Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms
.pdffickle, erratic, fitful, unsteady, wavering, unreliable,
sporadic, occasional; unmethodical, unsystematic: The pictures in the cave danced in the uncertain light of the torch. How can we make an appointment if your plans are so uncertain?
uncharted adj. unmapped, unknown, unexplored, undiscovered, unfamiliar, strange, virgin, trackless: For weeks he wandered lost in the uncharted jungle.
unchaste adj. impure, wanton, immoral, unvirtuous, promiscuous, immodest, Cyprian, debased, lecherous, lewd, lascivious: Her unchaste conduct was a topic of conversation throughout the school.
uncivilized
adj. 1 barbarous, savage, wild, uncultivated, barbarian, barbaric, crude, primitive, brutish: He was an uncivilized man living in uncivilized surroundings. 2 unrefined, uncultured, uncouth, loutish, coarse, uneducated, untutored, unpolished, churlish, boorish, philistine, provincial, rough, rude,
unlearned, ill-mannered, incondite, unmannerly, unsophisticated, inelegant, gross, gauche: Anna's father forbade her to go out with the uncivilized boors in the nearby town.
unconscionable
adj. 1 conscienceless, unscrupulous, amoral, unprincipled, immoral, unethical, evil, criminal, unjust, wicked, arrant: This unconscionable thief stole from his own mother. 2 excessive, extortionate, egregious, extreme, unwarranted, unreasonable, outrageous, inordinate, immoderate, exorbitant,
indefensible, unpardonable, inexcusable, unforgivable: When I questioned the unconscionable size of his bill, the plumber explained that he charges extra for house calls.
unconscious
adj. 1 insensible, out (cold), knocked out, senseless, numb, stunned, comatose, dead to the world, Colloq blacked-out: The patient was unconscious for hours. 2 Often, unconscious of. heedless (of or to), unheeding, unheedful (of), insensitive
(to), mindless, unmindful (of), reflex, automatic, involuntary, unintentional, instinctive, subliminal, unthinking, unpremeditated, subconscious, unwitting; blind (to), unaware (of), oblivious (to or of), deaf (to): For Tim, scratching his
head is an unconscious act. Tim is totally unconscious of how irritating his mannerisms are.
uncontrolled
adj. unrestrained, ungoverned, unchecked, untrammelled, undisciplined, wild, unruly, boisterous, riotous, out of hand or of control, rampant, frenzied, frantic; going berserk, running amok or amuck: He hit his brother in a moment of uncontrolled anger.
under prep. 1 beneath, below, underneath, covered by: What is under that blanket? The wreck lies a mile under the surface. 2 subordinate to, answerable to, inferior to, second to, secondary
to, subservient to, below, beneath, underneath, junior to, directed or supervised or controlled by, under (the) control of, at the mercy of, at the beck and call of: The bashibazouks were under the sultan's top officers. 3 included or comprised in or
under, subsumed under: This should be under the heading, 'What is the Stupidest Thing you have done Today?' Under which category is 'Software'? 4 under the aegis or protection or eye
or guardianship or care of: The prince was trained under the grand vizier. 5 less than, lower than: I paid under œ200 for my VCR. 6 under the influence. drunk, tipsy, high, impaired: The police charged him with driving while under the influence.
--adv. 7 below, underneath, beneath: You looked on top of the bed, but have you looked under? 8 underwater, beneath the waves, down, out of sight: We watched helpless as he went under for the third time.
underclothes
n. underclothing, underwear, undergarments, lingerie, Old-fashioned unmentionables, Colloq underthings, undies, Brit smalls, Old-fashioned Brit small-clothes, US skivvies: When a salesman she met on the train said he was in ladies' underclothes, she moved to another carriage.
undercover
adj. secret, private, clandestine, confidential: He doesn't look much like an undercover agent.
undercurrent
n. 1 undertow, cross-current, rip tide, rip (current),
underflow: Caught in the undercurrent, he was carried out to sea. 2 undertone, subcurrent, trend, tendency, overtone, tenor, suggestion, murmur, implication, connotation, sense, feeling, aura, tinge, flavour, atmosphere, ambience or ambiance; vibrations, Colloq vibes: There is a sinister undercurrent of gloom about this place.
undercut v. 1 undermine, excavate, hollow out, cut out or away, gouge out: If you undercut the roadway it will collapse. 2
underprice, undercharge, sacrifice, sell cheaply or at a loss, undersell: The supermarkets undercut prices and put the independent grocers out of business.
underdog n. loser, scapegoat, victim; vanquished, defenceless; Colloq fall guy, little fellow or guy: It has always been our policy
to fight for the underdog.
underestimate
v. undervalue, underrate, discount, misjudge, miscalculate, misprize, minimize, depreciate, belittle, not do justice to, fail to appreciate, set (too) little store by, think (too)
little of: No one should underestimate the physical and mental effort involved.
undergo v. suffer, bear, endure, experience, live or go through, be subjected to, subject oneself to, sustain, submit to, weather, stand, withstand: The hotel has recently undergone extensive refurbishing.
underground
adj. 1 subterranean, buried, below-ground, sunken, covered: They crept through the underground passage into the treasure room. 2 secret, clandestine, concealed, hidden, covert, undercover, surreptitious, stealthy, private: The secret service has a worldwide underground network of agents. 3 alternative, radical, experimental, avant-garde, nonconformist,
revolutionary: Some underground newspapers that sprang up in the 1960s are still being published.
--n. 4 tube, metro, underground railway, US subway: Two more stops on the underground and we'll be there. 5 resistance, partisans or partizans, freedom fighters, (in France) Maquis, insurgents, seditionaries or seditionists, insurrectionists,
guerrillas or guerillas, extremists, revolutionaries; fifth-columnists, fifth column, saboteurs, subversives: The underground helped the family to escape to England. The government blames the underground for the bombings.
undermine v. 1 sap, drain, disable, weaken, debilitate, threaten, sabotage, subvert, damage, hurt, harm, impair, ruin, dash, wreck, spoil, Slang queer, bugger (up): He said that the entire
campaign would be undermined if the events of January 17th were ever revealed. 2 See undercut, 1, above.
undersized
adj. under-size, little, short, small, petite, tiny, elfin, bantam, slight, mignon(ne); stunted, underdeveloped, runty, runtish, dwarfish, dwarfed, pygmy, squat; underweight, undeveloped: These cattle are a bit undersized for market.
understand
v. 1 grasp, comprehend, see, perceive, discern, make out, get the drift or the hang of, appreciate, interpret, take cognizance of, recognize, be aware or conscious of, be conversant with, know, realize, conceive of, be aware (of), apprehend, penetrate, Colloq get (it), dig, catch on (to), tumble to, cotton on (to), Brit twig: I can understand what you are saying. I didn't think you understood. 2 accept, agree, arrange, covenant, take: I understand the terms of the agreement. 3 interpret, take, read, gather from, construe, surmise from, assume from, infer from, view, see: As I understand the regulation, only residents may use the facilities. 4 hear (of), gather, get wind (of), take
it, be told or informed or advised, have found out or learnt, Colloq hear tell: I understand that you've applied for another job. 5 sympathize or empathize (with), be in sympathy (with), show compassion (for), commiserate (with); accept, tolerate, allow, forgive: Surely your employer will understand your being late because of the funeral.
understanding
n. 1 agreement, contract, arrangement, bargain, covenant, concession, pact, compact, accord, treaty, concordat, entente, alliance, truce, armistice, reconciliation, settlement: They reached an understanding with respect to nuclear weapons. 2 discernment, sensitivity, sensitiveness, sympathy, empathy, perception, insight, good sense, intuition, enlightenment,
percipience, sagacity, sageness, sapience, wisdom, Colloq savvy: Georgianna brings so much understanding to her treatment of the aged. 3 Usually, understanding of. comprehension or, awareness or grasp or control or idea or conception or knowledge or mastery (of), acquaintance or familiarity or intimacy or
dexterity or skilfulness or deftness or adroitness or adeptness (with), competence or skill or expertness or know-how or proficiency or expertise (in), Colloq US fix (on), handle (on):
I know no one with a better understanding of medieval Welsh. 4 reading, interpretation, opinion, judgement, estimation, notion, view, perception, apperception, apprehension: My understanding of what took place is at odds with yours. 5 intellect,
intelligence, mind, brain, brainpower, sense, reason, reasoning power, wisdom, Colloq brains: I'm afraid that he lacks the understanding needed to cope with the subtleties of the situation.
understated
adj. subtle, restrained, low-key, simple, basic, unembellished, unadorned: Alexandra was wearing an understated black dress with a string of pearls.
understood
adj. accepted, agreed, arranged, given, covenanted, settled, conceded: It was understood that we would be dining together that night. The terms of the agreement are now fully understood.
understudy
n. 1 second, substitute, stand-in, alternate, backup, double,
sub, reserve, US pinch-hitter: The understudy got her break one night when the star fell ill.
--v. 2 substitute for, stand in for, back up, double for,
second, replace, US pinch-hit for: He is understudying Hamlet as well playing the part of Laertes.
undertake v. 1 assume, take on or upon (oneself), accept, take or assume or bear the responsibility for, enter upon, begin, start, set
about, embark on, tackle, try, attempt: Gates might be undertaking a bit too much, considering his condition. 2 promise, covenant, agree, contract, pledge, vow, swear, warrant, guarantee, bargain, commit (oneself), stipulate, engage: Is it
not true that you undertook to complete the work in six months?
undertaker
n. mortician, funeral director: The body is available for viewing at the undertaker's tonight.
undertaking
n. 1 enterprise, affair, business, project, task, effort, venture, work, feat: The scope of the undertaking was far beyond her capacity. 2 doing, performing, performance,
realization, achievement: Giles's undertaking of the work makes me feel more confident. 3 promise, pledge, commitment, assurance, contract, agreement, vow, guarantee or guaranty, warranty: You gave an undertaking to complete the work by Friday.
underworld
n. 1 Usually, the underworld. organized crime, the syndicate, the Mafia, the mob, Cosa Nostra, criminals, the criminal element, Colloq gangland: Lorenzo was fast becoming a well-known figure in the underworld. 2 nether regions, abode of the dead, Hades, Hell, Avernus, Dis, Orcus, Facetious Egyptian underground: I think I prefer contemplating the Happy Hunting
Ground of the American Indian to the underworlds of Christianity and classical Mediterranean culture.
underwrite
v. 1 back (up), finance, support, invest in, subsidize, subvene, sponsor, uphold, approve, insure, guarantee, US
subvene: The company has agreed to underwrite the development of your invention. 2 subscribe to, endorse or indorse, sign, countersign, consent to, agree to, confirm, accede to, sanction, ratify, approve, validate, Colloq OK or okay: The government underwrote the action one day, then denied knowledge of it the next.
undesirable
n. 1 persona non grata, pariah, outcast, exile, reject, leper: The police had many requests to run the undesirables out of town.
--adj. 2 unwanted, objectionable, offensive, unacceptable, obnoxious, unsavoury, unwelcome, disliked, distasteful,
repugnant, unfit, unbecoming, unsuitable: The parks are filled with tramps, drug addicts, and other undesirable elements.
undeveloped
adj. embryonic, premature, immature, incipient, inchoate, potential, latent: His sense of beauty remained undeveloped till he visited Rome.
undiluted adj. pure, neat, straight, unmixed, uncut, unblended, unadulterated, unwatered, unalloyed: No ice, please - I like my whisky undiluted. How do you like the undiluted gall of the fellow walking in here uninvited!
undisciplined
adj. untrained, unschooled, unprepared, untutored, uneducated, untaught, unpractised, uncontrolled, disobedient, naughty, bad, wilful, wayward, unrestrained, erratic, unpredictable, unruly, wild: The sergeant has taken quite a few undisciplined recruits and knocked them into shape.
undisguised
adj. open, out-and-out, unmistakable or unmistakeable, overt, unconcealed, unreserved, unrestrained, unfeigned, unpretended, obvious, evident, patent, clear, explicit, transparent, sincere, heartfelt, unalloyed, unmitigated: They regarded the traitor with undisguised contempt.
undisputed
adj. unquestioned, unquestionable, beyond question, accepted, acknowledged, admitted, indisputable, indubitable, undoubted, certain, sure, unmistakable or unmistakeable, definite, explicit, clear, (self-)evident, obvious, uncontested, unchallenged, incontestable, irrefutable, incontrovertible, undeniable, conclusive: He proved once again that he is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
undistinguished
adj. ordinary, commonplace, common, everyday, run-of-the-mill, pedestrian, unexceptional, plain, homespun, simple, prosaic, unremarkable; mediocre, middling, indifferent, unexciting, unimpressive, unpretentious, Brit homely, Colloq so so, no great shakes, no big deal, nothing to write home about, nothing
special or unusual or extraordinary: It was an undistinguished
modern building near the roundabout.
undivided adj. 1 whole, entire, unbroken, uncut, intact, unseparated, complete, unsplit: The family lands remained undivided for generations. 2 undiverted, whole, entire, devoted, concentrated, full, complete, exclusive, undistracted: You have my undivided attention.
undo v. 1 loosen, loose, open, unfasten, unhook, unlace, unzip, unsnap, unbutton, untie, unpin; unlock, unbolt: Help me undo my blouse. Don't undo the gate - you'll let the dogs out. 2 unwrap, uncover, open, untie, unbind: Why have you allowed the children to undo their Christmas presents a week early? 3 cancel, annul, rescind, nullify, void, declare null and void, reverse,
invalidate: If one could undo things there would be no such thing as regret.
undoing n. 1 ruin, ruination, destruction, devastation, defeat, downfall, overthrow, fall, collapse, descent, debasement, degradation, abasement, mortification, humiliation, shame, disgrace: It is not easy to identify the factors that brought about the demagogue's undoing. 2 curse, misfortune, bane, affliction, trouble, blight: As the novelists would have it, a beautiful woman was his undoing.
undone° adj. 1 ruined, lost, wrecked, crushed, destroyed, devastated, shattered, brought to ruin, defeated, prostrated, overcome:
Brian was completely undone by that gold-digging heart-breaker he met in Caracas. If the headmaster finds out about the glue, we are undone! 2 open, loose, loosened, untied, unfastened, detached, unhooked, unlaced, unzipped, unsnapped, unbuttoned, unpinned, unstuck: Your shoelaces are undone. The knot came undone.
undoneý adj. unaccomplished, uncompleted, incomplete, unfinished, omitted, neglected, left (out), skipped, missed, passed over, forgotten, unattended to: From this list of chores, how many are still undone?
undoubtedly
adv. indubitably, without (a) doubt, indisputably, unquestionably, beyond (a or the shadow of a) doubt, certainly, definitely, surely, assuredly, unmistakably or unmistakeably,