Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

1.13 apart...

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apart adv. 1 aside, to one side, by oneself, at a distance, separate, separately: He stood apart when the awards were given out. 2 separately, distinctly, individually, singly, alone, independently: The provisions of the bill should be seen together as a whole, not viewed apart. 3 to or into pieces, asunder: At the touch of the button, the building blew apart. 4 apart from. except for, excepting, separately from, aside from, besides, but for, not including, excluding, not counting: Apart from the immediate family, no one knows of your indiscretions.

aperture n. opening, space, gap, cleft, chink, crevice, crack, fissure, hole, chasm: As much water ran through as the aperture could accommodate.

apologetic

adj. regretful, sorry, contrite, remorseful, penitent, rueful, repentant, conscience-stricken: The lad was most apologetic for having broken the window.

apologize v. 1 beg or ask pardon, express regret(s), feel sorry or regretful or remorse(ful): You needn't apologize for sneezing. 2 make or give excuses or explanation(s), defend, justify, vindicate, espouse: You don't have to apologize for her.

appal v. dismay, shock, discomfit, unnerve, intimidate, terrify, frighten, scare, horrify, alarm, startle, daunt: The council were appalled to discover that the police superintendent was accepting bribes.

apparatus n. equipment, requisites, tool, instrument, utensil, device, implement, machine, machinery, gear, paraphernalia, tackle, outfit; appliance, Colloq contraption, gadgetry, gadget: The apparatus needed for the experiment is here.

apparel n. clothing, attire, clothes, dress, raiment, garments, Colloq gear, rags, glad rags, duds, Slang US threads: The police found various items of apparel strewn about the flat.

apparent adj. 1 evident, plain, clear, obvious, patent, unmistakable; conspicuous, marked, manifest, visible, discernible: It was apparent to all of us that she would become a successful opera singer. 2 appearing, seeming, illusory, ostensible, superficial, outward: In an apparent show of strength, he ordered his forces to attack the capital.

apparently

adv. 1 evidently, plainly, clearly, obviously, patently, manifestly: There is apparently no cure in sight for the disease. 2 seemingly, ostensibly, superficially, outwardly: In stop-action photography, the bullet apparently hangs in mid-air.

appeal v. 1 entreat, supplicate, solicit, plead, petition, apply, sue; beseech, beg, implore, pray: She appealed to the king to release her son from the dungeon. 2 attract, be attractive to, allure, please; invite, tempt, beguile, fascinate, interest: He seems to appeal to older women.

--n. 3 application, suit; entreaty, call, request, supplication, solicitation, petition, plea; prayer: Her appeal

to the court has been dismissed. I don't know if God heard our appeal. 4 attraction, lure, allurement, charm, fascination: It

is not hard to see why his type would have some appeal.

appear v. 1 come forth, become visible or manifest, put in an appearance, materialize, surface, emerge, rise, arise, come up, enter (into) the picture, show oneself, turn up, arrive, come, Colloq crop or show up; Slang show: Suddenly, a vision appeared before me. His wife appeared after an absence of ten years. 2 perform, act, play, take the role or part of: She has appeared

as Roxanne in dozens of productions of Cyrano de Bergerac . 3 occur, happen, come up, be included, figure, arrive: That four-letter word does not appear in written form till the 20th century. 4 seem, be clear or evident or plain or manifest; look: It appears that the money was taken while the manager was at lunch. 5 be published, come out, become available: The next issue will appear in March.

appearance

n. 1 arrival, advent; presence; publication: I was awaiting the appearance of the book in the shops. 2 aspect, look(s),

form; mien, air, demeanour; bearing, manner: The doorman would not let him in because of his shabby appearance. 3 display,

show: Their fine horses with their rich trappings made a splendid appearance. 4 semblance, show, hint, suggestion; illusion: She gave no appearance of wanting to go.

appetite n. 1 desire, inclination, proclivity, tendency, disposition, bent, preference, liking, predilection, zest, fondness, love, zeal; enthusiasm; taste, relish; Formal appetency, appetence: I have never lost my appetite for chocolate. They tried to suppress their bodily appetites, such as hunger and lust. 2 craving, hunger, thirst, desire, keenness, hankering, yearning, longing, passion, demand, Formal edacity: She developed an insatiable appetite for reading.

applaud v. 1 approve, express approval, clap, cheer, give (someone) a hand, Colloq root (for): The audience applauded when the villain was caught. 2 express approval of, praise, laud, hail, commend: Susan's parents applauded her decision to apply for university.

applause n. clapping, acclamation, acclaim, ‚clat; cheering, cheers; approval, commendation, approbation, praise, kudos, plaudit(s): At the curtain there was applause from the audience.

applicable

adj. fit, suitable, suited, appropriate, proper, apropos, fitting, befitting, pertinent, apt, germane, right, seemly,

relevant, apposite: Are the laws of the mainland applicable to the islands?

application

n. 1 use, employment, utilization, practice, operation: The committee wants to see a sterner application of the law with respect to mail-order offers. 2 relevancy, relevance, reference, pertinence, germaneness, appositeness; bearing: The application of the regulation to present circumstances is somewhat vague. 3 attention; diligence, industriousness, effort, perseverance, persistence, assiduity, devotion, dedication, commitment, attentiveness Colloq stick-to-it-iveness; industry: Her application to her studies leaves little time for recreation. Without application, you will never develop much skill at the piano. 4 request, solicitation; appeal, petition, claim: Gavin

made six job applications. The board will consider your application.

apply v. 1 fasten, fix, affix, stick, cement, glue: The signs were applied to the window with a special substance. 2 administer, rub in or on, embrocate: The doctor said to apply this ointment before retiring. 3 appropriate, assign, allot, credit; use,

utilize, employ, put to use: He had many skills, but failed to apply them in his daily work. The money raised for food was illegally applied to paying the administrators. 4 bear, have bearing; be relevant, refer, pertain, appertain, relate, suit:

I am not sure that the law applies to this situation. 5 devote, dedicate, commit, focus, concentrate, pay attention, address; do, attend, tend, Colloq buckle down (to): He stubbornly applies himself to the task at hand. 6 seek, go after; register, bid, try out, put in; audition, interview, make application: Are you qualified to apply for a job as a nanny? 7 petition, solicit; appeal, request: Geraldine applied to the court for compensation.

appoint v. 1 fix, set, settle, determine, ordain, authorize, establish, destine, arrange, assign, allot, prescribe, decree: The time appointed for the execution has been delayed. 2 name, designate, nominate, elect; assign, delegate, commission, deputize; select, choose: I was delighted to have been appointed as chairman. 3 equip, fit out, furnish, decorate: They live comfortably in a well-appointed home in the suburbs.

appointment

n. 1 meeting, date, rendezvous, engagement; assignation, tryst: You are again late for your appointment. 2 nomination, election; assignment, designation; selection, choice: We fully approve of his appointment as chairman. 3 job, position, post, situation, office, place, assignment, Colloq berth, slot: He

got the appointment as manager.

appreciate

v. 1 value, find worthwhile or valuable; esteem, cherish, enjoy, admire, rate or regard highly, prize, treasure, respect: I appreciate all you have done for me. Delia's contribution is not really appreciated. 2 increase or rise or gain in value or worth: The property in this area has been appreciating at a rate of about ten per cent a year. 3 understand, comprehend,

recognize, perceive, know, be aware or cognizant or conscious of: Do you appreciate the implications of the new tax law?

appreciation

n. 1 gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, thanks; acknowledgement; obligation: She is trying to think of an appropriate way to express her appreciation for all he has done. 2 increase, rise, advance, growth, enhancement, gain; aggrandizement: The appreciation in the value of the shares made me very wealthy on paper - till the stock-market crash. 3 understanding, comprehension, perception, recognition, knowledge, awareness; realization, enjoyment; admiration: It's fortunate that Richard's appreciation of the finer things in

life is supported by his income.

apprentice

n. 1 novice, tiro or tyro, learner, starter, beginner,

greenhorn, Colloq US rookie: Lever served as an apprentice in the soap factory.

--v. 2 indenture, contract, bind: Cartwright was apprenticed to a carpenter before becoming a journeyman cabinet-maker.

approach v. 1 near, advance, draw or come near or nearer or close or closer, Formal come nigh: Claude approached the table. As night approached, the sky darkened. With approaching manhood, you must take on more responsibilities. 2 approximate, nearly equal, come close to, compare with: The total is beginning to approach your estimate. 3 make advances or overtures to, proposition, propose to, sound out, make (a) proposal to, solicit, Colloq

chat up: Theo makes mincemeat of any man who tries to approach his daughter.

--n. 4 approaches. advances, overtures, proposals, propositions: Michelle had no intention of discouraging Pierre's approaches. 5 access, passage, way, path, course;

entry: The approach to the house was overgrown with brambles. 6 advance, movement: Our approach to the gates was being watched very carefully. 7 method, procedure, modus operandi, way, technique, style, manner, attitude, Slang US MO (= 'modus operandi'): Our approach in dealing with the problem is different.

appropriate

adj. 1 suitable, apt, fitting, fit, proper, right, meet,

becoming, befitting, seemly, suited, apropos, correct, germane, pertinent, happy, felicitous: Will a dinner-jacket be appropriate attire? She has written a poem appropriate to the occasion.

--v. 2 take, take over, seize, expropriate, arrogate, annex, impound; commandeer; steal, pilfer, filch, usurp, make away or off with, Colloq pinch, lift, Brit nick, US boost: The police appropriated the paintings. Somebody has appropriated my chair. 3 set aside or apart, devote, assign, earmark, allot, apportion: Most of the money has been appropriated for back taxes.

appropriately

adv. fittingly, suitably, properly, correctly, aptly, rightly, becomingly, meetly: She came down appropriately dressed for dinner.

approval n. sanction, approbation, blessing, consent, agreement, concurrence; endorsement, acceptance, imprimatur, affirmation, ‚clat, confirmation, mandate, authorization; licence, leave, permission, rubber stamp, Colloq OK, okay, go-ahead, green light: I don't think that the plan will meet with the

committee's approval. We gave our approval to proceed.

approve v. 1 Often, approve of. allow, countenance, condone, permit, sanction, authorize, endorse, put one's imprimatur on, agree

(to), accept, assent (to), go along with, Colloq OK or okay, give the green light or go-ahead or one's blessing (to),

rubber-stamp: The headmistress would never approve your leaving the building during classes. 2 confirm, affirm, support, ratify, uphold, subscribe to, second, give the stamp of approval to; favour, commend, recommend: Sheila Jones's appointment to the commission has been approved unanimously. 3 approve of. sanction, consider fair or good or right, accept, favour,

respect, be partial to, like, have regard for, have a preference for, tolerate, reconcile oneself to: I always had the feeling that her father didn't quite approve of me.

approximate

adj. 1 rough, inexact, loose, imprecise, estimated, Colloq guestimated, ballpark: The figures are only approximate, not

exact.

--v. 2 near, approach, come close to, verge on: Your estimates approximate those of the budget committee. 3 resemble, approach, look or seem like; simulate: The laboratory tests on rats approximate the way the virus behaves in humans.

approximately

adv. approaching; nearly, almost, close to, about, around, give or take, roughly, generally: I haven't seen Sally for approximately three weeks. There are approximately fifty people in the audience.

aptitude n. 1 fitness, suitability, appropriateness, relevance, applicability, suitableness, aptness: One need only look at an albatross in the air to appreciate its aptitude for flight. 2 tendency, propensity, disposition, predilection, bent, proclivity; talent, gift, ability, capability, facility,

faculty, flair: Helen displays a natural aptitude for the violin. 3 intelligence, quick-wittedness, intellect; capacity, aptness: The aptitude of that new student sets her apart from the others in the class.

1.14 arbitrary...

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arbitrary adj. 1 capricious, varying, erratic, uncertain, inconsistent, doubtful, unpredictable, whimsical, irrational, chance, random, inconsistent, subjective, unreasoned, irrational, Colloq chancy, iffy: The choices are entirely arbitrary, totally at the whim

of the council and not based on research or knowledge. 2 absolute, tyrannical, despotic, authoritarian, magisterial, summary, peremptory, autocratic, dogmatic, imperious, uncompromising, inconsiderate, high-handed, dictatorial, Rare thetic(al): The conduct of the archbishop appears to have been arbitrary and harsh.

prankish: I could tell from the lad's arch expression that he had thrown the snowball.

fervour, passion, heat, warmth; enthusiasm: Bernadette has supported the cause with great ardour.

arduous adj. 1 laborious, difficult, hard, tough, strenuous, onerous, burdensome, back-breaking, painful, Formal operose; tiring, exhausting, wearisome, fatiguing, taxing, gruelling, trying,

say, assert, hold, maintain, reason, claim, contend: The defendant argued that he had never met the witness. 6 argue into or out of. persuade or dissuade, talk out of or into,

prevail upon; convince: I argued him out of sailing to Bermuda alone. She succeeded in arguing me into going to the tea dance.

argument n. 1 debate, dispute, disagreement, quarrel, controversy, polemic, wrangle, squabble, tiff, spat, altercation; conflict, fight, fracas, affray, fray, Donnybrook, feud, Colloq row, falling-out, scrap, barney: The argument was about who had invented the wheel. The argument spilt out into the street. 2 point, position, (line of) reasoning, logic, plea, claim, pleading, assertion, contention, case; defence: His argument has merit. Arthur's argument falls apart when he brings in the phlogiston theory.

argumentative

adj. quarrelsome, disputatious, belligerent, combative, contentious, litigious, disagreeable, testy: Evelyn is irritable and argumentative.

arise v. 1 rise, get up, stand up, get to one's feet; wake up, get

out of bed, awake: We arose when Lady Spencer entered the room. I have arisen before dawn all my life. 2 rise, go up, come up, ascend, climb; mount: The full moon arose in the eastern sky.

3 come up, be brought up, be mentioned, Colloq crop up: The subject never would have arisen if the waiter hadn't spilt the wine on me. 4 spring up, begin, start (up), originate, come up, Colloq crop up: A very unpleasant situation has arisen regarding the missing funds.

aroma n. 1 smell, odour, fragrance, scent, perfume, savour, bouquet; redolence: Don't you just love to be awakened by the aroma of fresh coffee? 2 smell, odour, character, aura, atmosphere, flavour, hint, suggestion: There is an aroma of dishonesty

about them that I can't quite identify.

There were around a dozen of us in the place. 2 about, everywhere, in every direction, on all sides, all over,

throughout: By this time the savages were all around and we couldn't move. 3 round, about, for everyone or all, US also 'round: I don't think we have enough food to go around. 4 round, about, all about, everywhere, here and there, hither and thither, hither and yon, far and wide: The tinker travelled around selling his wares and repairing pots.

--prep. 5 round, about, surrounding, encompassing, enveloping, encircling, on all sides of, in all directions from, enclosing:

The fields around the castle were cultivated by tenant farmers. 6 about, approximately, roughly; circa: He was born around the turn of the century.

arouse v. 1 awaken, raise (up), wake up, waken, rouse, revive, stir (up): I was aroused by the noise and reached for my pistol. 2 excite, stir up, stimulate, awaken, summon up, spark, Colloq

turn on: My suspicions were aroused because she was carrying my umbrella. 3 provoke, encourage, quicken, foster, call forth,

stir up, kindle, foment: The song aroused feelings of patriotism among the recruits.

arrange v. 1 order, dispose, array, organize, sort (out), systematize, group, set up, rank, line up, align, form, position: The teachers arranged the children according to height. The flowers were arranged in a vase so as to conceal the listening device. 2 settle, plan, set (up), organize, orchestrate, manipulate, choreograph; predetermine, decide, prepare, determine, prearrange, devise, bring about, contrive; fix it: Everything has been arranged - you won't have to lift a finger. For a

small fee I can arrange for you to win the first prize. 3 orchestrate, score, adapt: Flemburgh has arranged music for some of the best-known modern composers.

arrangement

n. 1 order, disposition, grouping, organization, array, display, structure, structuring, ordering, alignment, line-up, Colloq set-up: Don't you care for the arrangement of the furniture, Milady? 2 structure, combination, construction,

contrivance, affair, set-up: An arrangement of bricks served as a hearth. 3 settlement, agreement, terms, plan, contract, covenant, compact: The arrangement called for Bosworth to get ten per cent of the gross profits. 4 orchestration, score, instrumentation, adaptation, interpretation, version: I prefer