Related Searches
Nearby Words
| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | illuminate |
| Synonyms: | become light, brighten, flash, gleam, illume, irradiate, light, light up, make bright, shine |
| Antonyms: | blacken, darken, dim, dull |
| Main Entry: | lighten |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | cheer up; inspire |
| Synonyms: | brighten, buoy up, cheer, elate, encourage, gladden, hearten, lift, perk up, revive, take a load off |
| Antonyms: | bring down, burden, depress, upset |
| Main Entry: | aid |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | help, support |
| Synonyms: | abet, alleviate, assist, bail out, befriend, benefact, encourage, favor, go to bat for, go with, lend a hand, lighten, mitigate, open doors for, promote, relieve, serve, stick up for, straighten out, subsidize, sustain |
| Notes: | aid is assistance or a source of assistance; aide is an assistant |
| Antonyms: | block, hinder, hurt, impede, injure, obstruct |
| Main Entry: | allay |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | reduce something, usually a pain or a problem |
| Synonyms: | abate, alleviate, assuage, calm, compose, cool out, decrease, ease, lessen, lighten, make nice, mitigate, moderate, mollify, pacify, play up to, pour oil on, quiet, square, take the bite out, take the sting out |
| Antonyms: | intensify, provoke, stir, worsen |
| Main Entry: | alleviate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | relieve; lessen |
| Synonyms: | allay, assuage, ease, lighten, mitigate, mollify, pacify, pour oil on, soft-pedal, take the bite out, take the edge off, take the sting out |
| Antonyms: | aggravate, heighten, increase, intensify, magnify |
| Main Entry: | ameliorate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make, become better |
| Synonyms: | alleviate, amend, help, improve, lighten, meliorate, mitigate, relieve, step up, upgrade |
| Antonyms: | worsen |
| Main Entry: | assuage |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | soothe, relieve |
| Synonyms: | allay, alleviate, appease, calm, compose, conciliate, cool*, ease, fill, lessen, lighten, lull, make nice, mitigate, moderate, mollify, pacify, palliate, placate, pour oil on, propitiate, quench, quiet, sate, satisfy, soften, still, surfeit, sweeten, take the edge off, take the sting out, temper, tranquilize |
| Antonyms: | exacerbate, upset |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | bleach |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | whiten |
| Synonyms: | achromatize, blanch, blench, decolor, decolorize, etiolate, fade, grow pale, lighten, make pale, peroxide, wash out |
| Antonyms: | blacken, darken, yellow |
| Main Entry: | break |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | cushion something's effect |
| Synonyms: | diminish, lessen, lighten, moderate, reduce, soften, weaken |
| Notes: | to brake is to slow or stop while break is to cause to separate into pieces suddenly or violently, smash or crack |
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.
