Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

--n. 17 dilemma, predicament, difficulty, corner, double bind, catch-22, quandary, mess, (bad) situation, strait(s), Colloq pickle, jam, hole, (tight or tough) spot, pinch, US bind: You could help me get out of a terrible fix. 18 arrangement, prearrangement, fiddle; bribery, subornation; Slang chiefly US and Canadian set-up: The fix is on for her to win at roulette.

fixation n. mania, obsession, compulsion, fixed idea, id‚e fixe, fetish, monomania, preoccupation, infatuation, Colloq hang-up, thing, kick: He has a health-food fixation.

fixed adj. 1 fastened, attached, anchored, set, secure(d), firm, stable, settled, immovable, immobile, stationary, rigid, rooted, solid; immobilized, stuck: While this part rolls, the other remains fixed. There was a fixed smile on her face. 2 established, secure, unalterable, steadfast, set, firm, unchangeable, unchanging, persistent, unfluctuating, unflagging, unwavering, inflexible, undeviating, unflinching, unblinking, rigid, rooted, immutable, definite, resolute, resolved, determined, intent; obstinate, stubborn: I admire Philip's

fixed determination to persevere. 3 settled, resolved, agreed, regular, habitual, decided, arranged, prearranged, definite, established: We have a fixed date on which we meet each month. 4 arranged, prearranged, set-up, framed; crooked, dishonest, bent, Colloq rigged, put-up: He lost everything in a fixed

poker game.

fixture n. 1 meet, meeting, event, match, occasion, occurrence: The Davis Cup tennis championship is an annual fixture. 2 appliance, accessory, fitting, equipment, apparatus, device,

of fizz.

fizzle v. 1 fizz: This headache powder makes the water fizzle. 2 Often, fizzle out. die (out or away), fizz out, expire, peter out, come to nothing or naught, fail, fall through, miscarry, abort, come to grief, misfire, collapse, cave in: Her grandiose plans for staging an extravaganza quickly fizzled out.

6.4 flabby...

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streamer, bunting, jack, gonfalon, vexillum: Our flag was raised over the fort.

--v. 2 Often flag down. warn, signal, hail, inform, stop: A workman flagged us down because the bridge was out. 3 mark, tag, label, tab, identify, Brit tick (off), US and Canadian

check (off): Flag the supplies you need that are listed here.

flagý v. 1 droop, sag, dangle, hang down, swag, festoon: In the doldrums the sails flagged soggily about the masts. 2 weaken, languish, falter, fail, dwindle, fade, deteriorate, waste away, degenerate, die, decline, diminish, decrease, lessen, abate, peter out, taper off, let up, ease (up), subside, slump, fall

off, wane, ebb, sink, lag: When he reached eighty, he sometimes complained that his sexual appetite was flagging.

flagrant adj. blatant, brazen, bold, barefaced, audacious, arrant, glaring, outrageous, shocking, shameless, scandalous, atrocious, infamous, notorious, defiant, egregious, obvious, conspicuous, open, complete, out-and-out, utter, flagitious, monstrous, heinous, cruel, villainous, treacherous, nefarious, awful,

gross, rank, inconsiderate, scornful, contemptuous; reprehensible; contemptible: Speeding shows a flagrant disregard for the safety of others.

flamboyant

adj. 1 elaborate, ornamented, ornate, decorated, embellished, baroque, rococo, florid: We chose a flamboyant wallpaper with purple peacocks. 2 extravagant, ostentatious, showy, gaudy, flashy, dazzling, brilliant, splendid, dashing, rakish, swashbuckling, jaunty; high, wide, and handsome: With a flamboyant display of swordsmanship, d'Artagnan dispatched his attacker.

flame n. 1 fire, blaze; conflagration: The flame began to lick about my feet. 2 passion, fervour, ardour, intensity, warmth, fire, zeal, feverishness, enthusiasm, eagerness: The flame of love is still burning. 3 boyfriend, girlfriend, lover, heartthrob, sweetheart, beau: Linda is an old flame of Trevor's.

