Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

famine n. starvation; shortage, dearth, scarcity, deficiency, paucity, exiguity, barrenness, lack: In days of abundance, no one should die of famine.

famished adj. starving, starved, voracious, ravenous, ravening, craving, hungry: The survivors were famished after a fortnight in the lifeboat.

famous adj. renowned, celebrated, popular, famed, well-known, noted, eminent, pre-eminent, conspicuous, prominent, illustrious, notable, acclaimed, venerable, legendary, distinguished, praiseworthy, honoured, lionized: A famous architect has been invited to address the convention.

famously adv. excellently, (very) well, superbly, marvellously, splendidly, capitally, spectacularly, superlatively: The prince and I get on famously.

fan n. admirer, enthusiast, adherent, devotee, aficionado, follower, supporter, lover, zealot, Colloq buff, fiend, hound, bug, addict, nut, US booster, Slang junkie, freak, groupie: Avid fans of Ascot United, we go to all the matches.

fanatic n. maniac, extremist, zealot, Colloq fiend, nut, Slang freak: Religious fanatics killed 'heathens' or 'infidels' by the thousand.

fanatical adj. fanatic, extreme, distracted, maniacal, mad, rabid, zealous, frenzied, feverish, burning, frantic, frenetic,

obsessive, fervent, compulsive, monomaniacal, fervid, perfervid, passionate, enthusiastic, agog, immoderate, excessive: The entire family are fanatical in their fundamentalism.

fanaticism

n. 1 devotion, dedication, devotedness; infatuation, enthusiasm, fervour, zeal, obsessiveness, franticness, frenzy, hysteria: Her fanaticism for rock musicians is getting a bit

out of hand. 2 monomania, single-mindedness, mania, madness, extremism, intolerance, bigotry, bias, partiality, prejudice, narrow-mindedness, close-mindedness: Some religious sects are characterized by virulent fanaticism.

fancied adj. imaginary, unreal, fanciful, imagined, illusory, make-believe, mythical, fairy-tale: They support their king in the pursuit of his fancied rights.

fanciful adj. 1 whimsical, capricious, impulsive, inconstant, fickle, changeable, variable: Those graffiti are products of a fanciful mind. 2 extravagant, chimerical, fantastic, fabulous, mythical, fairy-tale, imaginative, fancied, make-believe, unreal, illusory, imagined, visionary, imaginary: Some of the more fanciful ideas of science fiction have become realities. 3 curious, odd, peculiar, bizarre, unusual, original: The chalice was decorated with fanciful curlicues.

fancy adj. 1 ornate, decorative, decorated, ornamental, ornamented, elaborate, embellished, embroidered, fanciful, extravagant, rococo, baroque, gingerbread, Byzantine, complicated, intricate, complex: The modern trend has been away from fancy architecture. 2 illusory, capricious, fanciful, extravagant, fantastic, far-fetched, delusive, whimsical, visionary, unrealistic, grandiose: He has some fancy ideas about building an undersea city. 3 de luxe, luxury, luxurious, choice, select, prime, special, elegant, superior, quality, high-class; posh: They stock only fancy fruits and vegetables. She has a fancy suite at the Cardigan Hotel. 4 high, exorbitant, inflated, outrageous: One has to pay very fancy prices for haute couture.

--n. 5 imagination, creation, conception, inventiveness, creativeness, creativity: These chimeras are entirely a product of his fancy. 6 imagination, fantasy, hallucination, delusion, illusion, unreality, make-believe, dream, day-dream, pipedream, mirage, phantasm, phantom, figment (of the imagination), impression: Our plans for the future must be based on fact, not fancy. 7 liking, inclination, fondness, taste, penchant, attraction, preference, partiality, predilection, yearning, craving, hankering, wish, desire, longing: Miss Crow's fancy for younger men often causes her some embarrassment. 8 idea, whim, caprice, whimsy, urge, impulse, notion, vagary, quirk, crotchet, peculiarity: His fancy today is that he invented electricity.

--v. 9 imagine, conceive, picture, visualize, envisage, think or make up, conjure up, US envision, Colloq dream up: He fancies himself on a big yacht in the Mediterranean. 10 think,

distance off or away: We caught sight of a sail far to the south. 2 (very) much, considerably, decidedly, incomparably:

She is a far better swimmer than George. 3 by far. (very) much, considerably, decidedly, incomparably, (im)measurably, by a long shot, far and away, clearly, plainly, obviously, doubtless(ly), indubitably, undoubtedly, definitely, beyond (the shadow of a) doubt, without a doubt, Colloq Brit by a long chalk: She's a better swimmer than George by far. He is by far the wealthiest person I know. 4 far and wide. everywhere, near and far or far and near, extensively, widely, high and low; here, there, and everywhere: We searched far and wide to find these specimens. 5 far gone. a beyond or past help, advanced, deteriorated, worn out, dilapidated, near the end: That shirt is too far gone to

send to the laundry. My house is so far gone it's beyond repair. b drunk, besotted, Slang loaded, pissed, paralytic, paralysed: He's too far gone to walk. 6 go far. a progress, advance, succeed, go places, get ahead, rise (in the world), make a name for oneself, become successful, set the world on fire, Brit set the Thames on fire, US cut a swath: He is a very bright youngster and I'm sure he will go far in whatever profession he chooses. b help, aid, contribute, play a part: The new law will go far towards inhibiting child abuse. 7 go too far. go overboard or over the top, not know when to stop, go to extremes; exceed, overdo, overstep, transcend, go beyond: Ambition is one thing, but he went too far when he tried to get his boss's job. 8 so far. a thus far, (up) to or till or until

now or the present or this point, to date, to this point in

time: So far, we have been able to keep up with the mortgage payments. b to a certain extent or limit or point: She said she would go just so far and no further.

--adj. 9 (more) remote or distant, far-away, far-off; extreme, further, farther, farthest: She claimed the ability to see into the far future. He kicked the ball to the far end of the field.

far-away adj. 1 faraway, distant, remote, far-off, outlying, far-flung: People came from far-away places as news of the miracle spread. 2 faraway, dreamy, detached, absent, absent-minded, abstracted: When you have that far-away expression, I know you don't hear a word I say.

farcical adj. ludicrous, laughable, risible, funny, nonsensical, ridiculous, silly, preposterous, absurd, foolish; comical,

farewell n. 1 adieu, goodbye: We said our farewells and left. 2 departure, leave-taking, cong‚, parting, Colloq send-off: I want to avoid a tearful farewell.

--interjection. 3 Adieu!, Goodbye!, So long!, Godspeed!, Adios!, Hasta luego!, Hasta la vista!, Auf Wiedersehen!, Ciao!, Sayonara!, Aloha!, Vaya con Dios!, Colloq Brit God bless!, Old-fashioned Toodle-oo!, Pip! Pip!, Ta-ta!, US old-fashioned See you later (alligator)!, Don't take any wooden nickels!: I said farewell and we went our separate ways.

far-fetched

adj. strained, stretched, improbable, implausible, unlikely, doubtful, dubious, questionable, forced, unconvincing, unrealistic, fantastic, preposterous, hard to believe, unbelievable, incredible, Colloq hard to swallow, fishy: They told some far-fetched tale about being robbed by a gang of midgets.

farmer n. husbandman, agriculturist, agronomist, yeoman, Brit smallholder, US dialect granger: The farmers here were hard hit

by the drought.

farming n. agriculture, agronomy, husbandry, agribusiness, cultivation: Less than 8,000 years ago man turned from hunting and gathering to farming.

far-sighted

adj. 1 far-seeing, foresighted, prescient, provident, prudent, shrewd, perceptive, discerning, insightful, wise, sagacious, acute, sharp, astute, sensible, imaginative: The committee drew up a far-sighted plan for the redevelopment of the town centre. 2 long-sighted, hyperopic or hypermetropic, presbyopic: I'm far-sighted, so I wear glasses only for reading.

fascinate v. bewitch, enchant, cast a spell on or over, ensorcell, spellbind, hold spellbound, put or have under a spell, charm, captivate, intrigue, beguile, hypnotize, mesmerize, transfix, entrance, engross, enthral, enrapture, absorb, allure, attract: Desmond is utterly fascinated by Elizabeth.

fascination

n. enchantment, sorcery, magic, attractiveness, attraction, draw, pull, (animal) magnetism, charm, allure, captivation, influence, witchcraft, entrancement: Blondes always held a strange fascination for him.

fashion n. 1 style, mode, vogue, trend, look, taste: That year there was a fashion for stiletto heels. 2 the fad, mania, the craze, the rage, the latest (thing), dernier cri, Colloq Brit the go:

He remembers when upswept hair-dos were the fashion. 3 manner, mode, way, approach, attitude: I'll always be true to you,

darling, in my fashion. 4 in fashion. See fashionable, below.

--v. 5 make, model, style, shape, form, frame, mould, create, construct, forge, work, manufacture: She fashions the most beautiful vases out of shapeless lumps of clay.

fashionable

adj. in fashion, chic, … la mode, modish, stylish, smart, in vogue, up to the minute, up to date, Colloq trendy, in, with it, Colloq Brit all the go: The couturiers insist that black will be fashionable this year.

fast° adj. 1 quick, swift, fleet, speedy, brisk; brief, hurried, hasty, high-speed, accelerated, expeditious, rapid, express: She is very fast on her feet. We need a fast turn-round on this job. 2 loose, profligate, wild, extravagant, dissipated, intemperate, irresponsible, sybaritic, self-indulgent, dissolute, unrestrained, indecorous, rakish, licentious, promiscuous, immoral, wanton, lecherous, lustful: They led quite a fast life till their divorce. 3 firm, fastened,

secure(d), fixed, tied, bound, connected, attached: The boat was fast to the pier. 4 firm, fixed, settled, stable, solid,

immovable, unshakable or unshakeable, tight: The sword was fast in the stone. 5 firm, stable, steadfast, staunch, unwavering, constant, lasting, close, loyal, devoted, faithful, lasting, permanent: We maintained a fast friendship over the years.

