Lesson12同义词

12. The LoonsSynonymsDEFORM, DISTORT, CONTORT, WARP means to mar (destroy or injure severely) or spoil by or as if by twisting. DEFORM may imply a change of shape through stress, injury, or some accident of growth e.g. “his face was deformed by hatred.” DISTORT and CONTORT both imply a wrenching from the natural, normal, or justly proportioned, but CONTORT suggests a more involved twisting and a more grotesque and painful result e.g. “the odd camera angle distorts the figure in the photograph” “disease had painfully contorted her body.” WARP indicates physically an uneven shrinking that bends or twists out of a flat plane e.g. “warped floorboards.”SynonymsCOARSE, VULGAR, GR O SS, OBSC E NE, R I BALD mean offensive to good taste or morals. COARSE implies rou ghness, rudeness, or crudeness of spirit, behavior, or language e.g. “found the coarse humor of coworkers offensive.” VULGAR often implies boorishness or ill-breeding e.g. “a loud vulgar belch.” GROSS implies extreme coarseness and insensitiveness e.g. “gross eating habits.” OBSCENE applies to anything strongly disgusting to the sense of decency and propriety especially in sexual matters e.g. “obscene language not allowed on the air.” RIBALD applies to what is amusingly or picturesquely vulgar or irreverent or mildly indecent e.g. “entertained the campers with ribald folk songs.”SynonymsRELIEVE, ALL E VIATE, LIGHTEN, ASSU A GE, M I TIGATE, ALL A Y mean to make something less grievous. RELIEVE implies a lifting of enough of a burden to make it tolerable e.g. “took an aspirin to relieve the pain.” ALLEVIATE implies temporary or partial lessening of pain or distress e.g. “the lotion (洗剂) alleviated the itching.” LIGHTEN implies reducing a burdensome or depressing weight e.g. “good news would lighten our worries.” ASSUAGE implies softening or sweetening what is harsh or disagreeable e.g. “ocean breezes assuaged the intense heat.” MITIGATE suggests a moderating or countering of the effect of something violent or painful e.g. “the need to mitigate barbaric laws.” ALLAY i mplies an effective calming or soothing of fears or alarms e.g. “allayed their fears.”SynonymsINFREQUENT, UNCOMMON, SCARCE, RARE, SPORADIC mean not common or abundant. INFREQUENT implies occurrence at wide intervals in space or time e.g. “infrequent family visits.” UNCOMMON suggests a frequency below normal expectation e.g. “smallpox is now uncommon in many countries.” SCARCE implies falling short of a standard or required abundance e.g. “jobs were scarce during the Depression.” RARE suggests extreme sca rcity or infrequency and often implies consequent high value e.g. “rare first editions.” SPORADIC implies occurrence in scattered instances or isolated outbursts e.g. “sporadic cases of influenza.”SynonymsAWKWARD, CLUMSY, MALADR OI T, IN E PT, GAUCHE [g u ] mean not marked by ease (as of performance, movement, or social conduct). AWKWARD is widely applicable and may suggest unhandiness, inconvenience, lack of muscular control, embarrassment, or lack of tact e.g. “periods of awkward silence.” CLUMSY implies stiffness and heaviness and so may connote inflexibility, awkwardness, or lack of ordinary skill e.g. “a clumsy mechanic.” MALADROIT suggests a tendency to create awkward situations e.g. “a maladroit politician.” INEPT often implies complete failure or inadequacy e.g. “a hopelessly inept defense attorney.” GAUCHE implies the effects of shyness, inexperience, or ill breeding e.g. “felt gauche and unsophisticated at formal parties.”Synonymsas adjective: CHOICE, E XQUISITE, ELEGANT, RARE, DELICATE, DAINTY mean having qualities that appeal to a cultivated taste. CHOICE stresses outstanding in quality or kind e.g. “choice fabric.” EXQUISITE implies a perfection in workmanship or design that appeals only to very sensitive taste e.g. “an exquisite gold bracele t.” ELEGANT applies to what is rich and luxurious but restrained by good taste e.g. “a sumptuous but elegant dining room.” RARE suggests an uncommon excellence e.g. “rare beauty.” DELICATE implies exquisiteness (extreme beauty of a delicate sort), subtlety, and fragility e.g. “delicate craftsmanship.” DAINTY sometimes carries an additional suggestion of smallness and of appeal to the eye or taste e.g. “daintysandwiches.”SynonymsRIGID, RIGOROUS, STRICT, STRINGENT mean extremely severe or stern. RIGID implies uncompromising inflexibility e.g. “rigid rules of conduct.” RIGOROUS implies the imposition(强迫接受) of hardship and difficulty e.g. “the rigorous training of recr u its.” STRICT emphasizes undeviating conformity to rules, standards, or requirements e.g. “strict enforcement of the law.” STRINGENT suggests severe, tight restriction or limitation e.g. “stringent standards of admission.”SynonymsDECLARE, ANNOUNCE, PROCL A IM, PR O MULGATE mean to make known publicly. DECLARE implies explicitness and usually formality in making known e.g. “the referee declared the contest a draw.” ANNOUNCE implies the declar ation of something for the first time e.g. “announced their engagement at a party.” PROCLAIM implies declaring clearly, forcefully, and authoritatively e.g. “the president proclaimed a national day of mourning.” PROMULGATE implies the proclaiming of a dogma, doctrine, or law e.g. “promulgated an edict of religious toleration.”SynonymsPONDER, MEDITATE, MUSE, RUMINATE mean to consider or examine attentively or deliberately. PONDER implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive th inking about a matter e.g. “pondered the course of action.” MEDITATE implies a definite focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply e.g. “meditated on the meaning of life.” MUSE suggests a more or less focused daydreaming as in r emembrance e.g. “mused upon childhood joys.” RUMINATE implies going over the same matter in one's thoughts again and again but suggests little of either purposive thinking or deep absorption e.g. “ruminated on past disappointments.”SynonymsSEVERE, STERN, AUSTERE, ASCETIC mean given to or marked by strict discipline and firm restraint. SEVERE implies standards enforced without indulgence or laxity and may suggest harshness e.g. “severe military discipline.” STERN stresses inflexibility and unsympathy of temper or character e.g. “stern arbiters of public morality.” AUSTERE stresses absence of warmth, color, or feeling and may apply to rigorous restraint, simplicity, or self-denial e.g. “living an austere life in the country.” ASCETIC implies abstention(节制)from pleasure and comfort or self-indulgence as spiritual discipline e.g. “the ascetic life of the monks.”SynonymsFLASH, GLEAM, GLINT, SPARKLE, GLITTER, GLISTEN, GLIMMER, SHIMMER mean to send forth light. FLASH implies a sudden and transient outburst of bright light e.g. “lightning flashed.” GLEAM suggests a steady light seen through an obscuring medium or against a dark background e.g. “lights gleamed in the valley.” GLINT implies a cold glancing light e.g. “glinting steel.” SPARKLE suggests innumerab le moving points of bright light e.g. “the sparkling waters of the gulf.” GLITTER connotes a brilliant sparkling or gleaming e.g. “glittering diamonds.” GLISTEN applies to the soft sparkle from a wet or oily surface e.g. “glistening rain-drenched sidewalks.” GLIMMER suggests a faint or wavering gleam e.g. “a distant glimmering light.” SHIMMER implies a soft tremulous gleaming or a blurred (unclear, indistinct) reflection e.g. “a shimmering satin dress.”SynonymsO DOROUS, FRAGRANT, R E DOLENT, AROMATIC mean emitting and diffusing scent. ODOROUS applies to whatever has a strong distinctive smell whether pleasant or unpleasant e.g. “odorous cheeses should be tightly wrapped.” FRAGRANT applies to things (as flowers or spices) with sweet or agreeable o dors e.g. “a fragrant rose.” REDOLENT applies usually to a place or thing impregnated(filled in) with odors e.g. “the kitchen was redolent of garlic and tomatoes.” AROMATIC applies to things emitting pungent often fresh odors e.g. “an aromatic blend of tobaccos.”SynonymsSMALL, LITTLE, DIM I NUTIVE, MIN U TE, TINY, MINIATURE mean noticeably below average in size. SMALL and LITTLE are often interchangeable, but SMALL applies more to relative size determined by capacity, value, number e.g. “a relatively small backyard.” LITTLE is more absolute in implication often carrying the idea ofpetiteness, pettiness, insignificance, or immaturity e.g. “your pathetic little smile.” DIMINUTIVE implies abnormal smallness e.g. “diminutive bonsai plants.” MINUTE implies extreme smallness e.g. “a minute amount of caffeine in the soda.” TINY is an informal equivalent to MINUTE e.g. “tiny