Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

Fats Waller's arrangement of 'Sugar Blues'. 5 arrangements. preparations, plans; groundwork, planning: Arrangements have been made for the limousine to pick you up at five.

arrest v. 1 stop, halt, check, stall, forestall, detain, delay, hinder, restrain, obstruct, prevent, block, interrupt: The progress of the train has been arrested. 2 catch, capture, seize, apprehend, take, take in, take into custody, detain, Colloq nab, pinch, collar, bust, run in, Brit nick: Foxworthy was arrested crossing the border. 3 slow, retard, stop: I'm

afraid that we have here a case of arrested mental development.

--n. 4 seizure, capture, apprehension, detention; restraint, Colloq bust, US collar: The police have made six arrests. 5 stop, stoppage, check, cessation: The doctor said it was a case of cardiac arrest. 6 under arrest. in custody, under legal restraint, in the hands of the law, imprisoned, arrested: You

are under arrest for the murder of one Hugh Brown, and anything you say may be used in evidence against you.

arresting adj. striking, shocking, remarkable, impressive, electrifying, stunning, extraordinary, surprising, dazzling: It is indeed an experience to be in the presence of such an arresting beauty.

arrival n. 1 coming, advent, appearance: We have been awaiting your arrival for weeks. 2 newcomer; immigrant; traveller, passenger; tourist; Australian migrant, new chum: The arrivals on flight 422 were questioned about a bearded passenger on the plane.

arrive v. 1 come, make one's appearance, appear, turn up, Colloq show up; Slang hit (town), blow in: She arrived only two minutes before the plane was to take off. 2 succeed, prosper, get ahead

(in the world), reach the top, Colloq make it, make the grade, get somewhere, get there: Yuppies believe that once they own a fur coat and a Mercedes, they've arrived. 3 arrive at. come or get to, reach; attain: I think that Crumley has arrived at the stage in his career where he merits a promotion.

arrogance n. self-assertion, impertinence, insolence, presumption, nerve, effrontery, gall, presumptuousness, self-importance, conceit, egotism, hauteur, haughtiness, loftiness, pride, hubris, pompousness, pomposity, pretension, pretentiousness, bluster, snobbery, snobbishness, Colloq snottiness, Slang Brit side: He

has the arrogance to assume that I wish to see him again.

arrogant adj. 1 presumptuous, assuming, self-assertive, conceited, egotistical, pompous, superior, brazen, bumptious, cavalier: It would be most arrogant of me to take for myself the glory that rightfully belongs to the whole team. 2 haughty, overbearing, imperious, high-handed, overweening, disdainful, contemptuous, scornful, snobbish, supercilious, lofty, swaggering , Brit toffee-nosed; Colloq uppity, on one's high horse, high and mighty, snotty: Since her husband was made a company director, she's become unbearably arrogant.

artifice n. 1 skill, cunning, trickery, craft, craftiness, artfulness, guile, duplicity, deception, chicanery, underhandedness, shrewdness, slyness, wiliness, trickiness: He used artifice to get control of the firm. 2 stratagem, device, manoeuvre, trick, contrivance, wile, ruse, subterfuge, expedient, contrivance, Colloq dodge: They were deluded by artifices to cheat them out

of their money.

artificial

adj. 1 unnatural, synthetic, man-made, manufactured, simulated, imitation, plastic: The museum has a strange collection of artificial teeth on display. 2 made-up, concocted, bogus, fake, sham, false, counterfeit, Colloq phoney or US also phony: The figures used in the sample survey are entirely artificial. 3 affected, unnatural, forced, pretended, high-sounding, feigned, assumed, contrived, factitious; meretricious, insincere, sham, faked, Colloq phoney or US also phony: I tell you that Alan's concern for you is entirely artificial.

artless adj. 1 innocent, sincere, guileless, ingenuous, true, natural, open, unartificial, genuine, simple, direct, candid, frank,

honest, straightforward, above-board, uncomplicated, undevious, undeceptive , Colloq upfront, on the level, on the up and up: Imitation is a kind of artless flattery. 2 unpretentious, unassuming, unaffected, natural, simple, na‹ve, unsophisticated, plain, ordinary, humble: The remarks were those of an artless young man who meant nothing sinister. 3 unskilled, untalented, unskilful, unpractised, inexperienced, inexpert, primitive, unproficient, incompetent, inept, clumsy, crude, awkward, bungling: Clogs must be the most artless footwear ever made.

1.15 ashamed...

