Conceptual Relatives
Each of the qualities given in list 3 has a number of more specific conceptual relatives that behave the same way the quality does in aesthetic material, presumably because we use primitive sensory opposites as categories into which other, more recently derived phenomena are sorted.
Solidness is essentially the same as hardness, and it’s related in the mind to earth, land, rock, stone, metal, wood, teeth and bone. Fluidity relates to flow, flowers, water, rivers, streams, oceans, smoke, air, clouds, spirals, spirits, souls, ghosts, tears, saliva, breath and blood. Heat relates to the sun, spring, summer and fire, dynamism to wakefulness and life, stasis to sleep, calmness and death, brightness to mornings and day, darkness to twilight and night, high pitch to screaming and singing, low pitch to drums and thunder, spikiness to sharpness, horns, claws, fangs and crosses, roundness to eyes, heads, babies and the moon, length to fingers, tails and snakes, upwardness to being high, over or above, the tops of things, ascent, lifting, climbing and heaven, downwardness to lowness, being on the bottom or below, descent, sinking, falling, dropping and hell.
Simple geometric shapes, symmetry, straightness, regularity, form, patterns, rules, laws, rightness and roundness (spheres, circles, points, spots, dots) are related to the idea of order in the mind, while chaos, crookedness, brokenness, cracks, craziness, asymmetry, disarray, irregularity, the unexpected, strangeness, missing, being wrong, spikiness and length are conventionally disorderly.
We think of something far away or leaving us as outward and something close or coming toward us as inward. The central section of a scene or object is related to inwardness in the mind, while peripheral parts are thought of as outward. We assign inwardness to containers and anything with an inward dimension, such as houses, caves, bags, hats and ships. Behaviors in which something from the outside world enters the body, like breathing in or eating, are also inward, while the expulsion of something from the body is understood as outward. Inwardness applies to our hearts, minds and brains, and entrances to the body, and outwardness to bodily extensions or protrusions such as hands, fingers, feet, noses, hair, wings and tails.
Some of the conceptual relatives corresponding to list 1, 2 and 3 qualities are given for reference below. Because they behave aesthetically in the same way as the primitive qualities they relate to, fire and ice can be juxtaposed amusingly just as heat and cold can. The idea of being clean, a relative or order, is amusingly juxtaposed to being broken, a relative of disorder, in an expression such as “clean break.” The idea of “all” is a conceptual relative of larger numbers of things (many), and it behaves similarly as an aesthetic opposite to the idea of singularity (few), a relative of small numbers, in expressions like “once and for all,” “come one come all” and “all for one and for all.” More exciting qualites are marked with asterisks.
Conceptual Relative Lists
Heat* (34): blaze, blistering, boil, boiling, burn, burning, burnt, char, ember, fever, fiery, fire, flame, furnace, fuse, heat, hot, ignite, inferno, molten, scorch, scorching, simmer, simmering, sizzle, smolder, spark, stew, stewing, summer, sun, swelter, torch, warm.
Coldness (34): arctic, biting, bitter, blizzard, chill, chilled, chilling, chilly, cold, coldness, cool, cooling, crisp, freeze, freezing, frigid, frost, frostbite, frosty, frozen, gelid, glacial, glacier, hail, ice, iceberg, icy, numb, shiver, sleet, snow, snowy, thaw, winter, wintry.
