Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

references to the author's personal experiences, of which the reader is told nothing.

perplexity

n. 1 confusion, bewilderment, bafflement, distress, doubt, difficulty: My perplexity grew as he related his version of the event. 2 intricacy, complexity, complicatedness, arcaneness, reconditeness, impenetrability, impenetrableness, involvement, unfathomability, obscurity, difficulty: The more deeply the enigma was probed, the greater its perplexity. 3 puzzle,

enigma, mystery, dilemma, problem, paradox, catch-22, quandary, predicament, bind: Because of the interlocking directorships of the companies, we faced many perplexities in trying to sort out what had happened to the funds.

perquisite

n. consideration, emolument, bonus, (fringe) benefit, extra, bonus, dividend, gratuity, tip, douceur, baksheesh, token (of appreciation), US lagniappe or lagnappe, Colloq perk: It was traditional to provide each director with a company car as a perquisite.

persecute v. 1 oppress, suppress, subjugate, maltreat, ill-treat, abuse, outrage, molest, victimize, tyrannize, afflict, punish, martyr, torment, torture: For years black people had been persecuted. 2 bother, annoy, pester, plague, hector, bully, badger, harry, harass, irritate, worry, vex, trouble, worry, importune, hound: Her lawyers continually persecuted him for non-payment of alimony.

persecution

n. 1 oppression, suppression, subjugation, maltreatment, ill-treatment, abuse, outrage, molestation, victimization, tyranny, affliction, punishment, torment, torture: They suffered persecution because of their difference of religion. 2 bother, annoyance, hectoring, bullying, badgering, harrying, harassing, irritation, worry, vexation, trouble: The press is often guilty of the persecution of famous people.

perseverance

n. persistence, steadfastness, determination, resolution, resolve, decisiveness, decision, firmness, purposefulness, pertinacity, staying power, stamina, sedulousness, assiduity,

grit, pluck, tirelessness, indefatigableness, indefatigability, patience, endurance, diligence, devotion, tenacity, doggedness, stubbornness, inflexibility, obstinacy, obstinateness, obdurateness, Colloq guts, US stick-to-it-iveness: Perseverance is essential for success in the theatre.

persevere v. Often, persevere in or with or at. persist, resolve, decide, endure, continue, carry on or through, keep at or on or up, be steadfast or staunch or constant, keep going, stand fast or

firm, see through, be or remain determined or resolved or resolute or stalwart or purposeful or uncompromising, be tenacious or persistent or constant or pertinacious or assiduous or sedulous, be tireless or untiring or indefatigable, show determination or pluck or grit, be plucky, be patient or diligent or stubborn or inflexible or adamant or obstinate or obdurate, show or exhibit or demonstrate patience or diligence or stubbornness or inflexibility or obstinacy or obduracy,

remain dogged, pursue doggedly, be intransigent or intractable, cling to, stick to, support, stop at nothing, sustain, Colloq

stick with, stick (it) out: We must persevere if we are to win. I shall persevere in my loyalty.

persist v. 1 Often, persist in or at. persevere, be persistent, insist (on), stand firm or fast, be steadfast or staunch, strive, toil, labour, work (hard) (at): She persists in arguing her innocence. Only those who persist will succeed. 2 remain, continue, endure, carry on, keep up or on, last, linger, stay: The bad weather persisted through the weekend.

persistence

n. perseverance, resolve, determination, resolution, steadfastness, tenacity, constancy, assiduity, stamina, tirelessness, indefatigability, indefatigableness, tirelessness, pluck, grit, patience, diligence, pertinacity, doggedness, stubbornness, obstinacy, obduracy: By sheer persistence he got his own way.

persistent

adj. 1 persisting, persevering, tenacious, steadfast, firm, fast, fixed, staunch, resolute, resolved, determined, unfaltering, unswerving, undeviating, unflagging, tireless, untiring, indefatigable, dogged, unwavering, stubborn, obstinate, obdurate, inflexible, rigid: He was persistent in

his demands for justice. The inspector never gave up his persistent pursuit of criminals. 2 continuing, constant, continuous, continual, unending, interminable, unremitting, unrelenting, perpetual, incessant, unceasing, non-stop: The persistent rainy weather began to depress us. At last he gave in to her persistent complaints and bought a washing machine.

