by Damon Suede
“The only writers who survive the ages are those who understand the need for action in a novel.”
Dean R. Koontz6
The following section makes up the bulk of Activate, cross-referencing thousands of transitive verbs suited to use as actions and tactics in your fiction. This alphabetical listing includes more than 5,300 unique verbs distributed over 3,200 entries. I’ve included a healthy smattering of colorful jargon and slang but eliminated most archaisms and obsolete usages.
Each entry offers synonyms for the primary verb but also some synonyms of synonyms that vary in connotation and application. Many of the options are direct synonyms (=) but some are only comparable (≈) in meaning. In mathematical terms, many synonyms = their entries, but some ≈ their entries, to offer more variety and help you build more interesting sets of tactics for your characters. My goal wasn’t to dissect their meanings, but to lay out an inspiring smorgasbord so you can follow your muse where she leads you.
In an attempt to curb redundancy in this alphabetical section, the less common synonyms only appear within listings for more common verbs.
Rather than trying to be exhaustive, I’ve tried to err on the side of dramatic potency and range. These are transitive verbs appropriate as actions or tactics, which can each take an object(ive). Please note that some of these verbs do have intransitive uses as well, so be careful to ask yourself who or what receives the force of the verb to keep your characters interacting with their world and doing stuff that matters.
Your characters don’t act in a bubble. Relationships are shown by the effect characters have on each other (i.e., no effect = no relationship). For this reason, the greater the opposition between actions and tactics, the more powerful and significant the interactions between those characters. Antonyms will give you the greatest number of options for dramatic tension and transformation between the members of your cast.
In addition to omitting dedicated intransitives, I’ve also skipped phrasal verbs that can leech specificity from your writing. For example, your characters may probe the evidence, but they cannot snoop the evidence. “Snoop” is a phrasal verb that requires a preposition. You cannot snoop something; you can only snoop through, in, or around something. For that reason, “probe” appears in the pages that follow and “snoop” does not.
Remember: keep things transitive, interacting with and acting upon something outside of the character. When choosing an action or tactic, make certain you are using its full transitive power by identifying the object receiving the energy of the verb: Subject + Verb + Object.
Keep looking at your story and characters grammatically (Verb + Target + Progress) and you’ll always know exactly what takes the energy of the verb.
• ACTION: Because the objective takes the entire story to achieve (or not), the character must continually adapt and re-strategize to get it. A character’s ultimate path to happiness would be rendered as: Action + Objective + Adjustment = Story.
• TACTIC: Because the character must grapple with the object in a scene (or not), the character must process developments and re-actions to improve their next strategy for the next object. In each dramatic beat, a character’s steps toward happiness would be rendered as: Tactic + Object + Response = Scene.
Although challenging, any action or tactic can work, but the more negative the action, the more ruthlessly specific the objective required to keep that action dramatic. If you have a character who avoids, they need to avoid one specific thing or person, not a concept, memory, or idea.
We want to see a character win a specific challenge, not avoid failure. Negatives derail and deaden character energy; a character cannot play a negative in a scene. Avoidance and deflection make your characters less specific and less intentional in their actions. For powerful scenes and characters, keep intentions positive so they stay significant, challenging, and relatable.
While I was compiling this thesaurus, a few negative transitive verbs cropped up repeatedly: avoid, ignore, neglect, prevent, etc. Their very ubiquity became comical because every time I couldn’t find clear antonyms for a verb, those negatives turned up like sticky, fuzzy pennies perfectly poised to foil tactics and negate actions. In a sense they are anti-verbs.
Be wary of defaulting to these inherently inert, negative behaviors. They will generate hurdles and headaches because that’s their function. Use them with conscious caution.
Yes, negatives serve a purpose, but when using them to verbalize a character, don’t let them dilute or impede the story. All of them (and their synonyms) can make for fascinating tactics under the right circumstances, but as overarching character actions they steer a character towards generality, inertia, and passivity. Positive actions always yield better dramatic results than negative actions.
Rather than focusing on the negatives that motivate your character, see positive goals you can place before them to keep them moving in clear, specific directions. For this reason, I’ve marked some of the most inherently negative actions in the text with a minus sign (-) to denote their negativity. (i.e., -avoid, -ignore, -neglect, -prevent, etc.)
For best results, accentuate positive intentions.
Additionally, “stative” verbs lean towards moods, abstraction, and internal states. Statives only work as actions and tactics so long as that character pursues objectives and objects that are adamantly specific, concrete, and challenging in ways that require no explanation. Some statives are transitive and when used with care can serve as actions and tactics. The issue is the inherent passivity of stative verbs. Characters can “contemplate,” “prefer,” or “suspect” their way through a book, but dramatizing those behaviors will require concrete objects and serious ingenuity. To use abstract actions effectively, you’ll want to balance their figurative, passive bent against some literal character conflict and pursuit.
To help you identify potential trouble and remind you that their abstraction may confuse readers, I’ve flagged these entries with a reversed question mark symbol and a warning: (¿) ABSTRACTION ALERT. Concrete goals essential!
All of this section’s entries are listed alphabetically and include formatting and symbols to help you navigate swiftly.
• Each primary verb is given in ALL CAPS.
• The list of synonyms appear in italicized lower case.
• Each entry will be tagged with its primary “direction as indicated by the relevant symbol in parentheses.
(→) PUSH verbs move away from the character.
(←) PULL verbs move toward the character.
(+) JOIN verbs connect something or someone external.
(/) SPLIT verbs divide something or someone external.
• At the end of each entry, you’ll find a selection of relevant antonyms in parentheses flagged with a “not equal” sign, e.g., (≠ antonym, antonym, antonym)
Additionally, when a verb has more than one general meaning, each interpretation will be split into a new entry with its own set of synonyms and antonyms and the relevant directional tag.
Transitive verbs run the gamut as far as connotations and usages; some have multiple meanings which vary in direction. For example, “scour” has two major transitive meanings:
• SCOUR (→) means to scrub, as in “The janitor scoured the floor.”…a push option that extends the energy from the character into the environment.
• SCOUR (←) means to search, as in “Alexis scoured the files.”…a pull option that indicates investigation via a metaphor of scrutiny drawing information toward the character.
Likewise, some verbs offer multiple meanings that all operate along the same axis, such as “help,” which has two join meanings, both interacting with an external entity:
• One HELP (+) means to assist, as in “Jerome helped rookies on the weekends.”
• One HELP (+) means to improve, as in “The surgeon helped her patient.”
Please don’t take these direction groupings as absolute; context and connotations play havoc with meanings. B
ut directions can prove useful when a scene needs a boost. For more information on these tactical modes, see Part III: Directions or the longer discussion in Chapter 12 of Verbalize.
Just to help you navigate swiftly, here is a sample entry explaining the different areas and designations:
I always tell my students: when identifying your character’s action and tactics, you’ll feel the pull of the right option, in the way a dowser feels the tug towards water underground. Feel free to splash around in the verbs; some of my best characters and dramatic situations have arisen from instinctive reactions to groovy language.
The right word will reveal itself to you with a magnetic attraction that will not, cannot, and should not be denied. Just listen with your heart and your voice, and you will feel it: the inescapable rightness for this particular character (with actions) or this moment (for tactics) will ring in you consonant as a bell. Those reverberations connect the character to their world and to the lives of real people in your readers’ lives.
You’re a writer: finding the right word is the whole gig.
Allow the sound, sense, and symbolism of the verbs to inspire your work, to kick your butt, to push you out of the comfort zones that slowly, surely, steadily strangle your voice. Follow your gut and let the muse drag you into unexpected terrain. Give yourself permission to have fun!
A
-ABANDON (/): abjure, chuck, deliver, depart, -desert, discard, -disown, -ditch, drop, dump, eject, -escape, evacuate, expel, -flee, fling, forfeit, -forsake, heave, isolate, jettison, jilt, junk, leave, maroon, offload, orphan, -quit, -reject, release, relinquish, -renounce, -repudiate, sacrifice, scrap, seclude, shed, shuck, -snub, strand, surrender, unload, vacate, withdraw, yield (≠ acquire, adopt, cherish, colonize, defend, embrace, gather, guard, harbor, hold, indemnify, invade, keep, maintain, obtain, occupy, own, patrol, populate, possess, protect, pursue, reclaim, redeem, remainder, rescue, reserve, retain, retrofit, revisit, save, scavenge, steal, take, withhold)
-ABANDON (/): -abort, abrogate, annul, call, -cancel, countermand, -discontinue, drop, end, -halt, interrupt, invalidate, -nullify, recall, recant, relinquish, repeal, -rescind, retract, reverse, revoke, scrap, scrub, stop, surrender, suspend, terminate, -void, withdraw (≠ begin, brainstorm, commence, continue, engage, initiate, keep, pledge, promise, start, undertake)
-ABANDON (/): abdicate, -abort, cease, cede, close, conclude, -discontinue, -ditch, drop, end, finish, forego, forswear, -halt, jettison, leave, pause, -quit, relinquish, -renounce, resign, sacrifice, scrap, surrender, terminate, waive, wrap, yield (≠ begin, commence, continue, gentrify, keep, maintain, preserve, renew, reopen, restart, resume, start, stay, support, sustain, uphold)
ABASE (/): bastardize, befoul, begrime, bestialize, blemish, canker, cheapen, contaminate, corrupt, damage, debase, debauch, deface, defile, demoralize, deprave, depreciate, destroy, deteriorate, dilute, dirty, disgrace, dishonor, downgrade, flaw, foul, harm, harshen, humble, humiliate, hurt, impair, lessen, mar, mutate, pervert, poison, pollute, profane, prostitute, ruin, shame, spoil, stain, suborn, subvert, sully, taint, tarnish, thin, vitiate, warp, weaken, wreck (≠ ameliorate, amend, better, clarify, clean, cleanse, correct, elevate, enhance, enrich, improve, optimize, perfect, purify, rarefy, rectify, refine, reform, respect, restore, upgrade, uplift)
ABASE (/): abash, affront, badmouth, belittle, blackguard, castigate, censure, chasten, cheapen, condemn, confound, confuse, criticize, damn, debase, decry, defame, defile, degrade, demean, demonize, denounce, depreciate, detract, diminish, discomfit, disconcert, -discount, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, disparage, downplay, embarrass, execrate, faze, fluster, foul, humble, humiliate, insult, libel, lower, malign, minimize, mortify, nonplus, pillory, rattle, ridicule, shame, sink, slander, smirch (≠ advance, aggrandize, applaud, boast, boost, canonize, celebrate, commend, compliment, congratulate, dignify, ennoble, enshrine, enthrone, exalt, extol, glorify, heroicize, heroize, highlight, honor, hype, idealize, magnify, praise, promote, recognize, romanticize, salute, sentimentalize, spotlight, tout, uplift)
ABDUCT (←): bind, bogart, bundle, capture, catch, disappear, enslave, entrap, grab, hijack, kidnap, lure, nab, pluck, ransom, remove, rustle, seize, shanghai, snatch, spirit, steal, take, trap, waylay (≠ aid, defend, deliver, guard, house, protect, ransom, recover, redeem, release, rescue, restore, return, save, secure, shelter, shield, stash)
ABET (→): activate, advance, brew, cultivate, detonate, encourage, energize, enliven, excite, ferment, fire, foment, forward, foster, further, galvanize, incite, inflame, inspire, instigate, invigorate, liven, motivate, nourish, nurture, pick, promote, provoke, quicken, raise, rouse, set, sow, stimulate, stir, trigger, vitalize (≠ allay, bridle, calm, check, confound, confuse, counteract, curb, deactivate, discourage, hold, inhibit, quiet, regulate, rein, repress, restrain, settle, soothe, stagnate, stifle, still, strangle, subdue, tame, tranquilize)
ABET (+): advance, advise, advocate, aid, assist, attend, back, benefit, bolster, boost, buttress, champion, comfort, condone, counsel, deliver, ease, embolden, encourage, endorse, energize, facilitate, favor, forward, foster, further, goad, guide, hearten, help, incite, inspire, instigate, kindle, launch, mentor, midwife, motivate, nurture, oblige, patronize, prod, profit, promote, prop, provoke, reinforce, rescue, sanction, save, second, serve, sponsor, spur, strengthen, succor, support, sustain, urge (≠ baffle, -balk, bar, block, constrain, counter, damage, delay, -desert, -deter, disappoint, discourage, disfavor, dishearten, dissuade, fail, foil, -frustrate, hamper, handicap, harm, hinder, hold, hurt, impede, incommode, inconvenience, inhibit, injure, monkey-wrench, muzzle, obstruct, oppose, -prevent, repress, restrain, retard, sabotage, scotch, scupper, shelve, short-circuit, stifle, straiten, strangle, stunt, stymie, subvert, -thwart)
ABOLISH (/): abnegate, abrogate, annihilate, annul, atomize, -blank, bulldoze, -cancel, decimate, deep-six, delete, demolish, -deny, desolate, destroy, devastate, disavow, disintegrate, dismantle, dismiss, dissolve, divorce, efface, eliminate, end, eradicate, erase, expunge, exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, flatten, invalidate, level, -negate, neutralize, -nullify, obliterate, overturn, pulverize, quash, raze, refute, -repudiate, retract, revoke, scotch, scrap, smash, snuff, stop, suppress, terminate, topple, undo, uproot, vaporize, -veto, vitiate, -void, wreck (≠ authorize, begin, brainstorm, bring, build, catalyze, commence, create, enact, establish, fashion, forge, form, found, generate, greenlight, hatch, inaugurate, induce, initiate, institute, introduce, launch, legislate, make, notarize, ordain, retain, shape, spawn, survive, weather)
-ABORT (/): -abandon, abrogate, annul, -cancel, check, conclude, countermand, -discontinue, drop, end, fail, finish, -frustrate, -halt, interrupt, invalidate, -negate, -nullify, recall, recant, relinquish, repeal, -rescind, retract, reverse, revoke, scrap, scratch, scrub, shorten, stop, surrender, suspend, terminate, -thwart, -void, withdraw (≠ begin, commence, continue, engage, establish, initiate, instigate, institute, keep, launch, originate, pioneer, pledge, promise, prompt, start, undertake)
ABRADE (/): bite, chafe, chew, coarsen, corrode, disintegrate, dissolve, eat, erase, erode, excoriate, file, fray, frazzle, fret, gall, gnaw, grate, graze, grind, hone, irritate, nibble, rasp, reduce, rub, sandblast, sandpaper, scour, scrape, scratch, scuff, sharpen, shave, wear, whet, wipe (≠ aid, alleviate, assist, assuage, butter, calm, comfort, content, ease, fix, grease, heal, lube, lubricate, mend, oil, placate, polish, rectify, shine, smooth, soften, soothe, wax)
ABRIDGE (/): abate, abbreviate, abstract, compress, concentrate, condense, constrict, contract, curtail, cut, decrease, de-escalate, deflate, digest, diminish, dock, downsize, elide, encapsulate, epitomize, focus, generalize, lessen, lower, miniaturize, minimize, moderate, modify, pare, prune, recapitulate, reduce, retrench, shorten, shrink, slash, subtract, summarize, syncopate, taper, trim, truncate (≠ add, aggrandize, amplify, augment, balloon, boost, dilate, distend, elongate, enlarge, escalate, expand, expound, extend, heighten, increase, inflate, lengthen, maximize, prolong, protract, ra
ise, stretch, supplement, swell)
ABROGATE (/): abnegate, abolish, -abort, annul, -avoid, axe, ban, call, -cancel, challenge, chop, contradict, countermand, cripple, -deny, disable, disallow, disavow, dismiss, disqualify, dissolve, drop, dump, eliminate, end, enjoin, eradicate, erase, -forbid, hinder, impair, incapacitate, invalidate, -negate, neutralize, null, -nullify, outlaw, override, overrule, overturn, -prohibit, quash, rebut, recall, refute, -reject, remove, repeal, -repudiate, -rescind, retract, reverse, revoke, scotch, scrap, stop, strike, suspend, undercut, undermine, vacate, -veto, vitiate, -void, withdraw (≠ allow, approve, authorize, command, confirm, decree, develop, enact, endorse, establish, formalize, foster, found, instigate, institute, introduce, legalize, legislate, legitimate, legitimize, mandate, order, pass, permit, prescribe, promulgate, ratify, reinstate, sanction, support, sustain, validate, warrant)
ABSOLVE (+): acquit, bless, cleanse, clear, condone, defend, defray, discharge, dismiss, exculpate, excuse, exempt, exonerate, expiate, forgive, free, hallow, justify, liberate, loose, -overlook, pardon, purge, purify, rationalize, redeem, redress, release, relieve, remit, revenge, sanctify, sanitize, spare, spring, tolerate, unburden, vindicate, wash, whitewash (≠ accuse, arraign, avenge, blame, castigate, charge, chasten, chastise, condemn, convict, defame, denounce, denunciate, doom, fault, finger, frame, implicate, imprison, incriminate, indict, penalize, punish, reprove, resent, revile, reward, satisfy, scapegoat, sentence)
ABSORB (←): accept, access, acquire, admit, amalgamate, blend, combine, commingle, consume, coopt, devour, digest, drink, eat, embody, engorge, engulf, envelop, fuse, get, gobble, gulp, guzzle, imbibe, incorporate, ingest, inhale, inspire, integrate, intermingle, merge, mingle, pocket, process, quaff, receive, sip, slurp, sniff, sponge, suck, swallow, swig, swill, take (≠ augment, blackball, build, conserve, disperse, dissipate, eject, emit, exhale, expel, exude, fortify, increase, peck, pick, preserve, protect, recoup, -refuse, reinforce, -reject, replace, restore, save, spew, splutter, -spurn, vent, vomit)