Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

theorem n. 1 hypothesis, proposition, assumption, conjecture, thesis, postulate: He has set forth a clever proof of the binomial theorem. 2 statement, dictum, rule, deduction, formula, axiom, principle: After a lifetime of experience, his theorem is that honesty is the best policy.

theoretical

adj. 1 hypothetical, conjectural, speculative, untested, unproved, unproven, moot, putative, debatable, supposititious, suppositional: The theoretical trajectory will take it beyond Uranus. 2 impractical, unrealistic, pure, ideal, abstract, academic: The suggestion was purely theoretical, since we have no means of carrying it out.

theorist n. theoretician, speculator, hypothecator, hypothesizer, theorizer, philosopher, dreamer: Leave guesswork to the theorists: we need hard facts.

theorize v. guess, hypothesize, conjecture, speculate: It is logically illogical to theorize about articles of faith.

therapeutic

adj. therapeutical, healing, curative, remedial, restorative, salutary, health-giving, healthy, beneficial, corrective, salubrious, medical, medicinal: Primitive medicine men knew of the therapeutic powers of these herbs.

therapist n. psychotherapist, psychologist, analyst, therapeutist, psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, counsellor, advisor, Colloq shrink: For some problems it is best to seek the advice of a trained counsellor or therapist.

therapy n. 1 remedy, treatment, remedial programme; cure: As therapy, he suggested I swim a mile every day. 2 psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, analysis, group therapy: If it weren't for my weekly therapy sessions, I'd never see anyone.

therefore adv. consequently, so, thus, as a result or consequence, hence, ergo, for that reason, wherefore, accordingly, that being so or

the case: Demand for our products has fallen dramatically, and we cannot therefore expect to make a profit this year.

thesaurus n. 1 treasury, treasure trove, storehouse, armoury, arsenal, repository, cache: It is hoped that this book will be regarded as a thesaurus of linguistic treasures. 2 synonym dictionary,

synonymy, dictionary, lexicon: He checked in his thesaurus for a synonym of 'idea'.

thesis n. 1 argument, theory, proposition, point, contention, belief, idea, premise or premiss, assumption, view, assertion, precept, opinion, notion, theorem, axiom, postulate: Think how many centuries it took man to come to grips with the thesis that all men are created equal. 2 See theme, 2, above.

Thespian adj. 1 dramatic, theatrical or theatric, histrionic, acting, performing; Colloq ham, hammy: His Thespian talents went unnoticed until he appeared as an extra in a James Bond movie.

--n. 2 actor, actress, performer, trouper, player; supernumerary; matin‚e idol, star; Colloq ham: For many years she was one of the most beloved Thespians who ever trod the boards.

thick adj. 1 broad, wide, solid, thickset, burly, ample, solid, bulky, substantial, beamy: He sank his teeth into the thickest sandwich I have ever seen. She is a bit thicker in the

mid-section than I had remembered, but a good ketch nonetheless. 2 Usually, thick with. dense, solid, compact, concentrated, condensed, packed, close-packed, compressed, crowded, choked, filled, full, deep, clotted, chock-full or choke-full or

chuck-full, chock-a-block, teeming, swarming, alive, bristling, crawling, bursting, crammed, jammed, brimming, Colloq lousy with: The gallery was thick with visitors. 3 compact, condensed, compressed, choking, packed, impenetrable,

impassable, dense; pea-soup, soupy, murky, misty, foggy, smoggy, smoky, opaque, obscure, obscuring, hazy: We plunged deeper into the thick jungle. A thick fog blanketed the valley. 4 abundant, plentiful, bushy, luxuriant: Her thick red hair tumbled down

over her shoulders. 5 dense, viscid, viscous, gelatinous, mucilaginous, gluey, glutinous, ropy, coagulated, clotted, congealed, jelled, jellied, inspissated, stiffish; stiff, firm, rigid, solid: For a thicker sauce, use cornflour. 6 thickheaded, thick-witted, thick-skulled, dense, stupid, slow, slow-witted, dull, dull-witted, stolid, obtuse, gormless,

boneheaded, fat-headed, pin-headed, wooden-headed, addle-pated,

halfwitted, block-headed, doltish, Boeotian, cretinous, imbecilic, moronic, US thimble-witted; insensitive,

thick-skinned; Colloq dim-witted, Slang dopey: How could anyone so thick have become an executive? 7 guttural, hoarse, throaty, raspy, rasping, rough, husky, grating, gravelly, indistinct,

distorted, inarticulate; gruff, raucous: 'I need you,' he moaned, his voice thick with emotion. 8 close, friendly, like

that, inseparable, devoted, hand in glove, on good terms, on the best (of) terms, intimate, Colloq chummy, pally, (as) thick as thieves, Brit matey, well in, US palsy-walsy: We were thick in the old days, going everywhere together. 9 marked, pronounced, strong, decided, obvious, typical: She speaks English with a thick Polish accent.

