The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

contentious, antagonistic, offensive, truculent, fierce, ferocious, warlike, bellicose, martial, jingoistic, hawkish:

Those who have experienced war are not likely to be militant. 2 warring, fighting, combatant, combating, embattled; at war, up in arms: The militant members of the council refused to discuss terms.

--n. 3 fighter, aggressor, combatant, belligerent, warrior, soldier: Anyone who experiences the hardships of a long strike may think twice before being a militant.

military adj. 1 martial, soldierly, naval, army, fighting, service: The military machine was poised to strike.

--n. 2 (armed) services or forces, army, navy, air force, military establishment, soldiery: The military will oppose any reductions in spending for arms.

militate v. 1 Usually, militate against. discourage, work or go or operate against, foil, counter, countervail, cancel (out), reduce (possibility of), prevent, hinder, resist, oppose: His poor prison record militates against his early parole. 2 Usually, militate for or in favour of. be on the side of, favour, further, promote, help, aid: The same reasoning that militated in favour of lower taxes then persists today.

world, corn is still ground by hand in a stone mill. 2 plant, factory, works, workshop, shop, foundry: This mill turns out rolled steel. 3 been through the mill. experienced, knowledgeable, sophisticated, toughened, hardened, seasoned, battle-scarred, Colloq been through the wringer, in the know:

He's been through the mill and knows what to expect. 4 run-of-the-mill. average, unexceptional, ordinary, common, unremarkable, everyday, basic, simple, Brit common-or-garden variety, US garden-variety: Critics found her voice pleasant but rather run-of-the-mill.

--v. 5 grind, crush, comminute, powder, pulverize, grate, granulate, pound, triturate, masticate, bray; crunch, mince: Flour milled to a very fine consistency is more suitable for pastries than for breads. 6 mill about or around. meander, wander, walk, stroll, amble, move about or around, crowd, throng, swarm: There were quite a few people milling about our stand at the trade fair.

mimic v. 1 imitate, ape, copy, simulate, mirror, echo: The image in the mirror mimicked every move I made. 2 reproduce, duplicate, copy: This frieze mimics one on the Parthenon. 3 mock, ridicule, satirize, caricature, parody, make fun of, lampoon, impersonate, Colloq take off: It is rude to mimic your elders.

--n. 4 impersonator, imitator, impressionist, caricaturist, parodist, Colloq copycat: Professor Eidolon, the greatest mimic in the world, is here to entertain you!

--adj. 5 imitative, imitation, mock, simulated, mimetic, sham, make-believe, pretend(ed); fake, counterfeit, feigned: Naumachia is the name given to the mimic sea battle staged in ancient Rome.

mincing adj. effeminate, dainty, delicate, niminy-piminy, foppish, dandyish, over-dainty, affected, put-on, pretentious, precious,

brain: There is no doubt that your daughter is one of the great minds of all time. 5 intention, disposition, temper, temperament, humour, fancy, tendency, bent, inclination, bias, persuasion: I was of a mind to let him have his own way. 6 opinion, sentiment, attitude, (point of) view, feeling, judgement, belief, viewpoint, position: She has a mind of her own. To my mind, the process could be greatly speeded up. 7 feeling, position, will, wish, desire, plan(s): Won't you change your mind and stay to dinner? 8 attention, thoughts,

concentration, thinking: Try to keep your mind on your work. 9 bear or keep in mind. remember, do not forget or overlook, recall, retain, be aware or cognizant or mindful of, consider: Bear in mind that the post office is closed tomorrow. 10 give someone a piece of one's mind. castigate, scold, rebuke, reprimand, rail at, reprove, reproach, chastise, upbraid,

berate, read (someone) the riot act, Colloq tell off, dress down, haul or rake over the coals, skin alive, US bawl out; Slang give someone hell, US chew out: This time my father really gave the maŒtre d'h“tel a piece of his mind. 11 in or of two minds. vacillating, undecided, ambivalent, uncertain,

shilly-shallying, unsure, wavering: Sam was in two minds about ordering a new computer. 12 know one's (own) mind. be decided or resolved, be firm or resolute, be sure or certain or

positive, be (self-)assured or (self-)confident, be in touch with oneself: He knows his own mind when it comes to his

career. 13 make up one's (own) mind. decide, choose, conclude, form an opinion; determine, consider, weigh, judge, deem: Sally hasn't yet made up her mind about marrying Jan. Let her make up her own mind. 14 out of one's mind. insane, mad, crazy: You're out of your mind if you think I'll go swimming in that shark-infested bay!

--v. 15 object to, resent, take offence at, be offended by, dislike, be troubled or annoyed by, care, have any objection to, disapprove of, be bothered or affronted by: Do you mind not

smoking? Yes, I mind very much. Would you mind moving your car, you're blocking the drive. 16 heed, attend to, pay attention to,

obey, listen to, make or take note of, mark, note: Please mind what your mother says. 17 watch, be careful of, take care with, be cautious of: Mind your head at that low doorway! 18 watch over, take care of, care for, look after, sit with, babysit,

guard, keep an eye on or out for, have or take charge of, attend: Suzie is minding the children so that we can get some

work done. 19 never mind. ignore, disregard, forget, pay no attention to, do not think twice about, do not give a second thought to, erase or obliterate or cancel from the mind, slough off: Never mind what that naughty boy calls you!

conscious, heedful, conscientious, watchful, vigilant, on the qui vive, on the lookout, circumspect, cautious: I am ever

mindful of the way you like things done. She was always mindful of keeping the plants well watered.

mindless adj. 1 stupid, asinine, thick, thickheaded, obtuse, idiotic, imbecilic, moronic, thoughtless, witless, senseless, brainless, feeble-minded, fatuous, addle-brained, addle-pated, feather-brained, Colloq Brit gormless: Many of the programmes on television are mindless twaddle. 2 inattentive, unthinking, thoughtless, unaware: He plunged into the pool, mindless of any of the perils that awaited him.

mingle v. 1 mix, blend, intermingle, commingle, intermix, combine, amalgamate, merge, compound, marry, join, unite: The stories cleverly mingle gravity and levity, the mundane and the magical. There was loud applause, mingled with a few chuckles and gasps. 2 mix, socialize, associate, join, circulate, fraternize,

hobnob, consort, go, spend time, Colloq hang about or around or out, rub shoulders, Brit pal up, US pal around: I asked Fred to mingle with the guests and make them feel at home.

miniature adj. small, small-scale, little, tiny, diminutive, minute, wee, minuscule, mini, microscopic, micro, midget, dwarf, bantam, baby, pygmy,pocket, Lilliputian, US vest-pocket, Colloq minimal: This miniature TV fits in the palm of your hand.

minimal adj. least, smallest, minutest, littlest, tiniest, slightest; minimum, nominal, token: As a house plant, the cactus requires minimal attention. There is a minimal charge for service.

minimize v. 1 reduce, shrink, lessen, diminish, prune, abbreviate, pare (down), cut (down), curtail, abridge, shorten, decrease, minify: Our stringent safety measures minimize the chance of an accident. 2 belittle, de-emphasize, downplay, play down, make little or light of, disparage, decry, deprecate, depreciate, misprize or misprise, devalue, devaluate, undervalue, underrate, underestimate, US talk down: Being modest, she minimizes her role in the organization.

minimum n. 1 least, lowest, nadir: The hotel offered the minimum of comfort for the maximum price.

--adj. 2 minimal, nominal, reduced, minutest, littlest, least, slightest, lowest: What is the minimum deposit the travel agent will accept? He refused to make even the minimum effort needed to save himself.

minister n. 1 cleric, clergyman, clergywoman, ecclesiastic, pastor, vicar, priest, father, reverend, churchman, divine, parson, preacher, man or woman of the cloth, evangelist, missionary, dean, curate, cur‚, abb‚, chaplain, Colloq padre, Slang US military sky pilot, Holy Joe: The marriage was performed by a visiting minister. 2 envoy, delegate, legate, diplomat, ambassador, emissary, plenipotentiary, minister plenipotentiary, envoy extraordinary, minister resident, consul, agent, charg‚ d'affaires, Brit cabinet officer or member: The minister

himself signed the treaty.

--v. 3 Usually, minister to. attend (to or on or upon), wait on, care for, look after, see to, accommodate; serve, supply,

aid, help, assist, support: In his last days, she ministered to him in every way.

ministry n. 1 priesthood, sacred calling, the church, the pulpit, the cloth; religion, holy orders: Burt retired from the ministry to write tracts. 2 clergy, clergymen or clergywomen, clericals, the cloth, church elders or elders of the church: During his regime, the ministry exercised great influence on the government. 3 department, office, bureau, agency: Military affairs are the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence.

minor adj. 1 lesser, smaller, secondary, subordinate, subsidiary: The minor planets are bodies orbiting the sun in the asteroid belt. 2 insignificant, obscure, inconsequential, unimportant, trifling, trivial, negligible, inconsiderable, slight, petty, paltry, small, Colloq small-time, one-horse, Brit two a penny,

US minor-league, bush-league, penny-ante, two-bit, picayune: It is a minor matter to me whether you stay or go. She is only a minor player in this game.

--n. 3 child, youngster, youth, stripling, teenager, adolescent, schoolboy, schoolgirl, boy, girl, lad, laddie, lass, lassie, Law ward, infant: At your age, you are still a minor in the eyes of the law.

minstrel n. bard, troubadour, balladeer, jongleur, skald or scald, minnesinger, Meistersinger: The medieval minstrels wandered the countryside, entertaining as they went.

minute° n. 1 instant, second, split second, flash, moment, before you can say 'Jack Robinson', blink or wink or twinkling of an eye, coup d'oeil, trice, Colloq one sec, two secs, bat of an eye, shake, jiffy, tick, Brit half a mo, two shakes (of a lamb's

tail): I'll be with you in a minute. 2 minutes. log, record, journal, transcript, notes, summary, r‚sum‚, proceedings,

transactions, memorandum: Have you the minutes of the last meeting? 3 up to the minute. latest, newest, modern, up to date, trendy, fashionable, smart, all the rage, in vogue, stylish, in style, in fashion, … la mode, Colloq in, with it, hep or hip, hot, cool, US now: She always wears the most up-to-the-minute clothes.

--v. 4 record, transcribe, take down, write down, note, make

(a) note of, document, log: We need someone to minute the meeting.

minuteý adj. 1 small, little, tiny, tiniest, minuscule, miniature, wee, infinitesimal, microscopic, micro, diminutive, mini, baby, pint-sized, bantam, Lilliputian, Colloq teeny, teensy(-weensy), itty-bitty, itsy-bitsy: The minute furniture in the doll's

house was made entirely by hand. 2 unimportant, petty, insignificant, least, slight, mere, meagre, trifling, trivial, minor, small, little, Colloq piddling, US picayune: The painting was a perfect copy, down to the minutest detail.

miraculous

adj. marvellous, wonderful, wondrous, incredible, unbelievable, inexplicable, unexplainable, extraordinary, spectacular, amazing, astounding, astonishing, mind-boggling, remarkable, phenomenal, fantastic, fabulous; magical, supernatural, preternatural, superhuman, Colloq out of this world, Slang far-out, crazy: Langley has made a miraculous recovery from yellow fever.

mire n. 1 swamp, bog, fen, marsh, quagmire, morass, slough, Brit dialect sump: The horse stumbled into the mire and began to flounder. 2 mud, ooze, muck, slime, dirt: I had to wade through muck and mire to get to your front door.

--v. 3 enmire, bog down, become entangled or tangled, become enmeshed or meshed, become involved: Sorry I'm late; I got mired in a problem at the office. 4 dirty, soil, begrime,

muddy, befoul, besmirch, sully, tarnish, smear, blacken, defile, smudge: My boots were badly mired. The scandal badly mired his reputation.

mirror n. 1 looking-glass, glass, speculum, reflector: She stared at her reflection in the mirror, wondering whether she should grow

n. naughtiness, badness, misconduct, misdemeanour(s), disorderliness, disobedience, delinquency, disorderly conduct, rowdyism: She was severely reprimanded for persistent misbehaviour in class.

miscalculate

v. misjudge, err, misevaluate, misestimate, misreckon, miscompute, miscount, misappreciate, misread; underestimate, undervalue, underrate; overestimate, overvalue, overrate: She miscalculated the effect of her resignation.

miscarriage

n. failure, abortion, collapse, breakdown, failing, mismanagement, non-fulfilment, defeat, non-success, frustration: Her acquittal was a miscarriage of justice.

miscarry v. abort, fail, fall through, break down, go wrong, founder, come to nothing or naught or nought, go awry, come to grief, go amiss, misfire, go up or end up in smoke, perish, die: The plan to steal the crown jewels miscarried.

miscellaneous

adj. varied, heterogeneous, diverse, mixed, diversified, divers, motley, sundry, assorted, various, varying, multifarious, multiform, many-sided, multiplex, manifold: A large part of the exhibition is devoted to miscellaneous paintings and prints from his early period.

miscellany

n. mixture, assortment, variety, medley, diversity, mixed bag, job lot, rag-bag, m‚lange, pot-pourri, gallimaufry, motley,

hotchpotch or US and Canadian hodgepodge, salmagundi, olio, olla podrida, smorgasbord or sm”rg†sbord, odds and ends, omnium gatherum, hash, mess, Brit lucky dip, jumble, US grab-bag: A miscellany of household goods was contributed for the jumble sale.

mischief n. 1 misbehaviour, naughtiness, impishness, elfishness or elvishness, roguishness, rascality, devilry or deviltry, mischievousness, playfulness, devilment, badness, Colloq monkey business, shenanigans, Brit monkey tricks or US monkeyshines: That boy is always up to some mischief. 2 harm, injury, damage, detriment, trouble, hurt, wrong, difficulty, disruption,