The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

nauseating, sickening, execrable, despicable, nasty: The obscene monster dashed the brave warriors to the rocks far below.

obscure adj. 1 dark, unlit, gloomy, sombre, dismal, murky, dusky, black, Cimmerian, tenebrous, dim, faint, blurred, veiled, shadowy, subfusc, subfuscous, umbral, shady, hazy, foggy, befogged, clouded, nebulous, overcast, cloudy: The traveller's lantern was barely seen in the obscure reaches of the wood. 2 unclear, uncertain, ambiguous, vague, hazy, doubtful, dubious, equivocal, indefinite, indistinct, fuzzy, blurred, confused, confusing, Delphic, puzzling, enigmatic, perplexing, baffling, mystifying, mysterious, cryptic, incomprehensible, unfamiliar, foreign, strange: The sorcerer muttered some obscure words, and a golden horse stood prancing before them. 3 secret, concealed, hidden, remote, out-of-the-way, inconspicuous, unnoticeable, secluded, unnoticed: The caped figure scurried down the alley and disappeared into some obscure doorway. 4 unknown, unheard-of, anonymous, unnamed, insignificant, unimportant, inconsequential, humble, lowly, mean, inglorious, inconspicuous, undistinguished, unnoticed, unsung, minor, little-known: Though extremely popular, the song was written by an obscure composer. 5 abstruse, arcane, recondite, esoteric, intricate, complex,

occult, out of the ordinary, unfamiliar, Colloq far-out: He is an authority on some obscure subject like Coptic calligraphy.

--v. 6 cover, conceal, hide, veil, shroud, cloak, mask, screen, disguise, keep from: Her link with military intelligence was obscured from her family. 7 dim, bedim, cloud, becloud, dull, shroud, shade, adumbrate, overshadow, darken, obfuscate, block, eclipse: The street lamp was obscured by trees.

obscurity n. 1 dimness, darkness, gloom, murk, murkiness, duskiness, dusk, blackness, faintness, blurriness, shade, shadow, haze,

fog, cloudiness, nebulousness: The two of them vanished into the obscurity of the night. 2 abstruseness, ambiguousness, intricacy, complexity, unintelligibility; mystery, arcanum, secret, esoterica (pl.): Can he truly believe that he has fathomed all the obscurities of Scripture? 3 insignificance, unimportance, ingloriousness, inconspicuousness, anonymity, namelessness, limbo: After a fleeting surge of popularity, punk rock sank into obscurity.

obsequious

adj. low, cringing, toadying, toadyish, sycophantic(al), sycophantish, unctuous, truckling, grovelling, crawling, fawning, deferential, ingratiating, menial, flattering, servile, slavish, subservient, submissive, abject, mealy-mouthed, slimy, Colloq boot-licking, Chiefly Brit smarmy, Taboo slang brown-nosing, Brit arse-kissing, arse-licking, US ass-licking, ass-kissing: He is surrounded with obsequious followers who cater to his every whim.

observable

adj. perceptible, perceivable, noticeable, discernible, recognizable, detectable, visible, apparent, distinct, evident, manifest, plain, obvious, clear, explicit, transparent, patent, tangible, unmistakable or unmistakeable: A marked change in public sentiment became at once observable.

observance

n. 1 observation, observing, obedience, obeying, compliance, complying, conformity, conforming, adherence, adhering, keeping, accordance, regard, recognition, recognizing, respect,

respecting, heed, heeding, attention: Observance of the rules by everyone makes for a happier community. 2 ceremony, celebration, ceremonial, practice, rite, ritual, service, performance, form, custom, convention, tradition, formality, usage, habit, wont, institution: Almost all the fine arts

derived their origin from religious observances. 3 observation, examination, inspection, scrutiny, looking, watching: His observance of the passing scene was chronicled in his diary.

observant adj. 1 watchful, alert, attentive, vigilant, on the lookout, on the qui vive, on guard, wide awake, regardful, mindful, aware, keen, keen-eyed, sharp-eyed, eagle-eyed, perceptive, sharp, shrewd: Hannay was observant of all who passed him on the way to the train. How very observant of you to spot the man in the crowd! 2 Usually, observant of. obedient (to), compliant (with), respectful (of), heedful(of), attentive (to or of), conformist

(to), adherent (to): One must be always be observant of the rules of the road.

observation

n. 1 watching, examination, scrutiny, inspection, viewing, survey, surveillance; notice, discovery, attention, awareness:

The police put the house under 24-hour observation. The smuggled weapon escaped the guard's observation. 2 comment, remark, note, reflection, opinion, sentiment, point of view, impression,

feeling, commentary, criticism; utterance, word, announcement, pronouncement, proclamation, declaration: She made a number of trenchant observations concerning life in Britain today.

observe v. 1 obey, abide by, comply with, be heedful of, attend to, conform to, regard, keep, follow, adhere to, respect, pay attention to: We observed the prohibition against swimming. 2 watch, look at, examine, monitor, scrutinize, study, regard, view, inspect, pore over, contemplate, consider , Colloq check (out or up on), check over, size up, Slang case: The

naturalists went to the Arctic to observe the polar bears. 3

see, mark, notice, look, perceive: Observe how swiftly the skin forms pustules when this substance is applied. 4 Sometimes, observe on or upon. comment (on or upon), remark (on or upon), mention, say, note, refer (to), make reference to, animadvert on or upon or to; state, declare: It is impolite to observe on

others' manners. He couldn't help observing to his cell-mate how easy it would be to escape. 5 celebrate, keep, solemnize,

respect, keep holy, mark, commemorate, memorialize, remember, recognize: We always observe the sabbath.

observer n. witness, eyewitness, spectator, viewer, onlooker, beholder, watcher, looker-on; non-participant: UN observers reported that the battle was over.

obsess v. haunt, harass, plague, bedevil, torment, take over, preoccupy, dominate, control, grip, possess, hold: He was obsessed by the conviction that he could design a successful flying machine.

obsession n. fixed idea, id‚e fixe, fixation, conviction, preoccupation, prepossession, passion, mania, phobia, Colloq hang-up, thing: Thoughts of death became his constant obsession.

obsessive adj. haunting, harassing, tormenting, dominating, controlling, possessing, all-encompassing, passionate, unshakeable or unshakable: She has an obsessive fear of heights.

obsolescent

adj. fading, waning, on the wane, declining, dying, on the way

out, on the decline, going or passing out of use or fashion or style: Much of yesterday's newest slang is obsolescent today.

obsolete adj. out of date, out of fashion, out-dated, pass‚, out, dead, outmoded, old, antiquated, antediluvian, ancient, superannuated, dated, archaic, old-fashioned, d‚mod‚; unused, disused, discarded, superseded, extinct, Colloq old hat: The expression 'tickety-boo' is obsolete. He plays his 78-rpm records on an obsolete gramophone.

obstacle n. impediment, hindrance, obstruction, hurdle, hitch, catch, snag, stumbling-block, barrier, bar, check: The obstacles in the road prevented our proceeding further. One must often overcome many obstacles before achieving success.

obstinacy n. obstinateness, stubbornness, doggedness, tenacity, persistence or persistency, mulishness, pigheadedness, wilfulness, contrariness, perverseness, perversity, cantankerousness, recalcitrance, uncooperativeness, rebelliousness, contumacy, contumaciousness, refractoriness, intractability, intransigence, pertinacity, pertinaciousness, obduracy, fixedness, stolidity, inflexibility, firmness, Archaic frowardness, Colloq Brit bloody-mindedness: His obstinacy and

narrow-mindedness made it impossible to work in any cooperative way with him.

obstinate adj. stubborn, dogged, tenacious, persistent, mulish, perverse, headstrong, pigheaded, single-minded, wilful, strong-willed, self-willed, contrary, recalcitrant, uncooperative, rebellious, contumacious, refractory, intransigent, pertinacious, obdurate, fixed, inflexible, stony, adamant, set, unmoving, immovable, inexorable, intractable, unchangeable, resolute, steadfast, unyielding, persevering, stiff, rigid, hard, Archaic froward, Colloq Brit bloody-minded: The obstinate man does not hold opinions - they hold him.

obstreperous

adj. vociferous, clamorous, noisy, loud, raucous, riotous, uproarious, tumultuous, boisterous, rowdy, rumbustious, tempestuous, unruly, disorderly, unmanageable, uncontrollable, uncontrolled, unrestrained, irrepressible, out of control, undisciplined, roisterous, wild, turbulent, Colloq rambunctious, Brit mafficking: The party was getting rough and some of the

guests a bit too obstreperous.

obstruct v. 1 block, bar, check, prevent, stop (up), arrest, halt, clog, make impassable; bring to a standstill: The vein is obstructed by a large blood clot. A clogged drain is obstructing the water. 2 hamper, slow, impede, interfere with, retard, hinder, interrupt, delay, stay, stall: An overturned truck obstructed traffic on the motorway. 3 preclude, prevent, debar, block, prohibit, forbid, stop, stand in the way of: They are manoeuvring to obstruct her from taking over the company.

obstruction

n. 1 obstacle, barrier, bar, check, stumbling-block, hindrance, impediment, hurdle, hitch, snag, catch, bottleneck, limitation, constraint, restriction: The fallen trees created an almost impassable obstruction. 2 checking, stopping, cessation, proscription, forbidding, forbiddance; hindering, impeding, limiting, halting, slowing: The obstruction of the bill's passage can be blamed on the Tories.

obtain v. 1 get, procure, acquire, come by, come into (the) possession of, secure, get hold of or one's hands on, grasp, capture, take possession of, seize; buy, purchase: She has been unable to obtain the job she wants. You can obtain that kind of soap at

the supermarket. 2 earn, gain: We talked to the manager about obtaining an increase in wages. 3 prevail, be in force, be in vogue, exist, subsist, have (a) place, be prevalent, be established, be customary, apply, be relevant, relate: A different set of regulations obtains here.

obtrude v. thrust (oneself) forward or forth, intrude, impose (oneself), force (oneself): The best writers never obtrude between the reader and the story.

obtrusive adj. interfering, intrusive, meddling, officious, meddlesome, importunate, forward, presumptuous, forceful, Colloq pushy: She found him somewhat obtrusive - always giving advice when she least needed it.

obtuse adj. 1 rounded, unpointed, blunt: When mature, the leaves become more obtuse. 2 dull, insensitive, unfeeling, imperceptive, thick-skinned, stolid, thick, dense, doltish, cloddish, thickheaded, dull-witted, dim-witted, slow-witted,

(mentally) retarded, boneheaded, lumpish, loutish, oafish, simple, simple-minded: Luke is a bit too obtuse to get the point of the story.

obvious adj. clear, plain, apparent, patent, perceptible, evident, self-evident, clear-cut, manifest, palpable, (much) in evidence, conspicuous, open, visible, overt, ostensible, pronounced, prominent, glaring, undeniable, unconcealed, unhidden, unsubtle, distinct, simple, bald, bald-faced, straightforward, direct, self-explanatory, indisputable, unmistakable or unmistakeable: There are obvious flaws in the fabric. The reason you were refused seemed obvious to me.

obviously adv. clearly, plainly, apparently, patently, evidently, simply, certainly, of course, undeniable, unmistakably or unmistakeably, indubitably, doubtless(ly): You are obviously the right person for the assignment.

15.3 occasion...

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occasion n. 1 time, moment, circumstance, incident, occurrence, opportunity, chance, opening, advantage: I took the occasion of the inquiry to leave town. 2 reason, cause, call,

justification, ground(s), warrant, provocation, prompting, impulse, stimulus, incitement, inducement: Tom gave David no occasion to doubt his honesty. 3 event, function, happening, affair, observance, commemoration, ceremony, celebration, gala, party,: Grandpapa's ninetieth birthday was a great occasion. This hall is saved for important occasions. 4 on occasion. See occasionally, below.

--v. 5 give rise to, bring about, cause, bring on, effect, prompt, provoke, evoke, call forth, elicit, call up, induce, impel, create, generate, engender, produce, make (for): An increase in the inflation rate occasions a decrease in the value of money.

occasional

adj. 1 intermittent, irregular, periodic, random, sporadic, infrequent, casual, incidental: They staged occasional raids on the arsenal. He works as an occasional farm hand. 2 additional,

extra, spare, supplementary, incidental, auxiliary, accessory: We bought a few occasional chairs in case we have company. 3 special, particular, ceremonial, ritual: She writes occasional verses for memorial services.

occasionally

adv. sometimes, on occasion, (every) now and then, from time to time, at times, (every) now and again, once in a while, every so often, periodically, intermittently, sporadically, irregularly,

off and on: We go up the Lake District for a weekend occasionally. Trevor occasionally drops in at the local pub for a beer.

occult adj. 1 secret, dark, concealed, private, privy, hidden, obscure, veiled, obscured, shrouded, vague, abstruse, shadowy, mystical, mysterious, cabbalistic, esoteric, recondite, arcane: Printing was kept an occult art for generations. 2 magical, mystical, alchemic(al), unexplained, unexplainable, inexplicable, puzzling, baffling, perplexing, mystifying, mysterious, incomprehensible, inscrutable, indecipherable, impenetrable, unfathomable, transcendental, supernatural, preternatural, mystic: They dress in odd clothes and participate in occult rituals at peculiar times of the day and night.

