Antonyms for cant
| Grammar : Noun, verb |
| Spell : kant |
| Phonetic Transcription : kænt |
Definition of cant
Origin :- "insincere talk," 1709, earlier it was slang for "whining of beggars" (1640s), from the verb in this sense (1560s), from Old North French canter (Old French chanter) "to sing, chant," from Latin cantare, frequentative of canere "to sing" (see chant (v.)). Sense in English developed after 1680 to mean the jargon of criminals and vagabonds, thence applied contemptuously by any sect or school to the phraseology of its rival.
- ... Slang is universal, whilst Cant is restricted in usage to certain classes of the community: thieves, vagrom men, and -- well, their associates. ... Slang boasts a quasi-respectability denied to Cant, though Cant is frequently more enduring, its use continuing without variation of meaning for many generations. [John S. Farmer, Forewords to "Musa Pedestris," 1896]
- noun hypocritical statement
- noun jargon
- verb lean, slant
- And as to your cant of living single, nobody will believe you.
- Extract from : « Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9) » by Samuel Richardson
- In the cant of modern metaphysics, the moment was psychological.
- Extract from : « The Black Bag » by Louis Joseph Vance
- He must be told in the end, for we cant leave him here alone.
- Extract from : « The Field of Ice » by Jules Verne
- But we cant leave him to his fate, in this fashion, said Altamont.
- Extract from : « The Field of Ice » by Jules Verne
- Sheep was a cant word of the time for a spy, under the gaolers.
- Extract from : « A Tale of Two Cities » by Charles Dickens
- Nor did he suffer Whitefield's cant phrases to pass unchallenged.
- Extract from : « Benjamin Franklin » by Paul Elmer More
- He stroked his hand over the totem mark on the cant dog handle.
- Extract from : « Joan of Arc of the North Woods » by Holman Day
- Flagg halted, swung around, and rammed his cant dog into the ground.
- Extract from : « Joan of Arc of the North Woods » by Holman Day
- There was no other cant dog like it all up and down the Noda waters.
- Extract from : « Joan of Arc of the North Woods » by Holman Day
- Cant is properly a double-distilled lie; the second power of a lie.
- Extract from : « The Verbalist » by Thomas Embly Osmun, (AKA Alfred Ayres)
Synonyms for cant
- affected piety
- angle
- argot
- bevel
- careen
- deceit
- dialect
- diction
- dishonesty
- grade
- heel
- humbug
- hypocrisy
- hypocriticalness
- idiom
- incline
- insincerity
- language
- lingo
- lip service
- list
- patois
- patter
- pecksniffery
- pharisaicalness
- phraseology
- pious platitudes
- pomposity
- pretense
- pretentiousness
- recline
- rise
- sanctimoniousness
- sanctimony
- sham holiness
- show
- slang
- slope
- tilt
- tip
- vernacular
- vocabulary
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019