English Synonyms and Antonyms

<h3><SPAN name="ADEQUATE" id="ADEQUATE"></SPAN>ADEQUATE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>able,</td><td>competent,</td><td>fitted,</td><td>satisfactory,</td></tr> <tr><td>adapted,</td><td>equal,</td><td>fitting,</td><td>sufficient,</td></tr> <tr><td>capable,</td><td rowspan="2">fit,</td><td rowspan="2">qualified,</td><td rowspan="2">suitable.</td></tr> <tr><td>commensurate,</td></tr> </table> <p><i>Adequate</i>, <i>commensurate</i>, and <i>sufficient</i> signify <i>equal</i> to some given occasion or work; as, a sum <i>sufficient</i> to meet expenses; an <i>adequate</i> remedy for the disease. <i>Commensurate</i> is the more precise and learned word, signifying that which exactly measures the matter in question. <i>Adapted</i>, <i>fit</i>, <i>suitable</i>, and <i>qualified</i> refer to the qualities which match or suit the occasion. A clergyman may have strength <i>adequate</i> to the work of a porter; but that would not be a <i>fit</i> or <i>suitable</i> occupation for him. Work is <i>satisfactory</i> if it satisfies those for whom it is done, though it may be very poor work judged by some higher standard. <i>Qualified</i> refers to acquired abilities; <i>competent</i> to both natural and acquired; a <i>qualified</i> teacher may be no longer <i>competent</i>, by reason of ill health. <i>Able</i> and <i>capable</i> suggest general ability and reserved power, <i>able</i> being the higher word of the two. An <i>able</i> man will do something well in any position. A <i>capable</i> man will come up to any ordinary demand. We say an <i>able</i> orator, a <i>capable</i> accountant.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>disqualified,</td><td>inferior,</td><td>unequal,</td><td>unsatisfactory,</td><td>useless,</td></tr> <tr><td>inadequate,</td><td>insufficient,</td><td>unfit,</td><td rowspan="2">unsuitable,</td><td rowspan="2">worthless.</td></tr> <tr><td>incompetent,</td><td>poor,</td><td>unqualified,</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> <p>Adequate <i>to</i> the demand; <i>for</i> the purpose.</p> <hr /> <h3><SPAN name="ADHERENT" id="ADHERENT"></SPAN>ADHERENT.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>aid,</td><td>ally,</td><td>disciple,</td><td rowspan="2">partisan,</td><td rowspan="2">supporter.</td></tr> <tr><td>aider,</td><td>backer,</td><td>follower,</td></tr> </table> <p>An <i>adherent</i> is one who is devoted or attached to a person, party, principle, cause, creed, or the like. One may be an <i>aider</i> and <i>supporter</i> of a party or church, while not an <i>adherent</i> to all its doctrines or claims. An <i>ally</i> is more independent still, as he may differ on every point except the specific ground of union. The <i>Allies</i> who overthrew Napoleon were united only against him. <i>Allies</i> are regarded as equals; <i>adherents</i> and <i>disciples</i> are followers. The <i>adherent</i> depends more on his individual judgment, the <i>disciple</i> is more subject to command and instruction; thus we say the <i>disciples</i> rather than the <i>adherents</i> of Christ. <i>Partisan</i> has<span class="pgn"><SPAN name="Page_22" id="Page_22"></SPAN></span> the narrow and odious sense of adhesion to a party, right or wrong. One may be an <i>adherent</i> or <i>supporter</i> of a party and not a <i>partisan</i>. <i>Backer</i> is a sporting and theatrical word, personal in its application, and not in the best usage. Compare <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#ACCESSORY">ACCESSORY</SPAN></span>.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>adversary,</td><td>betrayer,</td><td>enemy,</td><td>opponent,</td><td rowspan="2">traitor.</td></tr> <tr><td>antagonist,</td><td>deserter,</td><td>hater,</td><td>renegade,</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> <p>Adherents <i>to</i> principle; adherents <i>of</i> Luther.</p> <hr /> <h3>ADHESIVE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>cohesive,</td><td>gummy,</td><td>sticky,</td><td rowspan="2">viscous.</td></tr> <tr><td>glutinous,</td><td>sticking,</td><td>viscid,</td></tr> </table> <p><i>Adhesive</i> is the scientific, <i>sticking</i> or <i>sticky</i> the popular word. That which is <i>adhesive</i> tends to join itself to the surface of any other body with which it is placed in contact; <i>cohesive</i> expresses the tendency of particles of the same substance to hold together. Polished plate glass is not <i>adhesive</i>, but such plates packed together are intensely <i>cohesive</i>. An <i>adhesive</i> plaster is in popular language a <i>sticking</i>-plaster. <i>Sticky</i> expresses a more limited, and generally annoying, degree of the same quality. <i>Glutinous</i>, <i>gummy</i>, <i>viscid</i>, and <i>viscous</i> are applied to fluid or semi-fluid substances, as pitch or tar.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>free,</td><td>inadhesive,</td><td>loose,</td><td>separable.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Preposition:</h4> <p>The stiff, wet clay, adhesive <i>to</i> the foot, impeded progress.</p> <hr /> <h3>ADJACENT.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>abutting,</td><td>bordering,</td><td>contiguous,</td><td>neighboring,</td></tr> <tr><td>adjoining,</td><td>close,</td><td>coterminous,</td><td>next,</td></tr> <tr><td>attached,</td><td>conterminous,</td><td>near,</td><td>nigh.</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="4">beside,</td></tr> </table> <p><i>Adjacent</i> farms may not be connected; if <i>adjoining</i>, they meet at the boundary-line. <i>Conterminous</i> would imply that their dimensions were exactly equal on the side where they adjoin. <i>Contiguous</i> may be used for either <i>adjacent</i> or <i>adjoining</i>. <i>Abutting</i> refers rather to the end of one building or estate than to the neighborhood of another. Buildings may be <i>adjacent</i> or <i>adjoining</i> that are not <i>attached</i>. <i>Near</i> is a relative word, places being called <i>near</i> upon the railroad which would elsewhere be deemed remote. <i>Neighboring</i> always implies such proximity that the inhabitants<span class="pgn"><SPAN name="Page_23" id="Page_23"></SPAN></span> may be neighbors. <i>Next</i> views some object as the nearest of several or many; <i>next</i> neighbor implies a neighborhood.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>detached,</td><td>disconnected,</td><td>disjoined,</td><td>distant,</td><td>remote,</td><td>separate.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Preposition:</h4> <p>The farm was adjacent <i>to</i> the village.</p> <hr /> <h3>ADMIRE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>adore,</td><td>delight in,</td><td>extol,</td><td>respect,</td><td>venerate,</td></tr> <tr><td>applaud,</td><td>enjoy,</td><td>honor,</td><td>revere,</td><td>wonder.</td></tr> <tr><td>approve,</td><td>esteem,</td><td colspan="3">love,</td></tr> </table> <p>In the old sense of <i>wonder</i>, <i>admire</i> is practically obsolete; the word now expresses a delight and approval, in which the element of wonder unconsciously mingles. We <i>admire</i> beauty in nature and art, <i>delight in</i> the innocent happiness of children, <i>enjoy</i> books or society, a walk or a dinner. We <i>approve</i> what is excellent, <i>applaud</i> heroic deeds, <i>esteem</i> the good, <i>love</i> our friends. We <i>honor</i> and <i>respect</i> noble character wherever found; we <i>revere</i> and <i>venerate</i> it in the aged. We <i>extol</i> the goodness and <i>adore</i> the majesty and power of God.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>abhor,</td><td>contemn,</td><td>detest,</td><td>execrate,</td><td>ridicule,</td></tr> <tr><td>abominate,</td><td>despise,</td><td>dislike,</td><td>hate,</td><td>scorn.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Preposition:</h4> <p><i>Admire at</i> may still very rarely be found in the old sense of <i>wonder at</i>.</p> <hr /> <h3>ADORN.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>beautify,</td><td>decorate,</td><td>garnish,</td><td>illustrate,</td></tr> <tr><td>bedeck,</td><td>embellish,</td><td>gild,</td><td>ornament.</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="4">deck,</td></tr> </table> <p>To <i>embellish</i> is to brighten and enliven by adding something that is not necessarily or very closely connected with that to which it is added; to <i>illustrate</i> is to add something so far like in kind as to cast a side-light upon the principal matter. An author <i>embellishes</i> his narrative with fine descriptions, the artist <i>illustrates</i> it with beautiful engravings, the binder <i>gilds</i> and <i>decorates</i> the volume. <i>Garnish</i> is on a lower plane; as, the feast was <i>garnished</i> with flowers. <i>Deck</i> and <i>bedeck</i> are commonly said of apparel; as, a mother <i>bedecks</i> her daughter with silk and jewels. To <i>adorn</i> and to <i>ornament</i> alike signify to add that which makes anything beautiful and attractive, but <i>ornament</i> is more exclusively on the material plane; as, the gateway was <i>ornamented</i> with delicate<span class="pgn"><SPAN name="Page_24" id="Page_24"></SPAN></span> carving. <i>Adorn</i> is more lofty and spiritual, referring to a beauty which is not material, and can not be put on by ornaments or decorations, but seems in perfect harmony and unity with that to which it adds a grace; if we say, the gateway was <i>adorned</i> with beautiful carving, we imply a unity and loftiness of design such as <i>ornamented</i> can not express. We say of some admirable scholar or statesman, "he touched nothing that he did not <i>adorn</i>."</p> <div class="bq1"><div class="poem"> <span class="i0">At church, with meek and unaffected grace,<br/></span> <span class="i0">His looks <i>adorned</i> the venerable place.<br/></span></div> <p class="tdr"><span class="smc">Goldsmith</span> <i>Deserted Village</i>, l. 178.</p> </div> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>deface,</td><td>deform,</td><td>disfigure,</td><td>mar,</td><td>spoil.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Preposition:</h4> <p>Adorn his temples <i>with</i> a coronet.</p> <hr /> <h3><SPAN name="AFFRONT" id="AFFRONT"></SPAN>AFFRONT.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>aggravate,</td><td>exasperate,</td><td>offend,</td><td>vex,</td></tr> <tr><td>annoy,</td><td>insult,</td><td>provoke,</td><td rowspan="2">wound.</td></tr> <tr><td>displease,</td><td>irritate,</td><td>tease,</td></tr> </table> <p>One may be <i>annoyed</i> by the well-meaning awkwardness of a servant, <i>irritated</i> by a tight shoe or a thoughtless remark, <i>vexed</i> at some careless neglect or needless misfortune, <i>wounded</i> by the ingratitude of child or friend. To <i>tease</i> is to give some slight and perhaps playful annoyance. <i>Aggravate</i> in the sense of <i>offend</i> is colloquial. To <i>provoke</i>, literally to call out or challenge, is to begin a contest; one <i>provokes</i> another to violence. To <i>affront</i> is to offer some defiant offense or indignity, as it were, to one's face; it is somewhat less than to <i>insult</i>. Compare <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#PIQUE">PIQUE</SPAN></span>.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>conciliate,</td><td>content,</td><td>gratify,</td><td>honor,</td><td>please.</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <h3>AGENT.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>actor,</td><td>factor,</td><td>means,</td><td>operator,</td><td rowspan="2">promoter.</td></tr> <tr><td>doer,</td><td>instrument,</td><td>mover,</td><td>performer,</td></tr> </table> <p>In strict philosophical usage, the prime <i>mover</i> or <i>doer</i> of an act is the <i>agent</i>. Thus we speak of man as a voluntary <i>agent</i>, a free <i>agent</i>. But in common usage, especially in business, an <i>agent</i> is not the prime <i>actor</i>, but only an <i>instrument</i> or <i>factor</i>, acting under orders or instructions. Compare <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#CAUSE">CAUSE</SPAN></span>.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>chief,</td><td>inventor,</td><td>originator,</td><td>principal.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> <p>An agent <i>of</i> the company <i>for</i> selling, etc.</p> <hr /><p><span class="pgn"><SPAN name="Page_25" id="Page_25"></SPAN></span></p> <h3><SPAN name="AGREE" id="AGREE"></SPAN>AGREE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>accede,</td><td>admit,</td><td>coincide,</td><td>concur,</td></tr> <tr><td>accept,</td><td>approve,</td><td>combine,</td><td>consent,</td></tr> <tr><td>accord,</td><td rowspan="2">assent,</td><td rowspan="2">comply,</td><td rowspan="2">harmonize.</td></tr> <tr><td>acquiesce,</td></tr> </table> <p><i>Agree</i> is the most general term of this group, signifying to have like qualities, proportions, views, or inclinations, so as to be free from jar, conflict, or contradiction in a given relation. To <i>concur</i> is to <i>agree</i> in general; to <i>coincide</i> is to <i>agree</i> in every particular. Whether in application to persons or things, <i>concur</i> tends to expression in action more than <i>coincide</i>; we may either <i>concur</i> or <i>coincide</i> in an opinion, but <i>concur</i> in a decision; views <i>coincide</i>, causes <i>concur</i>. One <i>accepts</i> another's terms, <i>complies</i> with his wishes, <i>admits</i> his statement, <i>approves</i> his plan, <i>conforms</i> to his views of doctrine or duty, <i>accedes</i> or <i>consents</i> to his proposal. <i>Accede</i> expresses the more formal agreement, <i>consent</i> the more complete. To <i>assent</i> is an act of the understanding; to <i>consent</i>, of the will. We may <i>concur</i> or <i>agree</i> with others, either in opinion or decision. One may silently <i>acquiesce</i> in that which does not meet his views, but which he does not care to contest. He <i>admits</i> the charge brought, or the statement made, by another&mdash;<i>admit</i> always carrying a suggestion of reluctance. <i>Assent</i> is sometimes used for a mild form of <i>consent</i>, as if agreement in the opinion assured approval of the decision.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>contend,</td><td>demur,</td><td>disagree,</td><td>oppose,</td></tr> <tr><td>contradict,</td><td>deny,</td><td>dispute,</td><td>protest,</td></tr> <tr><td>decline,</td><td>differ,</td><td>dissent,</td><td>refuse.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> <p>I agree <i>in</i> opinion <i>with</i> the speaker; <i>to</i> the terms proposed; persons agree <i>on</i> or <i>upon</i> a statement of principles, rules, etc.; we must agree <i>among</i> ourselves.</p> <hr /> <h3>AGRICULTURE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>cultivation,</td><td>gardening,</td><td>kitchen-gardening,</td></tr> <tr><td>culture,</td><td>horticulture,</td><td>market-gardening,</td></tr> <tr><td>farming,</td><td rowspan="2">husbandry,</td><td rowspan="2">tillage.</td></tr> <tr><td>floriculture,</td></tr> </table> <p><i>Agriculture</i> is the generic term, including at once the science, the art, and the process of supplying human wants by raising the products of the soil, and by the associated industries; <i>farming</i> is the practise of <i>agriculture</i> as a business; there may be theoretical <i>agriculture</i>, but not theoretical <i>farming</i>; we speak of the science of <i>agriculture</i>, the business of <i>farming</i>; scientific <i>agriculture</i><span class="pgn"><SPAN name="Page_26" id="Page_26"></SPAN></span> may be wholly in books; scientific <i>farming</i> is practised upon the land; we say an <i>agricultural</i> college rather than a college of <i>farming</i>. <i>Farming</i> refers to the <i>cultivation</i> of considerable portions of land, and the raising of the coarser crops; <i>gardening</i> is the close <i>cultivation</i> of a small area for small fruits, flowers, vegetables, etc., and while it may be done upon a farm is yet a distinct industry. <i>Gardening</i> in general, <i>kitchen-gardening</i>, the <i>cultivation</i> of vegetables, etc., for the household, <i>market-gardening</i>, the raising of the same for sale, <i>floriculture</i>, the <i>culture</i> of flowers, and <i>horticulture</i>, the <i>culture</i> of fruits, flowers, or vegetables, are all departments of <i>agriculture</i>, but not strictly nor ordinarily of <i>farming</i>; <i>farming</i> is itself one department of <i>agriculture</i>. <i>Husbandry</i> is a general word for any form of practical <i>agriculture</i>, but is now chiefly poetical. <i>Tillage</i> refers directly to the work bestowed upon the land, as plowing, manuring, etc.; <i>cultivation</i> refers especially to the processes that bring forward the crop; we speak of the <i>tillage</i> of the soil, the <i>cultivation</i> of corn; we also speak of land as in a state of <i>cultivation</i>, under <i>cultivation</i>, etc. <i>Culture</i> is now applied to the careful development of any product to a state of perfection, especially by care through successive generations; the choice varieties of the strawberry have been produced by wise and patient <i>culture</i>; a good crop in any year is the result of good <i>cultivation</i>.</p> <hr /> <h3><SPAN name="AIM" id="AIM"></SPAN>AIM.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>aspiration,</td><td>endeavor,</td><td>intention,</td><td rowspan="4">tendency.</td></tr> <tr><td>design,</td><td>goal,</td><td>mark,</td></tr> <tr><td>determination,</td><td>inclination,</td><td>object,</td></tr> <tr><td>end,</td><td>intent,</td><td>purpose,</td></tr> </table> <p>The <i>aim</i> is the direction in which one shoots, or sometimes that which is aimed at. The <i>mark</i> is that at which one shoots; the <i>goal</i>, that toward which one runs. All alike indicate the direction of <i>endeavor</i>. The <i>end</i> is the point at which one expects or hopes to close his labors; the <i>object</i>, that which he would grasp as the reward of his labors. <i>Aspiration</i>, <i>design</i>, <i>endeavor</i>, <i>purpose</i>, referring to the mental acts by which the <i>aim</i> is attained, are often used as