English Synonyms and Antonyms Part 6

agile, energetic, officious, sprightly, alert, expeditious, prompt, spry, brisk, industrious, quick, supple, bustling, lively, ready, vigorous, busy, mobile, restless, wide awake.

diligent, nimble,

_Active_ refers to both quickness and constancy of action; in the former sense it is allied with _agile_, _alert_, _brisk_, etc.; in the latter, with _busy_, _diligent_, _industrious_. The _active_ love employment, the _busy_ are actually employed, the _diligent_ and the _industrious_ are habitually _busy_. The _restless_ are _active_ from inability to keep quiet; their activity may be without purpose, or out of all proportion to the purpose contemplated. The _officious_ are undesirably _active_ in the affairs of others. Compare ALERT; ALIVE; MEDDLESOME.

Antonyms:

dull, inactive, lazy, slow, heavy, indolent, quiescent, sluggish, idle, inert, quiet, stupid.

Prepositions:

Active _in_ work, _in_ a cause; _for_ an object, as _for_ justice; _with_ persons or instrumentalities; _about_ something, as _about_ other people's business.

Ac.u.mEN.

Synonyms:

acuteness, insight, perspicacity, sharpness, cleverness, keenness, sagacity, shrewdness.

discernment, penetration,

_Sharpness_, _acuteness_, and _insight_, however keen, and _penetration_, however deep, fall short of the meaning of _ac.u.men_, which implies also ability to use these qualities to advantage. There are persons of keen _insight_ and great _penetration_ to whom these powers are practically useless. _Ac.u.men_ is _sharpness_ to some purpose, and belongs to a mind that is comprehensive as well as keen.

_Cleverness_ is a practical apt.i.tude for study or learning. _Insight_ and _discernment_ are applied oftenest to the judgment of character; _penetration_ and _perspicacity_ to other subjects of knowledge.

_Sagacity_ is an uncultured skill in using quick perceptions for a desired end, generally in practical affairs; _ac.u.men_ may increase with study, and applies to the most erudite matters. _Shrewdness_ is _keenness_ or _sagacity_, often with a somewhat evil bias, as ready to take advantage of duller intellects. _Perspicacity_ is the power to see clearly through that which is difficult or involved. We speak of the _acuteness_ of an observer or a reasoner, the _insight_ and _discernment_ of a student, a clergyman, or a merchant, the _sagacity_ of a hound, the _keenness_ of a debater, the _shrewdness_ of a usurer, the _penetration_, _perspicacity_, and _ac.u.men_ of a philosopher.

Antonyms:

bluntness, dulness, obtuseness, stupidity.

ADD.

Synonyms:

adjoin, annex, augment, extend, make up, affix, append, cast up, increase, subjoin, amplify, attach, enlarge, join on, sum up.

To _add_ is to _increase_ by _adjoining_ or _uniting_: in distinction from multiply, which is to _increase_ by repeating. To _augment_ a thing is to _increase_ it by any means, but this word is seldom used directly of material objects; we do not _augment_ a house, a farm, a nation, etc.

We may _enlarge_ a house, a farm, or an empire, _extend_ influence or dominion, _augment_ riches, power or influence, _attach_ or _annex_ a building to one that it _adjoins_ or papers to the doc.u.ment they refer to, _annex_ a clause or a codicil, _affix_ a seal or a signature, _annex_ a territory, _attach_ a condition to a promise. A speaker may _amplify_ a discourse by a fuller treatment throughout than was originally planned, or he may _append_ or _subjoin_ certain remarks without change of what has gone before. We _cast up_ or _sum up_ an account, though _add up_ and _make up_ are now more usual expressions.

Antonyms:

abstract, diminish, lessen, remove, withdraw.

deduct, dissever, reduce, subtract,

Preposition:

Other items are to be added _to_ the account.

ADDICTED.

Synonyms:

abandoned, devoted, given over, inclined, accustomed, disposed, given up, p.r.o.ne, attached, given, habituated, wedded.

One is _addicted_ to that which he has allowed to gain a strong, habitual, and enduring hold upon action, inclination, or involuntary tendency, as to a habit or indulgence. A man may be _accustomed_ to labor, _attached_ to his profession, _devoted_ to his religion, _given_ to study or to gluttony (in the bad sense, _given over_, or _given up_, is a stronger and more hopeless expression, as is _abandoned_). One _inclined_ to luxury may become _habituated_ to poverty. One is _wedded_ to that which has become a second nature; as, one is _wedded_ to science or to art. _p.r.o.ne_ is used only in a bad sense, and generally of natural tendencies; as, our hearts are _p.r.o.ne_ to evil. _Abandoned_ tells of the acquired viciousness of one who has given himself up to wickedness.

_Addicted_ may be used in a good, but more frequently a bad sense; as, _addicted_ to study; _addicted_ to drink. _Devoted_ is used chiefly in the good sense; as, a mother's _devoted_ affection.

Antonyms:

averse, disinclined, indisposed, unaccustomed.

Preposition:

Addicted _to_ vice.

ADDRESS, _v._

Synonyms:

cost, approach, hail, speak to, apostrophize, court, salute, woo.

appeal, greet,

To _accost_ is to speak first, to friend or stranger, generally with a view to opening conversation; _greet_ is not so distinctly limited, since one may return another's _greeting_; _greet_ and _hail_ may imply but a pa.s.sing word; _greeting_ may be altogether silent; to _hail_ is to _greet_ in a loud-voiced and commonly hearty and joyous way, as appears in the expression "_hail_ fellow, well met." To _salute_ is to _greet_ with special token of respect, as a soldier his commander. To _apostrophize_ is to solemnly _address_ some person or personified attribute apart from the audience to whom one is speaking; as, a preacher may _apostrophize_ virtue, the saints of old, or even the Deity. To _appeal_ is strictly to call for some form of help or support.

_Address_ is slightly more formal than _accost_ or _greet_, though it may often be interchanged with them. One may _address_ another at considerable length or in writing; he _accosts_ orally and briefly.

Antonyms:

avoid, elude, overlook, pa.s.s by, cut, ignore, pa.s.s, shun.

Prepositions: