Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms
.pdfn. 1 pliability, pliancy or pliantness, elasticity, resilience or resiliency, suppleness, flexibleness, bendability, limberness, stretch, give, spring, springiness, ductility:
Chemists improved the flexibility of the substance by adding more plasticizer. 2 conformability or conformableness, adaptability, versatility, adjustability or adjustableness, compliance or compliancy, manageability, tractability or tractableness, malleability, obedience, submissiveness, docility, agreeableness, conformity: Fletcher has the flexibility needed to move from one department to another.
flexible adj. 1 pliable, pliant, elastic, resilient, supple, bendable, limber, lithe, stretchy, stretchable, springy, extensible or extensile, ductile, flexile, tensile, yielding, willowy: The foil is a thin, flexible duelling sword. 2 modifiable, adaptable, conformable, compliant, malleable, obedient, tractable, manageable, cooperative, amenable, persuadable or persuasible: English seems to be an infinitely flexible language. Nicole is flexible in her attitude towards politics. 3 easy, facile, submissive, complaisant, docile: Discipline at the school might be a little too flexible.
flicker v. 1 twinkle, blink, waver, glimmer, glint, sparkle, shimmer, flare, gutter: A slight draught made the candles flicker. 2 flap, flutter, quiver, twitter, fluctuate, oscillate, shake, tremble, vibrate: Dozens of tiny flags flickered in the wind.
--n. 3 glimmer, glint, glimmering, sparkle, spark, twinkle, twinkling, gleam, flare, glare: With a dying flicker the torch went out. 4 hint, suggestion, trace, glimmer, vestige, scintilla, spark: I thought I detected a flicker of recognition when our eyes met.
flight° n. 1 flying, soaring, winging, excursion: The flight above the mountains was exhilarating. He is subject to wild flights of the imagination. 2 (air) voyage or journey or trip: We had a fine flight from New Delhi. 3 aeroplane, airliner, plane, aircraft: Our flight was delayed in Istanbul. 4 flock, swarm, cloud, covey (of grouse or partridge), bevy (of quail), skein (of
geese), exaltation (of larks): A flight of migrating birds passed overhead. 5 feather: The flights on this dart are broken.
flightý n. 1 escape, retreat, departure, exit, exodus, getaway, fleeing, bolting, Slang split: Mohammed's flight from Mecca to Medina in 622 is called a 'hegira'. 2 put to flight. chase or drive (off or away), disperse, send off or away, send packing, dismiss, rout, stampede: They put the Saracens to flight in a decisive battle. 3 take flight. flee, go or run away or off, abscond, desert, depart, (beat a) retreat, exit, bolt, decamp, withdraw, take to one's heels, show a clean pair of heels, Colloq light out, shove off, Brit scarper, US take a (run-out) powder, take it on the lam, lam out; Slang split, Brit do a
bunk, do a moonlight flit, bugger off: The constable blew his whistle and the thief took flight.
flighty adj. 1 fickle, frivolous, inconstant, capricious, fanciful, changeable, variable, mercurial, skittish, volatile, unstable, unsteady, giddy, wild: These flighty girls never stay in a job more than a month. 2 irresponsible, light-headed, rattle-brained, silly, hare-brained, dizzy, crazy, mad, reckless, thoughtless, Colloq nutty, screwy, dotty, dippy: It was flighty of Caroline to pour the brandy into the well.
flimsy adj. 1 slight, frail, weak, insubstantial or unsubstantial, feeble, makeshift, fragile, frangible, breakable, rickety,
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ramshackle, dilapidated, jerry-built, gimcrack, slight, |
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delicate: That flimsy ladder will never support me. He lives in |
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a flimsy shack near the railway. 2 slight, trivial, paltry, |
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feeble, unconvincing, weak, makeshift, implausible, |
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unbelievable, unsatisfactory, insubstantial or unsubstantial, |
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poor, inadequate: Her flimsy excuse was that she had a |
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headache. 3 sheer, light, gauzy, transparent, thin, filmy, |
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diaphanous, gossamer, delicate: She was wearing a flimsy pink |
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blouse. |
flinch |
v. wince, draw back, withdraw, cower, cringe, recoil, start, |
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quail, blench, shrink (from), shy (away) (from), dodge, duck: |
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Each time he raised the whip, I flinched. |
fling |
v. 1 toss, pitch, throw, cast, hurl, heave, sling, propel, |
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fire, let fly, send, Colloq lob, chuck: The smugglers had flung |
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the contraband into the sea. |
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--n. 2 indulgence, debauch, binge, spree, party, Colloq |
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blow-off: This will be my last fling before going into the |
army. 3 gamble, risk, venture, attempt, try, go, shot, Colloq crack, whirl, bash: Her brief fling at an acting career was unsuccessful.
flip v. 1 toss, flick, snap, flop, turn, twist, spin: Flip a coin
to see who goes first. 2 anger, become angry or furious, go mad, go crazy, go berserk, US also flip out, Colloq go off the deep end, lose one's cool, Slang flip one's lid or Brit top, Brit freak, US freak out, lose it: Father flipped when I said I was quitting college.
flippancy n. 1 frivolousness, facetiousness, levity, light-heartedness, frivolity, jocularity, offhandedness, unseriousness: I was chagrined that she should treat my proposal of marriage with such flippancy. 2 disrespect, disrespectfulness, impudence, impertinence, irreverence, sauciness, rudeness, discourtesy, brazenness, brashness, pertness, insolence, Colloq cheek, cheekiness, lip, mouth, Slang Brit side: The headmaster will not tolerate flippancy on serious subjects such as religion and race relations.
flippant adj. 1 frivolous, facetious, light-hearted, jocular, offhand(ed), unserious, shallow, thoughtless, superficial; supercilious, belittling, scornful, dismissive: I don't appreciate your flippant remarks when I'm trying to be serious. 2 disrespectful, impudent, impertinent, irreverent, saucy, rude, pert, discourteous, brazen, brash, insolent, Colloq cheeky, flip: He disapproves of Charles's flippant attitude towards the royal family.
flirt v. 1 coquette, play or act the coquette, tease, tantalize, toy, lead on, dally, philander, Colloq Brit chat up; Slang US come on to: Amanda enjoys flirting with the boys. 2 flirt with. trifle
or toy or play or tinker with, contemplate, consider, entertain, give a thought to, think about or of, Colloq Brit try on: Many teenagers flirt with the idea of leaving home.
--n. 3 coquette, tease, vamp, hussy, playgirl, minx; philanderer, playboy, Slang lady-killer, Old-fashioned wolf, sheik, masher, lounge lizard, Taboo slang cock-teaser, prick-teaser: They are both such flirts, I can't tell if their advances are genuine.
flirtatious
adj. coquettish, vampish, seductive, flirty, coy, philandering, provocative, enticing, alluring, amorous, come-hither: They exchanged many flirtatious looks across the table.
flit |
v. move, go, fly, flee, dart, skip, skim, flick, hop, whisk, |
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flutter, flash: As a bee flits from flower to flower, she flits |
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from man to man. |
float |
v. 1 hover, poise, bob, waft, be suspended, hang; sail, drift, |
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glide, swim: In the clear Caribbean waters, the boat seemed to |
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float in mid-air. 2 launch, establish, set up, organize, found, |
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initiate, get going or moving: The financiers are trying to |
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float a new company. 3 negotiate, arrange, transact, bring or |
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carry off, get, effect, consummate, Colloq pull off, swing: |
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Were you able to float a loan on your house? |
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--n. 4 raft, Brit platform: I can swim out to the float. 5 |
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buoy; pontoon: The bridge is supported by floats. 6 (parade) |
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exhibit or display: Our parade float won first prize. |
flock |
n. 1 body, company, group, band, pack, bunch, troop, set, |
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collection, assembly, convoy, gathering, congregation, crowd, |
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mass, mob, throng, gang, multitude, number, quantity, host, |
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horde, swarm, drove; herd, flight, troupe, fleet, school; bevy: |
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A huge flock of buyers sought bargains in the post-Christmas |
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sales. |
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--v. 2 assemble, meet, collect, gather, come or go together, |
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congregate, crowd, mass, mob, throng, pour, flood, swarm, herd |
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(together), band together, go: People flocked around the |
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speaker. |
flog |
v. 1 whip, lash, horsewhip, strap, flagellate, flay, scourge, |
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thrash, thresh, beat; chastise, castigate, punish: He will be |
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flogged, then drawn and quartered. He was flogged for stealing a |
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loaf of bread. 2 sell; promote, publicize: Her latest job is |
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flogging encyclopedias door-to-door. |
flood |
n. 1 inundation, deluge, overflow(ing), d‚bƒcle: The hurricane |
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was accompanied by a devastating flood. 2 torrent, cataract, |
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freshet, overflow, stream, spate: A flood of lava poured down |
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the mountain. 3 abundance, deluge, overflowing, surge, |
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outpouring, torrent, tide, tidal wave, stream, rush, flow, glut, |
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surfeit, satiety, profusion, over-abundance, superabundance, |
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nimiety, plethora, excess, surplus, superfluity: A flood of |
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invective poured from her lips. |
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--v. 4 inundate, submerge, overflow, swamp, immerse, deluge, |
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pour over, drown: The water flooded everything in the basement. |
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5 overwhelm, glut, oversupply, saturate, choke: The market is |
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being flooded with cheap imitations. 6 sweep, flow, swarm, |
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surge, rush, crowd, pour: As soon as the doors opened, the |
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people flooded in. 7 permeate, fill, engulf, cover, pour into |
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or throughout or over: I open the curtain and sunlight floods |
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the room. |
floor |
n. 1 flooring, parquet, boarding, planking, Nautical or colloq |
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deck: The floor is mopped once a week. 2 storey, level; deck: |
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On which floor is your flat? 3 minimum, bottom, base, lower |
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limit, lowest (level): Owing to inflation, the wage floor was |
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raised. Share prices went through the floor in today's trading. |
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--v. 4 knock over or down, bowl over, prostrate, fell, |
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overthrow, bring down, (make) fall; beat, defeat, conquer, |
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destroy, rout, overwhelm, crush, whip, trounce, thrash, drub, |
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best, worst: The champion was floored by a blow to the head. 5 |
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stump, bewilder, baffle, dumbfound or dumfound, confuse, |
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confound, disconcert, nonplus, perplex, puzzle, astound, |
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astonish, amaze, surprise, shock: Alexandra was floored when |
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she received a gift from her ex-husband. |
flop |
v. 1 collapse, drop (down), fall (down), tumble, topple, plump |
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down, plop down, flounce down: I was so exhausted that I |
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flopped into bed at once. 2 flap, wave, swing: The door, |
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unfastened, flopped back and forth in the wind. 3 fail, fall |
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flat, come to naught or nothing, founder, Colloq fold, US bomb: |
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The musical flopped on the first night. |
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--n. 4 failure, fiasco, disaster, non-starter, d‚bƒcle, US |
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fizzle, Colloq dud, washout, clanger, US lead balloon, bomb; |
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Slang lemon, Brit cock-up, damp squib: His idea for a new |
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corkscrew was a complete flop. |
flounce n. 1 frill, furbelow, peplum, ruffle, ornament, valance, trimming: The dress has decorative flounces round the skirt.
--v. 2 fling, toss, bounce, twist, strut, toss, parade, march, storm, stamp, US sashay: She flounced out of the room in high dudgeon.
flounder v. grope, blunder, stumble, tumble, struggle, stagger, plunge about: We floundered about in the dark till someone found the light switch.
flourish v. 1 prosper, thrive, grow, develop, luxuriate, bloom, blossom, flower, bear fruit, fructify, boom, burgeon or bourgeon, mature, ripen, increase, succeed, get ahead, do or fare well, make good; go up or rise in the world; Slang go great guns: We understand that Amy's medical practice has flourished. 2 wave, wield, brandish, wag, swing, twirl, flaunt, vaunt, swagger, swish,
shake: The band-leader flourished his baton.
--n. 3 decoration, embellishment, floridness, floweriness, ornamentation, elaboration, adornment, frill, embroidery, curlicue, furbelow: His signature is characterized by all these flourishes. 4 fanfare, display, show, showiness, dash, gesturing, wave: With a flourish of his hand, the king signalled the tourney to begin.
flourishing
adj. luxuriant, lush, thriving, prospering, blooming, blossoming, fruitful, flowering, burgeoning or bourgeoning, successful, prosperous, booming, growing, increasing: Patel runs a flourishing flower shop in Bicester.
flout |
v. deride, scorn, disdain, contemn, spurn, decry, denounce, |
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misprize, blaspheme, depreciate, degrade, abase, belittle, |
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minimize, deprecate, disparage, denigrate, mock, jeer, guy, |
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ridicule, scoff, sneer, gibe or jibe (at), taunt, twit, insult, |
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affront, Archaic fleer; Colloq put down, chaff, rag, knock: |
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When introduced in the sixties, miniskirts brazenly flouted |
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convention. |
flow |
v. 1 stream, pour, run, rush, course, surge, move, go, proceed, |
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progress, drift; gush, glide, purl, roll, ripple, trickle, |
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gurgle, bubble; swirl, whirl, circulate: People continue to |
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flow past the window. The Thames flows silently to the sea. 2 |
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rush, gush, surge, well (forth), stream, spring, issue, spout, |
spurt, squirt, spew, flood, cascade, fall, rain; brim, overflow, spill, teem: Open the gates to allow water to flow into the lock. A stream of insults flowed from his lips. Her tears flowed like wine. 3 issue, originate, come, emanate, rise, begin: With the dam repaired, water will once again flow from the reservoir. The authority of the state constitutions does not flow from Congress. 4 spread, overspread, cover: The paint flowed effortlessly onto the canvas.
--n. 5 rush, gush, surge; current, course, stream, run,
movement, drift: A dam blocks the flow of water here. The sound of a shot interrupted the flow of conversation. 6 abundance, superabundance, flood, plethora, excess, overflow(ing), deluge, tide, supply; plenty: London experiences an unending flow of tourists.
flower n. 1 blossom, bloom, floret or floweret, bud, Technical efflorescence: He brought me flowers for my birthday. 2 cream, best, pick, ‚lite, crŠme de la crŠme, finest, choicest: The
flower of the city's youth were put to death by the wicked caliph.
--v. 3 blossom, bloom, bud, burgeon or bourgeon, come out, open, unfold, Technical effloresce: The century plant was so called because it was thought to flower only once every hundred years.
flowery adj. florid, ornate, fancy, elaborate(d), decorated, ornamented, overwrought, embellished, rococo, baroque, arabesque, euphuistic, Gongoristic, Ossianic, grandiloquent, bombastic, inflated, pompous, affected, artificial, high-flown, showy: Many find his flowery style of writing difficult to stomach.
fluctuate v. vary, change, alternate, see-saw, swing, vacillate, undulate, waver, oscillate, shift: Prices fluctuate according to supply and demand.
fluctuation
n. Sometimes, fluctuations. variation(s), change(s), alternation(s), swing(s), vacillation(s), wavering(s), oscillation(s), undulation(s), ups and downs, instability, unsteadiness, inconstancy: We can expect fluctuation in
temperatures during the coming week.
fluency |
n. articulateness, eloquence, control, command, ease, grace, |
effortlessness, facility, felicity, smoothness, polish, |
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slickness, glibness, volubility: His extemporaneous speeches |
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are marked by an enviable fluency. |
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fluent |
adj. articulate, eloquent, well-spoken, felicitous, graceful, |
facile, easy, natural, effortless, ready, smooth, polished, flowing, voluble, glib, slick; expressive: She is a fluent speaker of Spanish.
fluff n. 1 down, fuzz, feather(s), thistledown, floss, lint, dust, dust-ball, fuzz ball: Be sure you clean the fluff from under the beds. 2 bit of fluff. poppet, girl (friend), mistress, Slang bit of all right, (bit of) crumpet, (bit of) skirt or
stuff, Old-fashioned Brit popsy: Bickerley keeps some fluff on the side. 3 blunder, error, slip, mistake, Colloq howler, Brit bloomer, US and Canadian blooper: They showed a video of the fluffs actors make during recordings.
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--v. 4 muddle, spoil, ruin, make a mess of, bungle, botch, |
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Colloq foul up, screw up, mess up, US snafu, Slang Brit cock up, |
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balls up, US ball up, Taboo fuck up: I have a funny story about |
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how Barrymore fluffed Hamlet's soliloquy. 5 fluff up. puff up, |
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shake out or up, aerate: He doesn't like the pillows on his bed |
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fluffed up. |
fluffy |
adj. 1 soft, downy, puffy, whipped up, light, airy, puffy, |
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feathery, wispy: Beat the egg whites till they are fluffy. 2 |
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frivolous, superficial, trivial, unimportant, airy, thin, |
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lightweight, light, insubstantial, gossamer, Brit airy-fairy: |
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Mr Piffle is too fluffy-headed to offer anything useful. |
fluid |
n. 1 liquid, solution, liquor, ichor; gas, vapour: It might |
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surprise some to learn that physicists consider gases to be |
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fluids. |
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--adj. 2 liquid, flowing, running, runny, watery, aqueous: |
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Once the metal has become fluid, it is poured into the moulds. |
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3 changeable, mutable, flexible, adjustable, variable, pliant, |
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unformed, formless, unfixed, unstatic or non-static, plastic, |
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protean, mercurial, mobile, unstable, shifting, uncertain, |
indefinite, unsettled: The situation is fluid and the decision could go either way.
fluke n. lucky or successful stroke, stroke of (good) luck, lucky or big break, (happy) accident, quirk or twist of fate, windfall, fortuity, serendipity: If he won first prize, it was by a
fluke.
flummox v. confuse, baffle, perplex, bewilder, confound, throw into confusion, stymie, stump, puzzle, mystify, fox, deceive, hoodwink, nonplus: We were completely flummoxed by the licensing requirements.
flunkey n. 1 servant, retainer, lackey, footman, menial, minion, hireling, underling, subordinate, inferior; slave; Colloq
dogsbody, Slang US and Canadian gofer: A company flunkey drove me to the airport. 2 toady, hanger-on, yes-man, jackal,
doormat, stooge, lickspittle, sycophant, Colloq US and Canadian apple-polisher, Taboo brown-noser: He has a collection of flunkeys waiting about for hand-outs.
flurry n. 1 activity, commotion, ado, to-do, fuss, upset, hubbub, pother, stir, excitement, disturbance, agitation, tumult, whirl, furore, bustle, hurry, hustle, flutter, fluster; burst,
outburst; Colloq tizzy: I was happy to leave the worry and flurry of the city. There was a brief flurry of activity at the Stock Exchange today.
--v. 2 confuse, bewilder, agitate, put out, disturb, excite, fluster, disconcert, upset, perturb, unsettle, shake (up), Colloq rattle: He was quite flurried by the arrival of the police.
flush° v. 1 blush, redden, crimson, glow, burn, colour (up): When he told her she was pretty she flushed a bit. 2 Often, flush out. rinse, wash (out or away), douse, douche, hose down, flood, drench, clean out, cleanse, purge, discharge, empty: Oil
tankers are flushed out far from shore. 3 animate, stir, inflame, impassion, quicken, arouse, excite, elate, encourage, cheer, delight, thrill, gladden: Suzie was flushed with the success of having got the job.
--n. 4 blush, redness, bloom, rosiness, colour, blood, glow,
radiance: When he was asked what had happened to the money, a flush rose to his cheek. 5 flood, deluge, drenching, soaking, overflow, inundation, rush, gush, surge, stream, flow: The
flush of water washed away all the debris. 6 thrill, excitement, passion, quickening, arousal, stir, stirring, animation, elation, euphoria, delight, encouragement, thrill, tingle: In the first flush of success, they were overwhelmed with orders. He felt a flush come over him when he won the race.
flushý adj. 1 (on the same) plane or level (with), even, smooth, flat, square, true, continuous; adjacent, next to: See that the tabletop is flush with the countertop. The mirror should be flush against the wall. 2 full, overflowing, replete, abundant: Turn off the water when it is flush with the top of the basin.
3 solvent, well supplied, comfortable; well-to-do, well off, well-found, wealthy, rich, prosperous, affluent, moneyed, Colloq well-heeled, on Easy Street, in the money, US in the chips; Slang loaded, rolling (in money or it): He's flush enough to
take us all out to dinner.
--adv. 4 even(ly), square(ly), levelly, plumb, directly: Cut this branch off flush.
fluster v. 1 agitate, stir (up), discompose, discomfit, discomfort, disconcert, shake (up), upset, disquiet, discommode, bother, put out or off, disturb, perturb, flurry, flutter, make nervous,
throw off, distract, confuse, baffle, confound, puzzle, perplex, befuddle, bewilder, daze, dazzle, Colloq rattle, throw, discombobulate, hassle, faze: Don't be flustered by her rude manner.
--n. 2 agitation, upset, discomfort, disquiet, bother, disturbance, commotion, perturbation, dither, flurry, flutter, nervousness, distraction, confusion, bafflement, befuddlement, perplexity, bewilderment: All this fluster came about through the absence of a coherent plan.
flutter v. 1 flap, flop, fluctuate, vacillate, wave, waver, oscillate: The paper streamers fluttered in the breeze. 2 flit, flicker, flitter, hover, dance; fuss: We shall never get done if you keep fluttering about. 3 tremble, shake, quiver, dither, jump, vibrate, twitch: She is fluttering with anticipation waiting