interchangeable with <i>aim</i>. <i>Aspiration</i> applies to what are viewed as noble <i>aims</i>; <i>endeavor</i>, <i>design</i>, <i>intention</i>, <i>purpose</i>, indifferently to the best or worst. <i>Aspiration</i> has less of decision than the other terms; one may aspire to an <i>object</i>, and yet lack the fixedness of <i>purpose</i> by which alone it can be attained. <i>Purpose</i> is stronger than <i>intention</i>. <i>Design</i> especially denotes the<span class="pgn"><SPAN name="Page_27" id="Page_27"></SPAN></span> adaptation of means to an end; <i>endeavor</i> refers to the exertions by which it is to be attained. One whose <i>aims</i> are worthy, whose <i>aspirations</i> are high, whose <i>designs</i> are wise, and whose <i>purposes</i> are steadfast, may hope to reach the <i>goal</i> of his ambition, and will surely win some <i>object</i> worthy of a life's <i>endeavor</i>. Compare <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#AMBITION">AMBITION</SPAN></span>; <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#DESIGN">DESIGN</SPAN></span>.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>aimlessness,</td><td>heedlessness,</td><td>negligence,</td><td>purposelessness,</td></tr> <tr><td>avoidance,</td><td>neglect,</td><td>oversight,</td><td>thoughtlessness.</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="4">carelessness,</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <h3><SPAN name="AIR" id="AIR"></SPAN>AIR.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>appearance,</td><td>demeanor,</td><td>manner,</td><td>sort,</td></tr> <tr><td>bearing,</td><td>expression,</td><td>mien,</td><td>style,</td></tr> <tr><td>behavior,</td><td>fashion,</td><td>port,</td><td>way.</td></tr> <tr><td>carriage,</td><td colspan="3">look,</td></tr> </table> <p><i>Air</i> is that combination of qualities which makes the entire impression we receive in a person's presence; as, we say he has the <i>air</i> of a scholar, or the <i>air</i> of a villain. <i>Appearance</i> refers more to the dress and other externals. We might say of a travel-soiled pedestrian, he has the <i>appearance</i> of a tramp, but the <i>air</i> of a gentleman. <i>Expression</i> and <i>look</i> especially refer to the face. <i>Expression</i> is oftenest applied to that which is habitual; as, he has a pleasant <i>expression</i> of countenance; <i>look</i> may be momentary; as, a <i>look</i> of dismay passed over his face. We may, however, speak of the <i>look</i> or <i>looks</i> as indicating all that we look at; as, he had the <i>look</i> of an adventurer; I did not like his <i>looks</i>. <i>Bearing</i> is rather a lofty word; as, he has a noble <i>bearing</i>; <i>port</i> is practically identical in meaning with <i>bearing</i>, but is more exclusively a literary word. <i>Carriage</i>, too, is generally used in a good sense; as, that lady has a good <i>carriage</i>. <i>Mien</i> is closely synonymous with <i>air</i>, but less often used in a bad sense. We say a rakish <i>air</i> rather than a rakish <i>mien</i>. <i>Mien</i> may be used to express some prevailing feeling; as, "an indignant <i>mien</i>." <i>Demeanor</i> goes beyond <i>appearance</i>, including conduct, behavior; as, a modest <i>demeanor</i>. <i>Manner</i> and <i>style</i> are, in large part at least, acquired. Compare <span class="smcl"><SPAN href="#BEHAVIOR">BEHAVIOR</SPAN></span>.</p> <hr /> <h3>AIRY.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>aerial,</td><td>ethereal,</td><td>frolicsome,</td><td>joyous,</td><td>lively,</td></tr> <tr><td>animated,</td><td>fairylike,</td><td>gay,</td><td>light,</td><td>sprightly.</td></tr> </table> <p><i>Aerial</i> and <i>airy</i> both signify of or belonging to the air, but <i>airy</i> also describes that which seems as if made of air; we speak<span class="pgn"><SPAN name="Page_28" id="Page_28"></SPAN></span> of <i>airy</i> shapes, <i>airy</i> nothings, where we could not well say <i>aerial</i>; <i>ethereal</i> describes its object as belonging to the upper air, the pure ether, and so, often, heavenly. <i>Sprightly</i>, spiritlike, refers to light, free, cheerful activity of mind and body. That which is <i>lively</i> or <i>animated</i> may be agreeable or the reverse; as, an <i>animated</i> discussion; a <i>lively</i> company.</p> <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>clumsy,</td><td>heavy,</td><td>ponderous,</td><td>sluggish,</td><td>wooden.</td></tr> <tr><td>dull,</td><td>inert,</td><td>slow,</td><td colspan="2">stony,</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />