Fun with Synonyms

By OH TEIK THEAM

FOR each set of three words below, find a rhyme for the second and third words so that you get three words (including the italicised word, which rhymes with the first word) that are synonyms of each other.

Example: dry, keep, lob > cry, weep, sob.

1. depress, rescue, spell > repress, ____, ____

2. lad, abstain, hazy > mad, ____, ____

3. doubt, sell, soar > shout, ____, ____

4. falter, range, scary > alter, ____, ____

5. ginger, farm, spurt > injure, ____, ____

6. refer, intone, sojourn > defer, ____, ____

7. efface, vinegar, vacillate > deface, ____, ___

8. rain, bake, hang > pain, ____, ____

9. rent, spell, coder > scent, ____, ____

10. dangle, joke, allocate > strangle, ____, ___

11. calculus, attentive, blur > stimulus, ____, ____

12. hesitate, sex, kettle > irritate, ____, ____

13. rigour, synergy, length > vigour, ____, ___

14. rift, praise, cultivate > lift, ____, ____

15. test, hellish, bestow > zest, ____, ____

16. froth, languor, page > wrath, ____, ____

17. hoist, camp, bet > moist, ____, ____

18. comprise, ordain, torn > despise, ____, ____

19. bleat, applaud, receive > cheat, ____, ____

20. by, useful, provident > shy, ____, ____

Answers

1. subdue, quell 2. insane, crazy 3. yell, roar 4. change, vary 5. harm, hurt 6. postpone, adjourn 7. disfigure, mutilate 8. ache, pang 9. smell, odour 10. choke, suffocate 11. incentive, spur 12. vex, nettle 13. energy, strength 14. raise, elevate 15. relish, gusto 16. anger, rage 17. damp, wet 18. disdain, scorn 19. defraud, deceive 20. bashful, diffident