Second Half of 300 Essentials Flashcards
aberrant
adj. deviating from the norm
abeyance
n. temporary supression or suspension
abstemious
(sparing or moderate in eating and drinking; temperate in diet, characterized by abstinence: an abstemious life.) abstinent, ascetic, austere, continent, frugal, moderate, moderating, restrained, self-denying, self-restrained, sober, sparing, temperate
admonish
advise, berate, call down, call on the carpet, censure, check, chide, come down hard on, counsel, ding, draw the line, enjoin, exhort, forewarn, give a going over, give a piece of one’s mind, glue*, growl*, hoist, jack up, notice, rap on knuckles, rap, rebuke, reprimand, reprove, scold, sit on, slap on wrist, speak to, talk to, tell a thing or two, tell off, upbraid, warn
aggregate
accumulated, added, amassed, assembled, collected, collective, combined, composite, corporate, cumulative, heaped, mixed, piled, total
alacrity
alertness, avidity, briskness, cheerfulness, dispatch, eagerness, enthusiasm, expedition, fervor, gaiety, hilarity, joyousness, promptitude, quickness, readiness, speed, sprightliness, willingness, zeal
ambivalent
clashing, contradictory, debatable, doubtful, equivocal, fluctuating, hesitant, inconclusive, irresolute, mixed, opposed, uncertain, undecided, unresolved, unsure, vacillating, warring, wavering
anomalous
aberrant, abnormal, atypical, bizarre, divergent, eccentric, exceptional, foreign, heteroclite, incongruous, inconsistent, irregular, odd, peculiar, preternatural, prodigious, rare, strange, unnatural, unorthodox, unrepresentative, untypical, unusual
apprise
(in inform; to advise) , brief, enlighten, fill in, inform, notify, tip off, accustom, advise, apprise, bring out, clue, come out with, disclose, divulge, enlighten, familiarize, fill in, fix up, get together*, habituate, inform, intro, introduce, knock down, let know, make familiar, notify, post, present, reveal, tell, warn
approbation
admiration, approval, bells, consent, endorsement, esteem, favor, go-ahead, high regard, okay, permission, recognition, sanction, support, the nod
artless
direct, genuine, guileless, honest, ingenuous, innocent, naive, natural, open, plain, pure, sincere, straight, straightforward, talking turkey, true, unadorned, unaffected, uncontrived, unpretentious, unsophisticated, up front
ascetic
Spartan, abstaining, abstemious, abstinent, austere, disciplined, puritanical, strict
assiduous
active, attentive, busy, constant, diligent, eager beaver, exacting, grinding, indefatigable, industrious, laborious, persevering, plugging, scrupulous, sedulous, steady, studious, unflagging, untiring, whiz, zealous
autonomous
free, self-determining, self-governing, self-ruling, sovereign, uncontrolled
aver
affirm, assert, avouch, claim, contend, declare, emphasize, insist, justify, predicate, proclaim, prove, state, swear, verify
belie
confute, contradict, contravene, controvert, deny, disaffirm, disagree, explode, gainsay, negate, negative, oppose, repudiate, color, conceal, disguise, distort, falsify, garble, give the lie to, gloss over, hide, miscolor, mislead, misrepresent, misstate, pervert, trump up, twist, warp
beneficent
altruistic, benevolent, benign, big-hearted, charitable, compassionate, generous, helpful, humanitarian, kind, philanthropic
boorish
bad-mannered, barbaric, bearish, cantankerous, churlish, cloddish, clodhopping, clownish, clumsy, coarse, countrified, gross*, gruff, ill-bred, ill-mannered, impolite, inurbane, loud, loutish, lowbred, oafish, ornery, out-of-line, out-of-order, provincial, rough, rude, rustic, swinish, tasteless, ugly, uncivilized, uncouth, uncultured, uneducated, ungracious, unpoised, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar
burgeon
blossom, bud, expand, flower, grow, increase, mushroom, prosper, snowball, sprout, thrive
burnish
buff, furbish, glance, glaze, gloss, luster, patina, put on a finish, rub, sheen, shine, smooth, wax
buttress
abutment, column, mainstay, pier, prop, reinforcement, shore, stanchion, stay, strut, underpinning
causality
agent, ancestor, ancestry, antecedent, author, base, causality , causation, connection, creator, derivation, determinant, egg, element, embryo, fountain, generator, germ, horse’s mouth, impulse, inception, inducement, influence, inspiration, mainspring, motive, nucleus, occasion, parent, parentage, principle, producer, progenitor, provenance, provenience, root, roots, seed, source, spring, stock, well, wellspring
coda
coda , concluding speech, conclusion, ending, finale, follow-up, peroration, postlude, postscript, sequel, summation, swan song
commensurate
appropriate, coextensive, comparable, compatible, consistent, due, equal, equivalent, fit, fitting, in accord, proportionate, sufficient, symmetrical
compendium
abstract, aper?u, brief, conspectus, digest, epitome, essence, guide, handbook, manual, overview, pandect, pr?cis, sketch, summary, survey, syllabus, sylloge
complaisant
(attempting or eager to please or satisfy, obliging, affable) accommodating, amiable, compliant, conciliatory, deferential, easy, easy-going, friendly, generous, good-humored, good-natured, good-tempered, indulgent, lenient, mild, obliging, polite, solicitous, submissive
complacent
(pleased or satisfied with how things are, with how they affect one’s self, self-satisfied, smug),
conciliatory
appeasing, assuaging, calm, civil, disarming, irenic, mollifying, pacific, peaceable, placating, placatory, propitiative, quiet, willing
confound
abash, amaze, astonish, astound, baffle, befog, bewilder, blend, bug*, commingle, confute, discombobulate, discomfit, discountenance, dumbfound, embarrass, faze, fiddle, flabbergast, jumble, metagrobolize, misidentify, mix, mix up, mystify, nonplus, perplex, pose, puzzle, rattle, screw up, startle, surprise, throw*
connoisseur
adept, aesthete, aficionado, appreciator, arbiter, bon vivant, buff*, cognoscente, critic, devotee, dilettante, epicure, expert, fan, freak*, gourmet, judge, maven*, nut*, one into, savant, specialist, (ANTONYMS: ignoramus)
contention
altercation, argument, battle, beef, belligerency, bone of contention, bone to pick, combat, conflict, contest, controversy, difference, disaccord, discord, dispute, dissension, dissent, dissidence, disunity, enmity, feuding, fight, flak, hassle, hostility, quarrel, rivalry, run-in, scene, scrap, set-to, squabble, static, strife, struggle, variance, war, wrangle, wrangling
contentious
antagonistic, argumentative, belligerent, combative, disagreeable, factious, perverse, petulant, querulous, testy
conundrum
brain-teaser, closed book, enigma, mystery, mystification, poser, problem, puzzlement, riddle, why*
conventional
accepted, accustomed, button-down, commonplace, correct, current, customary, decorous, everyday, expected, fashionable, formal, general, habitual, in established usage, ordinary, orthodox, plain, popular, predominant, prevailing, prevalent, proper, regular, ritual, routine, square, standard, stereotyped, straight, traditional, tralatitious, typical, usual, well-known, wonted
craven (v. n. or adj)
(cowardly, contemptibly timid, pusillanimous or a coward, or to make cowardly), chicken*, cowardly, dastardly, fearful, gutless, lily-livered, mean-spirited, poltroonish, pusillanimous, scared, timorous, weak-kneed, wimpish, wimpy, wussy, yellow*, yellow-bellied, dastard, fraidy cat, nebbish, poltroon, quitter, recreant, scaredy cat, weakling, wheyface,
delineate
characterize, chart, define, depict, detail, draft, draw, figure, lay out, limn, mark, plot, portray, represent, sketch out, trace
derivative
acquired, ancestral, caused, cognate, coming from, connate, copied, evolved, hereditary, imitative, inferential, inferred, not original, obtained, plagiaristic, plagiarized, procured, rehashed, secondary, secondhand, subordinate, uninventive, unoriginal, by-product, offshoot, outgrowth, spin-off, wave
diffidence
(hesitancy; lack of confidence) backwardness, bashfulness, constraint, doubt, fear, hesitation, humility, insecurity, meekness, modesty, mousiness, reluctance, reserve, self-consciousness, sheepishness, shyness, timidity, timidness, timorousness, unassertiveness
diffuse
broadcast, catholic, circulated, diluted, dispersed, disseminated, distributed, expanded, extended, general, prevalent, propagated, radiated, scattered, separated, strewn, thin, unconcentrated, universal, widespread
digression
apostrophe, aside, deflection, departure, detour, difference, discursion, divagation, divergence, diversion, drifting, episode, excursion, excursus, footnote, incident, note, obiter dictum, parenthesis, rambling, variation, wandering
discerning
acute, astute, bright, brilliant, clear-sighted, clever, critical, gnostic, ingenious, insighted, insightful, intelligent, judicious, knowing, knowledgeable, penetrating, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, piercing, sagacious, sage, sensitive, sharp, shrewd, subtle, wise
discordant
antagonistic, antipathetic, at odds, cacophonous, clashing, contradictory, contrarient, contrary, different, disagreeing, discrepant, dissonant, divergent, grating, harsh, incompatible, incongruous, inconsistent, inconsonant, inharmonious, jangling, jarring, on a sour note, opposite, quarreling, strident, uncongenial, unharmonious, unmelodious, unmixable
discredit
blow up, bring into disrepute, bring to naught, censure, defame, degrade, destroy, disconsider, disesteem, disfavor, disgrace, dishonor, disparage, disprove, explode, expose, frown upon, knock bottom out of, mudsling, poke full of holes, pooh-pooh, puncture, put down, reflect on, reproach, ruin, run down, shoot, show up, slander, slur, smear, take rug out from under, tear down, vilify
descrepancy
alterity, contrariety, difference, discordance, disparity, dissemblance, dissimilarity, dissimilitude, dissonance, distinction, divergence, divergency, error, far cry, incongruity, inconsistency, miscalculation, otherness, split, unlikeness, variance, variation
discrete
detached, different, disconnected, discontinuous, distinct, diverse, separate, several, unattached, various
disinterested
aloof, candid, casual, dispassionate, equitable, even-handed, impartial, impersonal, incurious, indifferent, just watching the clock, lackadaisical, negative, neutral, nonpartisan, not giving a damn, outside, perfunctory, remote, unbiased, unconcerned, uncurious, unprejudiced, unselfish, withdrawn
disjointed
aimless, confused, cool, discontinuous, disordered, displaced, disunited, divided, far-out, fitful, fuzzy, inchoate, incoherent, incohesive, irrational, jumbled, muddled, out-of-it, out-to-lunch, rambling, separated, spaced-out, spacey, spasmodic, split, unattached, unconnected, unorganized
dismiss
abolish, banish, boot, brush off, bundle, cast off, cast out, chase, chuck, clear, decline, deport, detach, disband, discard, dispatch, dispense with, disperse, dispose of, dissolve, divorce, do without, drive out, eject, expel, force out, have done with, kick out, let go, let out, lock out, outlaw, push aside, push back, reject, release, relegate, relinquish, repel, repudiate, rid, send off, send packing, shed, show out, slough off, supersede, sweep away, turn out
disparage
abuse, belittle, chill*, cry down, decry, defame, degrade, deject, demoralize, denigrate, deprecate, depreciate, deride, derogate, dis, discourage, discredit, disdain, dishearten, dismiss, dispirit, dispraise, downcry, dump on, lower, malign, minimize, pan, put down, put hooks in, rap, ridicule, roast, run down, scorch, scorn, slam*, slander, smear, sour grapes, tear down, traduce, underestimate, underrate, undervalue, vilify, write off
disseminate
advertise, announce, annunciate, blaze, blazon, broadcast, circulate, declare, diffuse, disject, disperse, dissipate, proclaim, promulgate, propagate, publicize, publish, radiate, sow, spread, strew
dissolution
breaking up, detachment, disintegration, disunion, division, divorce, divorcement, parting, partition, resolution, split-up, adjournment, conclusion, curtains, decay, decease, decomposition, defunction, demise, disappearance, disbandment, discontinuation, dismissal, dispersal, end, ending, evaporation, extinction, finish, liquefaction, melting, overthrow, passing, quietus, release, resolution, ruin, silence, sleep, solution, suspension, termination
distend
(bulge, swell) amplify, augment, balloon, bloat, dilate, distort, enlarge, expand, increase, inflate, lengthen, puff, stretch, widen
distill
