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10 matching synonym questions
Etymology: [execratio (Latin), from execrare, execratus, "call accursed"; from ex, "completely" + sacer, "accursed"]
a curse, expressing intense hatred
When the sentence was pronounced, the criminal, in a hysterical voice, hurled execrations at the judge and jury.
Synonyms: curse, malediction, imprecation, anathema
Antonyms: benediction, benison, blessing
Etymology: [pastor (Latin), "a shepherd"; from pascere, "to feed"]
1. pertaining to rural life
Among other things, Robert Burns is famous for his pastoral poetry.
2. relating to a minister and his duties
The Reverend Thomas Peters devotes a good deal of his time to pastoral duties.
Synonyms: bucolic, rustic, idyllic, arcadian
Antonyms: metropolitan, urban
Etymology: [culinarius (Latin); from culina, "kitchen"]
pertaining to the kitchen or to cookery
Martha Stewart's book Quick Cook shows readers how to create culinary masterpieces in less than an hour using simple ingredients.
Synonyms: cooking, gastronomic, cookery, food
Etymology: [boer (Dutch), "farmer"]
ill-bred; awkward in manner
Tom acted like a boor at the party; he was rude, clumsy, and obnoxious.
Synonyms: uncultured, low-bred, ill-mannered, awkward
Antonyms: polished, cultured, well-bred, suave, civil, cosmopolitan, urbane
NOTE: Our word boor is derived from the Dutch boer, meaning "farmer." You may recall from your study of history that the Boers were South Africans of Dutch and Huguenot descent who engaged in an unsuccessful war with England at the turn of the twentieth century; they are the Afrikaners of today.
Etymology: [glossarium (Latin), "a vocabulary of foreign words that need explanation"; from glossa (Greek), "tongue"]
a list of special or difficult terms and words and their definitions
The glossary in the student edition of Shakespeare's plays defines words that are no longer in current use.
Synonyms: wordbook, word list
NOTE: A glossary is usually found in the appendix of a technical book or one in which words in the text are used in a special sense or are obscure and therefore require explanation. A school text in a foreign language customarily has at the end of the book a glossary, or list of difficult or uncommon vocabulary words, to help the reader understand the text.
Etymology: [insipide (French); from insipidus (Late Latin); from in (Latin), "not" + sapidus, "tasteful"]
without taste; hence, uninteresting or dull; lifeless
There is nothing insipid about G. B. Shaw's style; throughout his works the famous writer exhibits a keen, often a biting, wit.
Synonyms: jejune, vapid, vacuous, monotonous
Antonyms: lively, animated, pungent, savory
Etymology: [trenchant (Old French), "cutting"]
having a sharp edge (physically); hence, cutting, biting, keen (figuratively)
With his trenchant blade Alexander the Great severed the Gordian knot.
Synonyms: keen, biting (each with figurative as well as literal meaning), incisive
Antonyms: dull, obtuse
Etymology: [omnis (Latin), "all" + potens, potentis, "powerful"]
of unlimited power
"It is impossible to imagine the universe run by a wise, just and omnipotent God, but it is quite easy to imagine it run by a board of gods." — H. L. Mencken
Synonyms: almighty, all-powerful, autocratic (absolute in power or authority; noun: autocrat)
Antonyms: powerless, weak
Etymology: [urbs (Latin), "city or town"]
of a city or town
An urban existence has its attractions for those who love the life and movement of a great city.
Synonyms: city-like, metropolitan
Antonyms: rural, bucolic, pastoral
NOTE: Do not confuse urban with urbane meaning "suave, extremely sophisticated, smooth, sleek.
Etymology: [odium (Latin), "hatred," perhaps originally derived from odor, "smell"]
the state or quality of being hated; the disgrace attached to something hated or reproachful
"To be able to endure odium is the first art to be learned by those who aspire to power." — Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Synonyms: abhorrence, opprobrium, disgust, repugnance
Antonyms: approbation, honor, approval