Words That Sound and/Or Look Alike But Have Different Meanings

Acrid (adjective) having an 705-15; < Latin cr- French: cre

irritatingly strong and unpleasant (stem of cer) sharp German: Scharf
taste or smell.
705-15; < Latin cr- (stem of cer)
sharp

acridity Noun acridness, noun 1. pungentsta 4. comp

acridly, adverb r limentary

2. stingingstar 5. delici
subacrid, adjective 3. acidstar
ous
6. kind

Arid (adjective) (of land or a climate) 1645-55; (< F) < German: drr
having little or no rain; too dry or barren to Latin ridus French: Aride
support vegetation.

aridity Noun 1. barren 5. f

aridness, noun star ertile

2. bone- 6. p
aridly, adverb
drystar roductiv
3. deserts
e
tar 7. d
4. dusty
amp
8. h

umid

Aesthetic (adjective) concerned 1815-25; < New Latin French: Esthtique

with beauty or the appreciation aestheticus < Greek German:
of beauty. aisthtiks sthetisch
nonaesthetic, adjective 1. artisticstar 5. displ
2. creativestar
pseudoaesthetic, adjective 3. estheticstar easing
4. artfulstar 6. ugly
7. unatt

ractive

Atheistic (adjective) pertaining to or 1625-35 German:

characteristic of atheists or atheism; Atheistisch
containing,suggesting, or disseminating French: Athe
atheism :

atheistically, adverb 1. agnos 4. bel

atheisticness, noun ticstar ieving

2. disbel 5. go
antiatheistic, adjective
ievingstar d-fearing
3. godle 6. reli

ss gious

Ambiguous (adjective) (of language) open 1520-30; < Latin French: Ambigu
to more than one interpretation; having a ambiguus German:
double meaning. Mehrdeutig

ambiguously, adverb 1. crypti 5. cer

ambiguousness, noun cstar tain

2. dubio 6. cle
unambiguous, adjective
usstar ar
3. enigm 7. de

aticstar finite
4. equivo 8. det

cal ermined
Ambivalent (adjective) having mixed 1910-15 French:
feelings or contradictory ideas about Ambivalent
something or someone. German:
Ambivalent

ambivalently, adverb 1. contra 5. c

dictorystar ertain
2. doubtf 6. cl

ulstar ear
3. equivo 7. d

calstar ecided
4. hesita 8. d

nt efinite

Coalesce (verb) come together and 1535-45; < Latin German:

form one mass or whole. coalscere Verschmelzen
French: Se fondre

coalescence, noun 1. consolid 5. divid

coalescent, adjective atestar e

2. fusestar 6. sepa
noncoalescence, noun 3. integrate
rate
star 7. deta
4. unitestar
ch
8. disco

nnect

Convalesce (verb) recover one's 1475-85; < Latin French: se

health and strength over a period of convalscere to grow fully remettre
time after an illness or operation. strong German:
Genesen
 1. recuperatesta 4. b

r reak
2. improvestar 5. d
3. mendstar
amage
6. d

estroy

Delusion (noun) an idiosyncratic 1375-1425; late Middle English German:

belief or impression that is
firmly maintained despite being
contradicted by what is
generally accepted as reality or
rational argument, typically a
symptom of mental disorder.
< Latin dlsin- (stem of Tuschung
dlsi),equivalent to dls (us) French:
(past participle of dldere; see Illusion
delude ) + -in- -ion

Delusional, Adjective 1. deceptionstar 5. f

2. fantasystar
delusionary, adjective 3. hallucinationstar act
4. illusionstar 6. r
predelusion, noun
eality
7. t

ruth
8. a

ccurac

Allusion (noun) an expression designed 1540-50; < Late Latin French:

to call something to mind without allsin- (stem of Allusion
mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or allsi) German:
passing reference. Anspielung
preallusion, noun 1. quotations 5. s

tar ilence
2. chargestar 6. r
3. citationstar
4. connotatio eality

Illusion (noun) a thing that is or is 1300-50; Middle English < Latin German:
likely to be wrongly perceived or illsin- (stem of illsi) irony, Illusion
interpreted by the senses. mocking French:
Illusion

illusioned, adjective 1. confusionstar 5.

2. deceptionstar
3. delusionstar fa
4. fantasy
ct
6.

re

ality
7.

tr

uth
8.

be

ing