The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

and Lower House or chamber: The United States parliament consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

parliamentary

adj. formal, ordered, orderly, procedural, conforming, conformist, US according to Roberts Rules of Order: The debate must follow parliamentary procedure.

parlour n. living-room, Old-fashioned or Brit drawing-room, Chiefly Brit sitting-room, reception (room), lounge: She invited us

into the parlour where tea was laid out.

parlous adj. perilous, risky, precarious, uncertain, dangerous, hazardous, difficult, ticklish, awkward, Colloq chancy, iffy, Slang hairy: These are parlous times in the Middle East.

parochial adj. regional, provincial, narrow, local, insular, isolated, limited, restricted, narrow-minded, petty, short-sighted, hidebound, conservative, conventional, illiberal, bigoted, prejudiced, intolerant, one-sided, partial, biased, stubborn, opinionated, dogmatic, rigid, stiff, stiff-necked, immovable, intractable, unchangeable, unchanging, close-minded, unsophisticated, unworldly, uncultivated, uncultured: Uneducated and untravelled, Mr Shriver maintained a very parochial view of the world.

parody n. 1 burlesque, lampoon, satire, caricature, mockery, mimicry, Colloq take-off, spoof, Brit send-up: The more serious the

intent of the original author's work, the easier it is to write a parody of it. 2 travesty, mockery, feeble or poor imitation,

distortion, perversion, corruption, debasement: The Inquisition was a parody of justice and of religion.

--v. 3 burlesque, lampoon, satirize, caricature, mock, mimic, ape, ridicule, deride, laugh at, poke fun at, guy, scoff at, sneer at, rib, tease, twit, roast, pillory, make a

laughing-stock (of), make sport of, make fun of, make a monkey (out) of, Archaic fleer, Colloq take off, spoof, kid, Brit send

up: Swift parodied English political figures and policies of the day in Gulliver's Travels .

paroxysm n. fit, convulsion, spasm, throe, seizure, spell, outburst, eruption, explosion, Colloq flare-up: At the sight of George

dressed as Madame Pompadour Melissa rolled on the floor in a paroxysm of hysterical laughter.

parrot n. 1 imitator, mimic, Colloq copycat: She never has an original idea of her own: she's a mere parrot of others' fashions and fancies.

(of), contribute (to): Why insist that she take part in your nefarious plot? People began to sing, but she didn't feel like taking part.

--v. 12 separate, part company, split up, go his or her (or their) separate way(s), break up, say or bid goodbye (or adieu, etc.); leave, depart, go (away or off): We parted on the best of terms. 13 separate, divide, put or pull apart, put asunder:

I saw a pale hand part the curtains for a brief moment. A fool and his money are soon parted. 14 part with. give up, yield, relinquish, release, sacrifice, forgo, renounce, forsake, let go, surrender: I doubt that you'll persuade Rover to part with his bone.

--adj. 15 partial, fractional, limited: Ronald is a part owner of the company.

partake v. 1 Usually, partake in. share (in), participate (in), take

(a) part (in), enter (in or into): We share each other's burdens and partake in each other's joys. 2 Usually, partake of. a receive, get, have a share or portion or part (of),

share: We were invited to partake of a meagre repast. b evoke, suggest, hint at, intimate, imply, possess or have the quality

of: Greater knowledge often partakes of insolence.

partial adj. 1 incomplete, fragmentary, not total or whole, imperfect: They were able to afford only a partial restoration of the

house. There will be a partial solar eclipse at noon. 2 prejudiced, biased, partisan, inclined, influenced, one-sided, jaundiced, unfair, discriminatory: It will be difficult to find a judge who is not partial. 3 partial to. in favour of, predisposed to, fond of, having a soft spot or weakness for, having a liking or taste or predilection for, having a fondness for, feeling an attraction or affinity to or toward(s), finding enjoyment in: She used to be partial to punk rockers. I am partial to Scotch beef.

partiality

n. 1 prejudice, bias, inclination, favouritism, predilection, predisposition, leaning, preference: The losers of the contest accused the judges of partiality. 2 preference, taste, relish, liking, fondness, appreciation, fancy, love, eye, weakness, soft spot, penchant; fetish or fetich: Alas, my wife has acquired a

partiality for emeralds.

partially adv. partly, in part, to some extent or degree, to a limited or a certain extent or degree, not totally or wholly or entirely, restrictedly, incompletely, in some measure, relatively, comparatively, moderately, (up) to a (given or certain) point, somewhat: Jon found the meal only partially satisfying and ordered another bread pudding.

participant

n. 1 participator, partaker, sharer, party, contributor, prime mover: The chief participants in the recent terrorist attack are in custody.

