Synonym of the day

Synonym of the day

daunt

daunt is a synonym of frighten

verb [ dawnt, dahnt ]

daunt is another word for frighten

Frighten suggests causing a significant degree of fear in a person, often directly and immediately: A noise frightened us. When the fear overcomes a person or intimidates them so that they back down, then daunt is a good choice. Daunt comes from a Latin verb meaning “to tame or subdue.” It’s often a prospect, challenge, or task that daunts a person—that is, something that lies before them, rather than something immediately frightening. If not the task itself, the scale, scope, or magnitude of it may daunt the doer.

Commonly found as

daunt + prospect
The prospect of facing a notoriously fierce army daunted even the bravest of our soldiers.
daunt + size
David was not daunted by the size of his admittedly giant opponent because he intended to outsmart the witless brute.

See all synonyms for frighten

Word of the Day
Double up on your daily dose of learning with a new word from our sister site.
See Today's Word
Synonym of the Day Calendar

Synonym of the day

periphery

periphery is a synonym of edge

noun [ puh-rif-uh-ree ]

periphery is another word for edge

Both words refer to a boundary where a surface or area ends. An edge is any line that bounds an area—the eastern edge of the city; trim the edges of the paper, and it usually functions like a line, without width, that divides one area from another. A periphery, which is a boundary all the way around a surface or area, is less exactly located than an edge and more like a space on either side: Set up the tables around the periphery of the room; countries along the western periphery of China. Periphery is frequently used of tracts or lots of land: the airport’s periphery; urban periphery. 

Commonly found as

country + periphery
Countries on the periphery of Europe, like Greece and Italy, have the most debt.
around the periphery
Farmland around the periphery of the city is affected by the spread of urbanization.

See all synonyms for edge

Synonym of the Day Calendar

Synonym of the day

latent

latent is a synonym of hidden

adjective [ leyt-nt ]

latent is another word for hidden

Hidden is the past participle of hide, as in, I’ve hidden the presents, but also an adjective often used with abstract nouns to suggest something present but not apparent or not perceivable: hidden talent; hidden meaning. Latent, which derives from a Latin verb meaning “to lie hidden,” can be a strong synonym for hidden. Latent refers to a power, ability, or emotion that is present as a potential, but is not yet apparent, fully developed, or openly expressed. A talent can lie or remain latent, hidden even from the possessor of it, if there has been no opportunity to develop or use it. A perceptive therapist might observe that a client’s frequent use of sarcasm reveals latent anger.

Commonly found as

latent talent
He discovered his latent talent for storytelling in prison, which helped him endure the time and boredom.
remain latent
Without agents trained to glean intelligence from this massive trove of information, the power it could give us over our adversaries will remain latent in the data.

See all synonyms for hidden

Synonym of the Day Calendar

Start every day with the Synonym of the Day right in your inbox

Synonym of the Day Calendar