The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

importance if we are to find anything. 2 organization, uniformity, regularity, system, pattern, symmetry, harmony, tidiness, orderliness, neatness: Some believe that there is an order of things in the universe, others that the universe tends to chaos. 3 category, class, caste, level, kind, sort, rank, group, scale, importance, hierarchy, position, status, degree, Colloq pecking order: Gregory's musical talents are of a very high order. 4 command, direction, directive, instruction,

commandment, dictate, mandate, edict, behest, request, demand, ukase, decree, fiat, proclamation, pronouncement, pronunciamento; rule, regulation, law, ordinance, statute, requirement: The police have issued an order to surrender all hand guns. 5 procedure, proceeding(s), discipline, conduct: The order of the meeting was breached by some rowdies. 6 condition, state (of affairs): Please leave everything in the order in which you found it. 7 purchase order, request,

requisition, commitment, commission, instruction: We received a large order for office furniture. 8 calm, peace, peacefulness, tranquillity, quiet, serenity, law and order, discipline,

lawfulness: After a brief commotion, order was restored. 9 brotherhood, fraternity, sisterhood, sorority, fellowship, sodality, association, organization, society, guild, sect, company, community, lodge, body, knighthood: One of her ancestors was a Knight of the Teutonic Order. 10 in order. a neat, clean, tidy, shipshape, orderly, (well-)organized, ready, prepared, arranged: Is everything in order for the wedding tomorrow? b fitting, suitable, appropriate, correct, right, apt, called-for; required, demanded, needed: I think that an

apology is in order for the way you behaved. 11 in order that. so (that), with the aim or purpose that, to the end that: We invited him in order that you might meet him. 12 in order to. to, for the purpose of: In order to get there, you have to

drive up the hill. 13 out of order. a disordered,

non-sequential, out of sequence, non-alphabetical, disorganized, unorganized, in disorder: The cards in this catalogue are out

of order and I cannot find anything. b unseemly, out of place, improper, uncalled-for, unsuitable, indecorous, Colloq chiefly Brit not cricket: Your remark about her religion was completely out of order. c out of commission, broken, in disrepair, non-functioning, non-functional, not working, broken-down, inoperative, out of kilter or Brit also kelter, Colloq (gone) haywire, kaput, bust(ed), US out of whack, on the fritz, shot; Slang on the blink, Brit wonky, gone phut: The telly is out of

order again.

--v. 14 direct, command, instruct, charge, tell, bid, require, enjoin; demand, ordain; force, make: The sergeant ordered the men to run around the drill field with full packs. The council ordered that garden rubbish should be packed in special bags. 15 requisition, ask for, send (away) for, call for, apply for,

reserve, engage, commission, contract for; purchase, buy: Have you ordered breakfast for tomorrow? Let's order a take-away from the Chinese restaurant. 16 organize, systematize, arrange, classify, categorize, codify, lay out, sort (out), straighten

(out or up): The bottles were ordered in neat rows along the wall.

orderly adj. 1 in (good) order, (well-)organized, neat, shipshape, tidy, arranged, methodical, systematic, systematized or systemized, harmonious, symmetrical, regular, uniform: Before you leave, make sure that your room is orderly. 2 well-behaved, disciplined, decorous, law-abiding, well-mannered, peaceable, tranquil, mannerly, polite, courteous, civil, civilized, non-violent: Everyone left the burning theatre in an orderly fashion.

--n. 3 assistant, adjutant, attendant, messenger; menial, servant; nurse's aide; Brit military batman; US candystriper;

Slang US and Canadian gofer: An orderly arrived with dispatches from the general. She has a job as a hospital orderly.

ordinarily

adv. usually, normally, as a rule, commonly, generally, in general, customarily, routinely, typically, habitually, by and large, for the most part: Ellie is ordinarily at her desk by nine o'clock.

ordinary adj. 1 usual, normal, expected, common, general, customary, routine, typical, habitual, accustomed, traditional, regular, everyday, familiar, set, humdrum: This wine is quite good for ordinary drinking. Just display ordinary good manners when you meet the queen. 2 common, conventional, modest, plain, simple, prosaic, homespun, commonplace, run-of-the-mill, everyday, average, unpretentious, workaday, mediocre, fair, passable, so so, undistinguished, unexceptional, unremarkable, uninspired, pedestrian, bourgeois, peasant, provincial, unrefined, Colloq

Brit common or garden, US common-or-garden variety, garden-variety: They bought a rather ordinary house in an inferior neighbourhood.

