Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

promptly. Make him pay for the damage as he promised. 4 give indication of, hint at, suggest, foretell, augur, indicate, show signs of, be in store for, look like, seem or appear likely or probable, Brit be on the cards, US be in the cards, Literary bid fair, betoken, bespeak: Though the economic situation promised to improve, many were disappointed that it took so long.

promising adj. hopeful, encouraging, favourable, auspicious, positive, rosy, optimistic, propitious, cheering, full of promise, reassuring, heartening: I see a promising future for you as a dancer.

promote v. 1 help, further, encourage, assist, advance, support, forward, back, sanction, abet, aid, boost, foster, patronize, nurture, develop, inspirit, strengthen, stimulate, inspire:

Their continual bickering did little to promote domestic harmony. The sale of portable appliances has done much to promote the battery business. 2 advance, move up, raise, upgrade, elevate, exalt, Colloq kick upstairs: He is to be promoted to floor manager next month. 3 recommend, endorse,

sponsor, support, espouse, commend, advocate, advance, champion, talk up, speak for, side with, present, call attention to: She

is promoting the cause of ecology in her campaign. 4 advertise, publicize, push, sell, Colloq beat the drum for, plug, Slang hype, Chiefly US ballyhoo: They are promoting the new chewing-gum by giving out free samples in Trafalgar Square.

promotion n. 1 furtherance, advancement, advance, encouragement, support, backing, sanction, sanctioning, abetting, aiding, helping,

assisting, boosting, fostering, nurturing, cultivation, development, developing, improvement, improving, inspiration, inspiriting, strengthening, stimulation, stimulating: The Society exists for the promotion of learning in a number of subjects. 2 advancement, advance, upgrading, upgrade, rise, elevation, preferment, exaltation: He was envied for his promotion to the highest ranking post in the department. 3

promoting, recommendation, presentation, espousal, commendation, advocacy, championing: I am grateful for your promotion of my name for the job. 4 advertising, publicity, public relations, propaganda, selling, hard or soft sell, fanfare, plugging,

Colloq puffery, Slang (media) hype, Chiefly US ballyhoo, hoop-la: The manufacturer spent millions on the promotion of the new cola. 5 advertisement, advertising, circular, brochure,

handbill, bill, hand-out, leaflet, poster, affiche, placard, publicity, space, (publicity) release, hoarding, US and Canadian flier or flyer, billboard, broadside, Colloq US puff piece, poop sheet: The promotions for the new detergent use the celebrity endorsement technique.

prompt adj. 1 quick, ready, immediate, instantaneous, unhesitating, rapid, fast, swift, speedy, punctual, timely, on time, instant, summary, brisk, alacritous: No matter what the question, Gemma gave a prompt response. 2 alert, eager, ready, quick,

expeditious, ready and willing, disposed, predisposed, unhesitating, keen, avid: Slow to praise, Alan was always prompt to criticize.

--v. 3 urge, egg (on), prod, nudge, spur, exhort, incite, induce, impel, provoke, rouse, arouse, encourage, work or stir or fire up, move, motivate, cause, influence, put (someone) up to (something), coax, persuade, cajole, prevail upon or on, talk (someone) into (something): If he hadn't prompted her, she never would have apologized. 4 cue, remind, feed lines (to), help: She never could remember her lines and needed to be prompted. 5 bring about, inspire, occasion, give rise to,

elicit, evoke, provoke, call forth, stimulate, awaken: The mention of hostages prompted a question about what was being done to gain their release.

--n. 6 reminder, cue, hint, stimulus: He always needs a prompt to remind him to send his mother flowers on her birthday.

promptly adv. quickly, at once, straightaway or straight away, directly, right away, immediately, without delay or hesitation, unhesitatingly, swiftly, speedily, readily, instantly, instantaneously, punctually, expeditiously, with celerity, with alacrity, Colloq US and Canadian momentarily: If this bill is

not paid promptly, we shall have to discontinue your credit arrangements.

prone adj. 1 face down or downwards or chiefly US downward, prostrate, lying down, reclining, recumbent, horizontal, procumbent, Formal or technical decumbent, accumbent: She was lying prone, resting between push-ups. 2 inclined, apt, likely, liable, disposed, predisposed, of a mind, subject, given,

tending, leaning: They are prone to petty squabbles.

pronounce v. 1 declare, utter, say, voice, express, articulate, enunciate, vocalize, put into words: He pronounced a curse on the family. Try to pronounce it one syllable at a time. 2 declare, affirm, proclaim, announce, decree, judge, aver, state, asseverate, assert, say to be: I now pronounce you man and wife. The doctor pronounced mother to be out of danger. 3 announce, proclaim, promulgate, publicize, publish, deliver, broadcast, make known, let (something) be known, put out or forth, set forth; pass: The judge will pronounce sentence tomorrow.

pronounced

adj. 1 definite, clear, plain, well-defined, decided, conspicuous, noticeable, recognizable, identifiable, obvious, striking, prominent, notable, distinct, unmistakable or

unmistakeable, marked, strong: There was a pronounced odour of bitter almonds in the room. Sophie spoke with a pronounced lisp. 2 definite, distinct, unequivocal, unambiguous, specific, unqualified, undisguised, downright, outright, out-and-out, decided, complete, total, unmitigated, strong, utter, unalloyed, unmixed, clear, clear-cut, unmistakable or unmistakeable: A pronounced prejudice against fuzzy thinking emerges from his writings.

pronouncement

n. 1 statement, assertion, observation, comment, opinion, announcement, proclamation, pronunciamento, manifesto, declaration, avowal, affirmation, asseveration, averment, promulgation: Occasionally he would issue a pronouncement on the sad state of English usage. 2 judgement, decree, edict, proclamation, dictum, command, ukase, (papal) bull, imperative, order, ordinance: The authorities made several official pronouncements regarding travel restrictions.

pronunciation

n. enunciation, articulation, elocution, diction, speech, speech pattern, manner of speaking, delivery, accent, accentuation, intonation, inflection, modulation: Standard pronunciations of English are so diverse that it is sometimes difficult for one native speaker to understand another. Rock singers seem always to imitate a Texan pronunciation.

proof n. 1 evidence, verification, corroboration, confirmation, validation, authentication, ratification, substantiation; documentation, document, facts, data, certification, testimony, Colloq ammunition: Is there any proof that she was with you? The prosecution claims to have enough proof of his guilt to convict him of embezzlement. 2 test, trial, measure, standard, touchstone, criterion: Do you intend to put his loyalty to the proof? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

propaganda

n. 1 agitprop, disinformation, Newspeak, rumours, lies: The state-controlled media spread propaganda about minorities to foster nationalism. 2 advertising, promotion, publicity, public relations, puff, fanfare, Colloq puffery, ballyhoo, Slang hype,

US hoop-la, whoop-de-do or whoop-de-doo: All that propaganda was merely to launch a new washing-powder!

propagate v. 1 breed, generate, reproduce, multiply, proliferate, deliver, bring forth, bear, procreate: Biologists are studying ways of making the species propagate at a faster rate. 2 multiply, increase, spread, grow, develop: These plants propagate very rapidly. 3 publicize, promote, disseminate, dispense, distribute, spread, publish, broadcast, circulate, make known, transmit, disperse, propagandize, proclaim, promulgate, bruit about, noise abroad, herald: The purpose of the organization is to propagate information about the state of the environment.

propel v. drive, impel, move, actuate, set in motion, get moving, move, push, thrust, force, send, launch, start: Each galley was propelled by huge oars. The capsule is propelled by a rocket. Job opportunities propelled her to move to Bristol.

proper adj. 1 right, appropriate, apropos, apt, suitable, fit, fitting, befitting, becoming, suited, apposite, de rigueur,

comme il faut, adapted, Literary meet: Is this the proper time to ask for a salary increase? 2 correct, accurate, exact,

right, precise, orthodox, formal, expected, normal, usual, accepted, established, Old-fashioned Brit tickety-boo: Some insist that the only proper way to pronounce 'controversy' is with the stress on the first syllable. 3 decorous, dignified, genteel, fitting, right, de rigueur, appropriate, becoming, suitable, decent, seemly, due, correct, apt, comme il faut, conformist; gentlemanly, ladylike, polite, refined, punctilious, respectable: Jeans are not proper attire for dinner at La Hacienda. Do you call that proper behaviour for the president of a learned society? 4 fitting, suitable, correct, right,

satisfactory, good, sensible: The kitchen is a proper place for the dishwasher, not the garage. Proper nutrition is very important. 5 complete, perfect, utter, thorough, thoroughgoing, out-and-out, unmitigated: He felt a proper fool for having locked his keys inside his car. 6 own, individual, separate, distinct, correct, specific, special, particular, respective; characteristic, distinctive, peculiar, singular, unique: When you have finished, return each book to its proper place.

