Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

We had no suspicion of their martial intentions. He is an expert in the martial arts. 2 military, soldierly, courageous, brave, valorous, valiant, stalwart, staunch, stout-hearted: The speech was intended to rouse the soldiers' martial spirit.

marvel v. 1 wonder (at), gape (at), be awed or amazed (by), be agog or astonished (at), gape (at): We marvelled at the way the homing pigeons found their way home.

--n. 2 wonder, miracle, phenomenon: Tammy was a marvel at fixing electrical equipment.

marvellous

adj. wonderful, astonishing, amazing, astounding, surprising, remarkable, extraordinary, phenomenal, glorious, splendid, superb, excellent, spectacular, breathtaking, miraculous, unbelievable, incredible, sensational, mind-boggling, unparalleled, Colloq terrific, great, fantastic, fabulous, smashing, Slang far-out, crazy, wild, groovy, super, out of this world, fantabulous, Brit spot or bang on, US marvy: It was a marvellous show, and Renfrew is a marvellous actor.

mask n. 1 false face, domino: She wore a mask, and I don't know who she was. 2 disguise, guise, camouflage, show, semblance, pretence, cover, cover-up, false colours, false flag,

concealment, cloak, fa‡ade, veil: He wormed his way into her confidence under the mask of friendship.

--v. 3 disguise, camouflage, cover (up), conceal, hide, obscure, veil, screen, shroud: She was unable to mask her true feelings for him.

masquerade

n. 1 masked ball, masquerade ball, costume party, ballo in maschera, bal masqu‚: He went to the masquerade as Lorenzo di Medici. 2 disguise, deception, pose, dissimulation, bluff, subterfuge, false show, outward show, fakery, imposture, play-acting, false front, cover-up, camouflage, Colloq act,

front, Slang put-on: How long will she continue her masquerade as a wealthy widow?

--v. 3 Usually, masquerade as. pretend (to be), pass oneself off (as), impersonate, simulate, pose (as), imitate, mimic: He

massacre n. 1 slaughter, slaughtering, carnage, annihilation, annihilating, blood bath, killing, execution, extermination, exterminating, butchery, butchering, (mass) murder, murdering, slaying, liquidation, pogrom, genocide: The massacre of millions of innocent people followed the coup.

--v. 2 slaughter, annihilate, kill, execute, exterminate, butcher, murder, slay, liquidate, destroy, eliminate, obliterate, eradicate, put to the sword, decimate, Colloq mow down, Slang bump off: It was their policy to massacre all the

men and take captive all the women and children.

massage n. 1 rub-down, rub, manipulation, kneading: I felt really relaxed after the massage and steam bath.

--v. 2 rub down, manipulate, knead, palpate: She gently massaged my temples with her fingertips. 3 manipulate, handle, manoeuvre, Colloq finagle, Brit fiddle: He massaged the figures to make it look as if the company was solvent.

massive adj. big, large, oversized, huge, bulky, enormous, hulking, immense, gigantic, towering, mammoth, colossal, titanic, vast, tremendous, prodigious, mountainous, gargantuan, Brobdingnagian, Cyclopean, elephantine, jumbo, stupendous, mighty, weighty, ponderous, Literary massy, Colloq walloping, whopping, monster, Brit whacking (great), US ginormous, humongous: They built a massive wall round the city. Massive beams support the roof.

master n. 1 owner, head, chief, leader, chieftain, commander, lord, governor, director, controller, employer, manager, overseer, supervisor, superintendent, taskmaster, slave-driver, principal, sovereign, monarch, ruler, Colloq lord high muck-a-muck, Pooh-Bah, kingpin, big fish, boss, skipper, Brit gaffer, US king-fish, the man, big fish, big boss, bossman; Slang US big cheese, big wheel, Mr Big, chief or head honcho: He is master of all he surveys. Decisions about punishment are referred to the master. 2 expert, authority, genius, craftsman, adept, maestro, mastermind, past master, old hand, virtuoso, ace, professional, Colloq pro, wizard, Chiefly Brit dab hand, US

crackerjack; Slang US maven or mavin: He is a master in the art of chicanery. 3 teacher, tutor, instructor, guide, leader,

guru, swami: She studied under the master for years.

--adj. 4 adept, ingenious, expert, masterful, masterly, skilful, skilled, proficient: After twenty years, he became a master craftsman. 5 overall, controlling, principal, main,

prime, basic, chief: Only the leader knows the master plan for conquering the planet. This is the master switch that turns off all the power. 6 main, biggest, principal, owner's: The master bedroom had a bathroom en suite.

--v. 7 learn, grasp, become expert in, know inside out and backwards, know, understand: He claims to have mastered the art

of levitation. 8 control, overcome, repress, suppress, subdue, bridle, check, quell, get the better of, Colloq get a grip on: You must learn to master your emotions.

masterful adj. 1 masterly, adept, expert, excellent, superior, superb, adroit, exquisite, superlative, supreme, consummate, accomplished, peerless, matchless, first-rate, proficient, dexterous, deft, skilful, skilled, Colloq crack: She gave a masterful performance of Bruch's violin concerto. 2 authoritarian, dictatorial, tyrannical, despotic, arbitrary, domineering, imperious, overbearing, arrogant, dominating, autocratic, high-handed, magisterial, overweening, self-willed, Colloq bossy: I dislike Ian's masterful attitude, always

telling everyone what to do.

mastermind

v. 1 plan, devise, conceive, think up, engineer, design, generate, create, manage, organize, develop, work up or out: It

was probably Fu Manchu who masterminded this diabolical plot.

--n. 2 planner, contriver, conceiver, creator, architect, genius, mind, intellect, Colloq brain(s): it would take a mastermind to get even a pass mark on that exam.

masterpiece

n. master-work, magnum opus, chef-d'oeuvre, tour de force, jewel, work of art, work of genius, piŠce de r‚sistance: Among his many fine paintings, I consider this his masterpiece.

match n. 1 equal, equivalent, peer, equivalent, fellow, mate; parallel, replica, copy, double, twin, look-alike, facsimile, counterpart: When it comes to punning, Crosby has finally met his match. 2 contest, competition, game, meet, tourney, tournament, bout, duel, rivalry, trial: The match was between the top-seeded players. 3 marriage, betrothal, alliance, combination, compact, contract, partnership, union, affiliation: It was a match made in heaven. 4 prospect, candidate: With his inheritance, he's considered a good match.

--v. 5 match up, join, marry, unite, link, combine, put together, pair up or off, juxtapose, conjoin: However did you

manage to match names and faces? Glynis matched them up at the dinner table. 6 equal, be equivalent (to), resemble, compare

(with), tie, measure up (to), compete (with), vie (with), rival: His skill on the flute will never match hers. 7 fit, go with, suit, accord, agree, harmonize, go (together), coordinate,

blend, correspond: Who will notice that your socks match your tie? Your eyes don't match.

matching adj. 1 corresponding, homologous, comparable, equivalent, complementary: Birds' wings and fishes' fins are matching parts. 2 analogous, like, corresponding, identical: He wore a pink jacket and matching shoes. She bought a set of matching luggage.

matchless adj. unique, original, peerless, unequalled, without equal, inimitable, unmatched, incomparable, unparalleled, beyond compare: Stefania has a contralto voice of matchless quality.

material n. 1 substance, matter, stuff, fabric: It is hard to tell what material this is made of. 2 cloth, fabric, textile, stuff:

This material is too sheer for a dress. 3 constituents,

elements, components: We import the raw materials and make the finished product here. 4 information, data, facts, statistics, figures, documents, documentation, papers, notes, resources, means, research, apparatus, supplies: I have not yet gathered enough material for the article.

adj. marital, marriage, wedding, conjugal, nuptial; married, wedded, connubial: She obtained a court injunction banning him from the matrimonial home. They enjoy matrimonial bliss.

matter n. 1 material, substance, stuff, sum and substance: Some yellowish matter oozed out of the wound. It is a question of mind over matter. 2 situation, issue, question, affair, business, subject, topic, condition, thing, fact, concern; occurrence, episode, incident, event, occasion, proceeding: It was a matter of life and death. His loss of face is not a matter that need involve you. 3 problem, difficulty, trouble,

complication, worry, upset, dilemma, quandary, enigma, puzzle: What is the matter? 4 content, essentials, pith, context,

theme, argument, purport, implication; signification, meaning, meaningfulness, import, importance, significance, moment, weight, consequence: Pay attention to the matter in his speech, not his manner. It is of little matter to me whether you go or not. 5 amount, sum, quantity, question: It was only a matter of a few pennies' difference.

--v. 6 be important or of importance, count, be of consequence, make a difference, mean something: What you think matters a great deal.

matter-of-fact

adj. straightforward, direct, forthright, sober, factual, unimaginative, unartistic, prosaic, unpoetic, dry, dry-as-dust, dull, boring, tiresome, flat, mundane, lifeless, featureless, unvarnished, colourless, unembellished, unadorned: The report contained a matter-of-fact description of the events.

mature adj. 1 adult, grown (up), full-grown, fully grown, of age, fully fledged, full-fledged, fully developed, matured, experienced, knowledgeable, sophisticated: At twenty-two, she is mature enough to be on her own. 2 ripe, ready, ripened, mellow, aged,' seasoned: A good wine, like fruit, should not be consumed till it is mature. 3 complete, matured, perfect, perfected, polished, refined, ready, fully developed, consummated: Our plans are not yet mature.

--v. 4 grow up, age, develop, come of age; Brit be one's age, US act one's age: Has he matured sufficiently to be trusted alone in the house for the weekend? I wish he'd mature a bit

mayhap, Archaic peradventure: We could go and see a film tonight, or maybe have a meal somewhere.

convolutions: His application has been lost in the maze of bureaucratic bungling.

13.2 meadow...

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mealy-mouthed

adj. mincing, reticent, reluctant, hesitant, equivocal,