English Synonyms and Antonyms — Babble to Because

blab, cackle, gabble, murmur, prattle, blurt, chat, gossip, palaver, tattle, blurt out, chatter, jabber, prate, twaddle.

Most of these words are onomatopoetic.

The _cackle_ of a hen, the _gabble_ of a goose, the _chatter_ of a magpie, the _babble_ of a running stream, as applied to human speech, indicate a rapid succession of what are to the listener meaningless sounds.

_Blab_ and _blurt_ (commonly _blurt out_) refer to the letting out of what the lips can no longer keep in; _blab_, of a secret; _blurt out_, of passionate feeling.

To _chat_ is to talk in an easy, pleasant way, not without sense, but without special purpose.

_Chatting_ is the practise of adults, _prattling_ that of children.

To _prate_ is to talk idly, presumptuously, or foolishly, but not necessarily incoherently.

To _jabber_ is to utter a rapid succession of unintelligible sounds, generally more noisy than _chattering_.

To _gossip_ is to talk of petty personal matters, as for pastime or mischief.

To _twaddle_ is to talk feeble nonsense.

To _murmur_ is to utter suppressed or even inarticulate sounds, suggesting the notes of a dove, or the sound of a running stream, and is used figuratively of the half suppressed utterances of affection or pity, or of complaint, resentment, etc. Compare SPEAK.

Prepositions: Babies babble _for_ the moon; the crowd babbles _of_ a hero; the sick man babbles _of_ home.

* * * * * BANISH.

Synonyms: ban, dismiss, evict, expatriate, ostracize, discharge, drive out, exile, expel, oust.

dislodge, eject, _Banish_, primarily to put under _ban_, to compel by authority to leave a place or country, perhaps with restriction to some other place or country.

From a country, a person may be _banished_, _exiled_, or _expatriated_; _banished_ from any country where he may happen to be, but _expatriated_ or _exiled_ only from his own.

One may _expatriate_ or _exile_ himself; he is _banished_ by others.

_Banish_ is a word of wide import; one may _banish_ disturbing thoughts; care may _banish_ sleep.

To _expel_ is to _drive out_ with violence or rudeness, and so often with disgrace.

Prepositions: Cataline was banished _from_ Rome; John the Apostle was banished _to_ Patmos.

* * * * * BANK.

Synonyms: beach, bound, brink, edge, margin, shore, border, brim, coast, marge, rim, strand.

_Bank_ is a general term for the land along the edge of a water course;

it may also denote a raised portion of the bed of a river, lake, or ocean; as, the _Banks_ of Newfoundland.

A _beach_ is a strip or expanse of incoherent wave-worn sand, which is often pebbly or full of boulders;

we speak of the _beach_ of a lake or ocean; a _beach_ is sometimes found in the bend of a river.

_Strand_ is a more poetic term for a wave-washed shore, especially as a place for landing or embarking; as, the keel grates on the _strand_.

The whole line of a country or continent that borders the sea is a _coast_.

_Shore_ is any land, whether cliff, or sand, or marsh, bordering water.

We do not speak of the _coast_ of a river, nor of the _banks_ of the ocean, tho there may be _banks_ by or under the sea.

_Edge_ is the line where land and water meet; as, the water's _edge_.

_Brink_ is the place from which one may fall; as, the river's _brink_; the _brink_ of a precipice; the _brink_ of ruin.

* * * * * BANTER.

Synonyms: badinage, derision, jeering, raillery, sarcasm, chaff, irony, mockery, ridicule, satire.

_Banter_ is the touching upon some fault, weakness, or fancied secret of another in a way half to pique and half to please; _badinage_ is delicate, refined _banter_.

_Raillery_ has more sharpness, but is usually good-humored and well meant.

_Irony_, the saying one thing that the reverse may be understood, may be either mild or bitter.

All the other words have a hostile intent.

_Ridicule_ makes a person or thing the subject of contemptuous merriment; _derision_ seeks to make the object derided seem utterly despicable--to laugh it to scorn.

_Chaff_ is the coarse witticism of the streets, perhaps merry, oftener malicious;

_jeering_ is loud, rude _ridicule_, as of a hostile crowd or mob.

_Mockery_ is more studied, and may include mimicry and personal violence, as well as scornful speech.

A _satire_ is a formal composition; a _sarcasm_ may be an impromptu sentence.

The _satire_ shows up follies to keep people from them; the _sarcasm_ hits them because they are foolish, without inquiring whether it will do good or harm; the _satire_ is plainly uttered; the _sarcasm_ is covert.

