Continual, continuous.—"Continual is used of frequently repeated acts, as, 'Continual dropping wears away a stone;' continuous, of uninterrupted action, as, 'the continuous flowing of a river.'"[125]
Deadly, deathly.—"Deathly, in the sense of 'resembling death,' as, 'She was deathly pale,' is preferable to deadly, since deadly also means 'inflicting death.'"[124]
Decided, decisive.—"A decided opinion is a strong opinion, which perhaps decides nothing; a decisive opinion settles the question at issue. A lawyer may have decided views on a case; the judgment of a court is decisive."[125]
Dumb, stupid.—Dumb properly means "mute," "silent." Its misuse for stupid is partly due, especially in Pennsylvania, to its resemblance to the German dumm.
Existing, extant.—That is extant which has escaped the ravages of time (used chiefly of books, manuscripts, etc.); that is existing which has existence.
Funny, odd.—Funny means "comical;" in the sense of "strange" or "odd" it is not in good use.
Healthy, healthful, wholesome.—That is healthy which is in good health; that is healthful or wholesome which produces health. Wholesome commonly applies to food.
Human, humane.—Human denotes what pertains to man as man; as, "human nature," "human sacrifices." Humane means "compassionate."
Latest, last.—Latest, like the word "late," contains a distinct reference to time; that is latest which comes after all others in time:
as, "The latest news;" "The latest fashion." Last, which was originally a contraction of "latest," is now used without any distinct reference to time, and denotes that which comes after all others in space or in a series: as, "The last house on the street;" "The Last of the Mohicans."
Lengthy, long.—Lengthy is said to have originated in the United States, but the earliest quotations found are from British authors. In the introduction to the second series of The Biglow Papers, Mr. Lowell wrote:
"We have given back to England the excellent adjective lengthy ... thus enabling their journalists to characterize our President's messages by a word civilly compromising between long and tedious, so as not to endanger the peace of the two countries by wounding our national sensitiveness to British criticism." Lengthy is used chiefly of discourses or writings, and implies tediousness. Long is used of anything that has length.