English Synonyms and Antonyms

admitted at specified times, without a formal permit. We allow a child's innocent intrusion; we concede a
right; grant a request; consent to a sale of property; permit an inspection of accounts; sanction a marriage;
tolerate the rudeness of a well-meaning servant; submit to a surgical operation; yield to a demand or necessity
against our wish or will, or yield something under compulsion; as, the sheriff yielded the keys at the muzzle of
a revolver, and allowed the mob to enter. Suffer, in the sense of mild concession, is now becoming rare, its
place being taken by allow, permit, or tolerate. Compare PERMISSION.
Antonyms:
deny, disapprove, protest, reject, withstand. disallow, forbid, refuse, resist,
See also synonyms for PROHIBIT.
Prepositions:
To allow of (in best recent usage, simply to allow) such an action; allow one in such a course; allow for
spending-money.
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ALLOY.
Synonyms:
admixture, adulteration, debasement, deterioration.
Alloy may be either some admixture of baser with precious metal, as for giving hardness to coin or the like, or
it may be a compound or mixture of two or more metals. Adulteration, debasement, and deterioration are
always used in the bad sense; admixture is neutral, and may be good or bad; alloy is commonly good in the
literal sense. An excess of alloy virtually amounts to adulteration; but adulteration is now mostly restricted to
articles used for food, drink, medicine, and kindred uses. In the figurative sense, as applied to character, etc.,
alloy is unfavorable, because there the only standard is perfection.
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ALLUDE.
Synonyms:
advert, indicate, intimate, point, signify, hint, insinuate, mention, refer, suggest. imply,
Advert, mention, and refer are used of language that more or less distinctly utters a certain thought; the others
of language from which it may be inferred. We allude to a matter slightly, perhaps by a word or phrase, as it
were in byplay; we advert to it when we turn from our path to treat it; we refer to it by any clear utterance that
distinctly turns the mind or attention to it; as, marginal figures refer to a parallel passage; we mention a thing
by explicit word, as by naming it. The speaker adverted to the recent disturbances and the remissness of
certain public officers; tho he mentioned no name, it was easy to see to whom he alluded. One may hint at a
thing in a friendly way, but what is insinuated is always unfavorable, generally both hostile and cowardly.
One may indicate his wishes, intimate his plans, imply his opinion, signify his will, suggest a course of action.
Compare SUGGESTION.
Synonyms and Antonyms, by James Champlin Fernald
35

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Preposition:
The passage evidently alludes to the Jewish Passover.
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ALLURE.
Synonyms:
attract, captivate, decoy, entice, lure, tempt, cajole, coax, draw, inveigle, seduce, win.
To allure is to draw as with a lure by some charm or some prospect of pleasure or advantage. We may attract
others to a certain thing without intent; as, the good unconsciously attract others to virtue. We may allure
either to that which is evil or to that which is good and noble, by purpose and endeavor, as in the familiar line,
"Allured to brighter worlds, and led the way," GOLDSMITH Deserted Village, l. 170. Lure is rather more
akin to the physical nature. It is the word we would use of drawing on an animal. Coax expresses the
attraction of the person, not of the thing. A man may be coaxed to that which is by no means alluring. Cajole
and decoy carry the idea of deceiving and ensnaring. To inveigle is to lead one blindly in. To tempt is to
endeavor to lead one wrong; to seduce is to succeed in winning one from good to ill. Win may be used in
either a bad or a good sense, in which latter it surpasses the highest sense of allure, because it succeeds in that
which allure attempts; as, "He that winneth souls is wise," Prov. xi, 30.
Antonyms:
chill, damp, deter, dissuade, drive away, repel, warn.
Prepositions:
Allure to a course; allure by hopes; allure from evil to good.
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ALSO.
Synonyms:
as well, in addition, likewise, too, as well as, in like manner, similarly, withal. besides,
While some distinctions between these words and phrases will appear to the careful student, yet in practise the
choice between them is largely to secure euphony and avoid repetition. The words fall into two groups; as