Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

presentiment, omen, sign, portent, intimation, forewarning, presage, advance word: I had a strange foreboding of horror as I entered the room.

forecast v. 1 predict, foretell, prophesy, prognosticate, foresee, augur, presage, vaticinate, anticipate; forewarn, calculate: Seers forecast coming events; meteorologists forecast the weather.

--n. 2 prediction, prophecy, prognosis, prognostication, foresight, augury, vaticination, anticipation; forewarning, calculation: Have you heard the weather forecast for tomorrow?

foregoing adj. preceding, above, former, previous, precedent, prior, antecedent; earlier, preliminary, anterior; aforementioned, aforesaid: The foregoing paragraph set forth the principles.

foregone adj. Usually in foregone conclusion. assumed, established, pre-established, predetermined, fixed, inevitable, set, accepted, cut and dried: His incarceration for the crime was a foregone conclusion.

foreign adj. 1 alien, imported, non-native; overseas, distant, tramontane, transalpine, transatlantic, transpacific: Duty is payable on foreign goods. We holiday in a different foreign country each year. 2 strange, outlandish, exotic, unfamiliar, peculiar, odd, curious: She regards anything except beans and toast as foreign food. 3 unknown, unfamiliar, strange, inappropriate, unrelated, unconnected, unassimilable, remote, extrinsic, extraneous: Their philosophy is completely foreign to my way of thinking.

foreigner n. alien, non-native, immigrant, newcomer, new arrival, outsider, outlander, stranger: The word xenophobia means 'dread of foreigners'.

foreman n. superintendent, manager, boss, supervisor, overseer, Brit shopwalker, US floor-walker, Colloq super, Brit gaffer, US straw boss: The foreman insists we use the time clocks.

foremost adj. 1 first, primary, prime, leading, pre-eminent, supreme; prominent, notable, noteworthy, noted, chief, paramount, main, best, superior: She is one of the foremost eye surgeons in her

country.

--adv. 2 first, firstly, primarily, primarily, in (the) first place, before anything else: First and foremost, we must consider the matter of safety.

forerunner

n. 1 predecessor, precursor, foregoer; herald, harbinger, envoy; forebear, ancestor, forefather, progenitor: This dishwasher is better designed than its forerunners. The cuckoo is thought by many to be the forerunner of spring. 2 omen, portent, foretoken, premonition, sign, augury, token: A drop in the barometer is a forerunner of bad weather.

foresee v. presage, foretell, envisage, picture, forecast, predict, prophesy, augur, US envision: I don't foresee any problems.

foreshadow

v. presage, foretoken, portend, augur, indicate, prophesy, predict, bode, signal, signify, betoken: The surrender of Ghent foreshadowed the fate of Flanders.

foresight n. 1 providence, prudence, care, far-sightedness, watchfulness, caution, precaution, long-sightedness, perspicacity, wisdom, sagacity, insight, circumspection: The commander demonstrated foresight in ordering a retreat. 2 prevision, perception,

prospect, vision, foreknowledge, prescience; expectation: A little foresight could have prevented the calamity.

forestall v. anticipate, prevent, obstruct, hinder, obviate, thwart, preclude, frustrate, avert, ward or stave or fend off, intercept, parry, stop, delay: The frigate effectively forestalled our plan to sail away secretly.

forethought

n. premeditation, planning, plotting, far-sightedness, long-sightedness: Much forethought went into the assassination scheme.

for ever adv. 1 forever, always, for good, ever, (for) evermore, forevermore, eternally, everlastingly, for ever and a day, undyingly, for eternity, till doomsday, till the end of time, Colloq till the cows come home, till hell freezes over: They

swore to be true for ever. 2 constantly, continually, continuously, all the time, unceasingly, incessantly, without cease or surcease, endlessly, consistently, persistently, interminably, perpetually: She was forever watching soap operas on the telly.

foreword n. preface, prologue, prelude, prolegomenon, preamble, Literary proem; introduction: He set forth the purpose of the book in

the foreword.

forfeit n. 1 penalty, fine, fee, charge, damages, forfeiture, sequestration, amercement, mulct: You will have to give me a kiss as a forfeit.

--v. 2 lose, yield (up), give up or over, relinquish,

surrender, be stripped or deprived of, forgo, renounce, waive: You have forfeited your right to trial and you will be hanged at dawn.

--adj. 3 surrendered, lost, yielded, relinquished, forgone, waived, renounced: His life was forfeit the moment he volunteered to defuse the bomb.

forge v. 1 make, construct, fashion, fabricate, manufacture, shape, mould, cast, hammer out: This plant forges heavy steel tools. He forged a new life for himself in the American West. 2 create, invent, conceive (of), coin, devise, think up, frame: I have forged a new plan of escape. 3 counterfeit, copy, reproduce, imitate, falsify, fake, Slang US hang paper: She forged her

employer's name on the cheque. The gang was caught because they forged three-pound notes.

draw a blank: I forgot what I was supposed to buy at the market. 2 leave (behind), omit or neglect (doing or taking): I forgot my umbrella this morning. 3 ignore, dismiss from (one's) mind or thoughts, disregard, overlook, consign to oblivion: Forget the fact that you ever met me.

