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whetting
| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make sharp |
| Synonyms: | edge, file, finish, grind, hone, sharpen, strop |
| Antonyms: | blunt, dull |
| Main Entry: | arouse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | excite, entice |
| Synonyms: | agitate, alert, animate, awaken, call, challenge, electrify, enliven, fire up, foment, foster, goad, heat up, incite, inflame, instigate, kindle, move, provoke, rally, rouse, send, spark, spur, stimulate, stir, thrill, turn on, wake up, waken, warm, whet, whip up, work up |
| Antonyms: | bore, calm, lull, quiet |
| Main Entry: | edge |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | sharpen |
| Synonyms: | file, grind, hone, polish, sharpen, strop, whet |
| Antonyms: | blunt, dull, thicken |
| Main Entry: | excite |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | inspire; upset |
| Synonyms: | accelerate, agitate, amaze, anger, animate, annoy, arouse, astound, awaken, bother, chafe, delight, discompose, disturb, electrify, elicit, energize, evoke, feed the fire, fire, fluster, foment, galvanize, goad, incite, induce, inflame, infuriate, instigate, intensify, irritate, jar, jolt, kindle, madden, mock, move, offend, precipitate, provoke, quicken, rouse, start, stimulate, stir up, taunt, tease, thrill, titillate, touch off, vex, wake up, waken, warm, whet, work up, worry |
| Antonyms: | bore, calm, compose, deaden, lull, moderate, pacify, quiet, repress, tranquilize |
| Main Entry: | grind |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | sharpen |
| Synonyms: | abrade, file, give an edge to, gnash, grate, grit, polish, rub, sand, scrape, smooth, whet |
| Main Entry: | hone |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | sharpen |
| Synonyms: | acuminate, edge, file, grind, make sharp, put a point on, put an edge on, whet |
| Notes: | hone means to sharpen, while home (in) means to seek out a target; you can hone a skill but you home in on something |
| Main Entry: | intensify |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make more forceful, severe |
| Synonyms: | accent, accentuate, add fuel, add to, aggrandize, aggravate, augment, beef up, boost, brighten, build up, concentrate, darken, deepen, emphasize, enhance, escalate, exacerbate, exalt, heat up, heighten, increase, intensate, lighten, magnify, point, pour it on, quicken, raise, redouble, reinforce, rise, rouse, set off, sharpen, spike*, step up, strengthen, stress, tone up, whet |
| Antonyms: | calm, lower, slow, soothe, weaken |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | kindle |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | excite, incite |
| Synonyms: | agitate, animate, arouse, awaken, bestir, burn up, challenge, egg on, enkindle, exasperate, fire up, foment, get smoking, induce, inflame, inspire, key up, provoke, rally, rouse, sharpen, stimulate, stir, thrill, turn on, wake, waken, whet, work up |
| Antonyms: | disenchant, turn off |
| Main Entry: | motivate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | stimulate, instigate |
| Synonyms: | actuate, arouse, bring, cause, dispose, draw, drive, egg on, excite, fire, galvanize, give incentive, goad, goose, impel, incite, incline, induce, innervate, innerve, inspire, inspirit, lead, move, persuade, pique, predetermine, predispose, prevail upon, prompt, propel, provoke, quicken, rouse, set afoot, set astir, sound, spark, spur, suggest, sway, touch off, trigger, whet |
| Antonyms: | depress, disconcert, discourage, dissuade |
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.