* * * * * BARBAROUS.

Synonyms: atrocious, brutal, merciless, uncivilized, barbarian, cruel, rude, uncouth, barbaric, inhuman, savage, untamed.

Whatever is not civilized is _barbarian_; _barbaric_ indicates rude magnificence, uncultured richness; as, _barbaric_ splendor, a _barbaric_ melody.

_Barbarous_ refers to the worst side of _barbarian_ life, and to revolting acts, especially of cruelty, such as a civilized man would not be expected to do; as, a _barbarous_ deed.

We may, however, say _barbarous_ nations, _barbarous_ tribes, without implying anything more than want of civilization and culture.

_Savage_ is more distinctly bloodthirsty than _barbarous_.

In this sense we speak of a _savage_ beast and of _barbarous_ usage.

Antonyms: civilized, cultured, elegant, humane, polite, tender, courtly, delicate, graceful, nice, refined, urbane.

* * * * * BARRIER.

Synonyms: bar, bulwark, obstruction, rampart, barricade, hindrance, parapet, restraint, breastwork, obstacle, prohibition, restriction.

A _bar_ is something that is or may be firmly fixed, ordinarily with intent to prevent entrance or egress; as, the _bars_ of a prison cell;

the _bars_ of a wood-lot.

A _barrier_ obstructs, but is not necessarily impassable.

_Barrier_ is used of objects more extensive than those to which _bar_ is ordinarily applied.

A mountain range may be a _barrier_ to exploration; but a mass of sand across the entrance to a harbor is called a _bar_.

Discovered falsehood is a _bar_ to confidence.

_Barricade_ has become practically a technical name for an improvised street fortification, and, unless in some way modified, is usually so understood.

A _parapet_ is a low or breast-high wall, as about the edge of a roof, terrace, etc. , especially, in military use, such a wall for the protection of troops; a _rampart_ is the embankment surrounding a fort, on which the _parapet_ is raised; the word _rampart_ is often used as including the _parapet_.

_Bulwark_ is a general word for any defensive wall or _rampart_; its only technical use at present is in nautical language, where it signifies the raised side of a ship above the upper deck, topped by the rail.

Compare BOUNDARY; IMPEDIMENT.

Antonyms: admittance, opening, road, transit, entrance, passage, thoroughfare, way.

Prepositions: A barrier _to_ progress, _against_ invasion; a barrier _between_ nations.

* * * * * BATTLE.

Synonyms: action, combat, encounter, passage of arms, affair, conflict, engagement, skirmish, bout, contest, fight, strife.

_Conflict_ is a general word which describes opponents, whether individuals or hosts, as dashed together.

One continuous _conflict_ between entire armies is a _battle_.

Another _battle_ may be fought upon the same field after a considerable interval; or a new _battle_ may follow immediately, the armies meeting upon a new field.

An _action_ is brief and partial; a _battle_ may last for days.

_Engagement_ is a somewhat formal expression for _battle_; as, it was the commander's purpose to avoid a general _engagement_.

A protracted war, including many _battles_, may be a stubborn _contest_.

_Combat_, originally a hostile _encounter_ between individuals, is now used also for extensive _engagements_.

A _skirmish_ is between small detachments or scattered troops.

An _encounter_ may be either purposed or accidental, between individuals or armed forces.

_Fight_ is a word of less dignity than _battle_; we should not ordinarily speak of Waterloo as a _fight_, unless where the word is used in the sense of fighting; as, I was in the thick of the _fight_.

Antonyms: armistice, concord, peace, suspension of hostilities, truce.

Prepositions: A battle _of_ giants; battle _between_ armies; a battle _for_ life, _against_ invaders; a battle _to_ the death; the battle _of_ (more rarely _at_) Marathon.

* * * * * BEAT.

Synonyms: bastinado, chastise, overcome, spank, thrash, batter, conquer, pommel, strike, vanquish, belabor, cudgel, pound, surpass, whip, bruise, defeat, scourge, switch, worst.

castigate, flog, smite, _Strike_ is the word for a single blow; to _beat_ is to _strike_ repeatedly, as a bird _beats_ the air with its wings.

Others of the above words describe the manner of _beating_, as _bastinado_, to _beat_ on the soles of the feet; _belabor_, to inflict a comprehensive and exhaustive _beating_; _cudgel_, to _beat_ with a stick; _thrash_, as wheat was _beaten_ out with the old hand-flail; to _pound_ (akin to L. _pondus_, a weight) is to _beat_ with a heavy, and _pommel_ with a blunt, instrument.

To _batter_ and to _bruise_ refer to the results of _beating_; that is _battered_ which is broken or defaced by repeated blows on the surface (compare synonyms for SHATTER); that is _bruised_ which has suffered even one severe contusion.

The metaphorical sense of _beat_, however, so far preponderates that one may be very badly _bruised_ and _battered_, and yet not be said to be _beaten_, unless he has got the worst of the _beating_.

To _beat_ a combatant is to disable or dishearten him for further fighting.

Hence _beat_ becomes the synonym for every word which implies getting the advantage of another.

Compare CONQUER.

Antonyms: fail, fall, get the worst of, go down, go under, surrender.

Almost all antonyms in this class are passive, and can be formed indefinitely from the conquering words by the use of the auxiliary _be_;

as, be beaten, be defeated, be conquered, etc. Prepositions: Beat _with_ a stick _over_ the head; beat _by_ a trick; _out of_ town;

beat _to_ the ground; _into_ submission.

* * * * * BEAUTIFUL.

Synonyms: attractive, charming, exquisite, handsome, beauteous, comely, fair, lovely, bewitching, delightful, fine, picturesque, bonny, elegant, graceful, pretty.

The definition of beauty, "perfection of form," is a good key to the meaning of _beautiful_, if we understand "form" in its widest sense.

There must also be harmony and unity, and in human beings spiritual loveliness, to constitute an object or a person really _beautiful_.

Thus, we speak of a _beautiful_ landscape, a _beautiful_ poem.

But _beautiful_ implies also, in concrete objects, softness of outline and delicacy of mold; it is opposed to all that is hard and rugged, hence we say a _beautiful_ woman, but not a _beautiful_ man.

_Beautiful_ has the further limit of not transcending our powers of appreciation.

_Pretty_ expresses in a far less degree that which is pleasing to a refined taste in objects comparatively small, slight, and dainty; as, a _pretty_ bonnet; a _pretty_ girl.

That is _handsome_ which is not only superficially pleasing, but well and harmoniously proportioned, with usually the added idea that it is made so by art, breeding, or training;

as, a _handsome_ horse; a _handsome_ house.

_Handsome_ is a term far inferior to _beautiful_; we may even say a _handsome_ villain.

_Fair_ denotes what is bright, smooth, clear, and without blemish; as, a _fair_ face.

The word applies wholly to what is superficial; we can say "_fair_, yet false."

In a specific sense, _fair_ has the sense of blond, as opposed to dark or brunette.

One who possesses vivacity, wit, good nature, or other pleasing qualities may be _attractive_ without beauty.

_Comely_ denotes an aspect that is smooth, genial, and wholesome, with a certain fulness of contour and pleasing symmetry, tho falling short of the _beautiful_; as, a _comely_ matron.

That is _picturesque_ which would make a striking picture.

Antonyms: awkward, frightful, grotesque, repulsive, uncouth, clumsy, ghastly, hideous, shocking, ungainly, deformed, grim, horrid, ugly, unlovely, disgusting, grisly, odious, unattractive, unpleasant.

Prepositions: Beautiful _to_ the eye; beautiful _in_ appearance, _in_ spirit;

"beautiful _for_ situation," _Ps.

_ xlviii, 2; beautiful _of_ aspect, _of_ its kind.

* * * * * BECAUSE.

Synonyms: as, for, inasmuch as, since.

_Because_, literally _by_-cause, is the most direct and complete word for giving the reason of a thing.

_Since_, originally denoting succession in time, signifies a succession in a chain of reasoning, a natural inference or result.

_As_ indicates something like, coordinate, parallel.

_Since_ is weaker than _because_; _as_ is weaker than _since_;

either may introduce the reason before the main statement; thus, _since_ or _as_ you are going, I will accompany you.

Often the weaker word is the more courteous, implying less constraint; for example, _as_ you request it, I will come, rather than I will come _because_ you request it.

_Inasmuch as_ is a formal and qualified expression, implying by just so much, and no more; thus, _inasmuch as_ the debtor has no property, I abandon the claim.

_For_ is a loose connective, giving often mere suggestion or indication rather than reason or cause; as, it is morning, _for_ (not _because_) the birds are singing.

Antonyms: altho, however, nevertheless, notwithstanding, yet.

Compare synonyms for BUT; NOTWITHSTANDING.

* * * * * BECOMING.