forgetful adj. amnesiac; absent-minded, distracted, abstracted, inattentive, preoccupied, neglectful, negligent, careless, lax, dreamy, dreaming, in dreamland, in the clouds, in cloud-cuckoo-land or cloud-land or Nephelococcygia, remote, distrait(e), Colloq not turned on, turned off, out of it:

Franklin is so forgetful he'd lose his head if it weren't stitched on.

forgive v. 1 pardon, excuse, allow, make allowance(s) for, indulge, condone, vindicate; overlook, ignore, disregard, pay no attention to, pass over, US slough over: Please forgive my curiosity, but where did you get that hat? 2 clear, acquit, absolve, exculpate, exonerate; spare; Colloq let off: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. 3 cancel, waive, abolish, void, nullify, erase, delete; Colloq let off (the

hook): Her dream was to awake one day and find all her debts forgiven.

forgiveness

n. 1 pardon, reprieve, absolution, remission, acquittal, acquittance, amnesty, allowance, vindication, exculpation, exoneration, Archaic shrift: Oh, Lord, I ask forgiveness for my sins. 2 mercy, mercifulness, compassion, grace, leniency, clemency, indulgence, tolerance: He begged her forgiveness for the way he had treated her.

forgiving adj. tolerant, lenient, sparing, forbearing, merciful, compassionate, conciliatory, magnanimous, humane, soft-hearted, clement: In a forgiving mood, the judge gave her a light sentence.

forgo v. 1 give up, renounce, forswear, forsake, abandon, do or go without, sacrifice, eliminate, omit, leave out or alone, cede, waive; avoid, shun, eschew, abstain from, turn down, pass up, deny (oneself): His new diet requires him to forgo all dairy produce. 2 resign, give up, yield, surrender, relinquish, cede, waive, renounce, forswear, abdicate, abandon: Did he not forgo all right to the throne by marrying a commoner?

forlorn adj. 1 miserable, wretched, desolate, woebegone, lost, pitiable, pitiful, pathetic, woeful, cheerless, joyless, unhappy, depressed, sad, desolate, disconsolate, gloomy,

main part of the programme. 10 acquire, develop, cultivate, contract; get: In prison I formed the habit of rolling my own cigarettes. We formed a lasting friendship. 11 develop, grow, arise, appear, materialize, show up, take shape or form, accumulate: When the yeast is added, a barm forms on the surface.

formal adj. 1 standard, conventional, customary, established, prescribed, regular, normal, correct, proper; strict, formulaic, inflexible, punctilious, exacting, unchanging, methodical, orderly, systematic, set, pro forma, ritual, ritualistic, ceremonial, proper, official, routine, fixed, rigid, stiff, stilted, stately, starched, unbending, solemn; confining, straitened, limited; Colloq straight, square: Formal rules of behaviour are observed. 2 explicit, express, definite, spelled out, formalized, express, authorized, official, solemn, legal,

lawful: Formal demands have been made for the withdrawal of our ambassador. 3 prim, ceremonious, dignified, stuffy,

strait-laced, stiff, precise, exact: He made a formal bow and left our company.

formality n. 1 Often, the formalities. form, convention, conventionality, practice, procedure, custom, wont, observance, protocol, ceremony, rite, ritual: Observe the legal formalities by having this document witnessed. Formality requires that you walk backwards out of the room. 2 strictness, punctilio, exactness, precision, correctness, rigidity, stiffness, inflexibility: We

must maintain the formality of Sunday service. 3 etiquette, politesse, decorum, punctilio, conformity, propriety: Formality prohibits casual conversation.

format n. 1 appearance, look(s), aspect, layout, plan, design, style, form, dimension(s), shape, size: In its present format, the magazine resembles an academic journal. 2 composition, content(s), make-up, constitution, arrangement, plan, organization, order, set-up: Her TV programme has the format of a chat show.

formation n. 1 development, appearance, materialization, shape, accumulation, generation, creation, crystallization, forming, genesis, production: The formation of bubbles indicates that the acid is working. 2 establishment, institution, creation, founding, set-up, organizing, organization, development,

composition: We met to discuss the formation of a new company. 3 array, display, pattern, arrangement, structure, grouping, organization, configuration, disposition: The vast military formation covered the entire valley.

former adj. 1 previous, earlier, prior, ex-, one-time, preceding, erstwhile, late, latest, last, recent, ci-devant, quondam, Archaic whilom: I ran into a former girl-friend at the art show. 2 old, past, bygone; ancient, (pre)historic, departed, antediluvian: In former times, one could demand - and get - decent service.

formerly adv. once, before, previously, hitherto, long ago, at one time, in the old days, once upon a time, in days gone by, in days or time past, time was, back then, when the world was young(er),

Colloq way back or US also way back when: Formerly, there were no tall buildings to block one's view.

formidable

adj. 1 alarming, appalling, dreadful, frightful, awesome, awe-inspiring, menacing, horrifying, frightening, intimidating, daunting, petrifying, terrifying: A formidable, fire-breathing dragon blocked our exit. 2 terrific, fantastic, unbelievable, incredible, impressive, prodigious, mind-boggling, awesome, Colloq mind-blowing, freaky: They are a formidable talent and will sell a million records this year. 3 arduous, indomitable, overwhelming, staggering, powerful, mighty, difficult, challenging, burdensome, onerous: She has formidable obstacles to overcome before becoming a doctor.

formula n. recipe, rubric, formulary; rule(s), prescription, directions, instructions, blueprint, method, technique, means,

way, pattern, procedure, modus operandi, Colloq US MO: Ali Baba uttered the formula, 'Open sesame!', and the rock opened. Alchemists sought to discover a formula for making gold from lead.

formulate v. 1 systematize, codify, define, specify, articulate, particularize, denote: You must try to formulate your ideas more clearly. 2 devise, originate, create, think up or of,

dream up, conceive, concoct, invent, improvise, Colloq cook up: I have formulated a plan in my mind to deal with the problem. 3 develop, forge, evolve, work out, design, map out, block out,

draw up: You have three days to formulate a workable procedure.

forsake v. 1 abandon, desert, quit, leave, flee, depart, vacate: He forsook balmy California to dig for gold in the Klondike. 2 abandon, desert, leave, jilt, reject, throw over, jettison, cast off: She has forsaken Michael for another man. 3 give up, yield, renounce, repudiate, relinquish, forgo, forswear, surrender, resign, abdicate, recant, deny, have or be done with, turn one's back on: Would you forsake a throne for the love of a woman?

forte n. talent, strong point, gift, speciality, strength, aptitude, genius, Colloq long suit: His forte is carving ivory miniatures.

forthcoming

adj. 1 approaching, nearing, impending, imminent, coming, (close) at hand, upcoming; near or close (by), (near or close) at hand, in the offing, on the horizon, Colloq Brit on the cards, US in the cards: The forthcoming tax increase will affect everyone. A new regulation is forthcoming. 2 awaited, expected, anticipated, looked-for, watched for, prospective, foreseen: The forthcoming payment will be be a little late. 3 outgoing, friendly, amiable, affable, sociable, accessible,

expansive, chatty, talkative, communicative, informative, open, free, revealing, unreserved: Barry was most forthcoming when questioned about his finances.

forthright

adj. straightforward, direct, blunt, candid, frank, above-board, unambiguous, unequivocal, open, outspoken, uninhibited, unreserved, unconstrained, unrestrained: She has always been forthright and honest in her dealings with me.

fortify v. 1 strengthen, reinforce, shore up, buttress, brace, bolster, secure: Steel plates were used to fortify the walls. 2 cheer, encourage, hearten, buoy, invigorate, energize, embolden, reassure, brace: Her enthusiasm fortified him to face what was coming. 3 supplement, enhance, enrich, boost, augment: The drink was fortified by the addition of whisky.

fortitude n. strength, mettle, backbone, courage, nerve, resolution, resoluteness, perseverance, endurance, tenacity, pertinacity,

grit, determination, will-power, Colloq guts: His encouragement gave me the fortitude to carry on.

fortunate adj. 1 lucky, in luck, fortuitous, blessed: You were fortunate to have survived the crash. 2 favoured, advantageous, propitious, auspicious, providential, favourable, opportune, timely, well-timed: It was a fortunate time to be buying a house.

fortune n. 1 position, worth, means, assets, holdings, wealth, property, estate, possessions; wealth, riches, affluence, opulence, treasure, money, prosperity: Each member is liable to the full extent of his fortune. He acquired his fortune from

oil. 2 luck, chance, fortuity; lot, fate, kismet, destiny,

karma; future; US happenstance: It was just fortune that put me in the right place at the right time. She'll tell your fortune

if you cross her palm with silver. 3 Usually, fortunes. circumstance(s), experience(s), adventures, expectation(s), lot: My fortunes of late have been poor.

fortune-teller

n. oracle, soothsayer, prophet, diviner, augur, seer, clairvoyant, prognosticator, sibyl, haruspex, crystal-gazer, tea-leaf reader, palmist, palm reader, star-gazer; futurologist: The fortune-teller said to beware the Ides of March.

forward adj. 1 advance, leading, foremost, front, head, first: The forward contingents of the army moved into the town. 2 bold, pert, impudent, brash, insolent, impertinent, disrespectful, brazen, audacious, rash, unashamed, unabashed, saucy, flippant, presumptuous, cheeky, Colloq flip, fresh, pushy: It was a bit forward of you to call the chairman by his nickname. 3 (well-)advanced, (well-)developed, progressive, precocious, forward-looking: She was quite a forward girl at fifteen.

--adv. 4 forwards, ahead, onward, along; clockwise, deasil: I moved forward to the head of the queue. Set the clock forward an hour tonight. 5 up, out, forth, to the fore, into consideration,

into view, into the open, to the surface, on to the table: Cooper brought forward an interesting proposal.

--v. 6 advance, further, promote, back, foster, support, aid, assist, help; patronize, encourage, nourish, nurse along: He