🗂 Notes from Underground
19 words
Of a noble, high-minded, or morally elevated character or standard.
≈ noble, exalted, high-minded, sublime
The more conscious I was of the good and of all this 'beautiful and lofty,' the deeper I kept sinking into my mire, and the more capable I was of getting completely stuck in it.
A thing that spoils, damages, or destroys; a harmful or destructive influence.
≈ affliction, curse, plague, scourge
As if it were my most normal condition and in no way a sickness or a blight, so that finally I lost any wish to struggle against this blight.
A difficult, unpleasant, or morally compromised situation that is hard to escape from.
≈ quagmire, morass, predicament
The more conscious I was of the good and of all this “beautiful and lofty,” the deeper I kept sinking into my mire, and the more capable I was of getting completely stuck in it.
Showing or caused by a desire to hurt, annoy, or offend someone.
≈ malicious, malevolent, vindictive
And now I am living out my life in my corner, taunting myself with the spiteful and utterly futile consolation that it is even impossible for an intelligent man seriously to become anything, and only fools become something.
To provoke, challenge, or torment someone with insulting or mocking remarks.
≈ mocking, tormenting, ridiculing, jeering
And now I am living out my life in my corner, taunting myself with the spiteful and utterly futile consolation that it is even impossible for an intelligent man seriously to become anything, and only fools become something.
A dishonest or unprincipled person; a villain or rascal.
≈ villain, rascal, rogue, knave
Not just wicked, no, I never even managed to become anything: neither wicked nor good, neither a scoundrel nor an honest man, neither a hero nor an insect.
To be present in great numbers and moving in a chaotic or overwhelming way, often used figuratively for thoughts or feelings.
≈ teeming, crawling, abounding, thronging
I felt them simply swarming in me, those opposite elements.
frightening sparrows in vain
phrase
Engaging in pointless or ineffective acts of aggression or rebellion to make oneself feel powerful, without any real consequence.
≈ tilting at windmills, posturing uselessly, making empty threats
The whole thing precisely was, the greatest nastiness precisely lay in my being shamefully conscious every moment, even in moments of the greatest bile, that I was not only not a wicked but was not even an embittered man, that I was simply frightening sparrows in vain, and pleasing myself with it.
Feeling angry, resentful, or hurt because of bad or unfair experiences.
≈ resentful, jaded, cynical, soured
The whole thing precisely was, the greatest nastiness precisely lay in my being shamefully conscious every moment, even in moments of the greatest bile, that I was not only not a wicked but was not even an embittered man, that I was simply frightening sparrows in vain, and pleasing myself with it.
sparrows in vain
phrase
Engaging in pointless, petty, or ineffectual actions that have no real consequence, often for one's own empty satisfaction.
≈ tilting at windmills, making empty gestures, engaging in futility
The whole thing precisely was, the greatest nastiness precisely lay in my being shamefully conscious every moment, even in moments of the greatest bile, that I was not only not a wicked but was not even an embittered man, that I was simply frightening sparrows in vain, and pleasing myself with it.
Anger, bitterness, or spite.
≈ rancor, spite, bitterness, acrimony
The whole thing precisely was, the greatest nastiness precisely lay in my being shamefully conscious every moment, even in moments of the greatest bile, that I was not only not a wicked but was not even an embittered man, that I was simply frightening sparrows in vain, and pleasing myself with it.
Making aggressive threats or a conspicuous display of power to intimidate others.
≈ making threats, posturing, saber-rattling
He simply refused to submit and kept rattling his sabre disgustingly.
A man who is excessively concerned with his appearance and clothes; a dandy.
≈ dandy, coxcomb, beau
But among the fops there was one officer I especially could not stand.
Impossible to stop, prevent, or persuade; relentless.
≈ relentless, unstoppable, unyielding, inescapable
I'd gnash my teeth at them, and felt an inexorable delight when I managed to upset someone.
To grind or strike one's teeth together, typically as an expression of anger, pain, or frustration.
≈ grind, grit, clench
I'd gnash my teeth at them, and felt an inexorable delight when I managed to upset someone.
To behave in a very confident and typically arrogant or aggressive way; to boast or show off.
≈ boast, brag, show off, strut
I wrote it thinking it would come out very witty; but now, seeing for myself that I simply had a vile wish to swagger—I purposely won't cross it out!
A witty or cleverly amusing remark.
≈ quip, bon mot, jest
(A bad witticism, but I won't cross it out.)
In a way that is clearly visible, attracts attention, or is very noticeable.
≈ noticeably, prominently, strikingly, obviously
I wished to bring before the face of the public, a bit more conspicuously than usual, one of the characters of a time recently passed.
To spoil something or do it badly; to make a mess of a situation. Often used in the phrasal verb 'to muck up'.
≈ mess up, ruin, spoil, botch
I know perfectly well that I will in no way “muck things up” for the doctors by not taking their treatment; I know better than anyone that by all this I am harming only myself and no one else.