| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | attempt to coax; flatter |
| Synonyms: | apple polish, argue into, banter, beguile, blandish, bootlick, brownnose, build up, butter up, con, crowd, deceive, decoy, delude, dupe, entice, entrap, get around, get next to, hand a line, induce, influence, inveigle, jolly, lay it on thick, lure, make up to, maneuver, massage, mislead, oil, play up to, push, rub the right way, seduce, snow*, soap, soft-soap, soften, spread it on, stroke, suck up to, sweet-talk, sweeten up, tantalize, tempt, urge, wheedle, work on, work over |
| Antonyms: | bully, force, repel |
| Main Entry: | deride |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make fun of; insult |
| Synonyms: | banter, chaff, contemn, detract, dis, disdain, disparage, do a number on, dump on, flout, gibe, jeer, jolly, kid, knock, laugh at, lout, mock, pan, pooh-pooh, put down*, quiz, rag, rally, razz, rib, ridicule, roast, scoff, scorn, slam, sneer, taunt, twit |
| Antonyms: | commend, compliment, flatter, praise, revere |
| 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 |
| Main Entry: | flatter |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | compliment excessively |
| Synonyms: | adulate, beslaver, blandish, bootlick, brownnose, build up*, butter up, cajole, cater to, charm, con, court, fawn*, get next to, glorify, grovel, humor, inveigle, jolly, lay it on thick, massage, oil, overpraise, play up to, praise, rub the right way, salve, sell, snow*, soft-soap, soften*, spread it on, stroke, suck up to, sweet-talk, sweeten up, toady, wheedle, work on, work over |
| Antonyms: | belittle, castigate, condemn, criticize, denounce, insult, offend |
| Main Entry: | inveigle |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | entice, manipulate |
| Synonyms: | allure, bait, bamboozle, beguile, blandish, butter, cajole, charm, coax, con*, decoy, egg on, ensnare, entrap, get around, honey*, hook, influence, jolly, lay it on thick, lead on, lure, maneuver, massage, oil, overdo it, persuade, play up to, rope in, seduce, snow*, soap, soften up, string along, stroke*, sweet talk, tempt, toll, urge, wheedle, work over |
| Antonyms: | disenchant, disgust, turn off |
| Main Entry: | jest |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | joke |
| Synonyms: | banter, chaff, deride, flout, fool, fun*, gibe, gird, jeer, jive, jolly*, josh, kid, mock, needle, put on, quip, rag, razz, rib, roast, scoff, sneer, spoof, tease |
| Main Entry: | joke |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | kid, tease |
| Synonyms: | banter, chaff, deceive, deride, fool, frolic, fun, gambol, horse around, jape, jest, jive, jolly, josh, kid around, laugh, make merry, mock, needle, play, play the clown, play tricks, poke fun, pull one's leg, pun, put on, quip, rag, revel, rib, ridicule, roast, spoof, sport, taunt, trick, wisecrack |
| Antonyms: | be serious |
| Main Entry: | kid |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | fool, ridicule |
| Synonyms: | bamboozle*, banter, beguile, bother, cozen, delude, dupe, flimflam, fun*, gull, hoax, hoodwink, jape, jest, joke, jolly, josh, make fun of, make sport of, mock, pretend, rag, razz, rib, roast, spoof, tease, trick |
| Antonyms: | be serious |
| Main Entry: | push |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | incite, urge |
| Synonyms: | bear down, browbeat, bulldoze, coerce, constrain, dragoon, egg on, encourage, exert influence, expedite, fire up, go to town on, goad, goose, hurry, impel, influence, inspire, jolly, key up, kid, lean on, motivate, oblige, overpress, persuade, pour it on, press, pressure, prod, push around, put the screws to, put up to, railroad, sell on, speed, speed up, spur, squeeze, steamroll, strong-arm, turn on |
| Antonyms: | discourage, dissuade, repress, suppress |