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(of): Let's ask the policeman for information. Just ask

directions of any passer-by. I merely asked if you were going my way. 2 demand, require, expect, request: Doing his laundry is a lot to ask. 3 beg, apply (to), appeal (to), seek (from),

solicit (from), petition, plead (to), beg, beseech, pray, entreat, implore: In the streets, thousands of beggars ask

passers-by for alms. 4 invite, bid, summon: Nellie asked me to dinner. 5 ask after or about. inquire or enquire after or

about: My sister asked after you - wanted to know how you were

getting along. 6 ask for. a invite, attract, encourage, provoke: You're asking for trouble if you walk alone through that neighbourhood after dark. b request, seek: We asked for more time to finish the project.

aspect n. 1 viewpoint, point of view, position, standpoint, side: Looked at from a different aspect, the problem did not seem insurmountable after all. 2 complexion, light, angle, interpretation, mien, face: His conviction for robbery put a different aspect on hiring him as a security guard. 3 exposure, prospect, outlook, orientation: The western aspect of the room made it sunny in the afternoons. 4 side, feature, attribute, characteristic, quality, detail, angle, facet, manifestation, element, circumstance: There are many aspects of Buddhism that you do not understand.

aspersion n. slander, libel, false insinuation, calumny, imputation, allegation, detraction, slur, obloquy, defamation, disparagement: He resented my casting aspersions on the legitimacy of his birth.

aspiration

n. desire, longing, yearning, craving, hankering, wish, dream, hope; ambition, aim, goal, objective, purpose, intention, plan, scheme, plot: It was his lifelong aspiration to marry someone with money.

aspire v. aspire to. desire, hope, long, wish, aim, yearn; dream of: I'd never aspire to anything higher. He still aspired to being a full professor.

assailant n. attacker, assaulter, mugger: My assailant threatened me with a knife.

assault n. 1 attack, onslaught, onset, charge, offensive, blitzkrieg, blitz, strike, raid, incursion, sortie; aggression, invasion:

At dawn we launched the assault on the fort. 2 beating, battering, hold-up, mugging; rape, violation, molestation; Law battery: The defendant is accused of assault.

--v. 3 attack, assail, set or fall upon, pounce upon, storm, beset, charge, rush, lay into: The elderly couple were assaulted near their home. 4 rape, violate, molest: Three

women were assaulted in that neighbourhood last night. 5 beat (up), batter, bruise, harm, hit, strike, punch, smite: She complained that her husband continually assaulted the children.

assemble v. 1 convene, gather, call or bring or get together, convoke, summon, muster, marshal, rally, levy, round up, collect, congregate, forgather or foregather; meet: The forces were assembled along the waterfront. A small crowd assembled at the airport. 2 accumulate, gather, amass, collect, bring or group or lump together, compile, unite, join or draw together: The paintings were assembled from many sources. 3 construct, put together, erect, set up, fit or join or piece together, connect, fabricate, manufacture, make: The sculpture was assembled from so-called objets trouv‚s , or 'found' objects.

assembly n. 1 gathering, group, meeting, assemblage, body, circle, company, congregation, flock, crowd, throng, multitude, host; horde: A huge assembly of well-wishers greeted the candidate. 2 convocation, council, convention, congress, association, conclave; diet, synod: The assembly voted to re-elect the incumbent officers. 3 construction, putting together, erection, connection, setting up, set-up, fitting or joining or piecing together, fabrication; manufacture, making: Assembly of the bicycle can be completed in an hour.

assertion n. 1 statement, declaration, affirmation, contention, asseveration, averment, avowal, pronouncement; Law affidavit, deposition: He made the assertion that he had never seen the defendant before. 2 insistence, proclamation, representation, affirmation, confirmation: The kings exercised their jurisdiction in the assertion of their regal power.

assertive adj. declaratory, affirmative, asseverative; definite, certain, sure, positive, firm, emphatic, bold, aggressive, confident, insistent; dogmatic, doctrinaire, domineering, opinionated, peremptory, Colloq bossy, pushy: Harold won't obey unless his mother adopts an assertive tone with him.

asset n. 1 Also, assets. property, resources, possessions, holdings, effects, capital, means, valuables, money, wealth: We have to pay a tax on the company's assets. Her only liquid asset was some shares in the Suez Canal Company. 2 talent, strength, advantage, resource, benefit: His main asset is that he speaks

fluent Japanese.

assign v. 1 allot, allocate, apportion, consign, appropriate, distribute, give (out), grant: A water ration was assigned to each person. 2 fix, set (apart or aside), settle (on), determine, appoint, authorize, designate, ordain, prescribe, specify: Have they really assigned Thursday as the day of worship? Please sit in the seats assigned to you. 3 appoint, designate, order; name, delegate, nominate, attach; choose,

select; Brit second: The men have been assigned to their posts. I assigned David to look after the champagne. 4 attribute, ascribe, accredit, put down; refer: To which century did the curator assign this vase?

assignment

n. 1 allotment, allocation, apportionment, giving (out), distribution: Assignment of posts in the Cabinet is the responsibility of the Prime Minister. 2 task, obligation, responsibility, chore, duty, position, post, charge, job,

mission, commission; lesson, homework: Every agent is expected to carry out his assignment. The school assignment for tomorrow is an essay on Alexander Pope. 3 appointment, designation, naming, nomination: The assignment of Neil Mackay to the post was a stroke of genius. 4 designation, specification,

ascription: In ancient medicine, the assignment of the functions of the organs was often wrong.

assist v. 1 aid, help, second, support: He could walk only if assisted by the nurse. 2 further, promote, abet, support, benefit, facilitate: The rumours will not assist his election. 3 help, succour, serve, work for or with; relieve: She has always assisted the poor.

assistance

n. help, aid, support, succour, backing, reinforcement, relief, benefit: Can you get up without my assistance? The scholarship fund offered financial assistance.

assistant n. 1 helper, helpmate or helpmeet, aid, aide; aide-de-camp, second: These systems make use of rhymes as assistants to the memory. 2 deputy, subordinate, subsidiary, auxiliary; underling: He is now the assistant to the sales manager.

associate v. 1 associate (with). a ally with, link, join or unite (with), combine or confederate (with), connect (with), conjoin

(with): In the 1930s Abe was associated with Dutch and Louis in Murder, Incorporated. I always associate him with fast cars and hard drinking. b see, be seen with, socialize or fraternize

(with), mix or mingle (with), go (out) with, consort with, have to do with, Colloq hang out with, Brit pal with or about, pal up (with), US pal around (with): Mother told me not to associate with boys who use that kind of language.

--n. 2 colleague, partner; fellow, fellow-worker: I'd like you to meet my associate, Ian Lindsay. 3 confederate, ally,

collaborator; accomplice, accessory: He and his associates have been sent to prison for conspiracy. 4 comrade, companion, friend, mate, buddy; confidant(e): We have been close associates for many years.

--adj. 5 subsidiary, secondary: She is an associate professor at an American university. 6 allied, affiliate, affiliated, associated; accessory: Publication is under the direction of an associate company.

association

n. 1 society, organization, confederation, confederacy, federation, league, union, alliance, guild, coalition, group; syndicate, combine, consortium, cooperative: The society later became known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science. 2 connection, link, affiliation, relationship, bond,

tie, linkage, linking, pairing, joining, conjunction, bonding: The association between princes and frogs is probably lost on anyone so literal-minded. 3 fellowship, intimacy, friendship, camaraderie, comradeship, relationship: There has been a long-standing association between Peter and Wendy.

assortment

n. 1 group, class, category, batch, set, lot, classification, grouping: Which assortment contains only plain chocolates? 2 collection, pot-pourri, mixture, m‚lange, array, agglomeration, conglomeration, medley, farrago, variety, miscellany, jumble, salmagundi, gallimaufry, mishmash, Colloq mixed bag: That hat looks like something from the assortment at a jumble sale. A bizarre assortment of people attended the meeting.

assume v. 1 accept, adopt, take, use, employ; arrogate, appropriate, take over or up, undertake: Who will assume the leadership of the party? 2 take on (oneself), take upon (oneself), put or try on, don, adopt; acquire: Whenever she delivered the information, she assumed the disguise of an old man. That trivial dispute has assumed gargantuan proportions. 3 presume, suppose, believe, fancy, expect, think, presuppose, take, take for granted, surmise, Chiefly US guess: When I saw the knife in his hand, I assumed the chef was going to slice a lemon. The

king assumed he had the cooperation of Parliament. 4 pretend to, feign, sham, counterfeit, simulate, sham, affect, fake: Though she cared deeply, she assumed a devil-may-care attitude.

assumed adj. 1 appropriated, taken, usurped, expropriated, pre-empted, usurped, seized: He functions in his assumed capacity as a

judge. 2 pretended, put on, sham, false, feigned, affected, counterfeit, simulated, spurious, bogus, fake; pseudonymous, made-up, Colloq phoney or US also phony: She morosely stared at the floor in assumed contrition. He wrote poetry under an

assumed name. 3 taken, taken for granted, presumed, supposed, accepted, expected, presupposed; hypothetical, theoretical, suppositional: The payment depends materially on the assumed rate of interest.

assurance n. 1 promise, pledge, guarantee or guaranty, warranty, commitment, bond, surety; word, word of honour, oath, vow: You have the bank's assurance that the money will be on deposit. 2 insurance, indemnity: His life assurance is barely enough to cover the costs of his funeral. 3 certainty, confidence, trust,

faith, reassurance, surety, assuredness, certitude; security: There is no assurance that Herr Kleister will get the job done.

4 audacity, impudence, presumption, boldness, brazenness, nerve, effrontery, insolence , Colloq brass, gall, cheek, chutzpah:

With an air of assurance they quote authors they have never read. 5 self-confidence, self-reliance, confidence, steadiness, intrepidity, self-possession, poise, aplomb, coolness, control, self-control, resolve, Colloq gumption, guts, gutsiness: He has the assurance of one born to command.

assure v. 1 secure, stabilize, settle, establish, confirm, certify, warrant, guarantee, ensure, be confident of, make or be sure or certain: Force, fear, and the multitude of his guard do less to assure the estate of a prince than the good will of his

subjects. 2 encourage, inspirit, reassure, hearten: Your humanity assures us and gives us strength. 3 convince, persuade, reassure, make (someone) certain; ensure: What can I do to assure you of my love? 4 assert, state, asseverate, promise: I assure you that we shall do everything possible to find your dog.

astonish v. amaze, surprise, shock, astound, stun, stagger, dumbfound or dumfound, bowl over, floor, stupefy, daze, Colloq flabbergast: She astonished the audience with her gymnastic skill. I was astonished when told my wife had given birth to quintuplets.

astonishment

n. amazement, surprise, shock, stupefaction, wonder, wonderment: I'll never forget that look of astonishment on his face when he learned he had won.

astound v. surprise, shock, astonish, stun, stagger, dumbfound or dumfound, bowl over, floor, stupefy, bewilder, overwhelm, Colloq flabbergast: We were astounded to learn that he had survived

all those years on a desert island. The Great MacTavish performs astounding feats of magic and levitation!

astute adj. 1 shrewd, subtle, clever, ingenious, adroit, wily, cunning, calculating, canny, crafty, artful, arch, sly, foxy, guileful, underhand, underhanded; Rare astucious: He had the reputation of being an astute businessman. 2 sharp, keen, perceptive, observant, alert, quick, quick-witted, sage, sagacious, wise, intelligent, insightful, perspicacious, discerning, knowledgeable: That was a very astute comment, Smedley.

1.16 atmosphere...

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atmosphere

n. 1 air, heaven(s), sky, aerosphere: It is gravity that prevents the earth's atmosphere from drifting off into outer

space. 2 air, ambience or ambiance, environment, climate, mood, feeling, feel, spirit, tone: There's such a friendly atmosphere

in the bar of the Golden Cockerel. The atmosphere became very chilly when she told him she was marrying someone else.

atone v. expiate, make amends, pay, repay, answer, compensate; redress, remedy, propitiate, redeem: Nothing can atone for her betrayal of him to the enemy. He has atoned for his sins many times over.

atonement n. amends, propitiation, reparation, repayment, compensation, payment, restitution, recompense, expiation, penance,

satisfaction: He sent her flowers in atonement, together with a note apologizing profusely for his actions.

atrocious adj. 1 cruel, wicked, iniquitous, villainous, fiendish, execrable, appalling, abominable, monstrous, inhuman, savage, barbaric, brutal, barbarous, heinous, dreadful, flagrant, flagitious, gruesome, grisly, ruthless, ghastly, unspeakable, horrifying, horrible, awful, infamous, infernal, satanic,

hellish: They will never forget the atrocious crimes that took place during the war. 2 awful, terrible, bad, rotten, horrid, appalling, frightful, horrendous, Colloq lousy: That's the most atrocious book it has ever been my misfortune to review. Priscilla has atrocious taste.

atrocity n. 1 enormity, wickedness, flagitiousness, iniquity, infamy, cruelty, heinousness, horror, evil, inhumanity, barbarity, savagery: The atrocity of the 'Final Solution' was a well-kept secret during the war. 2 evil, outrage, crime, villainy,

offence: She could not listen when the prosecutor read a list of the atrocities perpetrated at the camp.

attach v. 1 fasten, join, connect, secure, fix, affix; tack or hook or tie or stick on, pin, rivet, cement, glue, bond, solder, weld, braze; unite; Nautical bend: The tag is still attached to your dress. Attach this to the wall. How do I attach the sail to the spar? 2 connect, associate, assign, affiliate, enlist, join,

add, subjoin, Brit second: Her brother-in-law has been attached to my regiment. 3 endear, attract: I won't say that we were in love, but I was very closely attached to her. 4 fix, affix, pin, apply, ascribe, assign, attribute, put, place: Why do you

attach so much importance to what Dora says? 5 adhere, cleave, stick: Many legends have attached themselves to Charlemagne. 6 seize, lay hold of, confiscate, appropriate: If he cannot meet

the mortgage payments the bank will attach his house.