--n. 10 core, heart, centre, middle, focus, midst: If it's a fight, you can be sure that Timothy will be in the thick of it.

thicken v. coagulate, clot, congeal, jell, gel, set, solidify, stiffen, harden, firm up, cake, incrassate, inspissate: Cornflour can be used to thicken sauces.

thicket n. copse, brake, grove, covert, wood, Brit spinney: We concealed our horses in the thicket and stole ahead on foot.

thick-skinned

n. insensitive, insensate, dull, obtuse, stolid, callous, numb(ed), steeled, hardened, toughened, tough, unsusceptible, inured, unfeeling, case-hardened, impervious, pachydermatous, Colloq hard-boiled: You must be very thick-skinned not to realize that they were getting at you.

thief n. 1 robber, burglar, cat burglar, housebreaker, picklock, sneak-thief, safe-cracker, pilferer, shoplifter, purloiner; embezzler, peculator; pickpocket, cutpurse, purse-snatcher, mugger, highwayman, footpad, brigand, bandit, thug, dacoit, ruffian, outlaw, desperado, hijacker, gunman, plunderer; poacher; Technical kleptomaniac, Australian bush-ranger, US road-agent, Colloq hold-up man, crook, US second-story or

second-storey man, bandito or bandido, Slang cracksman, box man, dip, stick-up man: They caught the thief who took the

paintings. 2 cheat, swindler, confidence man, mountebank, charlatan, sharper, trickster, flimflam artist or man, thimblerigger, Colloq con man, con artist, shell-game artist, US

tenable, not unlikely, plausible, believable, credible: It is hardly thinkable that they can be serious.

thinker n. sage, wise man, savant, Nestor, Solomon, pundit, mastermind, philosopher, scholar, learned person, mentor, expert: She has

been looked on as one of the great thinkers of her time.

thinking adj. 1 rational, sensible, ratiocinative, intelligent, reasoning, reasonable; meditative, contemplative, reflective, philosophical, cogitative, pensive, thoughtful, intellectual: Any thinking person would have done the same as you.

--n. 2 opinion, judgement, belief, thought, point of view, viewpoint, assessment, evaluation, theory, reasoning, conclusion, idea, philosophy, outlook: There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Do you concur with the current thinking on education?

thirst n. 1 craving, desire, appetite, hunger, eagerness, avidity, ravenousness, voracity, voraciousness, lust, passion, enthusiasm, fancy, hankering, longing, yearning, Colloq itch, yen: It was the thirst for gold that drove them mad. She has an insatiable thirst for knowledge.

--v. 2 Often, thirst for or after. crave, desire, hunger for or after, lust for or after, fancy, hanker for or after, long for, yearn for, wish for: These men are thirsting for power.

thirsty adj. 1 parched, dry, dehydrated; arid: I need another drink - I'm really thirsty. The thirsty land welcomes the rain. 2 desirous, hungry, avid, eager, ravenous, voracious, burning, greedy, avaricious, hankering, yearning, craving, Colloq itching: The students are thirsty for knowledge and very hard-working.

thorn n. 1 barb, spine, spike, prickle, bristle, brier, bur or burr, point, bramble, cocklebur: My sleeve caught on the thorn and tore. 2 Often, thorn in (one's) side. bother, irritation, annoyance, nuisance, vexation, torment, torture, scourge, plague, affliction, irritant, bane, Colloq pain in the neck, Taboo slang pain in the Brit arse or US ass: His nagging brother has been a thorn in his side for years.

thorny adj. 1 prickly, barbed, spiny, spiked, brambly, spinous, Technical spinose, acanthoid, spiculose, spiculate, spinulose, aciculate, muricate, barbellate, setigerous, setaceous, setiferous, setose: The insect's feet have tiny thorny projections. 2 difficult, hard, tough, prickly, nettlesome, painful, ticklish, delicate, intricate, critical, complex, complicated, problematic, vexatious, knotty, tangled, involved, troublesome, controversial, nasty, worrying, Colloq sticky,

Slang hairy: Many thorny questions have vexed us throughout the ages.

thorough adj. 1 thoroughgoing, complete, downright, perfect, through-and-through, total, unmitigated, undiluted, unmixed, unalloyed, out-and-out, unqualified, sheer, utter, arrant, absolute, proper: I have rarely encountered such thorough stupidity. 2 exhaustive, extensive, painstaking, meticulous, assiduous, careful, scrupulous, particular, conscientious, methodical: Police conducted a thorough search but found nothing. 3 extensive, exhaustive, detailed, in-depth, comprehensive, full, complete, all-inclusive, total, all-embracing, encyclopedic or encyclopaedic, universal, A-to-Z,

Colloq all-out: We need someone who has a thorough knowledge of the terrain.

thoroughly

adv. 1 completely, downright, perfectly, totally, unqualifiedly, utterly, absolutely, entirely, extremely, unreservedly, wholly, fully, positively, definitely, quite: He is thoroughly stupid, as we all know. 2 carefully, painstakingly, exhaustively, extensively, assiduously, sedulously, methodically, conscientiously, scrupulously, meticulously, intensively, comprehensively, completely, throughout, from top to bottom, from stem to stern, backwards and forwards, in every nook and cranny: Police searched thoroughly again, but could still find no murder weapon.

though conj. 1 although, even though, while, in spite of or despite the fact that, notwithstanding that, albeit, granted, granting

or conceding that, allowing or admitting that, even if, supposing: Though it is the right size, I hate the colour.

--adv. 2 however, nonetheless, nevertheless, yet, but, still, even so, be that as it may, all the same, notwithstanding, for

all that: She lost the original; I kept a copy though.

thought n. 1 thinking, reflection, reflecting, meditation, meditating, contemplation, contemplating, cogitation, cogitating, musing, pondering, rumination, ruminating, brooding, mental activity, mentation, brown study; brainwork, cerebration, deliberation, deliberating, consideration, considering: She was deep in thought. The solution may require considerable thought. 2 idea, notion, brainstorm, observation: I have a thought that I'd like to share with you. 3 consideration, contemplation, planning, plan, scheme, design, intention, expectation, hope, prospect, anticipation, dream, vision: Any thought of taking a few days off had to be abandoned. 4 thoughtfulness, consideration, kindliness, kind-heartedness, concern, compassion, tenderness, kindness, sympathy, attentiveness, regard, solicitude: I don't need any help, but I appreciate the thought. 5 Often, thoughts. recollection(s), memory or memories, remembrance(s), reminiscence(s): Now and then he comforted himself with thoughts of his happy childhood. 6 intellect, intelligence, reasoning, rationality, ratiocination, reason: Some believe

that only humans are capable of thought. 7 bit, trifle, touch, small amount, trace, soup‡on, little, tinge: This champagne is a thought too sweet.

thoughtful

adj. 1 considerate, kind, kindly, kind-hearted, compassionate, tender, sympathetic, attentive, solicitous, helpful, charitable: Wasn't it thoughtful of Simon to offer his help? 2 contemplative, pensive, reflective, musing, in a brown study, pondering, meditative, engrossed, introspective, rapt, wistful,

brooding, wool-gathering, day-dreaming: Every time I mentioned Clarissa, he would become thoughtful. 3 prudent, wary,

cautious, mindful, heedful, thinking, attentive, circumspect, careful, caring: The crew are ever thoughtful of the passengers' safety.

thoughtless

adj. 1 inconsiderate, rude, impolite, insensitive, tactless, undiplomatic, untactful, unthinking: It was thoughtless of you to mention her son, who is serving time for possession of drugs. 2 rash, imprudent, negligent, foolish, stupid, careless, neglectful, reckless, silly, unthinking, unreflective, absent-minded, forgetful, remiss, ill-considered, heedless,

inadvertent, inattentive: How thoughtless of me to forget your birthday!

thrashing n. 1 beating, drubbing, whipping, flogging, assault, caning, belting, mauling, lashing, trouncing, basting, battering, pounding, Colloq hiding, tanning, lambasting, hammering, pasting: Every time he stepped into the ring he got a thrashing. 2 punishment, chastisement, disciplining, discipline, castigation: He dreaded the thrashing his father administered at any sign of disobedience.

thread n. 1 fibre, filament, strand, (piece of) yarn; string, line,

cord, twine: Threads from his jacket were found clutched in the victim's hand. The glass is spun out into fine threads. 2

theme, plot, story-line, subject, motif, thesis, course, drift, direction, tenor, train (of thought), sequence or train or chain of events: It is difficult to follow the thread of the story when it has so many digressions.

--v. 3 string: Carefully thread the beads onto the wire. 4 file, wind, pass, squeeze (through), pick or make (one's) way

(through), inch, ease: He threaded his way through the crowd to reach the dais.

threadbare

adj. 1 frayed, worn (out), worn to a frazzle, ragged, moth-eaten, tattered, tatty, scruffy, shabby, seedy, torn, wretched, sorry, slovenly: My old winter coat is looking a bit

threadbare. 2 trite, hackneyed, overused, overworked, reworked, stale, tired, stereotyped, commonplace, clich‚d, clich‚-ridden, banal, prosaic, dull, monotonous, tedious, tiresome, boring, played out, Colloq old hat: You'll never make it as a comedian by relying on that threadbare material of yours.

threat n. 1 intimidation, menace, commination, warning, peril, risk, danger, Damoclean sword: It is not honesty but the threat of punishment that deters many from crime. 2 omen, presage, portent, foreboding, forewarning, intimation: The villagers lived under a constant threat from the smoking volcano.

threaten v. 1 intimidate, menace, terrorize, daunt, cow, bully, browbeat, warn, caution: The headmaster threatened those who misbehaved with the most dire punishment. 2 imperil, put at