English Synonyms and Antonyms — Adequate to Airy

able, competent, fitted, satisfactory, adapted, equal, fitting, sufficient, capable, fit, qualified, suitable.

commensurate, _Adequate_, _commensurate_, and _sufficient_ signify _equal_ to some given occasion or work; as, a sum _sufficient_ to meet expenses; an _adequate_ remedy for the disease.

_Commensurate_ is the more precise and learned word, signifying that which exactly measures the matter in question.

_Adapted_, _fit_, _suitable_, and _qualified_ refer to the qualities which match or suit the occasion.

A clergyman may have strength _adequate_ to the work of a porter; but that would not be a _fit_ or _suitable_ occupation for him.

Work is _satisfactory_ if it satisfies those for whom it is done, though it may be very poor work judged by some higher standard.

_Qualified_ refers to acquired abilities; _competent_ to both natural and acquired; a _qualified_ teacher may be no longer _competent_, by reason of ill health.

_Able_ and _capable_ suggest general ability and reserved power, _able_ being the higher word of the two.

An _able_ man will do something well in any position.

A _capable_ man will come up to any ordinary demand.

We say an _able_ orator, a _capable_ accountant.

Antonyms: disqualified, inferior, unequal, unsatisfactory, useless, inadequate, insufficient, unfit, unsuitable, worthless.

incompetent, poor, unqualified, Prepositions: Adequate _to_ the demand; _for_ the purpose.

* * * * * ADHERENT.

Synonyms: aid, ally, disciple, partisan, supporter.

aider, backer, follower, An _adherent_ is one who is devoted or attached to a person, party, principle, cause, creed, or the like.

One may be an _aider_ and _supporter_ of a party or church, while not an _adherent_ to all its doctrines or claims.

An _ally_ is more independent still, as he may differ on every point except the specific ground of union.

The _Allies_ who overthrew Napoleon were united only against him.

_Allies_ are regarded as equals; _adherents_ and _disciples_ are followers.

The _adherent_ depends more on his individual judgment, the _disciple_ is more subject to command and instruction; thus we say the _disciples_ rather than the _adherents_ of Christ.

_Partisan_ has the narrow and odious sense of adhesion to a party, right or wrong.

One may be an _adherent_ or _supporter_ of a party and not a _partisan_.

_Backer_ is a sporting and theatrical word, personal in its application, and not in the best usage.

Compare ACCESSORY.

Antonyms: adversary, betrayer, enemy, opponent, traitor.

antagonist, deserter, hater, renegade, Prepositions: Adherents _to_ principle; adherents _of_ Luther.

* * * * * ADHESIVE.

Synonyms: cohesive, gummy, sticky, viscous.

glutinous, sticking, viscid, _Adhesive_ is the scientific, _sticking_ or _sticky_ the popular word.

That which is _adhesive_ tends to join itself to the surface of any other body with which it is placed in contact; _cohesive_ expresses the tendency of particles of the same substance to hold together.

Polished plate glass is not _adhesive_, but such plates packed together are intensely _cohesive_.

An _adhesive_ plaster is in popular language a _sticking_-plaster.

_Sticky_ expresses a more limited, and generally annoying, degree of the same quality.

_Glutinous_, _gummy_, _viscid_, and _viscous_ are applied to fluid or semi-fluid substances, as pitch or tar.

Antonyms: free, inadhesive, loose, separable.

Preposition: The stiff, wet clay, adhesive _to_ the foot, impeded progress.

* * * * * ADJACENT.

Synonyms: abutting, bordering, contiguous, neighboring, adjoining, close, coterminous, next, attached, conterminous, near, nigh.

beside, _Adjacent_ farms may not be connected; if _adjoining_, they meet at the boundary-line.

_Conterminous_ would imply that their dimensions were exactly equal on the side where they adjoin.

_Contiguous_ may be used for either _adjacent_ or _adjoining_.

_Abutting_ refers rather to the end of one building or estate than to the neighborhood of another.

Buildings may be _adjacent_ or _adjoining_ that are not _attached_.

_Near_ is a relative word, places being called _near_ upon the railroad which would elsewhere be deemed remote.

_Neighboring_ always implies such proximity that the inhabitants may be neighbors.

_Next_ views some object as the nearest of several or many; _next_ neighbor implies a neighborhood.

Antonyms: detached, disconnected, disjoined, distant, remote, separate.

Preposition: The farm was adjacent _to_ the village.

* * * * * ADMIRE.

Synonyms: adore, delight in, extol, respect, venerate, applaud, enjoy, honor, revere, wonder.

approve, esteem, love, In the old sense of _wonder_, _admire_ is practically obsolete; the word now expresses a delight and approval, in which the element of wonder unconsciously mingles.

We _admire_ beauty in nature and art, _delight in_ the innocent happiness of children, _enjoy_ books or society, a walk or a dinner.

We _approve_ what is excellent, _applaud_ heroic deeds, _esteem_ the good, _love_ our friends.

We _honor_ and _respect_ noble character wherever found; we _revere_ and _venerate_ it in the aged.

We _extol_ the goodness and _adore_ the majesty and power of God.

