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| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | physically abuse |
| Synonyms: | accost, assail, attack, disorganize, displace, disturb, encroach, fondle, harm, hinder, hurt, illtreat, injure, interfere, intrude, maltreat, meddle, misuse, rape |
| Antonyms: | be careful, guard, protect |
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | physically hurt or injure |
| Synonyms: | bang up, beat up, bung up, corrupt, cut up, damage, defile, deprave, desecrate, harm, hose, ill-treat, impair, maltreat, mar, mess up*, mishandle, mistreat, misuse, molest, oppress, persecute, pollute, rough up, roughhouse, ruin, shake up, spoil, taint, total*, victimize, violate, wax |
| Notes: | abuse carries with it some sense of harm; misuse refers to an incorrect use that may not lead to harm to misuse is to use something wrongly, to abuse is to misuse something so badly that you damage it |
| Antonyms: | cherish, defend, help, preserve, protect, respect |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | assail |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | attack, usually with words |
| Synonyms: | abuse, assault, bash, berate, beset, blast, blister, bust, charge, come at, criticize, encounter, have at, impugn, invade, lambaste, lay into, malign, maltreat, molest, revile, set upon, trash*, vilify, work over |
| Notes: | to assail a task is to approach it with the intent of mastering it, from Latin salire 'to leap'; assault is also based on this word and assail and assault can be synonyms |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | attack |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | assault physically |
| Synonyms: | advance, aggress, ambush, assail, assault, bash, bat, bean, beat, beset, besiege, biff, blast, blister, boff, bombard, boot, bop, brain*, bust, charge, chop down, clip, clock, club, combat, cook*, harm, hit, hurt, infiltrate, invade, jump, kick, knock block off, knock cold, knock for a loop, larrup, lay siege to, light into, molest, mug, overwhelm, pounce upon, punch, raid, rush, set upon, slog, soak, stab, storm, strike, take the offensive, turn on, wallop, whop |
| Antonyms: | aid, defend, protect, resist, retreat, shelter, shield, submit, support, surrender, sustain |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | bother |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | harass, annoy; give trouble |
| Synonyms: | afflict, aggravate, agitate, alarm, badger, bedevil, bore, browbeat, carp at, concern, cross, discommode, disconcert, disgust, dismay, displease, disquiet, distress, disturb, eat, embarrass, exacerbate, exasperate, goad, grate on, grieve, harry, hinder, hurt, impede, inconvenience, insult, intrude upon, irk, irritate, molest, nag, needle, nudge, pain, perplex, perturb, pester, pick on, plague, provoke, pursue, put out, ride, scare, spite, tantalize, taunt, tease, torment, trouble, upset, vex, worry |
| Antonyms: | aid, help, please |
| Main Entry: | defile |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | corrupt, violate |
| Synonyms: | abuse, adulterate, befoul, besmirch, contaminate, debase, deflower, degrade, desecrate, dirty, discolor, disgrace, dishonor, hurt, maculate, make foul, mess up*, molest, muck up, pollute, profane, rape, ravish, scuzz up, seduce, shame, smear, soil, stain, sully, taint, tar, tarnish, trash, vitiate |
| Antonyms: | clean, clease, hallow, honor, purify, sanctify |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | deflower |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | ravish; take away beauty |
| Synonyms: | assault, defile, deflorate, depredate, desecrate, despoil, devour, force, harm, have, mar, molest, outrage, possess, ravage, ravish, ruin, seduce, spoil, violate |
| Main Entry: | discommode |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | annoy |
| Synonyms: | bother, burden, disoblige, disquiet, disturb, fluster, harass, incommode, inconvenience, irk, molest, perturb, put out, trouble, upset, vex |
| Antonyms: | make happy, please |
| Main Entry: | disturb |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bother, upset |
| Synonyms: | afflict, agitate, ail, alarm, amaze, annoy, arouse, astound, badger, burn up, complicate, confound, confuse, depress, discompose, dishearten, disrupt, distract, distress, excite, fluster, frighten, gall, grieve, harass, interfere, interrupt, intrude, irk, irritate, make uneasy, molest, muddle, outrage, pain, perplex, perturb, pester, pique, plague, provoke, puzzle, rattle, rouse, ruffle, shake, shake up, startle, tire, trouble, unhinge, unnerve, unsettle, vex, worry |
| Notes: | disturb is based on Latin turba 'tumult' and disturb applies better to physical agitation and perturb to mental agitation |
| Antonyms: | appease, calm, comfort, pacify, quiet, reassure, soothe |
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.
