English·Pored Over

Actually I has been writing this article since Senior 2 in order to cope with the CEE. Now I upload it to 优快云 and change it into Markdown style.

This article is focused on the nuances between synonyms which are not exactly same. And in my opinion, to know which word in a dozen of synonyms is to be used is the highest level of language mastering. In Chinese Poem, we have a skill called “炼字”, which means to pick out the most suitable character in a stich and is considered the most difficult thing for a poet to master. And there’s no doubt that poets are the best users of a language. Thus these “splitting hairs” are, de facto, of great importance.

1, Clean

hygienic

hygienic

adjective

clean and therefore unlikely to cause illness

Food must be prepared and stored in hygienic conditions.

hygiene

noun

People’s idea of personal hygiene differs.

unhygienic

adjective

spotless or immaculate

spotless or immaculate

adjective

used to describe a place or thing that is extremely clean

She was dressed in an immaculate white suit.

pristine

pristine

adjective

used to describe something that is extremely clean and looks as if it hasn’t been used is sometimes.

gleaming

gleaming

adjective

used to describe something that is bright and shiny from being cleaned

Jamie drove up in a gleaming red car.

sterile

sterile

adjective

Completely clean and free from bacteria

All procedures are carried out in sterile conditions.

2, River

rivulet

rivulet

countable noun

a very small river; a small stream of water or other liquid

Rain ran in tiny rivulets down the window.

creek

creek

countable noun

a small river; a narrow area of water where the sea, a lake, etc., flows into the land

up the creek (without a paddle): in a difficult or bad situation

If they won’t accept my credit card, I’ll really be up the creek.

brook

brook

countable noun

a small stream

I could hear the sound of a babbling brook.

3, gift

flair

flair

singular noun

natural ability to do something well

He has a flair for languages.

uncountable noun

a situation in which something is done in an exciting and interesting way

It’s a competent enough piece of writing but it lacks flair.

gift

gift

countable but usually singular noun

a special ability to do something

talent

talent

countable or uncountable noun

(someone who has) a natural ability to be good at something, especially without being taught

Her talent for music showed at an early age.

uncountable noun

people who are sexually attractive

There was plenty of talent at the party last night.

4, flatter

flatter

flatter

verb

to praise someone in order to make them feel attractive or important, sometimes in a way that is not sincere

I knew he was only flattering me because he wanted to borrow some money.

sycophant

sycophant

countable noun

someone who praises powerful or rich people in a way that is not sincere, usually in order to get some advantage from them

The prime minister is surrounded by sycophants.

sycophantic

adjective

There was sycophantic laughter from the audience at every one of his terrible jokes.

adulate

adulate

verb

to admire or praise someone very much, especially when this is more than is deserved

The boxer was convicted of rape, and yet is still adulated by many.

adulation

uncountable noun

As a born performer, she loves the excitement and she loves the adulation.

adulatory

adjective

I found myself irritated by the adulatory tone of her biography.

obsequious

obsequious

adjective

too eager to praise or obey someone

She is embarrassingly obsequious to anyone in authority.

blandish

blandish

intransitive or transitive verb

to try to persuade someone by saying pleasant things

Artfully he flattered and blandished him.

blandishments

plural noun

She was impervious to his blandishments.

and there’re more:

fawn,palaver,cringe,subservience,complaisance,courtier,smarmy,toady

5, massacre

massacre

massacre

verb

to kill many people in a short period of time

Hundreds of civilians were massacred in the raid.

It’s also a noun.

carnage

uncountable noun

the violent killing of large numbers of people, especially in war

The Battle of the Somme was a scene of dreadful carnage.

holocaust

countable noun

a very large amount of destruction, especially by fire or heat, or the killing of very large numbers of people

A nuclear holocaust (= destruction caused by nuclear weapons) would leave few survivors.

6, impudent

impudent / impertinent

adj.

rude and not showing respect, especially towards someone who is older or in a more important position

insolent

adj.

rude and not showing respect

cheeky

adj.

slightly rude or showing no respect, but often in a funny way（嬉皮笑脸的）

She’s got such a cheeky grin.