Wordmaster List 3
conform
intransitive verb
to be or act in accordance or compliance with an established
standard or norm.
He found it difficult to conform to the strict rules of the military
academy.
All highway signs must conform to standards established by the
state.
1.She refused to conform to society's expectations of her as a woman.
synonyms:
accommodate, accord, adjust, assimilate, comply, play
antonyms:
diverge, rebel, vary
similar words:
adapt, assimilate, correspond, square
to show similarity or become similar in nature or appearance.
Her true self does not conform to everyone's image of her.
synonyms:
accord, agree, assimilate
2.
antonyms:
differ
similar words:
coordinate, correspond, fit, harmonize, match
related words: accede, acclimate, adjust, coincide, comport, consort,
mind, obey, suit, tally
transitive verb
to bring into compliance or harmony.
He was forced to conform his behavior.
synonyms:
1.
adjust, regulate, suit
similar words:
accommodate, adapt, assimilate, coordinate, fit, harmonize,
match, reconcile, square, suit
to make similar in nature or appearance.
He conformed his way of speaking to the local dialect.
synonyms:
2.
regulate
similar words:
coordinate, fit, harmonize, match
related words: fashion, fulfill, proportion, uniform
curtail
transitive verb
to make shorter; cut off part of.
As time was running short, the speaker curtailed her presentation.
A limited budget forced them to curtail their spending.
synonyms:
abridge, clip, cut, prune, shorten
antonyms:
extend, lengthen, prolong, protract
similar words:
abbreviate, abridge, curb, decrease, pare, prune, reduce,
retrench, slash, trim, truncate
related words: commute, lower, nip, stunt
exult
intransitive verb
to rejoice greatly, esp. over some triumph.
The villain exulted in his triumph over the hero.
The football fans exulted in their win.
She exulted when she heard the news of her promotion.
synonyms:
glory, joy, jubilate, rejoice, revel, triumph
antonyms:
bemoan, lament, sorrow
similar words:
celebrate, crow, revel
related words: delight, gloat, rejoice, thrill
festoon
noun
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like,
1.
suspended at the ends and hung in a curve.
2.a representation of such a chain, as in sculpture or pottery.
transitive verb
1.to decorate with or as with festoons.
2.to connect or make into the form of a festoon.
related words: adorn, crown, decorate, drape, embellish, garnish,
ornament, trick, trim
helm
noun
equipment used for steering a ship, esp. a wheel or tiller.
1.
The captain stood at the ship's helm.
a position of directing or having control.
2.
Who will be at the helm of the company next year?
transitive verb
to steer or guide.
implore
transitive verb
to beg urgently of (someone) or for (something); beseech.
Desperate, he implored his sister to reason with their father.
I implore you to reconsider this serious decision.
He implored his friend's help in the matter.
She implored her father's blessing.
I implore this one favor of you.
synonyms:
beg, beseech, crave, cry, entreat, plead with, supplicate
similar words:
adjure, petition, supplicate, urge
related words: ask, exhort, pray, request, solicit, wish
intransitive verb
to beg or plead urgently.
No matter how you implore, he will not listen.
synonyms:
appeal, beg, beseech, entreat, plead, supplicate
similar words:
appeal, importune, plead, supplicate, urge
related words: exhort, petition, pray
incite
transitive verb
to bring about or cause (a disruptive action).
Her passionate speech incited a rebellion.
synonyms:
1.
abet, actuate, instigate, pick, prompt, provoke, stimulate, stir,
stir up
antonyms:
stifle, suppress
similar words:
foment, inspire
to provoke (someone) to act.
This pamphlet will incite the workers to strike.
synonyms:
abet, actuate, arouse, drive, egg on, excite, impel, move,
prick, prod, prompt, provoke, rouse, stimulate, stir, stir up,
2.
urge
antonyms:
deter, discourage, restrain
similar words:
agitate, animate, arouse, encourage, excite, goad, induce,
inflame, motivate, prod, push, rouse, urge
related words: agitate, carry, defy, draw, exhort, fan, fire, irritate,
kindle, lash, occasion, provoke, spur, taunt, tempt, warm, work
inkling
noun
a vague or partial idea or understanding.
I had no inkling of your intentions.
1.
synonyms:
glimpse, idea
a vague or partial suggestion; hint or clue.
I had an inkling of what my birthday present might be.
2.
synonyms:
clue, glimmer, glimpse, idea, intuition, lead
related words: gleam, hint, impression, knowledge, note
intelligible
adjective
capable of being clearly understood; comprehensible.
Her writing is barely intelligible.
synonyms:
lucid
antonyms:
impenetrable, unintelligible
related words: accountable, articulate, coherent, easy, limpid,
luminous, plain
jubilant
adjective
having or expressing great joy; exultant.
After the announcement that their candidate had won, the crowd was
jubilant.
synonyms:
beatific, blissful, ecstatic, elated, elated, enraptured, exultant,
joyful, joyous, overjoyed, rapturous
antonyms:
despondent
similar words:
blessed, delighted, happy, thrilled, transported, triumphant
related words: cheerful
maelstrom
noun
an exceptionally turbulent or powerful whirlpool.
1.similar words:
chute, eddy, riptide, turbulence, vortex, whirlpool
any turbulent or overpowering situation.
synonyms:
2.
turbulence, turmoil, vortex, whirlpool
similar words:
chaos, commotion, unrest, whirl, whirlwind
maverick
noun
a person who thinks and behaves independently, esp. one who
refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she
belongs.
The priest's radical views made him a maverick among his fellow
priests.
1.synonyms:
nonconformist
antonyms:
conformist, follower
similar words:
dissident, heretic, nonconformist, rebel, trailblazer
an unbranded or motherless calf or colt.
2.similar words:
orphan
related words: deviate, irregular, original, waif
obscure
adjective
weakly or poorly illuminated.
He stumbled in the obscure hallway.
synonyms:
1.
dark, dim
similar words:
black, dusky, gloomy, murky, somber, sunless, tenebrous,
unlit
appearing faint or indistinct.
We could just make out an obscure figure in the fog.
synonyms:
dim, faint, indistinct, nebulous, vague
2.
antonyms:
clear, plain
similar words:
hazy, imperceptible, indiscernible, shadowy
inconspicuous or little known.
He had been an obscure author before the publication of his fifth
novel.
I was born in an obscure little town along the coast.
synonyms:
3.
inconspicuous, unrenowned
antonyms:
distinguished, famed, famous, notable, public, well-known
similar words:
hidden, insignificant, nameless, out-of-the-way,
undistinguished, unheard-of, unsung
not clear in expression or meaning; uncertain or ambiguous.
Her style of writing is at times obscure.
synonyms:
ambiguous, cloudy, muddy, murky, nebulous, opaque,
uncertain, unclear, vague
4.
antonyms:
apparent, clear, lucid, obvious
similar words:
abstruse, cloudy, cryptic, equivocal, esoteric, indefinite,
murky, vague
related words: abstract, blind, dark, deep, dense, dim, enigmatic,
feeble, fuzzy, incomprehensible, indistinguishable, invisible,
mysterious, neutral, twilight, uncertain, unintelligible
transitive verb
to dim (perception) or conceal (something perceived).
Old age can obscure one's vision.
A woman's large hat obscured our view of the screen.
synonyms:
becloud, bedim, blot, eclipse, obstruct, occult
1.
antonyms:
enhance, reveal
similar words:
block, blur, cloud, conceal, cover, darken, dim, fog, mask,
screen, shroud, weaken
to make unclear in meaning.
The point of her remark was obscured by flowery phrases.
synonyms:
becloud, confuse, evade, fog, muddy, obfuscate
2.
antonyms:
clear, illuminate, illumine
similar words:
befog, blur, fog, perplex
related words: becloud, black, blacken, blind, cloak, complicate,
extinguish, involve, obstruct, overshadow, veil
palpable
adjective
easy to sense or perceive; obvious.
her palpable nervousness
a palpable lie
synonyms:
clear-cut, conspicuous, noticeable, overt, patent, tangible
1.antonyms:
impalpable
similar words:
apparent, blatant, clear, distinct, evident, manifest, noticeable,
obvious, outright, perceptible, plain, tangible, unmistakable,
visible
able to be touched, felt, or handled.
a palpable change in temperature
synonyms:
perceptible, tangible
2.
antonyms:
impalpable
similar words:
appreciable, concrete, evident, material, noticeable, objective,
perceivable, perceptible, physical, solid, tactile
related words: clear, concrete, evident, material, objective, outright,
perceptible, physical, plain, salient, sensible, solid, substantial,
unmistakable
penitent
adjective
feeling or showing sorrow or regret for having done wrong.
After seeing how much he'd hurt her feelings, he was truly penitent.
The penitent sinner prayed for forgiveness.
synonyms:
contrite, guilty, remorseful, repentant
antonyms:
impenitent, unrepentant
similar words:
abject, apologetic, regretful, rueful, sorry
related words: bad
noun
someone who feels or expresses remorse or sorrow for wrongdoing;
someone who repents.
synonyms:
1.
confessor, repenter
similar words:
penitential, prodigal son, sinner
in the Roman Catholic Church, a person who does penance after
confessing sins.
synonyms:
2.
penitential
similar words:
flagellant
pigment
noun
anything that is used to or serves to provide color.
Chlorophyll is a plant pigment.
synonyms:
1.
color, colorant, coloring, tincture
similar words:
dye, dyestuff, paint, stain, tint
a powdered substance that can be suspended in oil, water, or the
2.
like to make a coloring material such as paint or ink.
transitive verb
to treat with a pigment so as to color.
synonyms:
color, dye, tincture
similar words:
paint, shade, stain, tinge, tint
related words: color
intransitive verb
to become colored by or as if by a pigment.
synonyms:
color, dye
similar words:
shade, stain
related words: color
poach1
intransitive verb
to hunt, fish, or trap illegally or on another's land.
related words:
steal
transitive verb
1.to enter (another's land) illegally in order to hunt, fish, or trap.
2.to steal (fish or game) from another's land.
related words: steal
poach2
transitive verb
to cook by boiling or simmering in water or other liquid.
synonyms:
boil, coddle
quench
transitive verb
to satisfy (a desire such as thirst).
The cold water quenched my thirst.
synonyms:
1.
appease, assuage, sate, satiate, satisfy, slake
similar words:
allay, alleviate, appease, assuage, surfeit
2.to extinguish or put out (a fire).
The terrifying blaze was not easily quenched.
synonyms:
douse, extinguish, slake
similar words:
dampen, douse, drench, smother, snuff
to suppress or overcome.
Her coldness quenched his ardor.
synonyms:
3.
dampen, extinguish, suppress
similar words:
conquer, crush, dispel, drown, overcome, overwhelm, quash,
quell, repress, squash, squelch, subdue
related words: sate, satiate, satisfy, stifle, suppress, throttle
remorse
noun
a sincere, often painful sense of regret for past misdeeds.
The murderer felt no remorse for his crime.
synonyms:
compunction, contrition, guilt, penitence, regret, repentance,
rue, shame
related words: compunction, misgiving
stanch (staunch)1
transitive verb
to cause (a liquid, esp. blood) to stop flowing.
1.synonyms:
stem
2.to cause (a cut, wound, drip, or the like) to stop giving off liquid.
related words: stop
intransitive verb
of a liquid, esp. blood, to cease to flow.
staunch1
transitive verb & intransitive verb
variant of stanch1.
staunch (stanch)2
adjective
1.dependable, firm, and loyal.
He is not religious at all, but his parents are staunch believers.
The candidate has many staunch supporters.
He was a staunch friend to her throughout her illness.
synonyms:
fast, firm, good, stalwart, steadfast, strong
antonyms:
disloyal, unfaithful, unreliable
similar words:
constant, dependable, devoted, faithful, firm, loyal, resolute,
solid, steady, stout, true, unwavering
strong, sturdy, and tight in construction, as a ship or building.
synonyms:
robust, solid, sturdy, substantial
2.
similar words:
durable, firm, impermeable, rugged, sound, stable, strong,
substantial, tight, tough, watertight
related words: athletic, fast, impregnable, patient, powerful, reliable,
secure, trustworthy
taint
transitive verb
to slightly corrupt or pollute.
