earnest; categorical, unqualified, unconditional, unequivocal, unambiguous, absolute, explicit, downright, outright, clear
"he was emphatic that athletes would not be paid to take part"
antonyms: hesitant, tentative
(of an action or its result) definite and clear.
"an emphatic World Cup win"
synonyms: conclusive, decisive, marked, pronounced, decided, unmistakable, positive, definite, strong, powerful, striking, distinctive; resounding, telling, momentous; informal thumping, thundering
"an emphatic victory"
antonyms: narrow
2.
(of a word or syllable) bearing the stress.
LINGUISTICS
(of certain Arabic consonants) pronounced with both dental articulation and constriction of the pharynx.
noun LINGUISTICS
noun: emphatic; plural noun: emphatics
1.
an emphatic consonant.
Origin
early 18th century: via late Latin from Greek emphatikos, from emphasis (see emphasis).
Emphasis
1.
special importance, value, or prominence given to something.
"they placed great emphasis on the individual's freedom"
synonyms: prominence, importance, significance; stress, weight, attention, priority, urgency, force, forcibleness, insistence, underlining, underscoring, intensity; import, power, moment, mark, pre-eminence
"the curriculum for 16-year-olds gave more emphasis to reading and writing"
2.
stress given to a word or words when speaking to indicate particular importance.
"inflection and emphasis can change the meaning of what is said"
synonyms: stress, accent, accentuation, weight, force, prominence; beat; ictus
"the emphasis is on the word ‘little’"
vigour or intensity of expression.
"he spoke with emphasis and with complete conviction"
Origin
late 16th century: via Latin from Greek, originally ‘appearance, show’, later denoting a figure of speech in which more is implied than is said (the original sense in English), from emphainein ‘exhibit’, from em- ‘in, within’ + phainein ‘to show’.
Audacious
1.
showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks.
"a series of audacious takeovers"
synonyms: bold, daring, fearless, intrepid, brave, unafraid, unflinching, courageous, valiant, valorous, heroic, dashing, plucky, daredevil, devil-may-care, death-or-glory, reckless, wild, madcap; adventurous, venturesome, enterprising, dynamic, spirited, mettlesome; informal game, gutsy, spunky, ballsy, have-a-go, go-ahead; rareventurous, temerarious
"the audience were left gasping at his audacious exploits"
antonyms: timid
2.
showing an impudent lack of respect.
"he made an audacious remark"
synonyms: impudent, impertinent, insolent, presumptuous, forward, cheeky, irreverent, discourteous, disrespectful, insubordinate, ill-mannered, bad-mannered, unmannerly, mannerless, rude, crude, brazen, brazen-faced, brash, shameless, pert, defiant, bold, bold as brass, outrageous, shocking, out of line; informal brass-necked, cocky, lippy, mouthy, fresh, flip, smart-arsed; informal saucy; informal sassy, nervy; archaicmalapert, contumelious
"Des made some audacious remark to her"
antonyms: polite
Origin
mid 16th century: from Latin audax, audac- ‘bold’ (from audere ‘dare’) + -ious.
Inauguration
the beginning or introduction of a system, policy, or period.
"the inauguration of an independent prosecution service"
synonyms: initiation, institution, setting up, launch, establishment, foundation, founding, origination, formation; beginning, start, inception; formalcommencement
"the inauguration of an independent prosecution service"
installation, instatement, induction, swearing in;
investiture;
coronation, enthronement, crowning
"the President's inauguration"
opening;
dedication, consecration;
unveiling
"the inauguration of the Modern Art Museum"
antonyms: demise, winding up, closure
the formal admission of someone to office.
"the President's inauguration"
a ceremony to mark the beginning or introduction of something.
"the inauguration of the Modern Art Museum"
Incidental
1.
happening as a minor accompaniment to something else.
"for the fieldworker who deals with real problems, paperwork is incidental"
synonyms: less important, of less importance, secondary, subsidiary, subordinate, ancillary, auxiliary; minor, peripheral, background, by-the-way, by-the-by, non-essential, inessential, unimportant, insignificant, inconsequential, unnecessary, trivial, trifling, negligible, petty, tangential, extrinsic, extraneous, dispensable, expendable
"incidental details"
antonyms: crucial, essential
occurring by chance in connection with something else.
"the incidental catch of dolphins in the pursuit of tuna"
synonyms: chance, by chance, accidental, by accident, random, casual, fortuitous, serendipitous, adventitious, coincidental, unlooked-for; rarefluky; rarealeatory
"the implications of this incidental discovery"
antonyms: deliberate
2.
happening as a result of (an activity).
"the ordinary risks incidental to a fireman's job"
synonyms: connected with, related to, associated with, accompanying, attending, attendant on, concomitant to
"the risks necessarily incidental to a fireman's job"
noun
noun: incidental; plural noun: incidentals
1.
an incidental expense, event, etc.
"an allowance to cover meals, taxis, and other incidentals"
synonyms: extras, contingencies, odds and ends; expenses
"an allowance to cover meals, taxis, and other incidentals"
Origin
early 17th century: originally from medieval Latin incidentalis, from Latin incident- ‘falling upon, happening to’ (from the verb incidere ).
Intransigence
noun: intransigence; noun: intransigency
refusal to change one's views or to agree about something.
"in the face of government intransigence, he resigned in disgust"
Unilateral
1.
(of an action or decision) performed by or affecting only one person, group, or country involved in a situation, without the agreement of another or the others.
"unilateral nuclear disarmament"
2.
relating to or affecting only one side of an organ, the body, or another structure.
"unilateral cerebral lesions"
Mendacity
untruthfulness. "people publicly castigated for past mendacity"
synonyms: lying, untruthfulness, dishonesty, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, dissembling, insincerity, disingenuousness, hypocrisy, fraud, fraudulence, double-dealing, two-timing, duplicity, perjury, perfidy; untruth, fictitiousness, falsity, falsehood, falseness, fallaciousness, hollowness; informal kidology; informal codology; humorouseconomy with the truth, terminological inexactitude; rareunveracity
Origin mid 17th century: from ecclesiastical Latin mendacitas, from mendax, mendac- ‘lying’ (see mendacious).
Mendacious
not telling the truth; lying. "mendacious propaganda"
synonyms: lying, untruthful, dishonest, deceitful, false, dissembling, insincere, disingenuous, hypocritical, fraudulent, double-dealing, two-faced, Janus-faced, two-timing, duplicitous, perjured, perfidious; untrue, fictitious, falsified, fabricated, fallacious, invented, made up, hollow; humorouseconomical with the truth, terminologically inexact; rareunveracious "mendacious propaganda"
antonyms: truthful
Origin early 17th century: from Latin mendax, mendac- ‘lying’ (related to mendum ‘fault’) + -ious.
Indignant
feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment.
"he was indignant at being the object of suspicion"
synonyms: aggrieved, resentful, affronted, disgruntled, discontented, dissatisfied, angry, distressed, unhappy, disturbed, hurt, pained, upset, offended, piqued, in high dudgeon, riled, nettled, vexed, irked, irritated, annoyed, put out, chagrined; informal peeved, miffed, aggravated, in a huff; informal cheesed off, browned off, not best pleased; informal sore, steamed; vulgar slangpissed off; vulgar slangpissed
"he was indignant at the way he was being treated"
antonyms: content
Origin
late 16th century: from Latin indignant- ‘regarding as unworthy’, from the verb indignari, from in- ‘not’ + dignus ‘worthy’.
Credulity
a tendency to be too ready to believe that something is real or true.
"moneylenders prey upon their credulity and inexperience"
synonyms: gullibility, gullibleness, credulousness, naivety, naiveness, blind faith, trustfulness, over-trustfulness, lack of suspicion, innocence, ingenuousness, unworldliness, lack of experience, lack of sophistication, guilelessness, greenness, callowness, childlikeness, simpleness, simplicity, ignorance
"moneylenders prey upon their credulity and inexperience"
antonyms: worldliness, suspicion
Morbid
1.
characterized by an abnormal and unhealthy interest in disturbing and unpleasant subjects, especially death and disease.
"his morbid fascination with the horrors of contemporary warfare"
synonyms: ghoulish, macabre, unhealthy, gruesome, grisly, grotesque, ghastly, horrible, unwholesome, death-obsessed; informalsick
"a morbid fascination with the horrors of contemporary warfare"
antonyms: wholesome
2.
MEDICINE
of the nature of or indicative of disease.
"the treatment of morbid obesity"
synonyms: diseased, pathological
"a morbid condition"
antonyms: healthy
Origin
mid 17th century (in the medical sense): from Latin morbidus, from morbus ‘disease’.
Apprehend
1.
arrest (someone) for a crime.
"a warrant was issued but he has not been apprehended"
synonyms: arrest, catch, capture, seize; take prisoner, take into custody, detain, put in jail, throw in jail, put behind bars, imprison, incarcerate; informal collar, nab, nail, run in, pinch, bust, pick up, pull in, haul in, do, feel someone's collar; informal nick
"the thieves were quickly apprehended"
2.
understand or perceive.
"we enter a field of vision we could not otherwise apprehend"
synonyms: understand, comprehend, realize, recognize, appreciate, discern, perceive, fathom, penetrate, catch, follow, grasp, make out, take in; informal get the drift of, get the hang of, make head or tail of, get the picture, have an aha moment; informal twig, suss (out)
"language is the only tool we have at our disposal for apprehending reality"
ARCHAIC
anticipate (something) with uneasiness or fear.
"he is a man that apprehends death no more dreadfully but as a drunken sleep"
Origin
late Middle English (originally in the sense ‘grasp, get hold of (physically or mentally’)): from French apprĂ©hender or Latin apprehendere, from ad- ‘towards’ + prehendere ‘lay hold of’.
Apprise
inform or tell (someone).
"I thought it right to apprise Chris of what had happened"
synonyms: inform, notify, tell, let know, advise, brief, intimate, make aware of, send word to, update, keep posted, keep up to date, keep up to speed, enlighten; informal clue in, fill in, put wise, tip off, put in the picture
"he continued to keep them apprised of all that was going on in Salzburg"
Origin
late 17th century: from French appris, apprise, past participle of apprendre ‘learn, teach’, from Latin apprehendere (see apprehend).
Apprize
ARCHAIC: apprise
1.
put a price on; appraise.
"the sheriff was to apprize the value of the lands"
2.
value highly; esteem.
"how highly your Highness apprizeth peace"
Origin
late Middle English: from Old French aprisier, from a- (from Latin ad ‘to, at’) + prisier ‘to price, prize’, from pris (see the word price). The change in the ending in the 17th century was due to association with the word prize.
Epitome
1.
a person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type.
"she looked the epitome of elegance and good taste"
synonyms: personification, embodiment, incarnation, paragon; essence, quintessence, archetype, paradigm, typification, type; exemplar, definitive example, prototype; representation, model, soul, example, byword, classic example/case; acme, ultimate, zenith, height; rareavatar
"he was the epitome of conservative respectability"
2.
a summary of a written work; an abstract.
synonyms: summary, abstract, synopsis, precis, résumé, outline, digest, recapitulation, summation, compendium, potted version; abridgement, abbreviation, condensation; wrap-up; archaicargument, summa; rareconspectus
"an epitome of a larger work"
antonyms: complete version, full text
ARCHAIC
a thing representing something else in miniature.
Origin
early 16th century: via Latin from Greek epitomÄ, from epitemnein ‘abridge’, from epi ‘in addition’ + temnein ‘to cut’.
Best
1.
of the most excellent or desirable type or quality.
"the best midfielder in the country"
synonyms: finest, greatest, top, foremost, leading, pre-eminent, premier, prime, first, chief, principal, supreme, of the highest quality, superlative, unrivalled, second to none, without equal, nonpareil, unsurpassed, unsurpassable, peerless, matchless, unparalleled, unbeaten, unbeatable, unexcelled, optimum, optimal, ultimate, surpassing, incomparable, ideal, perfect; highest, record-breaking; top of the range; top of the line; par excellence; informal star, number-one, one-in-a-million, a cut above the rest, top-drawer; rareunexampled
"the best hotel in Paris"
adverb
1.
to the highest degree; most (used with verbs suggesting a desirable action or state or a successful outcome).
"they named the pictures they liked best"
synonyms: most, to the highest/greatest degree
"the food he liked best"
noun
1.
that which is the most excellent, outstanding, or desirable.
"buy the best you can afford"
synonyms: finest, top, cream, choice, choicest, prime, elite, crĂšme de la crĂšme, flower, jewel in the crown, nonpareil; informal the tops, the pick of the bunch
"people for whom only the best will do"
verb INFORMAL
1.
outwit or get the better of (someone).
