Synonyms
Synonyms are words of the same grammatical class (nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.) that have similar
meaning. No word means exactly the same as any other word and, therefore, there are no exact
synonyms in English.
Certain words may convey the same general notion, e.g. slay, kill, murder, execute and slaughter.
Though they are used in different senses and in different contexts, they may be treated as synonyms.
Read the examples given below.
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He was slain on the battlefield.
He was killed in action.
The robbers killed him and looted his property.
He was murdered in cold blood.
The criminal was executed.
The sheep were all slaughtered.
A list of synonyms is given below. No such list, of course, can be comprehensive. Students may refer to
Rogert’s Thesaurus for a further list of synonyms.
abbreviate – abridge, shorten
abstain – refrain
absurd – ridiculous
accomplish – achieve, perform
adversity – calamity, misfortune
adversary – opponent, enemy
alteration – change
amusement – diversion, recreation
anger – ire, wrath, rage
ascend – rise, soar, climb
authentic – genuine
autocrat – despot, tyrant
avaricious – greedy
aversion – dislike, antipathy
bias – prejudice
blend – mix, mingle
bondage – slavery
brave – courageous, bold
brief – concise, short
brisk – vigorous
cause – reason
check – restrain, stop, curb
command – order
compel – coerce, force
competition – rivalry
comprehend – understand, grasp
confer – grant
confess – admit
confuse – confound, perplex
conscious – aware
contemplate – meditate
contrary – opposite
couple – pair, brace
courteous – polite, civil
degeneration – deterioration
deplorable – regrettable, lamentable
despise – scorn, disdain
deny – refuse
dexterous – clever, skilful
dismal –gloomy
divide – part, separate
dizzy – giddy, dazed, unsteady
eccentric – peculiar, odd
efficient – able, competent
emphasise – stress
endure – suffer, tolerate
energy – force, vigour
enormous – huge, immense
error – mistake, blunder
eternal – timeless, perpetual
famous – celebrated, renowned
feeble – weak, infirm
felicity – happiness, bliss
ferocious – fierce, savage
flashy – showy, gaudy
foolish – silly, stupid
frailty – weakness, failing, foible
frank – candid, open
general – universal
gentle – tender, mild, kind
gigantic – huge, stupendous
giggle – laugh, titter
grave – sober, serious
grief – sorrow, pain, agony
guard- defend, protect
habit – custom, practice
hasty – rash
hazardous – risky
heave – lift, raise
hideous – repulsive, ugly
hinder – obstruct, prevent
holy – sacred
humble – meek
idle – lazy, indolent
illegal – unlawful, lawless
impudent – impertinent, insolent
incite – instigate, provoke
include – comprise
increase – enlarge, augment
irritation – vexation, annoyance
jealous – envious
jeer – mock, sneer
just – fair, impartial
juvenile – youthful
keen – sharp
keeper – custodian
kind – benevolent
king – monarch, ruler
labour – work, toil
laconic – brief, concise
latent – dormant, hidden
lax – loose, negligent, careless
learning – knowledge, scholarship
lenient – tolerant, gentle, mild
liberal – generous
liberty – freedom, independence
lie – falsehood
loyal – faithful, true
mad – insane
magnificent – splendid, stately
magnify – exaggerate, glorify
malady – illness, disease
marvel – miracle, wonder
miserly – stingy, closefisted, niggardly
misery – suffering, tribulation
modest – bashful, unassuming
mourn – lament
naïve – artless, simple
nasty – filthy, dirty
need – necessity
noble – lofty, illustrious
norm – standard
novice – beginner
obscene – filthy, indecent
observe – watch, remark
obstacle – hindrance
obstinate – stubborn
obvious – clear, evident
occurrence – event, happening
odd – strange, peculiar
opportunity – occasion
option – choice
pardon – forgive, excuse
permit – allow
pious – devout, godly, religious
precise – exact
premature – hasty
proficient – adept, expert
profuse – lavish, extravagant
progeny – offspring, descendants
project – plan, scheme
prudent – discreet, wise, sagacious
quake – shake
queer – strange, eccentric
quest – search
quit – leave, depart
quiver – tremble, shiver
rare – scarce, infrequent
recover – regain, retrieve
remember – recollect, recall
reserved – reticent
respect – esteem, regard
restraint – restriction, curb
revenge – vengeance, retribution
reverence – veneration
rude – impolite, discourteous
savage – barbarous, cruel
scold – rebuke, reprove, reprimand, censure
secret – hidden
sense – meaning, import
severe – stern, strict
shy – bashful, coy
slander – defamation
sly – crafty, cunning
solitary – lonely
superfluous – unnecessary, needless
sympathy – compassion, fellow-feeling
tacit – silent, unspoken
teach – instruct, educate
tedious – tiresome
tender – soft, delicate
thin – slender, lean
thrifty – frugal, economical
thrive – prosper, flourish
timid – shy, diffident
tradition – custom, convention
transparent – clear, lucid
ubiquitous – omnipotent
ultimate – final, last
usual – common, ordinary
vacant – empty, void
vanquish – conquer, defeat
venom – poison
vulgar – coarse, indecent
winsome – charming, attractive
wizard – magician
zeal – enthusiasm
Antonyms
Antonyms are words of the same grammatical class that have opposite meanings.
