CCC Synonyms-2004 Apr-Jun

CLOSE SYNONYMS OF THE WEEK

2004

April-June
(most recent first)

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JUNE 28, 2004

DEFINITE / DEFINITIVE

DEFINITE(adj)—certain and unlikely to change
DEFINITELY—adv

DEFINITIVE(adj)— conclusive, final, fully developed; serving to define
DEFINITIVELY—adv

Note that it is a change in suffix that alters the meaning.

Related forms:

DEFINITION (noun)
DEFINE (verb)
DEFINING (adj)

SAMPLE SENTENCES:

He said he is definitely attending the meeting—it’s for sure.

His research on this subject is definitive and cannot be surpassed unless new data becomes available.

JUNE 21, 2004

ENVIOUS / JEALOUS

ENVIOUS(adj)—wanting to have what someone else has
ENVIABLE—adj; ENVIOUSLY—adv; ENVY—noun/verb

JEALOUS(adj)—feeling bad about not having something someone else has (that one believes one should have oneself)
JEALOUSLY—adj; JEALOUSY—noun

Note: If someone is envious, they simply want for themselves something someone else has. If someone is jealous, they want for themselves something they believe is or should be theirs and not (just) the other person’s.

SAMPLE SENTENCES:

He is envious of her ability to speak Cantonese, so he’s decided to learn the language.

He is jealous of her success, because he’s been with the company longer and feels he should have gotten the promotion.

JUNE 14, 2004

RESPECTFUL / RESPECTABLE

RESPECTFUL(adj)—having respect for others
RESPECTFULLY—adv; RESPECT—noun/verb

RESPECTABLE(adj)—having the respect of others
RESPECTABLY—adv; RESPECTABILITY—noun

Note that it is a change in suffix that alters the meaning.

SAMPLE SENTENCES:

He is always respectful of those with more expertise than himself.

She is very diligent and her accomplishments are always respectable.

JUNE 7, 2004

GENTLE / GENTEEL

This edition focuses on some CLOSE HOMONYMS: words that are the same or similar in sound but not necessarily related in meaning.

GENTLE (adj)—having a mild or tender nature or manner (also, not very steep)
GENTLY—adv

GENTEEL (adj)—having the refined mannerisms of the upper classes
GENTEELLY—adv; GENTLEMAN—noun, GENTRY—noun, GENTILITY—noun, GENTRIFICATION—noun; GENTRIFY—verb

Note regarding syllable stress—GENTLE: emphasis is on the first syllable; GENTEEL: emphasis is on the second syllable (a ‘long’ vowel E).

Related homonym:

GENTILE(noun, emphasis on first syllable)—someone who is not Jewish

SAMPLE SENTENCES:

Newborns are so delicate that you must be very gentle with them.

American authors of the 19th century are often described as having lived in genteel poverty—usually meaning that well-to-do benefactors supported them in higher style than they could otherwise have afforded.

MAY 31, 2004

INVASIVE / PERVASIVE / EVASIVE

This edition focuses on some CLOSE HOMONYMS: words that are the same or similar in sound but not necessarily related in meaning.

Common root: vadire (go, walk)

INVASIVE(adj)—involving an invasion, intrusion, insertion or excessive growth of something
INVASIVELY—adv; INVASION—noun; INVADE—verb

PERVASIVE(adj)— spread widely throughout an area
PERVASIVELY—adv; PERVASION—noun; PERVADE—verb

EVASIVE(adj)—avoiding something unpleasant, such as giving a direct answer
EVASIVELY—adv; EVASION—noun; EVADE—verb

Note that it is a change in prefix that alters the meaning.

SAMPLE SENTENCES:

Invasive medical procedures are usually considered a last resort.

In some schools, student cheating is pervasive.

He was so evasive on the subject, there was no point in questioning him further.

MAY 24, 2004

SYSTEMATIC / SYSTEMIC

SYSTEMATIC (adj)—done in a methodical or habitual manner
SYSTEMATICALLY—adv; SYSTEM—noun; SYSTEMATIZE—verb

SYSTEMIC (adj)—relating to or affecting a system as a whole
SYSTEMICALLY—adv

Note that it is a change in suffix that alters the meaning. Note too that pronunciation emphasis is on the third syllable in SYSTEMATIC, and on the second syllable in SYSTEMIC.

SAMPLE SENTENCES:

We are systematically processing all claims in the order of their arrival.

It’s not a matter of one or two isolated malfunctions, the problem is systemic.

MAY 17, 2004

FIRST / FIRST-EVER

FIRST (adj)—ahead of all others, possibly of a series with more to come

FIRST-EVER (adj)—ahead of all others, never before occurring; unprecedented

Note: FIRST-EVER is a relatively new expression designed to establish a finer distinction between two meanings that, up to now, have both been covered by FIRST. FIRST EVER can be used with or without a hyphen.

SAMPLE SENTENCES:

This is the first report submitted by this agency, the second one will be completed next week.

This is the first-ever report submitted by this agency on this subject.

