English Synonyms and Antonyms Part 79

OUGHT.

Synonym:

should.

One _ought_ to do that which he is under moral obligation or in duty bound to do. _Ought_ is the stronger word, holding most closely to the sense of moral obligation, or sometimes of imperative logical necessity; _should_ may have the sense of moral obligation or may apply merely to propriety or expediency, as in the proverb, "The liar _should_ have a good memory," _i. e._, he will need it. _Ought_ is sometimes used of abstractions or inanimate things as indicating what the mind deems to be imperative or logically necessary in view of all the conditions; as, these goods _ought_ to go into that s.p.a.ce; these arguments _ought_ to convince him; _should_ in such connections would be correct, but less emphatic. Compare DUTY.

OVERSIGHT.

Synonyms:

care, control, management, surveillance, charge, direction, superintendence, watch, command, inspection, supervision, watchfulness.

A person may look over a matter in order to survey it carefully in its entirety, or he may look over it with no attention to the thing itself because his gaze and thought are concentrated on something beyond; _oversight_ has thus two contrasted senses, in the latter sense denoting inadvertent error or omission, and in the former denoting watchful _supervision_, commonly implying constant personal presence; _superintendence_ requires only so much of presence or communication as to know that the superintendent's wishes are carried out; the superintendent of a railroad will personally oversee very few of its operations; the railroad company has supreme _direction_ of all its affairs without _superintendence_ or _oversight_. _Control_ is used chiefly with reference to restraint or the power of restraint; a good horseman has a restless horse under perfect _control_; there is no high character without self-_control_. _Surveillance_ is an invidious term signifying watching with something of suspicion. Compare CARE; NEGLECT.

PAIN.

Synonyms:

ache, distress, suffering, torture, agony, pang, throe, twinge, anguish, paroxysm, torment, wo(e).

_Pain_ is the most general term of this group, including all the others; _pain_ is a disturbing sensation from which nature revolts, resulting from some injurious external interference (as from a wound, a bruise, a harsh word, etc.), or from some lack of what one needs, craves, or cherishes (as, the _pain_ of hunger or bereavement), or from some abnormal action of bodily or mental functions (as, the _pains_ of disease, envy, or discontent). _Suffering_ is one of the severer forms of _pain_. The p.r.i.c.k of a needle causes _pain_, but we should scarcely speak of it as _suffering_. _Distress_ is too strong a word for little hurts, too feeble for the intensest _suffering_, but commonly applied to some continuous or prolonged trouble or need; as, the _distress_ of a shipwrecked crew, or of a dest.i.tute family. _Ache_ is lingering _pain_, more or less severe; _pang_, a _pain_ short, sharp, intense, and perhaps repeated. We speak of the _pangs_ of hunger or of remorse. _Throe_ is a violent and thrilling _pain_. _Paroxysm_ applies to an alternately recurring and receding _pain_, which comes as it were in waves; the _paroxysm_ is the rising of the wave. _Torment_ and _torture_ are intense and terrible _sufferings_. _Agony_ and _anguish_ express the utmost _pain_ or _suffering_ of body or mind. _Agony_ of body is that with which the system struggles; _anguish_ that by which it is crushed.

Antonyms:

comfort, delight, ease, enjoyment, peace, rapture, relief, solace.

PALLIATE.

Synonyms:

apologize for, conceal, extenuate, hide, screen, cloak, cover, gloss over, mitigate, veil.

_Cloak_, from the French, and _palliate_, from the Latin, are the same in original signification, but have diverged in meaning; a _cloak_ may be used to _hide_ completely the person or some object carried about the person, or it may but partly _veil_ the figure, making the outlines less distinct; _cloak_ is used in the former, _palliate_, in the latter sense; to _cloak_ a sin is to attempt to _hide_ it from discovery; to _palliate_ it is to attempt to _hide_ some part of its blameworthiness.

"When we _palliate_ our own or others' faults we do not seek to _cloke_ them altogether, but only to _extenuate_ the guilt of them in part."

TRENCH _Study of Words_ lect. vi, p. 266. Either to _palliate_ or to _extenuate_ is to admit the fault; but to _extenuate_ is rather to _apologize_ for the offender, while to _palliate_ is to disguise the fault; hence, we speak of _extenuating_ but not of _palliating_ circ.u.mstances, since circ.u.mstances can not change the inherent wrong of an act, tho they may lessen the blameworthiness of him who does it; _palliating_ a bad thing by giving it a mild name does not make it less evil. In reference to diseases, to _palliate_ is really to diminish their violence, or partly to relieve the sufferer. Compare ALLEVIATE; HIDE.

PARDON, _v._

Synonyms:

absolve, condone, forgive, pa.s.s by, remit.

acquit, excuse, overlook, pa.s.s over,

To _pardon_ is to let pa.s.s, as a fault or sin, without resentment, blame, or punishment. _Forgive_ has reference to feelings, _pardon_ to consequences; hence, the executive may _pardon_, but has nothing to do officially with _forgiving_. Personal injury may be _forgiven_ by the person wronged; thus, G.o.d at once _forgives_ and _pardons_; the _pardoned_ sinner is exempt from punishment; the _forgiven_ sinner is restored to the divine favor. To _pardon_ is the act of a superior, implying the right to punish; to _forgive_ is the privilege of the humblest person who has been wronged or offended. In law, to _remit_ the whole penalty is equivalent to _pardoning_ the offender; but a part of a penalty may be _remitted_ and the remainder inflicted, as where the penalty includes both fine and imprisonment. To _condone_ is to put aside a recognized offense by some act which restores the offender to forfeited right or privilege, and is the act of a private individual, without legal formalities. To _excuse_ is to _overlook_ some slight offense, error, or breach of etiquette; _pardon_ is often used by courtesy in nearly the same sense. A person may speak of _excusing_ or _forgiving_ himself, but not of _pardoning_ himself. Compare ABSOLVE; PARDON, _n._

Antonyms:

castigate, chastise, convict, doom, recompense, sentence, chasten, condemn, correct, punish, scourge, visit.

PARDON, _n._

Synonyms:

absolution, amnesty, forgiveness, oblivion, acquittal, forbearance, mercy, remission.

_Acquittal_ is a release from a charge, after trial, as not guilty.

_Pardon_ is a removal of penalty from one who has been adjudged guilty.

_Acquittal_ is by the decision of a court, commonly of a jury; _pardon_ is the act of the executive. An innocent man may demand _acquittal_, and need not plead for _pardon_. _Pardon_ supposes an offense; yet, as our laws stand, to grant a _pardon_ is sometimes the only way to release one who has been wrongly convicted. _Oblivion_, from the Latin, signifies overlooking and virtually forgetting an offense, so that the offender stands before the law in all respects as if it had never been committed.

_Amnesty_ brings the same idea through the Greek. _Pardon_ affects individuals; _amnesty_ and _oblivion_ are said of great numbers.

_Pardon_ is oftenest applied to the ordinary administration of law; _amnesty_, to national and military affairs. An _amnesty_ is issued after war, insurrection, or rebellion; it is often granted by "an act of _oblivion_," and includes a full _pardon_ of all offenders who come within its provisions. _Absolution_ is a religious word (compare synonyms for ABSOLVE). _Remission_ is a discharge from penalty; as, the _remission_ of a fine.

Antonyms:

penalty, punishment, retaliation, retribution, vengeance.

Prepositions:

A pardon _to_ or _for_ the offenders; _for_ all offenses; the pardon _of_ offenders or offenses.

PART, _v._

Synonyms:

Compare synonyms for PART, _n._