Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms
.pdfemotionally: She is deeply involved with a man from Kent. They were deeply committed to the labour movement.
deface |
v. mar, disfigure, spoil, ruin, deform, blemish, damage, |
mutilate, harm, impair, injure, destroy: Nothing should be |
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allowed to deface the beauty of these buildings. |
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default |
n. 1 failure, fault, defect, neglect, negligence, dereliction, |
lapse, oversight, non-performance, non-fulfilment, inaction: We won the case because of their default on the contract. The other contestant failed to appear, so Gordon won the match by default. 2 non-payment, delinquency: Default in the rent may result in eviction.
--v. 3 fail, neglect, dishonour, lapse, fall short, come (up) short: He has defaulted on a car payment.
defeat v. 1 overcome, conquer, vanquish, be victorious over, get the better of, beat, subdue, overwhelm, overpower, prevail over, triumph over, bring down, worst, thrash, rout, repulse, overthrow, trounce, whip, crush, destroy, do in, best: The champion defeated the contender in a ten-round match. 2 thwart, frustrate, disappoint, check, balk, stop, terminate, end,
finish, foil: He never let his handicap defeat his hopes of winning.
--n. 3 conquest, overthrow, beating, repulse, trouncing, rout, vanquishment: The defeat of our team must be charged to lack of training. 4 frustration, undoing, failure, miscarriage,
set-back; Waterloo: The stock market crash spelled the defeat of the company's plan for a share issue.
defecate v. void (excrement), move the bowels, excrete, eliminate, evacuate (the bowels), have a (bowel) movement or bm, open the bowels, relieve oneself, Babytalk do number two , Euphemistic go to the men's or ladies' (room), go to the toilet or bathroom or lavatory, excuse (oneself), wash (one's) hands, go to the bathroom, go to the powder-room; Mincing go to the little boys' or girls' room; Colloq Brit spend a penny, Colloq Brit go to the loo, pass a motion, Taboo slang (take a) crap or shit: The
first symptoms of bowel disease are problems when defecating.
defect n. 1 shortcoming, deficiency, lack, want, inadequacy,
insufficiency, shortfall, failure, weakness, frailty, weak point, imperfection, irregularity, liability: See the doctor about that hearing defect. 2 blemish, imperfection, failing, weakness, flaw, fault, mark, stain, irregularity, mistake, error: The products should be inspected for defects before shipping.
--v. 3 desert, change sides or loyalties, turn traitor, go
over; escape: Ropovich tried to defect, but the Albanians sent him back.
defective adj. 1 imperfect, faulty, flawed, deficient, broken, out of order, impaired, marred, Colloq on the blink, US on the fritz: The brakes on his car were defective. 2 retarded, simple, feeble-minded, (mentally) deficient or incompetent, backward, subnormal, Brit education ESN ('educationally subnormal'), US education exceptional: Found to be defective, he could not stand trial.
defector n. deserter, apostate, turncoat, traitor, renegade, Colloq rat: Some political defectors were suspected of being spies.
defence n. 1 shelter, protection, cover, guard, safeguard, shield: There is no defence against certain illnesses. 2 fortification, armour, barricade, screen, bulwark, rampart: Shore defences were set up, including barbed wire entanglements and concrete pillboxes. 3 excuse, apology, reason, apologia, explanation; justification, vindication, argument, plea, advocacy, support:
His defence for decreasing welfare payments was inadequate. She spoke in defence of nationalizing industry.
defenceless
adj. unprotected, exposed, vulnerable, unguarded; helpless, weak, powerless, impotent: Would you take advantage of a poor, defenceless creature?
defend v. 1 protect, watch over, guard, safeguard, keep (safe), shelter, shield, screen, preserve; fight for: We must defend our civil rights. 2 fortify, arm, secure; fend or ward off, parry: Can you defend your position from attack? 3 plead for, speak or stand up for, stick up for, go to bat for, support, uphold, stand by, champion, stand with or behind or beside, argue for or in behalf of, hold a brief for, espouse: The
lawyers defended her right to free speech.
