English Synonyms and Antonyms Part 47

Etymologically, _duty_ is that which is owed or due; _obligation_, that to or by which one is bound; _right_, that which is correct, straight, or in the direct line of truth and goodness; _responsibility_, that for which one must answer. _Duty_ and _responsibility_ are thought of as to some person or persons; _right_ is impersonal. One's _duty_ may be to others or to himself; his _obligations_ and _responsibilities_ are to others. _Duty_ arises from the nature of things; _obligation_ and _responsibility_ may be created by circ.u.mstances, as by one's own promise, or by the acceptance of a trust, etc. We speak of a parent's _duty_, a debtor's _obligation_; or of a child's _duty_ of obedience, and a parent's _responsibility_ for the child's welfare. _Right_ is that which accords with the moral system of the universe. _Righteousness_ is _right_ incarnated in action. In a more limited sense, _right_ may be used of what one may rightly claim, and so be the converse of _duty_. It is the creditor's _right_ to demand payment, and the debtor's _duty_ to pay. Compare BUSINESS.

EAGER.

Synonyms:

animated, desirous, glowing, importunate, longing, anxious, earnest, hot, intense, vehement, ardent, enthusiastic, impatient, intent, yearning, burning, fervent, impetuous, keen, zealous.

One is _eager_ who impatiently desires to accomplish some end; one is _earnest_ with a desire that is less impatient, but more deep, resolute, and constant; one is _anxious_ with a desire that foresees rather the pain of disappointment than the delight of attainment. One is _eager_ for the gratification of any appet.i.te or pa.s.sion; he is _earnest_ in conviction, purpose, or character. _Eager_ usually refers to some specific and immediate satisfaction, _earnest_ to something permanent and enduring; the patriotic soldier is _earnest_ in his devotion to his country, _eager_ for a decisive battle.

Antonyms:

apathetic, cool, indifferent, regardless, unconcerned, calm, dispa.s.sionate, negligent, stolid, uninterested, careless, frigid, phlegmatic, stony, unmindful, cold, heedless, purposeless, stupid, unmoved.

Prepositions:

Eager _for_ (more rarely _after_) favor, honor, etc.; eager _in_ pursuit.

EASE.

Synonyms:

easiness, expertness, facility, knack, readiness.

_Ease_ in the sense here considered denotes freedom from conscious or apparent effort, tax, or strain. _Ease_ may be either of condition or of action; _facility_ is always of action; _readiness_ is of action or of expected action. One lives at _ease_ who has no pressing cares; one stands at _ease_, moves or speaks with _ease_, when wholly without constraint. _Facility_ is always active; _readiness_ may be active or pa.s.sive; the speaker has _facility_ of expression, _readiness_ of wit; any appliance is in _readiness_ for use. _Ease_ of action may imply merely the possession of ample power; _facility_ always implies practise and skill; any one can press down the keys of a typewriter with _ease_; only the skilled operator works the machine with _facility_. _Readiness_ in the active sense includes much of the meaning of _ease_ with the added idea of promptness or alertness. _Easiness_ applies to the thing done, rather than to the doer. _Expertness_ applies to the more mechanical processes of body and mind; we speak of the _readiness_ of an orator, but of the _expertness_ of a gymnast. Compare COMFORTABLE; DEXTERITY; POWER.

Antonyms:

annoyance, difficulty, irritation, trouble, vexation, awkwardness, discomfort, perplexity, uneasiness, worry.

constraint, disquiet,

EDUCATION.

Synonyms:

breeding, discipline, learning, study, cultivation, information, nurture, teaching, culture, instruction, reading, training, development, knowledge, schooling, tuition.

_Education_ (L. _educere_, to lead or draw out) is the systematic development and cultivation of the mind and other natural powers.

"_Education_ is the harmonious development of all our faculties. It begins in the nursery, and goes on at school, but does not end there. It continues through life, whether we will or not.... 'Every person,' says Gibbon, 'has two educations, one which he receives from others, and one more important, which he gives himself.'" JOHN LUBBOCK _The Use of Life_ ch. vii, p. 111. [MACM. '94.] _Instruction_, the impartation of _knowledge_ by others (L. _instruere_, to build in or into) is but a part of education, often the smallest part. _Teaching_ is the more familiar and less formal word for _instruction_. _Training_ refers not merely to the impartation of _knowledge_, but to the exercising of one in actions with the design to form habits. _Discipline_ is systematic and rigorous _training_, with the idea of subjection to authority and perhaps of punishment. _Tuition_ is the technical term for _teaching_ as the business of an instructor or as in the routine of a school; _tuition_ is narrower than _teaching_, not, like the latter word, including _training_. _Study_ is emphatically what one does for himself.

We speak of the _teaching_, _training_, or _discipline_, but not of the _education_ or _tuition_ of a dog or a horse. _Breeding_ and _nurture_ include _teaching_ and _training_, especially as directed by and dependent upon home life and personal a.s.sociation; _breeding_ having reference largely to manners with such qualities as are deemed distinctively characteristic of high birth; _nurture_ (literally _nourishing_) having more direct reference to moral qualities, not overlooking the physical and mental. _Knowledge_ and _learning_ tell nothing of mental development apart from the capacity to acquire and remember, and nothing whatever of that moral development which is included in _education_ in its fullest and n.o.blest sense; _learning_, too, may be acquired by one's unaided industry, but any full _education_ must be the result in great part of _instruction_, _training_, and personal a.s.sociation. _Study_ is emphatically what one does for himself, and in which _instruction_ and _tuition_ can only point the way, encourage the student to advance, and remove obstacles; vigorous, persevering _study_ is one of the best elements of _training_. _Study_ is also used in the sense of the thing studied, a subject to be mastered by _study_, a studious pursuit. Compare KNOWLEDGE; REFINEMENT; WISDOM.

Antonyms:

ignorance, illiteracy.

Compare synonyms for IGNORANT.

EFFRONTERY.

Synonyms:

a.s.surance, boldness, hardihood, insolence, audacity, bra.s.s, impudence, shamelessness.

_Audacity_, in the sense here considered, is a reckless defiance of law, decency, public opinion, or personal rights, claims, or views, approaching the meaning of _impudence_ or _shamelessness_, but always carrying the thought of the personal risk that one disregards in such defiance; the merely _impudent_ or _shameless_ person may take no thought of consequences; the _audacious_ person recognizes and recklessly braves them. _Hardihood_ defies and disregards the rational judgment of men. _Effrontery_ (L. _effrons_, barefaced, shameless) adds to _audacity_ and _hardihood_ the special element of defiance of considerations of propriety, duty, and respect for others, yet not to the extent implied in _impudence_ or _shamelessness_. _Impudence_ disregards what is due to superiors; _shamelessness_ defies decency.

_Boldness_ is forward-stepping courage, spoken of with reference to the presence and observation of others; _boldness_, in the good sense, is courage viewed from the outside; but the word is frequently used in an unfavorable sense to indicate a lack of proper sensitiveness and modesty. Compare a.s.sURANCE; BRAVE.

Antonyms:

bashfulness, diffidence, sensitiveness, shyness, coyness, modesty, shrinking, timidity.

EGOTISM.

Synonyms:

conceit, self-a.s.sertion, self-confidence, self-esteem, egoism, self-conceit, self-consciousness, vanity.

_Egoism_ is giving the "I" undue supremacy in thought; _egotism_ is giving the "I" undue prominence in speech. _Egotism_ is sometimes used in the sense of _egoism_, or supreme regard for oneself.

_Self-a.s.sertion_ is the claim by word, act, or manner of what one believes to be his due; _self-conceit_ is an overestimate of one's own powers or deserts. _Conceit_ is a briefer expression for _self-conceit_, with always an offensive implication; _self-conceit_ is ridiculous or pitiable; _conceit_ arouses resentment. There is a worthy _self-confidence_ which springs from consciousness of rect.i.tude and of power equal to demands. _Self-a.s.sertion_ at times becomes a duty; but _self-conceit_ is always a weakness. _Self-consciousness_ is the keeping of one's thoughts upon oneself, with the constant anxious question of what others will think. _Vanity_ is an overweening admiration of self, craving equal admiration from others; _self-consciousness_ is commonly painful to its possessor, _vanity_ always a source of satisfaction, except as it fails to receive its supposed due. _Self-esteem_ is more solid and better founded than _self-conceit_; but is ordinarily a weakness, and never has the worthy sense of _self-confidence_. Compare a.s.sURANCE; PRIDE.

Antonyms:

bashfulness, humility, self-forgetfulness, un.o.btrusiveness, deference, modesty, shyness, unostentatiousness.

diffidence, self-distrust,

EMBLEM.