English Synonyms and Antonyms by James Champlin Fernald (best ebook reader for laptop TXT) 📕

cellspacing="0" summary=""> a priori, intuitive, original, primordial, transcendent.

Intuitive truths are those which are in the mind independently of all experience, not being derived from experience nor limited by it, as that the whole is greater than a part, or that things which are equal to the same thing are equal to one another. All intuitive truths or beliefs are transcendental. But transcendental is a wider term than intuitive, including all within the limits of thought that is not derived from experience, as the ideas of space and time. "Being is transcendental.... As being can not be included under any genus, but transcends them all, so the properties or affections of being have also been called transcendental." K.-F. Vocab. Philos. p. 530. "Transcendent he [Kant] employed to denote what is wholly beyond experience, being neither given as an a posteriori nor a priori element of cognition—what therefore transcends every category of thought." K.-F. Vocab. Philos. p. 531. Transcendental has been applied in the language of the Emersonian school to the soul's supposed intuitive knowledge of things divine and human, so far as they are capable of being known to man. Compare MYSTERIOUS.

TRANSIENT. Synonyms: brief, fleeting, fugitive, short, ephemeral, flitting, momentary, temporary, evanescent, flying, passing, transitory.

Transient and transitory are both derived from the same original source (L. trans, over, and eo, go), denoting that which quickly passes or is passing away, but there is between them a fine shade of difference. A thing is transient which in fact is not lasting; a thing is transitory which by its very nature must soon pass away; a thing is temporary (L. tempus, time) which is intended to last or be made use of but a little while; as, a transient joy; this transitory life; a temporary chairman. Ephemeral (Gr. epi, on, and hemera, day) literally lasting but for a day, often marks more strongly than transient exceeding brevity of duration; it agrees with transitory in denoting that its object is destined to pass away, but is stronger, as denoting not only its certain but its speedy extinction; thus that which is ephemeral is looked upon as at once slight and perishable, and the word carries often a suggestion of contempt; man's life is transitory, a butterfly's existence is ephemeral; with no solid qualities or worthy achievements a pretender[362] may sometimes gain an ephemeral popularity. That which is fleeting is viewed as in the act of passing swiftly by, and that which is fugitive (L. fugio, flee) as eluding attempts to detain it; that which is evanescent (L. evanesco, from e, out, and vanus, empty, vain) as in the act of vanishing even while we gaze, as the hues of the sunset.

Antonyms: abiding, eternal, immortal, lasting, perpetual, undying, enduring, everlasting, imperishable, permanent, persistent, unfading. UNION. Synonyms: coalition, conjunction, juncture, unification, combination, junction, oneness, unity.

Unity is oneness, the state of being one, especially of that which never has been divided or of that which can not be conceived of as resolved into parts; as, the unity of God or the unity of the human soul. Union is a bringing together of things that have been distinct, so that they combine or coalesce to form a new whole, or the state or condition of things thus brought together; in a union the separate individuality of the things united is never lost sight of; we speak of the union of the parts of a fractured bone or of the union of hearts in marriage. But unity can be said of that which is manifestly or even conspicuously made up of parts, when a single purpose or ideal is so subserved by all that their possible separateness is lost sight of; as, we speak of the unity of the human body, or of the unity of the church. Compare ALLIANCE; ASSOCIATION; ATTACHMENT; HARMONY; MARRIAGE.

Antonyms: analysis, decomposition, disjunction, disunion, divorce, separation, contrariety, disconnection, dissociation, division, schism, severance. USUAL. Synonyms: accustomed, everyday, general, ordinary, public, common, familiar, habitual, prevailing, regular, customary, frequent, normal, prevalent, wonted.

Usual (L. usus, use, habit, wont) signifies such as regularly or often recurs in the ordinary course of events, or is habitually repeated in the life of the same person. Ordinary (L. ordo, order) signifies according to an established order, hence of everyday occurrence. In strictness, common and general apply to the greater number of individuals in a class; but both words are in good use as[363] applying to the greater number of instances in a series, so that it is possible to speak of one person's common practise or general custom, tho ordinary or usual would in such case be preferable. Compare GENERAL; NORMAL.

Antonyms: exceptional, infrequent, rare, strange, unparalleled, extraordinary, out-of-the-way, singular, uncommon, unusual. UTILITY. Synonyms: advantage, expediency, serviceableness, avail, profit, use, benefit, service, usefulness.

Utility (L. utilis, useful) signifies primarily the quality of being useful, but is somewhat more abstract and philosophical than usefulness or use, and is often employed to denote adaptation to produce a valuable result, while usefulness denotes the actual production of such result. We contrast beauty and utility. We say of an invention, its utility is questionable, or, on the other hand, its usefulness has been proved by ample trial, or I have found it of use; still, utility and usefulness are frequently interchanged. Expediency (L. ex, out, and pes, foot; literally, the getting the foot out) refers primarily to escape from or avoidance of some difficulty or trouble; either expediency or utility may be used to signify profit or advantage considered apart from right as the ground of moral obligation, or of actions that have a moral character, expediency denoting immediate advantage on a contracted view, and especially with reference to avoiding danger, difficulty, or loss, while utility may be so broadened as to cover all existence through all time, as in the utilitarian theory of morals. Policy is often used in a kindred sense, more positive than expediency but narrower than utility, as in the proverb, "Honesty is the best policy." Compare PROFIT.

Antonyms: disadvantage, futility, inadequacy, inutility, uselessness, folly, impolicy, inexpediency, unprofitableness, worthlessness. VACANT. Synonyms: blank, leisure, unfilled, untenanted, void, empty, unemployed, unoccupied, vacuous, waste.

That is empty which contains nothing; that is vacant which is without that which has filled or might be expected to fill it; vacant has extensive reference to rights or possibilities of occupancy.[364] A vacant room may not be empty, and an empty house may not be vacant. Vacant, as derived from the Latin, is applied to things of some dignity; empty, from the Saxon, is preferred in speaking of slight, common, or homely matters, tho it may be applied with special force to the highest; we speak of empty space, a vacant lot, an empty dish, an empty sleeve, a vacant mind, an empty heart, an empty boast, a vacant office, a vacant or leisure hour. Void and devoid are rarely used in the literal sense, but for the most part confined to abstract relations, devoid being followed by of, and having with that addition the effect of a prepositional phrase; as, the article is devoid of sense; the contract is void for want of consideration. Waste, in this connection, applies to that which is made so by devastation or ruin, or gives an impression of desolation, especially as combined with vastness, probably from association of the words waste and vast: waste is applied also to uncultivated or unproductive land, if of considerable extent; we speak of a waste track or region, but not of a waste city lot. Vacuous refers to the condition of being empty or vacant, regarded as continuous or characteristic.

Antonyms: brimful, busy, filled, inhabited, overflowing, brimmed, crammed, full, jammed, packed, brimming, crowded, gorged, occupied, replete. VAIN. Synonyms: abortive, futile, shadowy, unsatisfying, baseless, idle, trifling, unserviceable, bootless, inconstant, trivial, unsubstantial, deceitful, ineffectual, unavailing, useless, delusive, nugatory, unimportant, vapid, empty, null, unprofitable, visionary, fruitless, profitless, unreal, worthless.

Vain (L. vanus, empty) keeps the etymological idea through all changes of meaning; a vain endeavor is empty of result, or of adequate power to produce a result, a vain pretension is empty or destitute of support, a vain person has a conceit that is empty or destitute of adequate cause or reason. That which is bootless, fruitless, or profitless fails to accomplish any valuable result; that which is abortive, ineffectual, or unavailing fails to accomplish a result that it was, or was supposed to be, adapted to accomplish. That which is useless, futile, or vain is inherently incapable of accomplishing a specified result. Useless, in the widest sense,[365] signifies not of use for any valuable purpose, and is thus closely similar to valueless and worthless. Fruitless is more final than ineffectual, as applying to the sum or harvest of endeavor. That which is useless lacks actual fitness for a purpose; that which is vain lacks imaginable fitness. Compare VACANT; OSTENTATION; PRIDE.

Antonyms: adequate, effective, powerful, solid, useful, advantageous, efficient, profitable, sound, valid, beneficial, expedient, real, substantial, valuable, competent, potent, serviceable, sufficient, worthy.

Compare synonyms for UTILITY.

VENAL. Synonyms: hireling, mercenary, purchasable, salable.

Venal (L. venalis, from venum, sale) signifies ready to sell one's influence, vote, or efforts for money or other consideration; mercenary (L. mercenarius, from merces, pay, reward) signifies influenced chiefly or only by desire for gain or reward; thus, etymologically, the mercenary can be hired, while the venal are openly or actually for sale; hireling (AS. hyrling, from hyr) signifies serving for hire or pay, or having the spirit or character of one who works or of that which is done directly for hire or pay. Mercenary has especial application to character or disposition; as, a mercenary spirit; mercenary motives—i. e., a spirit or motives to which money is the chief consideration or the moving principle. The hireling, the mercenary, and the venal are alike in making principle, conscience, and honor of less account than gold or sordid considerations; but the mercenary and venal may be simply open to the bargain and sale which the hireling has already consummated; a clergyman may be mercenary in making place and pay of undue importance while not venal enough to forsake his own communion for another for any reward that could be offered him. The mercenary may retain much show of independence; hireling service sacrifices self-respect as well as principle; a public officer who makes his office tributary to private speculation in which he is interested is mercenary; if he receives a stipulated recompense for administering his office at the behest of some leader, faction, corporation, or the like, he is both hireling and venal; if he gives essential advantages for pay, without subjecting himself[366] to any direct domination, his course is venal, but not hireling. Compare PAY; VENIAL.

Antonyms: disinterested, honest, incorruptible, public-spirited, unpurchasable. generous, honorable, patriotic, VENERATE. Synonyms: adore, honor, respect, revere, reverence.

In the highest sense, to revere or reverence is to hold in mingled love and honor with something of sacred fear, as for that which while lovely is sublimely exalted and brings upon us by contrast a sense of our unworthiness or inferiority; to revere is a wholly spiritual act; to reverence is often, tho not necessarily, to give outward expression to the reverential feeling; we revere or reverence the divine majesty. Revere is a stronger word than reverence or venerate. To venerate is to hold in exalted honor without fear, and is applied to objects less removed from ourselves than those we revere, being said especially of aged persons, of places or objects having sacred associations, and of abstractions; we venerate an aged pastor, the dust of heroes or martyrs, lofty virtue or self-sacrifice, or some great cause, as that of civil or religious liberty; we do not venerate God, but revere or reverence him. We adore with a humble yet free outflowing of soul. Compare VENERATION.

Antonyms: contemn, detest, dishonor, scoff at, slight, despise, disdain, disregard, scorn, spurn. VENERATION. Synonyms: adoration, awe, dread, reverence.

Awe is inspired by that in which there is sublimity or majesty so overwhelming as to awaken a feeling akin to fear; in awe, considered by itself, there is no element of esteem or affection, tho the sense of vastness, power, or grandeur in the object is always present. Dread is a