Taken literally, the adjective laughable means exactly what you might expect: causing laughter. But the term is not usually used appreciatively to describe funny movies or clever jokes; instead, laughable is usually used of things that provoke laughter for their preposterousness or improbability. The synonym ludicrous is more pointed still. Something that is ludicrous causes laughter because of its absurdity, or worse, it provokes or deserves derision. Related to the adjective ludic, “playful in an aimless way,” ludicrous entered English emphasizing triviality and playfulness. But nowadays the term is reserved for the illogical and outrageous.

The adjective stylish is about as variable and broad as standards of fashion themselves. So long as one is conforming to the latest fashions (which change all the time), he or she may be described as stylish. Dapper is more fixed. A person who is dapper or dressed in a dapper manner looks very neatly put together. This adjective suggests a tidy sophistication, and is typically used of men or men’s fashions. Stylish though it may be, a deliberately unkempt or casual look is not likely to be described as dapper. 

Just about everyone can sing, especially if we limit the meaning to simply vocalizing words or sounds at least somewhat melodically, but few can truly croon. To croon is to sing in an evenly modulated, slightly exaggerated manner, usually in a low, silky smooth voice. This sense of the verb, which is widely associated with such crooners as Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra, gained popularity in the 1930s with the advent of more sensitive microphones that picked up greater texture in one’s voice and allowed for a more relaxed and intimate-sounding delivery.

An analogy is a similarity between like features of two things, on which comparison may be based. For instance, you might see an analogy, or similarity, between the heart and a pump. The word analogy also refers to a comparison based on such similarities—a favored tool of writers and poets since time immemorial. Consider the following passage from the novel The Conspirators by Alexandre Dumas: “her beauty, her grace, her elegance, even her talents were but an accident—an error of nature—something like a rose flowering on a cabbage stock.” The part about being a rose on a cabbage stock is in itself an analogy insofar as it is a comparison. But that sense of analogy is not quite synonymous with similarity (bear with us!). The similarity in this passage is that of being accidental or out of place, referring to the woman and the rose.

The adjective healthy gets a lot of use this time of year as so many of us resolve to eat healthy foods and embrace a healthy lifestyle in the new year. Robust is a synonym for healthy, but it is not used to describe food or behaviors that are conducive to good health. Robust emphasizes strength and vigor and is used to describe people that are in particularly fine fettle. It’s also used to describe markets or economies that are thriving or are especially resilient, and discussions or debates that are especially productive or spirited and engaging. You may even hear of a robust password or a robust method, each being strong and effective in all of most situations.

The adjective opposite is used to describe things that are opposed or are radically different from each other. Antithetical describes things that are diametrically opposed. The latter is a more pointed and precise adjective, and it is commonly used to highlight essential incompatibilities between ideas, behaviors, or values. For instance, if words or deeds are or are perceived as antithetical to democratic principles, then they go (or are perceived to go) against those principles starkly and irreconcilably.

To surpass someone or something is to go beyond it in amount, extent, or degree. A new product can surpass expectations if it does more than previously thought. Surpass can also mean to excel or to be superior to, as in, a student who surpasses his classmates in vocabulary knowledge or in sports trivia. If surpassing others in some way makes them look less outstanding or important by comparison, then the verb eclipse covers it. You may know the verb eclipse more for its use in astronomy to denote the blocking out of the light of the moon or sun, but its figurative meaning is relevant closer to home. For example, a basketball player can eclipse her rivals in free throw accuracy, meaning she has overshadowed them with her superior abilities.