English Synonyms and Antonyms — Habit to Harvest

custom, habitude, routine, system, use, fashion, practise, rule, usage, wont.

_Habit_ is a tendency or inclination toward an action or condition, which by repetition has become easy, spontaneous, or even unconscious, or an action or regular series of actions, or a condition so induced.

_Custom_ is the uniform doing of the same act in the same circumstance for a definite reason; _routine_ is the doing of customary acts in a regular and uniform sequence and is more mechanical than _custom_.

It is the _custom_ of tradesmen to open at a uniform hour, and to follow a regular _routine_ of business until closing-time.

_Habit_ always includes an involuntary tendency, natural or acquired, greatly strengthened by frequent repetition of the act, and may be uncontrollable, or even unconscious.

_Habitude_ is habitual relation or association.

_Custom_ is chiefly used of the action of many; _habit_ of the action of one; we speak of the _customs_ of society, the _habits_ of an individual.

_Fashion_ is the generally recognized _custom_ in the smaller matters, especially in dress.

A _rule_ is prescribed either by some external authority or by one's own will; as, it is the _rule_ of the house; or, I make it my invariable _rule_.

_System_ is the coordination of many acts or things into a unity, and is more and better than _routine_.

_Use_ and _usage_ denote the manner of using something;

we speak of one person's _use_ of language, but of the _usage_ of many;

a _use_ or _usage_ is almost always a _habit_.

_Practise_ is the active doing of something in a systematic way; we do not speak of the _practise_, but of the _habit_ of going to sleep; we speak of a tradesman's _custom_, a lawyer's or a physician's _practise_.

Educationally, _practise_ is the voluntary and persistent attempt to make skill a _habit_; as, _practise_ in penmanship.

_Wont_ is blind and instinctive _habit_ like that which attaches an animal to a locality: the word is now almost wholly poetic.

Compare DRESS.

* * * * * HAPPEN.

Synonyms: bechance, chance, fall out, supervene, befall, come to pass, occur, take place.

betide, fall, A thing is said to _happen_ when no design is manifest, or none especially thought of; it is said to _chance_ when it appears to be the result of accident (compare synonyms for ACCIDENT).

An incident _happens_ or _occurs_; something external or actual _happens_ to one; a thought or fancy _occurs_ to him.

_Befall_ and _betide_ are transitive;

_happen_ is intransitive; something _befalls_ or _betides_ a person or _happens_ to him.

_Betide_ is especially used for anticipated evil, thought of as waiting and coming at its appointed time; as, wo _betide_ him!

One event _supervenes_ upon another event, one disease upon another, etc. ["Transpire," in the sense of _happen_, is not authorized by good usage: a thing that has _happened_ is properly said to _transpire_ when it becomes known.

] Prepositions: An event happens _to_ a person; a person happens _on_ or _upon_ a fact, discovery, etc. * * * * * HAPPINESS.

Synonyms: blessedness, delight, gladness, pleasure, bliss, ecstasy, gratification, rapture, cheer, enjoyment, joy, rejoicing, comfort, felicity, merriment, satisfaction, contentment, gaiety, mirth, triumph.

_Gratification_ is the giving any mental or physical desire something that it craves; _satisfaction_ is the giving such a desire all that it craves.

_Happiness_ is the positively agreeable experience that springs from the possession of good, the _gratification_ or _satisfaction_ of the desires or the relief from pain and evil.

_Comfort_ may be almost wholly negative, being found in security or relief from that which pains or annoys; there is _comfort_ by a warm fireside on a wintry night; the sympathy of a true friend affords _comfort_ in sorrow.

_Enjoyment_ is more positive, always implying something to be definitely and consciously delighted in; a sick person finds _comfort_ in relief from pain, while he may be far from a state of _enjoyment_.

_Pleasure_ is still more vivid, being an arousing of the faculties to an intensely agreeable activity; _satisfaction_ is more tranquil than _pleasure_, being the agreeable consciousness of having all that our faculties demand or crave; when a worthy _pleasure_ is past, a worthy _satisfaction_ remains.

As referring to a mental state, _gratification_ is used to denote a mild form of _happiness_ resulting from some incident not of very great importance; _satisfaction_ should properly express a _happiness_ deeper, more complete, and more abiding; but as intellect or sensibilities of a low order may find _satisfaction_ in that which is very poor or unworthy, the word has come to be feeble and tame in ordinary use.

_Happiness_ is more positive than _comfort_, _enjoyment_, or _satisfaction_, more serene and rational than _pleasure_; _pleasure_ is of necessity transient; _happiness_ is abiding, and may be eternal; thus, we speak of _pleasures_, but the plural of _happiness_ is scarcely used.

_Happiness_, in the full sense, is mental or spiritual or both, and is viewed as resulting from some worthy _gratification_ or _satisfaction_; we may speak of a brute as experiencing _comfort_ or _pleasure_, but scarcely as in possession of _happiness_; we speak of vicious _pleasure_, _delight_, or _joy_, but not of vicious _happiness_.

_Felicity_ is a philosophical term, colder and more formal than _happiness_.

_Gladness_ is _happiness_ that overflows, expressing itself in countenance, voice, manner, and action.

_Joy_ is more intense than _happiness_, deeper than _gladness_, to which it is akin, nobler and more enduring than _pleasure_.

_Gaiety_ is more superficial than _joy_, more demonstrative than _gladness_.

_Rejoicing_ is _happiness_ or _joy_ that finds utterance in word, song, festivity, etc. _Delight_ is vivid, overflowing _happiness_ of a somewhat transient kind; _ecstasy_ is a state of extreme or extravagant _delight_ so that the one affected by it seems almost beside himself with _joy_; _rapture_ is closely allied to _ecstasy_, but is more serene, exalted, and enduring.

_Triumph_ is such _joy_ as results from victory, success, achievement.

_Blessedness_ is at once the state and the sense of being divinely blessed; as, the _blessedness_ of the righteous.

_Bliss_ is ecstatic, perfected _happiness_; as, the _bliss_ of heaven.

Compare COMFORT.

Antonyms: See synonyms for GRIEF.

* * * * * HAPPY.

Synonyms: blessed, cheering, gay, lucky, rejoiced, blissful, cheery, glad, merry, rejoicing, blithe, delighted, jocund, mirthful, smiling, blithesome, delightful, jolly, pleased, sprightly, bright, dexterous, joyful, prosperous, successful, buoyant, felicitous, joyous, rapturous, sunny.

cheerful, fortunate, _Happy_ primarily refers to something that comes "by good hap," a chance that brings prosperity, benefit, or success.

And grasps the skirts of _happy_ chance.

TENNYSON _In Memoriam_ lxiii, st. 2. In this sense _happy_ is closely allied to _fortunate_ and _lucky_.

(See FORTUNATE.

) _Happy_ has, however, so far diverged from this original sense as to apply to advantages where chance is not recognized, or is even excluded by direct reference to the divine will, when it becomes almost equivalent to _blessed_.

Behold, _happy_ is the man whom God correcteth.

_Job_ v, 17. _Happy_ is also applied to the ready dexterity or skill by which favorable results (usually in minor matters) are secured, when it becomes a synonym for _dexterous_, _felicitous_, and the associated words; as, he has a _happy_ wit; _happy_ at retort (compare CLEVER).

In its most frequent present use, _happy_ is applied to the state of one enjoying happiness, or to that by which happiness is expressed; as, a _happy_ heart; a _happy_ face; _happy_ laughter; _happy_ tears (compare synonyms for HAPPINESS).

_Cheerful_ applies to the possession or expression of a moderate and tranquil happiness.

A _cheery_ word spontaneously gives cheer to others; a _cheering_ word is more distinctly planned to cheer and encourage.

_Gay_ applies to an effusive and superficial happiness (often not really worthy of that name) perhaps resulting largely from abundant animal spirits: we speak of _gay_ revelers or a _gay_ horse.

A _buoyant_ spirit is, as it were, borne up by joy and hope.

A _sunny_ disposition has a constant tranquil brightness that irradiates all who come within its influence.

Antonyms: Compare synonyms for GRIEF.

Prepositions: A happy event _for_ him; happy _at_ a reply; happy _in_ his home, _with_ his friends, _among_ his children; happy _at_ the discovery, _over_ his success.

* * * * * HARMONY.

Synonyms: accord, concurrence, consistency, uniformity, accordance, conformity, consonance, union, agreement, congruity, symmetry, unison, amity, consent, unanimity, unity.

concord, When tones, thoughts, or feelings, individually different, combine to form a consistent and pleasing whole, there is _harmony_.

_Harmony_ is deeper and more essential than _agreement_; we may have a superficial, forced, or patched-up _agreement_, but never a superficial, forced, or patched-up _harmony_.

_Concord_ is less full and spiritual than _harmony_.

_Concord_ implies more volition than _accord_; as, their views were found to be in perfect _accord_; or, by conference _concord_ was secured; we do not secure _accord_, but discover it.

We may speak of being in _accord_ with a person on one point, but _harmony_ is wider in range.

_Conformity_ is correspondence in form, manner, or use; the word often signifies submission to authority or necessity, and may be as far as possible from _harmony_; as, the attempt to secure _conformity_ to an established religion.

_Congruity_ involves the element of suitableness;

_consistency_ implies the absence of conflict or contradiction in views, statements, or acts which are brought into comparison, as in the different statements of the same person or the different periods of one man's life; _unanimity_ is the complete hearty _agreement_ of many;

_consent_ and _concurrence_ refer to decision or action, but _consent_ is more passive than _concurrence_; one speaks by general _consent_ when no one in the assembly cares to make formal objection; a decision of the Supreme Court depends upon the _concurrence_ of a majority of the judges.

Compare AGREE; FRIENDSHIP; MELODY.

Antonyms: antagonism, contest, discord, hostility, schism, battle, controversy, disproportion, incongruity, separation, conflict, difference, dissension, inconsistency, variance, contention, disagreement, disunion, opposition, warfare.

* * * * * HARVEST.

Synonyms: crop, harvest-home, ingathering, result, fruit, harvesting, proceeds, return, growth, harvest-tide, produce, yield.

harvest-feast, harvest-time, product, harvest-festival, increase, reaping, _Harvest_, from the Anglo-Saxon, signified originally "autumn," and as that is the usual season of gathering ripened _crops_ in Northern lands, the word came to its present meaning of the season of gathering ripened grain or _fruits_, whether summer or autumn, and hence a _crop_ gathered or ready for gathering; also, the act or process of gathering a _crop_ or _crops_.

"The _harvest_ truly is great, but the laborers are few," _Luke_ x, 2. "Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to _harvest_," _John_ iv, 35. _Harvest_ is the elegant and literary word; _crop_ is the common and commercial expression; we say a man sells his _crop_, but we should not speak of his selling his _harvest_; we speak of an ample or abundant _harvest_, a good _crop_.

_Harvest_ is applied almost wholly to grain; _crop_ applies to almost anything that is gathered in; we speak of the potato-_crop_, not the potato-_harvest_; we may say either the wheat-_crop_ or the wheat-_harvest_.

_Produce_ is a collective word for all that is produced in farming or gardening, and is, in modern usage, almost wholly restricted to this sense; we speak of _produce_ collectively, but of a _product_ or various _products_; vegetables, _fruits_, eggs, butter, etc. , may be termed farm-_produce_, or the _products_ of the farm.

_Product_ is a word of wider application than _produce_; we speak of the _products_ of manufacturing, the _products_ of thought, or the _product_ obtained by multiplying one number by another.

The word _proceeds_ is chiefly used of the _return_ from an investment: we speak of the _produce_ of a farm, but of the _proceeds_ of the money invested in farming.

The _yield_ is what the land gives up to the farmer's demand;

we speak of the _return_ from an expenditure of money or labor, but of the _yield_ of corn or oats.

_Harvest_ has also a figurative use, such as _crop_ more rarely permits; we term a religious revival a _harvest_ of souls; the _result_ of lax enforcement of law is a _harvest_ of crime.

As regards time, _harvest_, _harvest-tide_, and _harvest-time_ alike denote the period or season when the crops are or should be gathered (_tide_ being simply the old Saxon word for _time_).

_Harvest-home_ ordinarily denotes the _festival_ of _harvest_, and when used to denote simply the season always gives a suggestion of festivity and rejoicing, such as _harvest_ and _harvest-time_ by themselves do not express.

* * * * * HATRED.

Synonyms: