English words and phrases

stimulate; exsuscitate^†; inspirit; spirit up, stir up, work up, pique; infuse life into, give new life to; bring new blood, introduce new blood; quicken; sharpen, whet; work upon &c (incite) 615; hurry on, give a fillip, put on one's mettle.

fan the fire, fan the flame; blow the coals, stir the embers; fan into a flame; foster, heat, warm, foment, raise to a fever heat; keep up, keep the pot boiling; revive, rekindle; rake up, rip up.

stir the feelings, play on the feelings, come home to the feelings; touch a string, touch a chord, touch the soul, touch the heart; go to one's heart, penetrate, pierce, go through one, touch to the quick; possess the soul, pervade the soul, penetrate the soul, imbrue the soul, absorb the soul, affect the soul, disturb the soul.

absorb, rivet the attention; sink into the mind, sink into the heart; prey on the mind, distract; intoxicate; overwhelm, overpower; bouleverser [Fr.], upset, turn one's head.

fascinate; enrapture &c (give pleasure) 829.

agitate, perturb, ruffle, fluster, shake, disturb, startle, shock, stagger; give one a shock, give one a turn; strike all of a heap; stun, astound, electrify, galvanize, petrify.

irritate, sting; cut to the heart, cut to the quick; try one's temper; fool to the top of one's bent, pique; infuriate, madden, make one's blood boil; lash into fury &c (wrath) 900.

be excited &c adj.; flush up, flare up; catch the infection; thrill &c (feel) 821; mantle; work oneself up; seethe, boil, simmer, foam, fume, flame, rage, rave; run mad &c (passion) 825.

Adj. excited &c v.; wrought up, up the qui vive [Fr.], astir, sparkling; in a quiver &c 821, in a fever, in a ferment, in a blaze, in a state of excitement; in hysterics; black in the face, overwrought, tense, taught, on a razor's edge; hot, red-hot, flushed, feverish; all of a twitter, in a pucker; with quivering lips, with tears in one's eyes.

flaming; boiling over; ebullient, seething; foaming at the mouth; fuming, raging, carried away by passion, wild, raving, frantic, mad, distracted, beside oneself, out of one's wits, ready to burst, bouleverse^†, demoniacal.

lost, eperdu [Fr.], tempest-tossed; haggard; ready to sink.

stung to the quick, up, on one's high ropes.

exciting, absorbing, riveting, distracting &c v.; impressive, warm, glowing, fervid, swelling, imposing, spirit-stirring, thrilling; high-wrought; soul-stirring, soul-subduing; heart-stirring, heart-swelling, heart-thrilling; agonizing &c (painful) 830; telling, sensational, hysterical; overpowering, overwhelming; more than flesh and blood can bear; yellow.

piquant &c (pungent) 392; spicy, appetizing, provocative, provoquant^†, tantalizing.

eager to go, anxious to go, chafing at the bit.

Adv. till one is black in the face.

Phr. the heart beating high, the heart going pitapat, the heart leaping into one's mouth; the blood being up, the blood boiling in one's veins; the eye glistening, the eyes in a fine frenzy rolling; the head turned; when the going gets tough, the tough get going [Richard Nixon].
825. [Excess of sensitiveness] Excitability -- N. excitability, impetuosity, vehemence; boisterousness &c adj.; turbulence; impatience, intolerance, nonendurance^†; irritability &c (irascibility) 901; itching &c (desire) 865; wincing; disquiet, disquietude; restlessness; fidgets, fidgetiness; agitation &c (irregular motion) 315.

trepidation, perturbation, ruffle, hurry, fuss, flurry; fluster, flutter; pother, stew, ferment; whirl; buck fever; hurry-skurry^†, thrill &c (feeling) 821; state of excitement, fever of excitement; transport.

passion, excitement, flush, heat; fever, heat; fire, flame, fume, blood boiling; tumult; effervescence, ebullition; boiling over; whiff, gust, story, tempest; scene, breaking out, burst, fit, paroxysm, explosion; outbreak, outburst; agony.

violence &c 173; fierceness &c adj.; rage, fury, furor, furore^†, desperation, madness, distraction, raving, delirium; phrensy^†, frenzy, hysterics; intoxication; tearing passion, raging passion; anger &c 900.

fascination, infatuation, fanaticism; Quixotism, Quixotry; tete montee [Fr.].

V. be impatient &c adj.; not be able to bear &c 826; bear ill, wince, chafe, champ a bit; be in a stew &c n.; be out of all patience, fidget, fuss, not have a wink of sleep; toss on one's pillow.

lose one's temper &c 900; break out, burst out, fly out; go off, fly off, fly off at a tangent, fly off the handle, lose one's cool [Coll.]; explode, flare up, flame up, fire up, burst into a flame, take fire, fire, burn; boil, boil over; foam, fume, rage, rave, rant, tear; go wild, run wild, run mad, go into hysterics; run riot, run amuck; battre la campagne [Fr.], faire le diable a quatre [Fr.], play the deuce.

feverish, febrile, hysterical; delirious, mad, moody, maggoty-headed.

unquiet, mercurial, electric, galvanic, hasty, hurried, restless, fidgety, fussy; chafing &c v.. startlish^†, mettlesome, high-mettled^†, skittish.

vehement, demonstrative, violent, wild, furious, fierce, fiery, hot-headed, madcap.

overzealous, enthusiastic, impassioned, fanatical; rabid &c (eager) 865.

rampant, clamorous, uproarious, turbulent, tempestuous, tumultuary^†, boisterous.

impulsive, impetuous, passionate; uncontrolled, uncontrollable; ungovernable, irrepressible, stanchless^†, inextinguishable, burning, simmering, volcanic, ready to burst forth, volatile.

excited, exciting &c 824.

passiveness &c (physical inertness) 172; hebetude^†, hebetation^†; impassibility &c (insensibility) 823; stupefaction.

coolness, calmness &c adj.; composure, placidity, indisturbance^†, imperturbation^†, sang froid [Fr.], tranquility, serenity; quiet, quietude; peace of mind, mental calmness.

staidness &c adj.; gravity, sobriety, Quakerism^†; philosophy, equanimity, stoicism, command of temper; self-possession, self-control, self-command, self-restraint, ice water in one's veins; presence of mind.

submission &c 725; resignation; sufferance, supportance^†, endurance, longsufferance^†, forbearance; longanimity^†; fortitude; patience of Job, patience on a monument [Twelfth Night], patience 'sovereign o'er transmuted ill' [Johnson]; moderation; repression of feelings, subjugation of feeling; restraint &c 751.

tranquillization &c (moderation) 174 [Obs.].

bear the brunt, bear well; go through, support, endure, brave, disregard.

tolerate, suffer, stand, bide; abide, aby^†; bear with, put up with, take up with, abide with; acquiesce; submit &c (yield) 725; submit with a good grace; resign oneself to, reconcile oneself to; brook, digest, eat, swallow, pocket, stomach.

make light of, make the best of, make 'a virtue of necessity' [Chaucer]; put a good face on, keep one's countenance; check &c 751; check oneself.

compose, appease &c (moderate); 174; propitiate; repress &c (restrain) 751; render insensible &c 823; overcome one's excitability, allay one's excitability, repress one's excitability &c 825; master one's feelings.

make oneself easy; make one's mind easy; set one's mind at ease, set one's mind at rest.

calm down, cool down; gentle; thaw, grow cool.

be borne, be endured; go down.

easy-going, peaceful, placid, calm; quiet as a mouse; tranquil, serene; cool as a cucumber, cool as a custard; undemonstrative.

temperate &c (moderate) 174; composed, collected; unexcited, unstirred, unruffled, undisturbed, unperturbed, unimpassioned; unoffended^†; unresisting.

meek, tolerant; patient, patient as Job; submissive &c 725; tame; content, resigned, chastened, subdued, lamblike^†; gentle as a lamb; suaviter in modo [Lat.]; mild as mothers milk; soft as peppermint; armed with patience, bearing with, clement, long-suffering.

PERSONAL AFFECTIONS

well-being; good &c 618; snugness, comfort, ease; cushion &c 215; sans souci [Fr.], without worry, mind at ease.

joy, gladness, delight, glee, cheer, sunshine; cheerfulness &c 836.

treat, refreshment; amusement &c 840; luxury &c 377.

mens sana in corpore sano [Lat.] [Juvenal], a sound mind in a sound body.

happiness, felicity, bliss; beatitude, beautification; enchantment, transport, rapture, ravishment, ecstasy; summum bonum [Lat.]; paradise, elysium &c (heaven) 981; third heaven^†, seventh heaven, cloud nine; unalloyed happiness &c; hedonics^†, hedonism.

honeymoon; palmy days, halcyon days; golden age, golden time; Dixie, Dixie's land; Saturnia regna [Lat.], Arcadia^†, Shangri-La, happy valley, Agapemone^†.

V. be pleased &c 829; feel pleasure, experience pleasure &c n.; joy; enjoy oneself, hug oneself; be in clover &c 377, be in elysium &c 981; tread on enchanted ground; fall into raptures, go into raptures.

feel at home, breathe freely, bask in the sunshine.

be pleased with &c 829; receive pleasure, derive pleasure &c n.. from; take pleasure &c n.. in; delight in, rejoice in, indulge in, luxuriate in; gloat over &c (physical pleasure) 377; enjoy, relish, like; love &c 897; take to, take a fancy to; have a liking for; enter into the spirit of.

take in good part.

treat oneself to, solace oneself with.

Adj. pleased &c 829; not sorry; glad, gladsome; pleased as Punch.

happy, blest, blessed, blissful, beatified; happy as a clam at high water [U.S.], happy as a clam, happy as a king, happy as the day is long; thrice happy, ter quaterque beatus [Lat.]; enjoying &c v.; joyful &c (in spirits) 836; hedonic^†.

in a blissful state, in paradise &c 981, in raptures, in ecstasies, in a transport of delight.

comfortable &c (physical pleasure) 377; at ease; content &c 831; sans souci [Fr.].

overjoyed, entranced, enchanted; enraptures; enravished^†; transported; fascinated, captivated.

with a joyful face, with sparkling eyes.

pleasing &c 829; ecstatic, beatic^†; painless, unalloyed, without alloy, cloudless.

Adv. happily &c adj.; with pleasure &c (willingfully) 602 [Obs.]; with glee &c n..

Phr. one's heart leaping with joy.

a wilderness of sweets [Paradise Lost]; I wish you all the joy that you can wish [M.

of Venice]; jour de ma vie; joy ruled the day and love the night [Dryden]; joys season'd high and tasting strong of guilt [Young]; oh happiness, our being's end and aim! [Pope]; there is a pleasure that is born of pain [O Meridith]; throned on highest bliss [Paradise Lost]; vedi Napoli e poi muori [It]; zwischen Freud und Leid ist die Brucke nicht weit [G.], the bridge between joy and sorrow is not wide.
828. Pain -- N. mental suffering, pain, dolor; suffering, sufferance; ache, smart &c (physical pain) 378; passion.

displeasure, dissatisfaction, discomfort, discomposure, disquiet; malaise; inquietude, uneasiness, vexation of spirit; taking; discontent &c 832.

dejection &c 837; weariness &c 841; anhedonia^†.

annoyance, irritation, worry, infliction, visitation; plague, bore; bother, botheration; stew, vexation, mortification, chagrin, esclandre [Fr.]; mauvais quart d'heur [Fr.].

care, anxiety, solicitude, trouble, trial, ordeal, fiery ordeal, shock, blow, cark^†, dole, fret, burden, load.

concern, grief, sorrow, distress, affliction, woe, bitterness, heartache; carking cares; heavy heart, aching heart, bleeding heart, broken heart; heavy affliction, gnawing grief.

unhappiness, infelicity, misery, tribulation, wretchedness, desolation; despair &c 859; extremity, prostration, depth of misery.

nightmare, ephialtes^†, incubus.

pang, anguish, agony; torture, torment; purgatory &c (hell) 982.

hell upon earth; iron age, reign of terror; slough of despond &c (adversity) 735; peck of troubles; ills that flesh is heir to &c (evil) 619 [Hamlet]; miseries of human life; unkindest cut of all [Julius Caesar].

sufferer, victim, prey, martyr, object of compassion, wretch, shorn lamb.

V. feel pain, suffer pain, experience pain, undergo pain, bear pain, endure pain &c n., smart, ache &c (physical pain) 378; suffer, bleed, ail; be the victim of.

labor under afflictions; bear the cross; quaff the bitter cup, have a bad time of it; fall on evil days &c (adversity) 735; go hard with, come to grief, fall a sacrifice to, drain the cup of misery to the dregs, sup full of horrors [Macbeth].

sit on thorns, be on pins and needles, wince, fret, chafe, worry oneself, be in a taking, fret and fume; take on, take to heart; cark^†.

grieve; mourn &c (lament) 839; yearn, repine, pine, droop, languish, sink; give way; despair &c 859; break one's heart; weigh upon the heart &c (inflict pain) 830.

uncomfortable, uneasy; ill at ease; in a taking, in a way; disturbed; discontented &c 832; out of humor &c 901.1; weary &c 841.

heavy laden, stricken, crushed, a prey to, victimized, ill-used.

unfortunate &c (hapless) 735; to be pitied, doomed, devoted, accursed, undone, lost, stranded; fey.

unhappy, infelicitous, poor, wretched, miserable, woe-begone; cheerless &c (dejected) 837; careworn.

concerned, sorry; sorrowing, sorrowful; cut up, chagrined, horrified, horror-stricken; in grief, plunged in grief, a prey to grief &c n.; in tears &c (lamenting) 839; steeped to the lips in misery; heart-stricken, heart-broken, heart-scalded; broken-hearted; in despair &c 859.

attraction &c (motive) 615; attractiveness, attractability^†; invitingness &c adj.^†; harm, fascination, enchantment, witchery, seduction, winning ways, amenity, amiability; winsomeness.

loveliness &c (beauty) 845; sunny side, bright side; sweets &c (sugar) 396; goodness &c 648; manna in the wilderness, land flowing with milk and honey; bittersweet; fair weather.

treat; regale &c (physical pleasure) 377; dainty; titbit^†, tidbit; nuts, sauce piquante [Fr.].

please, charm, delight, becharm^†, imparadise^†; gladden &c (make cheerful) 836; take, captivate, fascinate; enchant, entrance, enrapture, transport, bewitch; enravish^†.

bless, beatify; satisfy; gratify, desire; &c 865; slake, satiate, quench; indulge, humor, flatter, tickle; tickle the palate &c (savory) 394; regale, refresh; enliven; treat; amuse &c 840; take one's fancy, tickle one's fancy, hit one's fancy; meet one's wishes; win the heart, gladden the heart, rejoice the heart, warm the cockles of the heart; do one's heart good.

attract, allure &c (move) 615; stimulate &c (excite) 824; interest.

make things pleasant, popularize, gild the pill, sugar-coat the pill, sweeten.

Adj. causing pleasure &c v.; laetificant^†; pleasure-giving, pleasing, pleasant, pleasurable; agreeable; grateful, gratifying; leef^†, lief, acceptable; welcome, welcome as the roses in May; welcomed; favorite; to one's taste, to one's mind, to one's liking; satisfactory &c (good) 648.

refreshing; comfortable; cordial; genial; glad, gladsome; sweet, delectable, nice, dainty; delicate, delicious; dulcet; luscious &c 396; palatable &c 394; luxurious, voluptuous; sensual &c 377.

charming; delightful, felicitous, exquisite; lovely &c (beautiful) 845; ravishing, rapturous; heartfelt, thrilling, ecstatic; beatic^†; beatific; seraphic; empyrean; elysian &c (heavenly) 981.

palmy, halcyon, Saturnian.

Phr. decies repetita placebit [Lat.]; charms strike the sight but merit wins the soul [Pope]; sweetness and light [Swift]; beauty is only skin deep.
830. [Capability of giving pain; cause or source of pain]. Painfulness -- N. painfulness &c adj.; trouble, care &c (pain) 828; trial; affliction, infliction; blow, stroke, burden, load, curse; bitter pill, bitter draught; waters of bitterness.

annoyance, grievance, nuisance, vexation, mortification, sickener^†; bore, bother, pother, hot water, sea of troubles [Hamlet], hornet's nest, plague, pest.

cancer, ulcer, sting, thorn; canker &c (bane) 663; scorpion &c (evil doer) 913; dagger &c (arms) 727; scourge &c (instrument of punishment) 975; carking care, canker worm of care.

mishap, misfortune &c (adversity) 735; desagrement [Fr.], esclandre [Fr.], rub.

source of irritation, source of annoyance; wound, open sore; sore subject, skeleton in the closet; thorn in the flesh, thorn in one's side; where the shoe pinches, gall and wormwood.

sorry sight, heavy news, provocation; affront &c 929; head and front of one's offending [Othello].

infestation, molestation; malignity &c (malevolence) 907.

V. cause pain, occasion pain, give pain, bring pain, induce pain, produce pain, create pain, inflict pain &c 828; pain, hurt, wound.

pinch, prick, gripe &c (physical pain) 378; pierce, lancinate^†, cut.

hurt the feelings, wound the feelings, grate upon the feelings, grate upon the nerves, jar upon the feelings; wring the heart, pierce the heart, lacerate the heart, break the heart, rend the heart; make the heart bleed; tear the heart strings, rend the heart strings; draw tears from the eyes.

sadden; make unhappy &c 828; plunge into sorrow, grieve, fash^†, afflict, distress; cut up, cut to the heart.

displease, annoy, incommode, discompose, trouble, disquiet; faze, feaze^†, feeze [U.S.]; disturb, cross, perplex, molest, tease, tire, irk, vex, mortify, wherret^†, worry, plague, bother, pester, bore, pother, harass, harry, badger, heckle, bait, beset, infest, persecute, importune.

wring, harrow, torment, torture; bullyrag; put to the rack, put to the question; break on the wheel, rack, scarify; cruciate^†, crucify; convulse, agonize; barb the dart; plant a dagger in the breast, plant a thorn in one's side.

irritate, provoke, sting, nettle, try the patience, pique, fret, rile, tweak the nose, chafe, gall; sting to the quick, wound to the quick, cut to the quick; aggrieve, affront, enchafe^†, enrage, ruffle, sour the temper; give offense &c (resentment) 900.

maltreat, bite, snap at, assail; smite &c (punish) 972.

sicken, disgust, revolt, nauseate, disenchant, repel, offend, shock, stink in the nostrils; go against the stomach, turn the stomach; make one sick, set the teeth on edge, go against the grain, grate on the ear; stick in one's throat, stick in one's gizzard; rankle, gnaw, corrode, horrify, appal^†, appall, freeze the blood; make the flesh creep, make the hair stand on end; make the blood curdle, make the blood run cold; make one shudder.

haunt the memory; weigh on the heart, prey on the heart, weigh on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, prey on the spirits; bring one's gray hairs with sorrow to the grave; add a nail to one's coffin.

unsatisfactory, untoward, unlucky, uncomfortable.

distressing; afflicting, afflictive; joyless, cheerless, comfortless; dismal, disheartening; depressing, depressive; dreary, melancholy, grievous, piteous; woeful, rueful, mournful, deplorable, pitiable, lamentable; sad, affecting, touching, pathetic.

irritating, provoking, stinging, annoying, aggravating, mortifying, galling; unaccommodating, invidious, vexatious; troublesome, tiresome, irksome, wearisome; plaguing, plaguy^†; awkward.

importunate; teasing, pestering, bothering, harassing, worrying, tormenting, carking.

intolerable, insufferable, insupportable; unbearable, unendurable; past bearing; not to be borne, not to be endured; more than flesh and blood can bear; enough to drive one mad, enough to provoke a saint, enough to make a parson swear, enough to gag a maggot.

shocking, terrific, grim, appalling, crushing; dreadful, fearful, frightful; thrilling, tremendous, dire; heart-breaking, heart-rending, heart-wounding, heart-corroding, heart-sickening; harrowing, rending.

odious, hateful, execrable, repulsive, repellent, abhorrent; horrid, horrible, horrific, horrifying; offensive.

nauseous, nauseating; disgusting, sickening, revolting; nasty; loathsome, loathful^†; fulsome; vile &c (bad) 649; hideous &c 846.

sharp, acute, sore, severe, grave, hard, harsh, cruel, biting, caustic; cutting, corroding, consuming, racking, excruciating, searching, grinding, grating, agonizing; envenomed; catheretic^†, pyrotic [Med.].

ruinous, disastrous, calamitous, tragical; desolating, withering; burdensome, onerous, oppressive; cumbrous, cumbersome.