--adv. 6 quickly, swiftly, rapidly, speedily, briskly, presto, hastily, hurriedly, with all speed or haste, expeditiously, apace, post-haste, like a flash, in the blink of an eye, in a wink, before you can say 'Jack Robinson', in no time (at all), Colloq like a bat out of hell, like a shot, p.d.q. (='pretty damned quick'), Brit like the clappers (of hell), US and Canadian quick like a bunny or rabbit, lickety-split: Don't talk so fast. He ran out of there very fast. I'll be back very fast. 7 firmly, fixedly, immovably, solidly, unshakeably or unshakably, tightly, securely, soundly: The rope held fast. He is fast asleep. 8 closely, close to, immediately, near, (close) on, right: Fast on the heels of the fugitive came the police.

9 loosely, wildly, recklessly, intemperately, irresponsibly, fecklessly, extravagantly, intemperately, sybaritically, self-indulgently, dissolutely, unrestrainedly, indecorously, rakishly, licentiously, promiscuously, immorally, wantonly, lecherously, lustfully: He's been living fast since inheriting that fortune.

fastý v. 1 abstain, go hungry, deny oneself, diet, starve (oneself): Do you fast during Lent?

--n. 2 abstention, abstinence, fasting, self-denial, diet; hunger strike: She went on a two-week fast.

fasten v. 1 attach, tie, bind, bond, stick, affix, anchor, fix, lock, hook (up), secure, join, connect, link, fuse, cement, clamp: Fasten your seat belts. The mussels fasten themselves by their

byssi to underwater piles. 2 fix, rivet, focus, concentrate, direct, aim, point: He fastened his gaze on Kitty. She fastened her attention on the ceiling.

fastening n. fastener, catch, clasp, latch, lock, tie, bond: Can you see what kind of fastening is holding the cover?

fastidious

adj. squeamish, delicate, over-nice, fussy, meticulous, finicky, finical, pernickety or US also persnickety, particular, difficult, critical, hypercritical, supercritical, over-precise, punctilious, Colloq nit-picking, picky: The Prioress was too fastidious to allow a morsel drop from her lip.

unavoidable, necessary, essential, inescapable, ineluctable: The events fell into their fatal sequence.

fatality n. 1 catastrophe, disaster, calamity, cataclysm: The eruption of Vesuvius was a relatively recent fatality. 2 death,

casualty: Traffic fatalities are on the increase.

fateful adj. 1 significant, momentous, ominous, major, consequential, important, critical, crucial, decisive, weighty, portentous, earth-shaking, pivotal: The minister is faced with having to make a fateful decision. 2 deadly, lethal, fatal, destructive, ruinous, disastrous, catastrophic, cataclysmic: Failure to preserve the environment could have fateful consequences.

father n. 1 sire, paterfamilias, Colloq dad, daddy, pa, papa, pop, old man, old boy, Brit governor, pater: His father is a chemist. 2 forebear, ancestor, forefather, progenitor, primogenitor: The father of the dynasty fought at Hastings. 3 creator, founder, originator, inventor, author, architect, framer, initiator: He regards Lavoisier as the father of modern chemistry. 4 priest, confessor, cur‚, abb‚, minister, pastor, shepherd, parson, clergyman, chaplain, Colloq padre, Military slang sky pilot: We should see the Father about the funeral service.

--v. 5 sire, beget, get, engender, procreate, generate: He had fathered more than forty children in his harem. 6 originate, establish, found, invent, author, frame, initiate, institute, create: Galileo fathered modern astronomy by inventing the telescope.

fatherland

n. motherland, native land, mother country, homeland, (old) country, birthplace: They return to their fatherland for an annual visit.

fatherly adj. paternal, kindly, kind, warm, friendly, affectionate, protective, amiable, benevolent, well-meaning, benign, caring, sympathetic, indulgent, understanding; parental: My nephew used to come to me for fatherly advice.

fathom v. probe, sound, plumb, penetrate, search (out), investigate, measure, gauge, determine, ascertain, work out, get to the bottom of, delve into, understand, grasp, divine: I never quite fathomed the purpose of this device.

fatigue n. 1 weariness, tiredness, weakness, exhaustion, lassitude, listlessness, lethargy, languor, sluggishness, enervation: She kept on tending the wounded till fatigue finally overcame her.

--v. 2 weary, tire, weaken, exhaust, drain, enervate, Colloq fag (out): My morning's work had fatigued me.

fatigued adj. weary, wearied, tired, overtired, dead tired, weak, weakened, exhausted, listless, lethargic, languorous, sluggish, enervated, strained, wasted, Colloq whacked (out), knocked out, dead, beat, dead-beat, all in, Brit knackered, jiggered, buggered, US and Canadian pooped, bushed: The firemen were fatigued after being on duty round the clock.

shortcoming, failing, weakness; frailty, foible, peccadillo: The fault lies in this circuit. Using filthy language is only