"she refused to allow herself to be bested"
synonyms: defeat, beat, get the better of, gain the advantage over, get the upper hand over, outdo, outwit, outsmart, worst, be more than a match for, prevail over, conquer, vanquish, trounce, triumph over; surpass, outclass, outshine, put someone in the shade, overshadow, eclipse; informal lick, get one over on; informal own
"he won't like being bested by a woman"
Crest
1.
a comb or tuft of feathers, fur, or skin on the head of a bird or other animal.
"a large game bird with a conspicuous erect red crest"
synonyms: comb, plume, tuft, topknot, mane; aigrette, panache, tassel; technicalcaruncle
"the bird has a drooping black crest"
a plume of feathers on a helmet.
2.
the top of a mountain or hill.
"she reached the crest of the hill"
synonyms: summit, peak, highest point, top, mountaintop, tip, pinnacle, brow, crown, head, cap, brink, apex, vertex, apogee, zenith; ridge, tor; aiguille, serac
"they reached the crest of the hill"
antonyms: bottom
ANATOMY
a ridge along the surface of a bone.
"biopsy specimens of the iliac crest were obtained under local anaesthesia"
the upper line of the neck of a horse or other mammal.
"take hold of the mane halfway up the horse's crest"
3.
the curling foamy top of a wave.
"a high wave formed by the meeting of two crests"
4.
HERALDRY
a distinctive device representing a family or corporate body, borne above the shield of a coat of arms (originally as worn on a helmet) or separately reproduced, for example on writing paper.
synonyms: insignia, regalia, badge, emblem, ensign, device, heraldic device, coat of arms, arms, armorial bearing, escutcheon, shield; bearing, charge
"the plate bears the Duke of Wellington's crest"
verb
verb: crest; 3rd person present: crests; past tense: crested; past participle: crested; gerund or present participle: cresting
1.
reach the top of (a hill or wave).
"she crested a hill and saw the valley spread out before her"
US
(of a river, flood, etc.) rise to its highest level.
2.
(of a wave) form a curling foamy top.
"the swell begins to curl and crest"
3.
have attached at the top.
"his helmet was crested with a fan of spikes"
Phrases
on the crest of a wave — at a very successful point.
"his career is on the crest of a wave at present"
Origin
Middle English: from Old French creste, from Latin crista ‘tuft, plume’.
Obfuscate
make obscure, unclear, or unintelligible.
"the spelling changes will deform some familiar words and obfuscate their etymological origins"
synonyms: obscure, confuse, make obscure/unclear, blur, muddle, jumble, complicate, garble, muddy, cloud, befog; muddy the waters
"the debate all too often obfuscates the issue"
antonyms: clarify
bewilder (someone).
"the new rule is more likely to obfuscate people than enlighten them"
synonyms: bewilder, mystify, puzzle, perplex, baffle, confound, bemuse, befuddle, nonplus; More
Origin
late Middle English: from late Latin obfuscat- ‘darkened’, from the verb obfuscare, based on Latin fuscus ‘dark’.
Discretion
1.
the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offence or revealing confidential information.
"she knew she could rely on his discretion"
synonyms: circumspection, care, carefulness, caution, wariness, chariness, guardedness; tact, tactfulness, diplomacy, delicacy, sensitivity, subtlety, consideration, prudence, judiciousness, judgement, discrimination, sense, good sense, common sense; kid gloves
"the negotiations have been carried out with the utmost discretion"
antonyms: indiscretion, rashness
2.
the freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation.
"local authorities should use their discretion in setting the charges"
synonyms: choice, option, judgement, preference, disposition, volition; pleasure, liking, wish, will, inclination, desire
"honorary fellowships may be awarded at the discretion of the council"
Phrases
discretion is the better part of valour — it's better to avoid a dangerous situation than to confront it.
Origin
Middle English (in the sense ‘discernment’): via Old French from Latin discretio(n- ) ‘separation’ (in late Latin ‘discernment’), from discernere (see discern).
Articulate
1.
having or showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently.
"an articulate account of their experiences"
synonyms: eloquent, fluent, communicative, effective, persuasive, coherent, lucid, vivid, expressive, silver-tongued, vocal; cogent, illuminating, intelligible, comprehensible, understandable
"an articulate speaker"
antonyms: inarticulate, hesitant, unintelligible
2.
