Vanquish
What it means
To overcome a serious obstacle or difficulty completely.
Reach for it when portraying a decisive victory over a formidable opponent or difficulty
Careful treatment helped her finally vanquish the persistent infection.
Words to choose between 7
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
|
-
everyday
defeat
Fits when winning against an opponent is the plain fact
Careful Defeat does not promise final or complete victory.
-
warm
Fits when a person moves beyond hardship or fear
Careful Overcome suits obstacles better than military opponents.
-
warm
prevail over
Fits when eventual success follows sustained struggle
Careful Prevailing need not eliminate the difficulty.
-
professional
Fits when skill brings a demanding task under control
Careful Mastery is learned command, not a contest victory.
-
formal
rout
Fits when an opposing force is defeated overwhelmingly
Careful Rout applies poorly to an illness or private fear.
-
formal
subdue
Fits when resistance is brought under control
Careful Subdue suggests force and continued submission.
-
literary
Fits when dramatic mastery over territory or challenge is intended
Careful Conquer can evoke domination and colonial violence.
Opposites 3
- lose to
- succumb to
- surrender
Common phrases 3
-
vanquish an opponent
The challenger trained patiently to vanquish an opponent who had never lost.
-
vanquish fear
Small rehearsals helped her vanquish fear before the live broadcast.
-
finally vanquish
The clinic hopes to finally vanquish the preventable infection.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated