Roget's Thesaurus - Part 74
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Part 74

persuasibility[obs3], persuasibleness[obs3]; attractability[obs3]; impressibility, susceptibility; softness; persuasiveness, attractiveness; tantalization[obs3]. influence, prompting, dictate, instance; impulse, impulsion; incitement, incitation; press, instigation; provocation &c.

(excitation of feeling) 824; inspiration; persuasion, suasion; encouragement, advocacy; exhortation; advice &c. 695; solicitation &c.

(request) 765; lobbyism; pull*.

incentive, stimulus, spur, fillip, whip, goad, ankus[obs3], rowel, provocative, whet, dram.

bribe, lure; decoy, decoy duck; bait, trail of a red herring; bribery and corruption; sop, sop for Cerberus.

prompter, tempter; seducer, seductor[obs3]; instigator, firebrand, incendiary; Siren, Circe; agent provocateur; lobbyist.

V. induce, move; draw, draw on; bring in its train, give an impulse &c. n.; to; inspire; put up to, prompt, call up; attract, beckon.

stimulate &c. (excite) 824; spirit up, inspirit; rouse, arouse; animate, incite, foment, provoke, instigate, set on, actuate; act upon, work upon, operate upon; encourage; pat on the back, pat on the shoulder, clap on the back, clap on the shoulder.

influence, weigh with, bias, sway, incline, dispose, predispose, turn the scale, inoculate; lead by the nose; have influence with, have influence over, have influence upon, exercise influence with, exercise influence over, exercise influence upon; go round, come round one; turn the head, magnetize; lobby.

persuade; prevail with, prevail upon; overcome, carry; bring round to one's senses, bring to one's senses; draw over, win over, gain over, come over, talk over; procure, enlist, engage; invite, court.

tempt, seduce, overpersuade[obs3], entice, allure, captivate, fascinate, bewitch, carry away, charm, conciliate, wheedle, coax, lure; inveigle; tantalize; cajole &c. (deceive) 545.

tamper with, bribe, suborn, grease the palm, bait with a silver hook, gild the pill, make things pleasant, put a sop into the pan, throw a sop to, bait the hook.

enforce, force; impel &c. (push) 276; propel &c. 284; whip, lash, goad, spur, p.r.i.c.k, urge; egg on, hound, hurry on; drag &c. 285; exhort; advise &c. 695; call upon &c. press &c. (request) 765; advocate.

set an example, set the fashion; keep in countenance.

be persuaded &c.; yield to temptation, come round; concede &c.

(consent) 762; obey a call; follow advice, follow the bent,.follow the dictates of; act on principle.

Adj. impulsive, motive; suasive, suasory[obs3], persuasive, persuasory[obs3], hortative, hortatory; protreptical

; inviting, tempting, &c. v.; suasive, suasory[obs3]; seductive, attractive; fascinating &c.

(pleasing) 829; provocative &c. (exciting) 824.

induced &c. v.; disposed; persuadable &c. (docile) 602; spellbound; instinct with, smitten with, infatuated; inspired &c. v.; by.

Adv. because, therefore &c. (cause) 155; from this motive, from that motive; for this reason, for that reason; for; by reason of, for the sake of, count of; out of, from, as, forasmuch as.

for all the world; on principle.

Phr. fax mentis incendium gloriae[Lat]; "temptation hath a music for all ears" "to beguile many and be beguiled by one" [Willis][Oth.e.l.lo].

#615a. Absence of Motive. -- N. absence of motive, aimlessness; caprice &c. 608; chance &c. (absence of design) 621.

V. have no motive; scruple &c. (be unwilling) 603.

Adj. without rhyme or reason; aimless, capricious, whimsical &c.

(chance) 621.

Adv. out of mere caprice.

#616. Dissuasion. -- N. dissuasion, dehortation[obs3], expostulation, remonstrance; deprecation &c. 766.

discouragement, damper, wet blanket; disillusionment, disenchantment.

cohibition &c. (restraint) 751[obs3]; curb &c. (means of restraint) 752; check &c. (hindrance) 706.

reluctance &c. (unwillingness) 603; contraindication.

V. dissuade, dehort[obs3], cry out against, remonstrate, expostulate, warn, contraindicate.

disincline, indispose, shake, stagger; dispirit; discourage, dishearten; deter; repress, hold back, keep back &c. (restrain) 751; render averse &c. 603; repel; turn aside &c. (deviation) 279; wean from; act as a drag &c. (hinder) 706; throw cold water on, damp, cool, chill, blunt, calm, quiet, quench; deprecate &c. 766.

disenchant, disillusion, deflate, take down a peg, pop one's balloon, p.r.i.c.k one's balloon, burst one's bubble; disabuse (correction) 527a.

Adj. dissuading &c. v.; dissuasive; dehortatory[obs3], expostulatory[obs3]; monitive

, monitory.

dissuaded &c. v.; admonitory; uninduced &c. (induce &c. 615); unpersuadable &c. (obstinate) 606; averse &c. (unwilling) 603; repugnant &c. (dislike) 867.

repressed.

#617. [Ostensible motive, ground, or reason a.s.signed.] Pretext. -- N.

pretext, pretense, pretension, plea

; allegation, advocation; ostensible motive, ostensible ground, ostensible reason, phony reason; excuse &c.

(vindication) 937; subterfuge; color; gloss, guise, cover.

loop hole, starting hole; how to creep out of, salvo, come off; way of escape.

handle, peg to hang on, room locus standi[Lat]; stalking-horse, cheval de bataille[Fr], cue.

pretense &c. (untruth) 546; put off, dust thrown in the eyes; blind; moonshine; mere pretext, shallow pretext; lame excuse, lame apology; tub to a whale; false plea, sour grapes; makeshift, shift, white lie; special pleading &c. (sophistry) 477; soft sawder &c. (flattery) 933[obs3].

V. pretend, plead, allege; shelter oneself under the plea of; excuse &c. (vindicate) 937; lend a color to; furnish a handle &c. n.; make a pretext of, make a handle of; use as a plea &c. n.; take one's stand upon, make capital out of, pretend &c. (lie) 544.

Adj. ostensibly &c. (manifest) 525; alleged, apologetic; pretended &c.

545.

Adv. ostensibly; under color; under the plea, under the pretense of, under the guise of.

-- 3. Objects of Volition --

#618. Good. -- N. good, benefit, advantage; improvement &c. 658; greatest good, supreme good; interest, service, behoof, behalf; weal; main chance, summum bonum[Lat], common weal; "consummation devoutly to be wished"; gain, boot; profit, harvest.

boon &c. (gift) 784; good turn; blessing; world of good; piece of good luck[Fr], piece of good fortune[Fr]; nuts, prize, windfall, G.o.dsend, waif, treasure-trove.

good fortune &c. (prosperity) 734; happiness &c. 827.

[Source of good] goodness &c. 648; utility &c. 644; remedy &c. 662; pleasure giving &c. 829.

Adj. commendable &c. 931; useful &c. 644; good &c., beneficial &c.

648.

Adv. well, aright, satisfactorily, favorably, not amis[Fr]; all for the best; to one's advantage &c. n.; in one's favor, in one's interest &c.

n.

Phr. so far so good; magnum bonum[Lat].

#619. Evil. -- N. evil, ill, harm, hurt., mischief, nuisance; machinations of the devil, Pandora's box, ills that flesh is heir to.

blow, buffet, stroke, scratch, bruise, wound, gash, mutilation; mortal blow, wound; immedicabile vulnus[Lat]; damage, loss &c. (deterioration) 659.

disadvantage, prejudice, drawback.

disaster, accident, casualty; mishap &c. (misfortune) 735; bad job, devil to pay; calamity, bale, catastrophe, tragedy; ruin &c. (destruction) 162; adversity &c. 735.

mental suffering &c. 828. * demon &v[Evil spirit]. 980. bane &c.

663[Cause of evil]. badness &c. 649[Production of evil]; painfulness &c.

830; evil doer &c. 913.

outrage, wrong, injury, foul play; bad turn, ill turn; disservice, spoliation &c. 791; grievance, crying evil.

V. be in trouble &c. (adversity) 735.

Adj. disastrous, bad &c. 649; awry, out of joint; disadvantageous.

Adv. amis[Fr], wrong, ill, to one's cost Phr. "moving accidents by flood and field" [Oth.e.l.lo].

-- Section II. Prospective Volition 1. Conceptional Volition --

#620. Intention. -- N. intent, intention, intentionality; purpose; quo animo[Lat]; project &c. 626; undertaking &c. 676; predetermination &c. 611; design, ambition.

contemplation, mind, animus, view, purview, proposal; study; look out.

final cause; raison d'etre[Fr]; cui bono[Lat]; object, aim, end; "the be all and the end all"; drift &c. (meaning) 516; tendency &c. 176; destination, mark, point, b.u.t.t, goal, target, bull's-eye, quintain[obs3][medeival]; prey, quarry, game.

decision, determination, resolve; fixed set purpose, settled purpose; ultimatum; resolution &c. 604; wish &c. 865; arriere pensee[Fr]; motive &c.

615.

[Study of final causes] teleology.

V. intend, purpose, design, mean; have to; propose to oneself; harbor a design; have in view, have in contemplation, have in one's eye, have in- petto; have an eye to.

bid for, labor for; be after, aspire after, endeavor after; be at, aim at, drive at, point at, level at, aspire at; take aim; set before oneself; study to.

take upon oneself &c. (undertake) 676; take into one's head; meditate, contemplate of, think of, dream of, talk of; premeditate &c. 611; compa.s.s, calculate; destine, destinate[obs3]; propose.

project &c. (plan) 626; have a mind to &c. (be willing) 602; desire &c. 865; pursue &c. 622.

Adj. intended &c. v.; intentional, advised, express, determinate; prepense &c. 611[obs3]; bound for; intending &c. v.; minded; bent upon &c.

(earnest) 604; at stake; on the anvil, on the tapis[obs3]; in view, in prospect, in the breast of; in petto; teleological Adv. intentionally &c. adj.; advisedly, wittingly, knowingly, designedly, purposely, on purpose, by design, studiously, pointedly; with intent &c. n.; deliberately &c. (with premeditation) 611; with one's eyes open, in cold blood.

for; with a view, with an eye to; in order to, in order that; to the end that, with the intent that; for the purpose of, with the view of, in contemplation of, on account of.

in pursuance of, pursuant to; quo animo[Lat]; to all intents and purposes.

Phr. "The road to h.e.l.l is paved with good intentions" [Johnson]; sublimi feriam sidera vertice [Lat][Horace].

#621. [Absence of purpose in the succession of events] Chance. 2 -- N.

chance &c. 156; lot, fate &c. (necessity) 601; luck; good luck &c. (good) 618; mascot.

speculation, venture, stake, game of chance; mere shot, random shot; blind bargain, leap in the dark; pig in a poke &c. (uncertainty) 475; fluke, potluck; faro bank; flyer*; limit.