The exertion of clothing a thought in a completely new set of wordsincreases both clearness of thought and mastery over words. It is the test ofa solid thought that it will bear a change of clothing.—J. R. Seeley.
Transcriber's note:
Definitions which are synonyms in alphabetic order in the text (e.g. Afterward, Afterwards) are shown as connected by braces followed by the common description(s). In this text they have been separated and duplicated. Minor typos and numbering errors of descriptions have been corrected. Inconsistent hyphenation has been retained.
The main design of this Dictionary is to provide a readymeans of assistance when one is at a loss for a wordor an expression that best suits a particular turn of thought ormood of the mind, or that may obviate an ungraceful repetition.Even practised and skilful writers are sometimes embarrassedin the endeavor to make a sentence more clear, simple, terse,or rhythmical, by the substitution of one form of diction foranother. It is presumed that they, as well as novices in composition,will find the present work useful in overcoming difficultiesof this sort.
As to the method of using it: Whenever a doubt arises inregard to the fitness of any word, and a better one is not readilysuggested, let the writer turn to this word in its alphabetical place.Under it will be found the words and phrases, or some clew tothe words and phrases, which, in any connection, have the samemeaning as itself, or a meaning very nearly the same. That oneof them, which comes nearest to expressing the exact shade ofthought in the writer's mind, will be likely to arrest the attentionand determine the choice.
In most cases, all the words that belong to any group willbe found in that group. But in some instances, as when thesame word falls into two or more groups that are near to eachother, or when there are so many synonymes for a word that arepetition of every one of them under each in its alphabeticalplace would seem to be too formal and prolix, the inquirer isreferred to some prominent word among them for a view of thewhole. Under the word Blockhead, for example, reference ismade to the word DUNCE,—printed, for this purpose, in smallcapitals, as here,—under which will be found all the wordsthat are synonymous with it. This example is given because itis the most marked one in our language of a multiplicity ofterms for the same idea.
Many nouns ending in ness, and adverbs ending in ly, havebeen omitted in their alphabetical places, for the reason thattheir synonymes are sufficiently indicated by the correspondingadjectives.
The aim has been to present at a single glance the words ormodes of speech which denote the same object, or which expressthe same general idea, with only slight shades of difference.There has been no attempt at elaborate discussion of the nice distinctionsthat obtain between words apparently synonymous;but hints of such distinctions have been given whenever it waspracticable to give them briefly in a parenthetical remark.
In preparing this Dictionary, free use has been mad