illusion, delusion; snare; false impression, false idea; bubble; self- decit, self-deception; mists of error.
heresy &c. (heterodoxy) 984; hallucination &c. (insanity) 503; false light &c. (fallacy of vision) 443; dream &c. (fancy) 515; fable &c.
(untruth) 546; bias &c. (misjudgment) 481; misleading &c. v.
V. be erroneous &c. adj.
cause error; mislead, misguide; lead astray, lead into error; beguile, misinform &c. (misteach) 538[obs3]; delude; give a false impression, give a false idea; falsify, misstate; deceive &c. 545; lie &c. 544.
err; be -in error &c. adj., be mistaken &c. v.; be deceived &c.
(duped) 547; mistake, receive a false impression, deceive oneself; fall into error, lie under error, labor under an error &c. n.; be in the wrong, blunder; misapprehend, misconceive, misunderstand, misreckon, miscount, miscalculate &c. (misjudge) 481.
play at cross purposes, be at cross purposes &c. (misinterpret) 523.
trip, stumble; lose oneself &c. (uncertainty) 475; go astray; fail &c.
732; be in the wrong box; take the wrong sow by the ear &c. (mismanage) 699; put the saddle on the wrong horse; reckon without one"s host; take the shadow for the substance &c (credulity) 486; dream &c (imagine) 515.
Adj. erroneous, untrue, false, devoid of truth, fallacious, apocryphal, unreal, ungrounded, groundless; unsubstantial &c. 4; heretical &c. (heterodox) 984; unsound; illogical &c. 477.
inexact, unexact inaccurate[obs3], incorrect; indefinite &c.
(uncertain) 475.
illusive, illusory; delusive; mock, ideal &c (imaginary) 515; spurious &c. 545; deceitful &c. 544; perverted.
controvertible, unsustainable; unauthenticated, untrustworthy.
exploded, refuted; discarded.
in error, under an error &c. n.; mistaken &c. v.; tripping &c. v.; out, out in one"s reckoning; aberrant; beside the mark, wide of the mark, wide of the truth, way off, far off; astray &c (at fault) 475; on a false scent, on the wrong scent; in the wrong box, outside the ballpark; at cross purposes, all in the wrong; all out.
Adv. more or less.
Phr. errare est humanum[Lat]; mentis gratissimus error [Lat][Horace]; "on the dubious waves of error tost" [Cowper]; "to err is human, to forgive divine" [Pope]; "you lie -- under a mistake" [Sh.e.l.ley].
#496. Maxim.-- N. maxim, aphorism; apothegm, apophthegm[obs3]; dictum, saying, adage, saw, proverb; sentence, mot[Fr], motto, word, byword, moral, phylactery, protasis[obs3].
axiom, theorem, scholium[obs3], truism, postulate.
first principles, a priori fact, a.s.sumption (supposition) 514.
reflection &c (idea) 453; conclusion &c (judgment) 480; golden rule &c. (precept) 697; principle, principia[Lat]; profession of faith &c.
(belief) 484; settled principle, accepted principle, formula.
accepted fact.
received truth, wise maxim, sage maxim, received maxim, admitted maxim, recognized maxim &c; true saying, common saying, hackneyed saying, trite saying, commonplace saying &c.
Adj. aphoristic, proverbial, phylacteric[obs3]; axiomatic, gnomic.
Adv. as the saying goes, as the saying is, as they say.
#497. Absurdity. -- N. absurdity, absurdness &c. adj.; imbecility &c.
499; alogy, nonsense, utter nonsense; paradox, inconsistency; stultiloquy[obs3], stultiloquence[obs3]; nugacity[obs3].
blunder, muddle, bull; Irishism!, Hibernicism!; slipslop[obs3]; anticlimax, bathos; sophism &c. 477.
farce, galimathias[obs3], amphigouri[obs3], rhapsody; farrago &c (disorder) 59; betise[Fr]; extravagance, romance; sciamachy[obs3].
sell, pun, verbal quibble, macaronic[obs3].
jargon, fustian, twaddle, gibberish &c (no meaning) 517; exaggeration &c 549; moonshine, stuff; mare"s nest, quibble, self-delusion.
vagary, tomfoolery, poppyc.o.c.k, mummery, monkey trick, boutade[Fr], escapade.
V. play the fool &c. 499; talk nonsense, parler a tort et a travess[Fr]; battre la campagne[Fr][obs3]; ; be - absurd &c. adj.Adj. absurd, nonsensical, preposterous, egregious, senseless, inconsistent, ridiculous, extravagant, quibbling; self-annulling, self- contradictory; macaronic[obs3], punning.
foolish &c. 499; sophistical &c. 477; unmeaning &c. 517; without rhyme or reason; fantastic.
Int. fiddlededee! pish! pho[obs3]! "in the name of the Prophet--figs!"
[Horace Smith].
Phr. credat Judaeus Apella [Lat][Horace]; tell it to the marines.
#498. Intelligence. Wisdom. -- N. intelligence, capacity, comprehension, understanding; cuteness, sabe * [obs3][U.S.], savvy *
[U.S.]; intellect &c. 450; nous[Fr], parts, sagacity, mother wit, wit, esprit, gumption, quick parts, grasp of intellect; acuteness &c adj.; ac.u.men, subtlety, penetration, perspicacy[obs3], perspicacity; discernment, due sense of, good judgment; discrimination &c 465; cunning &c. 702; refinement &c (taste) 850.
head, brains, headpiece, upper story, long head; eagle eye, eagle- glance; eye of a lynx, eye of a hawk.
wisdom, sapience, sense; good sense, common sense, horse sense [U.S.], plain sense; rationality, reason; reasonableness &c. adj; judgment; solidity, depth, profundity, caliber; enlarged views; reach of thought, compa.s.s of thought; enlargement of mind.
genius, inspiration, geist[Ger], fire of genius, heaven-born genius, soul; talent &c. (apt.i.tude) 698.
[Wisdom in action] prudence &c. 864; vigilance &c. 459; tact &c 698; foresight &c 510; sobriety, self-possession, aplomb, ballast.
a bright thought, not a bad idea.
Solomon-like wisdom.
V. be -intelligent &c. adj.; have all one"s wits about one; understand &c. (intelligible) 518; catch an idea, take in an idea; take a joke, take a hint.
see through, see at a glance, see with half an eye, see far into, see through a millstone; penetrate; discern &c (descry) 441; foresee &c 510.
discriminate &c. 465; know what"s what &c. 698; listen to reason.
Adj. intelligent[Applied to persons], quick of apprehension, keen, acute, alive, brainy, awake, bright, quick, sharp; quick witted, keen witted, clear witted, sharp- eyed, sharp sighted, sharp witted; wide-awake; canny, shrewd, astute; clear-headed; farsighted &c 510; discerning, perspicacious, penetrating, piercing; argute[obs3]; quick-witted, nimble- witted, needle-witted; sharp as a needle, sharp as a tack; alive to &c (cognizant) 490; clever &c. (apt) 698; arch &c (cunning) 702; pas si bete[Fr]; acute &c 682.
wise, sage, sapient, sagacious, reasonable, rational, sound, in one"s right mind, sensible, abnormis sapiens[Lat], judicious, strong-minded.
unprejudiced, unbiased, unbigoted[obs3], unprepossessed[obs3]; undazzled[obs3], unperplexed[obs3]; unwarped judgment[obs3], impartial, equitable, fair.
cool; cool-headed, long-headed, hardheaded, strong-headed; long- sighted, calculating, thoughtful, reflecting; solid, deep, profound.
oracular; heaven-directed, heaven-born.
prudent &c (cautious) 864; sober, stand, solid; considerate, politic, wise in one"s generation; watchful &c. 459; provident &c (prepared) 673; in advance of one" age; wise as a serpent, wise as Solomon, wise as Solon.
[Applied to actions] wise, sensible, reasonable, judicious; well- thought-out, well-planned, well-judged, well-advised; prudent, politic; expedient &c. 646.
Phr. aut regem aut fatuum nasci oportet[Lat]; "but with the morning cool reflection came" [Scott]; flosculi sententiarum[Lat]; les affaires font les hommes[Fr]; mas vale saber que haber[Sp]; mas vale ser necio que profiadol nemo solus sapit [Lat][Plautus]; nosce te[Lat]; [Grk]; nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit [Lat][Seneca, from Aristotle]; sapere aude [Lat][Horace]; victrix fortunae sapientia [Lat][Juvenal].#499. Imbecility. Folly -- N. want of -intelligence &c. 498, want of - intellect &c. 450; shadowness[obs3], silliness, foolishness &c. adj.; imbecility, incapacity, vacancy of mind, poverty of intellect, weakness of intellect, clouded perception, poor head, apartments to let; stupidity, stolidity; hebetude[obs3], dull understanding, meanest capacity, shortsightedness; incompetence &c (unskillfulness) 699.
one"s weak side, not one"s strong point; bias &c 481; infatuation &c.
(insanity) 503.
simplicity, puerility, babyhood; dotage, anility[obs3], second childishness, fatuity; idiocy, idiotism[obs3]; driveling.
folly, frivolity, irrationality, trifling, inept.i.tude, nugacity[obs3], inconsistency, lip wisdom, conceit; sophistry &c. 477; giddiness &c (inattention) 458; eccentricity &c. 503; extravagance &c (absurdity) 497; rashness &c. 863.
act of folly &c. 699.
b. be - imbecile &c adj.; have no -brains, have no sense &c. 498.
trifle, drivel, radoter[obs3], dote; ramble &c (madness) 503; play the fool, play the monkey, monkey around, fool around; take leave of one"s senses (insanity) 503; not see an inch beyond one"s nose; stultify oneself &c. 699; talk nonsense &c. 497.
Adj. unintelligent[Applied to persons], unintellectual, unreasoning; mindless, witless, reasoningless[obs3], brainless; halfbaked; having no head &c. 498; not -bright &c. 498; inapprehensible[obs3].
weak headed, addle headed, puzzle headed, blunder headed, muddle headed, muddy headed, pig headed, beetle headed, buffle headed[obs3], chuckle headed, mutton headed, maggoty headed, grossheaded[obs3]; beef headed, fat witted, fat-headed.
weak-minded, feeble-minded; dull minded, shallow minded, lack-brained; rattle-brained, rattle headed; half witted, lean witted, short witted, dull witted, blunt-witted, shallow-pated[obs3], clod-pated[obs3], addle- pated[obs3]; dim-sighted, short-sighted; thick-skulled; weak in the upper story.
shallow, borne, weak, wanting, soft, sappy, spoony; dull, dull as a beetle; stupid, heavy, insulse[obs3], obtuse, blunt, stolid, doltish; asinine; inapt &c. 699; prosaic &c. 843; hebetudinous[obs3].
childish, child-like; infantine[obs3], infantile, babyish, babish[obs3]; puerile, anile; simple &c. (credulous) 486; old-womanish.
fatuous, idiotic, imbecile, driveling; blatant, babbling; vacant; sottish; bewildered &c.475.
blockish[obs3], unteachable Boeotian, Boeotic; bovine; ungifted, undiscerning[obs3], unenlightened, unwise, unphilosophical[obs3]; apish; simious[obs3].
foolish, silly, senseless, irrational, insensate, nonsensical, inept; maudlin.
narrow-minded &c. 481; bigoted &c. (obstinate) 606; giddy &c.
(thoughtless) 458; rash &c. 863; eccentric &c. (crazed) 503.
[Applied to actions] foolish, unwise, injudicious, improper, unreasonable, without reason, ridiculous, absurd, idiotic, silly, stupid, asinine; ill-imagined, ill-advised, ill-judged, ill-devised; mal entendu[Fr]; inconsistent, irrational, unphilosophical[obs3]; extravagant &c (nonsensical) 497; sleeveless, idle; pointless, useless &c. 645; inexpedient &c. 647; frivolous &c. (trivial) 643.
Phr. Davus sum non [Lat][Oedipus]; "a fool"s bolt is soon shot"
c.l.i.tellae bovi sunt impositae [obs3][Henry V.][Lat][Cicero]; "fools rush in where angels fear to tread" [Pope]; il n" a ni bouche ni eperon [Fr]; "the bookful blockhead, ignorantly read" [Pope]; "to varnish nonsense with the charms of sound" [Churchill].
#500. Sage -- N. sage, wise man; genius; master mind, master spirit of the age; longhead[obs3], thinker; intellectual, longhair.
authority, oracle, luminary, shining light, esprit fort, magnus Apollo[Lat][obs3], Solon, Solomon, Nestor, Magi, "second Daniel."
man of learning &c. 492; expert &c. 700; wizard &c. 994.
[Ironically] wiseacre, bigwig, know-it-all; poor man"s Einstein.
Adj. venerable, reverenced, emeritus.
Phr. barba tenus sapientes[Lat].