| Main Entry: | affect |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | pretend, imitate |
Synonyms: |
act, adopt, aspire to, assume, bluff, contrive, counterfeit, do a bit, fake, feign, lay it on thick, make out like, playact, put on, put up a front, sham*, simulate, take on |
| Notes: | as a noun, affect means 'a feeling or emotion,' whereas effect means 'the result or consequence of some action or process'; as a verb, to affect means 'to exert an influence upon,' and implies the action of a stimulus that can produce a response or reaction, whereas to effect means 'to bring about as a result' effect is a noun referring to a thing, but if you mean an action, that is affect; if you want the verb meaning 'achieve, bring about,' that is effect |
| Main Entry: | boast |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | brag |
Synonyms: |
advertise, aggrandize, attract attention, blow, blow one's own horn, blow smoke, bluster, bully, cock-a-doodle-doo, con, congratulate oneself, crow, exaggerate, exult, fake, flatter oneself, flaunt, flourish, gasconade, give a good account of oneself, gloat, glory, grandstand, hug oneself, jive, lay on thick, prate, preen, psych, puff, shoot*, shovel, show off, showboat, shuck, sling, sound off, strut, swagger, talk big, triumph, vapor |
Antonyms: |
be modest, deprecate |
| Main Entry: | cajole |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | attempt to coax; flatter |
Synonyms: |
apple polish, argue into, banter, beguile, blandish, bootlick, brownnose, build up, butter up, con, crowd, deceive, decoy, delude, dupe, entice, entrap, get around, get next to, hand a line, induce, influence, inveigle, jolly, lay it on thick, lure, make up to, maneuver, massage, mislead, oil, play up to, push, rub the right way, seduce, snow*, soap, soft-soap, soften, spread it on, stroke, suck up to, sweet-talk, sweeten up, tantalize, tempt, urge, wheedle, work on, work over |
Antonyms: |
bully, force, repel |
| Main Entry: | exaggerate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | overstate, embellish |
Synonyms: |
amplify, blow out of proportion, boast, boost, brag, build up, caricature, color, cook up, corrupt, distort, embroider, emphasize, enlarge, exalt, expand, fabricate, falsify, fudge, go to extremes, heighten, hike, hyperbolize, inflate, intensify, lay it on thick, lie, loud talk, magnify, make too much of, misquote, misreport, misrepresent, overdo, overdraw, overemphasize, overestimate, pad, pretty up, puff, put on, pyramid, romance, romanticize, scam, stretch, up* |
Antonyms: |
depreciate, minimize, play down, reduce, understate |
| Main Entry: | flatter |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | compliment excessively |
Synonyms: |
adulate, beslaver, blandish, bootlick, brownnose, build up*, butter up, cajole, cater to, charm, con, court, fawn*, get next to, glorify, grovel, humor, inveigle, jolly, lay it on thick, massage, oil, overpraise, play up to, praise, rub the right way, salve, sell, snow*, soft-soap, soften*, spread it on, stroke, suck up to, sweet-talk, sweeten up, toady, wheedle, work on, work over |
Antonyms: |
belittle, castigate, condemn, criticize, denounce, insult, offend |
| Main Entry: | inveigle |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | entice, manipulate |
Synonyms: |
allure, bait, bamboozle, beguile, blandish, butter, cajole, charm, coax, con*, decoy, egg on, ensnare, entrap, get around, honey*, hook, influence, jolly, lay it on thick, lead on, lure, maneuver, massage, oil, overdo it, persuade, play up to, rope in, seduce, snow*, soap, soften up, string along, stroke*, sweet talk, tempt, toll, urge, wheedle, work over |
Antonyms: |
disenchant, disgust, turn off |
| Main Entry: | overplay |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | be dramatic |
Synonyms: |
accent, accentuate, blow out of proportion, dramatize, exaggerate, get carried away, ham it up, hyperbolize, labor at, lay it on thick, magnify, maximize, mug, overact, overdo, overdraw, overemphasize, overstate, overstress, overuse, overwork, point up, show off*, stretch |
Antonyms: |
play down |
| Main Entry: | overstate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | exaggerate |
Synonyms: |
amplify, blow out of proportion, boast, boost, brag, build up, embellish, embroider, emphasize, enlarge, exalt, expand, fabricate, fudge, heighten, hike, inflate, lay it on thick, lie, magnify, misquote, misreport, misrepresent, overdo, overemphasize, overestimate, pad, play up, puff |
| Main Entry: | butter up |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | charm someone with flattery |
Synonyms: |
adulate, bootlick, brownnose, build up, cajole, flatter, inveigle, lay it on thick, massage, play up to, soften, spread it on, stroke, suck up to, sweet-talk, work on |
| Main Entry: | sweet-talk |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | flatter |
Synonyms: |
adulate, beslaver, blandish, bootlick, brownnose, build up*, butter up, cajole, cater to, charm, con, court, fawn*, get next to, glorify, grovel, honey, humor, inveigle, jolly, lay it on thick, massage, oil, overpraise, play up to, praise, rub the right way, salve, sell, slaver, snow*, soft-soap, soften*, spread it on, stroke, suck up to, sweeten up, toady, wheedle, work on, work over |