| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | decision, determination |
| Synonyms: | boldness, conclusion, courage, decidedness, design, earnestness, firmness, fixed purpose, intention, objective, project, purpose, purposefulness, purposiveness, resoluteness, resolution, steadfastness, undertaking, will, willpower |
| Antonyms: | indecision, question, wavering |
| Main Entry: | account for |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | give reason for |
| Synonyms: | clarify, elucidate, explain, justify, resolve |
| Main Entry: | achieve |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bring to successful conclusion; reach a goal |
| Synonyms: | accomplish, acquire, actualize, attain, bring about, bring off, bring to pass, cap, carry out, carry through, close, complete, conclude, consummate, deliver, discharge, dispatch, do, earn, earn wings, effect, effectuate, enact, end, execute, finish, follow through, fulfill, gain, get, get done, manage, negotiate, obtain, perfect, perform, procure, produce, rack up, reach, realize, resolve, score, seal, see through, settle, sign, solve, win, wind up, work out |
| Notes: | achieve means 'to bring to a successful conclusion' (literally French 'to bring to a head') and accomplish means 'to perform fully'; the completion of achievement is more comprehensive |
| Antonyms: | fail, lose, miss |
| Main Entry: | analyze |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | examine and determine |
| Synonyms: | assay, beat a dead horse, chew over, confab, consider, estimate, evaluate, figure, figure out, get down to brass tacks, hash, inspect, interpret, investigate, judge, kick around, rehash, resolve, scrutinize, sort out, spell out, study, talk game, test, think through |
| Main Entry: | analyze |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | break down to components |
| Synonyms: | anatomize, break up, cut up, decompose, decompound, determine, disintegrate, dissect, dissolve, divide, electrolyze, hydrolyze, lay bare, parse, part, resolve, separate, x-ray |
| Antonyms: | assemble, combine, synthesize |
| Main Entry: | answer |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | reply, react |
| Synonyms: | acknowledge, answer back, argue, back at you, back talk, be in touch, claim, comeback, contest, counterclaim, defend, deny, disprove, dispute, echo, explain, feedback, field the question, get back at, get back to, give a snappy comeback, parry, plead, rebut, refute, rejoin, remark, resolve, respond, retaliate, retort, return, sass, say, settle, shoot back, solve, squelch, talk back, top* |
| Notes: | an answer is something said, written, or done in return; a reply is an answer that satisfies a detail in a question |
| Antonyms: | ask, question |
| Main Entry: | arrange |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make plans, often involving agreement |
| Synonyms: | adapt, adjust, agree to, blueprint, chart, come to terms, compromise, concert, construct, contrive, decide, design, determine, devise, direct, draft, establish, frame*, get act together, get ready, hammer out a deal, harmonize, iron out, lay out, line up, make a connection, make ready, manage, map out, negotiate, organize, prepare, project, promote, provide, pull a wire, pull things together, quarterback, resolve, schedule, scheme, set stage, settle, shape up, tailor, work out, work out a deal |
| Antonyms: | disorganize, not plan |
| Main Entry: | backbone |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | strength of character |
| Synonyms: | courage, determination, firmness, fortitude, grit, guts, hardihood, heart, intestinal fortitude, mettle, moral fiber, nerve, pluck, resolution, resolve, spunk, stamina, steadfastness, tenacity, toughness, will, willpower |
| Antonyms: | ineptness, powerlessness, spinelessness, weakness |
| Main Entry: | change |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make or become different |
| Synonyms: | accommodate, adapt, adjust, alter, alternate, commute, convert, diminish, diverge, diversify, evolve, fluctuate, make innovations, make over, merge, metamorphose, moderate, modify, modulate, mutate, naturalize, recondition, redo, reduce, reform, regenerate, remake, remodel, renovate, reorganize, replace, resolve, restyle, revolutionize, shape, shift, substitute, tamper with, temper, transfigure, transform, translate, transmute, transpose, turn, vacillate, vary, veer, warp |
| Antonyms: | continue, hold, keep, persist, remain, stay |