Synonyms and antonyms — Reading Notes

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Authors: Ordway, Edith B. (Edith Bertha), 1877-1944 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2024 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: English language -- Synonyms and antonyms Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

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Text sections 34

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Edith B. Ordway's 1913 reference work alphabetically lists over five thousand common English words with their synonyms and antonyms, grouping closely related terms within semicolons and consistently placing antonyms after 'Ant.' The preface explains the method for expanding references by looking up cognate forms.

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SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS _An Alphabetical List of Words in Common Use, Grouped with Others of Similar and Opposite Meaning_

EDITH B. ORDWAY _Author of “The Etiquette of To-Day,” “Handbook of Quotations,” Etc._

GEORGE SULLY AND COMPANY

BY SULLY AND KLEINTEICH

_All rights reserved_

The aim in compiling this book has been to make the list of words in common use concise yet full, and authoritative yet suggestive. Above five thousand leading words are given, and the synonyms and antonyms comprise several thousand more different words.

Actual references may be multiplied by looking up a synonym or antonym, as well as by consulting cognate words, such as the corresponding noun, verb, or adjective.

In some cases common words have been omitted, because they were composed of a root word and a prefix, intensive or privative. Their synonyms and antonyms may be found under the root word.

Occasionally within the lists words closely synonymous or antonymic have been grouped within semicolons.

The part of speech of a word is designated by an abbreviation in such cases as are necessary to save confusion.

Synonyms appear immediately after the leading word; antonyms, after the abbreviation “Ant.” This order is invariable.

In the effort to make this list authoritative, the standard dictionaries and the acknowledged authorities on the subject have been consulted.

_Ant._ Antonym or Antonyms.

_interj._ Interjection.

_p.p._ Past Participle.

_Syn._ Synonym or Synonyms.

SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS

=Abandon.= Desert, leave, forsake, depart from, quit, give up, relinquish, discontinue, abdicate, renounce, repudiate, forswear, withdraw from, vacate, surrender, retract, recant, retire from, cast off, abjure, cede, cease, resign, forego, yield, waive, part with, let go, lay down, evacuate, drop, deliver up.

ANT. _Claim, cherish, defend, keep, hold, maintain, protect, adopt, uphold, advocate, vindicate, occupy, undertake, prosecute, pursue, follow, seek, guard, favor, retain, support, assert, haunt._

=Abandoned.= Discarded, rejected _and the p.p. of the syn. of “abandon”_; depraved, corrupt, profligate, wicked, unprincipled, shameless, sinful, hardened, impenitent, lost, demoralized, vicious, dissolute, reprobate, graceless, obdurate, licentious, incorrigible, irreclaimable, bad.

ANT. The p.p. of the ant. of “abandon”; _visited, frequented, sociable; virtuous, good, deserving, worthy, commendable, excellent, laudable; reclaimable, penitent; conscientious, correct, upright, righteous, self-controlled, high-principled, steady._

=Abandonment.= Desertion, renunciation, surrender, rejection, abandoning, relinquishment, dereliction; cession, resignation, abnegation, demission, abjuration, abdication, defection, abrogation.

ANT. _Solicitude, care, heed, watchfulness, vigilance; hospitality, entertainment, conviviality, welcome, reception; retention, completion, reclamation, support, help, correction, custody, tenacity._

=Abase.= Degrade, reduce, lower, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, humble, sink, humiliate, bring low, cast down, stoop, debase, depress, drop, take down, demean.

ANT. _Elevate, exalt, honor, promote, raise, dignify, uplift, aggrandize._

=Abasement.= Degradation, humiliation, dishonor, degeneracy, shame, depression, reduction, lowering, fall, deterioration, debasement, degeneration, vitiation, perversion, depravation, abjection, disrepute, discredit, subserviency.

ANT. _Promotion, exaltation, honor, elevation, aggrandizement, dignity, repute, reputation, standing, supremacy._

=Abash.= Bewilder, confound, disconcert, discompose, confuse, daunt, humble, dishearten, mortify, shame, humiliate, snub, discountenance.

ANT. _Embolden, cheer, encourage, animate, uphold, rally, countenance, inspirit, abet, incite, buoy._

=Abate.= Lessen, lower, reduce, diminish, moderate, decrease, decline, ebb, mitigate, subside, suppress, terminate, remove; temper, assuage, alleviate, appease, pacify; remit, allow; relax, slacken; bate, deduct; soothe, soften, qualify, allay, mollify, compose, tranquilize, quiet, quell, calm, dull, blunt; batter down, beat down, demolish, raze.

ANT. _Increase, prolong, magnify, foment, enlarge, extend, aggravate, continue, develop, revive, raise, enhance, amplify._

=Abatement.= Subsidence, decline, lowering, reduction, decrease; allowance, discount, rebate, depreciation, drawback; moderation, lessening, mitigation, assuagement, remission, sinking, settling, waning, fading, ebb, evanishment, declension, deduction, diminution.

ANT. _Increase, augmentation, enlargement, increment, accretion, development, growth, aggrandizement, dilation, accession._

=Abbreviate.= Shorten, contract, curtail, reduce, abridge, condense, epitomize, compress.

ANT. _Lengthen, extend, elongate, dilate, expand, amplify, enlarge, produce, stretch, prolong, expatiate._

=Abbreviation.= Abridgment, contraction, condensation, compend, abstract, epitome, reduction, summary, curtailment, compression.

ANT. _Expansion, amplification, expatiation, extension, production, enlargement, dilation._

=Abdicate.= Resign, relinquish _office_ (_especially of the throne_), surrender, abandon, vacate, forego, renounce, give up, cede.

ANT. _Retain, claim, occupy, maintain, usurp, seize, grasp._

=Abdomen.= Belly, paunch, ventral region, visceral cavity.

=Abduct.= Take away (_surreptitiously or forcibly_), kidnap, run away with, carry off, spirit away, drag away.

ANT. _Restore, reinstate, adduct._

=Abduction.= Withdrawal, drawing away, abstraction, kidnapping, seizure, appropriation.

ANT. _Adduction, replacement, restitution, restoration, surrender, reinstatement._

=Aberrant.= Wandering, rambling, divergent, deviating, devious, erratic; irregular, abnormal, unusual, exceptional.

ANT. _Regular, true, consistent, uniform, consecutive, normal, natural, continuous._

=Aberration.= Wandering, divergence, irregularity, rambling, disconnectedness, hallucination, illusion, delusion, eccentricity, singularity, peculiarity.

ANT. _Uniformity, consecutiveness, regularity, progression, continuity, order, type, norm._

=Abet.= Aid, assist, promote, support, sanction, uphold, countenance, encourage, advocate, incite, instigate, embolden, favor, foment, connive at, coöperate with.

ANT. _Hinder, impede, obstruct, frustrate, baffle, confound, counteract, deter, discourage, thwart, contradict, disconcert, disapprove, denounce, dissuade, expose._

=Abettor.= Assistant, helper, aid, ally, coöperator, advocate, confederate, accomplice, accessory, adviser, promoter, instigator, associate, coadjutor.

ANT. _Opponent, foe, adversary, antagonist, rival, dissuader, detector, baffler, disconcerter._

=Abeyance.= Suspense, suspension, expectancy, waiting, anticipation, dormancy, intermission, quiescence, suppression, expectation.

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Edith B. Ordway's Synonyms and Antonyms (1913) is a compact reference work built on a consistent, transparent system. The preface states that over five thousand leading words are given, with synonyms and antonyms comprising several thousand more. The order is invariable: synonyms appear immediately after the leading word, followed by the abbreviation 'Ant.' and then the antonyms. Within lists, closely synonymous or antonymic words are grouped by semicolons, as seen in the entry for 'Hesitate,' where 'doubt, pause, delay, demur, waver, vacillate' are set off from 'falter, stammer; dubitate, scruple.'

The part of speech is designated by an abbreviation only when necessary to avoid confusion. Ordway also notes that common words formed from a root word with a prefix have been omitted, directing the reader to the root entry instead. This structure makes the volume a practical tool for writers and students seeking precise vocabulary.

Alphabetical Entries and Their Internal Logic

The entries follow a strict alphabetical order, but within each, Ordway employs a nuanced grouping strategy. For example, under 'Abandoned,' the first set of synonyms is 'Discarded, rejected and the p.p. of the syn. of “abandon”;' then a semicolon introduces a second cluster: 'depraved, corrupt, profligate, wicked, unprincipled, shameless, sinful, hardened, impenitent, lost, demoralized, vicious, dissolute, reprobate, graceless, obdurate, licentious, incorrigible, irreclaimable, bad.' This separation distinguishes the literal sense (something left behind) from the moral sense (a person of low character). The antonyms are similarly divided: the first set refers to the literal meaning ('visited, frequented, sociable'), while the second addresses the moral dimension ('virtuous, good, deserving, worthy, commendable, excellent, laudable; reclaimable, penitent; conscientious, correct, upright, righteous, self-controlled').

This pattern recurs in many entries, showing that Ordway did not simply compile lists but organized them by shades of meaning. The entry for 'High' is another example: it begins with 'Prominent, superior, distinguished, preëminent; dignified, great, admirable; recondite, abstruse, occult, profound, dark, obscure, transcendental; proud, haughty, arrogant, supercilious, lordly; boastful, ostentatious, bragging, vainglorious; despotic, domineering, overbearing, tyrannical; turbulent, violent, strong, tumultuous, boisterous; extreme; complete, full; dear; shrill, acute, sharp, high-pitched; northerly, southerly; early, primeval; capital, principal; strong-flavored; noble, exalted, steep, tall, towering, uplifted, elevated, eminent, lofty.' The semicolons here separate distinct senses—physical height, moral elevation, intellectual depth, social arrogance, and so on—making the entry a miniature thesaurus of related but distinct concepts.

Coverage and Limitations: What the Excerpts Reveal

The excerpts show that Ordway's work covers a wide range of vocabulary, from common words like 'Help' and 'Hide' to more specialized terms such as 'Hibernal' and 'Heterodox.' The entry for 'Hibernal' lists 'Wintry, brumal, arctic, glacial, frigid' as synonyms and 'Summery, balmy, zephyrous, halcyon, tropical' as antonyms, demonstrating the inclusion of poetic and rare words alongside everyday ones. Similarly, 'Heterodox' is defined as 'Unsound, unorthodox, heretical, freethinking,' with antonyms 'Sound, orthodox.'

However, the excerpts also reveal what the book does not provide. There are no example sentences, usage notes, or etymologies. The entries are purely lists of words, with no guidance on connotation or register. For instance, 'Hideous' lists 'Frightful, dreadful, appalling, horrible, ghastly, terrible, horrid, grim, shocking, grisly; unshapely, ugly, monstrous' as synonyms, but does not distinguish between degrees of intensity or contexts. The user must rely on their own knowledge to choose the right word. The preface acknowledges this by suggesting that readers look up a synonym or antonym to multiply references, implying that the book is a starting point for exploration rather than a definitive guide.

The Role of Cognate Words and Cross-References

Ordway's preface explicitly states that 'actual references may be multiplied by looking up a synonym or antonym, as well as by consulting cognate words, such as the corresponding noun, verb, or adjective.' This design encourages the reader to treat the book as a network rather than a flat list. For example, the entry for 'Abandon' includes synonyms like 'desert, leave, forsake, depart from, quit, give up, relinquish, discontinue, abdicate, renounce, repudiate, forswear, withdraw from, vacate, surrender, retract, recant, retire from, cast off, abjure, cede, cease, resign, forego, yield, waive, part with, let go, lay down, evacuate, drop, deliver up.' A reader who looks up 'relinquish' would find its own entry, potentially with additional synonyms and antonyms, thus expanding their vocabulary.

The excerpts also show that some entries include cross-references to related forms. Under 'Abandoned,' the first synonym is 'Discarded, rejected and the p.p. of the syn. of “abandon”;' this directs the user to the past participle forms of the synonyms listed under 'Abandon.' Similarly, the antonyms for 'Abandoned' include 'The p.p. of the ant. of “abandon”;' again pointing back to the main entry. This interlinking makes the book more than a simple dictionary; it is a tool for systematic vocabulary building, though it requires active engagement from the reader.

Ordway's Synonyms and Antonyms is best used as a reference for expanding word choice, but its value depends on the reader's willingness to follow cross-references and consider the semicolon groupings as indicators of distinct meanings. The absence of usage examples means that context must be supplied by the reader's own experience or by consulting a dictionary. For those interested in the history of lexicography, this 1913 volume offers a clear snapshot of early twentieth-century approaches to synonymy, prioritizing breadth and systematic arrangement over illustrative detail.

In all my years, Synonyms and Antonyms has been my quiet companion—a patient ledger of every word’s neighbor and shadow. There is a kinship between that alphabetical patience and the earthy particularity of the A Glossary of Words used in the Country of Wiltshire — A Reader’s Guide, both shelving language as one might press wildflowers: gently, precisely, without hurry.