| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | worthwhile, appropriate |
| Synonyms: | ad hoc, advantageous, advisable, beneficial, convenient, desirable, discreet, effective, feasible, fit, fitting, helpful, judicious, meet, opportune, politic, possible, practicable, practical, pragmatic, profitable, proper, prudent, seasonable, suitable, tactical, timely, useful, utilitarian, wise |
| Antonyms: | inappropriate, inexpedient, unbeneficial, unprofitable, unworthwhile |
| Main Entry: | advantageous |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | favorable |
| Synonyms: | auspicious, beneficial, expedient, for the best, fortunate, helpful, opportune, profitable, propitious, worthwhile |
| Main Entry: | advisable |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | recommended, wise |
| Synonyms: | appropriate, apt, commendable, desirable, expedient, fit, fitting, judicious, politic, prudent, seemly, sensible, sound, suggested, suitable, tactical |
| Antonyms: | improper, imprudent, inadvisable, inappropriate, injudicious, uncorrect, unwise |
| Main Entry: | artifice |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | hoax; clever act |
| Synonyms: | con, contrivance, device, dodge, expedient, gambit, gimmick, machination, maneuver, play, ploy, racket, ruse, savvy, scam*, stratagem, subterfuge, tactic, wile |
| Antonyms: | candor, frankness, honesty, honor, ingenuousness, innocence, openness, reality, sincerity, truthfulness |
| Main Entry: | contrivance |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | plan, fabrication |
| Synonyms: | angle, artifice, brainchild, coinage, design, dodge, expedient, formation, gimmick, intrigue, invention, inventiveness, machination, measure, plot, project, ruse, scheme, slant, stratagem, switch, trick, twist |
| Antonyms: | disorganization |
| Main Entry: | desirable |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | advantageous, good |
| Synonyms: | acceptable, advisable, agreeable, beneficial, covetable, eligible, enviable, expedient, grateful, gratifying, helpful, pleasing, preferable, profitable, useful, welcome, worthwhile |
| Antonyms: | bad, detrimental, disadvantageous, evil, harmful, hurtful, injurious, unprofitable |
| Main Entry: | device |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | instrument, tool |
| Synonyms: | Rube Goldberg invention, accessory, agent, apparatus, appliance, arrangement, article, construction, contraption, contrivance, creation, doohickey, equipment, expedient, gadget, gear, gimmick, implement, invention, machine, makeshift, material, means, mechanism, medium, outfit, resort, resource, rigging, shift, tackle, thingamabob, utensil, whatchamacallit, whatnot, whatsit |
| Main Entry: | device |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | ploy, scheme, maneuver |
| Synonyms: | artifice, cabal, chicanery, clever move, craft, craftiness, cunningness, design, dodge, evasion, expedient, fake, feint, finesse, gambit, game, gimmick, improvisation, loophole, machination, method, pattern, plan, plot, project, proposition, purpose, racket, ruse, shift, stratagem, strategy, stunt, subterfuge, trap, trick, wile |
| Main Entry: | excuse |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | reason, explanation |
| Synonyms: | alibi, apology, cleanup, cop-out, cover story, cover*, coverup, defense, disguise, evasion, expedient, extenuation, fish story, grounds, jive, justification, makeshift, mitigation, plea, pretext, rationalization, regrets, routine, semblance, shift, song and dance, song*, stall, stopgap, story, substitute, subterfuge, trick*, vindication, whitewash, why and wherefore |
| Notes: | an alias is an assumed name, an alibi is a form of defense whereby a defendant attempts to prove that he or she was elsewhere when the crime in question was committed, while an excuse is an explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness a pardon is the act of excusing a mistake or offense; an excuse is an explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness |