| Main Entry: | pussyfoot |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | be cautious |
Synonyms: |
avoid, be noncommittal, beat around the bush, creep, dodge, duck the issues, equivocate, evade, glide, hedge, hem and haw, lurk, play it close to the vest, prevaricate, prowl, shuffle, sidestep, sit on the fence, skirt, skulk, slide, slink, slip, sneak, steal, tergiversate, tergiverse, tiptoe, tread warily, watch one's step, weasel |
Antonyms: |
plod |
| Main Entry: | cautious |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | careful, guarded |
Synonyms: |
alert, all ears, cagey, calculating, chary, circumspect, considerate, discreet, forethoughtful, gingerly, hedging one's bets, heedful, judicious, keeping on one's toes, leery, on the lookout, playing it cool, playing safe, politic, provident, prudent, pussyfoot, safe, shrewd, taking it easy, taking it slow, tentative, thinking twice, vigilant, walking on eggs, wary, watchful, watching one's step, watching out, with one's eyes peeled |
Antonyms: |
careless, hasty, heedless, imprudent, incautious, rash, thoughtless, uncareful, unguarded, unobservant |
| Main Entry: | creep |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | crawl along, usually on ground |
Synonyms: |
approach unnoticed, crawl on all fours, edge, glide, grovel, gumshoe, inch, insinuate, lurk, pussyfoot, scrabble, scramble, skulk, slink, slither, snake*, sneak, squirm, steal, tiptoe, worm, wriggle, writhe |
| Main Entry: | demur |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | disagree |
Synonyms: |
balk, cavil, challenge, combat, complain, deprecate, disapprove, dispute, doubt, fight, hem and haw, hesitate, object, oppose, pause, protest, pussyfoot, refuse, remonstrate, resist, scruple, shy, stick, stickle, strain, take exception, vacillate, wait and see, waver |
| Notes: | demur is the verb 'to object or voice opposition' while demure is the adjective meaning 'modest, shy' |
Antonyms: |
accept, agree, consent, go along |
| Main Entry: | dissemble |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | disguise, pretend |
Synonyms: |
affect, camouflage, cloak, conceal, counterfeit, cover, cover up, dissimulate, double-talk, doublespeak, dress up, fake, falsify, feign, four-flush, hide, let on, make like, mask, pass, play possum, pussyfoot, put on a false front, put on a front, put on an act, put up a front, put up a smoke screen, sham*, shroud, shuck and jive, signify, simulate, stonewall, whitewash |
Antonyms: |
admit, allow |
| Main Entry: | dodge |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | avoid |
Synonyms: |
circumlocute, dark, deceive, ditch, duck, elude, equivocate, escape, evade, fence, fend off, fudge, get around, get out of, give the slip, hedge, juke, lurch, malinger, move to the side, parry, pussyfoot, put the move on, shake, shake off, shift, shirk, short-circuit, shuffle, sidestep, skip out on, skirt, slide, slip, swerve, tergiversate, tergiverse, trick, turn aside, weasel |
Antonyms: |
confront, encounter, face, meet, stand up to |
| Main Entry: | equivocate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | avoid an issue |
Synonyms: |
beat around the bush, beg the question, blow hot and cold, cavil, cloud the issue, con, cop a plea, cop out, cover up, dodge, double-talk, elude, escape, eschew, evade, falsify, fence, fib, flip-flop, fudge, give run around, hedge, hem and haw, jive, lie, mince words, palter, parry, pass the buck, prevaricate, pussyfoot, quibble, run around, shuck, shuffle, sidestep, sit on the fence, stonewall, tell white lie, tergiversate, tergiverse, waffle, weasel |
Antonyms: |
face, meet, speak on |
| Main Entry: | evade |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | get away from |
Synonyms: |
avoid, baffle, balk, beat around bush, beg the question, bypass, cavil, circumvent, conceal, confuse, cop out, deceive, decline, dodge, double, duck, elude, equivocate, escape, eschew, fence, fend off, flee, fly, fudge, get around, give the runaround, hedge, hide, keep distance, lay low, lead on a merry chase, lie, parry, pass up, pretend, prevaricate, pussyfoot, put off, shift, shirk, shuck, shuffle, shun, shy, sidestep, slip out, sneak away, steer clear of, tergiversate, trick, waffle, weasel |
Antonyms: |
face, meet, take on |
| Main Entry: | hedge |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | avoid, dodge |
Synonyms: |
be noncommittal, beat around the bush, blow hot and cold, cop a plea, cop out, duck, equivocate, evade, flip-flop, fudge, give the run around, hem and haw, jive, pass the buck, prevaricate, pussyfoot, quibble, run around, shilly-shally, shuck, shuffle, sidestep, sit on the fence, stall, stonewall, temporize, tergiversate, tergiverse, waffle |
Antonyms: |
confront, face, meet |
| Main Entry: | hesitate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | wait; be uncertain |
Synonyms: |
alternate, balance, balk, be irresolute, be reluctant, be unwilling, blow hot and cold, dally, debate, defer, delay, demur, dillydally, dither, doubt, equivocate, falter, flounder, fluctuate, fumble, hang back, hang*, hedge, hem and haw, hold back, hold off, hover, linger, oscillate, pause, ponder, pull back, pussyfoot, scruple, seesaw, shift, shrink, shy away, sit on fence, stammer, stop, straddle, stumble, stutter, swerve, tergiversate, think about, think twice, vacillate, waffle, waver, weigh |
Antonyms: |
attack, carry on, continue, go, go ahead, persevere, resolve |