| Main Entry: | retort |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | snappy answer |
Synonyms: |
antiphon, back answer, back talk, comeback, cooler, counter, crack*, gag, jape, jest, joke, lip, parting shot, quip, rejoinder, repartee, reply, reprisal, respond, response, retaliation, return, revenge, riposte, sally, snappy comeback, topper, wisecrack, witticism |
| Notes: | rejoin implies a sharp answer, but retort suggests the addition of criticism or an explicit charge |
Antonyms: |
question, request |
| Main Entry: | retort |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | answer |
Synonyms: |
answer back, come back at, counter, crack*, rebut, rejoin, repay, reply, requite, respond, retaliate, return, riposte, sass, shoot back, snap back, squelch, talk back, top* |
Antonyms: |
question, request |
| Main Entry: | alibi |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | defense against charges of wrongdoing; evidence of absence |
Synonyms: |
account, affirmation, airtight case, allegation, answer, assertion, assurance, avowal, case, cop-out, cover, declaration, excuse, explanation, fish story, justification, plea, pretext, profession, proof, reason, reply, retort, song and dance, stall, statement, vindication |
| Notes: | an alias is an assumed name, an alibi is a form of defense whereby a defendant attempts to prove that he or she was elsewhere when the crime in question was committed, while an excuse is an explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness |
| Main Entry: | answer |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | reply; reaction |
Synonyms: |
acknowledgment, antiphon, back talk, backcap, band-aid, close, comeback, comment, cooler, counterclaim, crack, defense, disclosure, echo, elucidation, explanation, feedback, guff, interpretation, justification, key, lip, observation, parting shot, pay dirt, plea, quick fix, rebuttal, refutation, rejoinder, remark, repartee, report, resolution, response, result, retort, return, rhetorical question, riposte, sign, solution, statement, thank-you note, the ticket, topper, vindication, wisecrack |
Antonyms: |
question |
| Main Entry: | answer |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | reply, react |
Synonyms: |
acknowledge, answer back, argue, back at you, back talk, be in touch, claim, comeback, contest, counterclaim, defend, deny, disprove, dispute, echo, explain, feedback, field the question, get back at, get back to, give a snappy comeback, parry, plead, rebut, refute, rejoin, remark, resolve, respond, retaliate, retort, return, sass, say, settle, shoot back, solve, squelch, talk back, top* |
Antonyms: |
ask, question |
| Main Entry: | back talk |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | rude answer |
Synonyms: |
back answer, backchat, cheek, comeback, guff, insolence, insult, lip, mouth, nasty reply, rejoinder, retort, return, riposte, sass, sauce, short answer, uptake |
| Main Entry: | defense |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | explanation, justification |
Synonyms: |
answer, apologetics, apologia, apologizing, apology, argument, cleanup, copout, exculpation, excuse, excusing, exoneration, explaining, extenuation, fish story, jive, off-time, plea, rationalization, rejoinder, reply, response, retort, return, song and dance, story, vindication, whitewash |
Antonyms: |
betrayal, capitulation, yielding |
| Main Entry: | flask |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | small container for liquid |
Synonyms: |
alembic, ampulla, bag, beaker, bottle, canteen, carafe, caster, chalice, crock, cruet, crystal, decanter, demijohn, ewer, fiasco, flacon, flagon, flasket, glass, goblet, gourd, horn, jar, jug, noggin, phial, retort, tumbler, urn, vial |
| Main Entry: | quip |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | witty communication, often verbal |
Synonyms: |
badinage, banter, bon mot, crack, drollery, gag, gibe, insult, jeer, jest, joke, mockery, offense, pleasantry, pun, repartee, retort, riposte, sally, satire, spoof, wisecrack, witticism |
| Main Entry: | reaction |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | response |
Synonyms: |
acknowledgment, answer, attitude, back talk, backfire, backlash, boomerang, comeback, compensation, counteraction, counterbalance, counterpoise, double-take, echo, feedback, feeling, hit, kick, kickback, knee-jerk, lip, opinion, reagency, rebound, reception, receptivity, reciprocation, recoil, reflection, reflex, rejoinder, repercussion, reply, retort, return, reverberation, revulsion, sass, snappy comeback, take*, vibes, wisecrack |
Antonyms: |
cause, question |