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10 matching synonym questions
Etymology: [à (French), "to" + droit, "right"]
skillful with one's hands or mind
Babe Ruth achieved fame through his adroit handling of the baseball bat.
Synonyms: dexterous, deft, apt, adept
Antonyms: gauche, clumsy, maladroit, ungainly, awkward
NOTE: Adroit is derived from the French word droit, which means "right." Centuries ago it was believed that a left-handed person was awkward. The English word gauche, meaning "awkward," comes from the French word gauche, meaning "left."
Etymology: [hérésie (Old French); from hairesis (Greek), "a choosing," "choice," "sect," "heresy"]
a doctrine or opinion held in opposition to accepted views in religion or other fields; usually used to describe the views of a member of a religious group who differs from the group only in those views
In the Middle Ages anyone who held an opinion differing from the prevalent ones of the Church was charged with heresy.
Synonyms: heterodoxy, unorthodoxy
Antonyms: orthodoxy
Etymology: [after Moxie, a trademark of a soft drink from 1884]
the ability to face difficult challenges with courage
Martin Luther King demonstrated a lot of moxie to take on the Federal Government.
Synonyms: determination, pluck, spunk, energy
Antonyms: apathy, laziness, sloth
Etymology: [ego (Latin), "I"]
conceited
I have never met a more egotistic person than Henry; it seems that "I" is his favorite word.
Synonyms: vain, conceited, self-centered, egocentric
Antonyms: modest, altruistic, unselfish
NOTE: An egoist is one who believes in the ethical theory that self-interest is a desirable objective in behavior. One major difference between an egotist and an egoist is that the egotist talks constantly about himself, while the egoist thinks that the self is most important in respect to ethics.
Etymology: [nefas (Latin), "crime, wrong"; from ne, "not" + fas, "divine law"]
grossly wicked
The newspaper exposed the nefarious designs of the corrupt politicians who were seeking to control the city government.
Synonyms: heinous, flagitious, infamous, detestable
Antonyms: good, virtuous, exemplary, innocent, godly, honest
Etymology: [orthos (Greek), "right" + graphein (Greek), "to write"]
the method of spelling according to accepted standards
Some critics of our schools think that formal work in orthography would improve pupils' spelling.
Synonyms:phonetics
Etymology: [Old French, from nazir (Arabian)]
1. literal: Opposite to zenith (the point directly overhead in the heavens); or directly opposite the point on which one stands
2. figurative: The lowest point or stage of depression or decline
Feeling he'd reached the nadir of his fortune, Cato threw himself upon his sword.
Synonyms: all-time low, rock bottom, pits, base
Antonyms: zenith, summit, peak, acme
Etymology: [connivere (Latin), "to close the eyes," "to wink at or let pass unnoticed"]
1. to give passive consent to; to shut one's eyes to a fault or wrong of another — To connive is to permit wrongdoing to go on while feigning ignorance of it; one who connives does not actively take part in the wrong act or deed, but he gives guilty assent to it
The city officials connived at the violation of the law which they were supposed to enforce.
2. to co-operate with or encourage secretly (followed by with)
In the daring daytime robbery of the loan office the watchman connived with the two masked men.
Synonyms: conspire, plot
NOTE: One connives with a person; one connives at an action: "Senator Skeat connived with his brother at the violation of the state law."
Etymology: [epitheton (Latin); from epithitenai (Greek,) "to add"; from epi, "upon" + tithenai, "to place"]
an expression (usually an adjective and a noun) that denotes so characteristic or significant a quality of the person or thing described that one part of the expression always suggests the other; as, "Alexander the Great"
Among some well-known Homeric epithets are "winged words," "the trackless sea," "the swift Achilles," "the blue-eyed Pallas," and "Zeus, the cloud-gatherer."
Synonyms: characterization, caption, heading, appellation
NOTE: In current usage, epithet is also used to refer to phrase that is either defamatory or abusive, such as a racial epithet.
Etymology: [ostrakisein (Greek), "to banish"; from ostrakon, "a tablet used in voting"]
to exclude from public or private favor and privileges
After failing an important exam, Suzanne was ostracized by the other members of the Honor Society.
Synonyms: banish, bar, exile, expatriate
NOTE: Among the ancient Greeks in Athens and other cities, it was the practice to banish from the country for a period of five to ten years, without trial, any person who was considered politically dangerous to the state. The citizens decided where to send the banished person by gathering in the marketplace and voting on ostrakons - pieces of broken crockery or earthenware that lay scattered about the area. From this voting method comes the English word ostracize, meaning to exclude from favor or from ordinary social intercourse by general consent. Our word oyster is derived from the same source, os, meaning bone or shell.