TECHNICAL
having joints or jointed segments.
"delicate articulate plants with a slender central stem"
ZOOLOGY
denoting a brachiopod which has projections and sockets that form a hinge joining the two halves of the shell.
verb
verb: articulate; 3rd person present: articulates; past tense: articulated; past participle: articulated; gerund or present participle: articulating
1.
pronounce (something) clearly and distinctly.
"he articulated each word with precision"
express (an idea or feeling) fluently and coherently.
"they were unable to articulate their emotions"
synonyms: express, give expression to, voice, give voice to, vocalize, put in words, give utterance to, communicate, declare, state, set forth, bring into the open, make public, assert, divulge, reveal, proclaim, announce, raise, table, air, ventilate, vent, give vent to, pour out, mention, talk of, point out, go into; utter, say, speak, enunciate, pronounce, mouth; informalcome out with
"they were unable to articulate their emotions"
antonyms: bottle up
2.
form a joint.
"the mandible is a solid piece articulating with the head"
be connected by joints.
"the wing is articulated to the thorax"
Origin
mid 16th century: from Latin articulatus, past participle of articulare ‘divide into joints, utter distinctly’, from articulus ‘small connecting part’ (see article).
Article
1.
a particular item or object.
"small household articles"
synonyms: object, thing, item, unit, artefact, piece of merchandise, commodity, product; device, gadget, contrivance, instrument, utensil, tool, implement; informalwhatsit, what-d'you-call-it, what's-its-name, whatchamacallit, thingummy, thingy, thingamabob, thingamajig, oojamaflip, oojah, gizmo; informalgubbins, doodah, doobry; informaldoodad, doohickey, doojigger, dingus; informalthingo
"small household articles"
2.
a piece of writing included with others in a newspaper, magazine, or other publication.
"an article about middle-aged executives"
synonyms: essay, report, account, story, write-up, feature, item, piece (of writing), composition, column, paper, tract, study, review, commentary, treatise, analysis, disquisition, discourse; theme
"he wrote an article on the subject"
3.
a separate clause or paragraph of a legal document or agreement, typically one outlining a single rule or regulation.
"it is an offence under Article 7 of the Treaty"
synonyms: clause, section, subsection, point, item, paragraph, division, subdivision, heading, part, bit, passage, portion, segment; provision, proviso, stipulation
"the crucial article of the treaty"
4.
BRITISH
a period of training with a firm as a solicitor, architect, surveyor, or accountant.
"he is already in articles"
the terms on which crew members take service on a ship.
plural noun: shipping articles; plural noun: ship's articles
5.
GRAMMAR
the definite or indefinite article.
verbBRITISH
verb: article; 3rd person present: articles; past tense: articled; past participle: articled; gerund or present participle: articling
1.
bind (a trainee solicitor, architect, surveyor, or accountant) to undergo a period of training with a firm in order to become qualified.
"he was articled to a firm of solicitors in York"
Phrases
an article of faith
a firmly held belief. "it was an article of faith with this circle that women must free themselves"
the finished article
something that is complete and ready for use. "the ground is beginning to look like the finished article"
the genuine article
a person or thing considered to be an authentic and excellent example of their kind. "he recognized the genuine article when he saw it"
Origin
Middle English (denoting a separate clause of the Apostles' Creed): from Old French, from Latin articulus ‘small connecting part’, diminutive of artus ‘joint’.
Taciturn
(of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.
"after such gatherings she would be taciturn and morose"
synonyms: untalkative, uncommunicative, reticent, unforthcoming, quiet, unresponsive, secretive, silent, tight-lipped, close-mouthed, mute, dumb, inarticulate; reserved, withdrawn, introverted, retiring, media-shy, antisocial, unsociable, distant, aloof, stand-offish, cold, detached, dour, sullen
"a shy, taciturn man"
antonyms: talkative, loquacious
Origin
late 18th century: from Latin taciturnus, from tacitus (see tacit).
Tacit
understood or implied without being stated.
"your silence may be taken to mean tacit agreement"
synonyms: implicit, understood, implied, inferred, hinted, suggested, insinuated; unspoken, unstated, undeclared, unsaid, unexpressed, unmentioned, unvoiced, silent, mute, wordless, not spelt out; taken for granted, taken as read
"the bargaining relies on informal agreements and tacit understandings"
antonyms: explicit, stated
Origin
early 17th century (in the sense ‘wordless, noiseless’): from Latin tacitus, past participle of tacere ‘be silent’.