person n. 1 individual, human (being), being, man or woman or child, (living) soul; mortal: Not a single person knew the answer to

my question. 2 in person. physically, personally, bodily, actually, myself or yourself or himself or herself or ourselves or yourselves, or themselves, Colloq in the flesh: The correspondent visited the battlefield in person to see for himself the extent of the carnage. I know their records, but I have never seen them in person.

persona n. face, front, fa‡ade, mask, guise, exterior, role, part, character, identity, self: Her office persona is quite different from the one she displays at home.

personage n. celebrity, luminary, VIP, name, notable, somebody, personality, star, superstar, magnate, mogul, Colloq big-shot, big wheel, hotshot, hot stuff, Brit big noise, Theatre US headliner: My cousin is fast becoming a personage in the financial world.

personal adj. 1 individual, physical, bodily, actual, live; in person, in the flesh: The star is scheduled to make a personal appearance on tonight's chat show. 2 intimate, exclusive, private, special, particular: Would you do me a personal favour? I hear they are having personal problems. 3 intimate, close, dear, bosom, familiar, special: Wendy happens to be a personal friend of ours. 4 intimate, individual; disparaging, slighting, offensive, derogatory, critical, deprecating, belittling, adverse, unfriendly, insulting: He should confine his criticism to her acting and avoid personal remarks.

personality

n. 1 character, nature, temperament, disposition, make-up, persona; identity, psyche: Miles has an extremely abrasive personality that has upset many people. 2 celebrity, luminary, star, superstar, name, headliner, somebody: Whom shall we get as a personality to attract the crowds?

personalized

adj. monogrammed, initialled, individualized; signed: They ordered personalized stationery with their new address on it.

personally

adv. 1 in person, alone, by oneself, on one's own, myself or yourself or himself or herself or ourselves or yourselves or themselves, Colloq in the flesh: She has not met them personally, but we have. They will see to the matter personally. 2 in one's own view or opinion, for one's part, for oneself, as far as one is concerned, from one's own viewpoint, from where one stands, as one sees it or things, as for oneself:

Personally, I wasn't sure I would make it. 3 as an individual, as a person, privately, in private: I like him personally but would never have him as my dentist.

personify v. 1 embody, typify, exemplify, epitomize, be the embodiment of, manifest, represent, stand for, symbolize, Archaic

impersonate, personate: In my view, he personifies everything that is evil. 2 humanize, personalize: In literature, personifying inanimate things in nature with human attributes is called the pathetic fallacy.

perspective

n. 1 (point of) view, viewpoint, standpoint, prospect, vantage point, position, angle, Colloq where one is coming from: I can see that my view would be illogical from his perspective. 2 attitude, position, angle, approach, sentiment, outlook,

lookout: Management has a different perspective on what is good for the company.

perspiration

n. sweat, dampness, wetness; sweating; Technical sudor; diaphoresis: I could feel the perspiration stand out on my forehead. They say that perspiration makes one cooler on a hot day.

persuade v. 1 urge, induce, prevail upon, influence, exhort, importune, dispose, incline, prompt, sway, press: The officer persuaded him to surrender. 2 bring round, convince, win over, talk or argue into, convert: We persuaded her to open the door. He was persuaded to vote Labour.

persuasion

n. 1 inducement, inducing, influence, influencing, exhortation, exhorting, persuading: At the bank's persuasion, the company tightened up its cashflow management. She has extraordinary powers of persuasion at her command. 2 opinion, belief, creed, faith, set of beliefs, faith, religion, (religious) conviction;

sect, denomination, faction, school (of thought), affiliation: Till he met Maggie, he had always been of the Baptist persuasion.

persuasive

adj. convincing, telling, influential, effective, productive, impressive, efficacious, cogent, weighty, compelling, forceful, valid, winning, authoritative, dynamic: His most persuasive argument for our leaving was that if we stayed we'd be shot.

audacious, rude, impolite, uncivil, ill-mannered, unmannerly, Archaic malapert, Colloq fresh, flip, out of line, brassy, big-mouthed, wise-guy, Slang Brit smart-arsed, US smart-ass(ed), wise-ass(ed): He's a clever child, but I don't like his pert

manner. 2 lively, jaunty, ebullient, vivacious, enthusiastic, bouncy, sprightly, brisk, cheerful, jolly, bright, perky, animated, nimble: She is usually quite pert in the morning, becoming depressed as the day wears on.

pertain v. Often, pertain to. concern, refer to, regard, have reference or relation (to), apply (to), relate (to), include, cover,

affect, appertain (to), be appropriate (to), be fitting (for), befit, bear on, have bearing (on): The sign, 'Keep Off the

Grass', does not pertain to the people who mow the lawn, Morris.

pertinent adj. pertaining, appropriate, fitting, suitable, apt, relevant, germane, apropos, apposite: Try to keep your comments pertinent to the subject under discussion.

perturb v. upset, disturb, fluster, ruffle, unsettle, disconcert, make uneasy, discomfit, vex, worry, agitate, shake up, alarm, disquiet, confuse, discompose, unnerve, addle, disorganize: He became quite perturbed when the police asked him to help with their inquiries.

browse, run one's eye over: As Gregory was perusing the ancient manuscript, a sudden draught blew out the candle.

pervasive adj. penetrating, pervading, omnipresent, general, inescapable, prevalent, universal, widespread, ubiquitous, permeating, permeative: A pervasive sense of doom in the castle made everyone feel uneasy.

perverse adj. 1 wrong, wrong-headed, awry, contrary, wayward, incorrect, irregular, unfair, improper, contradictory: It was most

perverse of you to change your mind after all the arrangements had been made. 2 cantankerous, testy, curmudgeonly, churlish, crusty, bad-tempered, petulant, captious, cross, cross-grained, peevish, waspish, snappish, bilious, splenetic, fractious, ill-tempered, quarrelsome, irascible, sullen, contentious, touchy, obstreperous, crabby, crabbed, irritable, surly, Colloq

grouchy, Brit stroppy, US and Canadian cranky: With everything going wrong, Catherine feels particularly perverse today. 3 stubborn, self-willed, wrong-headed, intractable, wilful, obdurate, obstinate, pigheaded, adamant, inflexible, unbending, refractory, unyielding: I refuse to give in to a perverse child

just because he has a tantrum.

perversion

n. 1 deviation, irregularity, misdirection, corruption, subversion, distortion, twisting, falsification, misrepresentation, diversion, sidetracking: The conduct of this trial has been a perversion of the course of true justice. 2 unnatural act, deviation, deviance or deviancy, abnormality, depravity, vice, aberration, debauchery, Colloq kinkiness, Brit kink: Every kind of perversion flourished in ancient Rome.

pervert v. 1 deflect, divert, sidetrack, turn aside or away, subvert, misdirect, distort, twist, abuse, falsify, misapply, misconstrue, misrepresent, corrupt: By withholding evidence, you have perverted the course of justice. 2 seduce, lead

astray, debauch, degrade, corrupt, demoralize, subvert: He was

accused of perverting young girls. 3 deviant, degenerate, debauchee, US deviate, Colloq weirdo: I worry about your being out late, when there are so many perverts about.

perverted adj. deviant, deviate, abnormal, amoral, unmoral, immoral, bad, depraved, unnatural, warped, twisted, profligate, dissolute, delinquent, degenerate, evil, wicked, malign, malicious,

malefic, malevolent, evil-minded, sinful, iniquitous, base, foul, corrupt, unprincipled: Members of the Hell-Fire Club yielded themselves up to the most perverted, abandoned behaviour.

pessimistic

panic-stricken, frightened, afraid, paralysed, numbed, benumbed, frozen: The maiden stood petrified as the dragon, breathing

fire, approached. 2 shocked, speechless, dumbfounded or dumfounded, dumbstruck, stunned, thunderstruck, astonished, astounded, confounded, stupefied, appalled, aghast, Colloq flabbergasted: The firemen rescued three petrified children who were huddled in a corner. 3 ossified, fossilized: These were

not stones but the petrified remains of ancient trees.

petrify v. 1 frighten, scare, horrify, terrify, paralyse, numb, benumb: I was petrified by the noise of the explosion. 2 shock,

dumbfound or dumfound, stun, astonish, astound, amaze, confound, disconcert, stupefy, appal, Colloq flabbergast: The sight of so much destruction petrified even hardened reporters. 3 ossify, fossilize, turn to stone: Over thousands of years the desert conditions petrify the wood.

petty adj. 1 insignificant, trivial, paltry, minor, inferior, niggling, trifling, negligible, puny, inessential, non-essential, inconsequential, unimportant, slight, nugatory, of no account, US dinky, Colloq piddling, measly, no great shakes, no big deal, small-time, Brit twopenny-halfpenny or

tuppenny-halfpenny, US and Canadian picayune: He has been convicted only of petty crimes. 2 miserly, mean, mingy, stingy, cheese-paring, grudging, small-minded, cheap, niggardly, parsimonious, tight, tight-fisted, close, close-fisted: It was very petty of you to refuse the beggar a few pence.

petulant adj. peevish, pettish, impatient, ill-humoured, testy, waspish, irascible, choleric, cross, captious, ill-tempered,

bad-tempered, splenetic, moody, sour, bilious, crabby, crabbed, irritable, huffish, huffy, perverse, snappish, crotchety, cantankerous, curmudgeonly, grouchy, grumpy: With a petulant gesture she hurled the rose away.

16.3 phantom...

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phantom n. 1 apparition, spectre, ghost, spirit, phantasm, shade, wraith, revenant, vision, Formal eidolon, phantasma, Colloq spook: The so-called phantom of the opera turned out to be a real person. 2 figment (of the imagination), illusion,

delusion, chimera or chimaera, hallucination, fancy, mirage: She was a phantom of delight When first she gleamed upon my sight.

Pharisaic adj. Pharisaical, hypocritical, insincere, self-righteous, pretentious, holier-than-thou, sanctimonious, pietistic(al), formalistic, canting, unctuous, oily, slimy, Literary Tartuffian, Pecksniffian, Colloq goody-goody , Chiefly Brit smarmy: I cannot tolerate his Pharisaic preaching.

Pharisee n. hypocrite, pretender, dissembler, humbug, fraud, whited sepulchre, pietist, formalist, canter, Literary Tartuffe, Pecksniff, Colloq phoney or US also phony: She is such a Pharisee with her pious little anecdotes.

pharmacist

n. pharmacologist, Rather old-fashioned or formal apothecary, Brit (pharmaceutical) chemist, US and Canadian druggist, Formal posologist, Colloq pill pusher, US pill roller: The pharmacist said that those pills have bad side-effects.

pharmacy n. 1 dispensary, Rather formal or old-fashioned apothecary, Brit chemist's (shop), US and Canadian drugstore, druggist's: Stop off at the pharmacy and get me something for this headache, please. 2 pharmaceutics, pharmacopoeia: Research has vastly expanded modern pharmacy.

phase n. 1 stage, period, development, step: The boy is just going through a phase. 2 time, moment, juncture, occasion: At this phase of the discussion, I should like to introduce a new subject. 3 state, form, shape, configuration, aspect, appearance, look, condition, status: Here is a diagram of the phases of the moon at various points in its orbit. 4 facet,

side, angle, viewpoint, point of view, Colloq slant: Only one phase of the argument has so far been presented.

--v. 5 phase in. (gradually) introduce, usher in, work in, inject, insert, insinuate, include, incorporate: The new work schedules will be phased in over the next month. 6 phase out. ease out or off, taper off, wind up, put a stop to, (gradually) eliminate, remove, withdraw, discontinue, end: The use of

non-biodegradable and non-recyclable packaging is being phased out.