English Synonyms and Antonyms

Impudence is shameless impertinence. What would be arrogance in a superior becomes impertinence or
impudence in an inferior. Impertinence has less of intent and determination than impudence. We speak of
thoughtless impertinence, shameless impudence. Insolence is literally that which is against custom, i. e., the
violation of customary respect and courtesy. Officiousness is thrusting upon others unasked and undesired
service, and is often as well-meant as it is annoying. Rudeness is the behavior that might be expected from a
thoroughly uncultured person, and may be either deliberate and insulting or unintentional and even
unconscious. Compare ARROGANCE; ASSURANCE; EFFRONTERY; PERTNESS.
Antonyms:
bashfulness, diffidence, lowliness, modesty, coyness, humility, meekness, submissiveness.
Prepositions:
The impudence of, or impudence from, a subordinate to a superior.
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INCONGRUOUS.
Synonyms:
absurd, ill-matched, inharmonious, conflicting, inapposite, irreconcilable, contradictory, inappropriate,
mismatched, contrary, incommensurable, mismated, discordant, incompatible, repugnant, discrepant,
inconsistent, unsuitable.
Two or more things that do not fit well together, or are not adapted to each other, are said to be incongruous; a
thing is said to be incongruous that is not adapted to the time, place, or occasion; the term is also applied to a
thing made up of ill-assorted parts or inharmonious elements. Discordant is applied to all things that jar in
association like musical notes that are not in accord; inharmonious has the same original sense, but is a milder
term. Incompatible primarily signifies unable to sympathize or feel alike; inconsistent means unable to stand
together. Things are incompatible which can not exist together in harmonious relations, and whose action
when associated tends to ultimate extinction of one by the other. Inconsistent applies to things that can not be
made to agree in thought with each other, or with some standard of truth or right; slavery and freedom are
inconsistent with each other in theory, and incompatible in fact. Incongruous applies to relations, unsuitable
to purpose or use; two colors are incongruous which can not be agreeably associated; either may be unsuitable
for a person, a room, or an occasion. Incommensurable is a mathematical term, applying to two or more
quantities that have no common measure or aliquot part.
Antonyms:
Synonyms and Antonyms, by James Champlin Fernald
176

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accordant, agreeing, compatible, consistent, harmonious, suitable.
Preposition:
The illustrations were incongruous with the theme.
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INDUCTION.
Synonyms:
deduction, inference.
Deduction is reasoning from the general to the particular; induction is reasoning from the particular to the
general. Deduction proceeds from a general principle through an admitted instance to a conclusion. Induction,
on the other hand, proceeds from a number of collated instances, through some attribute common to them all,
to a general principle. The proof of an induction is by using its conclusion as the premise of a new deduction.
Thus what is ordinarily known as scientific induction is a constant interchange of induction and deduction. In
deduction, if the general rule is true, and the special case falls under the rule, the conclusion is certain;
induction can ordinarily give no more than a probable conclusion, because we can never be sure that we have
collated all instances. An induction is of the nature of an inference, but while an inference may be partial and
hasty, an induction is careful, and aims to be complete. Compare DEMONSTRATION; HYPOTHESIS.
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INDUSTRIOUS.
Synonyms:
active, busy, employed, occupied, assiduous, diligent, engaged, sedulous.