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| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | disapprove, judge as bad |
| Synonyms: | animadvert on, bash, blame, blast, blister, carp, castigate, censure, chastise, chide, clobber, come down on, condemn, cut down, cut to bits, cut up, denounce, denunciate, disparage, do a number on, dress down, excoriate, find fault, fluff, fulminate against, fustigate, give bad press, hit, jump on, knock*, lambaste*, nag at, nit-pick, pan, pick at, rap, reprehend, reprimand, reprobate, reprove, rip*, roast, scathe, scorch*, skin alive, skin*, slam*, slog, slug, take down, trash*, trim*, zap |
| Antonyms: | approve, compliment, laud, praise |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | affront |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | insult or involve in entanglement |
| Synonyms: | abuse, anger, annoy, confront, criticize, displease, dispraise, dump on, encounter, face, give a zinger, give the cold shoulder, hit where one lives, meet, offend, outrage, pique, provoke, put down*, slander, slight, taunt, vex |
| Notes: | effrontery means shameless boldness or insulting presumptuousness while an affront is a deliberately offensive act or open insult |
| Antonyms: | appease, assuage, compliment, gratify, mollify, placate, please, satisfy, soothe |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | assail |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | attack, usually with words |
| Synonyms: | abuse, assault, bash, berate, beset, blast, blister, bust, charge, come at, criticize, encounter, have at, impugn, invade, lambaste, lay into, malign, maltreat, molest, revile, set upon, trash*, vilify, work over |
| Notes: | to assail a task is to approach it with the intent of mastering it, from Latin salire 'to leap'; assault is also based on this word and assail and assault can be synonyms |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | attack |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | assault verbally |
| Synonyms: | abuse, berate, blame, blitz, censure, criticize, impugn, jump down one's throat, jump on one's case, lay into, malign, refute, reprove, revile, shoot down, stretch, vilify |
| Antonyms: | defend, resist, submit, withstand |
| Main Entry: | bad-mouth |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | to denigrate |
| Synonyms: | belittle, criticize, cut down to size, dis, disparage, dump on, find fault, knock*, malign, mudsling, pan, pooh pooh, put down*, rap, rip, roast, run down, slam, slander, take a dig at, take down a peg, tear down, tear to pieces |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | belittle |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | detract |
| Synonyms: | bad-mouth, blister, criticize, cut down to size, cut to the quick, decry, deprecate, depreciate, deride, derogate, diminish, discount, discredit, disparage, dispraise, downgrade, downplay, dump on, knock*, lower, minimize, pan, pooh pooh, poor mouth, put down, rip*, roast, run down, scoff at, scorch*, scorn, shoot down, shoot full of holes, slam*, smear, sneer at, sour grapes, squash, squelch, take a swipe at, take down, take down a peg, tear down, underestimate, underrate, undervalue, write off |
| Antonyms: | build up, exaggerate, praise, value |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | blame |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | accuse; place responsibility |
| Synonyms: | admonish, ascribe, attribute, blast, blow the whistle on, censure, charge, chide, climb all over, condemn, criticize, denounce, denunciate, disapprove, express disapprobation, find fault with, finger*, frame, hold responsible, impute, indict, jump all over, jump down one's throat, knock*, lay a bad trip on, lay at one's door, lay to, let one have it, lower the boom, pass the buck, point the finger, rap, rebuke, reprehend, reproach, reprove, roast, saddle, skin*, stick it to, tax, upbraid |
| Antonyms: | applaud, commend, exalt, exculpate, exonerate, praise, thank |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | blast |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | lambaste; defeat mentally |
| Synonyms: | attack, beat, castigate, clobber, criticize, drub, flay, lash out at, lick*, rail at, shellac, whip* |
| Antonyms: | boost, compliment, praise, uphold |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | carp |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | nag |
| Synonyms: | bother, cavil, censure, complain, criticize, find fault, fuss, grumble, hypercriticize, knock, nitpick, objurgate, pan, peck, pick at, quibble, reproach |
| Antonyms: | ignore, let go |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
