Chapter XVII: Part I: Synonyms, Antonyms and Prepositions (15)

_Elegant_ (L. _elegans_, select) refers to that assemblage of qualities which makes anything choice to persons of culture and refinement; it refers to the lighter, finer elements of beauty in form or motion, especially denoting that which exhibits faultless taste and perfection of finish. That which is _elegant_ is made so not merely by nature, but by art and culture; a woodland dell may be beautiful or picturesque, but would not ordinarily be termed _elegant_. _Tasteful_ refers to that in which the element of taste is more prominent, standing, as it were, more by itself, while in _elegant_ it is blended as part of the whole. _Tasty_ is an inferior word, used colloquially in a similar sense. _Chaste_ (primarily _pure_), denotes in literature and art that which is true to the higher and finer feelings and free from all excess or meretricious ornament. _Dainty_ and _delicate_ refer to the lighter and finer elements of taste and beauty, _dainty_ tending in personal use to an excessive scrupulousness which is more fully expressed by _fastidious_. _Nice_ and _delicate_ both refer to exact adaptation to some standard; the bar of a balance can be said to be nicely or delicately poised; as regards matters of taste and beauty, _delicate_ is a higher and more discriminating word than _nice_, and is always used in a favorable sense; a _delicate_ distinction is one worth observing; a _nice_ distinction may be so, or may be overstrained and unduly subtle; _fine_ in such use, is closely similar to _delicate_ and _nice_, but (tho capable of an unfavorable sense) has commonly a suggestion of positive excellence or admirableness; a _fine_ touch does something; _fine_ perceptions are to some purpose; _delicate_ is capable of the single unfavorable sense of frail or fragile; as, a _delicate_ constitution. _Esthetic_ or _esthetical_ refers to beauty or the appreciation of the beautiful, especially from the philosophic point of view. _Exquisite_ denotes the utmost perfection of the _elegant_ in minute details; we speak of an _elegant_ garment, an _exquisite_ lace. _Exquisite_ is also applied to intense keenness of any feeling; as, _exquisite_ delight; _exquisite_ pain. See BEAUTIFUL; DELICIOUS; FINE.

Antonyms:

clumsy, displeasing, grotesque, inartistic, rough, coarse, distasteful, harsh, inharmonious, rude, deformed, fulsome, hideous, meretricious, rugged, disgusting, gaudy, horrid, offensive, tawdry.

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TEACH.

Synonyms:

discipline, give instruction, inform, nurture, drill, give lessons, initiate, school, educate, inculcate, instill, train, enlighten, indoctrinate, instruct, tutor.

To _teach_ is simply to communicate knowledge; to _instruct_ (originally, to build in or into, put in order) is to impart knowledge with special method and completeness; _instruct_ has also an authoritative sense nearly equivalent to command. To _educate_ is to draw out or develop harmoniously the mental powers, and, in the fullest sense, the moral powers as well. To _train_ is to direct to a certain result powers already existing. _Train_ is used in preference to _educate_ when the reference is to the inferior animals or to the physical powers of man; as, to _train_ a horse; to _train_ the hand or eye. To _discipline_ is to bring into habitual and complete subjection to authority; _discipline_ is a severe word, and is often used as a euphemism for _punish_; to be thoroughly effective in war, soldiers must be _disciplined_ as well as _trained_. To _nurture_ is to furnish the care and sustenance necessary for physical, mental, and moral growth; _nurture_ is a more tender and homelike word than _educate_. Compare EDUCATION.

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TEMERITY.

Synonyms:

audacity, heedlessness, presumption, foolhardiness, over-confidence, rashness, hardihood, precipitancy, recklessness, hastiness, precipitation, venturesomeness.

_Rashness_ applies to the actual rushing into danger without counting the cost; _temerity_ denotes the needless exposure of oneself to peril which is or might be clearly seen to be such. _Rashness_ is used chiefly of bodily acts, _temerity_ often of mental or social matters; there may be a noble _rashness_, but _temerity_ is always used in a bad sense. We say it is amazing that one should have had the _temerity_ to make a statement which could be readily proved a falsehood, or to make an unworthy proposal to one sure to resent it; in such use _temerity_ is often closely allied to _hardihood_, _audacity_, or _presumption_. _Venturesomeness_ dallies on the edge of danger and experiments with it; _foolhardiness_ rushes in for want of sense, _heedlessness_ for want of attention, _rashness_ for want of reflection, _recklessness_ from disregard of consequences. _Audacity_, in the sense here considered, denotes a dashing and somewhat reckless courage, in defiance of conventionalities, or of other men's opinions, or of what would be deemed probable consequences; as, the _audacity_ of a successful financier. Compare EFFRONTERY.

Antonyms:

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

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TERM.

Synonyms:

article, denomination, member, phrase, condition, expression, name, word.

_Term_ in its figurative uses always retains something of its literal sense of a boundary or limit. The _articles_ of a contract or other instrument are simply the portions into which it is divided for convenience; the _terms_ are the essential statements on which its validity depends--as it were, the landmarks of its meaning or power; a _condition_ is a contingent _term_ which may become fixed upon the happening of some contemplated event. In logic a _term_ is one of the essential members of a proposition, the boundary of statement in some one direction. Thus, in general use _term_ is more restricted than _word_, _expression_, or _phrase_; a _term_ is a _word_ that limits meaning to a fixed point of statement or to a special class of subjects, as when we speak of the definition of _terms_, that is of the key-_words_ in any discussion; or we say, that is a legal or scientific _term_. Compare BOUNDARY; DICTION.

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TERSE.

Synonyms:

brief, concise, neat, short, compact, condensed, pithy, succinct. compendious, laconic, sententious,

Anything _short_ or _brief_ is of relatively small extent. That which is _concise_ (L. _con-_, with, together, and _cædo_, cut) is trimmed down, and that which is _condensed_ (L. _con-_, with, together, and _densus_, thick) is, as it were, pressed together, so as to include as much as possible within a small space. That which is _compendious_ (L. _com-_, together, and _pendo_, weigh) gathers the substance of a matter into a few words, weighty and effective. The _succinct_ (L. _succinctus_, from _sub-_, under, and _cingo_, gird; girded from below) has an alert effectiveness as if girded for action. The _summary_ is compacted to the utmost, often to the point of abruptness; as, we speak of a _summary_ statement or a _summary_ dismissal. That which is _terse_ (L. _tersus_, from _tergo_, rub off) has an elegant and finished completeness within the smallest possible compass, as if rubbed or polished down to the utmost. A _sententious_ style is one abounding in sentences that are singly striking or memorable, apart from the context; the word may be used invidiously of that which is pretentiously oracular. A _pithy_ utterance gives the gist of a matter effectively, whether in rude or elegant style.

Antonyms:

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

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TESTIMONY.

Synonyms:

affidavit, attestation, deposition, proof, affirmation, certification, evidence, witness.

_Testimony_, in legal as well as in common use, signifies the statements of witnesses. _Deposition_ and _affidavit_ denote _testimony_ reduced to writing; the _deposition_ differs from the _affidavit_ in that the latter is voluntary and without cross-examination, while the former is made under interrogatories and subject to cross-examination. _Evidence_ is a broader term, including the _testimony_ of witnesses and all facts of every kind that tend to prove a thing true; we have the _testimony_ of a traveler that a fugitive passed this way; his footprints in the sand are additional _evidence_ of the fact. Compare DEMONSTRATION; OATH.

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THEREFORE.

Synonyms:

accordingly, consequently, then, whence, because, hence, thence, wherefore.

_Therefore_, signifying for that (or this) reason, is the most precise and formal word for expressing the direct conclusion of a chain of reasoning; _then_ carries a similar but slighter sense of inference, which it gives incidentally rather than formally; as, "All men are mortal; Cæsar is a man; _therefore_ Cæsar is mortal;" or, "The contract is awarded; _then_ there is no more to be said." _Consequently_ denotes a direct result, but more frequently of a practical than a theoretic kind; as, "Important matters demand my attention; _consequently_ I shall not sail to-day." _Consequently_ is rarely used in the formal conclusions of logic or mathematics, but marks rather the freer and looser style of rhetorical argument. _Accordingly_ denotes correspondence, which may or may not be consequence; it is often used in narration; as, "The soldiers were eager and confident; _accordingly_ they sprang forward at the word of command." _Thence_ is a word of more sweeping inference than _therefore_, applying not merely to a single set of premises, but often to all that has gone before, including the reasonable inferences that have not been formally stated. _Wherefore_ is the correlative of _therefore_, and _whence_ of _hence_ or _thence_, appending the inference or conclusion to the previous statement without a break. Compare synonyms for BECAUSE.

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THRONG.

Synonyms:

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

A _crowd_ is a company of persons filling to excess the space they occupy and pressing inconveniently upon one another; the total number in a _crowd_ may be great or small. _Throng_ is a word of vastness and dignity, always implying that the persons are numerous as well as pressed or pressing closely together; there may be a dense _crowd_ in a small room, but there can not be a _throng_. _Host_ and _multitude_ both imply vast numbers, but a _multitude_ may be diffused over a great space so as to be nowhere a _crowd_; _host_ is a military term, and properly denotes an assembly too orderly for crowding. _Concourse_ signifies a spontaneous gathering of many persons moved by a common impulse, and has a suggestion of stateliness not found in the word _crowd_, while suggesting less massing and pressure than is indicated by the word _throng_.

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TIME.

Synonyms:

age, duration, epoch, period, sequence, term, date, eon, era, season, succession, while.

_Sequence_ and _succession_ apply to events viewed as following one another; _time_ and _duration_ denote something conceived of as enduring while events take place and acts are done. According to the necessary conditions of human thought, events are contained in _time_ as objects are in space, _time_ existing before the event, measuring it as it passes, and still existing when the event is past. _Duration_ and _succession_ are more general words than _time_; we can speak of infinite or eternal _duration_ or _succession_, but _time_ is commonly contrasted with eternity. _Time_ is measured or measurable _duration_.

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TIP.

Synonyms:

cant, dip, incline, list, slope, careen, heel over, lean, slant, tilt.

To _tilt_ or _tip_ is to throw out of a horizontal position by raising one side or end or lowering the other; the words are closely similar, but _tilt_ suggests more of fluctuation or instability. _Slant_ and _slope_ are said of things somewhat fixed or permanent in a position out of the horizontal or perpendicular; the roof _slants_, the hill _slopes_. _Incline_ is a more formal word for _tip_, and also for _slant_ or _slope_. To _cant_ is to set slantingly; in many cases _tip_ and _cant_ might be interchanged, but _tip_ is more temporary, often momentary; one _tips_ a pail so that the water flows over the edge; a mechanic _cants_ a table by making or setting one side higher than the other. A vessel _careens_ in the wind; _lists_, usually, from shifting of cargo, from water in the hold, etc. _Careening_ is always toward one side or the other; _listing_ may be forward or astern as well. To _heel over_ is the same as to _careen_, and must be distinguished from "keel over," which is to capsize.

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TIRE.

Synonyms:

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

To _tire_ is to reduce strength in any degree by exertion; one may be _tired_ just enough to make rest pleasant, or even unconsciously _tired_, becoming aware of the fact only when he ceases the exertion; or, on the other hand, he may be, according to the common phrase, "too _tired_ to stir;" but for this extreme condition the stronger words are commonly used. One who is _fatigued_ suffers from a conscious and painful lack of strength as the result of some overtaxing; an invalid may be _fatigued_ with very slight exertion; when one is _wearied_, the painful lack of strength is the result of long-continued demand or strain; one is _exhausted_ when the strain has been so severe and continuous as utterly to consume the strength, so that further exertion is for the time impossible. One is _fagged_ by drudgery; he is _jaded_ by incessant repetition of the same act until it becomes increasingly difficult or well-nigh impossible; as, a horse is _jaded_ by a long and unbroken journey.

Antonyms:

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

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TOOL.

Synonyms:

apparatus, implement, machine, utensil, appliance, instrument, mechanism, weapon.