--v. 4 burn, blaze, glow, flare: Flaming embers from the chimney set fire to the roof. Here and there civil unrest flamed up in the countryside.

flaming adj. obvious, conspicuous, blatant, flagrant, egregious, extravagant, Slang bloody, bleeding, blasted, damned, blooming: That flaming idiot was appointed to the Ministry of Defence!

flammable adj. inflammable, combustible, burnable: The warning on the tin says the contents are flammable.

flank n. 1 side, quarter; loin, haunch: The enemy was about to attack our flank. The pony drew back with trembling flanks.

--v. 2 edge, border, line: Armed guards flanked the entrance. 3 skirt, outmanoeuvre, outflank, circle, go (a)round: They have enough troops to flank our forces to the east.

flannel n. 1 flattery, humbug, nonsense, blarney, rubbish, prevarication, Colloq eyewash, hogwash, boloney, soft soap, weasel words, sweet talk, bull, crap, Brit waffle, cock, US bushwa; Taboo slang bullshit, horseshit, (load of) shit, Brit codswallop, bollocks or ballocks: Don't believe a thing Fordyce says - it's all flannel.

flare out. spread (out or outwards), widen, broaden, expand, increase, enlarge, bulge, swell: The sides of the vase flare out near the top. 3 Often, flare up. anger, lose one's temper,

chafe, seethe, fume, rage, throw a tantrum, become incensed or angry (etc.); blow up, burst forth, erupt, explode; Colloq get one's back up, get one's Irish or dander up, see red, get worked up, fly off the handle, lose one's cool, go out of or lose control, get hot under the collar, blow one's top: He flares up

at the very mention of her name. Tempers flared when we touched on the subject of politics.

--n. 4 blaze, flame, burst, outburst, flash, glare, dazzle, incandescence, brilliance, luminosity: A bright orange flare erupted from the mouth of the cave. 5 beacon, light, signal, torch, flambeau, link: We prayed that the rescue party would see our flares. 6 spread, broadening, widening, expansion, swelling, bulge, increase, enlargement: I like that slight flare at the hem of the skirt.

flash n. 1 blaze, flame, flare, burst, dazzle, spark, sparkle, coruscation, fulguration, glitter, twinkle, twinkling, flicker, flickering, scintilla, scintillation, glint, shimmer, glimmer, gleam, beam, ray, shaft: There was a blinding flash of blue light and the little man was gone. 2 (sudden or momentary) display, stroke, show, manifestation, outburst, outbreak, sign, indication, exhibition; touch, hint, suggestion: She has occasional flashes of insight bordering on genius. 3 moment, (split) second, instant, twinkling (of an eye), trice, minute, Colloq two shakes (of a lamb's tail), jiffy, shake, before you can say 'Jack Robinson': In a flash he was at her side.

--v. 4 burn, blaze, flame, flare, burst (out), dazzle, spark, sparkle, coruscate, fulgurate, glitter, twinkle, flicker, scintillate, shimmer, glimmer, gleam, beam, glare, shine: The light flashed every eight seconds. 5 race, speed, dash, streak, flick, tear, rush, hurry, hasten, fly, zoom, shoot, bolt,

whistle; run, sprint, dart, scuttle, scamper, Colloq scoot, skedaddle, take off, whiz or whizz: The train flashed by, doing about 100.

--adj. 6 dazzling, showy, ostentatious, smart, chic, Colloq swish, classy, ritzy, snazzy: Barbara's new car looks very flash. 7 See flashy, 1.

b lowland(s), plain(s), tundra, steppe(s), prairie(s), savannah

or savanna, heath, moor, pampas; mud-flat(s); shallow(s), shoal, strand; marsh, bog, fen, swamp: Before us was a large flat of barren ground. 15 rooms, suite, apartment: How can you afford to keep a flat in London?

--adv. 16 absolutely, completely, categorically, utterly, wholly, uncompromisingly, irrevocably, positively, definitely, directly; exactly, precisely, flatly: He has come out flat in favour of the status quo. When he started drinking, she left him flat. 17 flat out. a at maximum or top or full or breakneck speed, speedily, quickly, apace, on the run, rapidly, swiftly,

at full speed or gallop, post-haste, hell for leather, like a bat out of hell, like a shot, like (greased) lightning, like the

wind: Someone shouted 'Fire!' and we headed flat out for the exits. b flatly, unhesitatingly, directly, at once,

immediately, forthwith, without delay; plainly, openly, baldly, brazenly, brashly: He asked to borrow some money and she told him 'No', flat out.

--n. 18 room(s), flat, suite (of rooms), chambers, tenement; garden flat, maisonette, penthouse, studio, Brit bedsitter, bedsit; accommodation, living quarters, Colloq Brit digs , US and Canadian apartment, furnished room, walk-up, duplex, triplex, garden apartment: We rented a two-bedroom flat in a good neighbourhood.

flatten v. 1 level or even (off or out); smooth (out), press or iron (out), roll: The children's noses were flattened against the window of the toy shop. You will have to flatten the lawn if you want to play croquet on it. 2 knock down or over, knock out, floor, prostrate: Menges flattened the champion in the first round. 3 raze, tear down, demolish, level: The bomb flattened every house in the area.

flatter v. 1 butter up, play up to, compliment, praise, fawn (on or upon), toady to, truckle to, court, curry favour with, Colloq flannel, soft-soap, oil; Slang shine or suck up to, boot-lick, Taboo kiss (someone's) arse, brown-nose: Flattering the boss won't get you a salary increase. 2 enhance, complement, suit, show to advantage: That colour flatters her complexion. 3 cajole, wheedle, coax, inveigle, beguile, sweet-talk: He was flattered into signing that contract.

flatterer n. toady, sycophant, fawner, wheedler, time-server, courtier, backscratcher, sponge, parasite, leech, hanger-on, sweet-talker, backslapper, truckler, lickspittle, Colloq yes-man; Slang bootlicker, Taboo brown-noser , Brit arse-kisser, arse-licker, bum-sucker, US ass-kisser, ass-licker: Don't believe anything that flatterer tells you.

flattering

adj. 1 complimentary, becoming, kind, enhancing: That is quite a flattering portrait of Dorian. 2 adulatory, laudatory, gratifying, fulsome, honeyed, sugary, fawning, ingratiating, unctuous, slimy, Chiefly Brit smarmy: Authors once wrote the most flattering dedications to their patrons.

flattery n. adulation, cajolery, blandishment, sweet talk, beguilement, wheedling, gloze, Colloq soft soap, Slang boot-licking, Taboo brown-nosing, Brit arse-kissing, arse-licking, bum-sucking, US ass-kissing, ass-licking: A judicious use of flattery moved him up the corporate ladder.

flaunt v. display, show (off), parade, flourish, exhibit, sport, disport, spotlight: They were like all the other nouveaux riches who flaunt their wealth in the stylish continental resorts.

flavour n. 1 taste, savour, tang, piquancy, zest; tastiness, savouriness; essence, extract, seasoning, flavouring, seasoning, spice; aroma, odour, scent; Rare sapor: Overcooking destroys the flavour of food. This sweet has a minty flavour. 2 character, spirit, nature, quality, property, mark, stamp, essence, characteristic, style, taste, feel, feeling, ambience

or ambiance, sense, tinge, aroma, air, atmosphere, hint, suggestion, touch, soup‡on: We all agreed that the new play has a Shavian flavour.

cleft, split, slit, cut, gash, rent, rift, tear, rip, puncture,

hole, perforation: The tiniest flaw may reduce the value of a pot to a collector.

--v. 3 damage, harm, spoil, ruin, mark, weaken, disfigure: Careless workmanship has flawed many of the objects they produced. 4 discredit, stigmatize, damage, hurt, harm; taint, mar, stain, blot: Her reputation has already been flawed.

flawed adj. damaged, harmed, marred, weakened, tainted, stained, tarnished, defective, imperfect, unsound, faulty: His flawed record prevented him from getting work.

flawless adj. 1 perfect, pristine, pure, uncorrupted, chaste, virgin, intact, whole, clean, immaculate, unsullied, unspoilt, unsoiled, impeccable, unblemished, faultless, undamaged, unimpaired, spotless, untarnished: Two flawless artefacts were found in the tomb. Many envied her flawless reputation. 2 undeniable, unassailable, unimpeachable, unquestionable, irrefutable, foolproof, sound, demonstrable: The prosecutor's evidence appears to be flawless.

flecked adj. spotted, dappled, pied, (be)speckled, (be)sprinkled,