(to make pure, to draw something out), boil down, brew, clarify, concentrate, condense, cook, cut, cut down, cut to the bone, dribble, drip, drop, evaporate, express, extract, ferment, get to the meat, infuse, precipitate, press, press out, purify, rarefy, rectify, refine, squeeze out, steam, sublimate, trickle, trim, vaporize, volatilize
doctrinaire
authoritarian, authoritative, biased, bigoted, bullheaded, dictative, dictatorial, dogged, fanatical, impractical, inflexible, insistent, magisterial, mulish, obstinate, one-sided, pertinacious, pigheaded, rigid, speculative, stiff-necked, stubborn, unrealistic
dupe
baffle, bamboozle*, beguile, betray, catch, cheat, chicane, circumvent, con, cozen, deceive, defraud, delude, double-cross, dust*, flimflam, gull, hoax, hoodwink*, hornswoggle, jerk around, kid, mislead, outwit, overreach, pull one’s leg, pull something, rip off, rook, rope in, shaft, spoof, swindle, trick, victimize
ebullient
agitated, bouncy, brash, buoyant, chipper, chirpy, effervescent, effusive, elated, excited, exhilarated, exuberant, frothy, gushing, high-spirited, in high spirits, irrepressible, vivacious, zestful, zippy
efficacy
ability, adequacy, capability, capableness, capacity, competence, effect, effectiveness, efficaciousness, energy, force, influence, performance, potency, power, strength, success, sufficiency, use, vigor, virtue, weight
effrontery
arrogance, assurance, audacity, backtalk, brashness, brass, brazenness, cheek, cheekiness, chutzpah*, crust, disrespect, face, gall, guff, hardihood, impertinence, impudence, incivility, insolence, lip, presumption, rudeness, sass, sauce, self-assurance, self-confidence, shamelessness, smart talk, temerity
elicit
(to draw out), arm-twist, badger, bite*, bring, bring forth, bring out, bring to light, call forth, cause, derive, educe, evince, evoke, evolve, exact, extort, extract, fetch, give rise to, milk, obtain, put muscle on, put the arm on, rattle, shake, shake down, squeeze, wrest, wring
embellish
add bells and whistles, adorn, amplify, array, beautify, bedeck, color, deck, dress up, elaborate, emblaze, embroider, enhance, enrich, exaggerate, festoon, fix up, fudge, garnish, gild, give details, grace, gussy up, magnify, ornament, overstate, spiff up, spruce up, trim
empirical
experient, experiential, experimental, factual, observational, observed, pragmatic, provisional, empiric, experient, experiential, experimental, factual, observational, observed, pragmatic, provisional, speculative
endemic
(native), local, regional
engender
arouse, beget, breed, bring about, bring forth, create, develop, excite, foment, generate, give birth to, give rise to, hatch, incite, induce, instigate, lead to, make, muster, occasion, precipitate, procreate, produce, propagate, provoke, quicken, rouse, spawn, stimulate, stir, work up
equanimity
(levelheadedness), aplomb, assurance, ataraxia, ataraxy, calm, calmness, composure, confidence, cool, coolness, detachment, equability, imperturbability, patience, peace, phlegm, placidity, poise, presence of mind, sangfroid, self-possession, serenity, steadiness, tranquillity
equivocate
beat around the bush, beg the question, blow hot and cold, cavil, cloud the issue, con, cop a plea, cop out, cover up, dodge, double-talk, elude, escape, eschew, evade, falsify, fence, fib, flip-flop, fudge, give run around, hedge, hem and haw, jive, lie, mince words, palter, parry, pass the buck, prevaricate, pussyfoot, quibble, run around, shuck, shuffle, sidestep, sit on the fence, stonewall, tell white lie, tergiversate, tergiverse, waffle, weasel
exigency
(difficulty/demand), acuteness, constraint, contingency, crisis, criticalness, crossroad, demandingness, dilemma, distress, duress, emergency, extremity, fix, hardship, imperativeness, jam, juncture, necessity, need, needfulness, pass, pickle, pinch, plight, predicament, pressingness, pressure, quandary, requirement, scrape*, stress, turning point*, urgency, vicissitude, want, wont, zero hour
extraneous
accidental, additional, adventitious, beside the point, extra, foreign, immaterial, impertinent, inadmissible, inapplicable, inapposite, inappropriate, incidental, inessential, needless, nonessential, off the subject, peripheral, pointless, redundant, superfluous, supplementary, unconnected, unessential, unnecessary, unrelated
facetious
(kidding, tongue in cheek), amusing, blithe, capering, clever, comic, comical, droll, dry, fanciful, farcical, flip*, flippant, frivolous, funny, gay, humorous, indecorous, ironic, irreverent, jesting, jocose, jocular, joking, joshing, laughable, ludicrous, merry, not serious, playful, pleasant, pulling one’s leg, punning, putting one on, ridiculous, salty, sarcastic, satirical, smart, sportive, sprightly, waggish, whimsical, wisecracking, witty, wry
facilitate
aid, ease, expedite, forward, further, grease the wheels, hand-carry, help, make easy, open doors, promote, run interference for, simplify, smooth, speed, speed up, walk through
falacious
beguiling, deceiving, deceptive, deluding, delusive, delusory, erroneous, fictitious, fishy, fraudulent, illogical, illusory, incorrect, invalid, irrational, mad, misleading, mistaken, off*, phony, reasonless, sophistic, sophistical, spurious, unfounded, ungrounded, unreal, unreasonable, unreasoned, unsound, untrue, way off
fatuous
absurd, asinine, birdbrained, boneheaded, brainless, dense, dull, foolish, idiotic, imbecile, inane, insensate, jerky, lamebrained, ludicrous, lunatic, mad, mindless, moronic, puerile, sappy, silly, simple, vacuous, witless
felicitous
(appropriate, suitable), applicable, apposite, apropos, apt, convincing, fit, fitting, germane, happy, inspired, just, meet, neat, opportune, pat, pertinent, proper, propitious, relevant, seasonable, telling, timely, well-chosen, well-timed
flag
(to decline, fall off), abate, deteriorate, die, droop, ebb, fade, fail, faint, languish, peter out, pine, sag, sink, slump, succumb, taper off, wane, weaken, weary, wilt
fledgling
(beginner in activity), apprentice, chick, colt, greenhorn, learner, neophyte, nestling, newcomer, novice, rookie, tenderfoot, trainee, tyro*
flout