--n. 3 Usually, the occult. the supernatural, the unknown, the black arts; arcana, cabbala or cabala or kabbala; cabbalism or cabalism or kabbalism, occultism, sorcery, witchcraft, black magic: Keith has studied the occult for many years.

occupant n. resident, inhabitant, occupier, tenant, lessee, leaseholder, renter, owner, householder, indweller, dweller, denizen, lodger, roomer, boarder; addressee; incumbent: The occupant of the flat upstairs is rarely home.

occupation

n. 1 job, position, post, situation, appointment, employment, vocation, line (of work), career, field, calling, trade, m‚tier, craft, skill, profession, business, work: Claverton pursued his occupation as a miniaturist for some fifty years. 2 possession, tenure, occupancy, rule, control, suzerainty, subjugation, subjection, oppression, bondage: Terrible atrocities were committed while the land was under the occupation of the

Mongols. 3 conquest, seizure, appropriation, take-over: Francisco Pizarro was responsible for the occupation of Peru.

occupy v. 1 capture, seize, take possession of, conquer, invade, take over, overrun, garrison, dominate, hold: Rebel forces had occupied the capital and toppled the governor. 2 live or reside or dwell in, tenant, be established or ensconced or situated in, establish or ensconce or situate oneself in, inhabit, be settled

in or into, settle in or into, take up residence in, make one's home in, move in or into; be located in: She occupies a luxurious flat in Belgravia. 3 engage, busy, absorb, monopolize, hold, take up or over, catch, grab, seize, grip; divert, amuse, entertain, distract, beguile, preoccupy, hold (someone's) attention, interest, engross, involve: Other matters occupied my attention last Sunday. While one man was

keeping the shopkeeper occupied, the other man was robbing the till. 4 fill (in or up), take up, cover, extend over, consume,

use (up), Colloq eat up: The car occupies more garage space than I thought it would. Housework occupies very little of my time.

occur v. 1 happen, take place, arise, come about, befall, come to pass, chance, appear, surface, materialize, develop, become manifest, manifest itself, Colloq transpire, crop up, come off, turn up: We reported to the police all that had occurred. What occurred to make you late this time? 2 occur to. dawn on, strike, hit, come to, suggest itself to, cross (someone's) mind, enter (someone's) head, be brought to (someone's) attention: Has it occurred to you that she might not like opera?

occurrence

n. 1 happening, event, incident, phenomenon, affair, matter, experience: Earthquakes are frequent occurrences in California. 2 existence, instance, manifestation, materialization, appearance, development: The occurrence of mutations diversifies the species. 3 frequency, incidence, rate;

likelihood, chance: What is the recorded occurrence of typhoons in the South China Sea?

ocean n. 1 (deep blue) sea, (bounding) main, high seas, the deep, Davy Jones's locker, the depths, Colloq the briny, the drink: The sails filled, and our tiny craft was swept out into the open ocean. 2 Often, oceans. flood, abundance, multitude, profusion,

plethora, Colloq scads, loads, tons, lots, oodles, gobs,

zillions: The direct mail campaign yielded oceans of responses.

oceanic adj. marine, pelagic, thalassic; salt-water, deep-water, aquatic, maritime, sea, ocean: These creatures are chiefly oceanic, coming ashore only to breed.

15.4 odd...

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odd adj. 1 strange, peculiar, unusual, uncommon, different, unexpected, unfamiliar, extraordinary, remarkable, atypical, untypical, exotic, out of the ordinary, unparalleled, unconventional, exceptional, unique, singular, individual, anomalous, idiosyncratic, rare, deviant, outlandish, uncanny, queer, curious, bizarre, weird, eccentric, funny, quaint, fantastic, freak, abnormal, freakish, Colloq offbeat, screwy, kinky, freaky, Slang Brit barmy, bent, rum, US and Canadian kooky or kookie: Ebenezer is an odd name for a dog. Where did you get that odd hat? I cannot account for his odd behaviour. 2 occasional, casual, part-time, irregular, random, sporadic, discontinuous, disconnected, various, varied, miscellaneous, sundry, incidental: After being made redundant, he worked at

odd jobs for a year or so. The odd shower can be expected during the afternoon. 3 leftover, surplus, remaining, unused, spare, superfluous, extra: After the patterns were cut, we were

allowed to take the odd scraps of fabric. 4 uneven, unmatched, unpaired: This gallery has an odd number of columns.

oddity n. 1 peculiarity, strangeness, unnaturalness, curiousness, incongruity, incongruousness, eccentricity, outlandishness, extraordinariness, unconventionality, bizarreness, weirdness, queerness, oddness, unusualness, individuality, singularity, distinctiveness, anomalousness, anomaly, Colloq kinkiness, US and Canadian kookiness: What caught my attention was the oddity of the clothes worn by the students. 2 peculiarity, curiosity,

rarity, freak, original, phenomenon, character, eccentric, nonconformist, fish out of water, odd bird, rara avis, misfit, square peg in a round hole, maverick, Colloq card, crank, weirdie or weirdo, oner, Brit odd fish, US and Canadian kook, oddball, screwball: The townspeople thought Albert an oddity, but we knew he was a genius. 3 peculiarity, irregularity,

15.5 off...

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