English Synonyms and Antonyms

Awful should not be used of things which are merely disagreeable or annoying, nor of all that are alarming
and terrible, but only of such as bring a solemn awe upon the soul, as in the presence of a superior power; as,
the awful hush before the battle. That which is awful arouses an oppressive, that which is august an admiring
reverence; we speak of the august presence of a mighty monarch, the awful presence of death. We speak of an
exalted station, a grand mountain, an imposing presence, a majestic cathedral, a noble mien, a solemn litany, a
stately march, an august assembly, the awful scene of the Judgment Day.
Antonyms:
base, contemptible, inferior, paltry, beggarly, despicable, lowly, undignified, commonplace, humble, mean,
vulgar.
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AWKWARD.
Synonyms:
boorish, clumsy, rough, unhandy, bungling, gawky, uncouth, unskilful. clownish, maladroit, ungainly,
Awkward, from awk (kindred with off, from the Norwegian), is off-ward, turned the wrong way; it was
anciently used of a back-handed or left-handed blow in battle, of squinting eyes, etc. Clumsy, on the other
hand (from clumse, also through the Norwegian), signifies benumbed, stiffened with cold; this is the original
meaning of clumsy fingers, clumsy limbs. Thus, awkward primarily refers to action, clumsy to condition. A
tool, a vehicle, or the human frame may be clumsy in shape or build, awkward in motion. The clumsy man is
almost of necessity awkward, but the awkward man may not be naturally clumsy. The finest untrained colt is
awkward in harness; a horse that is clumsy in build can never be trained out of awkwardness. An awkward
statement has an uncomfortable, and perhaps recoiling force; a statement that contains ill-assorted and
incongruous material in ill-chosen language is clumsy. We speak of an awkward predicament, an awkward
scrape. An awkward excuse commonly reflects on the one who offers it. We say the admitted facts have an
awkward appearance. In none of these cases could clumsy be used. Clumsy is, however, applied to movements
that seem as unsuitable as those of benumbed and stiffened limbs. A dancing bear is both clumsy and
awkward.
Antonyms:
adroit, clever, dexterous, handy, skilful.
Prepositions:
The raw recruit is awkward in action; at the business.
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AXIOM.
Synonyms and Antonyms, by James Champlin Fernald
63

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Synonym:
truism.
Both the axiom and the truism are instantly seen to be true, and need no proof; but in an axiom there is
progress of thought, while the truism simply says the same thing over again, or says what is too manifest to
need saying. The axiom that "things which are equal to the same thing are equal to one another" unfolds in the
latter part of the sentence the truth implied in the first part, which might have been overlooked if not stated. In
the truism that "a man can do all he is capable of," the former and the latter part of the sentence are simply
identical, and the mind is left just where it started. Hence the axiom is valuable and useful, while the truism is
weak and flat, unless the form of statement makes it striking or racy, as "all fools are out of their wits."
Compare PROVERB.
Antonyms:
absurdity, contradiction, demonstration, nonsense, paradox, sophism.
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BABBLE.
Synonyms:
blab, cackle, gabble, murmur, prattle, blurt, chat, gossip, palaver, tattle, blurt out, chatter, jabber, prate,
twaddle.
Most of these words are onomatopoetic. The cackle of a hen, the gabble of a goose, the chatter of a magpie,
the babble of a running stream, as applied to human speech, indicate a rapid succession of what are to the
listener meaningless sounds. Blab and blurt (commonly blurt out) refer to the letting out of what the lips can
no longer keep in; blab, of a secret; blurt out, of passionate feeling. To chat is to talk in an easy, pleasant way,
not without sense, but without special purpose. Chatting is the practise of adults, prattling that of children. To