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The body: synonyms worth the distinction
Words for what a body does tend to have a plain form and a clinical form sitting side by side. To breathe is to respire, and only one of those appears in a hospital note. Register, more than meaning, is the lesson on this shelf.
Start hereOne per tier, easiest first
The whole shelfGrouped by difficulty tier
FoothillsTier 1 · everyday words · 26 words
Words you already use, paired with a synonym you probably also know.
- bearverbstand
- bigadjectivegreat
- blushedverbreddened
- brainnounmind
- cheeknounnerve
- easeverbcomfort
- exerciseverbwork
- feeblyadverbweakly
- foreheadnounbrow
- grinverbbeam
- gutnounstomach
- headnounmind
- physiquenounbuild
- playverbtoy
- pulsenounheartbeat
- releaseverbfree
- slouchedverbslumped
- svelteadjectiveslender
- trembledverbshook
- unsteadilyadverbshakily
- vigorousadjectiveenergetic
- waistnounmiddle
- wearverbdon
- wearilyadverbtiredly
- willowyadjectiveslim
- winceverbflinch
TreelineTier 2 · one step up · 30 words
Familiar words, with a synonym that sits slightly outside daily speech.
- backbonenoungrit
- bellynounabdomen
- blinkverbwink
- breednounstock
- burlyadjectivebrawny
- chestnounbreast
- coughverbhack
- crashnounsmash
- dressverbgroom
- ductnounchannel
- exerciseverbwork
- gauntadjectivedrawn
- limbnounappendage
- muscularadjectivebrawny
- nimblyadverbdeftly
- numbadjectivedeadened
- passverbeliminate
- raiseverbrecruit
- regionnounarea
- relieveverblighten
- shudderedverbquaked
- stiffnounremains
- stretchverbextend
- suppleadjectivelimber
- surgicaladjectiveoperative
- swallowverbingest
- torsonountrunk
- tremornounquiver
- wiryadjectivesinewy
- wrenchverbturn
RidgelineTier 3 · solid vocabulary · 16 words
The middle of the bank, where the near misses start to bite.
High CampTier 4 · testing · 13 words
Words that turn up in serious reading rather than in conversation.
SummitTier 5 · rare and formal · 4 words
The rare register: literary, legal and technical English.
The body is one shelf of many
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