A list of antonyms is given below. For a comprehensive list, consult a good thesaurus.
above – below, beneath
abstract – concrete
accept – reject
acquit – condemn
advance – retreat
affirm – deny
affluence – poverty
aggravate – alleviate, lessen
agree – differ
allow – forbid
analysis – synthesis
ancestor – descendant
ancient – modern
aristocrat – commoner
arrive – depart
ascent – descent
assent – dissent
asset – liability
attract – repel
awake – asleep
barren – fertile
base – noble
beautiful – ugly
belief – doubt
benediction – malediction
benevolent – malevolent
bold – timid
boom – slump
bravery – cowardice
bright – dim, dull
carnal – spiritual
centrifugal – centripetal
cheap – dear, costly
cheerful – gloomy
clean – dirty
clever – stupid
common – rare
compulsory – optional
concord – discord
confident – diffident
create – destroy
dark – light
dawn – dusk
debtor – creditor
deep – shallow
defensive – offensive
deliberate – unintentional, accidental
diligent – crazy
dilute – concentrated
dwarf – giant
elevation – depression
exclude – include
exit – entrance
exotic – indigenous
expand – contract
explicit – implicit
external – internal
extravagant – frugal, thrifty
famous – obscure
fast – loose, slow
fat – lean, thin
fictitious – real
forget – remember
frequent – rare
fresh – stale
friendly – hostile
full – empty
gain – loss
gather – scatter
general – particular, special
generous – mean
gradual – abrupt, sudden
guilty – innocent
harsh – gentle
hasty – leisurely
hate – love
haughty – meek
heavy – light
high – low
hit – miss
hollow – solid
honour – shame
hope – despair
host- guest
hurt – heal
ideal – actual
idle – busy
imagination – reality
increase – decrease
industrious – indolent, lazy
inferior – superior
inhale – exhale
input – output
joy – sorrow
junior – senior
kind – cruel
kindle – extinguish
knowledge – ignorance
lament – rejoice
later – earlier
latter – former
lead – follow
lend – borrow
let – hire
liberate – enslave
literal – figurative
loose – tight
lose – find
major – minor
many – few
masculine – feminine
material – spiritual
maximum – minimum
memory – oblivion
mild – severe, stern
miser – spendthrift
monogamy – polygamy
monotony – variety, diversity
naïve – sophisticated
narrow – broad
native – foreign
natural – artificial
negative – positive
neutral – partial
observe – reverse
odd – even
offer – refuse
often – seldom
omission – commission
optimistic – pessimistic
oral – written
oriental – occidental
original – duplicate, copy
ostensible – actual
partly – wholly
permanent – temporary
permit – prohibit
pleasure – pain
practice – theory
pragmatic – idealistic
praise – blame
precede – succeed
pride – humility
profit – loss
progress – regress
progressive – retrograde
promote – demote
public – private
quiet – noisy
queer – normal
rash – cautious, careful
rapid – slow, leisurely
recede – advance
relative – absolute
reluctant – ready, willing
reserved – sociable
resist – submit
retail – wholesale
reward – punish
rigid – flexible
ripe – raw
rise – fall, set
rough – smooth
rude – polite
sacred – secular, profane
safe – risky, dangerous
saint – sinner
servant – master
sharp – blunt
simple – complex, complicated
sink - swim, float
smile – frown
sober – drunk, rash
solid – liquid
straight – crooked, curved
strait – broad
strange – familiar
subjective – objective
succeed – fail
sure – doubtful
sweet – bitter, sour
sympathy – antipathy
tall – short
tense – relaxed
terrestrial – celestial
thick – thin
tight – loose, slack
top – bottom
tranquil – disturbed, agitated
transparent – opaque
triumph – defeat
trivial – important
true – false
unite – separate
upper – lower
upright – dishonest
urban – rural
urbane – rude, uncultured
vacant – occupied
vague – clear, definite
vertical – horizontal
victory – defeat
virtue – vice
voluntary – compulsory
wake – sleep
wax – wane
wealth – poverty
wide – narrow
win – lose
wise – foolish
zenith – nadir
Euphemisms
Euphemisms are often used in speech to gloss over unpleasant facts. When writing it is better to be more
direct.
