一、despair， hopelessness， desperation， despondency， discouragement
These nouns denote loss of hope.
这些名词都意指丧失希望。
Despair and hopelessness stress the utter absence of hope and often imply a sense of powerlessness or resignation:
Despair 和 hopelessness 强调完全没有希望，并经常暗示一种“无能的、听任摆布”的意思：
When the bank repossessed the house, their depression turned to despair.
当银行收回房子时，他们的沮丧变成了绝望。
A spirit of hopelessness pervaded the refugee camp.
绝望的情绪笼罩着难民营。
Desperation is despair that drives a person to take risky, often reckless action:
Desperation 是一种驱使人冒险，经常是暴力行动的绝望：
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation” (Henry David Thoreau).
“男人们在沉静的绝望中生活” （亨利·大卫·梭罗）。
Despondency emphasizes depression of spirit resulting from cessation of hope and a belief that continued efforts will fail:
Despondency 强调由希望的中止以及一种继续努力，也会徒劳无功的信念导致的精神沮丧：
Her despondency arises from her inability to find employment.
她之所以意志消沉是因为她无法找到工作。
Discouragement denotes loss of confidence or courage in the face of obstacles but is the weakest of these terms:
Discouragement 是指在面对阻碍时丧失信心或勇气，但在这些词中，它“失望”的程度是最轻的：
The farmer experienced moments of discouragement over the failure of his crops.
农夫经受了片刻的对农作物歉收的痛苦

二、
conflict， contest， combat， fight， affray
These nouns denote struggle between opposing forces for victory or supremacy.
这些名词都是指两个对立势力为了取得胜利或优势而进行的争斗。
Conflict 用于指敌对组织的公开的战争或对立势力间的内部斗争：
“Fortunately analysis is not the only way to resolve inner conflicts. Life itself still remains a very effective therapist” (Karen Horney).
“幸运的是分析并不是解决内部冲突的唯一方法，生活本身就是一种非常好的治疗方法” （卡伦·赫尼）。
Contest 可以指友好的竞争也可以指带有敌意的斗争：
an archery contest;
箭术比赛；
a spelling contest;
拼写比赛；
the gubernatorial contest.
当权者的斗争。
Combat 通常指两个人或军队之间的遭遇战：
“Alexander had appeared to him, armed for combat” (Connop Thirlwall).
“亚历山大大帝全副武装的出现在他面前” （康诺朴·塞沃尔）。
Fight 通常指身体的或象征性的冲突，包括指个人的不幸：
A fight was scheduled between the world boxing champion and the challenger.
世界拳击冠军和挑战者之间将有一场比赛。
“There is nothing I love as much as a good fight” (Franklin D. Roosevelt).
“我最喜欢的就是一场漂亮的战争” （富兰克林·D·罗斯福）。
Affray 指一场公开的战斗或打架：

三、confirm， corroborate， substantiate， authenticate， validate， verify 都表示确认事实、精确性或事件的真实性。
Confirm 一般暗指消除所有不确定的试探性的疑惑：
“We must never make experiments to confirm our ideas, but simply to control them” (Claude Bernard).
“我们不要用实验来验证我们的想法，只需操纵它们就行了” （克劳德·伯纳德）。
Corroborate 指用另一个证据来加强或支持某事，例如通过引用别人的话来做证据：
The witness is expected to corroborate the plaintiff's testimony. To substantiate is to establish something by presenting substantial or tangible evidence:
希望证人能够确证原告的口供。 至于substantiate 是用实质性的可触摸到的事实来确定某事：
“one of the most fully substantiated of historical facts” (James Harvey Robinson).
“最真实可信的历史事实之一” （詹姆斯·哈维·鲁滨逊）。
Authenticate implies the removal of doubt about the genuineness of something by the act of an authority or the testimony of an expert:
Authenticate 暗示用权威的行为或专家的证词来消除对某事真实性的怀疑：
The museum made the mistake of accepting the painting before it had been authenticated.
博物馆在还未确认这幅画的真实性之前就错误地把它接受了。
Validate usually implies formal action taken to give legal force to something (
Validate 一般指正式的赋予某物法律效力的行为(
validate a deed of sale) but can also refer to establishing the validity of something, such as a theory, claim, or judgment (
使销售行为合法化)， 但也可以指证实某事的真实性，如理论、声明或判断(
The divorce validated my parents' original objection to the marriage).
我的离婚证明我父母当初反对这桩婚姻是正确的)。
Verify implies proving by comparison with an original or with established fact:
Verify 表示通过和原件或一已确定的事实比较而得到证实：
The bank refused to cash the check until the signature was verified.
银行直到签字得到了确认才兑现了这张支票
四、
contrary， balky， perverse， wayward， ornery
These adjectives mean given to acting in opposition to others.
这些形容词表示爱与别人或事物相反行事的。
Contrary applies especially to a person who is inherently self-willed and resistant to direction or counsel:
Contrary 尤指天生执拗且拒绝接受指导或建议的人：
Who can reason with you when you're being contrary?
你这样执拗，谁能跟你讲道理呢？
Balky 形容突然停住不再前进的动物或者突然停下来不再继续运作的机械装置；这个词也可适用于与某些类似人的行为：
The balky horse refused the jump.
马逡巡不前拒绝跳过去。
The balky engine sputtered and stopped.
不听使唤的发动机劈啪作响地停了下来。
Even threats of indictment didn't loosen the tongue of the balky witness.
即使威胁要控告他也不能使这一不肯合作的证人说出一个字来。
Perverse 含有与别人的预期或愿望相抵触的性格或决心之意：
He said no just to be perverse.
他只是故意作对才说不的。
Wayward 强调一种对权威的蔑视，从而导致古怪的、反复无常或应受指责的行为：
“a lively child, who had been spoilt and indulged, and therefore was sometimes wayward” (Charlotte Brontë). One who is ornery is marked by a mean-spirited, often defiant contrariety:
“一个活泼的孩子，因为被娇宠溺爱而有时任性倔强” （夏洛蒂·勃朗特）。用Ornery 来形容人时具有心胸狭窄，又常常违抗不服的互相矛盾的特征：
When I tried to get the car salesman to lower his prices, he became ornery and dug in his heels. See also Synonyms at opposite
当我试图让汽车销售员把价格降低时，他不耐烦地蹭着脚，脾气暴躁起来 参见同义词 opposite

五、abstinence， self-denial， temperance， sobriety， continence
这些名词都表示控制食欲或欲望。
Abstinence 暗指自愿地节制饮食和饮酒这些被认为有害或自我放纵的东西：
“To many, total abstinence is easier than total moderation” (Saint Augustine).
“对许多人来说，完全适度比完全禁欲更难做到” （圣·奥古斯丁）。
Self-denial 指为了实现一更高的目标，如为了他人的利益而控制自己的欲望：
She practiced self-denial in order to provide for her family's needs.
为了家人的需要，她克制着自己。
Temperance 通常意义上指节制和自我控制
Sobriety 指在举止、方式和对待事物上严肃认真
Teetotalers preach temperance for everyone.
Continence 特指性生活上的节制

六、sufficient， adequate， enough
The central meaning shared by these adjectives is “being what is needed without being in excess”:
这些形容词所共有的中心意思是“足够的但不过多的”：
has sufficient income for a comfortable retirement;
有足够的收入保证了舒适的退休生活；
bought an adequate supply of food;
购买了充足的食物；
drew enough water to fill the tub. insufficient
提了足够多的水灌满了澡盆 insufficient

七、elaborate， complicated， intricate
这些形容词共有的中心意思是“以细节复杂为特征的”：
an elaborate lace pattern;
复杂精美的花边图案；
the eye, a complicated organ;
眼睛，复杂的器官；
an intricate problem. simple
错综复杂的问题 simple

八、eject， expel， evict， dismiss， oust
这些动词指用力逐出。Eject 指从内部扔出或喷出：
The fire ejected yellow flames into the night sky.
大火向夜空喷出黄色的火焰。
Expel 指赶出或赶走；意味着永久驱逐：
expelled the invaders from the country;
把侵略者赶出国家；
Evict 通常指通过法律程序将某人从地产上逐出，如当此人不能达到租约上的条件时：
evicted the tenants to convert the building into condominiums.
驱逐住户以便将这个建筑改成出售的大厦。
Dismiss 指将某人或某事从某人头脑中去除（极力消除他的畏惧 ） 或者在法律上拒绝给予诸如上诉或控告更多的考虑（因为缺少证据而不受理此案 ）。
Oust 主要指简单地通过法律或其他的手段将某人从他的位置，诸如政治职位上撤职：
There were no grounds for ousting the prime minister.
没有理由把总理赶下台

九、embarrass， abash， chagrin， discomfit， disconcert， faze， rattle
这些动词所共有的中心意思是“使某人感到害羞的和不自然的。”：
was embarrassed by her child's tantrum;
被她孩子的乱发脾气弄得不知所措；
felt abashed at the extravagant praise;
对过分的表扬感到脸红；
will be chagrined if his confident prediction fails;
如果他的充满信心的预测落空了，会觉得很懊恼的；
was discomfited by the sudden personal question;
被这突来的个人问题弄得很不自在；
is disconcerted by sarcastic remarks;
被这挖苦的评论搞得很困窘；
refuses to be fazed by your objections;
不愿让你的反对搞得狼狈；
isn't easily rattled before an audience.
在一位听众面前喋喋不休并不容易

十、apprehension， foreboding， presentiment， misgiving
These nouns denote consternation that something untoward may be impending.
这些名词意指对某些迫近的不吉之事的焦虑。
Apprehension is fearful anticipation that something adverse is going to happen:
Apprehension 是对一些将要发生的不利事物充满恐惧的预期：
The student looked around the examination room with apprehension.
那名学生恐惧地观看检查室的四周。
Foreboding is a sense of coming misfortune that is less clearly based on a definite reason:
Foreboding 是指更为不清晰地基于某个确定原因，而对将来到的不幸的感觉：
“The second half of the book builds a steadily escalating sense of foreboding” (Sven Birkerts).
“这本书的后半部分建立了一种逐渐增强的不幸的预感" （斯文·伯基特）。
Presentiment denotes a somewhat nonspecific feeling that something, but not necessarily something unpleasant, is imminent:
Presetiment 意指一种不很确定的感觉，某些但未必是不好的事物将要发生：
The lawyer had a presentiment that the judge would dismiss the case against her client.
律师有一种预感，即法官将驳回他的当事人的案件。
Misgiving suggests mistrust or uncertainty, as from loss of confidence in a decision made or from fearful doubts about a course of action undertaken:
Misgiving 指怀疑或未确定的事，如源于在做出的一个决议中信心的丧失或对已采取的一行动的恐惧性怀疑：
“A prudent mind can see room for misgiving, lest he who prospers should one day suffer reverse” (Sophocles).
“谨慎的心灵能用忧虑怀疑看待机会，以免一时成功的人某天会遭受不幸”