The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

prison n. jail or Brit also gaol, dungeon, oubliette, lock-up, penal institution, house of correction, correctional institution, reformatory, house of detention; confinement, detention; Old-fashioned reform school, Military guardhouse; Brit remand centre, detention centre, remand home, community home, Military glasshouse, Formal CHE (= 'community home with education on the premises'), Old-fashioned approved school; US penitentiary, Military brig; Archaic Brit bridewell; Slang clink, can, cooler,

jug, stir, Brit quod, chokey or choky, US and Canadian pokey or poky; US pen, calaboose, slammer, hoosegow, Old-fashioned big house: He was released from prison last Friday after serving

six months for burglary.

prisoner n. convict, trusty; internee, detainee; Colloq jailbird or Brit also gaolbird, lifer, Slang con, Brit (old) lag, Old-fashioned ticket-of-leave man, US two-time or three-time loser: Prisoners' letters were censored.

prissy adj. fussy, precious, over-nice, finicky or finical, strait-laced, school-marmish, prim (and proper), prudish, squeamish, fastidious, Colloq old-maidish: He is awfully prissy about changing on the beach.

pristine adj. 1 original, primal, basic, primeval or Brit also primaeval, primitive, primordial, earliest, first, initial: It

is impractical to try to return the world to what some regard as its pristine purity. 2 uncorrupted, pure, unsullied, undefiled, virginal, virgin, chaste, untouched, unspoiled, unpolluted, untarnished, spotless, immaculate, natural: One must travel far today to experience the pristine beauty of nature. The car was in pristine condition.

privacy n. 1 seclusion, retirement, solitude, isolation, retreat, sequestration, reclusiveness, reclusion, solitariness; monasticism: Coleman very much enjoys the privacy of living alone. 2 secrecy, secretiveness, clandestineness, confidentiality, surreptitiousness, covertness, concealment: Many feel that the questions on census forms invade their privacy.

private adj. 1 (top) secret, confidential, undisclosed, hidden, clandestine, concealed, covert, surreptitious, off the record, not for publication, unofficial, Colloq hush-hush: I think our

relationship should be kept private for the time being. What I am about to tell you is strictly private. 2 privileged, restrictive, restricted, exclusive, special, reserved, personal, inaccessible, non-public; hidden, secluded, concealed, secret, sneaking: The house is situated on a private road. I had a private suspicion that they would cancel their trip. 3 personal, individual, own, intimate, particular: My private affairs are none of your business. 4 solitary, seclusive, reclusive, withdrawn, retiring, reticent, ungregarious, non-gregarious, unsocial, unsociable, antisocial, reserved, uncommunicative, hermitic(al), hermit-like, eremitic(al); sequestered, secluded,

retired: You have to bear in mind that Edmund is a very private person.

--n. 5 private soldier, infantryman, foot-soldier, US enlisted man, Colloq Brit Tommy, Tommy Atkins, squaddie, US GI (Joe), Slang US grunt: Before cashiering him, they reduced him from colonel to private. 6 in private. in secret, secretly,

privately, sub rosa, personally, confidentially, behind closed doors, in camera, off the record, US on the q.t. or Q.T.; clandestinely, secretively, sneakily, sneakingly, surreptitiously, furtively, covertly, on the sly: Family

matters should be discussed only in private. They met in private with agents of the rebel forces. 7 private parts or privates. genitals, sexual or sex organs, genitalia. The natives wore loincloths to cover their private parts.

privation n. need, neediness, want, deprivation, hardship, indigence, necessity, poverty, penury, destitution, strait(s), pauperism, beggary; distress, misery: The lower classes in Victorian England suffered terrible privation.

privilege n. benefit, advantage, right, prerogative, concession, allowance, indulgence, immunity, exemption, dispensation, freedom, liberty, franchise, permission, consent, leave, authorization, sanction, authority, licence, carte blanche: The children were given the privilege of choosing where the family should go on holiday.

privileged

adj. 1 favoured, advantaged, indulged, entitled, ‚lite, special, honoured: John was one of the privileged few to be told her private telephone number. 2 protected, exempt(ed),

immune; licensed, empowered, admitted, permitted, sanctioned, authorized, enfranchised, chartered: This is a privileged institution as far as the dispensation of grants is concerned. 3 powerful, ruling; wealthy, rich: He despised the privileged class till he became wealthy enough to be a member of it. 4 confidential, secret, private, privy, inside, off the record,

not for publication, restricted, Colloq hush-hush: What I am about to tell you is privileged information.

privy adj. 1 See privileged, 4, above. 2 privy to. aware of, in on, on to or onto, sharing (in), cognizant of, apprised of, informed

or advised about or of, informed on, knowledgeable about, Colloq in the know about, Slang hip to, wise to, Old-fashioned hep to: Was the minister's wife privy to what was discussed at cabinet meetings?

--n. 3 lavatory, (outside or outdoor) toilet, latrine, water-closet, WC, US outhouse, Colloq chiefly Brit loo, Slang

Brit bog, US crapper, Taboo slang US shithouse: In those days, almost every home had an outside privy, as there was no interior plumbing.

prize° n. 1 reward, award, trophy, premium; honour, accolade, Literary guerdon: The first prize was a week's holiday in the Bahamas.

2 winnings, jackpot, purse, receipts, gain, windfall, stakes, Colloq haul, Chiefly US take: He used his prize from winning the lottery to buy a new car. 3 aim, goal: The prize they all strove for was a grant to carry on lexicographic research. 4 loot, booty, spoil(s), trophy, plunder, pickings: The pirates took the galleon as their prize.

--adj. 5 choice, excellent, (prize)winning, best, champion, outstanding, select, superior, superlative, first-rate: This dairy owns a prize herd of Guernseys.

prizeý v. value, treasure, esteem, cherish, appreciate, rate highly, hold dear: I prize your friendship above all things.

probability

n. likelihood, likeliness, odds, expectation, chance(s), (distinct) possibility, presumption: There is a high probability that it will rain.

probable adj. (most) likely, apt, (quite) possible, presumed, plausible, undoubted, indubitable, apparent, unquestionable, evident, ostensible, odds-on, feasible, believable, credible: The probable cause of the flooding was a blockage in the drains. It is probable that most medieval churches had paintings round the walls.

probably adv. (very) likely, in all likelihood, in all probability, undoubtedly, doubtlessly, indubitably, unquestionably, presumably, quite, all things considered, to all intents and purposes, possibly, perhaps, Colloq as likely as not, quite: She is probably the best tennis player in the world at the moment.

probe v. 1 explore, examine, scrutinize, investigate, search (into), look into, go into, study, dig into, delve into, poke about or around, Colloq poke into: They probed his background thoroughly but found nothing unusual. 2 poke, prod, explore, examine; plumb, dig: Snipe use their long bills to probe for worms in

soft mud.

--n. 3 investigation, examination, exploration, scrutiny, search, study, inquiry or enquiry, inquest: There will be a

governmental probe into the mismanagement of the department.

probity n. integrity, uprightness, honesty, morality, rectitude, virtue, goodness, decency, righteousness, right-mindedness, sincerity, trustworthiness, honour, equity, justness, justice, fairness: Lord Chancellors have consistently been men of unquestioned probity.

problem n. 1 difficulty, trouble, question, dilemma, quandary, predicament, complication, hornet's nest, imbroglio, mess, muddle, stew, Colloq can of worms, fine kettle of fish, (pretty) pickle, Brit facer: The Chancellor must constantly deal with the problems of the country's economy. 2 puzzle, conundrum, poser, riddle, question, enigma, puzzler, Colloq mind-boggler, hard or tough nut to crack: The problem is how to get the yolk out without breaking the shell.

--adj. 3 unruly, unmanageable, intractable, uncontrollable, difficult, ungovernable, refractory, incorrigible, obstreperous, delinquent, maladjusted, disturbed, emotionally upset: He

teaches at a school where most of the students are problem children.

problematic

adj. problematical, difficult, uncertain, questionable, questioned, doubtful, doubted, debatable, disputable, disputed, unsettled, moot, undecided, controversial, tricky, touchy, sensitive, Colloq hairy, iffy: The value of treating colds with massive doses of vitamin C is problematic.

procedure n. way, conduct, course, action, course of action, method, methodology, mode, form, system, approach, strategy, plan (of action), scheme, modus operandi, operation, policy, ways and means; routine, tradition, practice, custom, wont, standard operating procedure, Colloq MO (= 'modus operandi'), SOP (= 'standard operating procedure'), Chiefly Brit drill: What procedure will you follow to regain the stolen property? The procedure in ballroom dancing has always been for the man to lead.

proceed v. 1 Sometimes, proceed with. go or move (on or ahead or forward), advance, continue, progress, carry on, get or move along, get going or moving or under way, start, pass on, make progress or headway, push or press on or onward(s), forge ahead; resume, renew, go on with, pick up (where one left off):

Proceed to the T-junction, then turn left. If the membership committee has finished, let us proceed to the report of the finance committee. After the break, the performance will proceed. 2 Often, proceed from or out of. result from, arise (from), come (from), stem from, spring from, develop (from), issue (from or forth), derive from, be derived (from), descend from, emerge (from), grow (from or out of), originate (in or from or with), begin (with), start (with or from): The outcropping proceeds from glaciation and erosion. They say that more than half of a person's happiness proceeds from hope.

--n. 3 proceeds. profit(s), gain, yield; income, receipts, return(s), gate, box office, US take: The proceeds from the charity auction were better than ever this year.

proceeding

n. 1 measure, act, (course of) action, move, step, undertaking, deed, procedure, process, operation, transaction, manoeuvre,

feat, accomplishment: Grace Darling's rescue of the shipwrecked men was truly a heroic proceeding. 2 proceedings. a transactions, report(s), minutes, record(s), annals, affairs, dealings, business, account(s), archives, Formal acta: The proceedings of the Society are published annually. b events, goings-on, doings; celebration(s); performance(s): The proceedings were briefly interrupted while the hecklers were ejected from the hall.

process n. 1 procedure, proceeding, operation, system, method, approach, technique; course of action: I am sure you understand how the process works. What process do they use to make paper out of wood? 2 activity, function, development: The process of photosynthesis is the means by which plants synthesize carbohydrates.

--v. 3 treat, prepare, (make or get) ready, change, modify, transform, convert, alter: This is the room where the ingredients are processed before mixing. 4 handle, take care

of, organize, deal with, manage; dispose of, answer, manipulate: After the earthquake the insurance companies processed thousands of claims.

procession

n. 1 parade, march, cavalcade, motorcade, cortege or cortŠge, column, line, file, train, march past: A strange procession of thousands of beggars silently wound its way through the city. 2 succession, cycle, sequence, string, train, chain, series,

course, run, progression, cavalcade: He began to recount the procession of events that led up to the murder.

proclaim v. 1 announce, advertise, circulate, declare, broadcast, pronounce, make known, bruit (about), trumpet, publish, promulgate, herald; profess, protest, enunciate, articulate: Edgar was proclaimed king. She proclaimed her innocence. 2 brand, accuse of being, stigmatize as, pronounce, rule, decree, characterize, report: She found herself proclaimed a traitor.

proclamation

n. 1 announcement, advertisement, declaration, publication, promulgation, statement, manifesto, pronunciamento, notification, notice: A proclamation was issued granting amnesty to all political prisoners. 2 proclaiming, announcing,

advertising, declaring, broadcasting, publishing, promulgating, heralding, making known, bruiting about: The proclamation of his appointment as Chancellor came at a bad time.

procrastinate

v. 1 temporize, act evasively, play for time, dally, delay, stall; postpone, defer, put off or aside, shelve, US table: I

wish he would stop procrastinating and say what he plans to do. 2 hesitate, pause, waver, vacillate, be undecided, equivocate, tergiversate, shilly-shally: Helen procrastinates every time

she is faced with making a decision.

procure v. 1 obtain, acquire, get, come by, secure, get or lay one's hands on, get (a) hold of, gain, win, come into, pick up, find, appropriate, requisition; buy, purchase: I have been trying to procure early editions of Defoe's works. 2 accomplish, bring about, effect, cause, produce: Using every resource available to her, she finally procured his release.

procurer n. pander or panderer, pimp, White slaver, flesh-pedlar or US also flesh-peddler or flesh-pedler, Archaic whoremaster, bawd; madam, procuress: He became a procurer for the wealthy men in the village.

prodigal adj. 1 wasteful, extravagant, spendthrift, lavish, excessive, profligate, squandering, immoderate, intemperate, wanton,

improvident, reckless: If the government were less prodigal, it would be possible to have a balanced budget. 2 generous, bountiful, copious, profuse, bounteous, lavish, liberal, luxuriant, sumptuous, abundant, abounding, rich, plentiful, plenteous, superabundant, thriving, swarming, teeming: He was prodigal of both compliments and criticism.

--n. 3 wastrel, spendthrift, profligate, squanderer, waster,

big spender: That prodigal went through his inheritance in less than a year.

prodigality

n. 1 wastefulness, waste, extravagance, excess, excessiveness, immoderation, intemperateness, wantonness, recklessness, profligacy, improvidence, dissipation, squandering: Surely his contemporaries must have condemned Shah Jehan's prodigality in building the Taj Mahal. 2 lavishness, profuseness, luxury, luxuriousness, luxuriance, abundance, plenty, bounty, bountifulness, bounteousness, copiousness, profusion, profuseness, sumptuousness, richness, plentifulness, plenteousness, superabundance, exuberance: The prodigality of Nature is unbounded.

prodigious

adj. 1 vast, immeasurable, colossal, enormous, huge, giant,

gigantic, immense, mammoth, monumental, tremendous, stupendous, titanic, Brobdingnagian, gargantuan, Herculean, cyclopean, leviathan, monstrous, extensive, Colloq US ginormous, humongous: There is a prodigious amount of water vapour contained in a

cloudy sky. You may accuse her of being a workaholic, but consider the prodigious amount she gets done in a day. 2 amazing, astonishing, astounding, startling, extraordinary, exceptional, marvellous, wonderful, wondrous, fabulous, miraculous, phenomenal, spectacular, fantastic, sensational, unusual, staggering, striking, dumbfounding or dumfounding, remarkable, noteworthy, notable, Colloq flabbergasting, mind-boggling, mind-blowing: In those days, running a mile in four minutes was considered a prodigious feat.

prodigy n. 1 (child or girl or boy) genius, wonder child, Wunderkind, mastermind, talent, intellect, intellectual or mental giant, wizard, virtuoso, Colloq brain, Einstein, whiz-kid or whizz-kid, whiz or whizz, walking dictionary or encyclopedia or

n. 1 producing, manufacture, manufacturing, making, fabrication, preparation, origination, creation, output, putting out, development; formation, forming, forging, shaping, moulding, casting, assembly, building, construction: Our business is the production of insulating materials. 2 product, (end) result, work, effort, handiwork, output, opus, oeuvre: These paintings are clearly productions of a fertile imagination. 3 (in Britain) artistry, direction, staging; (in

US and Canada) display, presentation, staging, mise en scŠne, setting: Both the acting and the production were superb. 4 drama, play, (stage or television or radio) show, performance; film, motion or moving picture, movie: Our repertory company is putting on a production of Othello next week.

productive

adj. 1 fruitful, fertile, rich, fecund, plentiful, plenteous, abundant, bountiful, bounteous, prolific, dynamic: Owing to a perfect balance of rain and sunshine, the earth has proved productive this year. 2 imaginative, creative, inventive, resourceful, generative, ingenious, fertile, vigorous: Her latest science-fiction trilogy is certainly evidence of a highly productive mind. 3 profitable, remunerative, rewarding, valuable, worthwhile: Years ago he made an investment in computer shares that has turned out to be very productive. Discussing sales strategy is not as productive as getting out there and selling.

profane adj. 1 irreverent, sacrilegious, blasphemous, idolatrous, irreligious, infidel, heathen, unbelieving, disbelieving, pagan, atheist(ic), impious, godless, ungodly, sinful, wicked, iniquitous, contemptuous, disrespectful: The faithful attacked anyone who was seen to perform a profane act. 2 unsanctified, unholy, unconsecrated, defiled, impure, unclean, unhallowed, non-religious, non-sacred, unsacred; lay, non-clerical, secular, temporal; Judaism tref or treif or treifa, non-kosher: The missionaries persuaded them to abandon their profane rites and practices. 3 bad, dirty, filthy, smutty, foul, foul-mouthed, obscene, vulgar, coarse, uncouth, low, taboo, blasphemous, bawdy, ribald, scurrilous, off colour, immodest, improper, naughty, indecent, unprintable, unmentionable, indecorous, indelicate, common; abusive, vituperative, venomous, thersitical, Literary Fescennine, Colloq blue: The boy was sent home from school for using profane language.