--adj. 2 Usually, participant in or of. participating,

partaking, sharing: As a shareholder, he will be participant in the profits.

participate

v. Often, participate in. take part (in), share (in), partake

(in or of), join (in), engage (in), get or become involved (in), be or become associated (with), enter (in or into), contribute (to): We invited her to join the group, but she refuses to participate. I would like to participate in the venture.

particle n. atom, molecule, scintilla, spark, mote, suggestion, hint, suspicion, gleam, bit, crumb, jot, tittle, whit, mite, speck, dot, spot, iota, grain, morsel, shred, sliver, scrap, Colloq smidgen or smidgin: There isn't the slightest particle of evidence linking them with the murder.

particular

adj. 1 certain, specific, special, peculiar, singular, single, isolated, individual, distinct, discrete, separate, definite, precise, express: These are not his particular sentiments but those of thousands of his followers. In this particular instance your theory does not apply. 2 marked, special, especial, exceptional, remarkable, noteworthy, notable, outstanding, unusual: The commendation is for her particular contribution to the treatment of nervous disorders. Vintage port is a particular favourite of mine. 3 detailed, itemized, item-by-item, thorough, minute, precise, exact, exacting, painstaking, nice, rigorous, close, blow-by-blow: The inscriptions reveal the particular

care taken in keeping daily records. 4 fussy, meticulous, finicky, finical, fastidious, discriminating, selective, demanding, hypercritical, critical, Colloq pernickety or US also persnickety, choosy, picky: Daphne is very particular about whom she invites to dinner.

--n. 5 Usually, particulars. detail, minutia, fine point, item, specific, element, fact, circumstance, information: The particulars may never be revealed, but we know in general what took place that fateful night. 6 in particular. particularly, specifically, precisely, exactly, especially, specially;

particular, specific, special, definite: I told mother that I was just going out, not anywhere in particular.

particularly

adv. 1 especially, specially, exceptionally, peculiarly, singularly, distinctively, uniquely, unusually, uncommonly, notably, outstandingly, markedly, extraordinarily, very, extremely, strikingly, surprisingly, amazingly: Susannah went through a particularly bad patch but she's better now. Holroyd is a good writer, particularly of biography. 2 in particular, specifically, especially, principally, mainly, exceptionally, expressly, explicitly, notably, markedly; only, solely: Maeterlinck was particularly interested in bees.

parting n. 1 separating, splitting, dividing, breaking (up or apart), sundering, cleaving; separation, split, division, break-up, rift, rupture: The high point of the film was the parting of

the Red Sea. The parting between Harriet and Sam after twenty turbulent years was to be expected. 2 leave-taking, farewell, saying goodbye, departure, leaving, going (away), making one's adieus or adieux; valediction: Parting is such sweet sorrow.

--adj. 3 closing, final, concluding, last, departing, valedictory; deathbed, dying: Her parting comment was, 'If you're leaving, take the rubbish'.

partisan n. 1 partizan, devotee, follower, supporter, adherent, backer, champion, enthusiast, fan, zealot, fanatic, Chiefly US and Canadian booster, Colloq US rooter: He has long been a partisan of surrealism. 2 guerrilla or guerilla, freedom fighter, underground or resistance fighter, irregular: During the war

the Yugoslav partisans were led by Marshal Tito.

celebration, fˆte or fete, function, reception, soir‚e, levee, festivity, festivities, festival, frolic, spree, romp, carousal or carouse, saturnalia, bacchanalia, debauch, orgy, Colloq

get-together, bash, bust, shindig or shindy, ball, at-home, do, Brit beanfeast, beano, knees-up, US blow-out, Slang Brit rave or rave-up, Chiefly US and Canadian wingding, bust-up, US hop: Campbell said he had a marvellous time at your birthday party. 2 group, company, band, body, corps, gang, crew, team, squad, troop, platoon, detachment, detail, cadre, unit, Colloq bunch, outfit: A small party of men is trapped on the other side of

the river. 3 side, interest, faction, league, club, coalition, bloc, division, sect, denomination, clique, coterie, set, cabal, junta or junto, partisans, adherents, confederacy,

confederation, federation, Chiefly US and Canadian caucus: The proliferation of political parties confuses the electorate. 4 participant, participator, confederate, associate, ally, accomplice, accessory, approver, ratifier, upholder,

contributor, supporter, advocate, backer, aid, helper, seconder, promoter, partisan, defender, exponent, proponent, champion: I refuse to be a party to any illegal act. 5 individual, person, litigant, plaintiff, defendant, side, interest, signer,

signatory, co-signatory, participant, US co-signer: The party of the first part accuses the party of the second part of infidelity. How many parties are there to this contract?

parvenu n. 1 parvenue, upstart, arriviste, nouveau riche, intruder, adventurer, social climber: Usually one generation has to pass before a parvenu is accepted by the class with which his money associates him.

believe she would pass chemistry, but pass she did. 5 spend, devote, use (up), expend, employ, occupy, fill, while away, take (up); dissipate, waste, fritter away, kill: He passed his time

on Devil's Island planning ways to escape. 6 surpass, exceed, outdo, transcend, go beyond, overshoot, outstrip, outrun, surmount, outdistance: She passed her own expectations in winning the scholarship. How Alan ever got a degree passes all comprehension. 7 allow, tolerate, permit, approve, sanction, accept, authorize, endorse, carry, agree to, confirm: The customs inspectors passed my luggage without question. The bill passed the committee and came up for voting. 8 give, hand round or along or over, transfer, pass on or over, deliver, convey, Sports US hand off, Colloq toss, throw, reach: Please pass the salt. The sweeper passed the ball back to the goalkeeper. 9

utter, express, issue, declare, pronounce, deliver, set forth, offer: Who is she to pass judgement on abstract paintings? 10 go away, disappear, vanish, evaporate, fade away, melt away, evanesce, cease (to exist), (come to an) end, die out, go by the board, terminate, Literary evanish, Colloq blow over: For an instant I was gripped by a horrible fear, but the feeling passed. 11 go (by), expire, elapse; slip by or away, fly; crawl,

creep, drag: Weeks have passed since we last met. Time passes quickly when you're having fun. 12 evacuate, void, eliminate, excrete, defecate, urinate: The tests showed that he had passed some gravel in his urine. 13 come to pass. befall, happen, occur, take place, come about, arise, Colloq come off: And it came to pass that a great pestilence was abroad in the land. 14 pass away. a die, expire, perish, succumb, breathe one's last, pass on, go to one's reward, go to one's final or last resting-place, (go to) meet one's Maker, Colloq go west, give up the ghost, Slang croak, kick the bucket, Chiefly US bite the dust, turn up one's toes: He was the sole beneficiary when she passed away. b vanish, disappear, go away, stop, cease, end:

The feeling of vertigo simply passed away when the plane landed. 15 pass by. See 1, above: The strikers were urging people to

pass by the shop. 16 pass for or as. a be taken for, be mistaken for, be regarded as, be accepted as: He wrote a book about being a man who passed for a woman. b impersonate, imitate, mimic, pass (oneself) off as, come or go as, be disguised as, disguise oneself as, assume the guise of, masquerade as, pose as, assume the role of, act the part of, act like, pretend to be, play: Using her best cockney accent, she tried to pass as a Londoner. 17 pass off. evaporate, disappear,

evanesce, be emitted: The water passes off as steam, leaving the distillate in the flask. 18 pass on. a proceed, continue, progress: Let us now pass on to the next lesson. b bequeath, hand down or on, transfer, make over, will, cede, give: The old gambler passed on to me the secret of never losing - Don't gamble. c See 14, (a), above. 19 pass (oneself) off as. See 16, (b), above. 20 pass out. a faint, collapse, swoon, black out, drop, Colloq conk out, keel over: When they told her of the accident, she passed out on the spot. b distribute, dole out, mete out, deal (out), hand out: After we took our seats, the cabin staff passed out glasses of champagne. 21 pass over. See 3, above: I shall pass over his latest misdeeds without comment. 22 pass up. reject, decline, refuse, waive, turn down, dismiss, spurn, renounce; deny (oneself), skip, give up, forgo, let go (by), abandon, forswear, forsake, let pass, ignore, pay

no heed, disregard, pay no heed, omit: If you don't buy this car, you are passing up an opportunity of a lifetime.