cracks formed in the painting.” MINIATURE applies to an exactly proportioned reproduction on a very small scale e.g. “a dollhouse with miniature furnishin gs.”SynonymsCAREFUL, METICULOUS, SCRUPULOUS, PUNCT I LIOUS mean showing close attention to detail. CAREFUL implies attentiveness and cautiousness in avoiding mistakes e.g. “a careful worker.” METICULOUS may imply either commendable extreme carefulness or a hindering finicky (过分注意的, 过分讲究的, 过分周到的) caution over small points e.g. “meticulous scholarship.” SCRUPULOUS applies to what is proper or fitting or ethical (moral) e.g. “scrupulous honesty.” PUNCTILIOUS implies minute, even excessive attention to fine points e.g. “punctilious observance of ritual.”SynonymsCURIOUS, INQU I SITIVE, PR Y ING mean interested in what is not one's personal or proper concern. CURIOUS, a neutral term, basically connotes an active desire to learn or to know e.g. “children are curious about everything.”INQUISITIVE suggests impertinent (鲁莽的)and habitual curiosity and persistent quizzing e.g. “dreaded the visits of their inquisitive relatives.” PRYING implies busy meddling (管闲事) and off i ciousness (多管闲事)e.g. “prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business.”SynonymsSWING, SWAY, O SCILLATE, VIBR A TE, FLUCTUATE, WAVER, U NDULATE mean to move from one direction to its opposite. SWING implies a movement of something attached at one end or one side e.g. “the door suddenly swung open.” SWAY implies a slow swinging or teetering (moving unsteadily) movement e.g. “trees swaying in the breeze.” OSCILLATE stresses a usually regular alternation of direction e.g. “an oscillating fan.”VIBRATE suggests the rapid oscillation of an elastic (弹性的) body under stress or impact e.g. “the vibrating strings of a piano.” FLUCTUATE suggests constant irregular changes of level, intensity, or value e.g. “fluctuating interest rates.”WAVER stresses irregular motion suggestive of reeling or tottering e.g. “the exhausted runner wavered before collapsing.”UNDULATE suggests a gentle wavelike motion e.g. “an undulating sea of grass.”SynonymsFANTASTIC, BIZARRE, GROTESQUE mean conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality. FANTASTIC may connote unrestrained extravagance in conception or merely cleverness of decorative invention e.g. “dreamed up fantastic rumors to spread.” BIZARRE applies to the sensationally queer or strange and implies violence of contrast or incongruity (being unsuitable and inappropriate) of combination e.g. “a bizarre medieval castle built in the heart of a modern city.” GROTESQUE may apply to what is conventionally ugly but artistically effective or it may connote ludicrous awkwardness or incongruity often with sinister or tragic overtones e.g. “grotesque statues adorn the cathedral” “though grief-stricken, she made a grotesque attempt at a smile.”SynonymsLURE, ENT I CE, INV E IGLE, DEC OY, TEMPT, SEDUCE mean to lead astray from one's true course. LURE implies a d rawing into danger, evil, or difficulty through attracting and deceiving e.g. “lured naive investors with get-rich-quick schemes.” ENTICE suggests drawing by artful or skilfu means e.g. “advertising designed to entice new customers.” INVEIGLE implies entic ing by caj o ling (以甜言蜜语哄骗, 勾引)or flattering e.g. “fund-raisers inveigling wealthy alumni.” DECOY implies a luring into entrapment by artifice e.g. “attempting to decoy the enemy into an ambush.” TEMPT implies the presenting of an attraction so strong that it overcomes the restraints of conscience or better judgment e.g. “tempted by the offer of money.” SEDUCE implies a leading astray by persuasion or false promises e.g. “seduced by assurances of assistance.”SynonymsSWING, WAVE, FLOURISH, BRANDISH, THRASH mean to wield or cause to move to and fro or up and down. SWING implies regular or uniform movement e.g. “swing the rope back and forth.” WAVE usually implies smooth or continuous motion e.g. “waving the flag.” FLOURISH suggests vigorous, showy, graceful movemente.g. “f lourished the winning lottery ticket.(彩票)” BRANDISH implies threatening or menacing motion e.g. “brandishing a knife.” THRASH suggests vigorous, abrupt, violent movement e.g. “an infant thrashing his arms about.”SynonymsSULLEN, GLUM, MOR O SE, SURLY, SULKY, CR A BBED, S A TURNINE, GLOOMY mean showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood. SULLEN implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable e.g. “remained sullen amid the festivities.” GLUM suggests a silent low-spiritedness e.g. “a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat.” MOROSE adds to GLUM an element of bitterness or misanthropy e.g. “morose job seekers who are inured to rejection.” SURLY implies gruffness and sullenness of speech or manner e.g. “a typical surly teenager.” SULKY suggests childi sh resentment expressed in peevish (easily irritated or annoyed) sullenness e.g. “grew sulky after every spat.” CRABBED applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner e.g. “the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster.” SATURNINE describes a heavy forbi dding aspect or suggests a bitter disposition e.g. “a saturnine cynic always finding fault.” GLOOMY implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness e.g. “a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news.”SynonymsO BSTINATE, DOGGED, STUBBORN, PERTIN A CIOUS, M U LISH mean fixed and unyielding in course or purpose. OBSTINATE implies usually an unreasonable persistence e.g. “an obstinate proponent of conspiracy theories.” DOGGED suggests an admirable often unyielding and unwavering persistence e.g. “p ursued the story with dogged perseverance.” STUBBORN implies sturdiness in resisting change which may or may not be admirable e.g. “a person too stubborn to admit error.” PERTINACIOUS suggests an annoying or boring persistence e.g. “a pertinacious salesclerk refusing to take no for an answer.” MULISH implies a thoroughly unreasonable stubbornness e.g. “a mulish determination to have his own way.”Synonyms 1R I DICULE, DER I DE, MOCK, TAUNT mean to make an object of laughter of. RIDICULE implies a deliberate of ten malicious belittling e.g. “consistently ridiculed everything she said.” DERIDE suggests contemptuous and often bitter ridicule e.g. “derided their efforts to start their own business.” MOCK implies scorn often ironically expressed as by mimicry (imitative behaviour) or false d e ference (obedience) e.g. “youngsters began to mock the helpless wino.” TAUNT suggests mockingly provoking insult or challenge e.g. “hometown fans taunted the visiting team.”Synonyms 2COPY, IMITATE, MIMIC, APE, MOCK mean to make something so that it resembles an existing thing. COPY suggests duplicating an original as nearly as possible e.g. “copied the painting and sold the fake as an original.” IMITATE suggests following a model or a pattern but may allow for some variation e.g.“imitate a poet's style.” MIMIC implies a close copying (as of voice or mannerism) often for fun, ridicule, or lifelike imitation e.g. “pupils mimicking their teacher.” APE may suggest pres u mptuous (专横的), slavish, or awkward imitating of a superior origin al e.g. “American fashion designers aped their European colleagues.” MOCK usually implies imitation with derision e.g. “mocking a vain man's pompous manner.”SynonymsIMPASSIVE, ST O IC, PHLEGMATIC, APATHETIC, ST O LID mean unresponsive (aloof or indifferent) to something that might normally excite interest or emotion. IMPASSIVE stresses the absence of any external sign of emotion in action or facial expression e.g. “met the news with an impassive look.” STOIC implies an apparent indifference to pleasure or especially to pain often as a matter of principle or self-discipline e.g. “was resolutely stoic even in adversity.” PHLEGMATIC implies a temperament or constitution hard to arouse e.g. “a phlegmatic man unmoved by tears.” APATHETIC may imply a puzzling or de plorable indifference or inertness (immobility) e.g. “charitable appeals met an apathetic response.” STOLID implies an habitual absence of interest, responsiveness, or curiosity e.g. “stolid workers wedded to routine.”SynonymsQUICKEN, ANIMATE, ENL I VEN, VIVIFY mean to make alive or lively. QUICKEN stresses a sudden renewal of life or activity especially in something inert e.g. “the arrival of spring quickens the earth.” ANIMATE emphasizes the imparting (transmission of information) of motion or vitality to what is or might be mechanicalor artificial e.g. “happiness animated his conversation.” ENLIVEN suggests a stimulus that arouses from dullness or torpidity (麻痹)e.g. “enlivened her