Words that rhyme with midyear

v 1: be compatible or in accordance with; "You must adhere to the rules" 2: follow through or carry out a plan without deviation; "They adhered to their plan" 3: come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation; "The dress clings to her body"; "The label stuck to the box"; "The sushi rice grains cohere" [syn: cling, cleave, adhere, stick, cohere] 4: be a devoted follower or supporter; "The residents of this village adhered to Catholicism"; "She sticks to her principles" [syn: adhere, stick] 5: be loyal to; "She stood by her husband in times of trouble"; "The friends stuck together through the war" [syn: stand by, stick by, stick, adhere] 6: stick to firmly; "Will this wallpaper adhere to the wall?" [syn: adhere, hold fast, bond, bind, stick, stick to]

v 1: give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect; "She seems to be sleeping"; "This appears to be a very difficult problem"; "This project looks fishy"; "They appeared like people who had not eaten or slept for a long time" [syn: look, appear, seem] 2: come into sight or view; "He suddenly appeared at the wedding"; "A new star appeared on the horizon" [ant: disappear, go away, vanish] 3: be issued or published; "Did your latest book appear yet?"; "The new Woody Allen film hasn't come out yet" [syn: appear, come out] 4: seem to be true, probable, or apparent; "It seems that he is very gifted"; "It appears that the weather in California is very bad" [syn: appear, seem] 5: come into being or existence, or appear on the scene; "Then the computer came along and changed our lives"; "Homo sapiens appeared millions of years ago" [syn: appear, come along] [ant: disappear, vanish] 6: appear as a character on stage or appear in a play, etc.; "Gielgud appears briefly in this movie"; "She appeared in `Hamlet' on the London stage" 7: present oneself formally, as before a (judicial) authority; "He had to appear in court last month"; "She appeared on several charges of theft"

adj 1: severely simple; "a stark interior" [syn: austere, severe, stark, stern] 2: of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect; "an austere expression"; "a stern face" [syn: austere, stern] 3: practicing great self-denial; "Be systematically ascetic...do...something for no other reason than that you would rather not do it"- William James; "a desert nomad's austere life"; "a spartan diet"; "a spartan existence" [syn: ascetic, ascetical, austere, spartan]

n 1: a general name for alcoholic beverages made by fermenting a cereal (or mixture of cereals) flavored with hops

v 1: spread or daub (a surface) [syn: bedaub, besmear]

n 1: a coffin along with its stand; "we followed the bier to the graveyard" 2: a stand to support a corpse or a coffin prior to burial

adj 1: tired to the point of exhaustion [syn: bleary, blear, bleary-eyed, blear-eyed] v 1: make dim or indistinct; "The fog blurs my vision" [syn: blur, blear] [ant: focalise, focalize, focus, sharpen]

n 1: the particular occupation for which you are trained [syn: career, calling, vocation] 2: the general progression of your working or professional life; "the general had had a distinguished career"; "he had a long career in the law" [syn: career, life history] v 1: move headlong at high speed; "The cars careered down the road"; "The mob careered through the streets"

n 1: an employee of a bank who receives and pays out money [syn: teller, cashier, bank clerk] 2: a person responsible for receiving payments for goods and services (as in a shop or restaurant) v 1: discard or do away with; "cashier the literal sense of this word" 2: discharge with dishonor, as in the army

n 1: a soft fabric made from the wool of the Cashmere goat 2: the wool of the Kashmir goat 3: an area in southwestern Asia whose sovereignty is disputed between Pakistan and India [syn: Kashmir, Cashmere, Jammu and Kashmir]

n 1: branched lighting fixture; often ornate; hangs from the ceiling [syn: chandelier, pendant, pendent]

n 1: a cry or shout of approval 2: the quality of being cheerful and dispelling gloom; "flowers added a note of cheerfulness to the drab room" [syn: cheerfulness, cheer, sunniness, sunshine] [ant: uncheerfulness] v 1: give encouragement to [syn: cheer, hearten, recreate, embolden] [ant: dishearten, put off] 2: show approval or good wishes by shouting; "everybody cheered the birthday boy" 3: cause (somebody) to feel happier or more cheerful; "She tried to cheer up the disappointed child when he failed to win the spelling bee" [syn: cheer, cheer up, jolly along, jolly up] 4: become cheerful [syn: cheer, cheer up, chirk up] [ant: complain, kick, kvetch, plain, quetch, sound off] 5: spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts; "The crowd cheered the demonstrating strikers" [syn: cheer, root on, inspire, urge, barrack, urge on, exhort, pep up]

