Roget's Thesaurus Part 54

#474. Certainty. -- N. certainty; necessity &c. 601; cert.i.tude, surety, a.s.surance; dead certainty, moral certainty; infallibleness &c.

adj.; infallibility, reliability; indubitableness, inevitableness, unquestionableness[obs3].

gospel, scripture, church, pope, court of final appeal; res judicata[Lat], ultimatum positiveness; dogmatism, dogmatist, dogmatizer; doctrinaire, bigot, opinionist[obs3], Sir Oracle; ipse dixit[Lat].

fact; positive fact, matter of fact; fait accompli[Fr].

V. be certain &c. adj.; stand to reason.

render certain &c. adj.; insure, ensure, a.s.sure; clinch, make sure; determine, decide, set at rest, "make a.s.surance double sure" [Macbeth]; know &c. (believe) 484.

dogmatize, lay down the law.

Adj. certain, sure, a.s.sured &c. v.; solid, well-founded.

unqualified, absolute, positive, determinate, definite, clear, unequivocal, categorical, unmistakable, decisive, decided, ascertained.

inevitable, unavoidable, avoidless[obs3]; ineluctable.

unerring, infallible; unchangeable &c. 150; to be depended on, trustworthy, reliable, bound.

unimpeachable, undeniable, unquestionable; indisputable, incontestable, incontrovertible, indubitable; irrefutable &c. (proven) 478; conclusive, without power of appeal.

indubious[obs3]; without doubt, beyond a doubt, without a shade or shadow of doubt, without question, beyond question; past dispute; clear as day; beyond all question, beyond all dispute; undoubted, uncontested, unquestioned, undisputed; questionless[obs3], doubtless.

authoritative, authentic, official.

sure as fate, sure as death and taxes, sure as a gun.

evident, self-evident, axiomatic; clear, clear as day, clear as the sun at noonday.

Adv. certainly &c. adj.; for certain, certes[Lat], sure, no doubt, doubtless, and no mistake, flagrante delicto[Lat], sure enough, to be sure, of course, as a matter of course, a coup sur, to a certainty; in truth &c.

(truly) 494; at any rate, at all events; without fail; coute que coute[Fr], coute qu'il coute[Fr]; whatever may happen, if the worst come to the worst; come what may, happen what may, come what will; sink or swim; rain or shine.

Phr. cela va sans dire[Fr]; there is -no question, - not a shadow of doubt; the die is cast &c. (necessity) 601; "facts are stubborn things"

[Smollett].

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#475. Uncertainty. -- N. uncertainty, incert.i.tude, doubt; doubtfulness &c. adj.; dubiety, dubitation[obs3], dubitancy , dubitousness[obs3].

hesitation, suspense; perplexity, embarra.s.sment, dilemma, bewilderment; timidity &c. (fear) 860; vacillation &c. 605; diaporesis[obs3], indetermination.

vagueness &c. adj.; haze, fog; obscurity &c. (darkness) 421; ambiguity &c. (double meaning) 520; contingency, dependence, dependency, double contingency, possibility upon a possibility; open question &c. (question) 461; onus probandi[Lat]; blind bargain, pig in a poke, leap in the dark, something or other; needle in a haystack, needle in a bottle of hay; roving commission.

precariousness &c. adj.; fallibility.

V. be uncertain &c. adj.; wonder whether.

lose the clue, lose the clew, scent; miss one's way.

not know what to make of &c. (unintelligibility) 519, not know which way to turn, not know whether one stands on one's head or one's heels; float in a sea of doubt,hesitate, flounder; lose oneself, lose one's head; muddle one's brains.

render uncertain &c. adj.; put out, pose, puzzle, perplex, embarra.s.s; confuse, confound; bewilder, bother, molder, addle the wits, throw off the scent, ambiguas in vulgus spargere voces[Lat]; keep in suspense.

doubt &c. (disbelieve) 485; hang in the balance, tremble in the balance; depend.

Adj. uncertain; casual; random &c. (aimless) 621; changeable &c. 149.

doubtful, dubious; indecisive; unsettled, undecided, undetermined; in suspense, open to discussion; controvertible; in question &c. (inquiry) 461.

vague; indeterminate, indefinite; ambiguous, equivocal; undefined, undefinable; confused &c. (indistinct) 447; mystic, oracular; dazed.

perplexing &c. v.; enigmatic, paradoxical, apocryphal, problematical, hypothetical; experimental &c. 463.

unpredictable, unforeseeable (unknowable) 519.

fallible, questionable, precarious, slippery, ticklish, debatable, disputable; unreliable, untrustworthy.

contingent, contingent on, dependent on; subject to; dependent on circ.u.mstances; occasional; provisional.

unauthentic, unauthenticated, unauthoritative; unascertained, unconfirmed; undemonstrated; untold, uncounted.

in a state of uncertainty, in a cloud, in a maze; bushed, off the track; ignorant.&c. 491; afraid to say; out of one's reckoning, astray, adrift; at sea, at fault, at a loss, at one's wit's end, at a nonplus; puzzled &c. v.; lost, abroad, dsorient; distracted, distraught.

Adv. pendente lite[Lat]; sub spe rati[Lat].

Phr. Heaven knows; who can tell? who shall decide when doctors disagree? ambiguas in vulgum spargere voces[Lat].

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-- Section IV. REASONING PROCESSES --

#476. Reasoning, -- N. {ant. 477} reasoning, ratiocination, rationalism; dialectics, induction, generalization.

discussion, comment; ventilation; inquiry &c. 461.

argumentation, controversy, debate; polemics, wrangling; contention &c. 720 logomachy[obs3]; disputation, disceptation[obs3]; paper war.

art of reasoning, logic.

process of reasoning, train of reasoning, chain of reasoning; deduction, induction, abduction; synthesis, a.n.a.lysis.

argument; case, plaidoyer[obs3], opening; lemma, proposition, terms, premises, postulate, data, starting point, principle; inference &c.

(judgment) 480.

prosyllogism[obs3], syllogism; enthymeme[obs3], sorites[obs3], dilemma, perilepsis[obs3], a priori reasoning, reductio ad absurdum, horns of a dilemma, argumentum ad hominem [Lat.], comprehensive argument; empirema[obs3], epagoge[obs3].

[person who reasons] reasoner, logician, dialectician; disputant; controversialist, controvertist[obs3]; wrangler, arguer, debater polemic, casuist, rationalist; scientist; eristic[obs3].

logical sequence; good case; correct just reasoning, sound reasoning, valid reasoning, cogent reasoning, logical reasoning, forcible reasoning, persuasive reasoning, persuasory reasoning[obs3], consectary reasoning , conclusive &c. 478; subtle reasoning; force of argument, strong point, strong argument, persuasive argument.

arguments, reasons, pros and cons.

V. reason, argue, discuss, debate, dispute, wrangle- argufy[obs3], bandy words, bandy arguments; chop logic; hold an argument, carry on an argument; controvert &c. (deny) 536; canva.s.s; comment upon, moralize upon; spiritualize; consider &c. (examine) 461.

open a discussion, open a case; try conclusions; join issue, be at issue; moot; come to the point; stir a question, agitate a question, ventilate a question, torture a question; take up a side, take up a case.

contend, take one's stand upon, insist, lay stress on; infer &c. 480.

follow from &c. (demonstration) 478.

Adj. reasoning &c. v.; rationalistic; argumentative, controversial, dialectic, polemical; discursory[obs3], discursive; disputatious; Aristotelian[obs3], eristic[obs3], eristical[obs3].

debatable, controvertible.

logical; relevant &c. 23.

Adv. for, because, hence, whence, seeing that, since, sith[obs3], then thence so; for that reason, for this reason, for which reason; for as, inasmuch as; whereas, ex concesso[Lat], considering, in consideration of; therefore, wherefore; consequently, ergo, thus, accordingly; a fortiori.

in conclusion, in fine; finally, after all, au bout du compt[Fr], on the whole, taking one thing with another.

Phr. ab actu ad posse valet consecutio [Lat]; per troppo dibatter la verita si perde [It]; troppo disputare la verita fa errare [It].

#477. [The absence of reasoning.] Intuition. [False or vicious reasoning; show of reason.] Sophistry. -- N. intuition, instinct, a.s.sociation, hunch, gut feeling; presentiment, premonition; rule of thumb; superst.i.tion; astrology[obs3]; faith (supposition) 514.

sophistry, paralogy[obs3], perversion, casuistry, jesuitry, equivocation, evasion; chicane, chicanery; quiddet[obs3], quiddity; mystification; special pleading; speciousness &c. adj.; nonsense &c. 497; word sense, tongue sense.

false reasoning, vicious reasoning, circular reasoning; pet.i.tio principii[Lat], ignoratio elenchi[Lat]; post hoc ergo propter hoc[Lat]; non sequitur, ignotum per ignotius[Lat].

misjudgment &c. 481; false teaching &c. 538.

sophism, solecism, paralogism[obs3]; quibble, quirk, elenchus[obs3], elench[obs3], fallacy, quodlibet, subterfuge, subtlety, quillet[obs3]; inconsistency, antilogy[obs3]; "a delusion, a mockery, and a snare"

[Denman]; claptrap, cant, mere words; "lame and impotent conclusion"

[Oth.e.l.lo].

meshes of sophistry, cobwebs of sophistry; flaw in an argument; weak point, bad case.

overrefinement[obs3]; hairsplitting &c. v.

V. judge intuitively, judge by intuition; hazard a proposition, hazard a guess, talk at random.

reason ill, falsely &c. adj.; misjudge &c. 481; paralogize[obs3].

take on faith, take as a given; a.s.sume (supposition) 514.

pervert, quibble; equivocate, mystify, evade, elude; gloss over, varnish; misteach &c. 538[obs3]; mislead &c. (error) 495; cavil, refine, subtilize[obs3], split hairs; misrepresent &c. (lie) 544.

beg the question, reason in a circle, reason in circles, a.s.sume the conclusion.

cut blocks with a razor, beat about the bush, play fast and loose, play fast and loose with the facts, blow hot and cold, prove that black is white and white black, travel out of the record, parler a tort et a travers[Fr][obs3], put oneself out of court, not have a leg to stand on.

judge hastily, shoot from the hip, jump to conclusions (misjudgment) 481.

Adj. intuitive, instinctive, impulsive; independent of reason, anterior to reason; gratuitous, hazarded; unconnected.

unreasonable, illogical, false, unsound, invalid; unwarranted, not following; inconsequent, inconsequential; inconsistent; absonous , absonant[obs3]; unscientific; untenable, inconclusive, incorrect; fallacious, fallible; groundless, unproved; non sequitur[Latin: it does not follow].

deceptive, sophistical, jesuitical; illusive, illusory; specious, hollow, plausible, ad captandum[Lat], evasive; irrelevant &c. 10.

weak, feeble, poor, flimsy, loose, vague.

irrational; nonsensical &c. (absurd) 497.

foolish &c. (imbecile) 499; frivolous, pettifogging, quibbling; finespun[obs3], overrefined[obs3].

at the end of one's tether, au bout de son latin.

Adv. intuitively &c. adj.; by intuition; illogically &c. adj.

Phr. non constat[Lat]; that goes for nothing.