--quasi-adv. 7 strictly speaking or so-called, in the strict(est) or narrow(est) sense, only, solely, alone, on (its

or someone's) own: Does the deed refer only to the house proper or are the outbuildings also included?

properly adv. 1 appropriately, fittingly, correctly, well, becomingly, suitably, politely, decently, decorously, nicely: If you cannot behave properly I shall have to ask you to leave. 2 duly, appropriately, well, suitably, rightly, correctly, aptly: Are they properly equipped for the rescue mission?

property n. 1 possessions, belongings, effects, gear, paraphernalia, chattels: All his worldly property fitted into the small

Gladstone bag he carried everywhere. 2 assets, means, resources, holdings, capital (goods), fortune, riches, estate, worth: We

look on all our shares, personal belongings, and real estate as part of our property. 3 land, acreage, realty, real estate or property: That property on the high street was recently sold to developers. 4 characteristic, attribute, quality, feature,

trait, mark, hallmark, idiosyncrasy, peculiarity, oddity, quirk, Formal haecceity, quiddity: A property of iodine is that it changes directly from a solid to a vapour - and vice versa - without first liquefying.

prophecy n. 1 forecasting, foretelling, prediction, fortune-telling, divination, soothsaying, augury, prognostication, crystal-gazing, Formal vaticination: The prophecy of future events lies outside the realm of science. 2 prediction, forecast, prognosis, revelation: Her prophecy warned of ice storms that would ravage the earth.

prophesy v. 1 predict, foretell, forecast, forewarn, prognosticate, vaticinate: His father prophesied that he would come to no good if he quit college. 2 augur, foretell (of), presage, foreshadow, portend, bode, harbinger, herald, promise, vaticinate: The

early disappearance of the swallows prophesies a long, cold winter.

prophet n. prophetess, oracle, forecaster, seer, soothsayer, clairvoyant, prognosticator, fortune-teller, augur, diviner, witch, warlock, sibyl, haruspex, vaticinator; (of doom) Cassandra: Statistically, the weather prophets have a fair record of accuracy.

prophetic adj. predictive, prognostic, divinatory, oracular, inspired, prescient, sibylline, Literary fatidic, vatic: His warnings of

a drought proved to be prophetic.

propitiatory

adj. 1 conciliatory, pacifying, appeasing, expiatory, placative, propitiative, pacificatory, placatory: He said that he was truly sorry and held out a propitiatory hand. 2 deferential, ingratiating, obliging, obeisant, acquiescent,

compliant, tractable: He was most propitiatory in his treatment of his stepchildren.

propitious

adj. advantageous, timely, well-timed, opportune, lucky,

fortunate, happy, providential, favourable, bright, encouraging, auspicious, promising, rosy: It was not a propitious moment to ask her to marry him,.

proponent n. proposer, promoter, supporter, upholder, backer, subscriber, patron, espouser, adherent, enthusiast, champion, friend,

partisan, defender, advocate, exponent, pleader, apologist, spokesman, spokeswoman, spokesperson: Ashley is a staunch proponent of the literacy movement.

proportion

n. 1 ratio, (comparative) relation, relationship, comparison: The proportion of men to women on the course is three to one. The demand is out of all proportion to the supply. 2 balance,

agreement, concord, harmony, suitableness, symmetry, congruity, correspondence, correlation, arrangement, distribution: The beauty of the building is at once apparent in the elegant proportion of its parts. 3 portion, division, share, part, percentage, quota, allotment, ration, Colloq cut: Water covers

a large proportion of the surface. 4 proportions. size, magnitude, dimensions, measurements, extent; volume, capacity, mass, bulk, area, expanse, scope, range, degree: The dragon suddenly assumed gigantic proportions.

--v. 5 adjust, modify, change, modulate, poise, balance, shape, fit, match, conform, equate: The punishment should be proportioned to the crime.

proportional

adj. proportionate, proportioned, comparable, analogous, analogical, relative, related, correlated, balanced,

symmetrical, corresponding, compatible, harmonious, consistent, commensurate, in accordance with: The zeal with which their ideals are defended is directly proportional to the fierceness

with which they are attacked.

proposal n. 1 offer, presentation, bid, tender, proposition, recommendation, suggestion, Literary proffer: Her proposal was to provide the funding if we would do the work. 2 plan, scheme, outline, draft, design, layout; programme, proposition, project: The proposal for the new civic centre was rejected as too expensive.

propose v. 1 offer, tender, proffer; present, introduce, submit, advance, set forth, put forward, propound, bid, recommend, suggest, come up with, call attention to, broach, Brit table: Management proposed a wage increase of five per cent. The architect proposed that we consider an addition to the north wing. 2 offer, mean, intend, plan, expect, aim: We propose to make a start on the decorating once we have had our lunch. 3 nominate, name, put forward or forth, suggest, introduce, submit, put up: His boss proposed him for membership of the golf club.

proposition

n. 1 See proposal, 1, above. 2 See proposal, 2, above.

