Word |
Meaning |
Synonyms |
Antonyms |
Usage of Word |
Babble
(noun) |
-
Chatter idly or foolishly
- Make continuous sounds like
water running gently over rounded stone; n
|
- Chatter
- Jabber
- Prattle
- Blather
- Talk
|
- Quiet
- Sense
- Wisdom
- Sobriety
- Hide
|
Babble is the confused sound of a group of people talking simultaneously.
Or the continuous murmuring sound of water flowing over stones in a stream.
Example:
” I heard the students babble at the busstop.”
|
Bacchanal
(noun) |
Noisy party with a lot of drinking |
- Bacchanalian
- Orgy
- Revel
- Revel
- Drunk
|
|
Bacchanal is a wild and drunken celebration.
Or a priest, worshipper, or follower of Bacchus.
Example:
”A Bacchanal was a disciple of Bacchus, the god of wine ”
|
Bacchanalia
(noun) |
The ancient roman
festival in honor of bacchus |
- Drunken revelry
- Riot
- Orgy
- Celebration
- Carousal
|
|
Bacchanalia is a Roman festival of Bacchus celebrated with dancing, song, and revelry.
Example:
”Their life was dominated by suburban bacchanalia of alcohol, nicotine, gasoline, and kisses ”
|
Bacchanalian
(adjective) |
Drunken |
- Alcoholic
- Drunken
- Orgiastic
- Reveler
- Carousing
|
|
Bacchanalian is a drunken party or feast.
Example:
”He was quickly admitted and entered into a Bacchanalian gathering ”
|
Backslide
(verb) |
- Revert (to bad habits)
- n. Reverter
|
- Lapse
- Regress
- Relapse
- Return
- Slip
|
- Progress
- Amend
- Develop
- Elaboration
- Growth
|
Backslide is to revert to bad habits or lapse in religious practice.
Example:
”Smokers who quit often backslide within a year. ”
|
Backwards
(Adverb) |
- And forwards ex. Reciprocate his invitation by inviting him
- n. Reciprocity: reciprocal relationship
- mutual interchange of advantages between two groups
ex. Reciprocity in trading rights
|
- Backward
- Rearward
- Astern
- Retrograde
- Precede
|
- Forward
- Frontward
- Ahead
- Advance
- Beyond
|
Backwards means in a manner, order or direction the reverse of normal.
Example:
” I heard a noise behind me and glanced backward.”
|
Badger
(verb) |
- Pester
- Annoy continually with demands
- Persuade by asking again and again ex. The children badgered me into taking them into the cinema
- n: a kind of mountain animal
|
- Pester
- Annoy
- Tease
- Harass
- Plague
- Trouble
|
- Ease
- Comfort
- Chasten
- Clapping
- Abate
|
Badger is to annoy persistently.
Example:
” She finally badgered me into cutting my hair.”
|
Badinage
(noun) |
- Teasing conversation
- Banter
- Joking talk
|
- Raillery
- Banter
- Repartee
- Persiflage
- Chaff
|
|
Badinage is fun, light-hearted teasing
Example:
” The young man continued, in a tone of gentle badinage.”
|
Baffle
(verb) |
|
- Confuse
- Perplex
- Puzzle
- Frustrate
- Bewilder
|
- Encourage
- Assist
- Abet
- Explain
- Clear up
|
Baffle is to confuse (someone) completely.
Example:
”The most curious were baffled by her silence and the most tenacious by her obstinacy. ”
|
Bait
(verb) |
- Harass
- Tease
- Torment ex. Badger baiting
- n: Food or other lure used to catch fish or trap animals
|
- Tease
- Taunt
- Decoy
- Provoke
- Razz
|
- Abate
- Abolish
- Chasten
- Defend
- Demolish
|
Bait is to try to make (someone) angry by using criticism or insults.
Example:
”The Intelligence agency used her as a bait to trap the spies”
|
Balk
(verb) |
- Stop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue
- foil
- stop or get in the way of
- Frustrate
|
- Frustrate
- Thwart
- Foil
- Hinder
- Check
|
- Aid
- Help
- Proceed
- Goad
- Comply
|
Balk is to suddenly show that you do not want to do something;
to refuse to do what someone else wants you to do.
Example:
” New parents will often balk at hiring a babysitter,
especially if there is a grandparent readily available. ”
|
Ballast
(noun) |
- Heavy substance used to add stability or weight
- v. Supply with ballast
|
- Weight
- Balance
- Anchor
- Load
- Material
|
|
Ballast is heavy material (such as rocks or water)
that is put on a ship to make it steady
or on a balloon to control its height in the air.
Example:
”They are like the ballast with which every ship is always loaded,
at once to keep it upright and enable it to sail properly. ”
|
Balm
(noun) |
- Something that relieves pain
- Oily liquid with a pleasant smell from trees
|
- Ointment
- Salve
- Lotion
- Unguent
- Unction
|
- Annoyance
- Pain
- Backbone
- Barb
- Dagger
|
Balm is an oily substance that has a pleasant smell
and that is used for healing,
smoothing, or protecting the skin.
Example:
”She shows that laughter is a balm for difficult times.”
|
Balmy
(adjective) |
- Soft and mild (of air)
- Fragrant
|
- Mild
- Gentle
- Calm
- Temperate
- Insane
|
- Sane
- Inclement
- Balanced
- Rational
- Sensible
|
Balmy is something that is soothing and pleasant feeling, often medicinal.
Example:
” Raju is going to paint our fence when the weather becomes balmy.”
|
Banal
(adjective) |
- Hackneyed
- Commonplace
- Trite
- Lacking originality
|
- Trite
- Commonplace
- Stale
- Hackneyed
- Tired
|
- Original
- Fresh
- Awesome
- New
- Atypical
|
Banal is something common or overused.
Example:
”He made some banal remarks about the weather.”
|
Bandy
(verb) |
- Discuss lightly or glibly
- Discuss in a frivolous manner
- Exchange (words) heatedly
- Quarrel ex. Bandy words with
|
- Discuss
- Fight
- Struggle
- Talk over
- Hash out
|
|
Bandy means to throw something or
an idea like a ball back and forth.
Example:
”They bandied around the idea of going out to dinner for their anniversary.”
|
Bane
(noun) |
- Posion
- Cause of ruin
- adj. Baneful
- Harmful
- Poisonous
|
- Curse
- Nemesis
- Affliction
- Trouble
- Distress
|
- Boon
- Blessing
- Protection
- Antidote
|
Bane means something that will kill, destroy or distress someone.
Example:
”The neighbours children are a bane of my life.”
|
Bank
(noun) |
- Heap
- Piled-up mass
- Embankment
- Lateral tilting (as of an aircraft in turning)
- V: Pile up
- Protect with a bank
- Tilt in turning
|
- Deposit
- Hoard
- Store
- Pack
- Heap
|
- Withdraw
- Spend
- Distrust
- Disburse
- Mistrust
|
Bank is a place where something is held available
Example:
” I deposit my money in the bank.”
|
Bantering
(verb) |
- Joking talk
- Good-naturedly ridiculing
- n.v. Banter
|
- Joking
- Jesting
- Kidding
- Teasing
|
- Humorless
- Appease
- Placating
|
Bantering is talk in which people make jokes
about each other in a friendly way.
Example:
”We saw officers and subordinates bantering with each other.”
|
Bar
(Verb) |
- Railing in a courtroom
- Legal profession
- Vertical line dividing a staff into equal measures ex. Prisoner at the bar
- v: Shut in or out with bars
- Forbid
- Exclude
- cf. Barrister
|
- Block
- Banish
- Debar
- Exclude
- Relegate
|
- Allow
- Advantage
- Permit
- Open
- Loosen
|
Bar is a something that obstructs or
prevents passage, progress, or action.
Example:
” Poor health may be a bar to success in life”
|
Barb
(noun) |
- Sharp projection from fishhook,
arrow, or other object
- openly cutting remark
|
- Spile
- Shaft
- Prickle
- Tingling
- Thorn
|
- Compliment
- Praise
- Kindness
- Acclaim
- Blunt
|
Barb is a sharp point that sticks out
and backward (as from the tip of an arrow or fishhook).
Example:
”Her barbs of sarcasm had clearly struck home.”
|
Bard
(noun) |
Poet |
- Poet
- Minstrel
- Troubadour
- Versifier
- Singer
|
|
Bard is an ancient person who composes and
signs poems about heroes and epic events.
Example:
”He has the emotional feeling to become a good bard.”
|
Barefaced
(adjective) |
- Shameless and noticeable
- Blatant
- Bold
- Unconcealed
- Having no covering on the face
ex. Barefaced lie
|
- Shameless
- Blatant
- Brazen
- Audacious
- Insolent
|
- Careful
- Ashamed
- Cute
- Enigma
- Quiet
|
Barefaced means with the face uncovered, unmasked, or beardless.
Example:
”He is swindling you in the most barefaced manner”
|
Bargain
(Verb) |
- Agreement between two groups or people
- something for sale at a price advantageous to the buyer
- v: negotiate
- trade ex. Bargaining power
|
- Deal
- Contract
- Dicker
- Convenant
- Agreement
|
- Acquaint
- Blind
- Break
- Disagreement
|
Bargain is an understanding between two people
on the cost of goods or services.
Example:
”She likes to hunt for bargains when she shops.”
|
Baroque
(adjective) |
Highly ornate |
- Ornate
- Elaborate
- Decorated
- Extravagant
- Bright
|
- Plain
- Restrained
- Unadorned
- Minimalist
- Simple
|
Baroque refers to the style of music, architecture
and the arts that were prevalent from 1600 to 1750.
Example:
”It is a book filled with baroque descriptions.”
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