English Synonyms and Antonyms

condition is a contingent term which may become fixed upon the happening of some contemplated event. In
logic a term is one of the essential members of a proposition, the boundary of statement in some one direction.
Thus, in general use term is more restricted than word, expression, or phrase; a term is a word that limits
meaning to a fixed point of statement or to a special class of subjects, as when we speak of the definition of
terms, that is of the key-words in any discussion; or we say, that is a legal or scientific term. Compare
BOUNDARY; DICTION.
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TERSE.
Synonyms:
brief, concise, neat, short, compact, condensed, pithy, succinct. compendious, laconic, sententious,
Synonyms and Antonyms, by James Champlin Fernald
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Anything short or brief is of relatively small extent. That which is concise (L. con-, with, together, and cædo,
cut) is trimmed down, and that which is condensed (L. con-, with, together, and densus, thick) is, as it were,
pressed together, so as to include as much as possible within a small space. That which is compendious (L.
com-, together, and pendo, weigh) gathers the substance of a matter into a few words, weighty and effective.
The succinct (L. succinctus, from sub-, under, and cingo, gird; girded from below) has an alert effectiveness
as if girded for action. The summary is compacted to the utmost, often to the point of abruptness; as, we speak
of a summary statement or a summary dismissal. That which is terse (L. tersus, from tergo, rub off) has an
elegant and finished completeness within the smallest possible compass, as if rubbed or polished down to the
utmost. A sententious style is one abounding in sentences that are singly striking or memorable, apart from the
context; the word may be used invidiously of that which is pretentiously oracular. A pithy utterance gives the
gist of a matter effectively, whether in rude or elegant style.
Antonyms:
diffuse, lengthy, long, prolix, tedious, verbose, wordy.
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TESTIMONY.
Synonyms:
affidavit, attestation, deposition, proof, affirmation, certification, evidence, witness.
Testimony, in legal as well as in common use, signifies the statements of witnesses. Deposition and affidavit
denote testimony reduced to writing; the deposition differs from the affidavit in that the latter is voluntary and
without cross-examination, while the former is made under interrogatories and subject to cross-examination.
Evidence is a broader term, including the testimony of witnesses and all facts of every kind that tend to prove
a thing true; we have the testimony of a traveler that a fugitive passed this way; his footprints in the sand are
additional evidence of the fact. Compare DEMONSTRATION; OATH.
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THEREFORE.
Synonyms:
accordingly, consequently, then, whence, because, hence, thence, wherefore.
Therefore, signifying for that (or this) reason, is the most precise and formal word for expressing the direct
conclusion of a chain of reasoning; then carries a similar but slighter sense of inference, which it gives
incidentally rather than formally; as, "All men are mortal; Cæsar is a man; therefore Cæsar is mortal;" or,
"The contract is awarded; then there is no more to be said." Consequently denotes a direct result, but more
frequently of a practical than a theoretic kind; as, "Important matters demand my attention; consequently I
shall not sail to-day." Consequently is rarely used in the formal conclusions of logic or mathematics, but
marks rather the freer and looser style of rhetorical argument. Accordingly denotes correspondence, which
may or may not be consequence; it is often used in narration; as, "The soldiers were eager and confident;