English Synonyms and Antonyms

source of a certain river, or that the river takes its rise from the lake. Motley wrote of "The Rise of the Dutch
Republic." Fount, fountain, and spring, in their figurative senses, keep close to their literal meaning. Compare
CAUSE.
Antonyms:
See synonyms for END.
* * * * *
BEHAVIOR.
Synonyms:
action, breeding, conduct, deportment, manner, bearing, carriage, demeanor, life, manners.
Behavior is our action in the presence of others; conduct includes also that which is known only to ourselves
and our Maker. Carriage expresses simply the manner of holding the body, especially in sitting or walking, as
when it is said of a lady "she has a fine carriage." Bearing refers to the bodily expression of feeling or
disposition; as, a haughty bearing; a noble bearing. Demeanor is the bodily expression, not only of feelings,
but of moral states; as, a devout demeanor. Breeding, unless with some adverse limitation, denotes that
manner and conduct which result from good birth and training. Deportment is behavior as related to a set of
rules; as, the pupil's deportment was faultless. A person's manner may be that of a moment, or toward a single
person; his manners are his habitual style of behavior toward or before others, especially in matters of
etiquette and politeness; as, good manners are always pleasing.
Prepositions:
The behavior of the pastor to or toward his people, on or upon the streets, before the multitude, or in the
church, with the godly, or with the worldly, was alike faultless.
* * * * *
BEND.
Synonyms:
bias, curve, diverge, mold, submit, twist, bow, deflect, incline, persuade, turn, warp, crook, deviate, influence,
stoop, twine, yield.
In some cases a thing is spoken of as bent where the parts make an angle; but oftener to bend is understood to
be to draw to or through a curve; as, to bend a bow. To submit or yield is to bend the mind humbly to another's
wishes. To incline or influence is to bend another's wishes toward our own; to persuade is to draw them quite
over. To warp is to bend silently through the whole fiber, as a board in the sun. To crook is to bend
irregularly, as a crooked stick. Deflect, deviate, and diverge are said of any turning away; deviate commonly
of a slight and gradual movement, diverge of a more sharp and decided one. To bias is to cut across the
texture, or incline to one side; in figurative use always with an unfavorable import. Mold is a stronger work
than bend; we may bend by a superior force that which still resists the constraint; as, a bent bow; we mold
something plastic entirely to some desired form.
Synonyms and Antonyms, by James Champlin Fernald
70

---

* * * * *
BENEVOLENCE.
Synonyms:
almsgiving, charity, kind-heartedness, munificence, beneficence, generosity, kindliness, philanthropy,
benignity, good-will, kindness, sympathy, bounty, humanity, liberality, unselfishness.
According to the etymology and original usage, beneficence is the doing well, benevolence the wishing or
willing well to others; but benevolence has come to include beneficence, and to displace it. We should not
now speak of benevolence which did not help, unless where there was no power to help; even then we should
rather say good-will or sympathy. Charity, which originally meant the purest love for God and man (as in 1