--n. 3 standard, norm, average, status quo, convention, expected: Saint-Gaudens' architectural designs are far from the ordinary. 4 out of the ordinary. extraordinary, unusual, uncommon, strange, unfamiliar, different, unexpected, unconventional, curious, eccentric, peculiar, rare, exceptional, original, singular, unique, odd, bizarre, weird, offbeat, outlandish, striking, quaint, picturesque: She was looking for a gift that was a little out of the ordinary, so I suggested a

pet tarantula.

organ n. 1 device, instrument, implement, tool; member, part, element, unit, component, structure, Technical process: The eye, come to think of it, is a truly miraculous organ. 2 medium, vehicle, voice, mouthpiece, forum, publication, paper, magazine, newsletter, house organ, newspaper, annual, semi-annual, quarterly, monthly, fortnightly, weekly, hebdomadal, daily, journal, periodical: The official organ of the Society is published in Abergavenny.

organic adj. 1 living, natural, biological, biotic, animate, breathing: Though coal may seem to be a mineral, it is organic, for it was formed from plants. 2 basic, elementary, essential, innate, inborn, natural, native, ingrained, primary, fundamental, visceral, constitutional, inherent, structural, integral: The organic differences between the styles of writing are obvious. 3 organized, systematic, coherent, coordinated, integrated, structured, methodical, orderly, consistent: The various elements of the painting blend into an organic whole.

organism n. living thing, structure, body; being, creature: It is the work of natural scientists to classify all kinds of organisms.

organization

n. 1 organizing, structuring, assembling, assembly, putting together, coordination, systematizing, systematization, classifying, classification, categorizing, categorization, codifying, codification: The organization of the school timetable took hours to complete. 2 structure, pattern, configuration, design, plan, scheme, order, system, organism,

composition, arrangement, constitution, make-up, grouping, framework, format, form, shape: One must consider the organization as a whole, not merely its constituent elements. 3 body, system, institution, federation, confederacy, confederation, society, group, league, coalition, conglomerate, combine, consortium, syndicate, organism: The organization is a coherent structure made up of an enormous number of disparate elements.

organize v. 1 structure, coordinate, systematize, systemize, order, arrange, sort (out), classify, categorize, codify, catalogue, group, tabulate, pigeon-hole, standardize: These files ought to be organized so that you can find something when you need it. 2 form, found, set up, establish, institute, start, begin, create, originate, initiate, put together, build, develop, US pull together: In 1969, we organized a company to publish reference books.

orientation

n. 1 placement, bearings, attitude, alignment, lie, placing, situation, layout, location, position, positioning, arrangement, set-up: The orientation of the buildings is such that the windows face south. 2 introduction, training, initiation, briefing, familiarization, assimilation, acclimatization, preparation, instruction: The orientation of the new employees

is scheduled for next week. We were given orientation lectures.

origin n. 1 source, derivation, rise, fountain-head, foundation, basis, base, well-spring, fount, provenance, Chiefly US

provenience: The origins of many English words are unknown. 2 creation, genesis, birth, birthplace, cradle, dawning, dawn, origination, start, beginning, commencement, outset, launch, launching, inception, inauguration: The origin of the notion of democracy can be traced to ancient Greece. 3 Often, origins. parentage, ancestry, extraction, descent, lineage, pedigree, genealogy, stock, heritage: We have traced our family's origins back to the Middle Ages.

original adj. 1 initial, first, earliest, primary, beginning, starting, basic: The original report made no mention of any missing jewellery. 2 native, indigenous, autochthonous, aboriginal, primordial, primeval, primitive: At first, we could find only slight traces of the original inhabitants. 3 master, actual, primary, authentic, true, genuine, real, basic; prototypic(al), archetypal, source: I have the original document and my lawyer has a copy. 4 creative, novel, innovative, unique, imaginative, unusual, inventive, ingenious; firsthand, fresh, underived, unprecedented: The film is based on a highly original story by Daphne du Maurier. The author has some original insights into Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia.

--n. 5 prototype, archetype, source, model, pattern; master: The original hangs in the National Gallery. 6 eccentric, nonconformist, individualist, Colloq case, card, character, Brit queer fish: True to his reputation as an original, Wilde sauntered down the Strand with a lily in his hand.

originality

n. creativeness, creativity, inventiveness, ingenuity, innovativeness, innovation, novelty, newness, unorthodoxy, unconventionality, cleverness, daring, resourcefulness, independence, individuality, uniqueness, nonconformity: One must admire Dali for his originality.

originally

adv. in or at or from the beginning, (at ) first, from the first, initially, to begin with, at or from the outset, at or from the start, in the first place or instance, Colloq from the

word go, from day one: Originally, we were to have gone in Patrick's car.

originate v. 1 create, bring about, engender, give birth to, beget, conceive, initiate, inaugurate, start, begin, introduce, launch, found, set up, institute, establish, invent, coin, devise, pioneer, design, contrive, concoct, mastermind, compose, organize, formulate, form, generate, produce, develop, evolve:

Wasn't it the Chinese who originated free public health schemes? 2 arise, rise, begin, start, come, spring, stem, flow, issue, emerge, emanate, proceed, grow, develop, evolve, derive, result: Where did the idea of the democratic form of government originate?

ornament n. 1 enhancement, embellishment, adornment, decoration, ornamentation, gingerbread, trimming, garnish, garnishment, frill, embroidery, beautification, accessory; frippery;

knick-knack, furbelow, bauble, gewgaw, Slang US tchotchke: We spent a pleasant afternoon putting ornaments on the Christmas tree. The ornaments on the mantelpiece needed dusting.