defer° |
v. put off, postpone, delay, shelve, lay or put aside, adjourn, |
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US table; Colloq Brit kick into touch: The judge has deferred |
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his decision. |
deferý |
v. Often, defer to. give in (to), give ground or way (to), |
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yield (to), submit (to), bow (to), capitulate (to), cede (to), |
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accede (to), acquiesce (to); comply (with), agree (to): I'll |
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defer to your decision in the matter. |
deference n. 1 respect, regard, politeness, civility, courtesy, consideration, esteem: They treated him with deference owing to his age. 2 obeisance, submission, acquiescence, obedience, compliance: Considering her accomplishments, she is paid little deference.
defiant adj. challenging, bold, brazen, audacious, daring; rebellious, disobedient, stubborn, recalcitrant, obstinate, refractory, unyielding, insubordinate, mutinous, unruly, self-willed, aggressive, headstrong, contumacious, pugnacious, hostile, belligerent, antagonistic, Slang gutsy, spunky: His defiant attitude towards authority often gets him into trouble.
deficient adj. 1 wanting, lacking, defective, incomplete, unfinished, short, insufficient, inadequate, sketchy, skimpy, scarce: Some foods are deficient in vitamins. 2 faulty, impaired, flawed, imperfect, incomplete, defective, inferior, unsatisfactory: Many have a deficient knowledge of their legal rights.
deficit |
n. loss, deficiency, shortfall, shortage, default: At the end |
of the year there was a considerable deficit. |
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define |
v. 1 determine, establish, fix, demarcate, mark off or out, |
delimit, limit, lay or set down, circumscribe, specify,, identify, delineate, describe: You must first define the subjects to be covered. 2 describe, explain, interpret, spell out, detail, clarify, delineate, expand on, expatiate on or upon, delineate; characterize, state, name: No one dictionary
defines all the words of a language. Please define exactly what you want me to do.
definite adj. 1 specific, particular, exact, pronounced, explicit,
express, precise: She came here with a definite purpose. 2 sure, positive, certain, assured, fixed, settled, confirmed: Then we have a definite appointment for two o'clock? 3 clear, plain, well-defined, unambiguous, unequivocal, distinct, clear-cut, obvious: The plans for revision are definite.
definitely
adv. positively, absolutely, surely, to be sure, assuredly, certainly, indubitably, undoubtedly, categorically, unequivocally, unquestionably, decidedly, finally, once and for all; plainly, clearly, obviously, patently: Then you're definitely not going to the dance with Waldo? That was definitely the worst movie of the year.
definition
n. 1 delineation, delimitation, demarcation, outlining; acutance, resolution, distinctness, clarity, sharpness, focus, precision: The definition at the edge of the photograph is fuzzy. 2 description, explanation, explication, clarification, statement (of meaning), sense, meaning: How many definitions are there for the word 'good'?
definitive
adj. 1 decisive, final, conclusive, ultimate: My definitive
answer will be given tomorrow. 2 thorough, through and through, exhaustive, ultimate, consummate, complete, authoritative, reliable: She has written the definitive work on the axolotl.
3 clarifying, unambiguous, categorical, absolute, unqualified, accurate, exact, precise: We expect a definitive statement from the union regarding their claims.
deflect v. avert, turn away or aside, deviate, change, swerve, switch, divert, shy, veer, sidetrack; fend off: The trajectory of a
bullet is deflected by gravity. By deflecting a bit to their left, they managed to regain their original course.
deformed adj. 1 misshapen, malformed, distorted, twisted, grotesque, gnarled, crooked, contorted, awry, warped, bent: This tree is deformed because of the constant wind. 2 disfigured, crippled, lame, misshapen; abnormal: He was born with a deformed foot. 3 distorted, warped, bent, perverted, twisted, grotesque;
abnormal: The deformed personalities of his patients are the subject of my book.
defraud v. cheat, swindle, trick, beguile, cozen, dupe, delude, fool, bilk, fleece, victimize, take in, deceive, humbug, hoodwink, flimflam, Colloq do, diddle, con, slip one over on, put (something) over on, pull a fast one on, fast-talk, rope in,, US take; Slang take for a ride, gyp, rob, rip off, rook; Dialect flam: Shareholders are defrauded by insider trading schemes.
defray |
v. pay, settle, meet, discharge, liquidate, clear, cover, |
reimburse, Colloq pick up the bill or tab or US check (for), |
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foot the bill (for): The company defrays the cost of all |
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travelling expenses. |
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defunct |
adj. 1 dead, deceased, extinct: The dinosaurs have been |
defunct for millions of years. 2 inoperative, inapplicable, |
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unused, unusable, invalid, expired, obsolete, pass‚, dead, |
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expired, non-existent, outmoded, out: Although still on the |
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books, that law is defunct. |
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defy |
v. 1 challenge, dare, face, confront, brave, stand up to, |
flout, brazen out, thumb one's nose at, Colloq Brit cock a snook at: The defendant defied the prosecutor to prove the allegations. 2 frustrate, thwart, baffle, resist, withstand,
repel, disobey, repulse: Her feats of legerdemain defy the imagination. Copeley has invented a device that defies the law of gravity.
degenerate
adj. 1 debased, degraded, corrupt, corrupted, vitiated, decadent, depraved, reprobate, dissolute, ignoble, base, low, inferior, vile: He was a degenerate descendant of a once noble lineage. Ben sank into the depths of a degenerate existence after Penelope left him.
--v. 2 decline, deteriorate, decay, sink, worsen; backslide, regress, retrogress, weaken, go to the dogs, go to rack and ruin, Colloq go to pot: He felt that art had degenerated since the days of Rembrandt.
--n. 3 reprobate, debauchee, wastrel, profligate, rake, rakehell, rou‚; pervert, deviate: The detective said that only a degenerate could have committed such a crime.
degradation
n. 1 degeneracy, degeneration, deterioration, corruptness, corruption, vitiation, baseness, depravity, turpitude: History records the moral degradation of a whole society. 2 disrepute, discredit, shame, humiliation, ignominy, dishonour, disgrace, abasement, debasement: He had to face the degradation of an accusation of child molestation.
degrade v. 1 downgrade, demote, break, Military cashier, Ecclesiastical unfrock, Law disbar; depose, unseat; disfranchise or disenfranchise; Military drum out (of the corps), Chiefly naval disrate; US military bust: They degraded him from captain to lieutenant. 2 disgrace, dishonour, humble, shame, discredit, debase, demean, abase; humiliate, mortify, belittle, deprecate, depreciate, cheapen, reduce, lower: He has been degraded to mopping the floor. 3 dilute, adulterate, weaken, thin, water (down), alloy: Cologne is, essentially, degraded perfume.
degrading adj. demeaning, humiliating, shameful, shaming, debasing, lowering, discreditable: Why should you deem selling a degrading occupation?
degree n. 1 grade, level, stage, class, caste, rank, order, scale, standing, status, station, position, situation, estate,
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condition: He is entertaining a lady of high degree. 2 |
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measure, magnitude, extent, limit, point; lengths, step: All |
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our needs, desires, and goals are biologically determined to |
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some degree. 3 by degrees. little by little, bit by bit, step by |
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step, inch by inch, inchmeal, gradually, slowly, (almost) |
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imperceptibly: By degrees, her health has improved. 4 to a |
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degree. a rather, somewhat, quite: She is to a degree a better |
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dancer than he. b substantially, considerably, highly, |
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decidedly, exceedingly, to a considerable extent: She must be |
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stupid to a degree if she believes in levitation. |
deign |
v. condescend, stoop, vouchsafe, concede; yield, agree: Lord |
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Worthington deigned to say good morning to us. |
deity |
n. god, goddess, Supreme Being, creator, demiurge: Deities in |
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various religions are represented as men, women, or animals. |
dejected adj. downcast, downhearted, depressed, dispirited, discouraged, despondent, down, low, chap-fallen, crestfallen, melancholy,
sad, unhappy, gloomy, glum, miserable, blue, low-spirited, in low spirits, forlorn, woebegone, disconsolate, sorrowful,
morose, heartbroken, heavy-hearted, in the doldrums, Colloq down in the dumps, down in the mouth: She was bound to feel dejected when she couldn't find a job.
delay v. 1 postpone, put off or aside, defer, temporize, suspend, shelve, hold off or up (on), put on hold, hold in abeyance, put or keep in a holding pattern, pigeon-hole, put on ice, put in or into the deep-freeze, Colloq put on the back burner, Brit kick into touch, US hold off or up (on), table: We shall delay our decision till next month. 2 hold up or back, detain, impede, hinder, retard, keep, bog down, set back, slow (up or down); stop, arrest, halt, check; obstruct: Delivery of the mail has been delayed by the strike. We were delayed by traffic. 3 loiter, procrastinate, hesitate, poke or drag (along), tarry, wait, lag (behind), dawdle, hang back, stall, linger, dally, mark time, potter or US putter; vacillate; Colloq dilly-dally, shilly-shally, drag one's feet: Stop delaying and get to work.
--n. 4 postponement, deferral, deferment, wait, hold-up; set-back: There will be a ten-day delay in paying the rent. 5 lull, interlude, hiatus, interruption, gap, interval, lacuna, stop, stoppage, wait, waiting, hold-up, suspension: After an hour's delay, service was resumed. 6 tarrying, loitering,
dawdling, Colloq dilly-dallying, shilly-shallying: There should be no further delay in shipping the order.
delectation
n. delight, enjoyment, amusement, entertainment, diversion, pleasure, satisfaction: For your delectation, Le Moulin Rouge presents La Goulue!
delegate n. 1 envoy, agent, legate, representative, ambassador, plenipotentiary, minister, emissary, commissioner, (papal) nuncio, (papal) internuncio, spokesperson, spokesman,
spokeswoman, go-between: They kowtowed to the delegate from His Imperial Highness.
--v. 2 depute, commission, appoint, designate, assign, name, nominate, accredit, authorize, empower, mandate: The president delegated Ambassador Foxley to represent him at the meeting. 3 assign, give, hand over or on, pass over or on, depute,
transfer, entrust, relegate, Colloq pass the buck for, US buck: She has delegated the responsibility to one of the directors.
delete v. erase, cancel, rub or cross out or off, remove, blot out, expunge, efface, eliminate, obliterate, wipe out, eradicate, strike out, cut or edit (out), Publishing blue-pencil; Printing dele: Delete the old address and insert the new one.
deliberate
adj. 1 intentional, planned, studied, wilful, intended, premeditated, calculated, conscious, prearranged, purposeful, preconceived, considered; cold-blooded: The insult was deliberate, not a slip. 2 slow, methodical, careful, unhurried, paced, measured, regular, even, steady, sure, unhesitating, unfaltering, confident: He moved across the room with a deliberate step and tore the medals from the general's tunic. 3 careful, prudent, cautious, painstaking, discreet, considered, considerate, thoughtful, well thought out, thorough, methodical, systematic, fastidious, orderly, punctilious, dispassionate,
cool, composed, collected, calm, serene, unruffled: A deliberate speaker, he chose his words with care.
--v. 4 consider, ponder, think (about or over), weigh, debate, meditate (on or over), reflect (on or over), cogitate (on or over), study: I shall need a few days to deliberate on that question.
deliberately
adv. intentionally, on purpose, purposely, wilfully or US willfully, consciously, wittingly, calculatedly, calculatingly, knowingly, pointedly, resolutely, of one's (own) free will, on one's own, with one's eyes (wide) open: She did that deliberately, not by accident.
delicacy n. 1 fineness, exquisiteness, gracefulness, beauty, lightness, daintiness: Notice the delicacy of the tracery in the rose window. 2 fragility, fragileness, frailty, frailness, weakness, infirmity, feebleness, tenderness; susceptibility: Because of the delicacy of his constitution, even a cold might be fatal. 3 sensitivity, difficulty, ticklishness, finesse, nicety,
sensibility: The delicacy of the situation demands the utmost diplomacy. 4 luxury, sweetmeat, dainty, titbit or US tidbit, savoury: The table was laden with delicacies from all over the
world.