Abjure
verb: abjure; 3rd person present: abjures; past tense: abjured; past participle: abjured; gerund or present participle: abjuring
solemnly renounce (a belief, cause, or claim).
"MPs were urged to abjure their Jacobite allegiance"
synonyms: renounce, relinquish, reject, dispense with, forgo, forswear, disavow, abandon, deny, gainsay, disclaim, repudiate, give up, spurn, abnegate, wash one's hands of, drop, do away with; eschew, abstain from, refrain from; informalkick, jack in, pack in; disaffirm; archaicforsake
"I have abjured all stimulants"
Phrases
abjure the realm — swear an oath to leave a country forever.
"prior to transportation, offenders were sometimes permitted to abjure the realm"
Origin
late Middle English: from Latin abjurare, from ab- ‘away’ + jurare ‘swear’.
Adjure
verb: adjure; 3rd person present: adjures; past tense: adjured; past participle: adjured; gerund or present participle: adjuring
urge or request (someone) solemnly or earnestly to do something.
"I adjure you to tell me the truth"
Origin
late Middle English (in the sense ‘put a person on oath’): from Latin adjurare, from ad- ‘to’ + jurare ‘swear’ (from jus, jur- ‘oath’).
Cognitive dissonance
the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioural decisions and attitude change.
Cachet
1.
the state of being respected or admired; prestige.
"no other shipping company had quite the cachet of Cunard"
synonyms: prestige, prestigiousness, distinction, status, standing, kudos, snob value, stature, prominence, importance, pre-eminence, eminence; street credibility; merit, value; mana; informal street cred
"no other shipping company had quite the cachet of Cunard"
2.
a distinguishing mark or seal.
"special cachets are applied to cards sold at the stands"
3.
a flat capsule enclosing a dose of unpleasant-tasting medicine.
Origin
early 17th century: from French, from cacher in the sense ‘to press’, based on Latin coactare ‘constrain’.
Confer
verb: confer; 3rd person present: confers; past tense: conferred; past participle: conferred; gerund or present participle: conferring
1.
grant (a title, degree, benefit, or right).
"the Minister may have exceeded the powers conferred on him by Parliament"
Similar: bestow on, present with/to, grant to, award to, decorate with, honour with, give to, give out to, gift with, endow with, vest in, hand out to, extend to, vouchsafe to, accord to
Opposite: withhold, remove
2.
have discussions; exchange opinions.
"the officials were conferring with allies"
Similar: consult, have discussions, discuss things, exchange views, talk, have a talk, speak, converse, communicate, have a chat, have a tĂȘte-Ă -tĂȘte, negotiate, have negotiations, have talks, parley, palaver, have a confab, chew the fat/rag, jaw, rap, powwow, confabulate
Origin
late Middle English (in the general sense ‘bring together’, also in confer (sense 2)): from Latin conferre, from con- ‘together’ + ferre ‘bring’.
Endemic
1.
(of a disease or condition) regularly found among particular people or in a certain area.
"complacency is endemic in industry today"
(of an area) in which a particular disease is regularly found.
"the persistence of infection on pastures in endemic areas"
2.
(of a plant or animal) native and restricted to a certain place.
"a marsupial endemic to north-eastern Australia"
noun
noun: endemic; plural noun: endemics
an endemic plant or animal.
"there are three types of island endemics"
Origin
mid 17th century (as a noun): from French endĂ©mique or modern Latin endemicus, from Greek endÄmios ‘native’ (based on dÄmos ‘people’).
Indignant
feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment.
"he was indignant at being the object of suspicion"
Similar: aggrieved, resentful, affronted, disgruntled, discontented, dissatisfied, angry, distressed, unhappy, disturbed, hurt, pained, upset, offended, piqued, in high dudgeon, riled, nettled, vexed,
irked, irritated, annoyed, put out, chagrined, peeved, miffed, aggravated, in a huff, cheesed off,
browned off, not best pleased, sore, steamed, vulgar slangpissed off, pissed
Opposite: content
Origin
late 16th century: from Latin indignant- ‘regarding as unworthy’, from the verb indignari, from in- ‘not’ + dignus ‘worthy’.
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