Answer:
A DICTIONARY
OF
ENGLISH SYNONYMES
AND
SYNONYMOUS OR PARALLEL EXPRESSIONS
DESIGNED AS A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO APTNESS AND VARIETY
OF PHRASEOLOGY
BY RICHARD SOULE
The exertion of clothing a thought in a completely new set of words
increases both clearness of thought and mastery over words. It is the test of
a solid thought that it will bear a change of clothing. - J. R. SEELEY.
BOSTON
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY
1871
Page II
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by
RICHARD SOULE,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
CAMBRIDGE:
PRESS OF JOHN WILSON AND SON.
Page III
PREFACE.
THE main design of this Dictionary is to provide a ready
means of assistance when one is at a loss for a word
or an expression that best suits a particular turn of thought or
mood of the mind, or that may obviate an ungraceful repetition.
Even practised and skilful writers are sometimes embarrassed
in the endeavor to make a sentence more clear, simple, terse,
or rhythmical, by the substitution of one form of diction for
another. It is presumed that they, as well as novices in composition, will find the present work useful in overcoming difficulties of this sort.
As to the method of using it: Whenever a doubt arises in
regard to the fitness of any word, and a better one is not readily
suggested, let the writer turn to this word in its alphabetical place.
Under it will be found the words and phrases, or some clew to
the words and phrases, which, in any connection, have the same
meaning as itself, or a meaning very nearly the same. That one
of them, which comes nearest to expressing the exact shade of
thought in the writer's mind, will be likely to arrest the attention and determine the choice.
In most cases, all the words that belong to any group will
be found in that group. But in some instances, as when the
same word falls into two or more groups that are near to each
other, or when there are so many synonymes for a word that a
repetition of every one of them under each in its alphabetical
place would seem to be too formal and prolix, the inquirer is
referred to some prominent word among them for a view of the
whole. Under the word Blockhead, for example, reference is
