Contrasted Words

The label Contrasted Words introduces a list of words that are strongly contrastable but not quite antonymous with the entry word.

Entry Word: watchful
Function: adjective
paying close attention usually with a view to anticipating approaching danger or opportunity . . .
Synonyms . . .
Related Words . . .
Idioms . . .
Contrasted Words careless, heedless, thoughtless; inadvertent; absentminded, abstracted, faraway

Entry Word: alert
Function: adjective
1 Synonyms WATCHFUL, open-eyed, unsleeping, vigilant, wakeful, wide-awake
Related Words . . .
Idioms . . .
Contrasted Words inattentive, unmindful; aloof, detached, indifferent, unconcerned

At the main entry watchful adjective the Contrasted Words list is composed of seven words separated into three subgroups that each share at least one aspect of contrast to the entry word and its Synonyms list, while the Contrasted Words list at the secondary entry alert 1 comprises six words separated into two such subgroups. Contrasted words appearing at a main entry are not ordinarily repeated at the secondary entries. The thesaurus user should therefore check the main entry when seeking the most complete groupings of contrasted words. Contrasted words as such are not given their own entries in the thesaurus. They may, of course, be synonyms in other lists or head their own main entries.

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