--v. 2 decorate, embellish, enhance, adorn, trim, garnish, embroider, elaborate, beautify, accessorize, deck (out), dress up: The cabinet is ornamented with ormolu fittings in the Empire style.

ornamental

adj. decorative, beautifying, adorning, garnishing, embellishing: Nothing in the house is ornamental, everything is functional.

ornate adj. elaborate, florid, overdone, laboured, rococo, baroque, gingerbread, arabesque, fancy, lavish, rich, flowery, busy, fussy, frilly, intricate; high-flown, euphuistic, Ossianic, bombastic, pompous, pretentious, affected, grandiose, fulsome, highfalutin or hifalutin, grandiloquent, flamboyant: Louis Quinze style is far too ornate for my tastes. We find his writing, with its contorted artificialities, far too ornate to appeal to the modern reader.

orthodox adj. conformist, accepted, authoritative, authorized, recognized, received, official, standard, prevailing, prevalent, common, regular, popular, ordinary, doctrinal, established,

situation, on the other hand: I learned something about you tonight that otherwise I should never have guessed. 2 differently, in another manner or way: You may travel unless the doctor advises otherwise.

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out-and-out

adj. complete, unmitigated, unalloyed, undiluted, pure, utter, perfect, consummate, outright, total, downright, unqualified, thorough, thoroughgoing, through-and-through, dyed in the wool: She was an out-and-out fool to turn down his marriage proposal.

outburst n. outbreak, eruption, explosion, blow-up, flare-up, fulmination; upsurge, surge, outpouring, welling (forth), upwelling, outflow(ing), rush, flood, effusion, effluence or efflux; fit, access, attack, spasm, paroxysm, seizure, tantrum: Another outburst like that, young man, and you'll be sent home.

effect, upshot, sequel, development, outgrowth, aftermath, wake, follow-up, Medicine sequela (usually pl. sequelae), Colloq pay-off, bottom line: One outcome of the new safety regulations will be higher fares. We eagerly awaited the outcome of the race.

outcry n. protest, protestation, decrial, complaint, indignation, uproar, vociferation, clamour, clamouring, commotion, outburst, noise, hullabaloo, howl, howling, hoot, hooting, boo, booing, hiss, hissing: The public outcry against terrorism was heard round the world.

tack, utensils: His mountain-climbing outfit turned out to be extremely expensive. 2 clothes, costume, ensemble; attire, garb, clothing, dress; Colloq get-up, togs: She was wearing a very weird outfit that attracted a lot of stares. 3 firm, concern, business, organization, company, (military) unit,

corporation; party, set, group; Colloq set-up: I joined the outfit when it consisted of only a hundred people.

--v. 4 fit (out or up), equip, kit out, provision, stock, accoutre or US also accouter, rig (out or up), supply, furnish:

The shop is prepared to outfit anyone for anything from a walk in the country to an African safari or an Arctic expedition.

outgoing adj. 1 departing, retiring, ex-, former, past, emeritus, leaving, withdrawing: It is our custom to honour the outgoing president with a banquet. 2 genial, friendly, amiable, cordial, warm, expansive, approachable, affable, accessible, amenable, easygoing, amicable, sociable, congenial, extrovert, familiar, informal, communicative: Because of his outgoing attitude, Keith gets along well with most people.

outing n. jaunt, junket, excursion, trip, expedition, tour, ride, Colloq spin: This year, the annual church outing will again be to Torquay.

outlandish

adj. unfamiliar, strange, odd, queer, offbeat, peculiar, curious, exotic, foreign, alien, unknown, unheard-of, different, exceptional, extraordinary, quaint, eccentric, bizarre, outr‚, weird, fantastic, unusual, singular, unique; freakish, grotesque, barbarous; Colloq far-out, camp(y), kinky: Those

youngsters wear the most outlandish hair-dos you have ever seen.

brigand, footpad, picaroon, pirate, fugitive (from justice or the law), renegade, US road-agent: In Westerns, the sheriff always wins out over the outlaws.

--v. 2 forbid, disallow, ban, interdict, bar, exclude,

prohibit, proscribe: Some countries have outlawed prostitution, but with little effect.

outlay n. expense, cost, expenditure, spending, disbursement, payment: The city council refused to approve the outlay for a new swimming-pool.