In the examples given below, euphemisms are written in bold letters. All these sentences can be rewritten
using another word instead of the euphemism.
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Old Tom is pushing up the daisies. (Old Tom is dead.)
The boy next door is a little careless of the truth. (The boy next door is a liar.)
Aunt Martha has become hard of hearing lately. (Aunt Martha has become deaf lately.)
The boys like to bend the elbow after playing rugby. (The boys like to drink after playing rugby.)
My uncle was under the weather when he came home. (My uncle was drunk when he came
home.)
My grandmother passed away last week. (My grandmother died last week.)
My father is becoming thin on top. (My father is becoming bald.)
The woman next door has just had a visit from the stork. (The woman next door has just had a
baby.)
Linda has become overweight because she eats too much. (Linda has become fat because she
eats too much.)
Singular nouns with plural verbs
Groups of people
In British English, singular nouns like family, government, jury, team, committee, which refer to groups of
people, can be used with either singular or plural verbs and pronouns.
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The team is/are going to win.
Plural forms are common when the group is being regarded as a collection of people doing personal
things; and in these cases we use who, not which, as a relative pronoun. Singular forms are common
when the whole group is being thought of as an impersonal unit. Note that in these cases, we use which
as a relative pronoun.
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The committee has announced its decision. (The committee is regarded as an impersonal unit.)
The committee are divided on this issue. (The committee is regarded as a group of individuals.)
The average Indian family has 4.2 members. It is small and richer than 20 years ago.
My family have decided to move to Mumbai.
When a collective noun is used with a singular determiner (e.g. a/an, each, every, this, that), singular
verbs and pronouns are common.
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The team are full of enthusiasm.
A team which is full of enthusiasm has a better chance of winning. (More natural than A team
who are full of …)
Examples of collective nouns which can be used with both singular and plural verbs in British English are:
bank, family, party, mob, crowd, team, flock, herd, army, fleet, jury, nation, committee, government, firm,
public, choir, school, class, jury, staff, club, ministry, union etc.
In American English, a collective noun is almost always treated as singular. Note that family is an
exception to this rule. It can have a plural verb. Americans often use plural pronouns to refer to collective
nouns.
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The team is full of confidence. They are going to win.
Plural expressions with singular verbs
When we talk about amounts and quantities we usually use singular determiners, verbs and pronouns,
even if the noun is plural.
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Where is that ten pounds I lent you? (NOT Where are those ten pounds I lent you?)
Twenty miles is a long way to walk.
Six months was a long time to be away.
Fifty dollars is too much to lose.
Two singular nouns joined by or takes a singular verb.
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Petrol or kerosene is used.
Jam or butter was not available to the prisoners.
When a singular noun and a plural noun is joined by or, the verb agrees with the nearest noun. Note that
in these cases, it would be better to use the plural noun second; then a plural verb must be used.
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Bullets or a bomb is not allowed on the plane.
A melon or grapes are suitable.
Singular indefinite person
They/them/their is often used to refer to a singular indefinite person who has already been mentioned.
This is common after each, every, either, neither, someone/somebody, anyone/anybody, nobody/none,
whoever, and no.
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If any of your friends is interested, tell them to contact me.
If anybody calls, take their name and address.
Somebody left their umbrella behind yesterday.
Nobody came, did they?
This use of they/them/their is convenient when the sex of the person referred to is unknown.
Prepositional phrases
Following is a list of idiomatic prepositional phrases and examples. Always use these prepositional
phrases as units; don't substitute other prepositions.
accuse somebody of something
She accused me of stealing her purse.
acquainted with
Peter is acquainted with my cousin John.
afraid of
I am afraid of cockroaches.
agree on (a plan)
They finally agreed on a plan.
agree to (someone else's proposal)
Did Betty agree to their demands?
angry with (sometimes at) a person for doing something
She was angry with him for lying to her.
angry at/about (a thing)
The commuters are angry about the fare hike.
anxious about (=worried about)
I am getting anxious about money.
anxious for (=eager to have)
We are all anxious for an end to this misunderstanding.
approve of
Did she approve of the vacation plan?
arrive at/in
What time do we arrive at Tokyo?
bad at
She is very bad at cooking.
belong on/in (= go, fit, have its place in/on)
Those glasses belong on the top shelf.
belong to (= be a member of)
I belong to a local athletics club.
congratulate/congratulations on something
I must congratulate you on your exam results.
contrast with
The red shirt contrasts with the pink pants.
convenient for
Is Monday convenient for you?
Prepositional phrases
Following is a list of idiomatic prepositional phrases and examples. Always use these prepositional
phrases as units; don't substitute other prepositions.
deal with
How do you deal with that awful child?
depend on/ dependent on
He doesn’t want to be dependent on his parents.
die of /from
A week after the accident he died of/from his injuries.
differ from (something)
The airplane differs from the train.
differ with (a person)
I differ with your argument.
disappointed with somebody
She never showed whether she was disappointed with him.
disappointed with/at/about something
You must be pretty disappointed with/at/about your exam results.
explain something to somebody
Could you explain this rule to me?
get on (to) and off a train, plane, bus, ship, motor bike or horse
We will be getting off the train in ten minutes.
ill with
He has been ill with flu this week.
impressed with/by
I am very impressed with/by your work.
independent of
She got a job so that she could be independent of her parents.
insist on
She insisted on coming with us.
interested in
Not many people are interested in grammar.
interfere with
Homework can interfere with your social life.
kind to
Be kind to others.
be lacking in
She is lacking in tact.
Prepositional phrases
Following is a list of idiomatic prepositional phrases and examples. Always use these prepositional
phrases as units; don't substitute other prepositions.
laugh at
I hate being laughed at.
listen to
If you don’t listen to people they won’t listen to you.
look after (=take care of)
Thanks for looking after me when I was ill.
look for (=try to find)
Can you help me look for my keys?
operate on a patient
They operated on her last night.
pay for something that is bought
I will pay for the drink.
proof of
I want proof of your love. Lend me some money.
reason for
Nobody knows the reason for the accident.
reason with
You can't reason with a two-year-old.
responsible for
Who is responsible for the shopping this week?
rude to
He is rude to everybody.
shocked at/by
We are shocked at your hair color!
sorry for/about something one has done
I am sorry for/about breaking your window.
sorry for a person
I feel sorry for her.
speak to; speak with
Could I speak to/with John for a moment?
specialize in
The hairdresser must specialize in humour.
trip over
He tripped over the cat and fell downstairs.
typical of
The wine is typical of the region.
wrong with
What is wrong with you?
Prepositional phrases
Following is a list of idiomatic prepositional phrases and examples. Always use these prepositional
phrases as units; don't substitute other prepositions.
deal with
How do you deal with that awful child?
depend on/ dependent on
He doesn’t want to be dependent on his parents.
die of /from
A week after the accident he died of/from his injuries.
differ from (something)
The airplane differs from the train.
differ with (a person)
I differ with your argument.
disappointed with somebody
She never showed whether she was disappointed with him.
disappointed with/at/about something
You must be pretty disappointed with/at/about your exam results.
explain something to somebody
Could you explain this rule to me?
get on (to) and off a train, plane, bus, ship, motor bike or horse
We will be getting off the train in ten minutes.
ill with
He has been ill with flu this week.
impressed with/by
I am very impressed with/by your work.
independent of
She got a job so that she could be independent of her parents.
insist on
She insisted on coming with us.
interested in
Not many people are interested in grammar.
interfere with
Homework can interfere with your social life.
kind to
Be kind to others.
be lacking in
She is lacking in tact.
Following is a list of idiomatic prepositional phrases and examples. Always use these prepositional
phrases as units; don't substitute other prepositions.
laugh at
I hate being laughed at.
listen to
If you don’t listen to people they won’t listen to you.
look after (=take care of)
Thanks for looking after me when I was ill.
look for (=try to find)
Can you help me look for my keys?
operate on a patient
They operated on her last night.
pay for something that is bought
I will pay for the drink.
proof of
I want proof of your love. Lend me some money.
reason for
Nobody knows the reason for the accident.
reason with
You can't reason with a two-year-old.
responsible for
Who is responsible for the shopping this week?
rude to
He is rude to everybody.
shocked at/by
We are shocked at your hair color!
sorry for/about something one has done
I am sorry for/about breaking your window.
sorry for a person
I feel sorry for her.
speak to; speak with
Could I speak to/with John for a moment?
specialize in
The hairdresser must specialize in humour.
trip over
He tripped over the cat and fell downstairs.
typical of
The wine is typical of the region.
wrong with
What is wrong with you?