The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

misdoing, transgression, misdemeanour, fault, misconduct, sin, trespass, wrong, peccadillo: Who will punish him for his misdeeds now that he is safe in Argentina?

misdirect v. misguide, misadvise; misaddress: He misdirected us by saying the lavatory was downstairs. The letter, misdirected, was returned.

miser n. skinflint, hoarder, niggard, penny-pincher, pinchpenny, cheese-parer, Scrooge, Colloq cheapskate, US tightwad: For that old miser, charity begins and ends at home.

miserable adj. 1 wretched, unhappy, depressed, woeful, woebegone, sad, dejected, forlorn, disconsolate, despondent, heartbroken, sorrowful, broken-hearted, mournful, desolate, desperate, despairing, downhearted, melancholy, glum, low-spirited, gloomy, dismal, lachrymose, tearful, Colloq Brit cut up: Tanya is miserable because no one invited her to go to the dance. 2 unpleasant, inclement, inconvenient, untoward, bad,

unfavourable, awful, terrible, adverse, Colloq rotten, lousy:

The weather was miserable throughout the weekend. 3 inadequate, unworthy, poor, deplorable, contemptible, bad, despicable,

sorry, pitiful, pathetic, lamentable, Colloq rotten, lousy:

That was the most miserable play I have ever had the misfortune to sit through. 4 squalid, wretched, bad, abject, deplorable, shabby, mean, vile, shameful, scurvy, awful, disgraceful, contemptible: He lives in a cellar in the most miserable conditions.

miserly adj. stingy, penurious, niggardly, penny-pinching, parsimonious, mean, cheap, cheese-paring, tight, tight-fisted, close, close-fisted, mercenary, avaricious, greedy, covetous, Colloq money-grubbing, Brit mingy, US chintzy: Flynn is too miserly to lend you a penny.

misery n. 1 unhappiness, distress, discomfort, wretchedness, woe, sadness, melancholy, sorrow, dolour, heartache, grief, anguish, anxiety, angst, depression, despair, desperation, desolation, despondency, gloom: Worn out by grief and misery, she collapsed into a chair. 2 squalor, poverty, destitution, privation,

indigence, penury, wretchedness, sordidness: The misery of those slums is unbelievable. 3 hardship, suffering, calamity, disaster, curse, misfortune, ordeal, woe, trouble, catastrophe,

brutalize, maul, molest, injure, hurt, harm, handle or treat roughly, manhandle, Colloq knock about or around: The poor child was mishandled by her parents. 2 mismanage, bungle, botch, misconduct, mangle, mess up, muddle, wreck, ruin, destroy, Colloq muff, make a mess or hash of, Slang screw up, bugger up, Taboo fuck up: Forster mishandled the deal so badly that it cost the company millions.

mishap n. See misfortune, 2, above.

mishmash n. mess, medley, hash, gallimaufry, farrago, pot-pourri, jumble, pastiche, mixture, salmagundi, hotchpotch or US and Canadian hodgepodge, tangle, omnium gatherum, m‚lange, olio, olla podrida, goulash, stew: His paper is nothing more than a mishmash of other people's ideas.

misinform v. misguide, mislead, misadvise, misdirect, delude, deceive, dupe, defraud, fool, gull, lead astray, throw someone off the scent, Colloq con, slip or put something over on someone, pull a fast one on, US give (someone) a bum steer, throw someone a curve: If you think you have a right to compensation, you've been misinformed.

misinformation

n. disinformation, misintelligence; red herring, false trail,

false scent: When we uncover an enemy agent in our midst, we allow him to collect misinformation.

misinterpret

v. misunderstand, mistake, misconstrue, misconceive, misread, misjudge, misapprehend, Slang screw up, bugger up: He misinterpreted what I said and stepped off the ledge.

scent or track, pull the wool over someone's eyes, fool, outwit, bluff, hoodwink, trick, humbug, bamboozle, deceive, dupe, gull, cozen, Colloq con, take in, lead up the garden path, flimflam, slip or put or pass one over on, Slang take, US give someone a bum steer: I was misled into believing that she loved only me. He is misleading you if he says that the shares will soon

increase in value.

mismatched

adj. mismated, ill-matched, ill-mated, incompatible, unfit, inappropriate, unsuited, unsuitable, incongruous, misallied, disparate, uncongenial, inconsistent, inharmonious, discordant: With her interest in art and his in football, they made a mismatched pair.

misprint n. error, mistake, erratum, typographical error, printer's or printing error, Brit literal, Colloq typo: We cannot publish a book containing so many misprints.

misrepresent

v. distort, twist, pervert, garble, misstate, mangle, falsify, belie, disguise, colour: In his report, he misrepresented everything I said.

miss° v. 1 skip, forgo, absent oneself from, be absent from, fail to keep; avoid, evade, escape, dodge, Colloq pass up: I missed my dentist's appointment. I missed school because my grandmother was ill. 2 long for, yearn for, pine for, feel nostalgia for, be nostalgic for or about, want, need, wish for: I miss those long summer evenings by the lake. 3 misunderstand, misinterpret, misconstrue, misapprehend, fail to understand or perceive, mistake: You have completely missed the point. 4 Sometimes, miss out (on). pass up, omit, leave out, slip up (on), overlook, let slip (by), let pass, pass over, disregard, ignore: You can

be sure that Frobisher would never miss a free meal.

--n. 5 omission, oversight, slip, failure, mistake, error, blunder, Colloq slip-up: A miss is as good as a mile.

missý n. Ms., girl, lass, lassie, maid, maiden, young lady, young woman, schoolgirl, mademoiselle, nymphet, teenager, virgin, spinster, old maid, Brit bachelor girl, Irish English colleen, Literary nymph, Archaic demoiselle, damsel, Colloq old-fashioned gal, US coed, Valley girl, bachelorette, Slang teeny-bopper, groupie, Chiefly Brit bird, Old-fashioned US bobby-soxer: She's a pretty young miss, isn't she?

misshapen adj. distorted, twisted, contorted, crooked, deformed, crippled, malformed, grotesque, awry, warped, gnarled,

mistake n. 1 misconception, misapprehension, error, fault, miscalculation, misjudgement, blunder, botch, fumble, bad move, misstep, slip, erratum, gaffe, faux pas, Colloq boo-boo,

clanger, muff, howler, Brit boob, bloomer, US blooper, goof, goof-up, flub: Giving Aston a salary rise was a mistake. 2 indiscretion, misstep, false step, wrong move: It was a mistake not to stand up when she entered.

--v. 3 misunderstand, misinterpret, misjudge, misconstrue, take the wrong way, get wrong, misread, misapprehend: The fool mistook my remark as a compliment. 4 mistake for. mix up with, misidentify as, confuse with, take for: In the dark, she

mistook him for her husband.

mistaken adj. 1 (all or completely) wrong, amiss, incorrect, in error, wide of the mark, in the wrong, inaccurate, out of order, Colloq barking up the wrong tree, off, (way) off the beam, on the wrong track, US full of hot air, Slang full of it (= Taboo 'full of

shit'), US all wet: I may be mistaken, but I thought I saw your wife with Lord Cholmondley. 2 erroneous, faulty, false, fallacious, misinformed, incorrect, wrong, inaccurate, flawed, warped, distorted, twisted, misguided, Slang cock-eyed: You have a mistaken impression of me.

mistreat v. abuse, maltreat, ill-use, ill-treat, misuse, damage, manhandle, harm; hurt, injure, molest, maul, rough up, brutalize: He was found guilty of mistreating his dogs. She was mistreated by her husband for years.

mistreatment

n. abuse, maltreatment, ill use, ill-treatment, brutalization, misuse; manhandling, molestation, mauling, roughing-up, rough handling, battery, assault: This mistreatment of employees must stop at once. The children complained of their parents' mistreatment.

mistress n. 1 lover, girlfriend, live-in lover, kept woman, concubine, inamorata, paramour, Literary odalisque, Archaic doxy, Colloq US alternative other, POSSLQ (= 'Person of the Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters'): She was the mistress of a leading

politician. 2 schoolmistress, instructress, governess; headmistress: She had a rewarding career as a mistress in a girls' school in Lancashire.

mistrust v. 1 suspect, distrust, be suspicious of, doubt, be or feel wary or suspicious or doubtful of or about, have (one's) doubts about, question, have reservations; beware; Slang be or feel leery of or about: He has not done anything specifically bad, but I mistrust his motives.

--n. 2 suspicion, distrust, doubt, scepticism, wariness, reservation, chariness, misgiving(s), uncertainty, unsureness, apprehension, apprehensiveness: Is there nothing I can say to dispel your mistrust of me?

misty adj. cloudy, foggy, hazy, murky; fuzzy, dim, blurred, blurry, unclear, indistinct, vague, dark, opaque, shadowy, obscure, unintelligible: It is very misty, so drive carefully. I have

only the mistiest idea of what you mean.

misunderstand

v. misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misapprehend, get (it or it all) wrong, get the wrong idea (about), misread, misjudge, miscalculate, miss the point (of): He understood your words but misunderstood your meaning.

misunderstanding

n. 1 misconception, misconstruction, misinterpretation, misapprehension, misreading, misjudgement, miscalculation, wrong idea, wrong or false impression, mistaking, Technical

parasynesis: Misunderstanding of the law is no excuse for flouting it. 2 disagreement, discord, dispute, argument,

difference, dissension, controversy, quarrel, rift, Colloq

falling out: We had a slight misunderstanding about who was to pay the restaurant bill.

misuse n. 1 misapplication, misusage, misappropriation, misemployment, diverting, diversion, perverting, perversion: He was accused of

the misuse of public funds for his personal gain. 2 misusage, abuse, corruption, solecism, malapropism, barbarism, catachresis, ungrammaticality, infelicity: His misuses of English have made him a laughing-stock. 3 See mistreatment, above.

--v. 4 abuse, misapply, misemploy, misappropriate; pervert: I broke the knife blade misusing it as a screwdriver. He was accused of misusing the courts to his own ends. 5 See mistreat, above.

mitigate v. moderate, temper, reduce, abate, lessen, decrease, relieve, ease, ease up (on), relax, alleviate, remit, assuage, allay, let

up (on), slacken, slacken up (on), tone down, lighten, appease, palliate, mollify, calm, tranquillize, soothe, placate, quiet or chiefly Brit quieten, still, soften, dull, blunt, take the edge

off, US lighten up (on): The pain was mitigated by taking aspirin. The relief organizations did their best to mitigate the effects of the disaster.

mitigating

adj. extenuating, justifying, excusatory, palliating,

vindicating, qualifying: Were there mitigating circumstances in her taking the money?

do. c snarl, ensnarl, tangle, entangle, scramble, jumble: The treasures were all mixed up with the rubbish at the church sale. d confuse, interchange, exchange: Have they mixed up our room keys again? 5 mix up in. involve, implicate, include, connect, draw or drag into: Wasn't Wilcox mixed up in that scandal last year? 6 mix up with. confuse, mistake, misidentify, confound; interchange, exchange: I think you must have me mixed up with

somebody else. The porter mixed up my bag with someone else's.

--n. 7 mixture, blend, compound; amalgam, combination, alloy, assortment, distribution: Was this cake made from a mix or from scratch? The centre party has a good mix of liberals and conservatives.

mixed adj. 1 hybrid, half-bred, mongrel, interbred, cross-bred; impure, tainted, adulterated: This horse has mixed blood. 2 confused, muddled; varied, various, diverse; conflicting, contradictory, opposing, clashing, opposite: He had mixed feelings about ending his relationship with her. 3 mixed up in or with. involved, connected, associated: Wasn't she mixed up in that scandal last year? He doesn't want his children mixed up with people who take drugs.

mixture n. 1 assortment, amalgam, amalgamation, medley, combination, mingling, intermingling, composite, blend, jumble, mix, miscellany, m‚lange, mess, mishmash, hotchpotch or US and Canadian hodgepodge, gallimaufry, farrago, olio, olla podrida, hash, pot-pourri, ragout, goulash, omnium gatherum, salmagundi: The design is an unfortunate mixture of many incompatible

styles. 2 mixing, amalgamation, amalgamating, combining, mingling, intermingling, combination, blend, blending, association, associating, compound, compounding, synthesis, interweaving, merging, merger, fusion, fusing, alloy, alloying: The mixture of household ammonia and bleach creates noxious fumes.

mix-up n. confusion, mess, muddle, hotchpotch or US also hodgepodge, tangle, jumble, Colloq botch, mishmash, foul-up, Slang US screw-up, snafu , Taboo slang Brit balls-up: The mix-up in the

files is due to a computer malfunction.

13.4 moan...

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moan n. 1 complaint, lament, lamentation, groan, wail, moaning, grievance: Disregard his moans about money - he has plenty.

mobbed adj. crowded, packed, thronged, congested, teeming, swarming, full, filled: They tried to leave by the emergency exit, but

that was mobbed, too.

mobile adj. 1 movable, non-stationary, unstationary, unfixed, travelling, portable, transportable: A mobile display was designed for industrial fairs. 2 motorized, mechanical, transportable, movable: They live in a mobile home. The mobile library comes round every Wednesday. 3 expressive, sensitive, animated, plastic, flexible, US facile: Her mobile face at once reflected her thoughts. 4 agile, versatile, nimble, quick,

alert, active, responsive: You need your wits about you to keep up with Randolph's mobile mind. 5 ambulatory, ambulant: After the artificial joint surgery, Keith was once again completely mobile.

mobilize v. assemble, marshal, conscript, enrol, enlist, organize, muster, levy, rally, activate, call up, prepare, ready, US draft: A huge army was mobilized, virtually overnight.