Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

his jaw goes taut like that I know he's angry. 2 Nautical neat, tidy, Bristol fashion, shipshape, spruce, (in) trim, smart, orderly, well-organized; well-disciplined: Captain Scriven runs a taut ship, no doubt about it.

tautology n. repetition, redundancy, battology, pleonasm, iteration, tautologism; repetitiousness, repetitiveness, wordiness, prolixity, verbiage, verbosity, long-windedness: Clich‚s like 'null and void' and 'cease and desist' are tautologies. Tautology, when called 'repetition', is often used for rhetorical effect.

tawdry adj. gaudy, cheap, flashy, brummagem, showy, meretricious, garish, loud, tatty, tinsel, tinselly, plastic, tinny, shabby,

20.2 teach...

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teach v. instruct (in), inform (about), communicate (to), educate, guide, train, tutor, coach, enlighten, edify, indoctrinate, inculcate, instil, school in, demonstrate, show, familiarize or acquaint with, give lessons (in) (to); drill, discipline: She

is qualified to teach chemistry. Captain Ross taught many youngsters to sail. She wants to teach when she completes her training.

teacher n. schoolteacher, educator, instructor, professor, doctor, tutor, fellow, lecturer, master, mistress, schoolmaster, schoolmistress, coach, trainer, guide, mentor, guru, cicerone, counsellor, advisor; educationist; Brit don, Scots dominie, US

--v. 3 Often, team up. join (up or together), band or get or work together, unite, combine, link (up), cooperate,

mangle, claw, split, divide, separate, sever: The tiger is tearing its quarry to shreds. He tore the contract in half and stormed out. 2 pull, snatch, wrench: The force of the blast tore the attach‚ case from my grasp. The child was torn from her mother's arms by the soldier. 3 dash, fly, run, gallop, race, sprint, rush, scoot, shoot, sprint, speed, bolt, dart,

flit, scurry, scuttle, career, zoom, hurry, hasten, Colloq zip:

He is tearing around trying to find the money to cover his loan.

--n. 4 rip, rent, rupture, hole, split, slash, gore, cut, score, slit, gash, fissure, rift, laceration: Nobody will see the tear in your trousers if you remain seated.

tearful adj. weeping, crying, in tears, sobbing, whimpering, dewy-eyed, blubbering, snivelling, lachrymose, Colloq weepy: She was tearful as she told him they could not meet again.

tease v. 1 bait, taunt, torment, harass, bedevil, bother, nettle, plague, chaff, pester, annoy, irritate, needle, goad, badger, provoke, vex, twit, tantalize, frustrate, Non-Standard aggravate, Colloq guy, pick on, rib, drive mad or crazy, drive up the wall, Brit take the mickey out of, Slang rag: Stop teasing the animals! Frances would tease me by agreeing to go

out and then begging off with a headache. 2 coax, worry, winkle, work, manipulate: He was finally able to tease the broken piece of key out of the lock.

technical adj. 1 complex, complicated, detailed, intricate, specialized: This is a technical matter, not easily understood by the layman. 2 mechanical, applied, industrial, polytechnic, technologic(al):

We thought he would be happier attending a technical school.

technique n. 1 technic, method, approach, manner, mode, fashion, style, procedure, system, tack, line, modus operandi, standard

operating procedure, Colloq MO (= 'modus operandi'), SOP (= 'standard operating procedure'): After many years, he has developed his own technique for building hot-air balloons. 2 technic, art, craftsmanship, artistry, craft, knack, touch,

skill, skilfulness, adroitness, adeptness, dexterousness, facility, competence, faculty, ability, aptitude, performance, proficiency, talent, gift, genius, know-how, knowledge, expertise: Jason's technique remains unsurpassed.

tedious adj. over-long, long-drawn-out, prolonged, endless, unending, monotonous, unchanging, changeless, unvarying, laborious, long-winded, wearing, wearying, wearisome, tiring, exhausting, fatiguing, tiresome, boring, dreary, dull, dry-as-dust, drab, colourless, vapid, insipid, flat, uninteresting, banal,

unexciting, prosaic, prosy, soporific, humdrum, routine, repetitious, repetitive, mechanical, automaton-like, automatic, Colloq ho-hum, Slang dead, US blah: For almost fifty years my father had a tedious job on an assembly line.

tedium n. tediousness, monotony, changelessness, invariability, long-windedness, wearisomeness, tiresomeness, boredom, ennui, dreariness, dullness, drabness, colourlessness, vapidity, insipidity, insipidness, two-dimensionality, banality, routine, repetitiousness: How do you survive the tedium of getting up and going to an office every day?

teenager n. adolescent, youth, boy, girl, young man, young lady, juvenile, minor, Colloq kid: The town ought to provide a place where teenagers can get together.

teeter v. balance, wobble, rock, sway, totter, waver, tremble,

stagger: She screamed when she saw Bruce teetering on the edge of the precipice.

telegram n. cable, cablegram, radiogram, radio-telegram, wire, telex, (In France) bleu, pneu, Brit trade mark Telemessage, US trade mark Mailgram: She received a telegram from him, saying that he would be arriving on Monday.

telephone n. 1 handset, phone, Colloq blower, Chiefly US horn: Mr Fraser, the Managing Director is on the telephone for you.

--v. 2 phone, ring (up), call (up), give (someone) a ring or a call, Colloq get (someone) on the blower or chiefly US the horn, give (someone) a tinkle or a buzz, buzz: Telephone when you have a chance.

telescope n. 1 spyglass, Old-fashioned glass; refracting telescope, reflecting telescope, radio telescope: Through the telescope, he could just discern the American coastline.

--v. 2 shorten, compress, abbreviate, curtail, condense, summarize, pr‚cis, digest, tighten (up), boil down, abridge, truncate, abstract: Telescope the report into two columns for page 2. 3 concertina, squash, crush: The first three carriages of the train were telescoped in the crash.

television

n. TV, video (receiver), small screen, Colloq box, idiot box,

Brit telly, US boob tube, Slang tube, Brit goggle-box: My television was not working over the weekend.

tell° v. 1 relate, narrate, recount, recite: Tell me a story. 2 Sometimes, tell of. say, mention, hint at, refer to, touch on, utter, state, declare, proclaim, announce, publish, broadcast, communicate, make known, report, impart, indicate, release, break, let (something) be known, advertise, trumpet, herald, bring to light, disclose, divulge, intimate, leak, admit,

betray, acknowledge, confess, disbosom oneself, get (something) off (one's) chest, unburden or disburden (oneself), blab,

tattle, Colloq talk, let the cat out of the bag, spill the beans, let out, let slip, blow the whistle on, give away the

(whole) show, US pull the plug on, Slang squeal, squeak, rat, peach, US spill (one's) guts: She told of her fears. He refuses to tell where the money is hidden. She talked a lot but told very little. 3 apprise, advise, inform, let (someone) know, notify, acquaint (someone) with (something): He has told me everything. Tell them that I shall be late. He told them nothing of his illness. 4 recount, describe, delineate, outline,

portray, depict, express, put, word, explain: I am not sure how to tell you this. 5 order, command, require, demand (that), charge, direct, dictate (that), instruct, bid: Tell them I want no visitors today. She told him to go. 6 carry weight, be influential, be effective, have (an) effect: What we accomplished here today is bound to tell in our favour. 7 determine, say, confirm, aver, assert, asseverate, swear, take an oath, be sure or certain or positive, know (for sure or for certain): It just shows you never can tell. 8 ascertain, determine, perceive, understand, make out, discern, identify, recognize, distinguish, discriminate, differentiate: I cannot tell if that is George or not. I can't tell George from John in this photograph. 9 predict, prophesy, forecast, foretell, foresee, forecast, determine, ascertain, know: Who can tell what tomorrow will bring? 10 tell off. scold, reprimand, berate, chide, castigate, censure, take to task, rebuke,

lecture, reproach, reprove, Colloq give (someone) a tongue-lashing, rake or haul (someone) over the coals, give (someone) a piece of (one's) mind, tick off, Slang tear a strip off, US chew out: He was told off for being late for dinner again. 11 tell on. tattle on, blab about, Brit grass on: Charlotte never forgave Tim for telling on her to Aunt Jane.

powerful, forceful, potent, significant, considerable, striking: The new colour scheme in the office has had a telling effect on morale.

--n. 2 tattling, (too) revealing, Colloq letting the cat out of

the bag, giving away the whole show: I cannot say why her key was found in his pocket - that would be telling.

temper n. 1 mood, disposition, temperament, humour, state or frame of mind, character, personality, nature, make-up, constitution: Practising law did not suit his temper, so he became a social worker. 2 composure, self-control, self-possession, calmness, equanimity, balance, sang-froid, coolness, Colloq cool: He

would lose his temper if she ever mentioned another man. 3 ill humour, ill temper, foul temper, irascibility, irritability, petulance, volatility, peevishness, huffishness, surliness, churlishness, hotheadedness, hot-bloodedness: At the first sign of temper, just ignore him. 4 (temper) tantrum, fury, fit (of pique), rage, passion, Colloq Brit wax, paddy: She went off into a temper at the mere mention of his name.

--v. 5 modify, moderate, assuage, mollify, soften, cushion, tone down, allay, soothe, mitigate, palliate, reduce, relax, slacken, lighten, appease: The cold currents from the poles are tempered by the equatorial waters. She used all her wiles to temper his fury. 6 anneal, toughen, strengthen, harden: Plunge the heated blade into water to temper it.

temperamental

adj. 1 moody, sensitive, touchy, hypersensitive, volatile, irascible, irritable, petulant, testy, short-tempered, hot-tempered, hotheaded, hot-blooded, excitable, explosive, on a short fuse or US fuze, capricious, impatient, bad-humoured, curt, brusque, short, gruff, bluff, curmudgeonly, waspish, snappish, peevish, crabby, crabbed, grumpy, huffish, huffy, crotchety, US cranky, Colloq grouchy: He's not usually temperamental - must be something he ate. 2 erratic, uneven, unreliable, inconsistent, undependable, unpredictable: That car of mine is getting temperamental in its old age.

temperance

n. 1 (self-)restraint, moderation, (self-)control, forbearance, (self-)discipline, continence: Temperance is one of the four cardinal virtues, alongside justice, prudence, and fortitude. 2 abstemiousness, teetotalism, abstinence, sobriety, Rechabitism; prohibition: We have always preached temperance to our children.

temperate adj. 1 moderate, reasonable, (self-)restrained, disciplined, controlled, forbearing, reasonable, sensible, sane, rational,

not excessive, composed, steady, stable, even-tempered, equable, sober, sober-sided, sober-minded, mild, dispassionate, unimpassioned, cool, cool-headed, unexcited, calm, unruffled, tranquil, imperturbable, unperturbed, self-possessed, quiet, serene: Even the most temperate of women would lose her cool when dealing with a man like that. 2 abstemious, teetotal, abstinent, continent, moderate, sober; chaste, celibate,

austere, ascetic, self-denying, puritanical: Those who lead temperate lives seem to live no longer than those who yield to dissipation.

tempest n. 1 storm, wind-storm, hailstorm, rainstorm, hurricane, typhoon, tornado, cyclone, squall, thunderstorm: The Red Spot on Jupiter is the centre of a perpetual, violent tempest. 2

storm, commotion, disturbance, upheaval, disruption, furore or US furor, turbulence, ferment, tumult, agitation, perturbation, hurly-burly, disorder, outbreak, unrest, riot, chaos, uproar, brouhaha, Colloq hoo-ha: After the tempest of protest died down, a vote was taken and saner heads prevailed.

tempestuous

adj. stormy, wild, uncontrolled, uncontrollable, disrupting, disruptive, turbulent, tumultuous, riotous, chaotic, uproarious, boisterous, frantic, frenzied, frenetic, furious, wrathful, vehement, fiery, impassioned, fierce: They had a tempestuous relationship, and did not live together for very long.

template n. templet, pattern, mould, guide, model, die: The work on the lathe is matched to the template.

temple n. place or house of worship, holy place, house of God, church, synagogue, mosque, pagoda, cathedral, sanctuary, chapel, shrine,

Yiddish shul or schul: Temples to gods are found throughout the world.

tempo n. cadence, rhythm, beat, time, pulse, metre, measure; pace, speed, rate: The melody should be played in waltz tempo. Living in the country, Tom is unaccustomed to the tempo of big-city life.

temporal adj. 1 earthly, terrestrial, terrene, mundane, worldly, non-spiritual, non-clerical, lay, laic(al), secular, non-religious, non-ecclesiastic(al), material, civil, profane, fleshly, mortal: He believed that his temporal miseries would

be compensated for by an eternity in the seventh heaven. 2 See temporary, below.

temporarily

adv. 1 for the time being, in the interim, pro tem, in or for the meantime or the meanwhile, for now: Mr Peters is temporarily out of the office, and will contact you on his return. 2 briefly, fleetingly, for a (short or little) while or time, for the moment: Your size is temporarily out of stock, madam.

temporary adj. impermanent, makeshift, stopgap, stand-by, provisional; pro tem, transitory, transient, fleeting, fugitive, passing, ephemeral, temporal, evanescent, short-lived, momentary: I suppose it will have to do as a temporary substitute.

tempt v. 1 attract, entice, lure, allure, draw (in), invite, lead on, whet (one's) appetite, seduce, captivate, persuade, coax, cajole: They had a special offer to tempt new customers. 2

lead, induce, persuade, prompt, move, incline, dispose: I would be tempted to resign if they treated me that way. 3 provoke, dare, (put to the) test: I shouldn't tempt Providence if I were you.

temptation

n. 1 tempting, enticing, leading on, seducing, captivating, persuading, coaxing, cajoling: The temptation by advertisers never stops, does it? 2 enticement, seduction, captivation, persuasion, allurement, invitation, attraction, draw, lure, inducement, snare, Colloq pull, come-on: I could never resist a temptation like that.

tempting adj. 1 seductive, enticing, inviting, alluring, captivating, attractive, tantalizing, appealing, irresistible, titillating; fetching, winsome, prepossessing, ravishing, voluptuous,

sensuous, Colloq sexy, US foxy: They made her a very tempting offer which she found hard to refuse. He was continually distracted by thoughts of tempting young girls. 2 appetizing, mouth-watering, delicious, savoury, delectable, succulent, luscious, toothsome: Why does food always look most tempting when I am on a diet?

temptress n. seductress, vamp, siren, femme fatale, coquette, flirt, enchantress, sorceress, Circe, Slang sexpot, man-eater, US foxy lady, fox, mantrap: You warned me against that temptress because you wanted her for yourself.

tenable adj. defensible, supportable, justifiable, maintainable, workable, viable, defendable, plausible, reasonable, rational, arguable, believable, credible, creditable, imaginable, conceivable, possible: Copernicus showed that Ptolemaic cosmology was no longer tenable.

tenacious adj. 1 persistent, dogged, unfaltering, pertinacious, unswerving, determined, diligent, resolute, staunch, stalwart, steadfast, strong, sturdy, unwavering, strong-willed, strong-minded, unshaken, unshakeable or unshakable, obstinate, intransigent, stubborn, adamant, obdurate, refractory, immovable, inflexible, rigid, firm, unyielding, uncompromising: Despite his age, Christopher maintains a tenacious grip on reality. 2 cohesive, strong, tough; adhesive, sticky, clinging; gummy, gluey, mucilaginous, glutinous, viscous, viscid: The bricks are then smeared over with a tenacious mud, which dries hard. 3 Often, tenacious of. clinging (to), grasping,

maintaining, keeping (up), staying with, retentive (of), persisting or persistent (in), retaining: She is tenacious of

the old ways of doing things. 4 retentive, good: Aunt Agatha has a very tenacious memory.

tenacity n. 1 tenaciousness, persistence, doggedness, perseverance, pertinacity, determination, grit, diligence, resoluteness, resolution, purposefulness, resolve, staunchness, steadfastness, stamina, assiduity, sedulousness, strength, strong-mindedness, unshakeability or unshakability, obstinacy, intransigence,