between_ me and thee, and _between_ my
herdmen and thy herdmen," _Gen._ xiii, 9; the reference being to two
bodies of herdmen. _Amid_ denotes mere position; _among_, some active
relation, as of companionship, hostility, etc. Lowell's "_Among_ my
Books" regards the books as companions; _amid_ my books would suggest
packing, storing, or some other incidental circumstance. We say _among_
friends, or _among_ enemies, _amidst_ the woods, _amid_ the shadows. _In
the midst of_ may have merely the local meaning; as, I found myself _in
the midst of_ a crowd; or it may express even closer association than
_among_; as, "I found myself _in the midst of_ friends" suggests their
pressing up on every side, oneself the central object; so, "where two or
three are met together in my name, there am I _in the midst of_ them,"
_Matt._ xviii, 20; in which case it would be feebler to say "_among_
them," impossible to say "_amid_ them," not so well to say "_amidst_
them."

Antonyms:

afar from, away from, beyond, far from, outside, without.

* * * * *

AMPLIFY.

Synonyms:

augment, dilate, expand, extend, unfold,
develop, enlarge, expatiate, increase, widen.

_Amplify_ is now rarely used in the sense of _increase_, to add material
substance, bulk, volume, or the like; it is now almost wholly applied to
discourse or writing, signifying to make fuller in statement, whether
with or without adding matter of importance, as by stating fully what
was before only implied, or by adding illustrations to make the meaning
more readily apprehended, etc. The chief difficulty of very young
writers is to _amplify_, to get beyond the bare curt statement by
_developing_, _expanding_, _unfolding_ the thought. The chief difficulty
of those who have more material and experience is to condense
sufficiently. So, in the early days of our literature _amplify_ was used
in the favorable sense; but at present this word and most kindred words
are coming to share the derogatory meaning that has long attached to
_expatiate_. We may _develop_ a thought, _expand_ an illustration,
_extend_ a discussion, _expatiate_ on a hobby, _dilate_ on something
joyous or sad, _enlarge_ a volume, _unfold_ a scheme, _widen_ the range
of treatment.

Antonyms:

abbreviate, amputate, condense, cut down, reduce, summarize,
abridge, "boil down," curtail, epitomize, retrench, sum up.

Prepositions: