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Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

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ferment, stimulation, over-stimulation, commotion: The organized agitation of the crowds continued for weeks after the coup.

agitator

n. activist, rabble-rouser, incendiary, agent provocateur,

insurrectionist, troublemaker, demagogue, firebrand: The

opposition party hires professional agitators to incite the

people to riot.

agog

adj. eager, avid, keen, enthusiastic, expectant, impatient,

breathless: The children were all agog waiting for Santa Claus

to come.

agonizing adj. painful, distressful, distressing, harrowing, torturous,

 

racking, excruciating, tortured, tormented: We went through an

 

agonizing reappraisal of our policy on immigration.

agony

n. anguish, trouble, distress, suffering, misery, wretchedness,

 

pain, pangs, woe, torment, throes, torture, affliction: For two

 

days his parents experienced the agony of not knowing whether he

 

was dead or alive.

agree

v. 1 concur, conform, come or go together, coincide,

 

correspond, harmonize, reconcile; accord, tally, Colloq jibe:

 

At last my cheque-book agrees with my bank statement! 2 Often,

 

agree to. consent to, favour, acquiesce in or to, approve of,

 

accede to, assent to: They finally agreed to our offer. We

 

agreed terms with respect to the contract. 3 concede, grant,

 

consent, admit, approve, allow, accept, concur; accede (to),

 

acquiesce (in or to), assent (to), see eye to eye: The

 

committee agreed that she should be given time to comply with

 

the request. I objected and they agreed with me. 4 agree with.

 

suit: The climate in England agrees with me, strange to say.

agreeable adj. 1 pleasing, pleasant, enjoyable, pleasurable, favourable, delightful, satisfying, satisfactory, good, nice, acceptable; to one's liking or taste: He found the Caribbean an agreeable place for a holiday. 2 in favour, approving, willing,

consenting, acquiescent, complying, compliant, in agreement or accord, concurring, amenable, sympathetic, well-disposed; accommodating, accommodative: If Anne's agreeable, we can leave tomorrow.

agreement n. 1 understanding, covenant, treaty, pact, accord, compact, settlement, concordat; contract, bargain, Colloq deal: They drew up a ten-year agreement to be signed at the summit in Geneva. 2 concord, harmony, compatibility, unity, concurrence, unanimity: Agreement in error is far worse than division for

the sake of truth.

1.7 ahead =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

ahead adv. 1 at the or in front, in advance, in the lead or vanguard, up ahead, before, to the fore: The general rode ahead. 2 winning: At half time, our team was ahead by two points. 3 onward(s), forward(s), on: Please move ahead if you can.

1.8 aid...

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aid

v. 1 help, support, assist, facilitate, back, abet, uphold,

 

promote; succour, relieve, subsidize: The invasion was aided by

 

Richard's subjects. He salved his conscience by aiding a local

 

charity.

 

--n. 2 help, support, assistance, backing, relief, benefit,

 

service, succour, comfort: He was convicted of giving aid to

 

the enemy in time of war. 3 funding, subsidy, subvention;

 

grant-money, grant, grant-in-aid, scholarship: He could never

 

have gone to university without aid from the endowment.

aide

n. aide-de-camp, assistant, helper, coadjutor; good or strong

 

right arm, right hand, right-hand man; colleague, partner, ally,

 

comrade, comrade-in-arms, US cohort , Colloq man Friday, girl

 

Friday, US gal Friday: The general's aides are always at his

 

side.

ail

v. 1 trouble, afflict, affect, bother, distress, upset, worry,

 

make ill or sick, pain, hurt: I cannot imagine what ails him,

 

and the doctor can find nothing wrong. 2 suffer, be or feel ill

 

or poorly or unwell or indisposed, US be sick: Granny has been

 

ailing lately.

ailment

n. illness, sickness, affliction, disease, disorder,

 

indisposition, malady; disability, infirmity; malaise,

 

queasiness: Granny's ailment has been diagnosed as influenza.

aim

 

v. 1 direct, point, focus, train, level: The guns of the fort

 

are aimed at the narrow pass. 2 aim at. focus on, have designs

 

on, aspire to, plan for or on, set one's sights on, seek, strive

 

for, try for, wish, want: Edward aimed at absolute dominion

 

over that kingdom. 3 seek, intend, plan: I aim to retire at

 

fifty, if not before.

 

--n. 4 direction, pointing, focus, focusing or focussing,

 

sighting: His aim is so bad that he can't hit the side of a

 

barn with a shotgun. 5 purpose, goal, ambition, desire,

 

aspiration, object, end, objective, target, intent, intention,

 

plan: It was never her aim in life to be rich. The aim of the

 

book is set forth in the Foreword.

aimless

adj. 1 purposeless, pointless, frivolous: After receiving the

 

inheritance she led an aimless life of ease and luxury. 2

 

undirected, erratic, chance, haphazard, random, vagrant,

 

wayward; wanton: We were annoyed by the tourists' aimless

 

meandering round the village.

air

n. 1 atmosphere, ambience, aura, climate, feeling, sense, mood,

 

quality: This restaurant has a delightful air about it. 2

 

breeze, zephyr, current, draught; breath, puff, wind: Light

 

airs sprang up from the south. 3 manner, style, appearance,

aura, feeling, bearing, quality, flavour: Louis has a

lugubrious air about him. 4 melody, tune, song, music: She was humming airs from some Italian opera. 5 airs. pretension, pretence, show, affectedness; haughtiness, hauteur, arrogance, superiority, superciliousness: He puts on such airs since he

got his knighthood.

--v. 6 ventilate, freshen, refresh, aerate: The chambermaid is airing the room, so you can't go in now. 7 show off, parade, display, exhibit; publish, broadcast, circulate, publicize, make public or known, reveal, expose, disclose, divulge, tell, express, declare: Once again Andrew is airing his views on modern art.

1.9 akin

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akin

adj. Usually, akin to. related (to), allied or connected or

 

affiliated (to or with), associated (with), germane (to), like,

 

alike, similar (to): Desultoriness is akin to indolence. Their

 

decision not to show the film smacks of something akin to

 

censorship.

1.10 alarm...

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alarm n. 1 warning, alert, dangeror distress-signal; tocsin, bell, gong, siren, whistle, horn: At the approach of the storm, the lookouts gave the alarm. The alarm is set to wake me at four o'clock. 2 fear, fright, apprehension, dismay, trepidation, terror, dread, anxiety, excitement, panic, consternation, distress, nervousness, uneasiness, discomfort: He viewed with alarm the arrest of his next-door neighbours.

--v. 3 frighten, scare, daunt, startle, terrify, panic;

unnerve, dismay, disturb, upset: She was alarmed at the news of the car crash. Don't be alarmed - such delays are quite normal.

alcohol n. spirits, liquor, the bottle, the cup that cheers, demon rum, John Barleycorn, Colloq booze, hard stuff, juice, moonshine, fire-water, Slang rot-gut, US and Canadian hooch: Alcohol and driving do not mix.

alcoholic adj. 1 intoxicating, inebriating: His doctor has forbidden him any alcoholic beverage.

--n. 2 drunkard, drunk, dipsomaniac, sot, toper, drinker, winebibber, serious or problem drinker, tippler, Colloq barfly, soak, Slang boozer, alchy or alkie or alky, dipso, stew, rummy,

US and Canadian lush, booze-hound, wino: The community runs a centre for rehabilitating alcoholics.

alert adj. 1 awake, wide awake, watchful, vigilant, attentive, heedful, wary, cautious, on the qui vive, aware, on guard, on the lookout, observant, Colloq on the ball, on one's toes: The sentinels must remain alert throughout the night. Kenneth is

alert to the perils of smoking cigarettes. 2 active, nimble, lively, agile, active, quick, spry, sprightly, vivacious: He is an alert and joyous old soul.

--n. 3 lookout: She is always on the alert for new ways of saving money. 4 alarm, warning, signal, siren: Sound the air-raid alert!

--v. 5 warn, caution, advise, alarm, forewarn, signal, notify: We must alert him to the fact that the man is a vicious killer.

alibi n. 1 excuse, explanation: Your alibi places you very close to the scene of the crime.

--v. 2 excuse, explain: Caught red-handed, she couldn't alibi her way out of it.

alien adj. 1 foreign, strange, exotic, outlandish, unfamiliar: The customs of the country were alien to me.

--n. 2 foreigner, stranger, outlander, outsider, non-native, immigrant, newcomer: Aliens are required to register during January.

alienate v. Usually, alienate from. disabuse (of or from), wean away (from), detach (from), distance (from): Gradually the villagers were alienated from their old animistic beliefs.

alike adj. 1 similar, akin, resembling or like one another, akin to or similar to one another, showing or exhibiting a resemblance: They began to think all religions were alike.

--adv. 2 in like manner, in the same manner or way, similarly, equally, uniformly, identically: She believes that all people should be treated alike.

alive adj. 1 living, live, breathing, among the living, in the land of the living: My great-grandfather is still alive, in spite of years of defying medical advice. 2 alive to. sensitive or alert to, aware or conscious of, aware or cognizant of: She is alive to every slight nuance in the poem. 3 alert, active, lively, vivacious, quick, spirited, animated, brisk, spry, sprightly, vigorous, energetic: Look alive, my lads, and hoist away! 4

astir, teeming, swarming, thronging, crowded, packed, buzzing, crawling, jumping, bustling, humming, Colloq lousy: In a few minutes the water around the corpse was alive with deadly piranha.

allegation

n. charge, accusation, complaint; assertion, avowal, asseveration, claim, declaration, statement, deposition: I resent the allegation that I don't bath often enough.

allege

v. declare, aver, state, assert, charge, affirm, avow,

asseverate, depose, say: The guard alleged that he had caught

the boy climbing in a basement window.

alleged

adj. described, designated; claimed, avowed, stated; purported,

so-called, suspected, supposed, assumed, presumed; hypothetical, conjectural: The press reported that the alleged assailant had confessed. He is awaiting trial for his alleged involvement in

the bombing.

alliance n. 1 union, confederation, combination, federation, pact, league, association, coalition, affiliation, connection, bond; unity, affinity: The alliance between the two empires has been faithfully maintained. 2 marriage, affinity: The alliance between the two families was welded by the children born of it.

allot v. distribute, apportion, allocate, earmark, assign, parcel or dole out, deal (out), divide, share (out), dispense: The millionaire allotted an equal share of his fortune to each of his children.

allotment n. 1 share, apportionment, ration, portion, quota, allowance, measure: Each prisoner was given a daily allotment of four ounces of black bread and a cup of water. 2 garden plot, kitchen garden, patch, tract, plot, Brit market garden, US truck garden: If I don't answer the phone, it's because I am digging my allotment.

allow v. 1 acknowledge, admit, grant, concede, own: He allowed that he had not been completely truthful about his movements that night. 2 agree to, concede, cede to, admit, permit, authorize, entertain, consent to: The judge said that he would allow a

plea of 'guilty with an explanation'. 3 permit, let, suffer:

Please allow the children to select their own friends. 4 tolerate, stand (for), brook, sanction, countenance, permit, consider, put up with: The headmaster refuses to allow such goings-on at his school. 5 give, let (someone) have, appropriate, grant, budget, earmark, assign, allocate, assign,

approve: The company allowed him œ100 a day for expenses. 6 make allowance or concession for, set apart or aside, put aside, take into account or consideration; add; deduct: You must allow at least an extra hour for the traffic during rush hour. The shipper allows ten kilos for the weight of the container.

allowance n. 1 permission, toleration, tolerance, sufferance, admission, concession, sanction; allowing, permitting, tolerating,

suffering, sanctioning, brooking, countenancing: There were many causes of difference between them, the chief being the allowance of slavery in the south. 2 payment, recompense, remuneration, reimbursement, remittance: Allowance will be made for all reasonable expenses. 3 stipend, dole, pin or pocket

money, quota, ration; pension, annuity, allocation: Bill gets a liberal weekly allowance for expenses. 4 deduction, discount, reduction, rebate; credit; tret; tare: You must make allowance for the weight of the crate. 5 excuse(s), concession, consideration: Allowance must be made for his poor eyesight.

alloy

n. 1 mixture, mix, combination, compound, composite, blend,

 

amalgam, admixture; aggregate: Brass is an alloy of copper and

 

zinc.

 

--v. 2 contaminate, pollute, adulterate, debase, diminish,

 

impair, vitiate: Their external prosperity was not alloyed by

 

troubles from within. 3 change, modify, temper, alter,

 

moderate, allay: Gentle persons might by their true patience

 

alloy the hardness of the common crowd.

ally

n. 1 comrade, confederate, collaborator, coadjutor; accessory,

 

accomplice; associate, partner, friend: I had hoped to have you

 

as an ally in my proposal for reorganization. The Allies

 

finally defeated the Nazi war machine in 1945.

 

--v. 2 league, combine, unite, join (up), team (up), side, band

 

together, associate, affiliate, collaborate, confederate: In

 

their attempt at a take-over of our company, the raiders have

 

allied themselves with two banks. We shall ally the Romans to us

and conquer the territory.

almost

adv. nearly, about, approximately, practically, virtually,

wellnigh, bordering on, on the brink of, verging on, on the

verge of, little short of; not quite, all but; barely, scarcely,

hardly; Colloq damn near: We are almost ready to go. You almost

broke the window!

aloft

adv. above, overhead, (up) in the air, in flight, up (above);

on high; heavenwards, skyward: The plane was overloaded, but we finally made it aloft. Five women held the banner aloft.

alone adj. 1 unaccompanied, unescorted, solitary, by oneself, tout(e) seule, solo, unattended, unassisted; abandoned, desolate, deserted: I am alone in the world. Leave me alone. 2 unequalled, unparalleled, unique, singular, unexcelled, unsurpassed, without equal, peerless, matchless: As a poet, Don stands alone.

--adv. 3 solitarily, by oneself, solo: I'll walk alone. 4

only, solely, exclusively, simply, just, merely: You alone can help me.

aloof adv. 1 apart, away, at a distance, separate; at arm's length: We invited Martha to join us but she preferred to remain aloof.

--adj. 2 private, reticent, reserved, withdrawn, haughty, supercilious, standoffish, formal, unsociable, unsocial; distant, remote: Deirdre is quite an aloof sort of person - not what you would call a 'mixer'. 3 standoffish, distant, remote, cool, chilly, unresponsive, unfriendly, antisocial, unapproachable; unsympathetic, apathetic, indifferent,

undemonstrative: Roger keeps himself aloof from the needs of those less fortunate than he is.

alter v. change, revise, modify, vary, transform; adjust, adapt, convert, remodel: After the attack, we altered our opinion of the rebels. The dress fits better since being altered.

alteration

n. change, modification, revision, transformation; adjustment, adaptation, conversion, remodelling: We found places where alterations had been made in the original document. My new suit

needs alteration to fit properly.

alternate v. 1 rotate, exchange, change, interchange, take turns, go or take, etc. in turn, US change off, interexchange: To help out, we could alternate our days off. 2 succeed, be in succession or rotation: The wallpaper had alternating stripes of pink, grey, and maroon.

--adj. 3 in rotation, successive; every other, every second:

The embankment revealed alternate layers of clay and gravel. The nurse visited our district on alternate days. 4 alternative,

second, other: The alternate selection contains only milk chocolate.

--n. 5 variant, alternative, (second) choice, US and Canadian substitute, deputy, stand-in, backup, understudy; pinch-hitter, Baseball designated hitter: I prefer the alternate to the featured model. My alternate takes over if I am ill.

alternation

n. rotation, succession; exchange, interchange: In a temperate climate there is the advantage of the alternation of the seasons.

alternative

adj. 1 alternate, variant, (an)other, different, additional; substitute, surrogate: Alternative models are available.

--n. 2 alternate, variant, choice, option, selection; possibility; substitute, surrogate: The alternative was to remain at home and do nothing. You leave me no alternative. 'Esthetic' is an American spelling alternative.

altogether

adv. entirely, utterly, completely, wholly, totally, fully, in all respects, absolutely, perfectly, quite; all in all, in all:

I don't altogether agree with you. Altogether, you may be right.

altruism n. selflessness, self-sacrifice, unselfishness, philanthropy, generosity, charity, charitableness, humanitarianism, humaneness, benevolence, humanity, public-spiritedness: Nick does things for others out of altruism, expecting nothing in return.

always adv. 1 at all times, again and again, on all occasions, every or each time, each and every time, without exception, unexceptionally; often, many times, usually: He that indulges hope will always be disappointed. I have always made coffee this way and see no reason for changing. 2 forever, continually,

ever, perpetually; unceasingly, unendingly, eternally, evermore, ever after, everlastingly, till the end of time, in perpetuity:

You are a fool, Mike, and you will always be a fool. 3 in any case, as a last resort: You could always refuse to pay.

1.11 amalgam...

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amalgam n. mixture, blend, combination, alloy, mix, composite, admixture, amalgamation; compound: The population was an amalgam of original settlers and new immigrants.

amalgamate

v. blend, combine, unite, mix, join, consolidate, compound, integrate, merge: The four sentences of the original are amalgamated into two.

amalgamation

n. blend, fusion, combination, mixture, mingling, admixture, composite, compound, blending, joining, consolidating, consolidation, compounding, commingling, fusing, coalescing, coalescence, union, uniting, unification, integration, merger, association, composition: The directors voted for an amalgamation of the two companies that would benefit both.

amass

v. accumulate, mass, pile or heap or rack up, collect, gather

(together), assemble, aggregate, cumulate, stock or store up,

hoard, set aside: How many points have you amassed? Owing to

the bountiful harvest, the farmers amassed huge amounts of

grain.

amateur

n. 1 layman, non-professional, tiro or tyro; dabbler,

dilettante, bungler; Colloq US bush-leaguer: When it comes to repairing cars, I'm a mere amateur.

--adj. 2 lay, non-professional, untrained; unpaid; dilettante,