--v. 3 accost, solicit, make an indecent or sexual advance or proposal or overture, Colloq make a pass at: She said she had been propositioned by him, but we never learnt if she accepted or not.

propound v. put or set forth or forward, propose, offer, proffer, suggest, postulate: It was she who first propounded the idea of a unified country.

proprietor

n. 1 proprietress, owner, landowner, landlady, landlord, landholder, title-holder, deed-holder, property owner: He is the proprietor of a large house in Chiswick. 2 owner, partner, landlord, restaurateur, innkeeper, hotel-keeper, hotelier, licensee, manager, Brit publican: The proprietor greeted us warmly and showed us to our rooms.

propriety n. 1 correctness, properness, conformity, suitableness, appropriateness, suitability, aptness, fitness, seemliness, decorum; advisability, wisdom: I questioned the propriety of concealing this information from shareholders. 2 protocol, good or proper form, punctilio, etiquette, politeness, courtesy, politesse, refinement, sedateness, dignity, modesty, decorum, decency, breeding, respectability, gentility, grace, mannerliness: He always behaved with the utmost propriety in the presence of his aunt. 3 the proprieties. the social graces,

the amenities, the civilities, formality or the formalities,

social convention or the social conventions, social procedure or codes, accepted practice, tradition, ceremony, ritual: He only

observes the proprieties when he wants to make a good impression.

propulsion

n. drive, impulse, impetus, thrust, power, driving or propelling or propulsive force, pressure, momentum, push: Enormous propulsion is required to lift the space shuttle into orbit.

prosaic adj. dull, banal, overdone, tedious, clich‚d, commonplace, stereotyped, pedestrian, flat, stereotypical, hackneyed, stock, routine, everyday, ordinary, common, workaday, mediocre, undistinguished, bland, characterless, homely, plain, trite, stale, threadbare, tired, lifeless, dead, dry, jejune, boring, tiresome, unimaginative, unpoetic, unromantic, uninspiring, uninspired, insipid, uninteresting, humdrum, monotonous,

Literary ennuyant, Colloq ho-hum, run-of-the-mill, mouldy: She found the law too prosaic and trained to become a jockey.

prose n. (expository) writing, text, language: It came as a great revelation to learn that he had been speaking prose all his life.

prosecute v. 1 arraign, indict, charge, put on or bring to trial, try, take to court, sue, bring suit or action against, accuse, Brit put in the dock: She threatened to prosecute him for slander. 2 pursue, follow up or through, see or carry through, persist, go on with: Will the same policy will be prosecuted in other countries? 3 carry on or out, perform, do, exercise, conduct, follow, engage in, practise, continue: The government needs popular support if it is to continue to prosecute the war successfully.

prospect n. 1 view, scene, panorama, landscape, seascape, outlook, vista, sight, spectacle, perspective, aspect: The sitting-room window offered a splendid prospect of the sea and cliffs below. 2 anticipation, contemplation, outlook, promise, plan, design, intention, expectancy, expectation, thought, likelihood: The prospect of spending the Christmas holidays with your family is quite daunting. 3 Often, prospects. future, outlook, chance(s), hope(s), possibility or possibilities, likelihood, opportunity

or opportunities: The prospects for her advancement are excellent. 4 in prospect. in sight or view, in the offing, on

the horizon, in store, in the wind, projected, in store, likely, probable, possible, Brit on the cards, on the table, US in the cards: As a doctor, he has a number of opportunities in prospect.

--v. 5 Often, prospect for. explore, search (for), look (for): In 1896, his grandfather went to the Klondike to prospect for gold.

prospective

adj. anticipated, expected, awaited, looked-for, future, forthcoming, coming, approaching, imminent, nearing, pending, impending, destined, potential, incipient: Jane's prospective wedding had excited the entire family.

prospectus

n. announcement, plan, scheme, programme, outline, conspectus, description: According to the prospectus for the fund, the minimum investment is œ1000.

prosper v. flourish, thrive, succeed, fare well, progress, get ahead, grow, develop; profit, gain, become wealthy, grow rich, make one's fortune, make good, Colloq make it, make one's pile: With hard work, thrift, and perseverance, MacIntosh prospered and was soon able to buy the house he wanted.

prosperity

n. success, (good) fortune, wealth, riches, affluence, money, luxury, plenty, prosperousness, opulence, bounty, Colloq life of Riley: The basis of the family's prosperity was huge land holdings in Australia.

prosperous

adj. 1 rich, wealthy, moneyed or monied, affluent, well-to-do, well off, Colloq well-heeled, loaded, flush, in the money, rolling in it or wealth or money, in clover, on Easy Street,

Slang stinking rich: Anyone who owns six houses and four yachts must be prosperous. 2 successful, thriving, flourishing,

booming, prospering: Frank owns a prosperous chain of video shops.

prostitute

n. 1 whore, call-girl, streetwalker, strumpet, trollop, harlot,