A _tool_ is something that is both contrived and used for extending the force of an intelligent agent to something that is to be operated upon. Those things by which pacific and industrial operations are performed are alone properly called _tools_, those designed for warlike purposes being designated _weapons_. An _instrument_ is anything through which power is applied and a result produced; in general usage, the word is of considerably wider meaning than _tool_; as, a piano is a musical _instrument_. _Instrument_ is the word usually applied to _tools_ used in scientific pursuits; as, we speak of a surgeon's or an optician's _instruments_. An _implement_ is a mechanical agency considered with reference to some specific purpose to which it is adapted; as, an agricultural _implement_; _implements_ of war. _Implement_ is a less technical and artificial term than _tool_. The paw of a tiger might be termed a terrible _implement_, but not a _tool_. A _utensil_ is that which may be used for some special purpose; the word is especially applied to articles used for domestic or agricultural purposes; as, kitchen _utensils_; farming _utensils_. An _appliance_ is that which is or may be applied to the accomplishment of a result, either independently or as subordinate to something more extensive or important; every mechanical _tool_ is an _appliance_, but not every _appliance_ is a _tool_; the traces of a harness are _appliances_ for traction, but they are not _tools_. _Mechanism_ is a word of wide meaning, denoting any combination of mechanical devices for united action. A _machine_ in the most general sense is any mechanical _instrument_ for the conversion of motion; in this sense a lever is a _machine_; but in more commonly accepted usage a _machine_ is distinguished from a _tool_ by its complexity, and by the combination and coordination of powers and movements for the production of a result. A chisel by itself is a _tool_; when it is set so as to be operated by a crank and pitman, the entire _mechanism_ is called a _machine_; as, a mortising-_machine_. An _apparatus_ may be a _machine_, but the word is commonly used for a collection of distinct articles to be used in connection or combination for a certain purpose--a mechanical equipment; as, the _apparatus_ of a gymnasium; especially, for a collection of _appliances_ for some scientific purpose; as, a chemical or surgical _apparatus_; an _apparatus_ may include many _tools_, _instruments_, or _implements_. _Implement_ is for the most part and _utensil_ is altogether restricted to the literal sense; _instrument_, _machine_, and _tool_ have figurative use, _instrument_ being used largely in a good, _tool_ always in a bad sense; _machine_ inclines to the unfavorable sense, as implying that human agents are made mechanically subservient to some controlling will; as, an _instrument_ of Providence; the _tool_ of a tyrant; a political _machine_.

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TOPIC.

Synonyms:

division, issue, motion, proposition, subject, head, matter, point, question, theme.

A _topic_ (Gr. _topos_, place) is a _head_ of discourse. Since a _topic_ for discussion is often stated in the form of a _question_, _question_ has come to be extensively used to denote a debatable _topic_, especially of a practical nature--an _issue_; as, the labor _question_; the temperance _question_. In deliberative assemblies a _proposition_ presented or moved for acceptance is called a _motion_, and such a _motion_ or other matter for consideration is known as the _question_, since it is or may be stated in interrogative form to be answered by each member with a vote of "aye" or "no;" a member is required to speak to the _question_; the chairman puts the _question_. In speaking or writing the general _subject_ or _theme_ may be termed the _topic_, tho it is more usual to apply the latter term to the subordinate _divisions_, _points_, or _heads_ of discourse; as, to enlarge on this _topic_ would carry me too far from my _subject_; a pleasant drive will suggest many _topics_ for conversation.

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TRACE.

Synonyms:

footmark, impression, remains, token, trail, footprint, mark, remnant, track, vestige. footstep, memorial, sign,

A _memorial_ is that which is intended or fitted to bring to remembrance something that has passed away; it may be vast and stately. On the other hand, a slight _token_ of regard may be a cherished _memorial_ of a friend; either a concrete object or an observance may be a _memorial_. A _vestige_ is always slight compared with that whose existence it recalls; as, scattered mounds containing implements, weapons, etc., are _vestiges_ of a former civilization. A _vestige_ is always a part of that which has passed away; a _trace_ may be merely the _mark_ made by something that has been present or passed by, and that is still existing, or some slight evidence of its presence or of the effect it has produced; as, _traces_ of game were observed by the hunter. Compare CHARACTERISTIC.

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TRANSACT.

Synonyms:

accomplish, carry on, do, perform, act, conduct, negotiate, treat.

There are many acts that one may _do_, _accomplish_, or _perform_ unaided; what he _transacts_ is by means of or in association with others; one may _do_ a duty, _perform_ a vow, _accomplish_ a task, but he _transacts_ business, since that always involves the agency of others. To _negotiate_ and to _treat_ are likewise collective acts, but both these words lay stress upon deliberation with adjustment of mutual claims and interests; _transact_, while it may depend upon previous deliberation, states execution only. Notes, bills of exchange, loans, and treaties are said to be _negotiated_, the word so used covering not merely the preliminary consideration, but the final settlement. _Negotiate_ has more reference to execution than _treat_; nations may _treat_ of peace without result, but when a treaty is _negotiated_, peace is secured; the citizens of the two nations are then free to _transact_ business with one another. Compare DO.

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TRANSACTION.

Synonyms:

act, action, affair, business, deed, doing, proceeding.

One's _acts_ or _deeds_ may be exclusively his own; his _transactions_ involve the agency or participation of others. A _transaction_ is something completed; a _proceeding_ is or is viewed as something in progress; but since _transaction_ is often used to include the steps leading to the conclusion, while _proceedings_ may result in _action_, the dividing line between the two words becomes sometimes quite faint, tho _transaction_ often emphasizes the fact of something done, or brought to a conclusion. Both _transactions_ and _proceedings_ are used of the records of a deliberative body, especially when published; strictly used, the two are distinguished; as, the Philosophical _Transactions_ of the Royal Society of London give in full the papers read; the _Proceedings_ of the American Philological Association give in full the _business_ done, with mere abstracts of or extracts from the papers read. Compare ACT; BUSINESS.

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TRANSCENDENTAL.

Synonyms:

a priori, intuitive, original, primordial, transcendent.

_Intuitive_ truths are those which are in the mind independently of all experience, not being derived from experience nor limited by it, as that the whole is greater than a part, or that things which are equal to the same thing are equal to one another. All _intuitive_ truths or beliefs are _transcendental_. But _transcendental_ is a wider term than _intuitive_, including all within the limits of thought that is not derived from experience, as the ideas of space and time. "Being is _transcendental_.... As being can not be included under any genus, but transcends them all, so the properties or affections of being have also been called _transcendental_." K.-F. _Vocab. Philos._ p. 530. "_Transcendent_ he [Kant] employed to denote what is wholly beyond experience, being neither given as an a posteriori nor _a priori_ element of cognition--what therefore transcends every category of thought." K.-F. _Vocab. Philos._ p. 531. _Transcendental_ has been applied in the language of the Emersonian school to the soul's supposed _intuitive_ knowledge of things divine and human, so far as they are capable of being known to man. Compare MYSTERIOUS.

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TRANSIENT.

Synonyms:

brief, fleeting, fugitive, short, ephemeral, flitting, momentary, temporary, evanescent, flying, passing, transitory.

_Transient_ and _transitory_ are both derived from the same original source (L. _trans_, over, and _eo_, go), denoting that which quickly passes or is passing away, but there is between them a fine shade of difference. A thing is _transient_ which in fact is not lasting; a thing is _transitory_ which by its very nature must soon pass away; a thing is _temporary_ (L. _tempus_, time) which is intended to last or be made use of but a little while; as, a _transient_ joy; this _transitory_ life; a _temporary_ chairman. _Ephemeral_ (Gr. _epi_, on, and _hemera_, day) literally lasting but for a day, often marks more strongly than _transient_ exceeding brevity of duration; it agrees with _transitory_ in denoting that its object is destined to pass away, but is stronger, as denoting not only its certain but its speedy extinction; thus that which is _ephemeral_ is looked upon as at once slight and perishable, and the word carries often a suggestion of contempt; man's life is _transitory_, a butterfly's existence is _ephemeral_; with no solid qualities or worthy achievements a pretender may sometimes gain an _ephemeral_ popularity. That which is _fleeting_ is viewed as in the act of passing swiftly by, and that which is _fugitive_ (L. _fugio_, flee) as eluding attempts to detain it; that which is _evanescent_ (L. _evanesco_, from _e_, out, and _vanus_, empty, vain) as in the act of vanishing even while we gaze, as the hues of the sunset.

Antonyms:

abiding, eternal, immortal, lasting, perpetual, undying, enduring, everlasting, imperishable, permanent, persistent, unfading.

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UNION.

Synonyms:

coalition, conjunction, juncture, unification, combination, junction, oneness, unity.

_Unity_ is _oneness_, the state of being one, especially of that which never has been divided or of that which can not be conceived of as resolved into parts; as, the _unity_ of God or the _unity_ of the human soul. _Union_ is a bringing together of things that have been distinct, so that they combine or coalesce to form a new whole, or the state or condition of things thus brought together; in a _union_ the separate individuality of the things united is never lost sight of; we speak of the _union_ of the parts of a fractured bone or of the _union_ of hearts in marriage. But _unity_ can be said of that which is manifestly or even conspicuously made up of parts, when a single purpose or ideal is so subserved by all that their possible separateness is lost sight of; as, we speak of the _unity_ of the human body, or of the _unity_ of the church. Compare ALLIANCE; ASSOCIATION; ATTACHMENT; HARMONY; MARRIAGE.

Antonyms:

analysis, disconnection, disunion, divorce, separation, contrariety, disjunction, division, schism, severance. decomposition, dissociation,

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USUAL.

Synonyms:

accustomed, everyday, general, ordinary, public, common, familiar, habitual, prevailing, regular, customary, frequent, normal, prevalent, wonted.

_Usual_ (L. _usus_, use, habit, wont) signifies such as regularly or often recurs in the ordinary course of events, or is habitually repeated in the life of the same person. _Ordinary_ (L. _ordo_, order) signifies according to an established order, hence of _everyday_ occurrence. In strictness, _common_ and _general_ apply to the greater number of individuals in a class; but both words are in good use as applying to the greater number of instances in a series, so that it is possible to speak of one person's _common_ practise or _general_ custom, tho _ordinary_ or _usual_ would in such case be preferable. Compare GENERAL; NORMAL.

Antonyms:

exceptional, infrequent, rare, strange, unparalleled, extraordinary, out-of-the-way, singular, uncommon, unusual.

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UTILITY.

Synonyms:

advantage, expediency, serviceableness, avail, profit, use, benefit, service, usefulness.

_Utility_ (L. _utilis_, useful) signifies primarily the quality of being useful, but is somewhat more abstract and philosophical than _usefulness_ or _use_, and is often employed to denote adaptation to produce a valuable result, while _usefulness_ denotes the actual production of such result. We contrast beauty and _utility_. We say of an invention, its _utility_ is questionable, or, on the other hand, its _usefulness_ has been proved by ample trial, or I have found it of _use_; still, _utility_ and _usefulness_ are frequently interchanged. _Expediency_ (L. _ex_, out, and _pes_, foot; literally, the getting the foot out) refers primarily to escape from or avoidance of some difficulty or trouble; either _expediency_ or _utility_ may be used to signify _profit_ or _advantage_ considered apart from right as the ground of moral obligation, or of actions that have a moral character, _expediency_ denoting immediate _advantage_ on a contracted view, and especially with reference to avoiding danger, difficulty, or loss, while _utility_ may be so broadened as to cover all existence through all time, as in the utilitarian theory of morals. _Policy_ is often used in a kindred sense, more positive than _expediency_ but narrower than _utility_, as in the proverb, "Honesty is the best _policy_." Compare PROFIT.

Antonyms:

disadvantage, futility, inadequacy, inutility, uselessness, folly, impolicy, inexpediency, unprofitableness, worthlessness.

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VACANT.

Synonyms:

blank, leisure, unfilled, untenanted, void, empty, unemployed, unoccupied, vacuous, waste.

That is _empty_ which contains nothing; that is _vacant_ which is without that which has filled or might be expected to fill it; _vacant_ has extensive reference to rights or possibilities of occupancy. A _vacant_ room may not be _empty_, and an _empty_ house may not be _vacant_. _Vacant_, as derived from the Latin, is applied to things of some dignity; _empty_, from the Saxon, is preferred in speaking of slight, common, or homely matters, tho it may be applied with special force to the highest; we speak of _empty_ space, a _vacant_ lot, an _empty_ dish, an _empty_ sleeve, a _vacant_ mind, an _empty_ heart, an _empty_ boast, a _vacant_ office, a _vacant_ or _leisure_ hour. _Void_ and _devoid_ are rarely used in the literal sense, but for the most part confined to abstract relations, _devoid_ being followed by _of_, and having with that addition the effect of a prepositional phrase; as, the article is _devoid of_ sense; the contract is _void_ for want of consideration. _Waste_, in this connection, applies to that which is made so by devastation or ruin, or gives an impression of desolation, especially as combined with vastness, probably from association of the words _waste_ and vast: _waste_ is applied also to uncultivated or unproductive land, if of considerable extent; we speak of a _waste_ track or region, but not of a _waste_ city lot. _Vacuous_ refers to the condition of being _empty_ or _vacant_, regarded as continuous or characteristic.

Antonyms:

brimful, busy, filled, inhabited, overflowing, brimmed, crammed, full, jammed, packed, brimming, crowded, gorged, occupied, replete.

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VAIN.

Synonyms:

abortive, futile, shadowy, unsatisfying, baseless, idle, trifling, unserviceable, bootless, inconstant, trivial, unsubstantial, deceitful, ineffectual, unavailing, useless, delusive, nugatory, unimportant, vapid, empty, null, unprofitable, visionary, fruitless, profitless, unreal, worthless.

_Vain_ (L. _vanus_, empty) keeps the etymological idea through all changes of meaning; a _vain_ endeavor is _empty_ of result, or of adequate power to produce a result, a _vain_ pretension is _empty_ or destitute of support, a _vain_ person has a conceit that is _empty_ or destitute of adequate cause or reason. That which is _bootless_, _fruitless_, or _profitless_ fails to accomplish any valuable result; that which is _abortive_, _ineffectual_, or _unavailing_ fails to accomplish a result that it was, or was supposed to be, adapted to accomplish. That which is _useless_, _futile_, or _vain_ is inherently incapable of accomplishing a specified result. _Useless_, in the widest sense, signifies not of use for any valuable purpose, and is thus closely similar to _valueless_ and _worthless_. _Fruitless_ is more final than _ineffectual_, as applying to the sum or harvest of endeavor. That which is _useless_ lacks actual fitness for a purpose; that which is _vain_ lacks imaginable fitness. Compare VACANT; OSTENTATION; PRIDE.

Antonyms:

adequate, effective, powerful, solid, useful, advantageous, efficient, profitable, sound, valid, beneficial, expedient, real, substantial, valuable, competent, potent, serviceable, sufficient, worthy.

Compare synonyms for UTILITY.

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VENAL.

Synonyms:

hireling, mercenary, purchasable, salable.

_Venal_ (L. _venalis_, from _venum_, sale) signifies ready to sell one's influence, vote, or efforts for money or other consideration; _mercenary_ (L. _mercenarius_, from _merces_, pay, reward) signifies influenced chiefly or only by desire for gain or reward; thus, etymologically, the _mercenary_ can be hired, while the _venal_ are openly or actually for sale; _hireling_ (AS. _hyrling_, from _hyr_) signifies serving for hire or pay, or having the spirit or character of one who works or of that which is done directly for hire or pay. _Mercenary_ has especial application to character or disposition; as, a _mercenary_ spirit; _mercenary_ motives--_i. e._, a spirit or motives to which money is the chief consideration or the moving principle. The _hireling_, the _mercenary_, and the _venal_ are alike in making principle, conscience, and honor of less account than gold or sordid considerations; but the _mercenary_ and _venal_ may be simply open to the bargain and sale which the _hireling_ has already consummated; a clergyman may be _mercenary_ in making place and pay of undue importance while not _venal_ enough to forsake his own communion for another for any reward that could be offered him. The _mercenary_ may retain much show of independence; _hireling_ service sacrifices self-respect as well as principle; a public officer who makes his office tributary to private speculation in which he is interested is _mercenary_; if he receives a stipulated recompense for administering his office at the behest of some leader, faction, corporation, or the like, he is both _hireling_ and _venal_; if he gives essential advantages for pay, without subjecting himself to any direct domination, his course is _venal_, but not _hireling_. Compare PAY; VENIAL.

Antonyms:

disinterested, honest, incorruptible, public-spirited, generous, honorable, patriotic, unpurchasable.

* * * * *

VENERATE.

Synonyms:

adore, honor, respect, revere, reverence.

In the highest sense, to _revere_ or _reverence_ is to hold in mingled love and honor with something of sacred fear, as for that which while lovely is sublimely exalted and brings upon us by contrast a sense of our unworthiness or inferiority; to _revere_ is a wholly spiritual act; to _reverence_ is often, tho not necessarily, to give outward expression to the reverential feeling; we _revere_ or _reverence_ the divine majesty. _Revere_ is a stronger word than _reverence_ or _venerate_. To _venerate_ is to hold in exalted honor without fear, and is applied to objects less removed from ourselves than those we _revere_, being said especially of aged persons, of places or objects having sacred associations, and of abstractions; we _venerate_ an aged pastor, the dust of heroes or martyrs, lofty virtue or self-sacrifice, or some great cause, as that of civil or religious liberty; we do not _venerate_ God, but _revere_ or _reverence_ him. We _adore_ with a humble yet free outflowing of soul. Compare VENERATION.

Antonyms:

contemn, detest, dishonor, scoff at, slight, despise, disdain, disregard, scorn, spurn.

* * * * *

VENERATION.

Synonyms:

adoration, awe, dread, reverence.

_Awe_ is inspired by that in which there is sublimity or majesty so overwhelming as to awaken a feeling akin to fear; in _awe_, considered by itself, there is no element of esteem or affection, tho the sense of vastness, power, or grandeur in the object is always present. _Dread_ is a shrinking apprehension or expectation of possible harm awakened by any one of many objects or causes, from that which is overwhelmingly vast and mighty to that which is productive of momentary physical pain; in its higher uses _dread_ approaches the meaning of _awe_, but with more of chilliness and cowering, and without that subjection of soul to the grandeur and worthiness of the object that is involved in _awe_. _Awe_ is preoccupied with the object that inspires it; _dread_ with apprehension of personal consequences. _Reverence_ and _veneration_ are less overwhelming than _awe_ or _dread_, and suggest something of esteem, affection, and personal nearness. We may feel _awe_ of that which we can not _reverence_, as a grandly terrible ocean storm; _awe_ of the divine presence is more distant and less trustful than _reverence_. _Veneration_ is commonly applied to things which are not subjects of _awe_. _Adoration_, in its full sense, is loftier than _veneration_, less restrained and awed than _reverence_, and with more of the spirit of direct, active, and joyful worship. Compare ESTEEM; VENERATE.

Antonyms:

contempt, disdain, dishonor, disregard, scorn.

* * * * *

VENIAL.

Synonyms:

excusable, pardonable, slight, trivial.

_Venial_ (L. _venia_, pardon) signifies capable of being pardoned, and, in common use, capable of being readily pardoned, easily overlooked. Aside from its technical ecclesiastical use, _venial_ is always understood as marking some fault comparatively _slight_ or _trivial_. A _venial_ offense is one readily overlooked; a _pardonable_ offense requires more serious consideration, but on deliberation is found to be susceptible of pardon. _Excusable_ is scarcely applied to offenses, but to matters open to doubt or criticism rather than direct censure; so used, it often falls little short of justifiable; as, I think, under those circumstances, his action was _excusable_. Protestants do not recognize the distinction between _venial_ and mortal sins. _Venial_ must not be confounded with the very different word VENAL. Compare VENAL.

Antonyms:

inexcusable, inexpiable, mortal, unpardonable, unjustifiable.

* * * * *

VERACITY.

Synonyms:

candor, honesty, reality, truthfulness, frankness, ingenuousness, truth, verity.

_Truth_ is primarily and _verity_ is always a quality of thought or speech, especially of speech, as in exact conformity to fact. _Veracity_ is properly a quality of a person, the habit of speaking and the disposition to speak the _truth_; a habitual liar may on some occasions speak the _truth_, but that does not constitute him a man of _veracity_; on the other hand, a person of undoubted _veracity_ may state (through ignorance or misinformation) what is not the _truth_. _Truthfulness_ is a quality that may inhere either in a person or in his statements or beliefs. _Candor_, _frankness_, _honesty_, and _ingenuousness_ are allied with _veracity_, and _verity_ with _truth_, while _truthfulness_ may accord with either. _Truth_ in a secondary sense may be applied to intellectual action or moral character, in the former case becoming a close synonym of _veracity_; as, I know him to be a man of _truth_.

Antonyms:

deceit, duplicity, falsehood, fiction, lie, deception, error, falseness, guile, mendacity, delusion, fabrication, falsity, imposture, untruth.

Compare synonyms for DECEPTION.

* * * * *

VERBAL.

Synonyms:

literal, oral, vocal.

_Oral_ (L. _os_, the mouth) signifies uttered through the mouth or (in common phrase) by word of mouth; _verbal_ (L. _verbum_, a word) signifies of, pertaining to, or connected with words, especially with words as distinguished from the ideas they convey; _vocal_ (L. _vox_, the voice) signifies of or pertaining to the voice, uttered or modulated by the voice, and especially uttered with or sounding with full, resonant voice; _literal_ (L. _litera_, a letter) signifies consisting of or expressed by letters, or according to the letter, in the broader sense of the exact meaning or requirement of the words used; what is called "the letter of the law" is its _literal_ meaning without going behind what is expressed by the letters on the page. Thus _oral_ applies to that which is given by spoken words in distinction from that which is written or printed; as, _oral_ tradition; an _oral_ examination. By this rule we should in strictness speak of an _oral_ contract or an _oral_ message, but _verbal_ contract and _verbal_ message, as indicating that which is by spoken rather than by written words, have become so fixed in the language that they can probably never be changed; this usage is also in line with other idioms of the language; as, "I give you my _word_," "a true man's _word_ is as good as his bond," "by _word_ of mouth," etc. A _verbal_ translation may be _oral_ or written, so that it is word for word; a _literal_ translation follows the construction and idiom of the original as well as the words; a _literal_ translation is more than one that is merely _verbal_; both _verbal_ and _literal_ are opposed to _free_. In the same sense, of attending to words only, we speak of _verbal_ criticism, a _verbal_ change. _Vocal_ has primary reference to the human voice; as, _vocal_ sounds, _vocal_ music; _vocal_ may be applied within certain limits to inarticulate sounds given forth by other animals than man; as, the woods were _vocal_ with the songs of birds; _oral_ is never so applied, but is limited to articulate utterance regarded as having a definite meaning; as, an _oral_ statement.

* * * * *

VICTORY.

Synonyms:

achievement, conquest, success, triumph. advantage, mastery, supremacy,

_Victory_ is the state resulting from the overcoming of an opponent or opponents in any contest, or from the overcoming of difficulties, obstacles, evils, etc., considered as opponents or enemies. In the latter sense any hard-won _achievement_, _advantage_, or _success_ may be termed a _victory_. In _conquest_ and _mastery_ there is implied a permanence of state that is not implied in _victory_. _Triumph_, originally denoting the public rejoicing in honor of a _victory_, has come to signify also a peculiarly exultant, complete, and glorious _victory_. Compare CONQUER.

Antonyms:

defeat, disappointment, failure, miscarriage, retreat, destruction, disaster, frustration, overthrow, rout.

* * * * *

VIGILANT.

Synonyms:

alert, cautious, on the lookout, wary, awake, circumspect, sleepless, watchful, careful, on the alert, wakeful, wide-awake.

_Vigilant_ implies more sustained activity and more intelligent volition than _alert_; one may be habitually _alert_ by reason of native quickness of perception and thought, or one may be momentarily _alert_ under some excitement or expectancy; one who is _vigilant_ is so with thoughtful purpose. One is _vigilant_ against danger or harm; he may be _alert_ or _watchful_ for good as well as against evil; he is _wary_ in view of suspected stratagem, trickery, or treachery. A person may be _wakeful_ because of some merely physical excitement or excitability, as through insomnia; yet he may be utterly careless and negligent in his wakefulness, the reverse of _watchful_; a person who is truly _watchful_ must keep himself _wakeful_ while on watch, in which case _wakeful_ has something of mental quality. _Watchful_, from the Saxon, and _vigilant_, from the Latin, are almost exact equivalents; but _vigilant_ has somewhat more of sharp definiteness and somewhat more suggestion of volition; one may be habitually _watchful_; one is _vigilant_ of set purpose and for direct cause, as in the presence of an enemy. Compare ALERT.

Antonyms:

careless, heedless, inconsiderate, oblivious, drowsy, inattentive, neglectful, thoughtless, dull, incautious, negligent, unwary.

* * * * *

VIRTUE.

Synonyms:

chastity, honesty, probity, truth, duty, honor, purity, uprightness, excellence, integrity, rectitude, virtuousness, faithfulness, justice, righteousness, worth, goodness, morality, rightness, worthiness.

_Virtue_ (L. _virtus_, primarily manly strength or courage, from _vir_, a man, a hero) is, in its full sense, _goodness_ that is victorious through trial, perhaps through temptation and conflict. _Goodness_, the being morally good, may be much less than _virtue_, as lacking the strength that comes from trial and conflict, or it may be very much more than _virtue_, as rising sublimely above the possibility of temptation and conflict--the infantile as contrasted with the divine _goodness_. _Virtue_ is distinctively human; we do not predicate it of God. _Morality_ is conformity to the moral law in action, whether in matters concerning ourselves or others, whether with or without right principle. _Honesty_ and _probity_ are used especially of one's relations to his fellow men, _probity_ being to _honesty_ much what _virtue_ in some respects is to _goodness_; _probity_ is _honesty_ tried and proved, especially in those things that are beyond the reach of legal requirement; above the commercial sense, _honesty_ may be applied to the highest truthfulness of the soul to and with itself and its Maker. _Integrity_, in the full sense, is moral wholeness without a flaw; when used, as it often is, of contracts and dealings, it has reference to inherent character and principle, and denotes much more than superficial or conventional _honesty_. _Honor_ is a lofty _honesty_ that scorns fraud or wrong as base and unworthy of itself. _Honor_ rises far above thought of the motto that "_honesty_ is the best policy." _Purity_ is freedom from all admixture, especially of that which debases; it is _chastity_ both of heart and life, but of the life because from the heart. _Duty_, the rendering of what is due to any person or in any relation, is, in this connection, the fulfilment of moral obligation. _Rectitude_ and _righteousness_ denote conformity to the standard of right, whether in heart or act; _righteousness_ is used especially in the religious sense. _Uprightness_ refers especially to conduct. _Virtuousness_ is a quality of the soul or of action; in the latter sense it is the essence of virtuous action. Compare INNOCENT; JUSTICE; RELIGION.

Antonyms:

evil, vice, viciousness, wickedness, wrong.

Compare synonyms for SIN.

* * * * *

WANDER.

Synonyms:

deviate, diverge, go astray, range, rove, swerve, digress, err, ramble, roam, stray, veer.

To _wander_ (AS. _windan_, wind) is to move in an indefinite or indeterminate way which may or may not be a departure from a prescribed way; to _deviate_ (L. _de_, from, and _via_, a way) is to turn from a prescribed or right way, physically, mentally, or morally, usually in an unfavorable sense; to _diverge_ (L. _di_, apart, and _vergo_, incline, tend) is to turn from a course previously followed or that something else follows, and has no unfavorable implication; to _digress_ (L. _di_, apart, aside, and _gradior_, step) is used only with reference to speaking or writing; to _err_ is used of intellectual or moral action, and of the moral with primary reference to the intellectual, an error being viewed as in some degree due to ignorance. _Range_, _roam_, and _rove_ imply the traversing of considerable, often of vast, distances of land or sea; _range_ commonly implies a purpose; as, cattle _range_ for food; a hunting-dog _ranges_ a field for game. _Roam_ and _rove_ are often purposeless, and always without definite aim. To _swerve_ or _veer_ is to turn suddenly from a prescribed or previous course, and often but momentarily; _veer_ is more capricious and repetitious; the horse _swerves_ at the flash of a sword; the wind _veers_; the ship _veers_ with the wind. To _stray_ is to go in a somewhat purposeless way aside from the regular path or usual limits or abode, usually with unfavorable implication; cattle _stray_ from their pastures; an author _strays_ from his subject; one _strays_ from the path of virtue. _Stray_ is in most uses a lighter word than _wander_. _Ramble_, in its literal use, is always a word of pleasant suggestion, but in its figurative use always somewhat contemptuous; as, _rambling_ talk.

* * * * *

WAY.

Synonyms:

alley, course, lane, path, route, avenue, driveway, pass, pathway, street, bridle-path, highroad, passage, road, thoroughfare, channel, highway, passageway, roadway, track.

Wherever there is room for one object to pass another there is a _way_. A _road_ (originally a ride_way_) is a prepared _way_ for traveling with horses or vehicles, always the latter unless the contrary is expressly stated; a _way_ suitable to be traversed only by foot-passengers or by animals is called a _path_, _bridle-path_, or _track_; as, the _roads_ in that country are mere _bridle-paths_. A _road_ may be private; a _highway_ or _highroad_ is public, _highway_ being a specific name for a _road_ legally set apart for the use of the public forever; a _highway_ may be over water as well as over land. A _route_ is a line of travel, and may be over many _roads_. A _street_ is in some center of habitation, as a city, town, or village; when it passes between rows of dwellings the country _road_ becomes the village _street_. An _avenue_ is a long, broad, and imposing or principal street. _Track_ is a word of wide signification; we speak of a goat-_track_ on a mountain-side, a railroad-_track_, a race-_track_, the _track_ of a comet; on a traveled _road_ the line worn by regular passing of hoofs and wheels in either direction is called the _track_. A _passage_ is between any two objects or lines of enclosure, a _pass_ commonly between mountains. A _driveway_ is within enclosed grounds, as of a private residence. A _channel_ is a water_way_. A _thoroughfare_ is a _way_ through; a _road_ or _street_ temporarily or permanently closed at any point ceases for such time to be a _thoroughfare_. Compare AIR; DIRECTION.

* * * * *

WISDOM.

Synonyms:

attainment, insight, prudence, depth, judgment, reason, discernment, judiciousness, reasonableness, discretion, knowledge, sagacity, enlightenment, learning, sense, erudition, prescience, skill, foresight, profundity, understanding. information,

_Enlightenment_, _erudition_, _information_, _knowledge_, _learning_, and _skill_ are acquired, as by study or practise. _Insight_, _judgment_, _profundity_ or _depth_, _reason_, _sagacity_, _sense_, and _understanding_ are native qualities of mind, tho capable of increase by cultivation. The other qualities are on the border-line. _Wisdom_ has been defined as "the right use of _knowledge_," or "the use of the most important means for attaining the best ends," _wisdom_ thus presupposing _knowledge_ for its very existence and exercise. _Wisdom_ is mental power acting upon the materials that fullest _knowledge_ gives in the most effective way. There may be what is termed "practical _wisdom_" that looks only to material results; but in its full sense, _wisdom_ implies the highest and noblest exercise of all the faculties of the moral nature as well as of the intellect. _Prudence_ is a lower and more negative form of the same virtue, respecting outward and practical matters, and largely with a view of avoiding loss and injury; _wisdom_ transcends _prudence_, so that while the part of _prudence_ is ordinarily also that of _wisdom_, cases arise, as in the exigencies of business or of war, when the highest _wisdom_ is in the disregard of the maxims of _prudence_. _Judgment_, the power of forming decisions, especially correct decisions, is broader and more positive than _prudence_, leading one to do, as readily as to refrain from doing; but _judgment_ is more limited in range and less exalted in character than _wisdom_; to say of one that he displayed good _judgment_ is much less than to say that he manifested _wisdom_. _Skill_ is far inferior to _wisdom_, consisting largely in the practical application of acquired _knowledge_, power, and habitual processes, or in the ingenious contrivance that makes such application possible. In the making of something perfectly useless there may be great _skill_, but no _wisdom_. Compare ACUMEN; ASTUTE; KNOWLEDGE; MIND; PRUDENCE; SAGACIOUS; SKILFUL.