Antonyms: abhor, contemn, detest, execrate, ridicule, abominate, despise, dislike, hate, scorn.

Preposition: _Admire at_ may still very rarely be found in the old sense of _wonder at_.

* * * * * ADORN.

Synonyms: beautify, decorate, garnish, illustrate, bedeck, embellish, gild, ornament.

deck, To _embellish_ is to brighten and enliven by adding something that is not necessarily or very closely connected with that to which it is added; to _illustrate_ is to add something so far like in kind as to cast a side-light upon the principal matter.

An author _embellishes_ his narrative with fine descriptions, the artist _illustrates_ it with beautiful engravings, the binder _gilds_ and _decorates_ the volume.

_Garnish_ is on a lower plane; as, the feast was _garnished_ with flowers.

_Deck_ and _bedeck_ are commonly said of apparel; as, a mother _bedecks_ her daughter with silk and jewels.

To _adorn_ and to _ornament_ alike signify to add that which makes anything beautiful and attractive, but _ornament_ is more exclusively on the material plane;

as, the gateway was _ornamented_ with delicate carving.

_Adorn_ is more lofty and spiritual, referring to a beauty which is not material, and can not be put on by ornaments or decorations, but seems in perfect harmony and unity with that to which it adds a grace; if we say, the gateway was _adorned_ with beautiful carving, we imply a unity and loftiness of design such as _ornamented_ can not express.

We say of some admirable scholar or statesman, "he touched nothing that he did not _adorn_."

At church, with meek and unaffected grace, His looks _adorned_ the venerable place.

GOLDSMITH _Deserted Village_, l. 178. Antonyms: deface, deform, disfigure, mar, spoil.

Preposition: Adorn his temples _with_ a coronet.

* * * * * AFFRONT.

Synonyms: aggravate, exasperate, offend, vex, annoy, insult, provoke, wound.

displease, irritate, tease, One may be _annoyed_ by the well-meaning awkwardness of a servant, _irritated_ by a tight shoe or a thoughtless remark, _vexed_ at some careless neglect or needless misfortune, _wounded_ by the ingratitude of child or friend.

To _tease_ is to give some slight and perhaps playful annoyance.

_Aggravate_ in the sense of _offend_ is colloquial.

To _provoke_, literally to call out or challenge, is to begin a contest;

one _provokes_ another to violence.

To _affront_ is to offer some defiant offense or indignity, as it were, to one's face; it is somewhat less than to _insult_.

Compare PIQUE.

Antonyms: conciliate, content, gratify, honor, please.

* * * * * AGENT.

Synonyms: actor, factor, means, operator, promoter.

doer, instrument, mover, performer, In strict philosophical usage, the prime _mover_ or _doer_ of an act is the _agent_.

Thus we speak of man as a voluntary _agent_, a free _agent_.

But in common usage, especially in business, an _agent_ is not the prime _actor_, but only an _instrument_ or _factor_, acting under orders or instructions.

Compare CAUSE.

Antonyms: chief, inventor, originator, principal.

Prepositions: An agent _of_ the company _for_ selling, etc. * * * * * AGREE.

Synonyms: accede, admit, coincide, concur, accept, approve, combine, consent, accord, assent, comply, harmonize.

acquiesce, _Agree_ is the most general term of this group, signifying to have like qualities, proportions, views, or inclinations, so as to be free from jar, conflict, or contradiction in a given relation.

To _concur_ is to _agree_ in general; to _coincide_ is to _agree_ in every particular.

Whether in application to persons or things, _concur_ tends to expression in action more than _coincide_; we may either _concur_ or _coincide_ in an opinion, but _concur_ in a decision; views _coincide_, causes _concur_.

One _accepts_ another's terms, _complies_ with his wishes, _admits_ his statement, _approves_ his plan, _conforms_ to his views of doctrine or duty, _accedes_ or _consents_ to his proposal.

_Accede_ expresses the more formal agreement, _consent_ the more complete.

To _assent_ is an act of the understanding; to _consent_, of the will.

We may _concur_ or _agree_ with others, either in opinion or decision.

One may silently _acquiesce_ in that which does not meet his views, but which he does not care to contest.

He _admits_ the charge brought, or the statement made, by another--_admit_ always carrying a suggestion of reluctance.

_Assent_ is sometimes used for a mild form of _consent_, as if agreement in the opinion assured approval of the decision.

Antonyms: contend, demur, disagree, oppose, contradict, deny, dispute, protest, decline, differ, dissent, refuse.

Prepositions: I agree _in_ opinion _with_ the speaker; _to_ the terms proposed;

persons agree _on_ or _upon_ a statement of principles, rules, etc. ; we must agree _among_ ourselves.

* * * * * AGRICULTURE.

Synonyms: cultivation, gardening, kitchen-gardening, culture, horticulture, market-gardening, farming, husbandry, tillage.

floriculture, _Agriculture_ is the generic term, including at once the science, the art, and the process of supplying human wants by raising the products of the soil, and by the associated industries; _farming_ is the practise of _agriculture_ as a business; there may be theoretical _agriculture_, but not theoretical _farming_; we speak of the science of _agriculture_, the business of _farming_; scientific _agriculture_ may be wholly in books;

scientific _farming_ is practised upon the land; we say an _agricultural_ college rather than a college of _farming_.

