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| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | flinch, recoil from danger |
| Synonyms: | blench, cower, crawl, crouch, dodge, draw back, duck, eat dirt, grovel, kneel, quail, quiver, shrink, shy, start, stoop, tremble, wince |
| Antonyms: | come forward |
| Main Entry: | crawl |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | humble oneself |
| Synonyms: | abase oneself, apple-polish, brownnose, cringe, fawn, grovel, toady, truckle |
| Main Entry: | defer |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | yield |
| Synonyms: | accede, accommodate, acquiesce, adapt, adjust, admit, agree, assent, bow, buckle, capitulate, cave, comply, concede, cringe, fawn, give in to, knuckle, knuckleunder, kowtow, obey, submit, succumb, truckle |
| Antonyms: | advance, force, forge |
Example Sentences
- The golf purist who remains loyal to persimmon wood may cringe at what technology has wrought: a solid-plastic club head.
- They want the best leaders, but they cringe at the cost.
- It is more likely to have made investors cringe than reach for their wallets.
| Main Entry: | dread |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | anticipate with horror |
| Synonyms: | apprehend, be afraid, cringe, fear, have cold feet, misdoubt, quake, shrink from, shudder, tremble |
| Antonyms: | encourage, want, welcome |
| Main Entry: | fawn |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | ingratiate oneself to; serve |
| Synonyms: | abase, apple-polish, be at beck and call, be obsequious, be servile, blandish, bow, brownnose, buddy up, butter up, cajole, cater to, cave in to, cotton, court, cower, crawl, creep, cringe, crouch, curry favor, debase, defer, fall all over, fall on one's knees, flatter, grovel, honey up, invite, jolly, kneel, kowtow, lay it on, lick boots, make up to, massage*, oil, pander, pay court, play up to, scrape, slaver, snow*, stoop, stroke*, submit, toady, truckle, woo*, yield |
| Antonyms: | ignore |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | flinch |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | shy away, wince |
| Synonyms: | avoid, balk, blanch, blench, blink, cower, cringe, crouch, draw back, duck, elude, escape, eschew, evade, flee, quail, recede, recoil, retire, retreat, shirk, shrink, shun, start, swerve, withdraw |
| Antonyms: | confront, face, meet |
| Main Entry: | grovel |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | abase, demean oneself |
| Synonyms: | apple-polish, beg, beg for mercy, beseech, blandish, bootlick, bow and scrape, brown-nose, butter up, cater to, court, cower, crawl, creep, cringe, crouch, eat crow, eat dirt, eat humble pie, fall all over, fawn*, flatter, humble oneself, humor, implore, kiss one's feet, kneel, kowtow, make much of, make up to, pamper, play up to, prostrate*, revere, snivel, soft-soap, stoop, suck up to, truckle, wheedle, yes* |
| Antonyms: | boast |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | kowtow |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | grovel |
| Synonyms: | bow, brownnose, cave in, court, cower, cringe, fawn, flatter, fold, genuflect, give in, go along with, kneel, knuckle under, lie down and roll over, pander, prostrate, say uncle, stoop, toe the mark |
| Main Entry: | prostrate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | fall on knees; submit |
| Synonyms: | abase, bow, bow down, cast before, cringe, fall at feet, give in, grovel, kneel, kowtow, obey, surrender |
| Notes: | prone is lying on your face (facing downwards) - which is also true for prostrate, but only in expressing adoration or begging for protection; supine is lying on your back prostate is the gland; prostrate means 'lying face down' supine is lying face upward, prone and prostrate are lying face downward - and prostrate suggests throwing oneself down, while recumbent is lying flat in any position |
| Antonyms: | erect, stand, straighten |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
