| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | equipment with a purpose |
| Synonyms: | accoutrement, appliance, black box, contraption, device, dingbat, doodad, doohickey, furnishings, gaff, gear, gimcrack, gimmick, gizmo, grabber, habiliments, idiot box, implement, jigger, job*, machine, machinery, means, mechanism, outfit, paraphernalia, provisions, setup, stuff, supplies, tackle, thingamajig, tools, utensils, whatchamacallit, whatsis, whosis, widget |
| Main Entry: | evidence |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | proof |
| Synonyms: | affirmation, attestation, averment, cincher, clincher, clue, confirmation, corroboration, cue, data, declaration, demonstration, deposition, documentation, dope*, goods*, gospel, grabber, grounds, index, indication, indicia, info, information, manifestation, mark, sign, significant, smoking gun, substantiation, symptom, testament, testimonial, testimony, token, witness |
| Notes: | evidence (from Latin e- 'out' + videre 'to see') is information that helps form a conclusion; proof is factual information that verifies a conclusion |
| Antonyms: | contradiction, disproof, heresay, refutation |
| Main Entry: | fascination |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | strong interest |
| Synonyms: | allure, appeal, attraction, bug*, charisma, charm, enchantment, enthrallment, glamour, grabber, hang-up, lure, magic, magnetism, obsession, piquancy, power, pull*, sorcery, spell, thing for, thing*, trance, witchcraft, witchery |
| Antonyms: | boredom, disinterest |
| Main Entry: | frightful/frightening |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | scary, shocking |
| Synonyms: | alarming, appalling, atrocious, awesome, awful, chilling, daunting, dire, direful, dismaying, disquieting, dread, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, formidable, ghastly, grabber, grim, grisly, gruesome, hair-raising, hairy, harrowing, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrifying, inconceivable, intimidating, lurid, macabre, menacing, morbid, ominous, petrifying, portentous, repellent, spooky, terrible, terrifying, traumatic, unnerving, unspeakable |
| Antonyms: | calming, comforting, pleasing |
| Main Entry: | mania |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | fixation, madness |
| Synonyms: | aberration, ax to grind, bee in bonnet, bee, bug in ear, bug*, compulsion, craving, craze, craziness, delirium, dementia, derangement, desire, disorder, enthusiasm, fad, fancy, fascination, fetish, fixed idea, frenzy, furor, grabber, hang-up, idée fixe, infatuation, insanity, lunacy, monomania, obsession, on the brain, partiality, passion, preoccupation, rage, thing, tiger by the tail, tiger |
| Main Entry: | mystery |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | puzzle, secret |
| Synonyms: | abstruseness, brainteaser, braintwister, charade, chiller, cliffhanger, closed book, conundrum, crux, cryptogram, difficulty, enigma, grabber, inscrutability, inscrutableness, mindboggler, mystification, occult, oracle, perplexity, poser, problem, puzzlement, question, rebus, riddle, rune, secrecy, sixty-four-thousand-dollar question, sphinx, stickler, stumper, subtlety, teaser, thriller, tough nut to crack, twister, whodunit, why* |
| Antonyms: | known, understanding |
| Main Entry: | problem |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | puzzle, question |
| Synonyms: | brainteaser, bugaboo, cliff-hanger, conundrum, enigma, example, grabber, illustration, intricacy, mind-boggler, mystery, poser, puzzler, query, riddle, sixty-four thousand dollar question, stickler, stumper, teaser, twister |
| Antonyms: | solution |
| Main Entry: | proof |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | evidence, authentication |
| Synonyms: | affidavit, argument, attestation, averment, case, certification, chapter and verse, clincher, clue, confirmation, corroboration, credentials, criterion, cue*, data, demonstration, deposition, documents, establishment, exhibit, facts, goods*, grabber, grounds, information, lowdown, nitty-gritty, paper trail, picture, reason, reasons, record, scoop*, score*, skinny*, smoking gun, straight stuff, substantiation, testament, testimony, trace, validation, verification, warrant, wherefore, why*, whyfor, witness |
| Notes: | evidence (from Latin e- 'out' + videre 'to see') is information that helps form a conclusion; proof is factual information that verifies a conclusion |
| Antonyms: | hypothesis, theory |
| Main Entry: | provocation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | incitement, stimulus |
| Synonyms: | affront, annoyance, bothering, brickbat, casus belli, cause, challenge, dare, defy, grabber, grievance, grounds, harassment, incentive, indignity, inducement, injury, instigation, insult, irking, justification, motivation, offense, provoking, reason, taunt, vexation, vexing |
| Antonyms: | prevention, repression, suppression |