| Main Entry: | boost |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | encouragement |
Synonyms: |
aid, assistance, backup, buildup, goose, hand*, handout, help, helping hand, improvement, leg up, leg*, lift, praise, promotion, shot in the arm, support |
Antonyms: |
discouragement, hindrance |
| Main Entry: | boost |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | push, usually up |
Synonyms: |
advance, goose, heave, hoist, lift, raise, shove, thrust |
| Main Entry: | drive |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | move or urge on |
Synonyms: |
act upon, actuate, animate, arouse, bulldoze, chase, coerce, compel, constrain, dog*, egg on, encourage, force, goad, goose, harass, hasten, herd, hound, hurl, hurry, hustle, impel, induce, inspire, instigate, kick, lean on, make, motivate, nag, oblige, overburden, overwork, pound, press, pressure, prod, prompt, propel, provoke, push, put up to, railroad, ride herd on, rouse, rush, send, shepherd, shove, spirit up, spur, steamroll, stimulate, work on, worry |
Antonyms: |
check, curb, discourage, dissuade, halt, repress, retard, stop |
| Main Entry: | energize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | activate; give more life |
Synonyms: |
actify, activize, animate, arm, build up, electrify, empower, enable, enliven, excite, fortify, goose, innervate, inspirit, invigorate, jazz up, juice up, liven up, motivate, pep up, prime, pump up, put zip into, quicken, reinforce, start up, stimulate, strengthen, sustain, switch on, trigger, turn on, vitalize, work up, zap |
| Notes: | energize means to cause to be alert or to invigorate while enervate means to weaken mentally or morally |
Antonyms: |
deactivate, debilitate, sap, tire, weaken, weary |
| Main Entry: | fool |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | stupid or ridiculous person |
Synonyms: |
ass, birdbrain, blockhead, bonehead, boob*, bore, buffoon, clod, clown, cretin*, dimwit, dolt*, dope*, dumb ox, dunce, dunderhead, easy mark, fair game, fathead, goose, halfwit, idiot, ignoramus, illiterate, imbecile, innocent, jerk*, lamebrain, lightweight, loon, moron, nerd*, nincompoop, ninny, nitwit, numskull, oaf, sap*, schlemiel, silly, simpleton, stooge, sucker, turkey, twerp, twit, victim |
Antonyms: |
brain |
| Main Entry: | goad |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | egg on, incite |
Synonyms: |
animate, annoy, arouse, bully, coerce, drive, encourage, excite, exhort, fire up, force, goose, harass, hound, impel, inspirit, instigate, irritate, key up, lash, move, needle, press, prick*, prod, prompt, propel, provoke, push, put up to, rowel, sic, sound, spark*, spur, stimulate, sting*, tease, thrust, trigger, turn on, urge, whip*, work up, worry |
Antonyms: |
discourage, dissuade |
| Main Entry: | importune |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | demand, insist |
Synonyms: |
appeal, ask, badger, beg, beseech, beset, besiege, con*, crave, dun, egg on, entreat, goose, harass, hound, implore, invoke, nag, persuade, pester, plague, plead, pray, press, sell, solicit, supplicate, urge, work on |
| Main Entry: | induce |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | cause to happen; encourage |
Synonyms: |
abet, activate, actuate, argue into, breed, bring about, bring around, bulldoze, cajole, cause, coax, convince, draw, draw in, effect, engender, generate, get up, get*, give rise to, goose, impel, incite, influence, instigate, lead to, make, motivate, move, occasion, persuade, press, prevail upon, procure, produce, promote, prompt, sell one on, set in motion, soft-soap, squeeze, steamroll, suck in, sway, sweet-talk, talk into, twist one's arm, urge, wheedle, win over |
Antonyms: |
discourage, halt, hinder, prevent |
| Main Entry: | lift |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | move upwards; ascend |
Synonyms: |
arise, aspire, bear aloft, boost, bring up, build up, buoy up, climb, come up, disappear, disperse, dissipate, draw up, elevate, erect, goose, heft, hike, hike up, hoist, jack up, jump up, mount, move up, pick up, put up, raise, raise high, rear, rise, soar, take up, up, upheave, uphold, uplift, upraise, uprear, vanish |
Antonyms: |
descend, drop, lower |
| 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 |