Confusing Words Clarified: Group A; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, etc. +(lists of "A" sections that are organized into what for some people are confusing groups of words)English can be very confusing; for example, a house burns up as it burns down, a form is being filled in as it is being filled out, and an alarm goes off by going on. How about when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible? As you examine the groups of words in this unit, you will find many examples of confusions; sometimes, just one or two letters in a word can change its meaning completely. There are also times when two different words get confused because their meanings apply to things that are very similar. Efforts have been made to help you grasp the meanings of various words that may be confusing so you can utilize them with greater accuracy in your communication. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome by writing to: E-mail Contact (just click it for an e-mail form) or by typing, words@wordinfo.info, as the address in your e-mail heading. If you have any problems understanding the pronunciation symbols, go to this Pronunciation Chart for clarifications.an, and
an (AN)
One, each: "This is an excellent report."
and (AND)
Also, plus: "He ate a peach and a pear."
analyst, annalist
analyst (AN uh list)
Someone with specialized knowledge or skill who studies or examines something by separating it into its constituent elements and gives an assessment, description, or explanation of it: "In business, a person must be a good analyst of his or her commercial possibilities."
annalist (AN uh list)
1. Someone who writes records of events arranged chronologically by each year or by successive years; a chronicler: "The annalist wrote a series of chronicles about the events that took place during the existence of the club."
2. A writer, or historian, who compiles the records and reports of an organization or a learned field in chronological order: "The historical annalist compiled a book about the city over the last 100 years." anecdote, antidote
anecdote (AN ik doht")
An interesting incident or brief history; a short narrative; sometimes, a humorous account: "Have you noticed that many public speakers begin their talks with a humorous anecdote?"
antidote (AN ti doht")
1. A remedy to counteract poison; an antitoxin: "Doctors rushed an antidote to the boy who was bitten by a snake."
2. Anything that works against an unwanted condition; a remedy or a cure: "A hobby is considered a good antidote for boredom and for keeping our minds active." Be sure you spell and pronounce anecdote properly. Do not confuse it with antidote: "Jane told an anecdote about her early childhood." angel, angle
angel (AYN juhl; soft g)
1. A celestial or heavenly being; a heavenly spirit: "The angel Gabriel is mentioned in the Bible."
2. A financial backer for a play; a patron, a sponsor: "He is an angel of the new play on Broadway." An angel is a person who puts up money for theatrical plays when it's a case of dough or die. angle (ANG guhl; hard g)
1. A geometric figure, as of a triangle: "A vertical line will meet a horizontal line at an angle of 90 degrees."
2. A bend, a corner, or an edge: "The road makes a sharp angle just over that hill." 3. To fish with a hook and line: "They wanted to angle for trout today." 4. Trying to get something in a clever or indirect way: "She will angle for a promotion when she tells her boss about her new selling technique." 5. Point of view or a viewpoint; a perspective: "Try to look at the situation from my angle." "The view of the valley is beautiful from this angle." angry, mad
angry (ANG gree")
Feeling extremely annoyed, often about an insult or a wrong; enraged, furious; hostile, hateful: "Her rudeness makes me angry."
"She's in an angry mood." mad (MAD)
1. Angry; resentful, infuriated: "If you keep teasing that dog, you are going to make him mad."
2. Suffering from a disorder of the mind; insane, deranged: "Some people have periods during which they are absolutely mad or out of their heads." anguish, languish
anguish (ANG gwish)
Extreme anxiety or emotional torment; grief, woe: "The mother waited in anguish for news of her missing child."
languish (LANG gwish)
1. To undergo hardship as a result of being deprived of something, typically attention, independence, or freedom: "He lost his accustomed vigor and was about to languish in the tropical climate."
2. To long for something that is being denied; to pine for: "After days in the hospital without visitors, he could only languish for the sight of his family." annalize; analyze, analyzed
annalize (AN nuh lighz)
1. To record; to write in annals: "His main job was to annalize, or to record, events as they were arranged chronologically by the year."
2. To record history in general, as it is recorded in books and other documents: "She was known to annalize the historical past of her city." analyze, analyzed (AN uh lighz", AN uh lighz'd")
1. To examine something in great detail in order to understand it better or to discover more about it; to separate and examine the parts of something: "The doctor analyzed the blood sample for anemia."
2. To study the structure of something or how its constituent parts are put together: "The mathematician analyzed his figures again." annual, annul, perennial
annual (AN yoo uhl)
1. Yearly, occurring every year or once a year: "Most people have an annual birthday celebration."
2. A plant that lives for only one year or season: "We planted some annual flowers in front of the house." 3. A book or magazine that is published once a year: "We just received the annual publication about new words which have been created this year." annul (uh NUHL)
To cancel; to invalidate, to rescind: "The contract was annulled because it was not legally signed by both parties."
perennial (puh REN ee uhl)
1. Lasting through the year; that is, continuous: "Perennial air pollution continues to cause problems in many major cities of the world."
2. Lasting indefinitely; perpetual, continual: "She sits there with that perennial grin on her face." 3. In botany, having a life span of more than two years; such as, a perennial plant: "There are many perennial plants that produce flowers every year." ant, aunt
ant (ANT)
Any of various social insects of the family Formicidae living in highly organized social colonies: "As I was eating a piece of cake, I saw an ant on my plate."
aunt (ANT, AWNT)
The sister of one’s father or mother, or the wife of a person's uncle: "My aunt and my cousin, her son, went to a movie."
An ant is said to be a small insect that’s always busy; yet, always finds time to go on picnics with your aunt. antagonist, protagonist
antagonist (an TAG uh nist)
1. Someone, or something, opposing or in conflict with another person or thing; an opponent: "His antagonist in the debate was smarter than he was."
2. A major character in a book, play, or movie whose values or behaviors are in conflict with those of the primary character, or hero: "The objective of the antagonist in the story was to destroy the protagonist in battle." protagonist (proh TAG uh nist)
The most important, or primary, character (good or evil) in a novel, play, story, or other literary work: "The protagonist had to defend himself against the opposition of the antagonist."
An antagonist is really someone opposed to another person, an "opponent". ante-, ante, anti-; auntie, aunty
ante- (AN tee)
A prefix meaning "before": "The novel was set in the antebellum South."
ante (AN tee)
1. In poker, to put up a stake before the cards are dealt, or before drawing new cards; "ante up": "The dealer waited until everyone had anted up before he dealt the cards."
2. Often used figuratively: "Parents are usually expected to ante up, or to pay, for their children's college education." 3. To increase an amount or level; such as, to raise the cost or price of something: "The popular actress first demanded twice the salary offered to her but then she kept upping the ante." 4. To increase the risk or possible harm that could result from something: "The new law ups the ante, or increases penalties for, people who cheat on their taxes." anti- (AN tigh, AN tee)
A prefix meaning against or contrary: "I am definitely antiwar because there must be better ways to settle international disputes."
Exceptions: antipasto (Italian, where anti-, "before" + pasto "food") and anticipate (and their related forms), which in these examples means "before". auntie, aunty (AN tee, AUN tee)
An informal way of saying "aunt": "My favorite auntie and cousin decided to go to the movies together." antecedence, antecedents
antecedence (an" ti SEED ns)
The act or state of going before in time; precedence; priority in time, pre-existence: "In any chronology, everything has antecedence (precedence) to something else."
antecedents (ant" uh SEED uhnts)
The history, events, characteristics, etc., of one's earlier life; ancestors, forefathers: "My antecedents were all pioneers."
any one, anyone
any one (EN ee wuhn", EN ee wuhn)
Used to distinguish one person from others in the same group or class; any single person or thing: "Any one of these men could be guilty."
"Not more than twelve new members are admitted to the club in any one year." anyone (EN ee wuhn", EN ee wuhn)
Any person at all: "Can anyone identify the culprit who committed this crime?"
"If anyone calls, please take a message." apiary, aviary
apiary (AY pi er" i)
A place for bees: "The farmer had an apiary for his bees so they could produce honey."
aviary (AY vi er" i)
A place for birds; such as, a cage, house, or enclosure: "She kept several birds in her aviary."
aplomb, a plum, a plumb
aplomb (uh PLOM, uh PLUM)
Confidence, skill, and poise; especially, in difficult or challenging circumstances: "A good hostess can handle an embarrassing situation with great aplomb."
a plum (uh PLUM)
A round or oval smooth-skinned fruit, usually red or purple, containing a flattened pit: "She gave me a plum to eat which was delicious."
a plumb (uh PLUM)
1. As a noun, a weight, usually made of lead, attached to a line and used to find the depth of water or to verify a true vertical alignment: "He used a lead ball, a plumb, attached to a line so he could determine the vertical accuracy of the building's walls." 2. Also, as a verb, to examine something in a careful and complete way in order to understand it: "The book strives to plumb the complexities of human relationships." "As a psychologist, he spent several years trying to plumb the minds of criminals."
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