adv 1: completely; "read the book clear to the end"; "slept clear through the night"; "there were open fields clear to the horizon" [syn: clear, all the way] 2: in an easily perceptible manner; "could be seen clearly under the microscope"; "She cried loud and clear" [syn: clearly, clear] adj 1: readily apparent to the mind; "a clear and present danger"; "a clear explanation"; "a clear case of murder"; "a clear indication that she was angry"; "gave us a clear idea of human nature" [ant: unclear] 2: free from confusion or doubt; "a complex problem requiring a clear head"; "not clear about what is expected of us" 3: affording free passage or view; "a clear view"; "a clear path to victory"; "open waters"; "the open countryside" [syn: clear, open] 4: allowing light to pass through; "clear water"; "clear plastic bags"; "clear glass"; "the air is clear and clean" [ant: opaque] 5: free from contact or proximity or connection; "we were clear of the danger"; "the ship was clear of the reef" 6: characterized by freedom from troubling thoughts (especially guilt); "a clear conscience"; "regarded her questioner with clear untroubled eyes" 7: (of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims; "efforts to obtain a clean bass in orchestral recordings"; "clear laughter like a waterfall"; "clear reds and blues"; "a light lilting voice like a silver bell" [syn: clean, clear, light, unclouded] 8: (especially of a title) free from any encumbrance or limitation that presents a question of fact or law; "I have clear title to this property" [syn: clear, unmortgaged] 9: clear and distinct to the senses; easily perceptible; "as clear as a whistle"; "clear footprints in the snow"; "the letter brought back a clear image of his grandfather"; "a spire clean-cut against the sky"; "a clear-cut pattern" [syn: clear, clean-cut, clear-cut] 10: accurately stated or described; "a set of well-defined values" [syn: well-defined, clear] [ant: ill-defined, unclear] 11: free from clouds or mist or haze; "on a clear day" [ant: cloudy] 12: free of restrictions or qualifications; "a clean bill of health"; "a clear winner" [syn: clean, clear] 13: free from flaw or blemish or impurity; "a clear perfect diamond"; "the clear complexion of a healthy young woman" 14: clear of charges or deductions; "a clear profit" 15: easily deciphered [syn: clear, decipherable, readable] 16: freed from any question of guilt; "is absolved from all blame"; "was now clear of the charge of cowardice"; "his official honor is vindicated" [syn: absolved, clear, cleared, exculpated, exonerated, vindicated] 17: characterized by ease and quickness in perceiving; "clear mind"; "a percipient author" [syn: clear, percipient] n 1: the state of being free of suspicion; "investigation showed that he was in the clear" 2: a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water; "finally broke out of the forest into the open" [syn: open, clear] v 1: rid of obstructions; "Clear your desk" [syn: unclutter, clear] [ant: clutter, clutter up] 2: make a way or path by removing objects; "Clear a path through the dense forest" 3: become clear; "The sky cleared after the storm" [syn: clear up, clear, light up, brighten] [ant: cloud, overcast] 4: grant authorization or clearance for; "Clear the manuscript for publication"; "The rock star never authorized this slanderous biography" [syn: authorize, authorise, pass, clear] 5: remove; "clear the leaves from the lawn"; "Clear snow from the road" 6: go unchallenged; be approved; "The bill cleared the House" [syn: pass, clear] 7: be debited and credited to the proper bank accounts; "The check will clear within 2 business days" [ant: bounce] 8: go away or disappear; "The fog cleared in the afternoon" 9: pass by, over, or under without making contact; "the balloon cleared the tree tops" [syn: clear, top] 10: make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear; "Could you clarify these remarks?"; "Clear up the question of who is at fault" [syn: clear, clear up, shed light on, crystallize, crystallise, crystalize, crystalise, straighten out, sort out, enlighten, illuminate, elucidate] 11: free from payment of customs duties, as of a shipment; "Clear the ship and let it dock" 12: clear from impurities, blemishes, pollution, etc.; "clear the water before it can be drunk" 13: yield as a net profit; "This sale netted me $1 million" [syn: net, clear] 14: make as a net profit; "The company cleared $1 million" [syn: net, sack, sack up, clear] 15: earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages; "How much do you make a month in your new job?"; "She earns a lot in her new job"; "this merger brought in lots of money"; "He clears $5,000 each month" [syn: gain, take in, clear, make, earn, realize, realise, pull in, bring in] 16: sell; "We cleared a lot of the old model cars" 17: pass an inspection or receive authorization; "clear customs" 18: pronounce not guilty of criminal charges; "The suspect was cleared of the murder charges" [syn: acquit, assoil, clear, discharge, exonerate, exculpate] [ant: convict] 19: settle, as of a debt; "clear a debt"; "solve an old debt" [syn: clear, solve] 20: make clear, bright, light, or translucent; "The water had to be cleared through filtering" 21: rid of instructions or data; "clear a memory buffer" 22: remove (people) from a building; "clear the patrons from the theater after the bomb threat" 23: remove the occupants of; "Clear the building" 24: free (the throat) by making a rasping sound; "Clear the throat" [syn: clear, clear up]

v 1: come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation; "The dress clings to her body"; "The label stuck to the box"; "The sushi rice grains cohere" [syn: cling, cleave, adhere, stick, cohere] 2: cause to form a united, orderly, and aesthetically consistent whole; "Religion can cohere social groups" 3: have internal elements or parts logically connected so that aesthetic consistency results; "the principles by which societies cohere"

v 1: take arbitrarily or by force; "The Cubans commandeered the plane and flew it to Miami" [syn: commandeer, hijack, highjack, pirate]

adv 1: with affection; "she loved him dearly"; "he treats her affectionately" [syn: dearly, affectionately, dear] 2: at a great cost; "he paid dearly for the food"; "this cost him dear" [syn: dearly, dear] adj 1: dearly loved [syn: beloved, darling, dear] 2: with or in a close or intimate relationship; "a good friend"; "my sisters and brothers are near and dear" [syn: dear, good, near] 3: earnest; "one's dearest wish"; "devout wishes for their success"; "heartfelt condolences" [syn: dear, devout, earnest, heartfelt] 4: having a high price; "costly jewelry"; "high-priced merchandise"; "much too dear for my pocketbook"; "a pricey restaurant" [syn: costly, dear(p), high-priced, pricey, pricy] n 1: a beloved person; used as terms of endearment [syn: beloved, dear, dearest, honey, love] 2: a sweet innocent mild-mannered person (especially a child) [syn: lamb, dear]

n 1: distinguished from Bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers [syn: deer, cervid]

v 1: get lost, as without warning or explanation; "He disappeared without a trace" [syn: disappear, vanish, go away] [ant: appear] 2: become invisible or unnoticeable; "The effect vanished when day broke" [syn: vanish, disappear, go away] 3: cease to exist; "An entire civilization vanished" [syn: vanish, disappear] [ant: appear, come along] 4: become less intense and fade away gradually; "her resistance melted under his charm"; "her hopes evaporated after years of waiting for her fiance" [syn: melt, disappear, evaporate]

v 1: rule or exercise power over (somebody) in a cruel and autocratic manner; "her husband and mother-in-law tyrannize her" [syn: tyrannize, tyrannise, domineer]

n 1: the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium 2: good hearing; "he had a keen ear"; "a good ear for pitch" 3: the externally visible cartilaginous structure of the external ear [syn: auricle, pinna, ear] 4: attention to what is said; "he tried to get her ear" 5: fruiting spike of a cereal plant especially corn [syn: ear, spike, capitulum]

n 1: an independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia) [syn: emir, amir, emeer, ameer]

n 1: an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight) [syn: fear, fearfulness, fright] [ant: bravery, fearlessness] 2: an anxious feeling; "care had aged him"; "they hushed it up out of fear of public reaction" [syn: concern, care, fear] 3: a feeling of profound respect for someone or something; "the fear of God"; "the Chinese reverence for the dead"; "the French treat food with gentle reverence"; "his respect for the law bordered on veneration" [syn: fear, reverence, awe, veneration] v 1: be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event; "I fear she might get aggressive" 2: be afraid or scared of; be frightened of; "I fear the winters in Moscow"; "We should not fear the Communists!" [syn: fear, dread] 3: be sorry; used to introduce an unpleasant statement; "I fear I won't make it to your wedding party" 4: be uneasy or apprehensive about; "I fear the results of the final exams" 5: regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of; "Fear God as your father"; "We venerate genius" [syn: reverence, fear, revere, venerate]

n 1: a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country; "the individualism of the frontier in Andrew Jackson's day" 2: an international boundary or the area (often fortified) immediately inside the boundary 3: an undeveloped field of study; a topic inviting research and development; "he worked at the frontier of brain science"

n 1: a toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism in order to change the speed or direction of transmitted motion [syn: gear, gear wheel, geared wheel, cogwheel] 2: wheelwork consisting of a connected set of rotating gears by which force is transmitted or motion or torque is changed; "the fool got his tie caught in the geartrain" [syn: gearing, gear, geartrain, power train, train] 3: a mechanism for transmitting motion for some specific purpose (as the steering gear of a vehicle) [syn: gear, gear mechanism] 4: equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles needed for a particular operation or sport etc. [syn: gear, paraphernalia, appurtenance] v 1: set the level or character of; "She pitched her speech to the teenagers in the audience" [syn: gear, pitch]

v 1: be inherent in something

n 1: showing your contempt by derision [syn: jeer, jeering, mockery, scoff, scoffing] v 1: laugh at with contempt and derision; "The crowd jeered at the speaker" [syn: jeer, scoff, flout, barrack, gibe]

adj 1: being nothing more than specified; "a mere child" 2: apart from anything else; without additions or modifications; "only the bare facts"; "shocked by the mere idea"; "the simple passage of time was enough"; "the simple truth" [syn: bare(a), mere(a), simple(a)] n 1: a small pond of standing water

adv 1: near in time or place or relationship; "as the wedding day drew near"; "stood near the door"; "don't shoot until they come near"; "getting near to the true explanation"; "her mother is always near"; "The end draws nigh"; "the bullet didn't come close"; "don't get too close to the fire" [syn: near, nigh, close] 2: (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but; "the job is (just) about done"; "the baby was almost asleep when the alarm sounded"; "we're almost finished"; "the car all but ran her down"; "he nearly fainted"; "talked for nigh onto 2 hours"; "the recording is well-nigh perfect"; "virtually all the parties signed the contract"; "I was near exhausted by the run"; "most everyone agrees" [syn: about, almost, most, nearly, near, nigh, virtually, well-nigh] adj 1: not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances; "near neighbors"; "in the near future"; "they are near equals"; "his nearest approach to success"; "a very near thing"; "a near hit by the bomb"; "she was near tears"; "she was close to tears"; "had a close call" [syn: near, close, nigh] [ant: far] 2: being on the left side; "the near or nigh horse is the one on the left"; "the animal's left side is its near or nigh side" [syn: near(a), nigh(a)] 3: closely resembling the genuine article; "near beer"; "a dress of near satin" 4: giving or spending with reluctance; "our cheeseparing administration"; "very close (or near) with his money"; "a penny-pinching miserly old man" [syn: cheeseparing, close, near, penny-pinching, skinny] 5: with or in a close or intimate relationship; "a good friend"; "my sisters and brothers are near and dear" [syn: dear, good, near] 6: very close in resemblance; "sketched in an approximate likeness"; "a near likeness" [syn: approximate, near] v 1: move towards; "We were approaching our destination"; "They are drawing near"; "The enemy army came nearer and nearer" [syn: approach, near, come on, go up, draw near, draw close, come near]

n 1: a person who is of equal standing with another in a group [syn: peer, equal, match, compeer] 2: a nobleman (duke or marquis or earl or viscount or baron) who is a member of the British peerage v 1: look searchingly; "We peered into the back of the shop to see whether a salesman was around"

n 1: a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats [syn: pier, wharf, wharfage, dock] 2: (architecture) a vertical supporting structure (as a portion of wall between two doors or windows) 3: a support for two adjacent bridge spans

adj 1: first in rank or degree; "an architect of premier rank"; "the prime minister" [syn: premier(a), prime(a)] 2: preceding all others in time; "the premiere showing" [syn: premier, premiere] n 1: the person who holds the position of head of the government in the United Kingdom [syn: Prime Minister, PM, premier] 2: the person who is head of state (in several countries) [syn: chancellor, premier, prime minister] v 1: be performed for the first time; "We premiered the opera of the young composer and it was a critical success" [syn: premier, premiere] 2: perform a work for the first time [syn: premier, premiere]

adj 1: preceding all others in time; "the premiere showing" [syn: premier, premiere] n 1: the first public performance of a play or movie v 1: be performed for the first time; "We premiered the opera of the young composer and it was a critical success" [syn: premier, premiere] 2: perform a work for the first time [syn: premier, premiere]

adj 1: beyond or deviating from the usual or expected; "a curious hybrid accent"; "her speech has a funny twang"; "they have some funny ideas about war"; "had an odd name"; "the peculiar aromatic odor of cloves"; "something definitely queer about this town"; "what a rum fellow"; "singular behavior" [syn: curious, funny, odd, peculiar, queer, rum, rummy, singular] 2: homosexual or arousing homosexual desires [syn: gay, queer, homophile(a)] n 1: offensive term for an openly homosexual man [syn: fagot, faggot, fag, fairy, nance, pansy, queen, queer, poof, poove, pouf] v 1: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; "What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge"; "foil your opponent" [syn: thwart, queer, spoil, scotch, foil, cross, frustrate, baffle, bilk] 2: put in a dangerous, disadvantageous, or difficult position [syn: queer, expose, scupper, endanger, peril]

adj 1: located in or toward the back or rear; "the chair's rear legs"; "the rear door of the plane"; "on the rearward side" [syn: rear(a), rearward(a)] n 1: the back of a military formation or procession; "infantrymen were in the rear" [ant: head] 2: the side of an object that is opposite its front; "his room was toward the rear of the hotel" [syn: rear, backside, back end] [ant: forepart, front, front end] 3: the part of something that is furthest from the normal viewer; "he stood at the back of the stage"; "it was hidden in the rear of the store" [syn: back, rear] [ant: front] 4: the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on; "he deserves a good kick in the butt"; "are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?" [syn: buttocks, nates, arse, butt, backside, bum, buns, can, fundament, hindquarters, hind end, keister, posterior, prat, rear, rear end, rump, stern, seat, tail, tail end, tooshie, tush, bottom, behind, derriere, fanny, ass] 5: the side that goes last or is not normally seen; "he wrote the date on the back of the photograph" [syn: rear, back] [ant: front] v 1: stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds; "The horse reared in terror" [syn: rear, rise up] 2: bring up; "raise a family"; "bring up children" [syn: rear, raise, bring up, nurture, parent] 3: rise up; "The building rose before them" [syn: rise, lift, rear] 4: cause to rise up [syn: rear, erect] 5: construct, build, or erect; "Raise a barn" [syn: raise, erect, rear, set up, put up] [ant: dismantle, level, pull down, rase, raze, take down, tear down]

v 1: hear or try a court case anew [syn: rehear, retry]

n 1: American silversmith remembered for his midnight ride (celebrated in a poem by Longfellow) to warn the colonists in Lexington and Concord that British troops were coming (1735-1818) [syn: Revere, Paul Revere] 2: a lapel on a woman's garment; turned back to show the reverse side [syn: revers, revere] v 1: love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol; "Many teenagers idolized the Beatles" [syn: idolize, idolise, worship, hero-worship, revere] 2: regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of; "Fear God as your father"; "We venerate genius" [syn: reverence, fear, revere, venerate]

adj 1: (used especially of vegetation) having lost all moisture; "dried-up grass"; "the desert was edged with sere vegetation"; "shriveled leaves on the unwatered seedlings"; "withered vines" [syn: dried-up, sere, sear, shriveled, shrivelled, withered] v 1: make very hot and dry; "The heat scorched the countryside" [syn: sear, scorch] 2: become superficially burned; "my eyebrows singed when I bent over the flames" [syn: scorch, sear, singe] 3: burn slightly and superficially so as to affect color; "The cook blackened the chicken breast"; "The fire charred the ceiling above the mantelpiece"; "the flames scorched the ceiling" [syn: char, blacken, sear, scorch] 4: cause to wither or parch from exposure to heat; "The sun parched the earth" [syn: parch, sear]

adj 1: intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality; "severe pain"; "a severe case of flu"; "a terrible cough"; "under wicked fire from the enemy's guns"; "a wicked cough" [syn: severe, terrible, wicked] 2: very strong or vigorous; "strong winds"; "a hard left to the chin"; "a knockout punch"; "a severe blow" [syn: hard, knockout, severe] 3: severely simple; "a stark interior" [syn: austere, severe, stark, stern] 4: unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment; "a parent severe to the pitch of hostility"- H.G.Wells; "a hefty six-footer with a rather severe mien"; "a strict disciplinarian"; "a Spartan upbringing" [syn: severe, spartan] 5: causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm; "a dangerous operation"; "a grave situation"; "a grave illness"; "grievous bodily harm"; "a serious wound"; "a serious turn of events"; "a severe case of pneumonia"; "a life-threatening disease" [syn: dangerous, grave, grievous, serious, severe, life-threatening] 6: very bad in degree or extent; "a severe worldwide depression"; "the house suffered severe damage"

n 1: (physics) a deformation of an object in which parallel planes remain parallel but are shifted in a direction parallel to themselves; "the shear changed the quadrilateral into a parallelogram" 2: a large edge tool that cuts sheet metal by passing a blade through it v 1: cut with shears; "shear hedges" 2: shear the wool from; "shear sheep" [syn: fleece, shear] 3: cut or cut through with shears; "shear the wool off the lamb" 4: become deformed by forces tending to produce a shearing strain

adv 1: straight up or down without a break [syn: sheer, perpendicularly] 2: directly; "he fell sheer into the water" adj 1: complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers; "absolute freedom"; "an absolute dimwit"; "a downright lie"; "out- and-out mayhem"; "an out-and-out lie"; "a rank outsider"; "many right-down vices"; "got the job through sheer persistence"; "sheer stupidity" [syn: absolute, downright, out-and-out(a), rank(a), right-down, sheer(a)] 2: not mixed with extraneous elements; "plain water"; "sheer wine"; "not an unmixed blessing" [syn: plain, sheer, unmingled, unmixed] 3: very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front; "a bluff headland"; "where the bold chalk cliffs of England rise"; "a sheer descent of rock" [syn: bluff, bold, sheer] 4: so thin as to transmit light; "a hat with a diaphanous veil"; "filmy wings of a moth"; "gauzy clouds of dandelion down"; "gossamer cobwebs"; "sheer silk stockings"; "transparent chiffon"; "vaporous silks" [syn: diaphanous, filmy, gauzy, gauze-like, gossamer, see-through, sheer, transparent, vaporous, vapourous, cobwebby] v 1: turn sharply; change direction abruptly; "The car cut to the left at the intersection"; "The motorbike veered to the right" [syn: swerve, sheer, curve, trend, veer, slue, slew, cut] 2: cause to sheer; "She sheered her car around the obstacle"

adj 1: open and genuine; not deceitful; "he was a good man, decent and sincere"; "felt sincere regret that they were leaving"; "sincere friendship" [ant: insincere] 2: characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions; "both sides were deeply in earnest, even passionate"; "an entirely sincere and cruel tyrant"; "a film with a solemn social message" [syn: earnest, sincere, solemn]

n 1: slanderous defamation [syn: smear, vilification, malignment] 2: a thin tissue or blood sample spread on a glass slide and stained for cytologic examination and diagnosis under a microscope [syn: smear, cytologic smear, cytosmear] 3: a blemish made by dirt; "he had a smudge on his cheek" [syn: smudge, spot, blot, daub, smear, smirch, slur] 4: an act that brings discredit to the person who does it; "he made a huge blot on his copybook" [syn: blot, smear, smirch, spot, stain] v 1: stain by smearing or daubing with a dirty substance 2: make a smudge on; soil by smudging [syn: smear, blur, smudge, smutch] 3: cover (a surface) by smearing (a substance) over it; "smear the wall with paint"; "daub the ceiling with plaster" [syn: daub, smear] 4: charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; "The journalists have defamed me!" "The article in the paper sullied my reputation" [syn: defame, slander, smirch, asperse, denigrate, calumniate, smear, sully, besmirch]

n 1: the basic unit of money in Zaire 2: a republic in central Africa; achieved independence from Belgium in 1960 [syn: Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zaire, Belgian Congo]