appearance
aspect
look
semblance
applause
acclaim
acclamation
plaudit
appoint
assign
These words are all used to denote visual impressions of the way a person or thing is or seems. Appearance, in the sense here considered, is the most neutral of these terms, making only a flat assertion of what one perceives. [It had the appearance of an eighteenth century church; He had the rugged appearance of an athlete.] Appearance, however, like the other words, can be used to accent the contrast between what seems to be so and what is the fact of the matter: a despot who assumes the appearance of a benefactor.
Look usually applies to facial expression or demeanor rather than to other forms of appearance, such as dress, although it may—implying an analogy with a person’s face—be used to describe things as well: a Renaissance look to a building. Compare these two phrases: the appearance of a snob; the look of a snob. The former suggests dandyish clothes and a too-elegant manner; the latter suggests, along with other qualities, a supercilious expression.
Aspect is often interchangeable with look, but suggests more strongly the changing nature of appearance as it confronts the beholder: the pleasant aspect of a lake; an artist who had the aspect of a prizefighter. Aspect implies that the perception is a quality inherent in the thing perceived, a quality that is drawn out — into focus, as it were — by the eye of the beholder.
Semblance is almost invariably used to contrast appearance with reality: a doubtful assertion that has the semblance of truth; an enemy who cloaks his threats with the semblance of civility. It may, however, be used to mean outward appearance without any suggestion of falseness: The faceless person in his dreams began to acquire the semblance of his dead brother.
These words refer to simultaneous expressions of approval or praise by a number of persons. Applause may be given by voice or by clapping the hands. The word does not suggest any particular degree of enthusiasm, and depends on context or qualifying adjectives to indicate the intensity or sincerity of the approval. [At the end of the concert, the pianist was greeted with a smattering of applause and a few whistles; The crowd rose as one with a great roar of applause .] Acclaim and acclamation are more formal terms, and refer specifically to vocal expressions of praise or approval. In parliamentary bodies, a measure adopted by acclamation is one adopted by shouts of approval and applause rather than by individual votes; by acclamation can therefore be taken to mean by enthusiastic endorsement of the assembly. Acclaim need not refer particularly to actual cries of approval, but is perhaps more commonly used nowadays to express figurative applause: Einstein’s achievements earned him the acclaim of the entire scientific community. Plaudit, also a formal term, means a burst of applause, but like acclaim, is often used figuratively, commonly in the plural: to receive the plaudits of one’s fellow musicians for an outstanding performance. See approval.
Antonyms: abuse, booing, censure, disapprobation, disapproval, execration, hissing, jeering, obloquy, reproof, vituperation.
The situation that unites these words is one in which a person is being chosen to fulfill a given function by someone else. Unlike other ways of matching people to tasks, these words imply an official situation in an office, club, or government — in which the choice is made by means other than an elective process. Appoint indicates that the selection is made by someone officially charged with this duty, although the actual selec
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tion itself may be arbitrary or judicious: Some city officials are elected to their posts, while others are appointed by the mayor or the political bosses. Of this set, name is the most informal and tells least about the chooser or the method of choice adopted: Since no one has volunteered, I hereby name the following to serve on the credentials committee. Sometimes the word, thus, stresses outcome rather than process: a judge named to the Supreme Court.
Designate is the most formal of all these terms, even to the point of stiffness. It can be useful, however, to distinguish from appoint a process of selection that is only quasi-official in nature: The candidate designated as his running mate the man who had been his main opponent in the primaries.
Assign differs from the other words here in that it most often refers, not to the picking of a person for a task, but to the delegation of a task to one or more members of a group. It has an overtone, not invariably present, of arbitrariness, possibly a survival of some early resentment on our part for the teacher who assigned us “too much” homework. It is occasionally used of people rather than of the task; in this case, the person being assigned usually joins others already designated in a common task: Jones is assigned to KP, Smith is assigned to guard duty, and Anderson is assigned to the laundry detail. See name.
Antonyms: discharge, fire, let go, suspend, withdraw.
These words are used for the formal assent given to a proposed undertaking or for the official honor given upon the successful completion of a task. Approval is the most general and least formal of these. In the official context, it usually means the giving of permission to undertake a task. [We can’t introduce our bill on the floor without first getting the committee’s approval'. Would you initial this requisition as a sign of your approval ?] It can also simply mean concurrence in opinion: Your suggestion met with the president’s highest approval.
Approbation, the most formal of these, refers to the giving of authoritative approval, especially in an ecclesiastical context. It carries overtones of warmth and congeniality in a more general context, but its use — even in many official situations — might be thought unnecessarily pretentious: His controversial report gained the hearty approbation of other experts in his field.
Commendation and sanction, more formal than approval, are both limited almost exclusively to an official context. Commendation is further restricted, within this context, to formal recognition for a task well done: a commendation for your brilliant sales record. The word can also refer to the written document of commendation'. He framed his commendation for bravery and hung it on the wall. Sanction can mean either before-the-act approval or after-the-act commendation. [I’m sure you can get the committee’s sanction to proceed with your project; Only after the crisis did he get the president’s sanction for the way he had acted.] Caution must be observed in the use of this word, however, for it can also mean, confusingly enough, official restrictive measures taken against a proposed act, a group of people, or a group’s behavior: The civil rights group said it would post sanctions against those businesses that still discriminated. See endorse.
Antonyms: censure, disapprobation, disapproval, dissatisfaction.
appoint
(continued)
designate
name
approval
approbation
commendation
sanction
These words all mean within some degree of exactness or closeness, as in distance, time, amount, etc. Approximately implies an accuracy
approximately
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