Her surly manner tainted her beauty.
Sulfur tainted the water supply.
synonyms:
adulterate, blemish, cloud, contaminate, defile, mar, pollute,
1.
sully, vitiate
antonyms:
enhance, purify
similar words:
adulterate, contaminate, corrupt, debase, infect, pollute, spoil
to tarnish, as with moral wrongness.
Their victory was tainted by the suspicion that they had cheated.
synonyms:
2.
defile, degrade, pollute, stain, sully, tarnish
similar words:
corrupt, debase, infect, smear, spoil
related words: blacken, canker, color, defile, disgrace, mar, poison,
rot, soil, sully
intransitive verb
to become tainted.
synonyms: tarnish
similar words: corrupt, decay, degrade, go, rot, spoil, turn
related words: putrefy, tarnish
noun
a small amount of something harmful, offensive, unhealthy, or the
like.
synonyms:
1.
adulterant, contaminant, pollutant, virus
similar words:
canker, poison
a hint or trace of moral wrongness.
the taint of associating with a criminal
synonyms:
2.
blemish, smear, stain
similar words:
blot, spot, tarnish
related words: vice
trepidation
noun
a condition of anxiety or dread; alarm.
She was filled with trepidation, but she finally found the courage to
ask for a promotion.
synonyms:
alarm, anxiety, apprehension, disquiet, dread, fear, horror,
1.
nervousness
antonyms:
calm, collectedness
similar words:
consternation, misgiving, panic, qualm
a quiver or vibration.
Trepidations from the eruption were felt for some months afterward.
synonyms:
2.
quiver, tremor, vibration
similar words:
jar, jolt, quake, shake
related words: apprehension, dismay, nerve
trivial
adjective
having little value or importance; insignificant.
There had been a few trivial complaints, but most people seemed to be
happy with the library's renovation.
After reading many trivial student essays, the instructor was pleased
to find one with a good deal of substance.
She thought her symptoms were trivial and had not believed it
necessary to see a doctor.
synonyms:
futile, idle, indifferent, insignificant, negligible, niggling,
nugatory, petty, slight, small, trifling, unimportant, vain
antonyms:
big, grave, grievous, gross, important, momentous, serious,
weighty
similar words:
dinky, frivolous, incidental, inconsequential, lightweight,
meaningless, mickey mouse, minor, negligible, niggling, paltry,
picayune, piddling, worthless
related words: empty, flimsy, insignificant, light, nonessential, pitiful,
puny, scrub, shallow, slight, slim, superficial, surface, vile
turbulence
noun
the chaotic motion within some swiftly moving or changing air or
water currents.
1.similar words:
agitation, cataclysm, disturbance, eddy, maelstrom, squall,
storm, swirl, tempest, vortex, whirl, whirlpool
violence, commotion, or unrest.
the political turbulence of the last three decades
synonyms:
agitation, commotion, convulsion, disorder, disruption,
2.
disturbance, furor, maelstrom, storm, tempest, tumult,
turmoil, unrest, upheaval, violence
similar words:
ado, chaos, disarray, disorder, pandemonium, riot, ruckus,
uprising, uproar, upset, violence
related words: disturbance, fury, gale, maelstrom, tumult
whet
transitive verb
to sharpen the cutting edge of (a knife or tool); hone.
He carefully whetted the blade of his dagger.
1.
synonyms:
grind
antonyms:
blunt
to make keener, as appetite or curiosity; stimulate.
Reading his first novel whetted my appetite for his next one.
2.
antonyms:
cloy, dull, surfeit
related words: excite, interest, sharpen, strap, tantalize, tease
noun
1.the act of whetting.
2.something such as a stone used to sharpen.
3.that which stimulates; appetizer.
related words: appetizer, taste