Words that rhyme with athanasian

n 1: a person who is loathsome or disgusting 2: hate coupled with disgust [syn: abhorrence, abomination, detestation, execration, loathing, odium] 3: an action that is vicious or vile; an action that arouses disgust or abhorrence; "his treatment of the children is an abomination"

n 1: an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off [syn: abrasion, scratch, scrape, excoriation] 2: erosion by friction [syn: abrasion, attrition, corrasion, detrition] 3: the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice [syn: grinding, abrasion, attrition, detrition]

n 1: abnormal union of bodily tissues; most common in the abdomen 2: a fibrous band of scar tissue that binds together normally separate anatomical structures 3: the property of sticking together (as of glue and wood) or the joining of surfaces of different composition; "the mutual adhesiveness of cells"; "a heated hydraulic press was required for adhesion" [syn: adhesiveness, adhesion, adherence, bond] 4: faithful support for a cause or political party or religion; "attachment to a formal agenda"; "adherence to a fat-free diet"; "the adhesion of Seville was decisive" [syn: attachment, adherence, adhesion]

n 1: a clumping of bacteria or red cells when held together by antibodies (agglutinins) 2: the building of words from component morphemes that retain their form and meaning in the process of combining 3: the coalescing of small particles that are suspended in solution; these larger masses are then (usually) precipitated [syn: agglutination, agglutinating activity]

n 1: line of descent traced through the paternal side of the family [syn: patrilineage, agnation]

n 1: the feeling of being alienated from other people [syn: alienation, disaffection, estrangement] 2: separation resulting from hostility [syn: alienation, estrangement] 3: (law) the voluntary and absolute transfer of title and possession of real property from one person to another; "the power of alienation is an essential ingredient of ownership" 4: the action of alienating; the action of causing to become unfriendly; "his behavior alienated the other students"

n 1: passing reference or indirect mention

n 1: successive change from one thing or state to another and back again; "a trill is a rapid alternation between the two notes"

n 1: harsh criticism or disapproval [syn: censure, animadversion]

adj 1: (of water) rising to the surface under internal hydrostatic pressure; "an artesian well"; "artesian pressure" [ant: subartesian]

n 1: a disparaging remark; "in the 19th century any reference to female sexuality was considered a vile aspersion"; "it is difficult for a woman to understand a man's sensitivity to any slur on his virility" [syn: aspersion, slur] 2: an abusive attack on a person's character or good name [syn: aspersion, calumny, slander, defamation, denigration] 3: the act of sprinkling water in baptism (rare) [syn: aspersion, sprinkling]

n 1: an attack intended to ruin someone's reputation [syn: character assassination, assassination, blackwash] 2: murder of a public figure by surprise attack

n 1: a secret rendezvous (especially between lovers) [syn: assignation, tryst] 2: the act of distributing by allotting or apportioning; distribution according to a plan; "the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives is based on the relative population of each state" [syn: allotment, apportionment, apportioning, allocation, parceling, parcelling, assignation]

n 1: saturation with carbon dioxide (as soda water)

adj 1: pink or pinkish n 1: Eurasian plant with pink to purple-red spice-scented usually double flowers; widely cultivated in many varieties and many colors [syn: carnation, clove pink, gillyflower, Dianthus caryophyllus] 2: a pink or reddish-pink color

n 1: the addition or substitution of chlorine in organic compounds 2: disinfection of water by the addition of small amounts of chlorine or a chlorine compound

n 1: (Roman Catholic Church and Anglican Church) feast day celebrating the circumcision of Jesus; celebrated on January 1st [syn: Circumcision, Feast of the Circumcision, January 1] 2: the act of circumcising performed on males eight days after birth as a Jewish and Muslim religious rite 3: the act of circumcising; surgical removal of the foreskin of males

n 1: line of descent traced through the maternal side of the family [syn: matrilineage, enation, cognation] 2: (anthropology) related by blood [syn: consanguinity, blood kinship, cognation] [ant: affinity]

n 1: the state of cohering or sticking together [syn: coherence, coherency, cohesion, cohesiveness] [ant: incoherence, incoherency] 2: (botany) the process in some plants of parts growing together that are usually separate (such as petals) 3: (physics) the intermolecular force that holds together the molecules in a solid or liquid

