The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

d‚mod‚, quaint, antique, superseded, Colloq out, not or no longer in, old hat, back number: She persisted in dressing in a style that had been pass‚ at the turn of the century.

passenger n. rider, fare, traveller, voyager, commuter: The cruise ships have very comfortable accommodation for their passengers.

passing adj. 1 disappearing, vanishing, ephemeral, brief, going, fading (away), slipping away, short-lived, expiring, transient,

transitory, temporary, momentary, fleeting, transitional, impermanent: I hope that Anne's obsession with acid rock is a passing fancy. 2 hasty, superficial, cursory, casual, quick, fleeting, brief, summary, abrupt, dismissive; glancing: The speaker paid only passing attention to those he disagreed with. 3 in passing. by the way, incidentally, by the by, parenthetically, en passant: I might mention, in passing, that my train was late owing to the strike.

--n. 4 death, dying, demise, end, loss, expiry, expiration, dying out, extinction, disappearance, vanishment: Her passing is a great sorrow to all of us. Who thought we would live to see the passing of the steam engine?

passion n. 1 Often, passions. ardour, ardency, eagerness, intensity, fervour, fervency, fervidness, zeal, zealousness, avidity, avidness, zest, zestfulness, vivacity, vivaciousness, gusto, verve, emotion, feeling, animation, spirit, spiritedness, vigour, enthusiasm, eagerness; zealotry, fanaticism, feverishness: The passions of the mob are uncontrollable.

Passion and prejudice govern the world. Passions ran high at the political convention. 2 fit, outburst, frenzy, paroxysm,

seizure, spasm, convulsion, eruption, whirlwind, tempest, storm, ferment, fury, furore or US furor: Henry fell on his knees in a passion of grief. 3 infatuation, mania, obsession, craze, craving, lust, (unquenchable) thirst, (insatiable) hunger, itch, yearning, longing, desire, concupiscence, love, affection,

enthusiasm, compulsion, fondness, predilection, keenness, fancy, fascination, partiality, liking, interest, weakness, Colloq yen: Would the world be a better place if the passion for spiritual values were as great as for material things? She has a passion

for chocolates. 4 love, heart's desire, beloved, idol, hero or heroine, obsession, Colloq heartthrob, dream-girl or dream-boy: He may not look much to you but he is the passion of every

teenage girl. 5 Usually, Passion. pain, suffering, agony, martyrdom: Christ underwent his Passion at Calvary.

passionate

adj. 1 ardent, eager, intense, fervid, zealous, avid, eager, earnest, zestful, feverish, fanatic(al), vehement, impassioned, emotional, animated, spirited, enthusiastic, vigorous, invigorated, energetic: Passionate environmentalists campaign for better governmental control of carbon dioxide emissions. 2 aroused, lustful, lecherous, erotic, sexual, amorous, sensual, Colloq hot: She tried to resist his passionate advances. 3 quick-tempered, irascible, hotheaded, fiery, testy, huffy or huffish, peevish, cranky, peppery, choleric, touchy, bilious, snappish, volatile, cross, temperamental, irritable, quarrelsome, pugnacious, argumentative, contentious, belligerent, Rare atrabilious or atrabiliar: Valerie gets into

a passionate mood whenever she thinks she is being treated unjustly.

passive adj. 1 inactive, non-aggressive, inert, motionless, unresponsive, quiet, calm, tranquil, serene, placid, still, idle, unmoving, unmoved, impassive, untouched, cool, indifferent, phlegmatic, uninterested, uninvolved, dispassionate, apathetic, lifeless, listless, quiescent, unperturbed, unaffected, imperturbable, unshaken, Colloq laid-back, out of it: The comic was unable to get a reaction from the passive audience. 2 submissive, repressed, deferential, yielding, compliant, complaisant, receptive, flexible, malleable, pliable, tractable, docile, subdued,

sheepish, ovine, lamblike, cow-like, bovine, tame, gentle, meek, patient, unresisting, unassertive, forbearing, tolerant,

resigned, long-suffering, Colloq US excuse-me-for-living: People tend to bully those of a more passive nature. 3 unexpressed, tacit, unrevealed, undisclosed, implicit, unasserted: We can no longer take a passive position regarding crime. Your passive support, while welcome, is not as effective as active campaigning.

password n. watchword, shibboleth, open sesame, countersign: If you

horse and carriage is past. 2 late, former, one-time, sometime, previous, prior, erstwhile, quondam, whilom; last, recent: Past owners of the house had no idea that this treasure was buried in the basement.

--adv. 3 on, (close) by, nearby: I was standing here when he ran past. 4 ago, before, heretofore, since: The previous owners moved out two years past.

--n. 5 history, background, life, lifetime, existence, career, lifestyle, biography: She reveals all about her past in her new book. 6 days or years or times gone by, days of yore, old times, olden times or days, former times, (good) old days, days of old, days beyond recall: In the past, life proceeded at a more leisurely pace.

pastiche n. mixture, medley, blend, compound, composite, patchwork, olla podrida, pot-pourri, motley, miscellany, omnium gatherum,

m‚lange, gallimaufry, farrago, mishmash, hotchpotch or US and Canadian hodgepodge, tangle, Colloq mess: The room was furnished in a pastiche of styles from every imaginable period.

pastime n. hobby, avocation, recreation, diversion, distraction, amusement, entertainment, fun, play, leisure-time activity, relaxation, leisure, sport, divertissement: As a pastime, she collects books.

pastor n. vicar, clergyman, clergywoman, parson, minister, churchman, churchwoman, rector, canon, reverend, father, divine,

ecclesiastic, priest, bishop: The pastor led the congregation in prayer.

pastoral adj. 1 bucolic, idyllic, Edenic, innocent, simple, tranquil, serene, quiet, restful, peaceful, peaceable, placid, pacific, harmonious, simple, uncomplicated, Literary Arcadian, georgic: After a week in those pastoral surroundings, she felt inspired. Theocritus is noted for his pastoral poetry. 2 country, rural, rustic, provincial, farming, agricultural, agrarian; humble: He has chosen a pastoral setting for the play, which contrasts sharply with the emotional intensity of the characters. 3 clerical, ministerial, ecclesiastic(al), church(ly): Our vicar discharges his pastoral duties with energy and sincerity.

