Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms
.pdfmarvellous, extraordinary, magnificent, superb, splendid, stupendous, Colloq great, smashing, Slang old-fashioned Brit ripping, ripsnorting, top-hole, topping: I met the most striking girl at the golf club.
string n. 1 line, cord, thread, twine, fibre, rope, cable, ligament, strand, filament: To fly a kite one needs the right weight of string. 2 leash, lead, leader: Why does he let her drag him around on the end of a string? 3 line, row, series, sequence, succession, chain, procession, stream, train, file, Chiefly Brit queue: A string of coincidences led to their meeting again after twenty years. 4 necklace, chain, loop, strand, dog-collar, choker, chaplet, wreath, riviŠre, Archaic carcanet: In her hair was a string of pearls. 5 pull strings or wires. use or exert influence, Colloq throw one's weight around: He had to pull strings to get his son a job on the paper. 6 pull the strings.
be in control, control, run, operate, dominate, be in command, be in the driver's seat, hold the reins, manipulate: She is the one who pulls the strings when it comes to new investments. 7 strings. conditions, stipulations, provisos, qualifications, requirements, prerequisites, terms, obligations, limitations, provisions, musts, Colloq catches: I might have known that there would be strings attached to their offer of a free holiday in Corfu.
--v. 8 thread, join: The children were busy stringing beads to make necklaces. 9 Often, string together or up. loop, festoon, link, drape, suspend, sling, hang, array, concatenate, chain together: At holiday time, coloured lights are strung round the town square. 10 string along. a follow, go along (with), agree, concur, collaborate: I said I would string along with the plan for the time being. b keep waiting or dangling, keep on a string, keep on tenterhooks, Colloq play fast and loose with (someone): She's just stringing you along till her boyfriend comes back. c fool, deceive, bluff, dupe, cheat, trick, hoax, Colloq take someone for a ride, put one or something over on (someone): They strung Harold along for months before they made off with his life savings. 11 string out. a stretch, reach, extend: The line of refugees strung out as far as one could see. b delay, postpone, drag out, protract, spin out: He strung out the repayment for as long as possible. 12 string up. hang, lynch: He knew that if the jury didn't convict him the townspeople would string him up.
stringy |
adj. fibrous, chewy, sinewy, gristly, ropy, leathery, tough: |
The beef was somewhat stringy and the potatoes were overcooked. |
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strip° |
n. band, ribbon, fillet, belt, swath or swathe, stripe: She |
wore a strip of embroidered silk tied round her head. They began |
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farming the strip of land near the lake. |
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stripý |
v. 1 peel, skin, bare, uncover, denude, lay bare, decorticate, |
excoriate, flay: The woodwork will need stripping before you repaint it. 2 disrobe, undress, get undressed, unclothe, strip down to nothing or to the skin or to the buff or to (one's) birthday suit, take off or peel off or divest (oneself) of or
shed (one's) clothes or clothing, get naked: The doctor told me to go behind the screen and strip. 3 (do a) striptease, US work the runway: Sugar Caine says she enjoys stripping for an appreciative audience. 4 remove, take away, confiscate, seize, expropriate, Slang rip off: He was accused of stripping the assets from the companies he purchased. 5 rob, pillage, despoil, plunder, ransack, loot, sack: Armies could be raised only by letting them strip the cities they conquered.
stripe n. 1 band, bar, striation, strip, streak, line, stroke, slash, length: Each railway car has a bright orange stripe along each side. 2 style, kind, sort, class, type, complexion, character, nature, description, persuasion, kidney, feather: These new students are of a completely different stripe.
striped adj. streaked, lined, striated: Why not wear your striped dress to the party?
stripling n. lad, boy, adolescent, juvenile, minor, schoolboy, youngster, teenager, youth, young fellow or man, fledgling, Dialect
gossoon, young 'un, Archaic hobbledehoy: The police cadet was a callow youth, a mere stripling.
strive v. 1 endeavour, strain, struggle, make every effort, attempt, try (hard), do one's best or utmost, exert oneself, work at, Colloq give (it) one's all, go all out: Jim strove to keep his self-control. Jennie strives for perfection in all she does. 2 compete, contend, fight: One must often strive against unbelievable odds to achieve a goal.
stroke n. 1 blow, rap, tap, thump, knock, smack, whack, swipe, slam, strike, Colloq wallop: One stroke of the hammer and the nail went in. 2 action, motion, go, move, movement, feat, achievement: She won the leading role and defeated her shyness at one stroke. 3 flourish, movement, gesture; mark, dash, Colloq splash: With a stroke of the pen the man's fate was sealed. 4 beat, throb, pulse, pulsation, thump: His heart was beating at exactly 72 strokes a minute. 5 attack, seizure, fit, apoplexy, apoplectic fit, spasm, paralytic attack or fit;
Technical embolism, thrombosis, cerebrovascular accident, aneurysm: Gerry has been incapacitated since he had a stroke. 6 pat, touch, caress: A few strokes of her fingers on my brow
and the headache was gone. 7 achievement, accomplishment, feat, act, action, work; example; touch: Your idea of having a jazz concert to raise money is a stroke of genius. 8 bit, jot or
tittle, scrap, iota, touch, stitch, hint, suggestion: You haven't done a stroke of work all morning. 9 occurrence, happening, matter: It was just a stroke of luck that I came along when I did.
--v. 10 caress, pet, pat, fondle; massage, rub, soothe: His heart beat faster when she stroked his hand lightly with her fingertips.
stroll v. 1 amble, saunter, ramble, walk, wander, promenade, meander, stray, Colloq mosey: I think I'll stroll over and buy a
newspaper.
--n. 2 amble, ramble, saunter, walk, wander, promenade, meander, constitutional: Father rarely missed his Sunday stroll in the park.
strong adj. 1 powerful, muscular, mighty, brawny, strapping, robust, sturdy, stalwart, burly, stout, sinewy, athletic, wiry, Colloq beefy, hefty, husky: He was so strong he carried both wounded men 500 yards to safety. 2 powerful, concentrated, intense, pungent, potent, sharp, piquant, acrid, heady, penetrating, aromatic, fragrant, hot, spicy: There was a strong odour of ammonia. The flavour is a little too strong for my taste. 3 smelly, odoriferous, noisome, stinking, foul, mephitic, miasmic, putrid, putrescent, rotten: There is a strong smell of rotting flesh. 4 concentrated, undiluted, potent, intensified: How can you drink such strong coffee and still sleep? 5 vigorous,
active, dynamic, energetic, eager, unflagging, tireless, unfailing, diligent, indefatigable, staunch, true-blue, steadfast, dedicated, enthusiastic, ardent, fervent, fervid, vehement, rabid, zealous, resolute, determined, unwavering, unswerving, firm, uncompromising, regular, persistent, tenacious, sedulous, assiduous, hard-working: We could use other strong party supporters like Sandy. 6 competent, talented, skilled, qualified, knowledgeable, able, experienced, well-versed, trained, efficient, capable: We are looking for
someone who is particularly strong in writing advertising copy. 7 influential, persuasive, convincing, compelling, trenchant, unmistakable or unmistakeable, telling, great, profound; effective, efficacious, effectual, powerful, formidable: His evidence had a strong effect on the jury. She was taking very strong medicine for her migraine. 8 well-supported, irrefutable, well-substantiated, cogent, forceful, substantial, convincing, conclusive: The police made out a very strong case against her for premeditated murder. 9 well-established, well-founded, redoubtable, substantial, powerful, formidable: The position inside the fortress was quite strong. 10 likely, definite, substantial, good, better than average, reasonable, sizeable: There is a strong possibility that she will be elected. Sales of cars were strong during the first quarter. 11 stable, sound, solvent, prosperous, flourishing, thriving, affluent: The economists think that the economy will remain strong. 12 solid, sturdy, substantial, tough, well-built, reinforced, heavy-duty, durable; hard-wearing: Is the cage strong enough to hold the beast? 13 drastic, extreme, Draconian, high-handed, severe, forceful, rigorous, harsh, stringent, aggressive, strenuous,
stiff, tough, Colloq hard-nosed: We had to resort to strong measures. 14 numerous, large, considerable, great; numerically, in number, in strength: They arrived on the battlefield with a strong force of ten thousand men. Their army was ten thousand strong. 15 vivid, graphic, etched, engraved, imprinted, impressed; definite, clear-cut, clear, pronounced, distinct, striking, marked: The memory of her embrace was still strong in my mind. He bears a strong resemblance to his brother. 16 wilful, aggressive, combative, defensive, difficult, assertive, incisive, dogmatic, doctrinaire, opinionated, self-willed, hard-headed, strong-minded, recalcitrant, stubborn, obstinate, emphatic, Colloq pushy: One cannot deny that Caroline has a strong personality. 17 vigorous, forceful, powerful, heavy: Strong winds lashed the west coast last night. 18 rugged,
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endeavour, try, attempt: He struggled to keep his head above |
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water. 2 contend, fight, wrestle, battle: They struggled |
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against the twin odds of poverty and sickness. 3 wriggle, |
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wiggle, squirm, writhe, twist, worm: She finally struggled free |
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of the ropes. |
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--n. 4 effort, exertion, strain; toil, work, travail, labour, |
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drudgery, striving, struggling: Earning even a humble living |
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was a struggle in those days. Was the outcome worth the |
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struggle? 5 contention, competition, contest, battle, fight, |
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tussle, match, clash, encounter, strife: The struggle between |
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good and evil continues. |
strut |
v. swagger, parade, promenade, peacock, prance: She goes |
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strutting about the office as if she were the boss. |
stub |
n. 1 butt, end, stump, tail (end), remnant, Colloq Brit |
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fag-end: He produced a stub of pencil from his pocket and began |
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to make notes. 2 counterfoil; receipt: You will need your |
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ticket stub for any claim. |
stubborn adj. obstinate, unyielding, inflexible, intransigent, intractable, uncompromising, mulish, pigheaded, refractory, wayward, adamant, recalcitrant, bull-headed, persistent, tenacious, pertinacious, unrelenting, dogged, determined: He remains stubborn in his refusal to join the group.
student n. 1 pupil, learner, scholar, undergraduate, schoolboy, schoolgirl, schoolchild, trainee, apprentice, disciple; Colloq Brit swot or swotter or swat, US grind: Only students of advanced standing are admitted to this class. 2 devotee, follower, admirer, observer, evaluator, commentator, critic: Nicole is a perceptive student of human nature.
studied adj. premeditated, deliberate, calculated, planned, intentional, wilful, well-thought-out, conscious, contrived, feigned, forced, laboured: He treated even the greatest crisis with a studied air of insouciance.
studious adj. 1 assiduous, sedulous, diligent, industrious, attentive, careful, painstaking, thorough, tireless: Miniaturists must pay studious attention to detail. 2 scholarly, bookish, academic:
She refused to allow her athletic achievements to interfere with
her studious pursuits.
study v. 1 learn (about), read, con, memorize, burn the midnight oil, lucubrate, Colloq bone up (on), cram, Brit swot or swat, mug up: I want to study music. She has to study for an exam. 2 contemplate, consider, reflect on, think over or about, ruminate on, chew over, turn over, weigh, ponder, deliberate over or on or about, muse about or on, mull over, meditate on or about or over: I want to study the problem before deciding what to do.
3 look or go into or over, look at, scan, examine, analyse, inspect, investigate, scrutinize, survey, observe: The crime squad studied every square inch of the murder scene. Avoiding the issue as usual, Joyce silently studied her fingernails.
--n. 4 analysis, review, examination, survey, inquiry or enquiry, investigation, scrutiny, research, exploration:
Government funds are paying for a study of the ecosystem of the Norfolk Broads. 5 learning, lessons, bookwork, work, reading, contemplation, investigation, Colloq boning up, cramming, Brit swotting or swatting: The study of anthropology is what led him to his theory of linguistic universals. 6 library, reading or writing-room, sanctum (sanctorum), haunt, studio, retreat, den, workroom, office: Let's go into the study and talk business.
stuff n. 1 substance, material, matter, fabric, ingredients, essence, essentials, fundamentals, building blocks, makings: This is the stuff that dreams are made on. Is hydrogen the basic stuff of the universe? 2 equipment, goods, gear, trappings, kit, tackle, accessories, paraphernalia, accoutrements or US also accouterments, effects, belongings, possessions, things, bits and pieces, impedimenta, baggage, property, chattels, furniture, Brit lumber, Colloq junk, rubbish, crap, Brit clobber, Taboo slang shit: Graham left all his stuff with his mother when he went west. 3 spirit, attitude, grit, substance, makings,
talent(s), abilities, capabilities, qualities, attributes: Is
Simon the stuff of which commandos are made? 4 nonsense, trash, rubbish, stuff and nonsense, twaddle, humbug, bunkum, tommy-rot, balderdash, Colloq rot, garbage, bunk, tripe, poppycock, crap, malarkey, boloney or baloney, bosh, hogwash, swill, claptrap, piffle, hot air, flapdoodle, fiddle-faddle, codswallop, bull, US
horse feathers, Taboo slang bullshit, horseshit: You don't believe all that stuff you've been reading about me, do you? 5 creations, accomplishments, things, works, materials, matter:
Without the attributions, I'd have trouble telling their stuff apart.
--v. 6 jam, ram, cram, crowd, compress, pack, press, squeeze, squash, shove, thrust, force: You couldn't stuff another handkerchief into that suitcase. 7 line, fill, pack: Stuff the chicken with the following mixture. 8 overeat, gorge, overindulge, gormandize, gluttonize, Colloq make a pig or a hog of oneself: They really stuffed themselves at the wedding reception. 9 stuff up. clog, plug, obstruct, choke, block (up), stop or US also pack up: Phone the plumber: the drain is stuffed up again. The cold had given her a headache and a stuffed-up nose.
stuffy adj. 1 close, airless, unventilated, oppressive, stifling, suffocating, stale, musty, fusty, mouldy, mildewy, muggy, fetid or foetid, frowzy or frouzy or frowsy, Brit frowsty: It was stuffy in the ancient tomb. 2 pompous, pedantic, self-important, self-centred, stodgy, old-fogyish or old-fogeyish, old-fashioned, strait-laced, staid, conventional, prim (and proper), priggish, niminy-piminy, stilted, stiff,
rigid, Colloq fuddy-duddy, uptight: What a bore to be trapped for an entire evening with those stuffy old codgers!
stumble v. 1 falter, blunder, slip, trip, miss one's footing, stagger, lurch, flounder: Minnie caught her heel in the grating and stumbled. 2 falter, pause, hesitate, trip, slip, blunder: He
was very nervous and stumbled his way through his speech. 3 stumble on or upon. chance or come or happen on or upon, hit upon, come or run across, find, discover, encounter, Colloq bump into: I stumbled on a great new pub when I was out on Saturday.
stumbling-block
n. impediment, obstacle, bar, block, obstruction, hurdle, hindrance, barrier, difficulty, snag: It was often labour unions that proved the stumbling-blocks to technological progress.
stump n. 1 stub, butt, end: The branches were lopped off, leaving only the stumps.
--v. 2 mystify, confuse, perplex, bewilder, flummox, foil, puzzle, baffle, confound, dumbfound or dumfound, stop, stymie,
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nonplus, bring up short: I am completely stumped as to how the |
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trick was done. 3 campaign, electioneer, canvass, US and |
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Canadian barnstorm: The candidates are out stumping in the farm |
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areas in Iowa. 4 stump up. pay up or out, contribute, donate, |
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Colloq cough up, chip in, shell or fork out: Everyone at the |
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office stumped up for Peter's leaving present. |
stun |
n. 1 daze, numb, benumb, knock out: I was stunned by an |
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unexpected blow to the solar plexus. 2 astonish, daze, |
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paralyse, stagger, stupefy, overcome, overwhelm, astound, jar, |
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shock, jolt, strike dumb, amaze, confound, bewilder, take |
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(someone's) breath away, Colloq shake up, bowl over, |
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discombobulate, flabbergast: The children were stunned to hear |
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that their mother had been arrested. |
stunning adj. 1 stupefying, paralysing, staggering, benumbing, numbing; knockout: Another stunning punch to the head and McGinty went down. 2 beautiful, dazzling, brilliant, gorgeous, spectacular, ravishing, sensational, extraordinary, remarkable, marvellous, stupendous, fabulous, wonderful, superb, grand, divine,
heavenly, sublime, lovely, exquisite, glorious, astonishing, astounding, amazing, striking, splendid, staggering, overpowering, mind-boggling, earth-shaking, magnificent: There stood the most stunning creature I had ever laid eyes on. The team won a stunning victory in the county tournament.
stunt° |
n. caper, act, deed, feat, tour de force, exploit, trick, US |
dido: The dangerous stunts are done by a stand-in for the star. |
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stuntý |
v. stop, limit, delimit, restrict, check, arrest, put an end |
to, end; impede, hamper, hinder, slow, retard: My parents |
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always told me that smoking would stunt my growth. |
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stunted |
adj. dwarfed, shrunken, undersized, small, tiny, diminutive, |
little, wee: We saw a bonsai - a stunted Japanese potted tree - |
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that was hundreds of years old. |
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stupid |
adj. 1 unintelligent, fatuous, obtuse, bovine, dull, dense, |
lumpish, doltish, simple, simple-minded, moronic, imbecilic, cretinous, Boeotian, subnormal, feeble-minded, weak-minded, stolid, dull-witted, dim, dim-witted, halfwitted, thick, thick-witted, thickheaded, slow-witted, witless, brainless, mindless, empty-headed, bird-brained, feather-brained,
feather-headed, rattle-brained, rattle-headed, ox-like, boneheaded, addle-pated, addle-headed, addled, Chiefly Brit imbecile, Chiefly US dumb, jerky, thimble-witted, Colloq dopey, Brit dozy: He seemed really stupid in comparison with his precocious younger sister. 2 foolish, silly, frivolous, asinine, hare-brained, crazy, insane, mad, crack-brained, scatterbrained, absurd, inane, idiotic, ridiculous, risible, laughable,
ludicrous, nonsensical, senseless, bootless, irresponsible, irrational, ill-advised, foolhardy, half-baked, Colloq cuckoo, cock-eyed, damn-fool, Chiefly Brit daft, barmy or balmy, US
cockamamie or cockamamy: He came up with one stupid plan after another. 3 insipid, dull, tedious, boring, tiresome, humdrum, prosaic, monotonous, unimaginative, uninspired, uninteresting, vapid, vacuous, Colloq ho-hum: Most sitcoms feature stupid characters doing stupid things.
stupidity n. 1 fatuity, obtuseness, dullness, denseness, lumpishness, doltishness, simplicity, simple-mindedness, imbecility,
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cretinism, feeble-mindedness, weak-mindedness, stolidity, |
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dull-wittedness, dimness, dim-wittedness, halfwittedness, |
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thick-wittedness, slow-wittedness, thimble-wittedness, |
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witlessness, brainlessness, mindlessness, empty-headedness, |
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feather-headedness, rattle-headedness, boneheadedness: In |
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public affairs stupidity is more dangerous than knavery. 2 |
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foolishness, folly, asininity, craziness, insanity, madness, |
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absurdity, absurdness, inanity, idiocy, ridiculousness, |
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risibility, ludicrousness, nonsense, senselessness, |
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bootlessness, irresponsibility, irrationality, foolhardiness: |
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The stupidity of such a venture is obvious when you consider the |
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enormous risk and the minuscule return. |
stupor |
n. insensibility, stupefaction, torpor, lethargy, listlessness, |
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languor, laziness, lassitude, lifelessness, supineness, inertia; |
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inertness, coma, trance, unconsciousness, numbness: His stupor |
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might be caused by the medication he is taking for his cold. |
sturdy |
adj. 1 strong, solid, stout, rugged, tough, well-built, |
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substantial; strapping, muscular, powerful, brawny, burly, |
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robust, well-muscled, athletic, hardy, Colloq husky, hefty: |
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This ladder should be sturdy enough to hold you. James got that |
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sturdy build from exercise. 2 stalwart, staunch, steadfast, |
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resolute, firm, vigorous, determined, uncompromising, |
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unyielding, unwavering, unswerving, unfaltering, enduring, |