Dynamism* (130): accelerate, action, active, activity, agile, agitate, alter, alteration, altered, animate, animated, awake, awakening, blur, bolt, bounce, bound, burst, bustle, buzz, careen, cascade, change, changing, charge, chase, churn, commotion, current, dance, dart, dash, dynamic, dynamism, electric, energetic, energy, erupt, fast, flail, flap, flicker, flit, flow, fluctuate, flurry, flutter, flux, fly, frantic, frenetic, frenzy, gallop, galvanize, go, gush, haste, hasty, hectic, hop, hurry, hurtle, jerk, jolt, jump, kinetic, launch, leap, life, live, lively, living, momentum, motion, move, nimble, oscillate, play, pulse, quake, quaking, quick, quicken, quiver, race, racing, ran, rapid, restless, rocking, rouse, run, rush, scamper, scramble, scurry, shake, shaky, shift, shock, shudder, skip, speed, speedy, spin, spring, sprint, spun, spurt, stir, streak, stream, surge, sway, swift, swing, swirl, throb, torrent, tremble, tumult, turmoil, twirl, twitch, velocity, vibrate, wake, waking, whirl, whirlwind, whiz, wriggle, zip, zoom.
Stasis (143): anchor, anchored, arrest, asleep, becalmed, buried, bury, calm, chain, check, clamp, coagulate, coma, comatose, constant, corpse, crawl, creep, curb, dawdle, dead, deaden, deadly, death, deathly, die, doldrums, dormant, doze, drowsy, dying, entrenched, equilibrium, fixed, fossil, fossilized, frozen, grave, halt, harden, hibernate, hibernation, hold, hush, idle, immobile, immobility, immovable, immutable, inanimate, indolent, inert, inertia, lag, languid, languor, lazy, lethargic, lifeless, linger, listless, lock, locked, loiter, lull, marble, moor, mortal, motionless, mute, pacify, paralysis, paralyze, pause, peace, peaceful, perish, permanent, perpetual, persist, petrified, pin, pinned, placid, plod, poise, quiescent, quiet, remain, repose, rest, restful, restrain, restrained, rigid, rooted, sedate, sedentary, serene, settle, settled, silence, sleep, sleeping, slack, slow, slumber, sluggish, snooze, solid, somnolent, soporific, stable, stagnant, stagnation, stale, stand, standing, standstill, stasis, static, stationary, statue, stay, steady, stiff, stiffen, still, stillness, stone, stony, stop, stuck, tether, torpid, torpor, tranquil, transfix, trap, unchanging, unconscious, unmoved, unmoving.
Fluidity* (148): air, amorphous, aqueous, bathe, billow, blood, blow, blowing, breath, breathe, breeze, brine, cascade, condense, current, damp, deluge, dew, dissolve, douse, downpour, drain, drench, drift, drip, drizzle, drool, drop, ebb, eddy, ethereal, evaporate, exhale, float, flood, flow, flowing, fluid, fluidity, flush, foam, fog, formless, froth, gale, gas, ghost, glide, gossamer, gush, gust, haze, humid, humidity, immerse, inhale, juice, kiss, kissing, lake, leak, liquefy, liquid, lubricate, melt, melted, melting, milk, mist, moist, moisture, nebulous, ocean, oil, oily, ooze, permeable, permeate, plume, porous, pour, puddle, puff, rain, ripple, runny, saliva, saturate, sea, seep, shower, sigh, sinuous, slick, slide, slime, slip, slippery, slither, smoke, soak, sodden, soggy, soul, spill, spiral, spirit, spit, splash, spout, spray, sprinkle, spurt, steam, stream, submerge, supple, surge, swamp, sweat, swell, swim, tears, thaw, tide, torrent, trickle, undulate, vapor, venom, waft, wash, water, watery, wave, wet, whirlpool, wind, wispy.
Solidness (145): adamant, alloy, anvil, armor, armored, bark, barrier, bastion, bedrock, block, board, bone, boulder, brass, brick, brittle, bronze, buttress, calcify, calcified, carapace, cement, compact, compress, concrete, copper, cornerstone, crystal, crystallize, dense, density, diamond, durable, earth, firm, firmness, fist, flint, fortify, fortress, foundation, frame, frozen, girder, glass, granite, granular, gravel, grit, gritty, ground, hard, harden, hardness, hardy, heavy, hoof, horn, impenetrable, impermeable, inflexible, iron, ironclad, ivory, jaw, keystone, knuckle, land, lead, marble, matter, metal, mettle, mortar, mountain, muscle, nail, oak, obdurate, obsidian, obstinate, ossify, pebble, petrified, petrify, pillar, plank, plate, quartz, rampart, rib, ridge, rigid, robust, rock, root, rugged, scale, shell, shield, skeleton, skull, slab, soil, solid, solidify, solidity, spine, stalwart, staunch, steel, steely, stiff, stolid, stone, stout, strength, strong, stubborn, sturdy, substance, teeth, thick, timber, tooth, tough, toughen, tree, tusk, unbending, unyielding, wall, weight, weighty, wood.
Disorder* (141): anarchy, askew, asymmetric, awry, bedlam, bizarre, blemish, blur, break, broken, cacophony, chaos, chaotic, clash, clutter, confusion, contaminate, corrosion, corrupt, corruption, crack, cracked, cracking, crazy, craziness, crooked, crumble, crumbling, crush, debris, decay, decompose, defect, deform, deformed, demolish, deranged, destroy, destruction, disarray, discord, discordant, disjointed, disorder, disordered, disorderly, disorganized, disrupt, dissonance, dissonant, distort, distorted, entropy, erode, erosion, erratic, error, fault, faulty, flaw, flawed, fracture, fragment, fragmented, fray, frayed, garbled, glitch, gnarled, grotesque, haphazard, havoc, impure, incorrect, irregular, jagged, jarring, jumble, jumbled, lopsided, lunacy, madness, mayhem, mess, messy, mishmash, miss, misshap, mistake, muddle, noise, pandemonium, pollute, ragged, random, randomness, riot, rip, rot, rotten, rough, rubble, ruin, rupture, rust, rusty, scatter, scattered, shatter, shattered, shred, skew, slant, smash, smear, smudge, spatter, splatter, splinter, split, stain, strange, strewn, taint, tangle, tangled, tattered, tear, tilted, torn, twist, twisted, unbalanced, uneven, unhinged, upheaval, uproar, warp, weird, wreck, wreckage, wrong.
Order (120): accord, accuracy, accurate, align, aligned, alignment, arrange, arranged, array, axis, balance, balanced, cadence, calibrate, calibrated, clarity, clean, clear, code, coherence, coherent, concentric, concord, congruent, consistency, consistent, consonance, consonant, correct, discipline, disciplined, equal, even, exact, figure, flat, flawless, form, formula, frame, framework, geometric, grid, harmonic, harmonious, harmony, immaculate, intact, lattice, law, level, line, logic, logical, matrix, measure, measured, method, methodical, neat, norm, normal, order, ordered, orderly, organization, organize, organized, parallel, pattern, patterned, perfect, periodic, perpendicular, polished, precise, precision, principle, pristine, proportion, proportional, pure, purity, ratio, rational, refined, regular, regulate, regulation, repetition, rhythm, right, rule, seamless, sequence, series, settle, settled, shape, smooth, sort, sorted, spotless, square, stable, standard, steady, straight, straighten, structure, structured, symmetric, symmetrical, symmetry, system, systematic, tempo, tidy, true, uniform.
Brightness/Warm Colors* (95): aura, beacon, beam, blaze, blazing, blinding, bright, brighter, brightness, brilliance, brilliant, burnished, candle, color, coruscate, dawn, daybreak, daylight, dazzle, dazzling, effulgent, fire, fireworks, flame, flare, flash, flashes, flashing, garish, glare, glaring, glaze, gleam, gleaming, glimmer, glint, glisten, glister, glitter, glittering, gloss, glow, glowing, gold, halo, illuminate, illumination, incandescent, iridescent, lamp, lantern, light, lighthouse, limelight, lit, lucent, lucid, luminosity, luminous, luster, moonlight, neon, noon, opalescent, pearly, polished, radiance, radiant, ray, reflected, resplendent, scintillate, sheen, shimmer, shimmering, shine, shining, shiny, silver, sparkle, sparkling, splendor, spotlight, star, sun, sunbeam, sunlight, sunny, sunrise, sunshine, torch, twinkle, twinkling, vivid, white.
Darkness/Cool Colors (91): aqua, azure, black, blackened, blackness, bleak, blind, blot, blue, cave, cavern, cerulean, cloak, cobalt, crepuscular, curtain, cyan, dark, darken, darkened, darkening, darkness, dim, dingy, drab, dull, dungeon, dusk, dusky, ebony, eclipse, evening, glaucous, gloaming, gloom, gloomy, gray, green, indigo, inky, jade, jet, lavender, leaden, lightless, mask, matte, midnight, moonless, murky, navy, night, nightfall, obscure, opaque, overcast, penumbra, periwinkle, pitch, purple, sable, sapphire, shade, shaded, shadow, shadowy, shady, shroud, silhouette, slate, smog, somber, starless, stygian, subterranean, sundown, sunless, sunset, swarthy, teal, tenebrous, tomb, turquoise, twilight, ultramarine, umbra, unlit, veil, veiled, verdant, violet.
Loudness/High Pitch* (46): alarm, bang, blare, blast, boom, chirp, clang, clatter, crash, cry, deafening, din, high, high-pitched, howl, loud, loudness, noise, piercing, pitched, resonant, reverberate, ring, roar, rumble, scream, screech, sharp, shout, shriek, shrill, singing, siren, squeal, thunder, treble, twitter, uproar, wail, warble, whine, whistle, yell, yelling.
Quietness/Low Pitch (42): bass, croak, deep, drone, drum, drums, drumming, dull, faint, foghorn, gravelly, groan, growl, grunt, guttural, hoot, hum, hush, low, low-pitched, lull, mellow, moan, muffled, mumble, murmur, mute, muted, purr, quiet, quietness, resonance, rumble, silence, silent, soft, softness, sonorous, subdued, throaty, thunder, whisper.
Upwardness* (53): above, acme, altitude, apex, apogee, arise, ascend, ascendant, buoyant, ceiling, celestial, climb, crest, crown, elated, elation, elevate, elevation, elevated, empyrean, exalted, float, fly, heaven, height, heights, high, higher, hoist, lift, lofty, mount, over, overhead, peak, pinnacle, rapture, rise, rooftop, sky, soar, summit, superior, top, tower, uplift, uplifted, up, upright, upward, upwardness, zenith.
Downwardness (50): abyss, base, beneath, below, bottom, bow, bowed, chasm, collapse, crouch, deep, depth, depths, descend, descent, dip, dive, down, droop, drop, fall, floor, gravity, gulf, hades, hang, heavy, hell, humble, inferior, kneel, low, lower, nadir, netherworld, pit, plummet, plunge, prostrate, sag, sink, slide, slump, stoop, submerge, tartarus, topple, tumble, underneath, underworld.
Outwardness* (69): away, beyond, bloom, blossom, branch, broadcast, burst, cast, dilate, disclose, dispense, disperse, display, disseminate, distend, distribute, effusive, eject, emanate, emit, exhibit, expand, expansive, expel, expose, exposed, express, extend, exterior, external, extrude, exude, exuberant, far, flourish, gape, give, giving, grow, jut, leave, manifest, mushroom, open, opening, out, outer, outside, outward, outwardness, project, projection, protrude, radiate, reach, reveal, shed, show, splay, sprawl, spread, sprout, stretch, swell, tendril, throw, unfold, unfurl, unveil, wing.
Inwardness (53): absorb, brain, burrow, cave, collect, come, conceal, confined, contain, contained, contract, core, cover, curl, deep, depth, door, draw, embrace, enclose, enter, entrance, envelop, fold, gather, get, heart, hidden, hide, hole, hollow, in, ingest, inside, interior, inward, mind, mouth, near, nest, nucleus, pit, pull, receive, root, secret, shrink, sink, swallow, trap, trapped, withdraw, womb.
Long/Spiky* (60): antler, arrow, band, barb, beak, blade, bristle, claw, cord, dagger, elongated, fang, feather, finger, hair, jab, jagged, knife, lance, line, long, needle, pierce, pike, pin, point, pointed, pointy, prick, prickly, prong, quill, ray, ribbon, rod, saber, serrated, sharp, spear, spike, spikiness, spiky, spur, staff, stalk, stem, stick, sting, string, sword, tail, talon, thorn, thorny, thread, tine, tip, tusk, whisker, wire.
Short/Round (57): arc, arch, around, ball, bead, blob, brevity, brief, bubble, bud, bulbous, bulge, cheek, chubby, circle, circular, coil, coin, compact, convex, curve, curved, curvy, curt, disc, dome, dot, dots, drop, dwarf, egg, encircle, eye, globe, head, hemisphere, orb, oval, pearl, pebble, plump, pupil, ring, round, rounded, roundness, seed, short, snub, socket, sphere, spherical, squat, stubby, terse, tiny, truncated.
Large Size* (56): ample, awesome, behemoth, big, breadth, broad, bulky, colossal, colossus, considerable, elephant, enormous, expand, expanse, expansive, gargantuan, giant, gigantic, grand, grandeur, greatness, grow, growing, hefty, huge, hulking, immense, immensity, infinite, large, largeness, leviathan, loom, magnificent, magnitude, mammoth, massive, mighty, monolith, monumental, prodigious, scale, size, sizable, spacious, staggering, stupendous, substantial, super, titan, titanic, tremendous, vast, vastness, voluminous, whale.
Small Size (44): atom, baby, compact, crumb, dainty, diminish, diminutive, dust, elfin, fine, fleck, grain, iota, less, little, meager, microscopic, mini, miniature, minor, minuscule, minute, mite, morsel, mouse, narrow, particle, petite, pinch, scrap, shrinking, slender, slight, sliver, small, smallness, smidgen, snippet, speck, teeny, thin, tiny, trace, wee.
Many* (68): a lot, abundance, abundant, aplenty, army, assorted, bountiful, brimming, bunch, cluster, congested, copious, countless, cram, crammed, crowd, crowded, diverse, endless, flock, full, glut, heap, herd, hoard, horde, host, innumerable, laden, legion, loaded, majority, manifold, many, manyness, mass, mob, more, mound, multiple, multiplicity, multiply, multitude, myriad, numerous, opulent, overflow, packed, pile, plenitude, plentiful, plenty, plethora, plural, profuse, proliferate, replete, rich, richness, several, stack, sumptuous, surplus, swarm, teem, teeming, throng, too much, various.
Few (42): alone, austere, bare, bereft, dearth, deplete, dwindle, empty, few, fewness, gone, handful, isolated, lack, less, lone, minimal, none, one, only, paucity, poverty, rare, rarity, remnant, scanty, scarce, seldom, simple, single, sole, solitary, spare, sparse, spartan, stark, uncommon, vacant, vanish, vestige, void, zero.
Novelty* (45): alien, anomaly, avant-garde, brand-new, curious, cutting-edge, debut, different, enigmatic, exotic, extraordinary, first, foreign, fresh, freshness, ingenious, innovative, invention, latest, mysterious, mystery, new, newness, novel, novelty, odd, original, peculiar, quirky, radical, recent, revolutionary, strange, surprise, uncanny, unexpected, unfamiliar, unheard-of, unique, unknown, unprecedented, unusual, weird, young, youth.
Familiarity (43): again, ancient, antique, archetypal, banal, canonical, classic, cliché, comfortable, common, conventional, cozy, customary, established, everyday, expected, familiar, familiarity, fixed, habit, hackneyed, hoary, home, homely, known, mundane, normal, old, ordinary, recognizable, recognized, remembered, repeated, ritual, routine, same, stale, standard, traditional, typical, unremarkable, usual, worn.