MAY 10, 2004

BESIDE(S) / SOMETIME(S)

For a bit of a departure from the usual, this edition focuses on word variations that are sometimes interchangeable, sometimes can indicate emphasis and sometimes can suggest entirely different meaning. Generally speaking, if the dictionary lists the two words separately, they will not be interchangeable in all cases. If the dictionary lists one as just a variant of the other, they will usually be interchangeable. The best way to pick up correct usage is to listen carefully when you hear native speakers using these words.

Some other pairs—not always interchangeable:

BACKWARD / BACKWARDS
FORWARD / FORWARDS
UPWARD / UPWARDS
DOWNWARD / DOWNWARDS

Some other pairs—generally interchangeable:

TOWARD / TOWARDS
AFTERWARD / AFTERWARDS
AMONG / AMONGST

SAMPLE SENTENCES:

The cat was sitting beside me [preposition] and, besides [adverb] making a lot of noise, was shedding cat hair all over me.

He said he would come by sometime in the future—but sometimes I think he doesn’t really intend to. [both adverbs]

MAY 3, 2004

OBSERVE

The following is an example of a single word having more than one distinct usage, such as to constitute multiple meanings within itself.

OBSERVE—verb; OBSERVANT—adj, OBSERVABLE—adj; OBSERVANTLY—adv, OBSERVABLY—adv; OBSERVANCE—noun, OBSERVATION—noun, OBSERVER—noun, OBSERVATORY—noun

OBSERVE 1—to notice, look at or watch [covers varying degrees of intensity]

OBSERVE 2—to honor, celebrate and/or comply with religious or official custom

OBSERVE 3—to make a comment or state an opinion

SAMPLE SENTENCES:

1. He’s very observant, always noticing interesting and relevant things. So we weren’t surprised when he asked permission to observe his wife’s surgery.

2. Many families do not observe all the religious rituals of their faith, but the observance of holidays is nevertheless important to them.

3. After the meeting, my colleague observed that it had been more productive than expected.

APRIL 26, 2004

MEDICATED / MEDICINAL

MEDICATED (adj)—containing medicine
MEDICATE—verb; MEDICATION—noun

MEDICINAL (adj)—having the ability to improve or cure illness; like medicine
MEDICINALLY—adv

Note that it is a change in suffix that alters the meaning.

SAMPLE SENTENCES:

Some medicated shampoos claim to alleviate dry scalp conditions.

After the accident, he was heavily medicated.

Many herbal teas are thought to have medicinal qualities, though most do not have a medicinal taste.

APRIL 19, 2004

COLLEGE / COLLEAGUE / COLLAGE

This edition focuses on some CLOSE HOMONYMS: words that are the same or similar in sound but not necessarily related in meaning.

COLLEGE (noun)—an institution of higher learning, a division of a university

COLLEAGUE (noun)—someone of the same profession or belonging to the same organization

COLLAGE (noun)—a picture made by gluing pieces of paper, cloth or other materials or objects alongside or atop each other

Note that COLLEGE is pronounced with a ‘short E’, while COLLEAGUE is pronounced with a ‘long E’. Note also that COLLEGE and COLLEAGUE are spoken with stress on the first syllable, while in (French-derived) COLLAGE emphasis is on the second syllable.

SAMPLE SENTENCES:

She was disappointed, upon finally entering college, to find it as irrelevant and boring as high school.

They have been colleagues within the same department for 30 years.

Collage is typically considered a minor art, yet such works can often be quite remarkable.

APRIL 12, 2004

COHORT / COLLEAGUE / COUNTERPART / CO-WORKER

COHORT (noun)—a group united by a common purpose or statistical category; an associate [similar to COLLEAGUE]

COLLEAGUE (noun)—someone of the same profession or belonging to the same organization
COLLEGIAL—adj; COLLEGIALLY—adv

COUNTERPART (noun)—someone (or something) with similar characteristics, role or function

CO-WORKER (noun)—someone who works with others [Note: COWORKER can be spelled with or without a hyphen]

SAMPLE SENTENCES:

The entire cohort will be graded collectively on the final exam.

Marianna is my new cohort and I’m looking forward to working with her.

A colleague of his in the English department is a native of Germany, speaking English with a British accent.

My counterpart is always telling me what to do, though the sales targets in my territory are quite different from his.

One of her co-workers suggested that the employees arrange an office picnic.

APRIL 5, 2004

SLEEP IN / OVERSLEEP /SLEEP OVER

SLEEP IN (verb)—to sleep past the time one usually wakes up

OVERSLEEP (verb)—to sleep past the time one intends to awake

SLEEP OVER/SLEEP-OVER (verb/noun)—to sleep at a place other than home; an event in which children sleep away from home

Note: The first two expressions mean almost the same thing—compared to SLEEP IN, however, OVERSLEEP has the connotation of being unintended. Note also that SLEEP-OVER takes a hyphen when it functions as a noun.

Related expressions:

SLEEP OFF—to sleep in order to recover from an illness or excess of alcohol
SLEEP AROUND—to engage in casual sexual activity

SAMPLE SENTENCES:

I enjoy sleeping in on weekends, but hate to oversleep during the week.

His kids love to sleep over at their friends’ houses. However, they’re always tired when they get home, because they don’t sleep very much at sleep-overs.