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English Synonyms and Antonyms

<h3>CARRY.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>bear,</td><td>convey,</td><td>move,</td><td>sustain,</td><td>transmit,</td></tr> <tr><td>bring,</td><td>lift,</td><td>remove,</td><td>take,</td><td>transport.</td></tr> </table> A person may bear a load either when in motion or at rest; he carries it only when in motion. The stooping Atlas bears the world on his shoulders; swiftly moving Time carries the hour-glass and scythe; a person may be said either to bear or to carry a scar, since it is upon him whether in motion or at rest. If an object is to be moved from the place we occupy, we say carry; if to the place we occupy, we say bring. A messenger carries a letter to a correspondent, and brings an answer. Take is often used in this sense in place of carry; as, take that letter to the office. Carry often signifies to transport by personal strength, without reference to the direction; as, that is more than he can carry; yet, even so, it would not be admissible to say carry it to me, or carry it here; in such case we must say bring. To lift is simply to raise from the ground, tho but for an instant, with no reference to holding or moving; one may be able to lift what he could not carry. The figurative uses of carry are very numerous; as, to carry an election, carry the country, carry (in the sense of capture) a fort, carry an audience, carry a stock of goods, etc. Compare CONVEY; KEEP; SUPPORT. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>drop,</td><td>fall under,</td><td>give up,</td><td>let go,</td><td>shake off,</td><td>throw down,</td><td>throw off.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> To carry coals to Newcastle; carry nothing from, or out of, this house; he carried these qualities into all he did; carry across the street, over the bridge, through the woods, around or round the corner; beyond the river; the cable was carried under the sea. <hr /> <h3>CATASTROPHE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>calamity,</td><td>denouement,</td><td>mischance,</td><td>mishap,</td></tr> <tr><td>cataclysm,</td><td>disaster,</td><td>misfortune,</td><td>sequel.</td></tr> </table> A cataclysm or catastrophe is some great convulsion or momentous event that may or may not be a cause of misery to man. In calamity, or disaster, the thought of human suffering is always present. It has been held by many geologists that numerous catastrophes or cataclysms antedated the existence of man. In literature, the final event of a drama is the catastrophe, or denouement. Misfortune ordinarily suggests less of suddenness and violence than calamity or disaster, and is especially applied to that which is lingering or enduring in its effects. In history, the end of every great war or the fall of a nation is a catastrophe, tho it may not be a calamity. Yet such an event, if not a calamity to the race, will always involve much individual disaster and misfortune. Pestilence is a calamity; a defeat in battle, a shipwreck, or a failure in business is a disaster; sickness or loss of property is a misfortune; failure to meet a friend is a mischance; the breaking of a teacup is a mishap. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>benefit,</td><td>boon,</td><td>favor,</td><td>pleasure,</td><td>prosperity,</td></tr> <tr><td>blessing,</td><td>comfort,</td><td>help,</td><td>privilege,</td><td>success.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Preposition:</h4> The catastrophe of a play; of a siege; rarely, to a person, etc. <hr /> <h3>CATCH.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>apprehend,</td><td>comprehend,</td><td>grasp,</td><td>overtake,</td><td>snatch,</td></tr> <tr><td>capture,</td><td>discover,</td><td>grip,</td><td>secure,</td><td>take,</td></tr> <tr><td>clasp,</td><td>ensnare,</td><td>gripe,</td><td>seize,</td><td>take hold of.</td></tr> <tr><td>clutch,</td><td>entrap,</td><td colspan="3">lay hold of (on, upon),</td></tr> </table> To catch is to come up with or take possession of something departing, fugitive, or illusive. We catch a runaway horse, a flying ball, a mouse in a trap. We clutch with a swift, tenacious movement of the fingers; we grasp with a firm but moderate closure of the whole hand; we grip or gripe with the strongest muscular closure of the whole hand possible to exert. We clasp in the arms. We snatch with a quick, sudden, and usually a surprising motion. In the figurative sense, catch is used of any act that brings a person or thing into our power or possession; as, to catch a criminal in the act; to catch an idea, in the sense of apprehend or comprehend. Compare ARREST. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>fail of,</td><td>give up,</td><td>lose,</td><td>release,</td><td>throw aside,</td></tr> <tr><td>fall short of,</td><td>let go,</td><td>miss,</td><td>restore,</td><td>throw away.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> To catch at a straw; to catch a fugitive by the collar; to catch a ball with the left hand; he caught the disease from the patient; the thief was caught in the act; the bird in the snare. <hr /> <h3>CAUSE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>actor,</td><td>causality,</td><td>designer,</td><td>occasion,</td><td>precedent,</td></tr> <tr><td>agent,</td><td>causation,</td><td>former,</td><td>origin,</td><td>reason,</td></tr> <tr><td>antecedent,</td><td>condition,</td><td>fountain,</td><td>originator,</td><td>source,</td></tr> <tr><td>author,</td><td>creator,</td><td>motive,</td><td>power,</td><td>spring.