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10 matching synonym questions
Etymology: [luridus (Latin), "pale yellow"]
1. ghastly; dimly glowing, as light seen through fog or smoke
The lurid light cast by the sun during the eclipse made us tingle with awe and suppressed excitement.
2. sensational or shocking; as, for example, a lurid crime
The newspaper carried a lurid report of the trial, with apparently no sensational or shocking detail omitted.
Synonyms: ghastly, shocking
Etymology: [reciprocare (Latin), "to move back and forth"]
to interchange; to give in return
In relations between nations, a state of reciprocity exists when one nation exchanges special trade privileges with the other.
Synonyms: exchange, repay
NOTE: In relations between nations, a state of reciprocity exists when one nation exchanges special trade privileges with the other.
Etymology: [cearig (Anglo-Saxon), "full of care"]
careful; economical
Carl's mother is chary in praising her son because she does not wish to spoil him.
Synonyms: cautious, circumspect; frugal, thrifty
Antonyms: rash, reckless; prodigal, lavish, spendthrift, wasteful
NOTE: Wary, meaning "cautious," is frequently used instead of chary. A person is wary if he is on the alert against deception or danger, as a wary response. Chary indicates general carefulness, particularly with respect to expenditures, as chary of praise, chary in budgeting.
Etymology: [puntilloso (Spanish), from puntillo, "a small point"; from punctum (Latin), "a point"]
scrupulously exact or attentive to the nice points of manners, dress, and so on
Private college-preparatory schools are as punctilious about character development as they are about scholarship.
Synonyms: scrupulous, precise, meticulous, correct
Antonyms: careless, negligent
Etymology: [factiosus (Latin), "belonging to a faction"; from facere, "to make"]
inclined to cause factions or discontent; urged on by party spirit or a clique
Factious is one of the words that we always apply to someone else, never to ourselves. Have you ever known of a politician who was a selfish, unscrupulous creator of dissensions, a professional malcontent, and a notorious partisan to admit that he was factious?
Synonyms: quarrelsome, disputatious, dissentious, seditious
Antonyms: amicable, conciliatory, conformable, cooperative, peaceable, peaceful
Etymology: [akme (Greek), "point"]
the highest point
By hard work, the engineer reached the acme of his profession.
Synonyms: apex, summit, peak, zenith
Antonyms: nadir, base
Etymology: [culpare (Latin), "to blame"; from culpa, "fault"]
deserving blame
The parents, having been away from home many evenings a week, are culpable for neglecting their children's welfare.
Synonyms: censurable, blameworthy, blameful, blamable
Antonyms: commendable, laudable, praiseworthy, blameless, meritorious
NOTE: At one time, when a prisoner was brought before the bar of justice, the judge asked the defendant how he pleaded. If the latter replied, "Not guilty," the prosecutor would step forward and signify that he was ready to prove the defendant guilty by saying "Culprit" (from culpa, "guilty," and prit, "ready to prove"). From this original usage of culprit has developed its modern meaning, "an offender."
Etymology: [gremen (Low German), "to blacken"]
deeply ingrained dirt
The miner could easily be recognized among the spectators by the grime on his face.
Synonyms: soot, dirt, smut, filth
Etymology: [arbitrare (Latin), "to express an opinion as a witness"; from arbiter, "a witness," "a judge of any matter"]
arrived at by the exercise of the will of an individual; not necessarily based on reason or justice, as an arbitrary decision, an arbitrary opinion
The judge was accused of being arbitrary in his decisions: often he gave different sentences to individuals guilty of similar offenses.
Synonyms: autocratic, absolute, capricious, whimsical
Antonyms: fair, just, equitable, reasonable, conciliatory, limited, restricted
Etymology: [chic (French), "stylish"]
elegant or smart in dress
Pauline looked chic in her new suit.
Synonyms: stylish, elegant, refined, tasteful
Antonyms: drab