To confuse
·
Befog (Verb)
·
Bemuse (Verb)
·
Bewilder (Verb)
·
Baffle (Verb)
·
Befuddle (Verb)
·
Flummox (Verb)
·
Addle (Verb & Adj.)
·
Gravel (Noun & Verb)
·
Perplex (Verb)
·
Muddle (Verb)
·
Nonplus (Noun & Verb)
·
Obfuscate (Verb)
·
Confound (Verb)
·
Stupefy (Verb)
Explanation: Nonplus (Noun) means state of confusion.
Confound (or Stupefy) means to confuse or to surprise someone. Therefore, these
words have been covered in this series and they have been covered in series for
to surprise also.
BEFOG (Verb)
Meaning: To confuse or to obscure
Use: The professor’ s convoluted explanation only befogged
the textbook’ s presentation of this scientific principle.
BEMUSE (Verb)
Meaning: To confuse someone
Use: The news about his ex-wife getting married again
bemused him.
BEWILDER (Verb)
Meaning: To confuse someone
Use: The many choices of activities in the city served only
to bewilder the traveler.
BAFFLE (Verb)
Meaning: To confuse (someone) completely
Use: The unexpected news of a tax increase by the
governor baffled many of the citizens of his state.
BEFUDDLE (Verb)
Meaning: To confuse
Use: His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only in
befuddling her further.
FLUMMOX (Verb)
Meaning: To confuse
Use: An actor who ‘s flummoxed by any changes in the script.
ADDLE (Verb)
Meaning: To confuse
Use: The problem is that
if anyone tries to use logical explanations for some political positions, it
just addles the listeners and makes their understanding
more confusing than comprehensible.
ADDLE (Adj.)
Meaning: Confused
Use: My brain grew more and more addle as I made my way
through the tax instructions.
GRAVEL (Noun)
Meaning: Small pieces of rock
GRAVEL (Verb)
Meaning: To confuse
Use: Managed to gravel his opponent in the debate by
focusing on a typical example.
PERPLEX (Verb)
Meaning: To confuse (someone) very much
Use: Willie was perplexing his mother very
much because he refused to take a shower after working out and having such
strong body orders.
MUDDLE (Verb)
Meaning: 1) To confuse someone
2)
To mix up (something) in a confused way
Use: Manfred complained that getting too much advice can
easily muddle his mind.
NONPLUS (Noun)
Meaning: A state of confusion
Use: The unexpected results of the test have created a
nonplus for researchers.
NONPLUS (Verb)
Meaning: To cause confusion
Use: I was nonplussed by his openly expressed admiration of
me.
OBFUSCATE (Verb)
Meaning: To make something difficult to understand
Use: Bill tried to obfuscate his drunken
driving with extraneous information about taking medication; however, the odor
of alcohol on his breath was not obfuscating his real
condition.
CONFOUND (Verb)
Meaning: To surprise or confuse someone
Use: The new tax system confounded the
people, because it seemed to be much more complicated than in the previous
years.
STUPEFY (Verb)
Meaning: To cause (someone) to become confused or unable to
think properly
Use: The amount they spend on clothes would appall their
parents and stupefy their grandparents.
To surprise
·
Astound (Verb)
·
Astonish (Verb)
·
Bedazzle (Verb)
·
Flabbergast (Verb)
·
Confound (Verb)
·
Stagger (Verb)
·
Startle (Verb)
·
Stupefy (Verb)
Explanation: Stagger (Verb) means to walk unsteadily or to
hesitate. It has second meaning also. It also means to astonish someone.
ASTOUND (Verb)
Meaning: To cause a feeling of great surprise or wonder in
(someone)
Use: The juggler
was astounding people with his entertaining skills.
ASTONISH (Verb)
Meaning: To cause a feeling of great wonder or surprise in
(someone)
Use: Helena's
flower garden astonishes everyone who sees it.
BEDAZZLE (Verb)
Meaning: To thrill or excite (someone) very much
Use: Fans bedazzled by movie stars.
FLABBERGAST (Verb)
Meaning: To shock or surprise (someone) very much
Use: Your decision to suddenly quit your job flabbergasts
me.
CONFOUND (Verb)
Meaning: To surprise and confuse (someone or something)
Use: Trying to
comprehend the complicated directions for operating his new TV confounded the
father too much.
STAGGER (Verb)
Meaning: 1) To move or cause (someone) to move unsteadily
from side to side
2) To shock or surprise someone
3)
To arrange (things) in a series of different positions or times
Use: "After
he sprained his ankle, he was barely able to stagger back to the bench in the
park."
STARTLE (Verb)
Meaning: To surprise or frighten (someone) suddenly
Use: I am sorry that
I startled you.
STUPEFY (Verb)
Meaning: To shock or surprise (someone) very much
Use: The amount they spend on clothes would appall their
parents and stupefy their grandparents.
Damaging/Harmful
·
Deleterious (Adj.)
·
Precarious (Adj.)
·
Pernicious (Adj.)
·
Detrimental (Adj.)
·
Blight (Verb & Noun)
·
Noxious (Adj.)
Explanation: Blight (Noun) is a disease that makes plants
dry up and die. Blight (Noun) also means something damaging or harmful. Blight
(Verb) means to cause damage. Noxious (Adj.) deviates slightly. Noxious (Adj.)
deviates slightly. Noxious (Adj.) means harmful to living beings. For example:
<Noxious fumes can seriously harm you>. <Noxious smog>.
DELETERIOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Damaging or harmful
Use: Face it, there is obviously a deleterious effect
from smoking.
PRECARIOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Not safe, strong or steady
Use: The workers had precarious privileges
provided by their company which could be altered or terminated at any
time.
PERNICIOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Causing great harm or damage often in a way that is
not easily seen or noticed
Use: Tabitha is going to get revenge on the man who insulted
her with a pernicious act that will hurt him very much without
him knowing who did it.
DETRIMENTAL (Adj.)
Meaning: Causing damage or injury
Use: At the meeting with parents and teachers, Mrs. Jackson,
the school counselor, pointed out that watching too much TV can be detrimental to
a child's social and intellectual development.
BLIGHT (Verb)
Meaning: 1) To damage (a thing or place)
2)
To damage (plants) with a disease
Use: The scandal blighted the careers of several leading
politicians.
BLIGHT (Noun)
Meaning: 1) A disease that makes plants dry up and die
2)
Something that causes harm or damage like a disease
Use: He has been credited with turning the country around
after several severe economic blights.
NOXIOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Harmful to living things
Use: Depressions have made some people have noxious feelings
that can result in serious ailments.
Causing serious
destruction or Damage/Evil
·
Baneful (Adj.)
·
Baleful (Adj.)
·
Malignant (Adj.)
·
Scourge (Verb & Noun)
·
Sinister (Adj.)
·
Menace (Noun) & Minatory (Adj.)
·
Vicious (Adj.)
Explanation: Words covered in this series do not deviate
much in meaning to words covered in series for Damaging/Harmful.
Menace (Noun) and Minatory (Adj.) are Noun and adjective
form of each other. Vicious (Adj.) deviates in meaning slightly. Vicious (Adj.)
means violent or cruel. It also means dangerous.
Scourge (Noun) means something causing great trouble or
suffering. It has second meaning also. It means a whip.
Scourge (Verb) means to cause great trouble or suffering. It
also means to hit (someone) with a whip as a punishment.
BANEFUL (Adj.)
Meaning: Causing destruction or serious damage
Use: There are many baneful consequences
for the people of Syria; including the deaths and wounding of women, children,
and men who have nothing to do with the uprising that has been going on there.
BALEFUL (Adj.)
Meaning: Threatening harm or evil
Use: The use of drugs has had a baleful impact
on many people around the world.
MALIGNANT (Adj.)
Meaning: Very evil or harmful
Use: As a patient, Leroy was placed in the isolation ward as
a result of the extremely malignant nature of his lung
infection.
SCOURGE (Verb)
Meaning: 1) To cause great trouble or suffering
2)
To hit someone with a whip as a punishment
Use: “Bill suffered the scourge of asthma all his life,” he
said.
SCOURGE (Noun)
Meaning: 1) Something causing great trouble or suffering
2) A
whip
Use: A city ravaged by the scourge of unemployment.
SINISTER (Adj.)
Meaning: Looking likely to cause something bad, harmful, or dangerous
to happen
Use: We must defeat the sinister forces that seek our
downfall.
MENACE (Noun)
Meaning: 1) A dangerous or possibly harmful person or thing
2) A
dangerous or threatening quality
Use: The little boy was a menace in a shop full of crystal.
MINATORY (Adj.)
Meaning: Having a menacing quality
Use: The soviet Union undermined its own objectives by
minatory behavior that produced a palpable sense of threat in the Japanese
public.
VICIOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: 1) Very violent, cruel or dangerous
2)
Having or showing very angry or cruel feelings
Use: Dina's vicious dog
was kept on a strong leash whenever he was taken out for a walk.
To insult/To defame
·
Denigrate (Verb)
·
Belittle (Verb)
·
Disparage (Verb)
·
Deprecate (Verb)
·
Decry (Verb)
·
Derogate (Verb)
DENIGRATE (Verb)
Meaning: To criticize unfairly or to make (something) seem
less important or valuable
Use: All attempts to denigrate the character of our late
president have failed; the people still love him and cherish his memory.
BELITTLE (Verb)
Meaning: To describe (someone or something) as little or
unimportant
Use: Perhaps should not belittle their children’ s early
attempts at drawing, but should encourage their efforts.
DISPARAGE (Verb)
Meaning: To describe (someone or something) as unimportant,
weak, bad etc.
Use: When Sara was given less pay as a secretary, she disparaged her
boss as an idiot who didn't deserve to be a supervisor.
DEPRECATE (Verb)
Meaning: To criticize or express disapproval of (someone or
something)
Use: The city spokesman deprecates the use
of violence as done by some demonstrators.
DECRY (Verb)
Meaning: To express strong disapproval of
Use: Violence on TV is generally decried as
being harmful to children.
DEROGATE (Verb)
Meaning: To insult (someone or something)
Use: Senator Johnson was warned that such a statement
will derogate his reputation.
Insulting/Defaming
·
Denigrative (Adj.)
·
Belittling (Adj.)
·
Contemptuous (Adj.)
·
Decrying (Adj.)
·
Disdainful (Adj.)
·
Disparaging (Adj.)
·
Deprecatory (Adj.)
·
Depreciatory (Adj.)
·
Demeaning (Adj.)
·
Derisory (Adj.)
·
Pejorative (Adj.)
·
Sarcastic (Adj.)
·
Sardonic (Adj.)
·
Satiric (Adj.)
·
Scornful (Adj.)
·
Uncomplimentary (Adj.)
Explanation: Scorn (Noun) means a feeling that someone or
something is not worthy of any respect or approval. Scornful (Adj.) is
adjective form of word Scorn (Noun). Deride (Verb) means to ridicule or to talk
about something in an insulting way. Derision (Noun) means scornful ridicule.
Satiric (Adj.) and Sarcastic (Adj.) deviates slightly.
Satiric (Adj.) and Sarcastic (Adj.) means insulting using irony.
DENIGRATIVE (Adj.)
Meaning: Criticizing unfairly or making something less
important or valuable
BELITTLING (Adj.)
Meaning: Describing (someone or something) as little or
unimportant
CONTEMPTUOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Feeling or showing deep hatred or disapproval
Use: Paulette's contemptuous tone of voice
was dripping with unkindness and disrespect for the neighbor who would not keep
his yard clean.
DECRYING (Adj.)
Meaning: Expressing strong disapproval of
DISDAINFUL (Adj.)
Meaning: Showing strong dislike or disapproval of someone or
something you think does not deserve respect
Use: "When Janine was at the restaurant, she looked at
the plate which the waiter brought with a disdainful glare because it was not
what she had ordered."
DEPRECATORY (Adj.)
Meaning: Criticizing or expressing disapproval of (someone
or something)
Use: "Deprecatory remarks were made about the
book."
DEPRECIATORY (Adj.)
Meaning: 1) Causing (something) to have a lower price or
value
2) Describing (something) as having
little value
Use: These changes have greatly depreciated the value of the
house.
DEMEANING (Adj.)
Meaning: Lowering the dignity of someone
Use: The political candidate was demeaning her
opponent.
DERISORY (Adj.)
Meaning: Expressing a belief that someone or something is
ridiculous or without value
Use: The pawnbroker offered what I regarded as a derisory
amount for the diamond ring.
PEJORATIVE (Adj.)
Meaning: Insulting to someone or something
Use: When Alisa
used the pejorative "you're an idiot" with the young
man, and although James was tempted to send stronger pejoratives back
to her, much to his credit, he resisted the temptation.
SARCASTIC (Adj.)
Meaning: Using irony to defame or insult someone
Use: Her sarcastic comments that my singing reminded her of
the time her dog was sick.
SARDONIC (Adj.)
Meaning: Showing disrespect or scorn for someone or
something
Use: Shirley had
a sardonic smile when she was told what a wonderful dress she
was wearing.
SATIRIC (Adj.)
Meaning: Using humor or irony etc. to criticize or ridicule
Use: They soon acquired a satiric and disrespectful tone
which made the authorities uneasy.
SCORNFUL (Adj.)
Meaning: Feeling or showing that someone is not worthy of
any respect or approval
Use: He is scornful of anyone who disagrees with his
political beliefs.
UNCOMPLIMENTARY (Adj.)
Meaning: Expressing a low opinion of someone or something
Use: An uncomplimentary description of the town in which the
writer grew up.
Feeling of strong
dislike or disapproval for someone or something
·
Disdain (Noun & Verb)
·
Contempt (Noun)
Explanation: Disdain (Verb) means to treat someone with
disdain (Noun).
Contempt (Noun) has second meaning also. Contempt (Noun)
means speech or behavior that does not show proper respect to a court or judge.
DISDAIN (Noun)
Meaning: A feeling of strong dislike or disapproval of
someone or something
Use: The mayor
regarded the proposal for building a shopping center in the city park
with disdain.
DISDAIN (Verb)
Meaning: To strongly dislike or disapprove of (someone or
something)
Use: They disdained him for being weak.
CONTEMPT (Noun)
Meaning: 1) A feeling that someone or something is not
worthy of any respect or approval
2)
Speech or behavior that does not show proper respect to a court or judge
Use: She has displayed a profound contempt for her
opponents.
Sad
·
Bereaved (Adj.)
·
Crestfallen (Adj.)
·
Dejected (Adj.)
·
Despondent (Adj.)
·
Disconsolate (Adj.)
·
Doleful (Adj.)
·
Dolorous (Adj.)
·
Forlorn (Adj.)
·
Glum (Adj.)
·
Lugubrious (Adj.)
·
Melancholic (Adj.)
·
Morose (Adj.)
·
Mournful (Adj.)
·
Plaintive (Adj.)
·
Plangent (Adj.)
·
Saturnine (Adj.)
·
Sepulchral (Adj.)
·
Woe (Noun & Interjection) & Woeful
(Adj.)
Explanation: Bereaved (Adj.) means sad because a family
member or friend has recently died. Plangent (Adj.) and Plaintive (Adj.) means
expressing sadness.
BEREAVED (Adj.)
Meaning: Sad especially because a family member or friend
has recently died
Use: Many families have been bereaved following the deaths
of men doing an honest day’ s work.
CRESTFALLEN (Adj.)
Meaning: Very sad and disappointed
Use: He came back empty-handed and crestfallen.
DEJECTED (Adj.)
Meaning: Sad and in low spirits because of failure, loss
etc.
Use: The dejected players slowly made their way to the
locker room, where they could mourn their defeat in private.
DESPONDENT (Adj.)
Meaning: Very sad and without hope
Use: Jeremiah was very despondent about
losing his job after fifteen years with the company; however, the business was
having economic problems and laying off many of its employees.
DISCONSOLATE (Adj.)
Meaning: Very unhappy or sad
Use: Survivors of
the tornadoes were even more disconsolate when they saw the
destruction that resulted.
DOLEFUL (Adj.)
Meaning: Very sad
Use: Jimmy was in
a state of doleful misery when his dog was run over by a car.
DOLOROUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Marked by or expressing misery or grief
Use: After dinner,
June had a dolorous feeling in her stomach and thought
that she had eaten too much ice cream for desert!
FORLORN (Adj.)
Meaning: 1) Sad and lonely
2)
Hopeless
Use: Deserted by her big sisters and her friends, the
forlorn child sat sadly on the steps awaiting their return.
GLUM (Adj.)
Meaning: Sad or depressed
Use: There is no need to look so glum- things will get
better soon.
LUGUBRIOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Full of sadness or sorrow
Use: Danny
wore lugubrious mourning clothing although he didn't really
feel sad about his uncle's death.
MELANCHOLIC (Adj.)
Meaning: Very sad
Use: She becomes quite melancholic when she reflects on all
the lost opportunities of her life.
MOROSE (Adj.)
Meaning: Very sad or unhappy
Use: Those morose job seekers who have grown accustomed to
rejection.
MOURNFUL (Adj.)
Meaning: Very sad
Use: She had such a mournful expression that someone
teasingly asked if her dog had died.
PLAINTIVE (Adj.)
Meaning: Expressing suffering or sadness
Use: Mark heard
the plaintive cries from the woman who had just slipped on the
icy sidewalk and fallen; so, he rushed to help her and he used his cell phone
to call for an ambulance to come so she could receive medical aid.
PLANGENT (Adj.)
Meaning: Loud and mournful
Use: A plangent, haunting song about a long-ago love.
SATURNINE (Adj.)
Meaning: Very serious and unhappy
Use: Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is
not as gloomy as he looks.
SEPULCHRAL (Adj.)
Meaning: Very sad and serious
Use: She spoke in sepulchral whispers.
WOEFUL (Adj.)
Meaning: Very sad
Use: He sounded so woeful, is expression so longing, that I
had felt sympathy for him.
A situation in which
no progress seems possible
·
Impasse (Noun)
·
Stalemate (Noun)
·
Deadlock (Noun)
IMPASSE (Noun)
Meaning: A situation in which no progress seems possible
Use: An arbitrator was called in to break the impasse.
STALEMATE (Noun)
Meaning: 1) A situation in chess in which a player cannot
successfully move any of the pieces and neither player can win.
2) A
contest or dispute in which neither side can win
Use: The chess
champion was astonished to find herself in a stalemate with
her opponent.
DEADLOCK (Noun)
Meaning: A situation in which an agreement cannot be made
Use: The U.S.
Congress apparently is having more deadlocks about too many
issues rather than having mutual agreements.
Mutual Agreement
·
Consensus (Noun)
·
Unanimous (Adj.)
CONSENSUS (Noun)
Meaning: A general agreement about something
Use: The consensus of
the voters was to defeat the new tax increase that was proposed by the mayor.
UNANIMOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Having the same opinion
Use: The doctors
caring for Mark were unanimous in their diagnosis of his
illness.
To
blame/accuse/Charge
·
Allege (Verb)
·
Impeach (Verb)
·
Impute (Verb)
·
Incriminate (Verb)
·
Recriminate (Verb)
·
Implicate (Verb)
·
Indict (Verb)
Explanation: Impeach (Verb) means to charge a public
official with a crime. Recriminate (Verb) deviates slightly. Recriminate (Verb)
means retaliatory accusation.
Implicate (Verb) and Indict (Verb) also deviates slightly.
Implicate(Verb) means to show that someone is closely connected to or involved
in something (such as a crime). Indict (Verb) means to formally decide that
someone should be put on trial.
ALLEGE (Verb)
Meaning: To state without proof that someone is guilty
Use: Jerome
is alleged to have assaulted a man in the parking lot over a
parking dispute.
IMPEACH (Verb)
Meaning: To charge (a public official) with a crime done
while in office
Use: The angry congressman wanted to impeach the president
for his misdeeds.
IMPUTE (Verb)
Meaning: To say or suggest that someone is guilty
Use: If I wished to impute blame to the officers in charge
of this program, I would state my feelings definitely and immediately.
INCRIMINATE (Verb)
Meaning: To charge with or show evidence of involvement in a
crime
Use: The hidden
cameras in the train station incriminated two teenagers by
taking pictures of them breaking into a candy machine and running off with
several items.
RECRIMINATE (Verb)
Meaning: Retaliatory accusation
Use: Scornfully declaring that he was not the school’ s lone
drug dealer, he immediately began recriminating a host of confederates.
IMPLICATE (Verb)
Meaning: to show that someone is closely connected to or
involved in something (such as a crime)
Use: The
politician was implicated in misappropriating government funds
to support his election.
INDICT (Verb)
Meaning: to formally decide that someone should be put on
trial
Use: It is much
easier to indict than to convict.
Careful
·
Meticulous (Adj.)
·
Punctilious (Adj.)
·
Fastidious (Adj.)
·
Prudish (Adj.)
·
Priggish (Adj.)
Explanation: Prudish (Adj.) and Priggish (Adj.) deviates
slightly. Prudish (or Priggish) (Adj.) means extremely careful or giving so
much attention to priorities.
Prudish (Adj.) has second meaning also. Prudish (Adj.) means
easily shocked.
METICULOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Very careful about doing something
Use: Mac's father
was always a meticulous carpenter who was always focused on
the accuracy of his work.
PUNCTILIOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Very careful about doing something
Use: As the
principal of the high school, Mr. Johnson had to be quite punctilious in
conducting the staff meetings by not skipping over important issues and not
interrupting a teacher whenever a question was asked.
FASTIDIOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: 1) Very careful about doing something
2) Wanting to always be clean, neat etc.
Use: James was
a fastidious accountant who seemed to be destined to do well
in the financial department of his company.
PRUDISH (Adj.)
Meaning: Extremely careful or giving so much attention to
priorities
Use: By the prudish standards of the 19th
century, any depiction of the nude was scandalous.
PRIGGISH (Adj.)
Meaning: Extremely careful or giving so much attention to
priorities
Use: He is priggish about keeping accurate records.
Strict concerning morals
·
Scrupulous (Adj.)
·
Conscientious (Adj.)
·
Puritanical (Adj.)
Explanation: Conscientious (or Scrupulous) (Adj.) means
guided by inner conscience (or Scruple).
SCRUPULOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Guided by inner conscience (or Scruple) or Careful
about doing what is honest and morally right
Use: Though Alfred is scrupulous is fulfilling his duties at
work, he is less conscientious about his obligations to his family and friends.
CONSCIENTIOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Guided by inner conscience (or Scruple) or Careful
about doing what is honest and morally right
Use: Lana was
a conscientious reporter, always checking her facts before
writing the story.
PURITANICAL (Adj.)
Meaning: Very strict especially concerning morals and
religion
Use: Jim has puritanical parents
in that they do not allow him to go to certain movies or read immoral books,
etc.