lectures with humorous anecdotes.” VIVIFY implies a freshening or energizing through renewal of vitality e.g. “new blood needed to vivify the dying club.”SynonymsTHIN, SLENDER, SLIM, SLIGHT, TENUOUS mean not thick, broad, abundant, or dense. THIN implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance e.g. “thin wire” “a thin soup.” SLENDER implies leanness or spareness(瘦弱) often with grace and good prop ortion e.g. “the slender legs of a Sheraton chair.” SLIM applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness (单薄)e.g. “a slim volume of poetry” “a slim chance.” SLIGHT implies smallness as well as thinness e.g. “a slight build.” TENUOUS implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness e.g. “a tenuous thread.”SynonymsTR A NSIENT, TR A NSITORY, EPH E MERAL, M O MENTARY, F U GITIVE, FLEETING, EVAN E SCENT mean lasting or staying only a short time. TRANSIENT applies to what is actually s hort in its duration or stay e.g. “a hotel catering primarily to transient guests.” TRANSITORY applies to what is by its nature or essence bound to change, pass, or come to an end e.g. “fame in the movies is transitory.” EPHEMERAL implies striking brevity of life or duration e.g. “many slang words are ephemeral.” MOMENTARY suggests coming and going quickly and therefore being merely a brief interruption of a more enduring state e.g. “my feelings of guilt were only momentary.” FUGITIVE and FLEETING imply pa ssing so quickly as to make comprehending difficult e.g. “let a fugitive smile flit across his face” “fleeting moments of joy.” EVANESCENT suggests a quick vanishing and an airy or fragile quality e.g. “the story has an evanescent touch of whimsy that is lost in translation.”swellSynonymsEXPAND, AMPLIFY, SWELL, DIST E ND, INFL A TE, DIL A TE mean to increase in size or volume. EXPAND may apply whether the increase comes from within or without and regardless of manner (as growth, unfolding, addition of part s) e.g. “a business that expands every year.” AMPLIFY implies the extension or enlargement of something inadequate e.g. “amplify the statement with details.” SWELL implies gradual expansion beyond a thing's original or normal limits e.g. “the bureaucracy swelled to unmanageable proportions.” DISTEND implies outward extension caused by pressure from within e.g. “a distended abdomen.” INFLATE implies expanding by introduction of air or something insubstantial and suggests a resulting vulnerability and liabili ty to sudden collapse e.g. “an inflated ego.” DILATE applies especially to expansion of circumference e.g. “dilated pupils.”SynonymsDISCOMP O SE, DISQU I ET, DISTURB, PERT UR B, A GITATE, UPSET, FL U STER mean to destroy capacity for collected thought or decisive action. DISCOMPOSE implies some degree of loss of self-control or self-confidence especially through emotional stress e.g. “discomposed by the loss of his beloved wife.”DISQUIET suggests loss of sense of security or peace of mind e.g. “the disquieting news of factories closing.”DISTURB implies interference with one's mental processes caused by worry, perplexity, or interruption e.g. “the discrepancy in accounts disturbed me.” PERTURB implies deep disturbance of mind and emotions e.g. “perturbed by her husband's strange behavior.”AGITATE suggests obvious external signs of nervous or emotional excitement e.g. “in his agitated state we could see he was unable to work.”UPSET implies the disturbance of normal or habitual functioning by disappointment, distr ess, or grief e.g. “the family's constant bickering upsets the youngest child.” FLUSTER suggests bewildered agitation e.g. “his declaration of love completely flustered her.”SynonymsQUALITY, PROPERTY, CHARACTER, ATTR I BUTE mean an intelligible feature by which a thing may be identified. QUALITY is a general term applicable to any trait or characteristic whether individual or generic e.g. “material with a silky quality.” PROPERTY implies a characteristic that belongs to a thing's essential nature and may be used to describe a type or species e.g. “the property of not conducting heat.” CHARACTER applies to a peculiar and distinctive quality of a thing or a class e.g. “remarks of an unseemly character.” ATTRIBUTE implies a quality ascribed to a thing or a being e.g. “the traditional attributes of a military hero.”。