--n. 4 idyll, eclogue, georgic: Flambeau did these marvellous engravings for a book of pastorals.

hated it when people affectionately patted him on the head. Pat down the coverlet to smooth out the wrinkles. 2 pat on the back. congratulate, commend, praise, compliment, encourage, reassure: The sales manager patted me on the back for clinching the contract.

patch n. 1 piece, scrap, reinforcement; shred, snip, snippet, tatter; pad: Mother sewed colourful patches over the holes in my jeans. 2 area, section, segment, plat, plot, lot, tract, ground,

parcel, field: All he ever wanted was a little house on a little patch of land. 3 responsibility, area, bailiwick, territory: The handling of customer complaints is in your patch, Gordon. 4 period, interval, spell, stage, episode, time;

experience: She went through a bad patch shortly after Starkey died.

condescendingly, talk down to, treat as (an) inferior, disdain, demean, put down, humiliate, Formal contemn: He patronizes people by patting them on the head. 2 bring trade to, deal or trade or do or transact business with, buy or purchase from, frequent, shop at, be a customer or client of: You should patronize the local merchants in your town. 3 sponsor, support, back, promote, encourage, boost, aid, assist, help, fund, contribute or subscribe to, underwrite, foster: The fund has patronized the arts in this town for many years.

patter° v. 1 tiptoe; scurry, scuttle, skip, trip: I could hear the squirrels pattering across the metal roof. 2 spatter, pitter-patter, tap, pit-a-pat; beat, pelt: The rain pattered on the tent with increasing intensity.

--n. 3 spatter, spattering, pit-a-pat, pitter-patter, tattoo, drum, thrum, beat, beating, tap, ratatat, tap-tap: The rhythmical patter of the rain lulled me to sleep.

patterý n. 1 pitch, sales talk, spiel, line: Anyone listening to his patter might be inclined to buy a time-share holiday. 2 chatter, prattle, prate, babbling, babble, gabble, gabbling, cackle, cackling, palaver, jabber, jabbering, chit-chat, small talk, gossip, blather or blether, gibberish or gibber, Chiefly Brit natter, nattering, Scots clishmaclaver, Colloq gab, gabbing, Slang gas, hot air, yackety-yack, yack: The chap tapping our phone had to listen to the teenagers' patter for hours on end.

--v. 3 chatter, prattle, prate, babble, gabble, cackle, palaver, jabber, rattle (on), chit-chat, chaffer, gossip, blather or blether, gibber, Chiefly Brit natter, witter (on),

Colloq gab, Slang gas, yackety-yack, yack, jibber-jabber: They just patter on about nothing in particular.

pattern n. 1 model, original, archetype, prototype, exemplar, paragon, ideal, standard, yardstick, criterion, gauge, measure: Their

life together could serve as a pattern for any couple. 2 figure, motif, design, device, decoration, ornament: The pattern of the wallpaper clashes with that of the curtains. 3 system, order, arrangement, plan, theme; repetition, consistency, orderliness, regularity, sequence, cycle: By

carefully noting the movements of the heavenly bodies, ancient observers were able to detect a pattern. 4 blueprint, diagram,

plan, layout, design, draft, guide, template or templet,

stencil, mould, matrix: These new lighting fixtures are made to a 19th-century pattern. 5 sample, example, instance, specimen, representation: Were you able to match up your fabric pattern with one of those in the tailor's book? 6 layout, configuration, figure, formation, composition: The geese often flew in a V-shaped pattern.

--v. 7 Often, pattern on. model on, imitate, copy, mimic, duplicate, follow, emulate, simulate: She tried to pattern her behaviour on that of her older sister. 8 decorate, figure, ornament: Cynthia's gifts were wrapped in a beautifully patterned paper.

beggar, mendicant; tramp, hobo, vagrant, US bum: The mortgage payments on such a lavish house soon made him a pauper.

pause v. 1 hesitate, interrupt, delay, hold up, discontinue, break, wait, mark time, suspend, intermit, falter, rest: He paused for a moment to allow late-comers to take their seats.

paved with gold. 2 pave the way for or to. prepare or smooth the way for, open the door for, make easy or easier for; facilitate, ease: If I talk to him first, perhaps I can pave the way for

you to make your proposal.

pawn° v. 1 pledge, mortgage, hypothecate, plight, deposit, Formal pignorate, Archaic gage, Colloq Brit pop, Chiefly US and Canadian hock: I had to pawn my watch to get enough money to

eat. 2 venture, stake, risk, gamble, hazard, chance,

jeopardize: By agreeing to donate one of his kidneys, he pawned his life to save hers.

--n. 3 collateral, guaranty or guarantee, pledge, surety, security, assurance, bond, bail, deposit: She gave her jewels as pawn for the safe return of the children.

pawný n. tool, cat's-paw, puppet, instrument, dummy, dupe, Colloq