_Farming_ refers to the _cultivation_ of considerable portions of land, and the raising of the coarser crops; _gardening_ is the close _cultivation_ of a small area for small fruits, flowers, vegetables, etc. , and while it may be done upon a farm is yet a distinct industry.

_Gardening_ in general, _kitchen-gardening_, the _cultivation_ of vegetables, etc. , for the household, _market-gardening_, the raising of the same for sale, _floriculture_, the _culture_ of flowers, and _horticulture_, the _culture_ of fruits, flowers, or vegetables, are all departments of _agriculture_, but not strictly nor ordinarily of _farming_; _farming_ is itself one department of _agriculture_.

_Husbandry_ is a general word for any form of practical _agriculture_, but is now chiefly poetical.

_Tillage_ refers directly to the work bestowed upon the land, as plowing, manuring, etc. ; _cultivation_ refers especially to the processes that bring forward the crop; we speak of the _tillage_ of the soil, the _cultivation_ of corn; we also speak of land as in a state of _cultivation_, under _cultivation_, etc. _Culture_ is now applied to the careful development of any product to a state of perfection, especially by care through successive generations; the choice varieties of the strawberry have been produced by wise and patient _culture_; a good crop in any year is the result of good _cultivation_.

* * * * * AIM.

Synonyms: aspiration, endeavor, intention, tendency.

design, goal, mark, determination, inclination, object, end, intent, purpose, The _aim_ is the direction in which one shoots, or sometimes that which is aimed at.

The _mark_ is that at which one shoots; the _goal_, that toward which one runs.

All alike indicate the direction of _endeavor_.

The _end_ is the point at which one expects or hopes to close his labors; the _object_, that which he would grasp as the reward of his labors.

_Aspiration_, _design_, _endeavor_, _purpose_, referring to the mental acts by which the _aim_ is attained, are often used as interchangeable with _aim_.

_Aspiration_ applies to what are viewed as noble _aims_; _endeavor_, _design_, _intention_, _purpose_, indifferently to the best or worst.

_Aspiration_ has less of decision than the other terms; one may aspire to an _object_, and yet lack the fixedness of _purpose_ by which alone it can be attained.

_Purpose_ is stronger than _intention_.

_Design_ especially denotes the adaptation of means to an end; _endeavor_ refers to the exertions by which it is to be attained.

One whose _aims_ are worthy, whose _aspirations_ are high, whose _designs_ are wise, and whose _purposes_ are steadfast, may hope to reach the _goal_ of his ambition, and will surely win some _object_ worthy of a life's _endeavor_.

Compare AMBITION; DESIGN.

Antonyms: aimlessness, heedlessness, negligence, purposelessness, avoidance, neglect, oversight, thoughtlessness.

carelessness, * * * * * AIR.

Synonyms: appearance, demeanor, manner, sort, bearing, expression, mien, style, behavior, fashion, port, way.

carriage, look, _Air_ is that combination of qualities which makes the entire impression we receive in a person's presence; as, we say he has the _air_ of a scholar, or the _air_ of a villain.

_Appearance_ refers more to the dress and other externals.

We might say of a travel-soiled pedestrian, he has the _appearance_ of a tramp, but the _air_ of a gentleman.

_Expression_ and _look_ especially refer to the face.

_Expression_ is oftenest applied to that which is habitual; as, he has a pleasant _expression_ of countenance; _look_ may be momentary; as, a _look_ of dismay passed over his face.

We may, however, speak of the _look_ or _looks_ as indicating all that we look at; as, he had the _look_ of an adventurer; I did not like his _looks_.

_Bearing_ is rather a lofty word; as, he has a noble _bearing_; _port_ is practically identical in meaning with _bearing_, but is more exclusively a literary word.

_Carriage_, too, is generally used in a good sense; as, that lady has a good _carriage_.

_Mien_ is closely synonymous with _air_, but less often used in a bad sense.

We say a rakish _air_ rather than a rakish _mien_.

_Mien_ may be used to express some prevailing feeling; as, "an indignant _mien_."

_Demeanor_ goes beyond _appearance_, including conduct, behavior; as, a modest _demeanor_.

_Manner_ and _style_ are, in large part at least, acquired.

Compare BEHAVIOR.

* * * * * AIRY.

Synonyms: aerial, ethereal, frolicsome, joyous, lively, animated, fairylike, gay, light, sprightly.

_Aerial_ and _airy_ both signify of or belonging to the air, but _airy_ also describes that which seems as if made of air; we speak of _airy_ shapes, _airy_ nothings, where we could not well say _aerial_;

_ethereal_ describes its object as belonging to the upper air, the pure ether, and so, often, heavenly.

_Sprightly_, spiritlike, refers to light, free, cheerful activity of mind and body.

That which is _lively_ or _animated_ may be agreeable or the reverse; as, an _animated_ discussion; a _lively_ company.

Antonyms: clumsy, heavy, ponderous, sluggish, wooden.

dull, inert, slow, stony, * * * * * ALARM.

Synonyms: