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10 matching synonym questions
Etymology: [antiquus (Latin), "ancient"]
old-fashioned; ancient; no longer in use
"No idea is so antiquated that it was not once modern. No idea is so modern that it will not someday be antiquated." — Ellen Glasgow
Synonyms: antediluvian (literally, "before the flood," a reference to the days before Noah), obsolete, archaic
Antonyms: modern, novel, fashionable, recent
Etymology: [cadaver (Latin), "a corpse"; from cadere, "to fall"]
deathly pale; gaunt and haggard
The man's face turned cadaverous when he received news of the calamity that had befallen him.
Synonyms: pallid, ghastly, sallow, colorless
Antonyms: florid, vivid
Etymology: [Probably contracted from hocus in the expression hocus-pocus, a meaningless magic formula in mock Latin used by jugglers a few centuries ago.]
a false story circulated through mischief; a fraud played as a joke
The report of a two-day holiday from school turned out to be a hoax; the freshman who had spread the rumor said he had done it "just for fun."
Synonyms: sham, swindle, defraud, dupe
NOTE: Hoax is also a verb.
Etymology: [auspice (French), "omen"; from auspex (Latin), "a bird seer"; from avis, "bird" + specere, "to look at"]
of favorable omen or prospect; indicative of future success
Stock market analysts found it auspicious that Wall Street managed to recover some ground from its tumble on Tuesday.
Synonyms: propitious, promising
Antonyms: inauspicious, unfavorable, unpromising, ill-omened, unlucky, ominous, threatening
NOTE 1: When we say that an occasion is "auspicious," it literally means that we have found the outlook to be favorable as a result of looking at birds. In ancient Rome one of the methods of foretelling the future was to have a soothsayer, called an auspex, observe the flight of birds or their actions at feeding time. This was often done before an important occasion, such as a military campaign or a long voyage. If the result of such an inspection appeared satisfactory, the auspices were said to be favorable for the undertaking.
NOTE 2: Auspice, derived from the same source as auspicious, has two meanings:
1. an omen or a sign, a favorable indication of the future;
2. favor, sponsorship, patronage, protection.
In the second sense it is used in the plural; for example, "The contest was held under the auspices of the Daughters of the American Revolution."
Etymology: [redoutable (Old French); from re (Latin), "again" + dubitare, "to doubt" (later, "to fear")]
arousing dread or fear; capable of deterring from action
The boxer, realizing that he was to meet the most redoubtable fighter in the ring, trained rigorously for several months.
Synonyms: formidable, frightful, menacing, fearful
Antonyms: feeble, weak, powerless, helpless, harmless
Etymology: [in, "not" + contro (contra) (Latin), "against" + vertere, "to turn" + ibilis, "able to be"]
not subject to debate
That matter cannot be totally destroyed is an incontrovertible scientific fact.
Synonyms: incontestable, indisputable, indubitable
Antonyms: moot, debatable, refutable, disputable
Etymology: [cupere (Latin), "desire"]
greedy; possessing excessive desire
Over the years many politicians have cast a covetous eye on the White House.
Synonyms: grasping, avaricious, craving, desirous
NOTE 1: A covetous person desires another's possession; an avaricious person seeks to hoard wealth.
NOTE 2: Observe the distinction indicated in Webster's Student Dictionary: "To envy is to be discontented at another's possessing what one would like for oneself; to covet is to long inordinately to have as one's own what belongs to another."
Etymology: [dis (Latin prefix as in differ), "apart" + ferre, "to carry"]
1. to postpone; to delay
Congress voted to defer final consideration of the bill to a later date.
Etymology: [de (Latin), "down," + ferre, "to bear"]
2. to submit or yield courteously to the wishes or opinions of another, usually to one who is older or in an authoritative position
NOTE: The preposition to follows defer.
Mary usually defers to her mother's wishes in her selection of clothes.
Synonyms: postpone, delay, shelve procrastinate
Antonyms: scorn, disdain, spurn
NOTE: The two meanings of defer given here actually represent different words, with prefixes of different origin.
Etymology: [prae (Latin), "before" + mittere, missus, "to send." Thus, by derivation, a premise is a proposition set "in front."]
an assumption on which an argument or conclusion can be based
The merchant conducted his business on the premise that honesty is the best policy.
Synonyms: hypothesis, assumption
NOTE: The plural, premises, means "a building or residence, including the land immediately surrounding it."
The boy was ordered off his neighbor's premises.
Etymology: [augur (Latin), "a soothsayer, a diviner"]
(a) (noun) one who foretells events by omens
The Roman augurs could postpone an election if the signs were unfavorable.
(b) (verb) to foretell, to predict
The large crowds at the ball parks early in the season augur well for the financial success of the club owners.
Synonyms: (nouns) soothsayer, diviner, prophet, seer; (verbs) portend, prophesy, prognosticate, forecast
NOTE: Forebode suggests the approach of evil or bad news.
Prognosticate (noun: prognosis) implies foretelling an event on the basis of symptoms or other evidence.
Prophecy and portent are nouns; prophesy and portend are verbs.
THE STORY BEHIND THE WORD
In ancient Rome, the augurs were a group of priests who discovered by the observation and interpretation of certain signs whether the gods did or did not approve a proposed action. The most characteristic sign was the flight of birds, although the augurs could also use information gathered from the appearance of lightning and of animals. The augurs were consulted prior to every important public action, and, in the early days of Rome, every important private action. From augur we get the words inaugurate, meaning "to begin formally, to induct into office," and inauguration, "an induction into office." The hope is, of course, that the omens are favorable.