--n. 23 defile, gorge, col, cwm, cut, canyon or ca¤on, notch, gap, gully, couloir; passage, opening, way, route, road: We had mined the pass to prevent the enemy's advance. 24 authorization, permit, licence, approval, safe conduct, green light, go-ahead; permission, freedom, liberty, authority, clearance; Colloq OK or okay: He bribed an official for a pass to leave the country. 25 free pass, complimentary ticket, Slang US twofer, Annie Oakley: I have two passes to the opera tonight - Want to go? 26 state (of affairs), condition, situation,

stage, juncture, status, crux; predicament, crisis: At that critical pass, it was too late to change policy. Things had come to a pretty pass. 27 attempt, trial, try, effort, endeavour: Anita's first pass at a perfect score resulted in disaster. We

made a pass at docking while under sail. 28 (sexual or indecent) overture or advance(s), proposition, indecent proposal: That lecher has made a pass at every secretary he's ever had. 29 manoeuvre, approach; passage, flight, fly-by, transit: The pilot's first pass over the airfield was at 500 feet. 30

transfer, toss, throw, US hand-off: A forward pass is illegal in rugby.

passable adj. 1 satisfactory, acceptable, tolerable, all right, adequate, admissible, allowable, presentable, average, fair (enough), fair to middling, fairly good, middling, not bad, unexceptional, sufficient, indifferent, Colloq OK or okay, so

so: I thought the play passable, but not up to his usual standard. 2 traversable, navigable, open, unobstructed, unblocked: The channel is passable till October, when the river freezes over.

passage n. 1 movement, moving, going, transition, transit, traversal, traverse, progress, crossing, passing: The queen's passage through the town was attended by much jubilation. We observed the passage of Mercury across the sun's disc. 2 extract,

excerpt, selection, section, part, portion, text, paragraph, canto, stanza, verse, line, sentence, phrase, citation,

quotation: I recognize this passage from The Faerie Queene . 3 way, route, avenue, course, channel; road, thoroughfare: Amundsen found a navigable passage between the Atlantic and Pacific across North America. 4 corridor, hall, passageway, hallway, vestibule, lobby, foyer: As I stepped into the passage outside my room I heard a door slam. 5 change, mutation, shift, conversion, progression, passing: In sublimation, the passage is directly between the solid and gaseous or vaporous states, without an intermediate liquid stage. 6 passing, elapse, progress, progression, flow, march, advance: She may become more tractable with the passage of time. 7 voyage, trip, journey, cruise, crossing, sail, run, travel, travelling; Brit

accommodation or US accommodations, arrangement(s), facilities: In 1942 the trans-Atlantic passage was fraught with danger. The refugees were guaranteed safe passage to the border. We have been unable to book a passage to Majorca for tomorrow. 8 safe conduct, permission, privilege, liberty, freedom, visa, authorization, allowance: Our troops were denied passage through Nepal. 9 enactment, ratification, sanction, approval, acceptance, passing, adoption, endorsement, endorsing, legitimatization or legitimization, legalization, legislation, constitutionalization, ordainment: It appears that there is

enough support to ensure passage of the bill. 10 traffic, trafficking, dealing, shipment, shipping, commerce, trade, exchange, transaction: Representatives of several governments discussed putting a halt to the passage of narcotics from Colombia. 11 aperture, hole, orifice, opening; entry, access, inlet; exit, outlet: We found a tiny passage through which the termites were entering and leaving.

pass‚ adj. old-fashioned, unfashionable, dated, out of date, behind the times, outmoded, obsolete, obsolescent, antiquated, archaic,