- show
- show vb 1 Show, manifest, evidence, evince, demonstrate are comparable when they mean to reveal something outwardly by or as if by a sign or to serve to make something outwardly apparent or visible.Show implies enabling others to see, but in this case what is revealed can only be inferred (as from acts, words, or looks){
he never shows what he thinks
}{Tony . . . asked a question or two designed to show his intelligence— Archibald Marshall
}{in this decision he showed his capacity for extreme boldness— Buchan
}{slackness among civilians . . . showed plainly in public life— Wecter
}Manifest implies a fuller, plainer, and more indubitable revelation than show{in handwriting the Chinese believe that the inner personality of the writer is directly manifested— Binyon
}{it is said that ... a race manifests in all its history the same innate mental and emotional characteristics— Benedict
}{the devotion manifested for these cherished beasts sometimes produced uncomfortable results— Repplier
}Evidence is often used in place of show{evidenced his appreciation
}but it specifically implies that the outward act or utterance serves as proof of the existence or the actuality of something not fully proved or in question{argued that their hostility was evidenced by their acts
}{initiative is evidenced by willingness to accept responsibility— McCain
}{chaste, elegant, entirely in the contemporary mode, evidencing stylistic affiliations only with other contemporary buildings— Mumford
}Evince implies some outward marks or tokens (as of an interest, an emotion, or a power){he has evinced no interest in the project
}{Cashel, bitterly humiliated by his own tears, and exasperated by a certain cold triumph which his captor evinced on witnessing them— Shaw
}{the first paragraph evinces an ignorance of religious poetry, or an indifference to it— Tate
}{he had never evinced any special interest in countries beyond our immediate borders—5. H. Adams
}Demonstrate (see also PROVE 1) is used chiefly in reference to feelings; it ordinarily implies obvious or even deliberately dis-played external signs (as effusiveness, enthusiasm, emotional excitement, or significant actions){demonstrate his approval by loud applause
}{Paul was a person who demonstrated all his sentiments— Thackeray
}{demonstrated his own brand of intransigeance— Funk
}Contrasted words: *hide, conceal, secrete2 Show, exhibit, display, expose, parade, flaunt can all mean to present in such a way as to invite notice or attention.One shows something which he enables others to see or look at (as by putting it forward into view intentionally or inadvertently or by taking another where he may see it){showed his tongue to the doctor
}{show our new home to friends
}{show the city to an out-of- town guest
}{the picture purported to show the earth's convexity— Martin Gardner
}{I don't think he ever showed his full powers— Laski
}One exhibits something which he puts forward prominently or openly, either with the express intention or with the result of attracting others' attention or inspection{exhibit the museum's collection of Whistler engravings
}{exhibit articles made by children in school
}{in many fashionable gown shops, garments are not exhibited but are shown only to prospective purchasers
}{exhibit unreasonable fear
}{if any crave redress of injustice, they should exhibit their petitions in the street— Shak.
}{he exhibited with peculiar pride two cream-colored mules— Cather
}{a group of rectangular buildings, exhibiting the stark functionalism of a toy village— Marquand
}One displays something when he spreads it out before the view of others or puts it in a position where it can be seen to advantage or with great clearness{the exhibition was criticized because many paintings were not properly displayed
}{the male makes a play for the female ... by strutting before her, displaying his accomplishments, his prowess, his charms— Edmund Wilson
}One exposes something when he brings it out of hiding or concealment or from under cover and shows, exhibits, or displays it consciously or unconsciously. The term sometimes means little more than to exhibit or display{he . . . looked me over as if I had been exposed for sale— Conrad
}{the tide was low and the mud- banks were exposed and reeking— Cheever
}Often it means to reveal publicly something and especially something disagreeable that has been or should be concealed{afraid to expose his ignorance by asking questions
}{it was my duty to leave no stone unturned to discover and expose the awful truth— Rose Macaulay
}Frequently it carries the additional implication of unmasking{it was ... his friends . . . that he attacks in this terrible story of the passing stranger who took such a vitriolic joy in exposing their pretensions and their hypocrisy— Brooks
}One parades something by displaying it ostentatiously or arrogantly{smugly parading his honesty
}{I can't believe that God wants the strong to parade their strength— Hellman
}{he is a writer who does not raise his voice. He avoids emphasis. His finest phrases . . . are tucked away, not paraded—J. M. Brown
}Sometimes the term implies not merely ostentation or arrogance but an intent to deceive or mislead{parades her love for her husband only because she actually did not love him— Parshley
}{speaking with open contempt of mature persons who paraded their deference to the wishes of a father— Krutch
}One flaunts something when one parades it shamelessly, often boastfully, and offensively{they flaunt their conjugal felicity in one's face— Wilde
}{ye vaunted your fathomless power, and ye flaunted your iron pride— Kipling
}{over this was an unbelievable flaunting of opulence— Hervey
}Antonyms: disguiseshow n *exhibition, exhibit, exposition, fair
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
