English Synonyms and Antonyms

stubborn horse balks; the refractory animal plunges, rears, and kicks; metals that resist ordinary processes of
reduction are termed refractory. One is obdurate who adheres to his purpose in spite of appeals that would
move any tender-hearted or right-minded person. Contumacious refers to a proud and insolent defiance of
authority, as of the summons of a court. Pertinacious demand is contrasted with obstinate refusal. The
unyielding conduct which we approve we call decided, firm, inflexible, resolute; that which we condemn we
are apt to term headstrong, obstinate, stubborn. Compare PERVERSE.
Antonyms:
amenable, dutiful, pliable, tractable, complaisant, gentle, pliant, undecided, compliant, irresolute, submissive,
wavering, docile, obedient, teachable, yielding.
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OBSTRUCT.
Synonyms:
arrest, check, embarrass, interrupt, stay, bar, choke, hinder, oppose, stop. barricade, clog, impede, retard,
To obstruct is literally to build up against; the road is obstructed by fallen trees; the passage of liquid through
a tube is obstructed by solid deposits. We may hinder one's advance by following and clinging to him; we
obstruct his course by standing in his way or putting a barrier across his path. Anything that makes one's
progress slower, whether from within or from without, impedes; an obstruction is always from without. To
arrest is to cause to stop suddenly; obstructing the way may have the effect of arresting progress. Compare
Synonyms and Antonyms, by James Champlin Fernald
208

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HINDER; IMPEDIMENT.
Antonyms:
accelerate, aid, facilitate, free, open, promote. advance, clear, forward, further, pave the way for,
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OLD.
Synonyms:
aged, decrepit, immemorial, senile, ancient, elderly, olden, time-honored, antiquated, gray, patriarchal,
time-worn, antique, hoary, remote, venerable.
That is termed old which has existed long, or which existed long ago. Ancient, from the Latin, through the
French, is the more stately, old, from the Saxon, the more familiar word. Familiarity, on one side, is near to
contempt; thus we say, an old coat, an old hat. On the other hand, familiarity is akin to tenderness, and thus
old is a word of endearment; as, "the old homestead," the "old oaken bucket." "Tell me the old, old story!" has
been sung feelingly by millions; "tell me that ancient story" would remove it out of all touch of human
sympathy. Olden is a statelier form of old, and is applied almost exclusively to time, not to places, buildings,
persons, etc. As regards periods of time, the familiar are also the near; thus, the old times are not too far away
for familiar thought and reference; the olden times are more remote, ancient times still further removed. Gray,
hoary, and moldering refer to outward and visible tokens of age. Aged applies chiefly to long-extended human
life. Decrepit, gray, and hoary refer to the effects of age on the body exclusively; senile upon the mind also;
as, a decrepit frame, senile garrulousness. One may be aged and neither decrepit nor senile. Elderly is applied
to those who have passed middle life, but scarcely reached old age. Remote (L. re, back or away, and moveo,
move), primarily refers to space, but is extended to that which is far off in time; as, at some remote period.
Venerable expresses the involuntary reverence that we yield to the majestic and long-enduring, whether in the
material world or in human life and character. Compare ANTIQUE; OBSOLETE; PRIMEVAL.
Antonyms:
Compare synonyms for NEW; YOUTHFUL.
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OPERATION.
Synonyms:
action, effect, force, performance, result. agency, execution, influence, procedure,