Antonyms:

absurdity, folly, imbecility, miscalculation, senselessness, error, foolishness, imprudence, misjudgment, silliness, fatuity, idiocy, indiscretion, nonsense, stupidity.

Compare synonyms for ABSURD; IDIOCY.

* * * * *

WIT.

Synonyms:

banter, fun, joke, waggery, burlesque, humor, playfulness, waggishness, drollery, jest, pleasantry, witticism. facetiousness, jocularity, raillery,

_Wit_ is the quick perception of unusual or commonly unperceived analogies or relations between things apparently unrelated, and has been said to depend upon a union of surprise and pleasure; it depends certainly on the production of a diverting, entertaining, or merrymaking surprise. The analogies with which _wit_ plays are often superficial or artificial; _humor_ deals with real analogies of an amusing or entertaining kind, or with traits of character that are seen to have a comical side as soon as brought to view. _Wit_ is keen, sudden, brief, and sometimes severe; _humor_ is deep, thoughtful, sustained, and always kindly. _Pleasantry_ is lighter and less vivid than _wit_. _Fun_ denotes the merry results produced by _wit_ and _humor_, or by any fortuitous occasion of mirth, and is pronounced and often hilarious.

Antonyms:

dulness, seriousness, sobriety, solemnity, stolidity, stupidity. gravity,

* * * * *

WORK.

Synonyms:

achievement, doing, labor, product, action, drudgery, occupation, production, business, employment, performance, toil. deed, exertion.

_Work_ is the generic term for any continuous application of energy toward an end; _work_ may be hard or easy. _Labor_ is hard and wearying _work_; _toil_ is straining and exhausting _work_. _Work_ is also used for any result of working, physical or mental, and has special senses, as in mechanics, which _labor_ and _toil_ do not share. _Drudgery_ is plodding, irksome, and often menial _work_. Compare ACT; BUSINESS.

Antonyms:

ease, leisure, recreation, relaxation, repose, rest, vacation. idleness,

* * * * *

YET.

Synonyms:

besides, further, hitherto, now, still, thus far.

_Yet_ and _still_ have many closely related senses, and, with verbs of past time, are often interchangeable; we may say "while he was _yet_ a child," or "while he was _still_ a child." _Yet_, like _still_, often applies to past action or state extending to and including the present time, especially when joined with _as_; we can say "he is feeble _as yet_," or "he is _still_ feeble," with scarcely appreciable difference of meaning, except that the former statement implies somewhat more of expectation than the latter. _Yet_ with a negative applies to completed action, often replacing a positive statement with _still_; "he is not gone _yet_" is nearly the same as "he is here _still_." _Yet_ has a reference to the future which _still_ does not share; "we may be successful _yet_" implies that success may begin at some future time; "we may be successful _still_" implies that we may continue to enjoy in the future such success as we are winning now.

* * * * *

YOUTHFUL.

Synonyms:

adolescent, callow, childlike, immature, puerile, boyish, childish, girlish, juvenile, young.

_Boyish_, _childish_, and _girlish_ are used in a good sense of those to whom they properly belong, but in a bad sense of those from whom more maturity is to be expected; _childish_ eagerness or glee is pleasing in a child, but unbecoming in a man; _puerile_ in modern use is distinctly contemptuous. _Juvenile_ and _youthful_ are commonly used in a favorable and kindly sense in their application to those still _young_; _youthful_ in the sense of having the characteristics of youth, hence fresh, vigorous, light-hearted, buoyant, may have a favorable import as applied to any age, as when we say the old man still retains his _youthful_ ardor, vigor, or hopefulness; _juvenile_ in such use would belittle the statement. _Young_ is distinctively applied to those in the early stage of life or not arrived at maturity. Compare NEW.

Antonyms:

Compare synonyms for OLD.

SUGGESTIONS TO THE TEACHER.

The following exercises have been prepared expressly and solely to accompany the preceding text in which the distinctions of synonyms have been carefully pointed out. It is not expected, intended, or desired that the questions should be answered or the blanks in the examples supplied offhand. In such study nothing can be worse than guesswork. Hence, leading questions have been avoided, and the order of synonyms given in Part I. has frequently been departed from or reversed in Part II.

To secure the study of Part I. before coming into class, pupils should not be allowed to open it during recitation, unless on rare occasions to settle doubtful or disputed points. The very best method will be found to be to have the examples included in the lesson, with any others that may be added, copied on the blackboard before recitation, and no books brought into class.

The _teacher_ should make a thorough study of the subject, not only mastering what is given in Part I., but going beyond the necessarily brief statements there given, and consulting the ultimate authorities--the best dictionaries and the works of the best speakers and writers. For the latter purpose a good cyclopedia of quotations, like the Hoyt, will be found very helpful. The teacher should so study out the subject as to be distinctly in advance of the class and able to speak authoritatively. Such independent study will be found intensely interesting, and can be made delightful and even fascinating to any intelligent class.

In answer to questions calling for definitive statement, the teacher should insist upon the very words of the text, unless the pupil can give in his own words what is manifestly as good. This will often be found not easy to do. Definition by synonym should be absolutely forbidden.

Reasonable questions should be encouraged, but the class should not be allowed to become a debating society. The meaning of English words is not a matter of conjecture, and all disputed points should be promptly referred to the dictionary--usually to be looked up after the recitation, and considered, if need be, at the next recitation. The majority of them will not need to be referred to again, as the difficulties will simply represent an inferior usage which the dictionary will brush aside. One great advantage of synonym study is to exterminate colloquialisms.