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Definition
Abate: to reduce in amount, degree or severity
"As the hurricane's force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm."
Words with Similar Meanings
ebb |
lapse |
let up |
moderate |
relent |
slacken |
subside |
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wane |
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Abberant: deviating from what is normal or expected
"Since he had been a steady, cheerful worker for many years, his fellow postal workers did not expect his aberrant burst of rage."
Related Words
Aberration: A deviation from what is normal
Words with Similar Meanings
abnormal |
anomalous |
deviant |
divergent |
errant |
irregular |
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Abscond: to leave secretly
"The patron absconded from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door."
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Abstain: to choose not to do something
"During Lent, practicing Catholics abstain from eating meat."
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Abyss: an extremely deep hole
"The submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths"
Related Words
Abyssal: Pertaining to great depth
Abysmal: Extremely bad
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Adulterate: to make impure
"The restaurateur made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water."
Related Words
Unadulterated: Pure
Adultery: An illicit relationship; affair
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Advocate: to speak in favor of
"The vegetarian advocated a diet containing no meat."
Related Words
Advocacy: Active support for
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Aesthetic: concerning the appreciation of beauty
"The Aesthetic Movement regarded the pursuit of beauty to be the only true purpose of art."
Related Words
Asthete: someone unusually sensitive to beauty
Aestheticism: devoted to beauty
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Castigate: to punish or criticize harshly
"Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore castigate perpetrators of what would be only minor crimes in the United States."
Words with Similar Meanings
admonish |
chastise |
chide |
rebuke |
reprimand |
reproach |
reprove |
scold |
tax |
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upbraid |
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Definition
Catalyst: something that brings about a change in something else
"The imposition of harsh taxes was the catalyst that finally brought on the revolution."
Related Words
Catalyze: to bring about a change in something else |
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Caustic: biting in wit
"Dorothy Parker gained her caustic reputation from her cutting, yet witty, insults."
Words with Similar Meanings
acerbic |
biting |
mordant |
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trenchant |
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Definition
Chaos: great disorder or confused situation
"In most religious tradtions, God created an ordered universe from a chaotic void."
Related Words
Abyssal: Pertaining to great depth
Words with Similar Meanings
clutter |
confusion |
disarrangement |
disarray |
disorder |
diorderliness |
disorganization |
jumble |
mess |
muddle |
scramble |
snarl |
topsy-turviness |
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turmoil |
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Definition
Chauvinist: someone prejudiced in favor of a group that he or she belongs to
"The attitude that men must be obeyed since they are inherently superior to women is common among male chauvinists."
Words with Similar Meanings
biased |
colored |
one-sided |
partial |
partisan |
predjudicial |
prepossessed |
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tendentious |
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Definition
Aggrandize: to increase in power. influence and reputation.
"The supervisor sought to aggrandize himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own."
amplify |
apotheosize |
augment |
dignify |
elevate |
enlarge |
ennoble |
exalt |
glorify |
magnify |
swell |
uplift |
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wax |
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Definition
Alacrity: speed or quickness.
The restaurant won a reputation for fine service since the wait staff responded to their clients' requests with alacrity."
Words with Similar Meanings
celerity |
dispatch |
haste |
swiftness |
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Ambiguous: doubtful or uncertain, can be interpreted several ways.
"The directions he gave were so ambiguous that we disagreed on which way to turn. "
Related Words
Ambiguity: Quality of being ambiuious
Words with Similar Meanings
cloudy |
doubtful |
dubious |
equivocal |
nebulous |
indeterminate |
obscure |
unclear |
vague |
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Alleviate: to make more bearable.
"Taking aspirin helps to alleviate a headache."
Words with Similar Meanings
allay |
assuage |
comfort |
ease |
lessen |
lighten |
migitage |
palliate |
relieve |
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Amalgamate: to combine, to mix together
"Giant Industries amalgamated with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated."
Related Words
Amalgam : a mixture, especially of two metals.
Words with Similar Meanings
admix |
blend |
coalesce |
combine |
commingle |
commix |
compound |
fuse |
intermingle |
intermix |
merge |
mingle |
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mix |
unite |
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Definition
Ameliorate: to make better; to improve.
"The doctor was able to ameliorate the patient's suffering using pain-killers."
Words with Similar Meanings
amend |
better |
improve |
pacify |
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upgrade |
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Definition
Anachronism: something out of place in time.
'The aged hippie used anachronistic phrases like 'groovy' and 'far out' that had not been popular for years."
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Definition
Analogous: similar or alike In some way; equivalent to
"His mother argued that not going to college was analogous to throwing his life away."
Related Words
Analogy: a similarity between things that are otherwise dissimilar.
Analogue: something that is similar in some way to something else
Words with Similar Meanings
alike |
comparable |
corresponding |
equivalent |
homogeneous |
parallel |
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similar |
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Definition
Anomaly: deviation from what is normal
"Albino animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normally colored mates.•
Related Words
Anomalous: Deviating from what is normal
Words with Similar Meanings
aberrant |
aberration |
abnormality |
deviance |
deviation |
irregularity |
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preternaturalness |
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Definition
Antagonize: to annoy or prevoke; to anger
"The child discovered that he could antagonize the cat by pulling its tail."
Related Words
Antagonistic: Tending to provoke conflict
Antagonist: Someone who fights another
Words with Similar Meanings
clash |
conflict |
incite |
irritate |
oppose |
pester |
provoke |
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vex |
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Definition
Antipathy: extreme dislike
"The antipathy between the French and the English regularly erupted into open warfare.•
Words with Similar Meanings
abhorrence |
animosity |
animus |
antagonism |
aversion |
dislike |
enmity |
hatred |
hostility |
loathing |
repellence |
repugnance |
repulsion |
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revulsion |
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Definition
Apathy: Lack of interest or emotion.
The apathy of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so.•
Words with Similar Meanings
coolness |
disinterest |
disregard |
impassivity |
indifference |
insensibility |
lassitude |
lethargy |
listlessness |
phlegm |
stolidity |
unconcern |
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unresponsiveness |
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Definition
Apocryphal: of questionable authority or authenticity.
"There is no hard or authoritative evidence to support the apocryphal tales that link the Roswell, New Mexico. incident to a downed U.F.O."
Words with Similar Meanings
disputed |
doubtful |
fictitious |
fraudulent |
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Definition
Approbation: approval and praise.
"The approbation that Jerry Lewis received in France included a medal from the Ministry of Culture.•
Related Words
Approbate: to authorize.
Words with Similar Meanings
acclaim |
adulation |
applause |
commendation |
compliments |
exalt |
extol |
hail |
kudos |
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praise |
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Definition
Arbitrary: determined by chance or impulse.
"When you lack the information to judge what to do next, you will be forced to make an arbitrary decision."
Words with Similar Meanings
changeable |
erratic |
indiscriminate |
random |
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wayward |
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Definition
Arbitrate: to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
"Since the couple could not come to agreement,
a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings."
Related Words
Arbitration: a process by which a conflict is resolved
Arbitrator: a judge
Words with Similar Meanings
adjudge |
adjudicate |
decide |
determine |
judge |
moderate |
referee |
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rule |
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Definition
Archaic: ancient, old-fashioned
"Her archaic Commodore computer could not run the latest software."
Related Words
Archaism: an outdated word or phrase.
Words with Similar Meanings
ancient |
antediluvian |
antique |
archaic |
bygone |
dated |
dowdy | fusty |
obsolete |
old-fashioned |
outdated |
outmoded |
passe |
prehistoric |
stale |
superannuated |
superseded |
vintage |
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Definition
Ardor: intense and passionate feeling
"Bishop's ardor for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley"
Related Words
Ardent Expressing ardor; passionate
Words with Similar Meanings
devotion |
enthusiasm |
fervidness |
fervency |
fervidity |
passion |
fervor |
fire |
zealousness |
zeal |
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Definition
Articulate: able to speak clearly and expressively.
"She articulates her pro-labor views so clearty
that unions are among her strongest supporters. "
Words with Similar Meanings
eloquent |
expressive |
fluent |
lucid |
silver-tongued |
smooth-spoken |
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