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make waves
| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | irritate, upset |
| Synonyms: | T-off, abrade, agitate, ask for it, badger, be at, be on the back of, bedevil, beleaguer, bore, bother, break, bug, burn up, chafe, displease, distress, disturb, egg on, exasperate, fire up, gall, get, gnaw, harass, harry, heat up, henpeck, hit where one lives, irk, madden, make waves, miff, nag, needle, nettle, nudge, peeve, perturb, pester, plague, provoke, push button, ride, rile, ruffle, tease, tick off, trouble, turn off, vex, work on, worry |
| Antonyms: | aid, gratify, make happy, please, soothe |
| Main Entry: | effect |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | carry out, accomplish |
| Synonyms: | achieve, actualize, actuate, begin, bring about, bring off, bring on, buy, carry through, cause, complete, conceive, conclude, consummate, create, do a number, do one's thing, do the job, do the trick, do to a T, draw on, effectuate, enact, enforce, execute, fulfill, generate, get across, get to, give rise to, implement, induce, initiate, invoke, make, make it, make waves, perform, procure, produce, pull it off, put across, realize, render, secure, sell, turn out, turn the trick, unzip, yield |
| Notes: | as a noun, affect means 'a feeling or emotion,' whereas effect means 'the result or consequence of some action or process'; as a verb, to affect means 'to exert an influence upon,' and implies the action of a stimulus that can produce a response or reaction, whereas to effect means 'to bring about as a result' effect is a noun referring to a thing, but if you mean an action, that is affect; if you want the verb meaning 'achieve, bring about,' that is effect |
| Antonyms: | fail, forget, ignore, neglect, overlook |
| Main Entry: | exasperate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | upset, provoke |
| Synonyms: | T-off, aggravate, agitate, anger, annoy, bug*, disturb, drive up the wall, embitter, enrage, exacerbate, excite, gall, get under one's skin, get*, incense, inflame, infuriate, irk, irritate, madden, make waves, needle, nettle, peeve, pique, rankle, rile, roil, rouse, try the patience of, vex, work up |
| Antonyms: | calm, comfort, ease, placate, please, soothe |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | fluster |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | upset, perturb |
| Synonyms: | addle, agitate, bewilder, bother, confound, confuse, craze*, discombobulate, discompose, disquiet, distract, disturb, excite, flip*, flurry, frustrate, fuddle, get to, hassle, heat*, hurry, make nervous, make waves, muddle, mystify, nonplus, perplex, psych, puzzle, rattle, ruffle, spook, stir up, throw off balance, unhinge, work up |
| Antonyms: | calm, comfort, settle |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | instigate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | influence, provoke |
| Synonyms: | abet, actuate, add fuel, bring about, egg on, encourage, fire up, foment, goad, hint, impel, incite, inflame, initiate, insinuate, kindle, make waves, move, needle, persuade, plan, plot, prompt, put up to, rabble-rouse, raise, rouse, scheme, set on, spur, start, steam up, stimulate, stir up, suggest, turn on, urge, whip up, work up |
| Antonyms: | halt, prevent, stop |
| Main Entry: | irk |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | aggravate; rub the wrong way |
| Synonyms: | abrade, annoy, bother, bug*, discommode, disturb, eat*, fret, gall, get on nerves, get to, give a hard time, harass, incommode, inconvenience, irritate, make waves, miff, nettle, peeve, provoke, put out, rasp, rile, ruffle, trouble, vex |
| Antonyms: | delight, please |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | perturb |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | upset, unsettle |
| Synonyms: | agitate, alarm, annoy, bewilder, bother, bug*, confound, confuse, disarrange, discompose, disconcert, discountenance, dismay, disorder, disquiet, disturb, flurry, fluster, irritate, make a scene, make waves, muddle, needle, perplex, pester, ruffle, stir up, trouble, vex, worry |
| Notes: | disturb is based on Latin turba 'tumult' and disturb applies better to physical agitation and perturb to mental agitation |
| Antonyms: | calm, please, soothe |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | pique |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | offend, provoke |
| Synonyms: | absorb, affront, annoy, arouse, bother, bug*, displease, egg on, exasperate, excite, fire up, gall, galvanize, get a rise out of, get under skin, get*, give a hard time, give the business, goad, goose, grab, ignite, incense, irk, irritate, kindle, make waves, miff, mortify, motivate, move, nettle, offend, peeve, prick, put out, quicken, rile, rouse, spur, stimulate, sting*, stir, vex, whet, work up, wound |
| Notes: | peak means 'maximize,' peek means 'to peep or snoop,' and pique means 'to excite or irritate' |
| Antonyms: | delight, please |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | provoke |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make angry |
| Synonyms: | abet, abrade, affront, aggravate, anger, annoy, bother, bug*, chafe, enrage, exasperate, exercise, foment, fret, gall*, get on one's nerves, get under one's skin, get*, grate, hit where one lives, incense, incite, inflame, infuriate, insult, irk, irritate, madden, make blood boil, make waves, nag, offend, perturb, pique, put out, raise, rile, roil, ruffle, set on, set*, try one's patience, upset, vex, whip up, work into lather, work up |
| Notes: | provoke means to stir up or arouse - or to incite to anger or resentment; evoke means to call forth or call to mind emotions, feelings, and responses |
| Antonyms: | delight, make happy, please |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