</td></tr> </table> The efficient cause, that which makes anything to be or be done, is the common meaning of the word, as in the saying "There is no effect without a cause." Every man instinctively recognizes himself acting through will as the cause of his own actions. The Creator is the Great First Cause of all things. A condition is something that necessarily precedes a result, but does not produce it. An antecedent simply precedes a result, with or without any agency in producing it; as, Monday is the invariable antecedent of Tuesday, but not the cause of it. The direct antonym of cause is effect, while that of antecedent is consequent. An occasion is some event which brings a cause into action at a particular moment; gravitation and heat are the causes of an avalanche; the steep incline of the mountain-side is a necessary condition, and the shout of the traveler may be the occasion of its fall. Causality is the doctrine or principle of causes, causation the action or working of causes. Compare DESIGN; REASON. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>consequence,</td><td>development,</td><td>end,</td><td>fruit,</td><td>outcome,</td><td>product,</td></tr> <tr><td>creation,</td><td>effect,</td><td>event,</td><td>issue,</td><td>outgrowth,</td><td>result.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> The cause of the disaster; cause for interference. <hr /> <h3>CEASE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>abstain,</td><td>desist,</td><td>give over,</td><td>quit,</td></tr> <tr><td>bring to an end,</td><td>discontinue,</td><td>intermit,</td><td>refrain,</td></tr> <tr><td>come to an end,</td><td>end,</td><td>leave off,</td><td>stop,</td></tr> <tr><td>conclude,</td><td>finish,</td><td>pause,</td><td>terminate.</td></tr> </table> Strains of music may gradually or suddenly cease. A man quits work on the instant; he may discontinue a practise gradually; he quits suddenly and completely; he stops short in what he may or may not resume; he pauses in what he will probably resume. What intermits or is intermitted returns again, as a fever that intermits. Compare ABANDON; DIE; END; REST. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>begin,</td><td>enter upon,</td><td>initiate,</td><td>originate,</td><td>set going,</td><td>set on foot,</td></tr> <tr><td>commence,</td><td>inaugurate,</td><td>institute,</td><td>set about,</td><td>set in operation,</td><td>start.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Preposition:</h4> Cease from anger. <hr /> <h3>CELEBRATE.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>commemorate,</td><td>keep,</td><td>observe,</td><td>solemnize.</td></tr> </table> To celebrate any event or occasion is to make some demonstration of respect or rejoicing because of or in memory of it, or to perform such public rites or ceremonies as it properly demands. We celebrate the birth, commemorate the death of one beloved or honored. We celebrate a national anniversary with music and song, with firing of guns and ringing of bells; we commemorate by any solemn and thoughtful service, or by a monument or other enduring memorial. We keep the Sabbath, solemnize a marriage, observe an anniversary; we celebrate or observe the Lord's Supper in which believers commemorate the sufferings and death of Christ. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>contemn,</td><td>dishonor,</td><td>forget,</td><td>neglect,</td><td>profane,</td></tr> <tr><td>despise,</td><td>disregard,</td><td>ignore,</td><td>overlook,</td><td>violate.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> We celebrate the day with appropriate ceremonies; the victory was celebrated by the people, with rejoicing. <hr /> <h3>CENTER.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>middle,</td><td>midst.</td></tr> </table> We speak of the center of a circle, the middle of a room, the middle of the street, the midst of a forest. The center is equally distant from every point of the circumference of a circle, or from the opposite boundaries on each axis of a parallelogram, etc.; the middle is more general and less definite. The center is a point; the middle may be a line or a space. We say at the center; in the middle. Midst commonly implies a group or multitude of surrounding objects. Compare synonyms for AMID. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>bound,</td><td>boundary,</td><td>circumference,</td><td>perimeter,</td><td>rim.</td></tr> </table> <hr /> <h3>CHAGRIN.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>confusion,</td><td>discomposure,</td><td>humiliation,</td><td>shame,</td></tr> <tr><td>disappointment,</td><td>dismay,</td><td>mortification,</td><td>vexation.</td></tr> </table> Chagrin unites disappointment with some degree of humiliation. A rainy day may bring disappointment; needless failure in some enterprise brings chagrin. Shame involves the consciousness of fault, guilt, or impropriety; chagrin of failure of judgment, or harm to reputation. A consciousness that one has displayed his own ignorance will cause him mortification, however worthy his intent; if there was a design to deceive, the exposure will cover him with shame. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>delight,</td><td>exultation,</td><td>glory,</td><td>rejoicing,</td><td>triumph.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> He felt deep chagrin at (because of, on account of) failure. <hr /> <h3>CHANGE, v.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>alter,</td><td>exchange,</td><td>shift,</td><td>transmute,</td></tr> <tr><td>commute,</td><td>metamorphose,</td><td>substitute,</td><td>turn,</td></tr> <tr><td>convert,</td><td>modify,</td><td>transfigure,</td><td>vary,</td></tr> <tr><td>diversify,</td><td>qualify,</td><td>transform,</td><td>veer.</td></tr> </table> To change is distinctively to make a thing other than it has been, in some respect at least; to exchange to put or take something else in its place; to alter is ordinarily to change partially, to make different in one or more particulars. To exchange is often to transfer ownership; as, to exchange city for country property. Change is often used in the sense of exchange; as, to change horses. To transmute is to change the qualities while the substance remains the same; as, to transmute the baser metals into gold. To transform is to change form or appearance, with or without deeper and more essential change; it is less absolute than transmute, tho sometimes used for that word, and is often used in a spiritual sense as transmute could not be; "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind," Rom. xii, 2. Transfigure is, as in its Scriptural use, to change in an exalted and glorious spiritual way; "Jesus ... was transfigured before them, and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light," Matt. xvii, 1, 2. To metamorphose is to make some remarkable change, ordinarily in external qualities, but often in structure, use, or chemical constitution, as of a caterpillar into a butterfly, of the stamens of a plant into petals, or of the crystalline structure of rocks, hence called "metamorphic rocks," as when a limestone is metamorphosed into a marble. To vary is to change from time to time, often capriciously. To commute is to put something easier, lighter, milder, or in some way more favorable in place of that which is commuted; as, to commute capital punishment to imprisonment for life; to commute daily fares on a railway to a monthly payment. To convert (L. con, with, and verto, turn) is to primarily turn about, and signifies to change in form, character, use, etc., through a wide range of relations; iron is converted into steel, joy into grief, a sinner into a saint. To turn is a popular word for change in any sense short of the meaning of exchange, being often equivalent to alter, convert, transform, transmute, etc. We modify or qualify a statement which might seem too strong; we modify it by some limitation, qualify it by some addition. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>abide,</td><td>continue,</td><td>hold,</td><td>persist,</td><td>retain,</td></tr> <tr><td>bide,</td><td>endure,</td><td>keep,</td><td>remain,</td><td>stay.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> To change a home toilet for a street dress; to change from a caterpillar to or into a butterfly; to change clothes with a beggar. <hr /> <h3>CHANGE, n.</h3> <h4>Synonyms:</h4> <table class="tbs" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>alteration,</td><td>mutation,</td><td>renewing,</td><td>transmutation,</td></tr> <tr><td>conversion,</td><td>novelty,</td><td>revolution,</td><td>variation,</td></tr> <tr><td>diversity,</td><td>regeneration,</td><td>transformation,</td><td>variety,</td></tr> <tr><td>innovation,</td><td>renewal,</td><td>transition,</td><td>vicissitude.</td></tr> </table> A change is a passing from one state or form to another, any act or process by which a thing becomes unlike what it was before, or the unlikeness so produced; we say a change was taking place, or the change that had taken place was manifest. Mutation is a more formal word for change, often suggesting repeated or continual change; as, the mutations of fortune. Novelty is a change to what is new, or the newness of that to which a change is made; as, he was perpetually desirous of novelty. Revolution is specifically and most commonly a change of government. Variation is a partial change in form, qualities, etc., but especially in position or action; as, the variation of the magnetic needle or of the pulse. Variety is a succession of changes or an intermixture of different things, and is always thought of as agreeable. Vicissitude is sharp, sudden, or violent change, always thought of as surprising and often as disturbing or distressing; as, the vicissitudes of politics. Transition is change by passing from one place or state to another, especially in a natural, regular, or orderly way; as, the transition from spring to summer, or from youth to manhood. An innovation is a change that breaks in upon an established order or custom; as, an innovation in religion or politics. For the distinctions between the other words compare the synonyms for CHANGE, v. In the religious sense regeneration is the vital renewing of the soul by the power of the divine Spirit; conversion is the conscious and manifest change from evil to good, or from a lower to a higher spiritual state; as, in Luke xxii, 32, "when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." In popular use conversion is the most common word to express the idea of regeneration. <h4>Antonyms:</h4> <table class="tba" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td>constancy,</td><td>fixedness,</td><td>invariability,</td><td>steadiness,</td></tr> <tr><td>continuance,</td><td>fixity,</td><td>permanence,</td><td>unchangeableness,</td></tr> <tr><td>firmness,</td><td>identity,</td><td>persistence,</td><td>uniformity.</td></tr> </table> <h4>Prepositions:</h4> We have made a change for the better; the change from winter to spring; the change of a liquid to or into a gas; a change in quality; a change by absorption or oxidation. <hr /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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