Roget's Thesaurus Part 124

dispraise, discommend[obs3], disparage; deprecate, speak ill of, not speak well of; condemn &c. (find guilty) 971.

blame; lay blame upon, cast blame upon; censure, fronder[Fr], reproach, pa.s.s censure on, reprobate, impugn.

remonstrate, expostulate, recriminate.

reprehend, chide, admonish; berate, betongue[obs3]; bring to account, call to account, call over the coals, rake over the coals, call to order; take to task, reprove, lecture, bring to book; read a lesson, read a lecture to; rebuke, correct.

reprimand, chastise, castigate, lash, blow up, trounce, trim, laver la tete[Fr], overhaul; give it one, give it one finely; gibbet.

accuse &c. 938; impeach, denounce; hold up to reprobation, hold up to execration; expose, brand, gibbet, stigmatize; show up, pull up, take up; cry "shame" upon; be outspoken; raise a hue and cry against.

execrate &c. 908; exprobate[obs3], speak daggers, vituperate; abuse, abuse like a pickpocket; scold, rate, objurgate, upbraid, fall foul of; jaw; rail, rail at, rail in good set terms; bark at; anathematize, call names; call by hard names, call by ugly names; avile , revile; vilify, vilipend[obs3]; bespatter; backbite; clapperclaw[obs3]; rave against, thunder against, fulminate against; load with reproaches.

exclaim against, protest against, inveigh against, declaim against, cry out against, raise one's voice against.

decry; cry down, run down, frown down; clamor, hiss, hoot, mob, ostracize, blacklist; draw up a round robin, sign a round robin.

animadvert upon, reflect upon; glance at; cast reflection, cast reproach, cast a slur upon; insinuate, d.a.m.n with faint praise; "hint a fault and hesitate dislike"; not to be able to say much for.

scoff at, point at; twit, taunt &c. (disrespect) 929; sneer at &c.

(despise) 230; satirize, lampoon; defame &c. (detract) 934; depreciate, find fault with, criticize, cut up; pull to pieces, pick to pieces; take exception; cavil; peck at, nibble at, carp at; be censorious &c. adj.; pick holes, pick a hole, pick a hole in one's coat; make a fuss about.

take down, take down a peg, set down; snub, snap one up, give a rap on the knuckles; throw a stone at, throw a stone in one's garden; have a fling, have a snap at; have words with, pluck a crow with; give one a wipe, give one a lick with the rough side of the tongue.

incur blame, excite disapprobation, scandalize, shock, revolt; get a bad name, forfeit one's good opinion, be under a cloud, come under the ferule, bring a hornet's nest about one's ears.

take blame, stand corrected; have to answer for.

Adj. disapproving &c.v.; scandalized.

disparaging, condemnatory, d.a.m.natory[obs3], denunciatory, reproachful, abusive, objurgatory[obs3], clamorous, vituperative; defamatory &c. 934.

satirical, sarcastic, sardonic, cynical, dry, sharp, cutting, biting, severe, withering, trenchant, hard upon; censorious, critical, captious, carping, hypercritical; fastidious &c. 868; sparing of praise, grudging praise.

disapproved, chid &c.v.; in bad odor, blown upon, unapproved; unblest[obs3]; at a discount, exploded; weighed in the balance and found wanting.

blameworthy, reprehensible &c. (guilt) 947; to blame, worthy of blame; answerable, uncommendable, exceptionable, not to be thought of; bad &c.

649; vicious &c. 945.

unlamented, unbewailed[obs3], unpitied[obs3].

Adv. with a wry face; reproachfully &c. adj.

Int. it is too bad! it won't do, it will never do! marry come up! Oh!

come! 'sdeath!

forbid it Heaven! G.o.d forbid, Heaven forbid! out upon, fie upon it!

away with! tut! O tempora[obs3]! O mores! shame! fie, fie for shame! out on you!

tell it not in Gath!

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#933. Flattery. -- N. flattery, adulation, gloze; blandishment, blandiloquence[obs3]; cajolery; fawning, wheedling &c.v.; captation[obs3], coquetry, obsequiousness, sycophancy, flunkeyism[obs3], toadeating[obs3], tuft-hunting; sn.o.bbishness.

incense, honeyed words, flummery; bunk.u.m, buncombe; blarney, placebo, b.u.t.ter; soft soap, soft sawder[obs3]; rose water.

voice of the charmer, mouth honor; lip homage; euphemism; unctuousness &c. adj.

V. flatter, praise to the skies, puff; wheedle, cajole, glaver[obs3], coax; fawn upon, faun upon; humor, gloze, soothe, pet, coquet, slaver, b.u.t.ter; jolly [U.S.]; bespatter, beslubber[obs3], beplaster[obs3], beslaver[obs3]; lay it on thick, overpraise; earwig, cog, collogue[obs3]; truckle to, pander to, pandar to[obs3], suck up to, kiss the a.s.s of [vulgar], pay court to; court; creep into the good graces of, curry favor with, hang on the sleeve of; fool to the top of one's bent; lick the dust.

lay the flattering unction to one's soul, gild the pill, make things pleasant.

overestimate &c. 482; exaggerate &c. 549.

Adj. flattering &c.v.; adulatory; mealy-mouthed, honey-mouthed; honeyed; smooth, smooth-tongued; soapy, oily, unctuous, blandiloquent[obs3], specious; fine-spoken, fair spoken; plausible, servile, sycophantic, fulsome; courtierly[obs3], courtier-like.

Adv. ad captandum[Lat].

#934. Detraction. -- N. detraction, disparagement, depreciation, vilification, obloquy, scurrility, scandal, defamation, aspersion, traducement, slander, calumny, obtrectation[obs3], evil-speaking, backbiting, scandalum magnatum[Lat].

personality, libel, lampoon, skit, pasquinade; chronique scandaleuse[Fr]; roorback [U.S.].

sarcasm, cynicism; criticism (disapprobation) 932; invective &c. 932; envenomed tongue; spretae injuria formae[Lat].

personality, libel, lampoon, skit, pasquinade; chronique scandaleuse[Fr]; roorback [U.S.].

detractor &c. 936.

V. detract, derogate, decry, deprecate, depreciate, disparage; run down, cry down; backcap [obs3][U.S.]; belittle; sneer at &c. (contemn) 930; criticize, pull to pieces, pick a hole in one's coat, asperse, cast aspersions, blow upon, bespatter, blacken, vilify, vilipend[obs3]; avile ; give a dog a bad name, brand, malign; muckrake; backbite, libel, lampoon, traduce, slander, defame, calumniate, bear false witness against; speak ill of behind one's back.

fling dirt &c. (disrespect) 929; anathematize &c. 932; dip the pen in gall, view in a bad light.

impugn[disparage the motives of]; a.s.sail, attack &c. 716; oppose &c.

708; denounce, accuse &c. 938.

Adj. detracting &c.v.; defamatory, detractory[obs3], derogatory, deprecatory; catty; disparaging, libelous; scurrile, scurrilous; abusive; foul-spoken, foul-tongued, foul-mouthed; slanderous; calumnious, calumniatory[obs3]; sarcastic, sardonic; sarcastic, satirical, cynical.

critical &c. 932.

Phr. "d.a.m.n with faint praise, a.s.sent with civil leer; and without sneering, teach the rest to sneer" [Pope]; another lie nailed to the counter; "cut men's throats with whisperings" [B. Jonson]; "foul whisperings are abroad" "soft-buzzing slander" [Macbeth][Thomson]; "virtue itself 'scapes not calumnious strokes" [Hamlet].

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#935. Flatterer. -- N. flatterer, adulator; eulogist, euphemist; optimist, encomiast, laudator[Lat], whitewasher.

toady, toadeater[obs3]; sycophant, courtier, Sir Pertinax MacSycophant; flaneur[Fr], p.r.o.neur[Fr]; puffer, touter[obs3], claqueur[Fr]; clawback[obs3], earwig, doer of dirty work; parasite, hanger-on &c.

(servility) 886.

yes-man, suckup, a.s.s-kisser [vulgar], brown-noser [vulgar], teacher's pet.

Phr. pessimum genus inimicorum laudantes [Lat][Tacitus].

#936. Detractor. -- N. detractor, reprover; censor, censurer; cynic, critic, caviler, carper, word-catcher, frondeur; barracker[obs3].

defamer, backbiter, slanderer, Sir Benjamin Backbite, lampooner, satirist, traducer, libeler, calumniator, dawplucker[obs3], Thersites[obs3]; Zoilus; good-natured friend [satirically]; reviler, vituperator, castigator; shrew &c. 901; muckraker.

disapprover, laudator temporis acti [Lat][Horace].

Adj. black-mouthed, abusive &c. 934.

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#937. Vindication. -- N. vindication, justification, warrant; exoneration, exculpation; acquittal &c. 970; whitewashing.

extenuation; palliation, palliative; softening, mitigation.

reply, defense; recrimination &c 938.

apology, gloss, varnish; plea &c. 617; salvo; excuse, extenuating circ.u.mstances; allowance, allowance to be made; locus paenitentiae[Lat].

apologist, vindicator, justifier; defendant &c. 938.

justifiable charge, true bill.

v. justify, warrant; be an excuse &c. n.for; lend a color, furnish a handle; vindicate; exculpate, disculpate[obs3]; acquit &c. 970; clear, set right, exonerate, whitewash; clear the skirts of.

extenuate, palliate, excuse, soften, apologize, varnish, slur, gloze; put a gloss, put a good face upon; mince; gloss over, bolster up, help a lame dog over a stile.

advocate, defend, plead one's cause; stand up for, stick up for, speak up for; contend for, speak for; bear out, keep in countenance, support; plead &c, 617; say in defense; plead ignorance; confess and avoid, propugn[obs3], put in a good word for.

take the will for the deed, make allowance for, give credit for, do justice to; give one his due, give the Devil his due.

make good; prove the truth of, prove one's case; be justified by the event.

Adj. vindicated, vindicating &c v.; exculpatory; apologetic.

excusable, defensible, pardonable; venial, veniable[obs3]; specious, plausible, justifiable.

Phr. "honi sot qui mal y pense"; "good wine needs no bush."

#938. Accusation. -- N. accusation, charge, imputation, slur, inculpation, exprobration[obs3], delation; crimination; incrimination, accrimination[obs3], recrimination; tu quoque argument[Lat]; invective &c.

932.

denunciation, denouncement; libel, challenge, citation, arraignment; impeachment, appeachment[obs3]; indictment, bill of indictment, true bill; lawsuit &c. 969; condemnation &c. 971.

gravamen of a charge, head and front of one's offending, argumentum ad hominem[Lat]; scandal &c. (detraction) 934; scandalum magnatum[Lat].

accuser, prosecutor, plaintiff; relator, informer; appellant.

accused, defendant, prisoner, perpetrator, panel, respondent; litigant.

V. accuse, charge, tax, impute, twit, taunt with, reproach.

brand with reproach; stigmatize, slur; cast a stone at, cast a slur on; incriminate, criminate; inculpate, implicate; call to account &c.

(censure) 932; take to blame, take to task; put in the black book.

inform against, indict, denounce, arraign; impeach, appeach[obs3]; have up, show up, pull up; challenge, cite, lodge a complaint; prosecute, bring an action against &c. 969; blow upon.

charge with, saddle with; lay to one's door, lay charge; lay the blame on, bring home to; cast in one's teeth, throw in one's teeth; cast the first stone at.

have a rod in pickle for, keep a rod in pickle for; have a crow to pluck with.

trump up a charge.

Adj. accusing &c.v.; accusatory, accusative; imputative, denunciatory; recriminatory, criminatory[obs3].

accused &c.v.; suspected; under suspicion, under a cloud, under surveillance; in custody, in detention; in the lockup, in the watch house, in the house of detention.

accusable, imputable; indefensible, inexcusable; unpardonable, unjustifiable; vicious &c. 845.

Int. look at home; tu quoque &c. (retaliation) 718[Lat].