(show contempt for), affront, defy, deride, disregard, gibe, gird, insult, jeer, laugh at, mock, outrage, quip, repudiate, ridicule, scoff, scorn, slight, sneer, spurn, taunt, thumb nose at
foment
abet, agitate, arouse, brew, cultivate, encourage, excite, fan the flames, foster, goad, incite, nurse, nurture, promote, quicken, raise, set, set on, sow the seeds, spur, start, stimulate, stir up, whip up
forestall
(to keep from happening), anticipate, avert, delay, deter, hinder, monopolize, preclude, preoccupy, prevent, thwart
gainsay
(v. contradict) combat, contravene, controvert, cross, deny, disaffirm, disagree, disclaim, disprove, dispute, fight, impugn, negate, negative, oppose, refute, repudiate, resist, traverse, withstand
goad
(n. stimulus or V. egg on, incite), catalyst, compulsion, desire, drive, impetus, impulse, impulsion, incentive, incitation, incitement, irritation, lash, lust, motivation, passion, pressure, prod, spur, urge, whip, zeal, animate, annoy, arouse, bully, coerce, drive, encourage, excite, exhort, fire up, force, goose, harass, hound, impel, inspirit, instigate, irritate, key up, lash, move, needle, press, prick*, prod, prompt, propel, provoke, push, put up to, rowel, sic, sound, spark*, spur, stimulate, sting*, tease, thrust, trigger, turn on, urge, whip*, work up, worry
gouge
(n. groove, hole, or v. cut, scoop) channel, cut, excavation, furrow, gash, hollow, notch, scoop, score, scratch, trench, burrow, claw, dig, dredge, excavate, gash, groove, scrape, scratch, shovel, tunnel
grandiloquent
aureate, big-talking, bombastic, declamatory, euphistic, fustian, high-flown, histrionic, inflated, magniloquent, oratorical, orotund, overblown, pompous, purple*, rhetorical, sonorous, swollen, tall-talking, verbose, windbag, windy
guileless
(honest), aboveboard, artless, candid, frank, genuine, ingenuous, innocent, naive, natural, open, simple, simple-minded, sincere, straightforward, truthful, unaffected, undesigning, unsophisticated, unstudied
harangue
address, chewing out, declamation, diatribe, discourse, exhortation, hassle, jeremiad, oration, philippic, reading out, screed, sermon, speech, spiel*, spouting, tirade, accost, address, apostrophize, buttonhole, chew out, declaim, exhort, get on a soapbox, go on about, hold forth, orate, perorate, rant, rave, soapbox, spiel*, spout, stump, talk to, yell at
homogenous
alike, comparable, compatible, consistent, equal, same, solid, uniform
hyperbole
amplification, big talk, coloring, distortion, embellishment, embroidering, enlargement, hype*, laying it on thick, magnification, metaphor, mountain out of molehill, overstatement, tall talk
iconoclastic
dissident, individualistic, irreverent, nonconforming, radical, fanatical, heathen, heathenish, heretical, impious
idolatry
(the workship of idols or extreme devotion), adulation, fervor, hero worship, infatuation
immutable
abiding, ageless, changeless, constant, enduring, fixed, immovable, inflexible, invariable, permanent, perpetual, sacrosanct, stable, steadfast, unalterable, unmodifiable
impair
blemish, blunt, cheapen, damage, debase, debilitate, decrease, destroy, deteriorate, devaluate, devalue, diminish, ding, disqualify, enervate, enfeeble, hurt, injure, invalidate, lessen, lose strength, make useless, mar, prejudice, queer, reduce, rough up, spoil, tarnish, total, tweak, undermine, unfit, vitiate, weaken, worsen
impassive
apathetic, callous, cold, cold-blooded, collected, composed, dispassionate, dry, emotionless, hardened, heartless, imperturbable, indifferent, indurated, inexcitable, inexpressive, inscrutable, insensible, insusceptible, matter-of-fact, nonchalant, passionless, phlegmatic, placid, poker-faced, reserved, reticent, sedate, self-contained, serene, spiritless, stoic, stoical, stolid, taciturn, unconcerned, unemotional, unexcitable, unfeeling, unflappable, unimpressible, unmoved, unruffled, wooden
impede
bar, block, blow whistle on, brake, check, clog, close off, cramp one’s style, curb, cut off, dam, delay, deter, discomfit, disconcert, disrupt, embarrass, faze, flag one, freeze, hamper, hang up, hold up, interfere, oppose, rattle, restrain, retard, saddle with, shut down, shut off, slow, slow down, stonewall, stop, stymie, thwart
impermeable
airtight, dense, hermetic, impassable, impervious, leak-proof, nonporous, sealed, water-resistant, waterproof, watertight
implicit
accurate, certain, complete, constant, constructive, contained, definite, entire, firm, fixed, full, implicative, implied, inarticulate, inevitable, inferential, inferred, latent, practical, steadfast, tacit, taken for granted, total, undeclared, understood, unexpressed, unhesitating, unqualified, unquestioned, unreserved, unsaid, unshakable, unspoken, unuttered, virtual, wholehearted
implode
(collapse inward)
inadvertently
heedlessly, negligently, rashly, recklessly, accidentally, involuntarily, not by design, unwittingly
inchoate
(undeveloped, beginning), amorphous, elementary, embryonic, formless, immature, imperfect, inceptive, incipient, just begun, nascent, preliminary, rudimentary, shapeless, unfinished, unformed, unshaped
incongruity
difference, inappropriateness, inconsistency, mismatch
inconsequential
big zero, casual, dinky, entry level, exiguous, immaterial, inadequate, inappreciable, inconsequent, inconsiderable, insignificant, insufficient, light, little, measly, minor, negligible, no biggie, paltry, petty, picayune, puny, runt, scanty, shoestring, shrimp, skimpy, small, small potatoes, small-time, trifling, trivial, two bit, unconsidered, unimportant, wimpy, worthless
incorporate
absorb, add to, amalgamate, assimilate, associate, blend, charter, coalesce, consolidate, cover, dub, embody, form, fuse, gang up, hook in, imbibe, integrate, join, link, merge, mix, organize, pool, put together, start, subsume, tie in, unite
indeterminate
borderless, general, imprecise, inconclusive, indefinite, indistinct, inexact, undefined, undetermined, unfixed, unspecified, unstipulated
indigence
(poorness), destitution, penury
indolent
(lazy), drony, easygoing, fain?ant, idle, inactive, inert, lackadaisical, languid, lax, lazy, lethargic, listless, resting, shiftless, slothful, slow, slow-going, sluggish, torpid
inert
(not moving, lifeless), apathetic, asleep, dead, dormant, down, dull, idle, immobile, impassive, impotent, inactive, inanimate, indolent, languid, languorous, lazy, leaden, listless, motionless, numb, paralyzed, passive, phlegmatic, powerless, quiescent, quiet, slack, sleepy, slothful, sluggard, sluggish, slumberous, static, still, stolid, torpid, unmoving, unreactive, unresponsive
inherent
built-in, characteristic, congenital, connate, constitutional, deep-rooted, deep-seated, distinctive, elementary, essential, fixed, fundamental, genetic, immanent, implicit, in the grain, inborn, inbred, inbuilt, indigenous, indispensable, individual, indwelling, ingrained, inherited, innate, inner, instinctive, integral, integrated, internal, intimate, intrinsic, inward, latent, native, natural, original, part and parcel, resident, running in the family, subjective, unalienable
insensible
cold, gradual, imperceivable, imperceptible, inanimate, inappreciable, insensate, numb, obdurate, oblivious, torpid, unaware, unconscious, unfeeling, unimpressible, unintelligible, unmindful, unsusceptible
insinuate
(hint, suggest, or force one’s way into), allude, ascribe, connote, imply, impute, indicate, intimate, mention, propose, purport, refer, signify, curry favor, edge in, fill in, foist, get in with, horn in, infiltrate, infuse, ingratiate, inject, insert, instill, intercalate, interject, interpose, introduce, muscle in, slip in, wedge in, work in, worm in
insularity
(of or pertaining to an island or islands: insular possessions, narrow-minded or illiberal; provincial: insular attitudes toward foreigners, detached; standing alone; isolated. )
intractable
(difficult, stubborn), awkward, bullheaded, cantankerous, contrary, hang tough, hard-line, headstrong, immovable, incompliant, incurable, indocile, indomitable, insoluble, locked in, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, pat, pertinacious, perverse, pigheaded, recalcitrant, refractory, resolute, self-willed, set in stone, tenacious, tough, tough-nut, unbending, uncompromising, uncooperative, undisciplined, ungovernable, unmanageable, unpliable, unruly, unyielding, wayward, wild, willful
intransigence
adamancy, bullheadedness, contumacy, die-hardism, doggedness, grimness, implacability, implacableness, incompliance, incompliancy, indomitability, inexorability, inexorableness, inflexibility, inflexibleness, intransigency, mulishness, obduracy, obdurateness, obstinacy, perseverance, pertinacity, pigheadedness, relentlessness, remorselessness, rigidity, rigidness
inured
(accustom) acclimate, familiarize, habituate, harden, make ready, season, toughen, train
invective
(n. verbal abuse), accusation, berating, billingsgate, blame, blasphemy, castigation, censure, condemnation, contumely, denunciation, diatribe, epithet, jeremiad, obloquy, philippic, reproach, revilement, sarcasm, scurrility, tirade, tongue-lashing, vilification, vituperation
irresolute
changing, doubtful, doubting, faltering, fearful, fickle, fluctuating, halfhearted, halting, hesitant, hesitating, hot-and-cold, infirm, on-the-fence, shaky, tentative, timid, uncertain, undecided, undetermined, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, vacillating, waffling, wavering, weak, weak-kneed, wimpy, wishy-washy, wobbly
lassitude
(lethargy), apathy, dullness, exhaustion, fatigue, idleness, inaction, inactivity, languor, laziness, listlessness, sleepiness, sluggishness, tiredness, torpor, weakness, weariness
laud
admire, adore, approve, bless, boost, build up, celebrate, commend, compliment, cry up, eulogize, extol, flatter, glorify, hand it to, honor, hymn, magnify, panegyrize, pat on the back, revere, reverence, sing the praises of, stroke, venerate, worship
levee
(embankment)
levity
(funniness, sillyness), absurdity, amusement, buoyancy, facetiousness, festivity, fickleness, flightiness, flippancy, folly, foolishness, frivolity, giddiness, happiness, high spirits, hilarity, jocularity, laughs, lightheartedness, mirth, picnic, pleasantry, repartee, trifling, triviality, volatility, wit
magnanimity
(generousity), chivalry, philanthropy
malingerer
(slacker),
maverick
(person who takes chances, departs from accepted course), bohemian, dissenter, extremist, malcontent, nonconformist, radical
metamorphosis
alteration, change, changeover, evolution, mutation, rebirth, transfiguration, transfigurement, translation, transmogrification, transmutation, transubstantiation
morose
(depressed, pessimistic), acrimonious, blue*, brusque, cantankerous, choleric, churlish, crabbed, crabby, cranky*, cross, dolorous, dour, down, down in the dumps, down in the mouth, frowning, gloomy, glum, grouchy, gruff, harsh, having blue devils, having the blahs, ill-humored, ill-tempered, in a bad mood, in a blue funk, irritable, low, melancholy, moody, moping, mournful, perverse, perversive, sad, saturnine, singing the blues, snappish, sour, splenetic, sulky, sullen, surly, taciturn, testy, troubled, ugly
mundane
banal, commonplace, day-to-day, earthly, everyday, humdrum*, lowly, normal, prosaic, routine, workaday, workday, worldly
negate
abate, abolish, abrogate, annihilate, annul, belie, blackball, break with, cancel, cancel out, controvert, countercheck, cross*, deny, ding, disaffirm, disallow, disprove, dump*, fly in the face of, frustrate, gainsay, impugn, invalidate, kill, negative, neutralize, nullify, oppose, put down, quash, rebut, redress, refute, repeal, rescind, retract, reverse, revoke, stonewall, traverse, turn down, turn thumbs down, undo, vitiate, void
nephyte
(beginner), abecedarian, amateur, apprentice, colt, fledgling, freshman, greenhorn, new boy/girl, new kid on the block, newcomer, novice, recruit, tenderfoot, trainee, tyro*
obviate
(to make unnecessary), anticipate, avert, block, counter, counteract, deter, do away with, forestall, forfend, hinder, interfere, interpose, intervene, preclude, prevent, remove, restrain, rule out, stave off, ward
oscillate
(to change back and forth), be unsteady, dangle, fishtail, flicker, fluctuate, librate, lurch, palpitate, pendulate, pitch, pivot, reel, ripple, rock, roll, seesaw, stagger, sway, swing, switch, swivel, teeter, teeter-totter, thrash, toss, totter, undulate, vacillate, vary, vibrate, waddle, wag, waggle, waltz, wave, waver, whirl, wiggle, wobble
partisan (n.)
