Accuracy In Diction. Part 4

It is useful to attempt exact definition in words, but it is difficult to capture securely those half-tones of meaning which hover about synonyms. A much better exercise is the writing of sentences which illustrate the correct use of each word.

Abandon, cast off, desert, forswear, quit, renounce, withdraw from. Abhor, abominate, detest, dislike, loathe. Abiding, enduring,"lasting, permanent perpetual. Ability, capability, capacity; competency, efficacy, power. Abolish, annul, eradicate, exterminate, obliterate, root out, wipe out.. Abomination, curse, evil, iniquity, nuisance, shame.

Absent, absent-minded, absorbed, abstracted, oblivious, preoccupied. Absolve, acquit, clear.

Absurd, ill-advised, ill-considered, ludicrous, monstrous, paradoxical, preposterous, unreasonable, wild. Abundant, adequate, ample, enough, generous, lavish, plentiful. Accomplice, ally, colleague, helper, partner. Active, agile, alert, brisk bustling, energetic, lively, supple. Actual, authentic, genuine, real. Adept, adroit, deft, dexterous, handy, skilful. Address, adroitness, courtesy, readiness, tact Adequate, competent, equal, fitted, suitable.

Adjacent, adjoining, bordering, near, neighboring.

Admit, allow, concede, grant, suffer, tolerate.

Adverse, disinclined, indisposed, loath, reluctant, slow, unwilling.

Affectation, cant, hypocrisy, pretence, sham.

Affirm, assert, avow, declare, maintain, state.

Air, bearing, carriage, demeanor.

Akin, alike, identical.

Alert, on the alert, sleepless, wary, watchful

Allay, appease, calm, pacify.

Alliance, coalition, compact, federation, union, fusion.

Allude, hint, imply, insinuate, intimate, suggest

Allure, attract, cajole, coax, inveigle, lure.

Amateur, connoisseur, novice, tyro.

Amend, better, mend, reform, repair.

Amplify, develop, expand, extend, unfold, widen.

Anger, exasperation, petulance, rage resentment.

Answer, rejoinder, repartee, reply; response, retort

Anticipate, forestall, preclude, prevent

Apiece, individually, severally, separately,

Apparent, clear, evident, obvious, tangible, unmistakable.

Apprehend, comprehend, conceive, perceive, understand.

Arraign, charge, cite, impeach, indict, prosecute, summon.

Arrogance, haughtiness presumption, pride, self-complacency, superciliousness, vanity.

Artist, artificer, artisan, mechanic, operative, workman.

Assent, agree, comply.

Assurance, effrontery, hardihood, impertinence, impudence, incivility, insolence, officiousness, rudeness.

Atom, grain, scrap, particle, shred, whit.

Atrocious, barbaric, barbarous, brutal, merciless.

Attack, assault, infringement, intrusion, onslaught.

Attain, accomplish, achieve arrive at, compass, reach, secure.

Attempt, endeavor, essay, strive, try, undertake.

Attitude, pose. position, posture.

Attribute, ascribe, assign, charge, impute.

Baffle, balk, bar, check, embarrass, foil, frustrate, hamper, hinder, impede, retard, thwart.

Beg, plead, press, urge.

Bewilderment, confusion, distraction, embarrassment, perplexity.

Bind, fetter, oblige restrain, restrict.

Blaze, flame, flare, flash, flicker, glare, gleam, gleaming, glimmer, glitter, light, luster, shimmer, sparkle.

Brief,, concise, pithy, sententious, terse.

Bring over, convince, induce, influence, persuade, prevail upon, win over.

Calamity, disaster, misadventure, mischance, misfortune, mishap.

Candid, impartial, open,straightforward, transparent, unbiased, unprejudiced, unreserved.

Caprice, humor, vagary, whim.

Candor, frankness, truth, veracity.

Caricature burlesque, parody, travesty.

Catch, capture, clasp, clutch, grip, secure.

Cause, consideration, design, end, ground, motive, object, reason, purpose

Caution, discretion, prudence.

Censure, criticism, rebuke, reproof, reprimand, reproach.

Characteristic, peculiarity, property, singularity, trait

Churlish, crusty, gloomy, gruff, ill-natured, morose, sour, sullen, surly.

Class, circle, clique, coterie.

Cloak, cover gloss over, mitigate, palliate, screen. Commit, confide, consign, intrust relegate. Compassion, forbearance, lenience, mercy. Compassionate, gracious, humane. Complete, consummate, faultless, flawless, perfect. Confirm, corroborate.

Conflicting, discordant, discrepant, incongruous,, mismated. Confused, discordant, miscellaneous,various. Conjecture, guess suppose, surmise.

Consequence, issue, outcome, outgrowth, result, sequel, upshot Continual, continuous incessant, unbroken, uninterrupted. Credible, conceivable, likely. presumable, probable, reasonable. Customary, habitual, normal, prevailing, usual, wonted. Damage, detriment, disadvantage, harm, hurt, injury, prejudice. Dangerous, formidable, terrible. Defame, deprecate, disparage, slander vilify.

Deleterious, detrimental, hurtful, harmful, mischievous, pernicious, ruinous. Delicate, fine, minute, refined, slender. Delightful" grateful, gratifying, refreshing, satisfying. Difficult, laborious, toilsome, trying. Digress, diverge, stray, swerve, wander.

Disavow, disclaim, disown, recall, renounce, repudiate, retract. Dispose, draw, incline, induce, influence, move prompt, stir. Earlier, foregoing, previous, preliminary. Emergency, extremity, necessity.

Empty, fruitless, futile, idle, trifling, unavailing, useless, vain, visionary. Eternal, imperishable, interminable, perennial, perpetual, unfailing Excuse, pretence, pretext, subterfuge. Exemption,' immunity, liberty, license, privilege. Explicit, express.

Faint, faint-hearted, faltering, half-hearted, irresolute, languid, listless, pur-poscless.

Faithful, loyal stanch, trustworthy, trusty. Fanciful,fantastic, grotesque, imaginative, visionary. Folly, imbecility, senselessness, stupidity. Fling, gibe, jeer, mock scoff, sneer, taunt. Fluctuate, hesitate, oscillate, vacillate, waver. Gain, profit increase.

Ignorant, illiterate, uninformed, uninstructed, unlettered, untaught. Impulsive, involuntary spontaneous, unbidden, voluntary, willing. Indispensable, inevitable, necessary, requisite, Unavoidable. Inquisitive, inquiring intrusive. meddlesome, peeping, prying. Intractable, perverse, petualnt, ungovernable, wayward, wilful. Irritation, offence, pique, resentment Jeopardize, endanger, imperil, risk, hazard, stake. Just, accurate, fair, right, equitable, reasonable. Keen, energetic, acute, poignant.

Kindle, set fire to cause, quicken, incite, excite, incense. Labor, exertion, difficulty, work. Lag, linger follow, dawdle. Languid, weak, slow, inactive, torpid. Lash, tie together, punish, scourge, whip censure. Latent, concealed implied, inert, potential, slumbering. Latitude, scope, range, place, breadth, freedom. Lead, precede, tend, direct, induce. Leave, quit displace, relinquish, bequeath, desist Legitimate, true, due, just, legal

Liability, debt, duty, danger, bondage.

Listless, inattentive, inactive, indifferent.

Maintain, continue, preserve, hold, sustain, assert, declare, contend.

Make, produce, constitute, form, arrive at.

Mark, record, object, degree, observe, attend to, note.

Marrow, essence, pith, gist, essential, core, heart, point.

Matter, substance, topic, meaning, importance.

Mean, average, middle, small, contemptible, shabby, base, stingy, humble, vulgar, sneaking, selfish, to intend, to signify. Merge, plunge, insert, change, include, combine. Mild, moderate, insipid, lenient, calm, sunny, courteous, warm Misapply, misuse, misinterpret, mismanage, divert. Misapprehend, mistake, misinterpret. Misstatement, error, falsehood, untruth, perversion. Misunderstanding, error, misrepresentation, discord, quarrel. Moderate, small, to allay, to assuage, temperate, sufficient, cheap. Mutilate, retrench, deform garble, injure. Narrow-minded, bigoted, prejudiced, selfish. Natural, intrinsic, regular, true, artless, fair. Need, requirement, insufficiency, indigence, desire. Nice, savory, good, exact, pleasing, honorable, fastidious. Obnoxious, hateful, unpleasing, pernicious. Observe, note, mark conform, remark, perform. Palter, shift, elude.

Paralyze, weaken, benumb, deaden, disqualify. Parcel out, apportion, allot. Pay, settle.

Pass over, disregard, neglect, forgive, exclude, traverse. Petulant, insolent, snappish, angry, irascible. Pique, umbrage, hate, distress, incite, anger. Politic, wise, skilful, cunning. Precipitate, rash, hasty. Probably, presumably.

Prominent, conspicuous, important, famous, manifest Protest, dissent, denial, deprecate, non-observance, non-payment. Provisional, preparing, temporary, conditional. Puzzle, enigma, mystery, dilemma, predicament, stagger, bewilder. Quicken, hasten, animate, urge, excite, incite, promote. Raise, rise.

Rate, degree, speed, measure, estimation, price, to abuse. Raw, immature, unprepared, unskilful, cold, sensitive.

Reasonable, judicious, rights equitable, probable, sane, fair, cheap, moderate. Reduce, lessen, contract', shorten, lower, weaken, convert, subdue, impoverish. Remove, displace retrench, depart, recede, transfer, extract Reliable, trustworthy, trusty. [Dependable is colloquial.] Remnant, trace, token, vestige. Repulse, defend, resist, disincline, refuse, deter. Requite, repay, retaliate, satisfy.

Restore, reinstate, improve, replace, relieve, revert, refresh, return. Rough, uneven, shapeless, sour, austere, violent, unprepared, ugly, churlish. Satisfy, content, gratify, convince, persuade, fulfil a duty or an obligation, reward, pay, satiate, please, grant.

Scrupulous, careful, doubtful, incredulous, dissuasive, exact, repugnant, punctilious. Sober, moderate, temperate, abstinent, sane, wise, calm, grave. Soften, overcome, moderate, mollify, mitigate. Stiff, rigid, resolute, restrained, severe, affected, haughty, pompous.

Stoke, store, materials, provision, property, money, merchandise. Suggest, suppose, advise, inform, recall.

Tact, touch, skill, wisdom, taste, discrimination. Tenacity, toughness, retentiveness, resolution, obstinacy, prejudice. Trim, form, dress, ornament, adjust, deck, prepare, change sides. Unaccomodating, disagreeing, uncvil, thankless. Uniform, homogeneous, simple, orderly, regular, symmetrical. Vagary, whim, absurdity, imagination, antic.

Violation, infraction, refusal, disobedience.

Warrant, evidence, order, permit, protest, money-order, security, to authorize. Waste, decrease, contract, expend, destroy, vacant space, plain, misuse, use-less, prodigality, refuse, loss.

Yield, submit, obey, bend, consent, furnish, resign, gain, tolerate. Zest, relish, enjoyment. Zone, circle, climate, belt, layer