paramount, essential, vital, all-absorbing, radical, cardinal, chief, main, prime, primary, princ.i.p.al, leading, capital, foremost, overruling; of vital &c. importance.
in the front rank, first-rate; superior &c. 33; considerable &c.
(great) 31; marked &c. v.; rare &c. 137.
significant, telling, trenchant, emphatic, pregnant; tanti[Lat].
Adv. materially &c. adj.; in the main; above all, < p="">
exochin/gr>, par excellence, to crown all, to beat all.
Phr. expende Hannibalem![Lat] [Juvenal].
#643. Unimportance. -- N. unimportance, insignificance, nothingness, immateriality.
triviality, levity, frivolity; paltriness &c. Adj.; poverty; smallness &c. 32; vanity &c. (uselessness) 645; matter of indifference &c. 866; no object.
nothing, nothing to signify,, nothing worth speaking of, nothing particular, nothing to boast of, nothing to speak of; small matter, no great matter, trifling matter &c. Adj.; mere joke, mere nothing; hardly anything; scarcely anything; nonent.i.ty, small beer, cipher; no great shakes, peu de chose[Fr]; child"s play, kinderspiel.
toy, plaything, popgun, paper pellet, gimcrack, gewgaw, bauble, trinket, bagatelle, Rickshaw, knickknack, whim-wham, trifle, "trifles light as air"; yankee notions [U. S.].
trumpery, trash, rubbish, stuff, fatras[obs3], frippery; "leather or prunello"; chaff, drug, froth bubble smoke, cobweb; weed; refuse &c.
(inutility) 645; sc.u.m &c. (dirt) 653.
joke, jest, snap of the fingers; fudge &c. (unmeaning) 517; fiddlestick[obs3], fiddlestick end[obs3]; pack of nonsense, mere farce.
straw, pin, fig, b.u.t.ton, rush; bulrush, feather, halfpenny, farthing, bra.s.s farthing, doit[obs3], peppercorn, jot, rap, pinch of snuff, old son; cent, mill, picayune, pistareen[obs3], red cent [U.S.].
minutiae, details, minor details, small fry; dust in the balance, feather in the scale, drop in the ocean, flea-bite, molehill.
nine days" wonder, ridiculus mus[Lat]; flash in the pan &c.
(impotence) 158; much ado about nothing &c. (overestimation) 482.
V. be unimportant &c. Adj.; not matter &c. 642; go for nothing, matter nothing, signify nothing, matter little, matter little or nothing; not matter a straw &c. n.
make light of &c. (underestimate) 483; catch at straws &c.
(overestimate) 482.
Adj. unimportant; of little account, of small account, of no account, of little importance, of no importance &c. 642; immaterial; unessential, nonessential; indifferent.
subordinate &c. (inferior) 34; mediocre &c. (average) 29; pa.s.sable, fair, respectable, tolerable, commonplace; uneventful, mere, common; ordinary &c. (habitual) 613; inconsiderable, so-so, insignificant, inappreciable.
trifling, trivial; slight, slender, light, flimsy, frothy, idle; puerile &c. (foolish) 499; airy, shallow; weak &c. 160; powerless &c. 158; frivolous, petty, niggling; piddling, peddling; fribble[obs3], inane, ridiculous, farcical; finical, finikin[obs3]; fiddle-faddle, fingle- fangle[obs3], namby-pamby, wishy-washy, milk and water.
poor, paltry, pitiful; contemptible &c. (contempt) 930; sorry, mean, meager, shabby, miserable, wretched, vile, scrubby, scrannel[obs3], weedy, n.i.g.g.ardly, scurvy, putid[obs3], beggarly, worthless, twopennyhalfpenny, cheap, trashy, catchpenny, gimcrack, trumpery; one-horse [U. S.]. not worth the pains, not worth while, not worth mentioning, not worth speaking of, not worth a thought, not worth a curse, not worth a straw &c. n.;1 beneath notice, unworthy of notice, beneath regard, unworthy of regard, beneath consideration, unworthy of consideration; de lana caprina[It][obs3]; vain &c. (useless) 645.
Adv. slightly &c. adj.; rather, somewhat, pretty well, tolerably. for aught one cares.
Int. no matter! pish! tush! tut! pshaw! pugh! pooh, pooh-pooh! fudge!
bosh! humbug! fiddlestick[obs3], fiddlestick end[obs3]! fiddlededee! never mind! n"importe[Fr]! what signifies it, what boots it, what of it, what of that, what matter, what"s the odds, a fig for" stuff and nonsense, stuff!
nonsense!
Phr. magno conatu magnas nugas[Lat]; le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle[Fr]; it matters not, it does not signify; it is of no consequence, it is of no importance; elephantus non capit murem[Lat]; tempete dans un verre d"eau[Fr].
#644. Utility. -- N. utility; usefulness &c. adj.; efficacy, efficiency, adequacy; service, use, stead, avail; help &c. (aid) 707; applicability &c. adj.; subservience &c. (instrumentality) 631; function &c. (business) 625; value; worth &c. (goodness) 648; money"s worth; productiveness &c. 168; cui bono &c. (intention) 620[Lat]; utilization &c.
(use) 677 step in the right direction.
common weal; commonwealth public good, public interest; utilitarianism &c. (philanthropy) 910.
V. be useful &c. adj.; avail, serve; subserve &c. (be instrumental to) 631; conduce &c. (tend) 176; answer, serve one"s turn, answer a purpose, serve a purpose.
act a part &c. (action) 680; perform a function, discharge a function &c.; render a service, render good service, render yeoman"s service; bestead[obs3], stand one in good stead be the making of; help &c. 707.
bear fruit &c. (produce) 161; bring grist to the mill; profit, remunerate; benefit &c. (do good) 648.
find one"s account in, find one"s advantage in; reap the benefit of &c. (be better for) 658. render useful &c. (use) 677.
Adj. useful; of use &c. n.; serviceable, proficuous, good for; subservient &c. (instrumental) 631.; conducive &c. (tending) 176; subsidiary &c. (helping) 707.
advantageous &c. (beneficial) 648; profitable, gainful, remunerative, worth one"s salt; valuable; prolific &c. (productive) 168.
adequate; efficient, efficacious; effective, effectual; expedient &c.
646.
applicable, available, ready, handy, at hand, tangible; commodious, adaptable; of all work.
Adv. usefully &c. adj.; pro bono publico[Lat].
#645. Inutility. -- N. inutility; uselessness &c. adj.; inefficacy[obs3], futility; inept.i.tude, inapt.i.tude; unsubservience[obs3]; inadequacy &c. (insufficiency) 640; inefficiency.&c. (incompetence) 158; unskillfulness &c. 699; disservice; unfruitfulness &c.(unproductiveness).
169; labor in vain, labor lost, labor of Sisyphus; lost trouble, lost labor; work of Penelope; sleeveless errand, wild goose chase, mere farce.
tautology &c. (repet.i.tion) 104; supererogation &c. (redundancy) 641.
vanitas vanitatum[Lat], vanity, inanity, worthlessness, nugacity[obs3]; triviality &c. (unimportance) 643.
caput mortuum[Lat][obs3], waste paper, dead letter; blunt tool.
litter, rubbish, junk, lumber, odds and ends, cast-off clothes; b.u.t.ton top; shoddy; rags, orts[obs3], trash, refuse, sweepings, scourings, offscourings[obs3], waste, rubble, debris, detritus; stubble, leavings; broken meat; dregs &c. (dirt) 653; weeds, tares; rubbish heap, dust hole; rudera[obs3], deads[obs3].
fruges consumere natus &c. (drone) 683[Lat][Horace].
V. be useless &c. Adj.; go a begging &c. (redundant) 641; fail &c.
732.
seek after impossibilities, strive after impossibilities; use vain efforts, labor in vain, roll the stone of Sisyphus, beat the air, lash the waves, battre l"eau avec un baton[Fr], donner un coup d"epee dans l"eau[Fr], fish in the air, milk the ram, drop a bucket into an empty well, sow the sand; bay the moon; preach to the winds, speak to the winds; whistle jigs to a milestone; kick against the p.r.i.c.ks, se battre contre des moulins[Fr]; lock the stable door when the steed is stolen, lock the barn door after the horse is stolen &c. (too late) 135; hold a farthing candle to the sun; cast pearls before swine &c. (waste) 638; carry coals to Newcastle &c. (redundancy) 641; wash a blackamoor white &c. (impossible) 471.
render useless &c. adj.; dismantle, dismast, dismount, disqualify, disable; unrig; cripple, lame &c. (injure) 659; spike guns, clip the wings; put out of gear.
Adj. useless, inutile, inefficacious, futile, unavailing, bootless; inoperative &c. 158; inadequate &c. (insufficient) 640; inservient, unsubservient; inept, inefficient &c. (impotent) 158; of no avail &c. (use) 644; ineffectual &c. (failure) 732; incompetent &c. (unskillful) 699; "stale, flat and unprofitable"; superfluous &c. (redundant) 641; dispensable; thrown away &c. (wasted) 638; abortive &c. (immature) 674.
worthless, valueless, priceless; unsalable; not worth a straw &c.
(trifling) 643 dear at any price.
vain, empty, inane; gainless[obs3], profitless, fruitless; unserviceable, unprofitable; ill-spent; unproductive &c. 169; hors de combat[Fr]; effete, past work &c. (impaired) 659; obsolete &c. (old) 124; fit for the dust hole; good for nothing; of no earthly use; not worth having, not worth powder and shot; leading to no end, uncalled for; unnecessary, unneeded.
Adv. uselessly &c. adj.; to little purpose, to no purpose, to little or no purpose.
Int. cui bono?[Lat]; what"s the good!
Phr. actum ne agas[Lat][obs3]; chercher une aiguille dans une botte de foin[obs3][Fr]; tanto buon che val niente[It].
#646. [Specific subservience.] Expedience. -- N. expedience, expediency; desirableness, desirability &c. adj.; fitness &c. (agreement) 23; utility &c. 644; propriety; opportunism; advantage.
high time &c. (occasion) 134.
V. be expedient &c. Adj.; suit &c. (agree) 23; befit; suit the time, befit the time, suit the season, befit the season, suit the occasion, befit the occasion.
conform &c. 82.
Adj. expedient; desirable, advisable, acceptable; convenient; worth while, meet; fit, fitting; due, proper, eligible, seemly, becoming; befitting &c. v.; opportune &c. (in season) 134; in loco; suitable &c.
(accordant) 23; applicable &c. (useful) 644.
Adv. in the right place; conveniently &c. adj.
Phr. operae pretium est[Lat].
#647. Inexpedience. -- N. inexpedience, inexpediency; undesirableness, undesirability &c. Adj.; discommodity[obs3], impropriety; unfitness &c.
(disagreement) 24; inutility &c. 645; disadvantage.
V. be inexpedient &c. Adj.; come amiss &c. (disagree) 24; embarra.s.s &c. (hinder) 706; put to inconvenience; pay too dear for one"s whistle.
Adj. inexpedient, undesirable; unadvisable, inadvisable; objectionable; inapt, ineligible, inadmissible, inconvenient; incommodious, discommodious[obs3]; disadvantageous; inappropriate, unfit &c.
(inconsonant) 24.
ill-contrived, ill-advised; unsatisfactory; unprofitable &c., unsubservient &c. (useless) 645; inopportune &c. (unseasonable) 135; out of place, in the wrong place; improper, unseemly.
clumsy, awkward; c.u.mbrous, c.u.mbersome; lumbering, unwieldy, hulky[obs3]; unmanageable &c. (impracticable) 704; impedient &c. (in the way) 706[obs3].
unnecessary &c. (redundant) 641.
Phr. it will never do.
#648. [Capability of producing good. Good qualities.] Goodness. -- N.
goodness &c. adj.; excellence, merit; virtue &c. 944; value, worth, price.