(an adherent or supporter of a person, group, party, or cause), accessory, adhering, biased, bigoted, blind, cliquish, colored, conspiratorial, denominational, devoted, diehard, exclusive, fanatic, jaundiced, one-sided, overzealous, partial, prejudiced, prepossessed, sectarian, sympathetic, tendentious, unjust, unreasoning, warped, zealous
paucity
(lack, scarcity, absence, dearth, deficiency, famine, fewness, insufficience, insufficiency, meagerness, paltriness, poverty, rarity, scantiness, scarceness, shortage, slenderness, slightness, smallness, sparseness, sparsity
pedantic
abstruse, academic, arid, didactic, doctrinaire, donnish, dry, dull, egotistic, erudite, formal, fussy, hairsplitting, learned, nit-picking, ostentatious, overnice, particular, pedagogic, pompous, priggish, punctilious, scholastic, schoolish, sententious, stilted
penchant
affection, affinity, attachment, bias, disposition, druthers, inclining, itch, leaning, liking, partiality, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, proneness, propensity, taste, tendency, tilt, turn*, weakness, yen
penury
(poverty), barrenness, dearth, destitution, indigence, insufficiency, need, privation, scantiness
perennial
(enduring, perpetual), abiding, annual, ceaseless, chronic, constant, continual, continuing, deathless, durable, eternal, everlasting, immortal, imperishable, incessant, inveterate, lasting, lifelong, long-lasting, long-lived, longstanding, never-ending, old, perdurable, permanent, persistent, recurrent, seasonal, sustained, unceasing, unchanging, undying, unfailing, uninterrupted, yearlong, yearly
permeable
absorptive, accessible, enterable, passable, pervious, porose, porous, spongelike, spongy
pervasive
all over the place, can’t get away from, common, general, inescapable, omnipresent, permeating, pervading, prevalent, rife, ubiquitous, universal, wall-to-wall, widespread
phlegmatic
(unemotional), along for the ride, apathetic, blah*, cold, cool, deadpan, desensitized, disinterested, dispassionate, dull, emotionless, flat, frigid, groggy, indifferent, lethargic, lifeless, listless, passionless, passive, sluggish, uncompassionate, undemonstrative, unexcitable, unfeeling, uninvolved, unresponsive
piety
(devotion, religiousness), allegiance, application, ardor, belief, devoutness, docility, dutifulness, duty, faith, fealty, fervor, fidelity, godliness, grace, holiness, loyalty, obedience, passion, religion, religiosity, reverence, sanctity, veneration, zeal
plasticity
(pliancy), elasticity, flexibility, malleability, mobility, resilience
platitude
(dull, overused saying), banality, boiler plate, bromide, buzzword, chestnut, clich?, commonplace, corn, evenness, familiar tune, flatness, hackneyed saying, high camp, hokum, inanity, insipidity, monotony, motto, old chestnut, old story, potboiler, prosaicism, proverb, saw, shibboleth, stereotype, tag*, trite remark, triteness, triviality, truism, vapidity, verbiage
plummet
(fall hard and fast), collapse, crash, decline, decrease, descend, dip, dive, downturn, drop, drop down, dump, fall, nose-dive, plunge, precipitate, sink, skid, stoop, swoop, tumble
precarious
(tricky, doubtful),. ambiguous, borderline, chancy, contingent, dangerous, delicate, dicey, dubious, dynamite, equivocal, hairy*, hanging by a thread, hazardous, iffy, impugnable, indecisive, insecure, loaded, on thin ice, open, out on a limb, perilous, problematic, risky, rocky, rugged*, sensitive, shaky, slippery, ticklish, touch and go, touchy, uncertain, unhealthy, unreliable, unsafe, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, unsure
precursor
forerunner, harbinger, herald, messenger, outrider, usher, vanguard, ancestor, antecedent, antecessor, forebear, foregoer, forerunner, original, originator, parent, pioneer, predecessor, prototype
presumptuous
(self confident), arrogant, audacious, bold, cheeky*, conceited, confident, contumelious, egotistic, foolhardy, forward, fresh, insolent, overconfident, overfamiliar, overweening, pompous, presuming, pretentious, pushy, rash, rude, self-assertive, self-assured, self-satisfied, smug, supercilious, uppity
Presumptive
based on a presumption, based on grounds of probability’
probity
(fairness, honesty), equity, fidelity, goodness, honor, integrity, justice, morality, rectitude, righteousness, rightness, sincerity, trustworthiness, truthfulness, uprightness, virtue, worth
problematic
(open to doubt), ambiguous, arguable, chancy, debatable, disputable, doubtful, dubious, dubitable, enigmatic, iffy, indecisive, moot, open, precarious, problematical, puzzling, questionable, suspect, tricky, uncertain, unsettled, up for grabs
propensity
(inclination/weakness), ability, aptness, bent*, bias, capacity, competence, disposition, flash, inclining, leaning, liability, partiality, penchant, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, proneness, susceptibility, sweet tooth, talent, tendency, thing*, tilt, yen
proscribe
(condemn, exclude), ban, banish, blackball, boycott, censure, damn, denounce, deport, doom*, embargo, excommunicate, exile, expatriate, expel, forbid, interdict, ostracize, outlaw, prohibit, reject, sentence
qualified
(can mean able, skillful, or limited and restricted), accomplished, adept, adequate, all around, au fait, capable, catechized, certified, competent, disciplined, efficient, equipped, examined, experienced, expert, fit, fitted, good, instructed, knowledgeable, licensed, practiced, pro*, proficient, proper, proved, quizzed, talented, tested, trained, tried, up to snuff, up to speed, vet, veteran, war-horse, wicked, : bounded, circumscribed, conditional, confined, contingent, definite, determined, equivocal, fixed, guarded, modified, partial, provisional, reserved
quibble
(n. objection complaint) artifice, cavil, criticism, dodge, duplicity, equivocation, evasion, hair-splitter, nicety, niggle, nit-picker, pretense, prevarication, protest, quiddity, quirk, shift, sophism, subterfuge, subtlety (v. disagree over minor issues), altercate, argue over, argufy, avoid, bicker, blow hot and cold, carp, catch at straws, cavil, chicane, criticize, dispute, equivocate, evade, fence, flip-flop, hassle, have at it, hem and haw, hypercriticize, make a big thing about, nit-pick, paralogize, pettifog, pretend, prevaricate, put up an argument, set to, shift, spar, split hairs, squabble, talk back, waffle, wrangle
rarefied
(exclusive), cliquish, elevated, esoteric, exalted, lofty, private, select
recalcitrant
contrary, contumacious, defiant, fractious, indomitable, insubmissive, insubordinate, intractable, obstinate, opposing, radical, rebellious, refractory, resistant, resisting, stubborn, undisciplinable, undisciplined, ungovernable, unmanageable, unruly, untoward, unwilling, wayward, wild, willful, withstanding
recant
(to take back something said), abjure, abnegate, abrogate, annul, apostatize, back down, back off, back out, backtrack, call back, cancel, contradict, countermand, deny, dial back, disavow, disclaim, disown, eat one’s words, forswear, go back on one’s word, nullify, recall, renege, renounce, repeal, repudiate, rescind, retract, revoke, take back, unsay, void, weasel out, welsh, withdraw, worm out of
recondite
(mysterious, obscure), abstruse, academic, acroamatic, arcane, cabalistic, concealed, cryptic, dark, deep, difficult, esoteric, hard, heavy*, hermetic, hidden, involved, little-known, mystic, mystical, occult, orphic, pedantic, profound, scholarly, secret
refractory
(stubborn, or inflexible), disobedient, headstrong, mulish, obstinate, unmanageable, unruly, willful, impliable
refute
(prove false, discredit), abnegate, argue against, blow sky high, break, burn, burn down, cancel, cancel out, confute, contend, contradict, contravene, convict, counter, crush, debate, demolish, disclaim, disconfirm, dispose of, disprove, dispute, evert, explode, expose, gainsay, give the lie to, give thumbs down to, invalidate, negate, oppose, overthrow, parry, quash, rebut, reply to, repudiate, shoot down, shoot full of holes, show up, silence, squelch, take a stand against, tear down, top*
relegate
(assign, transfer) accredit, charge, commend, commit, confide, consign, credit, delegate, entrust, hand over, pass on, refer, turn over, (banish, downgrade), demote, deport, dismiss, displace, eject, exile, expatriate, expel, expulse, lag, ostracize, remove, throw out, transport
reproach
(n. strong criticism, dishonor or v. find fault with) abuse, admonishment, admonition, blame, blemish, censure, chiding, condemnation, contempt, disapproval, discredit, disgrace, disrepute, ignominy, indignity, obloquy, odium, opprobrium, rap, rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, scorn, shame, slight, slur, stain, stigma, abuse, admonish, blame, call down, call to task, cavil, censure, chide, condemn, criticize, defame, discredit, disparage, give comeuppance, give the devil, jawbone, lay on, lesson, rake, ream, rebuke, reprehend, reprimand, reprove, scold, sit on, take to task, trim, upbraid
reprobate
(shameless), bad, corrupt, degenerate, foul, immoral, improper, incorrigible, lewd, rude, sinful, unprincipled, vile, wanton, wicked
rescind
(to declare null and void), abolish, abrogate, annul, back out of, backpedal, backwater, call off, cancel, countermand, crawl out of, dismantle, forget, invalidate, lift, nix, overturn, pull the plug, quash, recall, remove, renege, repeal, retract, reverse, revoke, scrub, set aside, void, wangle out, weasel out
resolution
(determination, strong will), aim, boldness, constancy, courage, dauntlessness, decidedness, decision, declaration, dedication, doggedness, earnestness, energy, firmness, fixed purpose, fortitude, guts*, heart*, immovability, intent, intention, judgment, mettle, moxie*, obstinacy, perseverance, pluck, purpose, purposefulness, purposiveness, relentlessness, resoluteness, resolve, settlement, sincerity, spirit, spunk, staunchness, staying power, steadfastness, stubbornness, tenacity, verdict, willpower (answer, judgement), analysis, assertion, breakdown, call, conclusion, decision, declaration, determination, dissection, elucidation, end, exposition, finding, interpretation, motion, nod, outcome, pay dirt, presentation, proposal, proposition, quick fix, recitation, recommendation, resolve, settlement, solution, solving, sorting out, ticket, unravelling, upshot, verdict, working out
reverent
(respectful), admiring, appreciative, deferential, devout, dutiful, gracious, humble, obedient, obeisant, pious, polite, regardful, reverential, solemn, upholding, worshipping
sage
(adj. wise, n. a wise person), astute, aware, careful, clever, contemplative, cunning, discerning, educated, enlightened, experienced, foresighted, informed, insightful, intelligent, intuitive, judicious, knowing, knowledgeable, learned, perceptive, reflective, sagacious, sapient, scholarly, sensible, sharp, shrewd, smart, sound, thoughtful, understanding
salubrious
(health giving), beneficial, good, healthful, healthy, hygienic, invigorating, salutary, sanitary, wholesome
salacious
(characterized by lust, suggestive of lust, tending to moral looseness)
sanction
(authorization, to authorize), : acquiescence, allowance, approbation, approval, assent, authority, backing, confirmation, consent, countenance, encouragement, endorsement, fiat, go-ahead, green light, leave, nod, okay*, permission, permit, ratification, recommendation, seal of approval, stamp of approval, sufferance, support, wor; (embargo, punishment) ban, boycott, coercive measure, command, decree, injunction, penalty, punitive measure, sentence, writ
saturate
bathe, douche, douse, imbue, immerse, impregnate, infuse, overfill, penetrate, percolate, permeate, pervade, sate, satiate, soak, sop, souse, steep, suffuse, surfeit, transfuse, wash, waterlog
secrete
(to hide), bury, cache, conceal, cover, cover up, deposit, disguise, ditch, ensconce, finesse, harbor, hide out, keep quiet, keep secret, keep to oneself, keep under wraps, palm, paper, plant, screen, seclude, secure, shroud, squirrel, stash, stash away, stonewall, stow, sweep under rug, veil, whitewash, withhold, (to give off, emit), discharge, emanate, excrete, extravasate, extrude, exude, perspire, produce, sweat
shard
(remnant, end, remains)
skeptic
agnostic, apostate, atheist, cynic, disbeliever, dissenter, doubter, doubting Thomas, freethinker, heathen, heretic, infidel, materialist, misanthrope, misbeliever, nihilist, pagan, pessimist, profaner, questioner, rationalist, scoffer, unbeliever
solicitous
(worried), anxious, appetent, apprehensive, ardent, athirst, attentive, avid, beside oneself, careful, caring, concerned, devoted, eager, earnest, heedful, impatient, keen, loving, mindful, raring, regardful, tender, thirsty, troubled, uneasy, worried sick, worried stiff, zealous
spectrum
(range), compass, extent, field, gamut, scale, scope, span, sweep
sporadic
(on and off), bits and pieces, desultory, few, fitful, fits and starts, hit-or-miss, infrequent, intermittent, irregular, isolated, occasional, on-again-off-again, random, rare, scarce, scattered, seldom, semioccasional, spasmodic, spotty, uncommon, unfrequent
stint
(period of responsibility), assignment, bit, chore, consignment, duty, job, participation, quota, share, shift, spell, stretch, task, term, time, tour, turn, work (v. economize, hold back), be frugal, be parsimonious, be sparing, be stingy, begrudge, confine, cut corners, define, go easy on, grudge, limit, make ends meet, penny-pinch, pinch, restrain, roll back, save, save for rainy day, scrape, scrimp, skimp on, sock away, spare, squirrel, stash, tighten belt, withhold
stipulate
(decide on conditions), agree, arrange, bargain, condition, contract, covenant, designate, detail, engage, guarantee, impose, insist upon, lay down, lay finger on, make, make a point, name, particularize, pin down, pledge, postulate, promise, provide, put down for, require, settle, slot, specificate, specificize, specify, spell out, state
striated
(to be streaked)
strut
flaunt, flounce, grandstand, mince, parade, peacock, play to audience, prance, put on airs, sashay, show off, stalk, stride, swagger, swank, sweep
substantiate
(back up a statement/idea), : actualize, affirm, approve, attest to, authenticate, bear out, check out, check up, complete, confirm, corroborate, debunk, demonstrate, establish, incarnate, justify, manifest, materialize, objectify, personify, prove, ratify, realize, reify, support, test, try, try on, try out, validate, verify
supersede
(take the place of; override), abandon, annul, desert, discard, displace, forsake, oust, outmode, outplace, overrule, reject, remove, replace, repudiate, set aside, succeed, supplant, supplement, suspend, take over, usurp
supposition
(guess, belief), apriorism, assumption, condition, conjecture, doubt, guessing, guesstimate, guesswork, hunch, hypothesis, idea, likelihood, notion, opinion, posit, postulate, postulation, premise, presumption, presupposition, rough guess, shot in the dark, sneaking suspicion, speculation, stab in the dark, suppose, surmise, suspicion, theory, thesis, view
tangential
digressive, divergent, diverging, extraneous, unrelated
tenuous
(weak, thin), aerial, airy, attenuate, attenuated, delicate, doubtful, dubious, ethereal, fine, flimsy, gossamer, insignificant, insubstantial, light, narrow, nebulous, questionable, rare, rarefied, reedy, shaky, sketchy, slender, slight, slim, subtle, twiggy
tortuous
(complicated, very twisted), anfractuous, bent, circuitous, convoluted, crooked, curved, flexuous, indirect, involute, labyrinthine, mazy, meandering, meandrous, roundabout, serpentine, sinuous, snaky, twisting, vermiculate, winding, zigzag ambiguous, convoluted, cunning, deceptive, devious, indirect, involute, involved, misleading, perverse, roundabout, tricky
tractable
(manageable), acquiescent, amenable, biddable, complaisant, compliant, controllable, docile, ductile, facile, flexible, game, going along with, governable, hanging loose, malleable, meek, obedient, persuadable, plastic, pliable, pliant, putty in hands, rolling with punches, subdued, submissive, tame, tractile, willing, workable, yielding
transgression
breach, breaking of the law, contravention, crime, defiance, disobedience, encroachment, erring, error, fault, infraction, infringement, iniquity, lapse, misdeed, misdemeanor, offense, overstepping, sin, slip, trespass, vice, wrong, wrongdoing
truculence
(fight, belligerence), aggression, aggressiveness, attack, backbone*, bellicoseness, bellicosity, belligerence, belligerency, boldness, combativeness, contentiousness, gameness, hardihood, mettle, militancy, pluck, pugnaciousness, pugnacity, resistance, spirit, truculency, abhorrence, aggression, animosity, animus, antipathy, aversion, bad blood, bellicoseness, bellicosity, belligerency, bitterness, combativeness, contentiousness, detestation, disaffection, enmity, estrangement, grudge, hatred, hostility, ill will, inimicality, malevolence, malice, militance, militancy, opposition, pugnaciousness, pugnacity, rancor, resentment, spite, spleen, truculency, unfriendliness, venom, virulence, war, warpath
veracious
(true) accurate, credible, dependable, direct, ethical, factual, faithful, frank, genuine, high-principled, honest, just, kosher*, legit, like it is, on the level, on the line, on the up and up, open, reliable, right, righteous, straight-arrow, straightforward, strict, true-blue, trustworthy, truthful, undeceptive, up front, valid, veridical
viable
(reasonable, practible), applicable, doable, feasible, operable, possible, usable, within possibility, workable
viscous
(sticky, gummy), adhesive, clammy, gelatinous, gluey, glutinous, gooey, mucilaginous, ropy, slimy, stiff, syrupy, tenacious, thick, tough, viscid
vituperative
(abusive), calumniating, castigating, censorious, contumelious, defamatory, derisive, disparaging, insolent, insulting, invective, libelous, maligning, obloquious, offensive, opprobrious, reproachful, reviling, rude, sarcastic, scathing, scolding, scurrilous, sharp-tongued, slanderous, traducing, upbraiding, vilifying
warranted
(authorized), allowable, allowed, assured, certified, guaranteed, justified, sanctioned, secured
wary
(careful, cautious), alert, attentive, cagey, calculating, canny, chary, circumspect, considerate, discreet, distrustful, doubting, frugal, gingerly, guarded, handling with kid gloves, heedful, keeping on one’s toes, leery, on guard, on the lookout, on the qui vive, provident, prudent, safe, saving, sly, sparing, suspicious, thinking twice, thrifty, unwasteful, vigilant, walking on eggs, watchful, watching one’s step, watching out, wide-awake
welter
(commotion), confusion, grovel, jumble, overturn, roll, toss, tumble, turmoil, uproar
zealot
(enthusiast), activist, diehard, extremist, fanatic, fiend, maniac, militant, nut, radical, ultra*, young Turk