delicate adj. 1 fragile, breakable, frail, tender, frangible, dainty; perishable, flimsy: This filament is extremely delicate, so be careful. 2 fine, exquisite, dainty, graceful, elegant, subtle:
A delicate border of lace sets off the collar. 3 feeble, weak, sickly, frail, debilitated, weakened, enfeebled, unhealthy: Her condition is too delicate for her to be moved. 4 critical, ticklish, sensitive, dangerous, tricky, precarious, touchy, Slang hairy; Colloq sticky: Rescuing the survivors of the avalanche was a delicate operation. 5 dainty, squeamish, queasy, fastidious, prudish, Victorian, finicky, finical, refined, discriminating, discerning, sensitive, puristic,
proper, coy, modest, demure: In those days ladies were thought to be too delicate to mention such matters. 6 gradual, subtle, nice, precise, muted, soft, faint, subdued: The delicate
shading at the horizon is characteristic of this artist.
delicious adj. 1 delectable, luscious, ambrosial, savoury, mouth-watering, toothsome; choice, flavourful, tasty,
appetizing, palatable, Colloq scrumptious; Slang yummy: Larry's fried chicken is quite delicious. 2 enjoyable, delightful, pleasurable, pleasing, pleasant, choice, enchanting,
fascinating; agreeable, charming, engaging; amusing, entertaining: I heard the most delicious bit of gossip about the Browns.
delight v. 1 please, gratify, satisfy, gladden, cheer, tickle, amuse, entertain, divert, excite, thrill, captivate, entrance,
fascinate: We were delighted to hear the Mighty Allen Art Players once again. 2 delight in. enjoy, appreciate, like, relish (in), savour, revel in, glory in; love, adore; Colloq get a kick from or out of; Slang get off on: She delights in any kind of jazz.
--n. 3 pleasure, gratification, joy, satisfaction, enjoyment, delectation; bliss, ecstasy, rapture: She takes great delight in playing practical jokes on her guests. In his dreams he visited the garden of earthly delights.
delighted adj. pleased, happy, charmed, thrilled, enchanted, enchant‚(e): I am delighted to meet you. 'Miss Smith, meet Mr Brown.' 'Delighted!'
delightful
adj. 1 pleasing, agreeable, pleasurable, enjoyable, joyful, pleasant, lovely, amusing, entertaining, diverting, exciting, thrilling: We spent a delightful evening together. 2 attractive, congenial, winning, winsome, charming, engaging, exciting; captivating, ravishing, fascinating, enchanting: Georgina is one of the most delightful people I have met in a long time.
delinquent
n. 1 malefactor, (young or youthful) offender, wrongdoer, lawbreaker, culprit, criminal, miscreant; hooligan, ruffian, roughneck: The police rounded up six juvenile delinquents and charged them with rowdyism.
--adj. 2 neglectful, negligent, derelict, remiss, failing, defaulting: I have been delinquent in my obligations to my mother. 3 overdue, past due, in arrears, late, unpaid: All these delinquent accounts should be collected as soon as possible.
delirious adj. 1 wild, hysterical, distracted, incoherent, rambling, irrational, raving, ranting, frenzied, frantic, disturbed, demented, deranged, unhinged, mad, insane, crazy, lunatic: He is still delirious and doesn't know what he's saying. 2 wild, excited, crazed, thrilled, ecstatic: She was delirious with joy that Ken was coming home.
deliver v. 1 carry, bring, convey, distribute, give or hand out; purvey, take round; cart, transport: Only in a few places in the world do they still deliver milk to the door. 2 hand over, give, surrender, cede, yield, make over, relinquish, give up or over, commit, transfer, turn over, resign: We were forced to deliver our children to the enemy as hostages. 3 set free, liberate, enfranchise, extricate, release, save, rescue;
emancipate, manumit, redeem; disencumber, disburden, ransom: They were delivered from certain death by the arrival of the helicopter. Modern appliances have delivered millions of women from the drudgery of housework. 4 give, present, utter, read, broadcast; proclaim, announce, declare, set forth, communicate, make known, express, publish, hand over, hand out, promulgate, pronounce, enunciate: He has to deliver a speech tonight. The