n 1: (physics) a brief event in which two or more bodies come together; "the collision of the particles resulted in an exchange of energy and a change of direction" [syn: collision, hit] 2: an accident resulting from violent impact of a moving object; "three passengers were killed in the collision"; "the collision of the two ships resulted in a serious oil spill" 3: a conflict of opposed ideas or attitudes or goals; "a collision of interests"

n 1: secret agreement 2: agreement on a secret plot [syn: connivance, collusion]

n 1: a collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities 2: a coordinated sequence of chess moves 3: a sequence of numbers or letters that opens a combination lock; "he forgot the combination to the safe" 4: a group of people (often temporary) having a common purpose; "they were a winning combination" 5: an alliance of people or corporations or countries for a special purpose (formerly to achieve some antisocial end but now for general political or economic purposes) 6: the act of arranging elements into specified groups without regard to order 7: the act of combining things to form a new whole [syn: combination, combining, compounding]

n 1: the state of being linked together as in a chain; union in a linked series 2: the linking together of a consecutive series of symbols or events or ideas etc; "it was caused by an improbable concatenation of circumstances" 3: a series of things depending on each other as if linked together; "the chain of command"; "a complicated concatenation of circumstances" [syn: chain, concatenation] 4: the act of linking together as in a series or chain

n 1: terseness and economy in writing and speaking achieved by expressing a great deal in just a few words [syn: conciseness, concision, pithiness, succinctness]

n 1: a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration; "a decision unfavorable to the opposition"; "his conclusion took the evidence into account"; "satisfied with the panel's determination" [syn: decision, determination, conclusion] 2: an intuitive assumption; "jump to a conclusion" 3: the temporal end; the concluding time; "the stopping point of each round was signaled by a bell"; "the market was up at the finish"; "they were playing better at the close of the season" [syn: stopping point, finale, finis, finish, last, conclusion, close] 4: event whose occurrence ends something; "his death marked the ending of an era"; "when these final episodes are broadcast it will be the finish of the show" [syn: ending, conclusion, finish] [ant: beginning] 5: the proposition arrived at by logical reasoning (such as the proposition that must follow from the major and minor premises of a syllogism) [syn: conclusion, ratiocination] 6: the act of ending something; "the termination of the agreement" [syn: termination, ending, conclusion] 7: a final settlement; "the conclusion of a business deal"; "the conclusion of the peace treaty" 8: the last section of a communication; "in conclusion I want to say..." [syn: conclusion, end, close, closing, ending] 9: the act of making up your mind about something; "the burden of decision was his"; "he drew his conclusions quickly" [syn: decision, determination, conclusion]

n 1: an expression of strong disapproval; pronouncing as wrong or morally culpable; "his uncompromising condemnation of racism" [syn: disapprobation, condemnation] [ant: approbation] 2: (law) the act of condemning (as land forfeited for public use) or judging to be unfit for use (as a food product or an unsafe building) 3: an appeal to some supernatural power to inflict evil on someone or some group [syn: execration, condemnation, curse] 4: the condition of being strongly disapproved of; "he deserved nothing but condemnation" 5: (criminal law) a final judgment of guilty in a criminal case and the punishment that is imposed; "the conviction came as no surprise" [syn: conviction, judgment of conviction, condemnation, sentence] [ant: acquittal]

n 1: disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably; "the army retreated in confusion" 2: a mental state characterized by a lack of clear and orderly thought and behavior; "a confusion of impressions" [syn: confusion, mental confusion, confusedness, muddiness, disarray] 3: a feeling of embarrassment that leaves you confused [syn: confusion, discombobulation] 4: an act causing a disorderly combination of elements with identities lost and distinctions blended; "the confusion of tongues at the Tower of Babel" 5: a mistake that results from taking one thing to be another; "he changed his name in order to avoid confusion with the notorious outlaw" [syn: confusion, mix-up]

n 1: fear resulting from the awareness of danger [syn: alarm, dismay, consternation]

n 1: the state of being contaminated [syn: contamination, taint] 2: a substance that contaminates [syn: contaminant, contamination] 3: the act of contaminating or polluting; including (either intentionally or accidentally) unwanted substances or factors [syn: contamination, pollution] [ant: decontamination]

n 1: an injury that doesn't break the skin but results in some discoloration [syn: bruise, contusion] 2: the action of bruising; "the bruise resulted from a contusion"

n 1: the skillful and effective interaction of movements [ant: incoordination] 2: the regulation of diverse elements into an integrated and harmonious operation 3: the grammatical relation of two constituents having the same grammatical form 4: being of coordinate importance, rank, or degree

n 1: the ceremony of installing a new monarch [syn: coronation, enthronement, enthronization, enthronisation, investiture]

n 1: a state of deterioration in metals caused by oxidation or chemical action 2: erosion by chemical action [syn: corrosion, corroding, erosion]

n 1: a final climactic stage; "their achievements stand as a culmination of centuries of development" [syn: apogee, culmination] 2: (astronomy) a heavenly body's highest celestial point above an observer's horizon 3: the decisive moment in a novel or play; "the deathbed scene is the climax of the play" [syn: climax, culmination] 4: a concluding action [syn: completion, culmination, closing, windup, mop up]

n 1: the control of processes by computer [syn: computerization, cybernation]

n 1: the act of damning 2: the state of being condemned to eternal punishment in Hell [syn: damnation, eternal damnation]

n 1: the act of making up your mind about something; "the burden of decision was his"; "he drew his conclusions quickly" [syn: decision, determination, conclusion] 2: a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration; "a decision unfavorable to the opposition"; "his conclusion took the evidence into account"; "satisfied with the panel's determination" [syn: decision, determination, conclusion] 3: (boxing) a victory won on points when no knockout has occurred; "had little trouble in taking a unanimous decision over his opponent" 4: the outcome of a game or contest; "the team dropped three decisions in a row" 5: the trait of resoluteness as evidenced by firmness of character or purpose; "a man of unusual decisiveness" [syn: decisiveness, decision] [ant: indecision, indecisiveness]

n 1: a condition inferior to an earlier condition; a gradual falling off from a better state [syn: decline, declination] [ant: improvement, melioration] 2: a downward slope or bend [syn: descent, declivity, fall, decline, declination, declension, downslope] [ant: acclivity, ascent, climb, raise, rise, upgrade] 3: (astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial body north or to the south of the celestial equator; expressed in degrees; used with right ascension to specify positions on the celestial sphere [syn: declination, celestial latitude, dec] 4: a polite refusal of an invitation [syn: declination, regrets]

n 1: the removal of contaminants [ant: contamination, pollution]

n 1: (psychology) an erroneous belief that is held in the face of evidence to the contrary [syn: delusion, psychotic belief] 2: a mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea; "he has delusions of competence"; "his dreams of vast wealth are a hallucination" [syn: delusion, hallucination] 3: the act of deluding; deception by creating illusory ideas [syn: delusion, illusion, head game]

n 1: a group of religious congregations having its own organization and a distinctive faith 2: a class of one kind of unit in a system of numbers or measures or weights or money; "he flashed a fistful of bills of large denominations" 3: identifying word or words by which someone or something is called and classified or distinguished from others [syn: appellation, denomination, designation, appellative]

n 1: contemptuous laughter 2: the act of deriding or treating with contempt [syn: derision, ridicule]

n 1: the removal of salt (especially from sea water) [syn: desalination, desalinization, desalinisation]

n 1: identifying word or words by which someone or something is called and classified or distinguished from others [syn: appellation, denomination, designation, appellative] 2: the act of putting a person into a non-elective position; "the appointment had to be approved by the whole committee" [syn: appointment, assignment, designation, naming] 3: the act of designating or identifying something [syn: designation, identification]

n 1: the place designated as the end (as of a race or journey); "a crowd assembled at the finish"; "he was nearly exhausted as their destination came into view" [syn: finish, destination, goal] 2: the ultimate goal for which something is done [syn: destination, terminus] 3: written directions for finding some location; written on letters or packages that are to be delivered to that location [syn: address, destination, name and address]

n 1: the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation; "the determination of molecular structures" [syn: determination, finding] 2: the quality of being determined to do or achieve something; firmness of purpose; "his determination showed in his every movement"; "he is a man of purpose" [syn: determination, purpose] 3: a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration; "a decision unfavorable to the opposition"; "his conclusion took the evidence into account"; "satisfied with the panel's determination" [syn: decision, determination, conclusion] 4: deciding or controlling something's outcome or nature; "the determination of grammatical inflections" 5: the act of making up your mind about something; "the burden of decision was his"; "he drew his conclusions quickly" [syn: decision, determination, conclusion]

n 1: (physics) the process in which there is movement of a substance from an area of high concentration of that substance to an area of lower concentration 2: the spread of social institutions (and myths and skills) from one society to another 3: the property of being diffused or dispersed [syn: dissemination, diffusion] 4: the act of dispersing or diffusing something; "the dispersion of the troops"; "the diffusion of knowledge" [syn: dispersion, dispersal, dissemination, diffusion]

n 1: unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice [syn: discrimination, favoritism, favouritism] 2: the cognitive process whereby two or more stimuli are distinguished [syn: discrimination, secernment]

n 1: freeing from false belief or illusions [syn: disenchantment, disillusion, disillusionment] v 1: free from enchantment [syn: disenchant, disillusion] [ant: delight, enchant, enrapture, enthral, enthrall, ravish, transport]

n 1: that toward which you are inclined to feel dislike; "his disinclination for modesty is well known" [ant: inclination] 2: a certain degree of unwillingness; "a reluctance to commit himself"; "his hesitancy revealed his basic indisposition"; "after some hesitation he agreed" [syn: reluctance, hesitancy, hesitation, disinclination, indisposition]

n 1: the opening of a subject to widespread discussion and debate [syn: dissemination, airing, public exposure, spreading] 2: the property of being diffused or dispersed [syn: dissemination, diffusion] 3: the act of dispersing or diffusing something; "the dispersion of the troops"; "the diffusion of knowledge" [syn: dispersion, dispersal, dissemination, diffusion]

n 1: a communication that dissuades you 2: persuading not to do or believe something; talking someone out of a belief or an intended course of action [ant: persuasion, suasion]

n 1: successful conjecture by unusual insight or good luck 2: a prediction uttered under divine inspiration [syn: prophecy, divination] 3: the art or gift of prophecy (or the pretense of prophecy) by supernatural means [syn: divination, foretelling, soothsaying, fortune telling]

n 1: an army unit large enough to sustain combat; "two infantry divisions were held in reserve" 2: one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole; "the written part of the exam"; "the finance section of the company"; "the BBC's engineering division" [syn: part, section, division] 3: the act or process of dividing 4: an administrative unit in government or business 5: discord that splits a group [syn: division, variance] 6: a league ranked by quality; "he played baseball in class D for two years"; "Princeton is in the NCAA Division 1-AA" [syn: class, division] 7: (biology) a group of organisms forming a subdivision of a larger category 8: (botany) taxonomic unit of plants corresponding to a phylum 9: a unit of the United States Air Force usually comprising two or more wings [syn: division, air division] 10: a group of ships of similar type [syn: division, naval division] 11: an arithmetic operation that is the inverse of multiplication; the quotient of two numbers is computed 12: the act of dividing or partitioning; separation by the creation of a boundary that divides or keeps apart [syn: division, partition, partitioning, segmentation, sectionalization, sectionalisation]

n 1: social control by dominating 2: power to dominate or defeat; "mastery of the seas" [syn: domination, mastery, supremacy]

n 1: a voluntary gift (as of money or service or ideas) made to some worthwhile cause [syn: contribution, donation] 2: act of giving in common with others for a common purpose especially to a charity [syn: contribution, donation]

n 1: an unrestrained expression of emotion [syn: effusion, gush, outburst, blowup, ebullition] 2: flow under pressure

n 1: the act of removing or getting rid of something [syn: elimination, riddance] 2: the bodily process of discharging waste matter [syn: elimination, evacuation, excretion, excreting, voiding] 3: analysis of a problem into alternative possibilities followed by the systematic rejection of unacceptable alternatives [syn: elimination, reasoning by elimination] 4: the act of removing an unknown mathematical quantity by combining equations 5: the murder of a competitor [syn: elimination, liquidation]

n 1: omission of a sound between two words (usually a vowel and the end of one word or the beginning of the next) 2: a deliberate act of omission; "with the exception of the children, everyone was told the news" [syn: exception, exclusion, elision]

adj 1: relating to the Elysian Fields 2: being of such surpassing excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods; "her pies were simply divine"; "the divine Shakespeare"; "an elysian meal"; "an inspired performance" [syn: divine, elysian, inspired]

n 1: something that is emitted or radiated (as a gas or an odor or a light, etc.) 2: the act of emitting; causing to flow forth [syn: emission, emanation] 3: (theology) the origination of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; "the emanation of the Holy Spirit"; "the rising of the Holy Ghost"; "the doctrine of the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son" [syn: emanation, rise, procession]

v 1: imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind; "I can't see him on horseback!"; "I can see what will happen"; "I can see a risk in this strategy" [syn: visualize, visualise, envision, project, fancy, see, figure, picture, image] 2: picture to oneself; imagine possible; "I cannot envision him as President" [syn: envision, foresee]

n 1: a mathematical statement that two expressions are equal 2: a state of being essentially equal or equivalent; equally balanced; "on a par with the best" [syn: equality, equivalence, equation, par] 3: the act of regarding as equal [syn: equation, equating]

n 1: (geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it) [syn: erosion, eroding, eating away, wearing, wearing away] 2: condition in which the earth's surface is worn away by the action of water and wind 3: a gradual decline of something; "after the accounting scandal there was an erosion of confidence in the auditors" 4: erosion by chemical action [syn: corrosion, corroding, erosion]

n 1: a statement that is not literally false but that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth [syn: evasion, equivocation] 2: the deliberate act of failing to pay money; "his evasion of all his creditors"; "he was indicted for nonpayment" [syn: evasion, nonpayment] [ant: defrayal, defrayment, payment] 3: nonperformance of something distasteful (as by deceit or trickery) that you are supposed to do; "his evasion of his clear duty was reprehensible"; "that escape from the consequences is possible but unattractive" [syn: evasion, escape, dodging] 4: the act of physically escaping from something (an opponent or a pursuer or an unpleasant situation) by some adroit maneuver

n 1: the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes) [syn: examination, scrutiny] 2: a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge; "when the test was stolen the professor had to make a new set of questions" [syn: examination, exam, test] 3: formal systematic questioning [syn: interrogation, examination, interrogatory] 4: a detailed inspection of your conscience (as done daily by Jesuits) [syn: examen, examination] 5: the act of giving students or candidates a test (as by questions) to determine what they know or have learned [syn: examination, testing]

n 1: the omission that is made when an editorial change shortens a written passage; "an editor's deletions frequently upset young authors"; "both parties agreed on the excision of the proposed clause" [syn: deletion, excision, cut] 2: surgical removal of a body part or tissue [syn: ablation, extirpation, cutting out, excision] 3: the act of banishing a member of a church from the communion of believers and the privileges of the church; cutting a person off from a religious society [syn: excommunication, excision] 4: the act of pulling up or out; uprooting; cutting off from existence [syn: extirpation, excision, deracination]

n 1: the state of being excluded [ant: inclusion] 2: the state of being excommunicated [syn: excommunication, exclusion, censure] 3: a deliberate act of omission; "with the exception of the children, everyone was told the news" [syn: exception, exclusion, elision] 4: the act of forcing out someone or something; "the ejection of troublemakers by the police"; "the child's expulsion from school" [syn: ejection, exclusion, expulsion, riddance]

n 1: a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.; "the explanation was very simple"; "I expected a brief account" [syn: explanation, account] 2: thought that makes something comprehensible 3: the act of explaining; making something plain or intelligible; "I heard his explanation of the accident"

n 1: a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction [syn: explosion, detonation, blowup] 2: the act of exploding or bursting; "the explosion of the firecrackers awoke the children"; "the burst of an atom bomb creates enormous radiation aloft" [syn: explosion, burst] 3: a sudden great increase; "the population explosion"; "the information explosion" 4: the noise caused by an explosion; "the explosion was heard a mile away" 5: the terminal forced release of pressure built up during the occlusive phase of a stop consonant [syn: plosion, explosion] 6: a sudden outburst; "an explosion of laughter"; "an explosion of rage" 7: a golf shot from a bunker that typically moves sand as well as the golf ball

n 1: complete annihilation; "they think a meteor cause the extinction of the dinosaurs" [syn: extinction, extermination] 2: the act of exterminating [syn: extermination, liquidation]

n 1: something that bulges out or is protuberant or projects from its surroundings; "the gun in his pocket made an obvious bulge"; "the hump of a camel"; "he stood on the rocky prominence"; "the occipital protuberance was well developed"; "the bony excrescence between its horns" [syn: bulge, bump, hump, swelling, gibbosity, gibbousness, jut, prominence, protuberance, protrusion, extrusion, excrescence] 2: squeezing out by applying pressure; "an unexpected extrusion of toothpaste from the bottom of the tube"; "the expulsion of pus from the pimple" [syn: extrusion, expulsion]

n 1: the state of being intensely interested (as by awe or terror) [syn: fascination, captivation] 2: a feeling of great liking for something wonderful and unusual [syn: captivation, enchantment, enthrallment, fascination] 3: the capacity to attract intense interest; "he held the children spellbound with magic tricks and other fascinations"

n 1: (theology) being determined in advance; especially the doctrine (usually associated with Calvin) that God has foreordained every event throughout eternity (including the final salvation of mankind) [syn: predestination, foreordination, preordination, predetermination]

n 1: a process that uses heat to separate a substance into its components [syn: fractionation, fractional process] 2: separation into portions

n 1: thunderous verbal attack [syn: fulmination, diatribe] 2: the act of exploding with noise and violence; "his fulminations frightened the horses"

n 1: an occurrence that involves the production of a union [syn: fusion, merger, unification] 2: the state of being combined into one body [syn: coalition, fusion] 3: the merging of adjacent sounds or syllables or words 4: a nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy [syn: fusion, nuclear fusion, nuclear fusion reaction] 5: the combining of images from the two eyes to form a single visual percept [syn: fusion, optical fusion] 6: correction of an unstable part of the spine by joining two or more vertebrae; usually done surgically but sometimes done by traction or immobilization [syn: fusion, spinal fusion] 7: the act of fusing (or melting) together

n 1: the process whereby seeds or spores sprout and begin to grow [syn: germination, sprouting] 2: the origin of some development; "the germination of their discontent"

adj 1: idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquillity; "a halcyon atmosphere" 2: marked by peace and prosperity; "a golden era"; "the halcyon days of the clipper trade" [syn: golden, halcyon, prosperous] n 1: (Greek mythology) a woman who was turned into a kingfisher [syn: Alcyone, Halcyon] 2: a large kingfisher widely distributed in warmer parts of the Old World [syn: Halcyon, genus Halcyon] 3: a mythical bird said to breed at the time of the winter solstice in a nest floating on the sea and to have the power of calming the winds and waves

n 1: illusory perception; a common symptom of severe mental disorder 2: a mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea; "he has delusions of competence"; "his dreams of vast wealth are a hallucination" [syn: delusion, hallucination] 3: an object perceived during a hallucinatory episode; "he refused to believe that the angel was a hallucination"

n 1: the torpid or resting state in which some animals pass the winter 2: cessation from or slowing of activity during the winter; especially slowing of metabolism in some animals 3: the act of retiring into inactivity; "he emerged from his hibernation to make his first appearance in several years"

n 1: a chemical process that adds hydrogen atoms to an unsaturated oil; "food producers use hydrogenation to keep fat from becoming rancid"

n 1: division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page [syn: word division, hyphenation] 2: connecting syllables and words by hyphens

n 1: a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination; "follow God's light" [syn: light, illumination] 2: the degree of visibility of your environment 3: an interpretation that removes obstacles to understanding; "the professor's clarification helped her to understand the textbook" [syn: clarification, elucidation, illumination] 4: the luminous flux incident on a unit area [syn: illuminance, illumination] 5: painting or drawing included in a book (especially in illuminated medieval manuscripts) [syn: miniature, illumination]

n 1: an erroneous mental representation [syn: illusion, semblance] 2: something many people believe that is false; "they have the illusion that I am very wealthy" [syn: illusion, fantasy, phantasy, fancy] 3: the act of deluding; deception by creating illusory ideas [syn: delusion, illusion, head game] 4: an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers [syn: magic trick, conjuring trick, trick, magic, legerdemain, conjuration, thaumaturgy, illusion, deception]

n 1: the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses; "popular imagination created a world of demons"; "imagination reveals what the world could be" [syn: imagination, imaginativeness, vision] 2: the ability to form mental images of things or events; "he could still hear her in his imagination" [syn: imagination, imaging, imagery, mental imagery] 3: the ability to deal resourcefully with unusual problems; "a man of resource" [syn: resource, resourcefulness, imagination]

n 1: sinking until covered completely with water [syn: submergence, submerging, submersion, immersion] 2: (astronomy) the disappearance of a celestial body prior to an eclipse [syn: ingress, immersion] [ant: egress, emersion] 3: complete attention; intense mental effort [syn: concentration, engrossment, absorption, immersion] 4: a form of baptism in which part or all of a person's body is submerged 5: the act of wetting something by submerging it [syn: submersion, immersion, ducking, dousing]

n 1: a sudden inward collapse; "the implosion of a light bulb" 2: the initial occluded phase of a stop consonant

n 1: the quality of lacking precision [syn: impreciseness, imprecision] [ant: preciseness, precision]

n 1: material with which something is impregnated; "the impregnation, whatever it was, had turned the rock blue" 2: the process of totally saturating something with a substance; "the impregnation of wood with preservative"; "the saturation of cotton with ether" [syn: impregnation, saturation] 3: creation by the physical union of male and female gametes; of sperm and ova in an animal or pollen and ovule in a plant [syn: fertilization, fertilisation, fecundation, impregnation]

n 1: a new personification of a familiar idea; "the embodiment of hope"; "the incarnation of evil"; "the very avatar of cunning" [syn: embodiment, incarnation, avatar] 2: (Christianity) the Christian doctrine of the union of God and man in the person of Jesus Christ 3: time passed in a particular bodily form; "he believes that his life will be better in his next incarnation" 4: the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas etc. [syn: personification, incarnation]

n 1: a depression scratched or carved into a surface [syn: incision, scratch, prick, slit, dent] 2: the cutting of or into body tissues or organs (especially by a surgeon as part of an operation) [syn: incision, section, surgical incision]

n 1: an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others; "he had an inclination to give up too easily"; "a tendency to be too strict" [syn: inclination, disposition, tendency] 2: (astronomy) the angle between the plane of the orbit and the plane of the ecliptic stated in degrees [syn: inclination, inclination of an orbit] 3: (geometry) the angle formed by the x-axis and a given line (measured counterclockwise from the positive half of the x-axis) [syn: inclination, angle of inclination] 4: (physics) the angle that a magnetic needle makes with the plane of the horizon [syn: dip, angle of dip, magnetic dip, magnetic inclination, inclination] 5: that toward which you are inclined to feel a liking; "her inclination is for classical music" [ant: disinclination] 6: the property possessed by a line or surface that departs from the vertical; "the tower had a pronounced tilt"; "the ship developed a list to starboard"; "he walked with a heavy inclination to the right" [syn: tilt, list, inclination, lean, leaning] 7: a characteristic likelihood of or natural disposition toward a certain condition or character or effect; "the alkaline inclination of the local waters"; "fabric with a tendency to shrink" [syn: tendency, inclination] 8: the act of inclining; bending forward; "an inclination of his head indicated his agreement" [syn: inclination, inclining]

n 1: the state of being included [ant: exclusion] 2: the relation of comprising something; "he admired the inclusion of so many ideas in such a short work" [syn: inclusion, comprehension] 3: any small intracellular body found within another (characteristic of certain diseases); "an inclusion in the cytoplasm of the cell" [syn: inclusion body, cellular inclusion, inclusion] 4: the act of including

n 1: an accusation that you are responsible for some lapse or misdeed; "his incrimination was based on my testimony"; "the police laid the blame on the driver" [syn: incrimination, inculpation, blame]

n 1: the act of entering some territory or domain (often in large numbers); "the incursion of television into the American living room" 2: an attack that penetrates into enemy territory [syn: penetration, incursion] 3: the mistake of incurring liability or blame

n 1: doubt concerning two or more possible alternatives or courses of action; "his indecision was only momentary but the opportunity was lost" [syn: indecision, indecisiveness, irresolution] 2: the trait of irresolution; a lack of firmness of character or purpose; "the king's incurable indecisiveness caused turmoil in his court" [syn: indecisiveness, indecision] [ant: decision, decisiveness]

n 1: a feeling of righteous anger [syn: indignation, outrage]

n 1: teaching someone to accept doctrines uncritically

n 1: a solution obtained by steeping or soaking a substance (usually in water) [syn: infusion, extract] 2: the process of extracting certain active properties (as a drug from a plant) by steeping or soaking (usually in water) 3: (medicine) the passive introduction of a substance (a fluid or drug or electrolyte) into a vein or between tissues (as by gravitational force) 4: the act of infusing or introducing a certain modifying element or quality; "the team's continued success is attributable to a steady infusion of new talent"