answer

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

I

v. serve, suit, avail, do; atone (for). See sufficiency, atonement, answer.

II

Response

Nouns

1. answer, response, reply, rescript; acknowledgment; rebuttal, riposte, rejoinder, return, retort; refutation, confutation; repartee; antiphon; password (See indication); echo, feedback, reverberation (See sound); RSVP; answering machine or service. Informal, comeback, rise. See music.

2. (solution to problem) discovery, disclosure, solution, explanation, finding, reason; clue (See indication). See interpretation.

3. answerer, respondent, replier.

Verbs

1. answer, respond, reply; rebut, retort, rejoin; refute, confute; give answer; acknowledge, echo; confute (See confutation); answer or talk back (See insolence); RSVP.

2. (solve a problem) satisfy, resolve, set at rest; find out, determine, solve, explain; figure or dope out, work out.

Adjectives — answering, responsive, conclusive; refutative, confutative; antiphonal, echoing.

Adverbs — in reply, in response, in rebuttal.

Phrases — ask a silly question and you get a silly answer; if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem; a civil question deserves a civil answer; fools ask questions that wise men cannot answer.

Quotations — One hears only those questions for which one is able to find answers (Friedrich Nietzsche), The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind (Bob Dylan), A soft answer turneth away wrath (Bible), What we're saying today is that you're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem (Eldridge Cleaver).

Antonyms, See inquiry.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [A reply]

Syn. response, reply, return, statement, antiphon, retort, riposte, echo, reverberation, reaction, retaliation, repartee, password, rebuttal, approval, replication, acknowledgment, sign, rejoinder, comeback, back talk*.

Ant. question*, query, request.

2. [A solution]

Syn. discovery, find, solution, result, disclosure, revelation, explanation, interpretation, clue, resolution, elucidation, key, the why and the wherefore*, the idea*, the dope*.

3. [A defense]

Syn. plea, counterclaim, rebuttal; see defense 3 .

v.

1. [To reply]

Syn. reply, respond, rejoin, retort, acknowledge, give answer, field questions, say, echo, return, remark, make reply, return for answer, talk back*, answer back*, come back with*, flash back*, shoot back*.

Ant. ask, question*, inquire.

2. [To be sufficient]

Syn. fill, satisfy, fulfill; see satisfy 3 .

3. [To move in response]

Syn. return, refute, retaliate, react, deny, dispute, rebut, parry, argue, plead, defend, contest, rejoin, claim, quash, counterclaim, crush, strike back, backfire*, squelch*, smash*, squash*.

Ant. admit, agree, take.

4. [To provide a solution]

Syn. solve, elucidate, clarify; see explain , solve .

Syn.- answer implies saying, writing, or acting in return, as required by the situation or by courtesy [ to answer a letter, to answer the phone ] ; respond implies an appropriate reaction, either in words or action, made voluntarily or spontaneously to that which serves as a stimulus [ to respond to an appeal ] ; reply in its strictest application refers to an answer that directly or in detail satisfies a question, charge, etc.; retort suggests a reply, esp. one that is sharp or witty, provoked by a charge or criticism; rejoin implies an answer, originally to a reply, now often to an objection

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. reply acknowledgement, response, counter, rejoinder, *comeback, retort, reaction, feedback.

2. solution explanation, resolution.

II

v.

1. reply acknowledge, respond, counter, rejoin, *come back, retort, react, give feedback.

2. solve explain, resolve.

3. be accountable own up to, be held responsible, pay for, atone for, rectify.

4. serve measure up, suffice, qualify, satisfy, pass muster.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun 1. Something spoken or written in return, as to a question or demand: rejoinder, reply, response. See ASK. 2. Something worked out to explain, resolve, or provide a method for dealing with and settling a problem: determination, solution. Mathematics: result. See ASK. II verb 1. To speak or act in response, as to a question: rejoin, reply, respond, retort, return, riposte. See ASK. 2. To meet a need or requirement: do, serve, suffice, suit. See EXCESS, HELP. 3. To supply fully or completely: fill, fulfill, meet1, satisfy. See DO.