The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

our cat put down, which was very upsetting for us all. e abash, humiliate, crush, silence, mortify, lower, take down (a peg or a notch), shame, snub, deflate, slight, reject, dismiss: Waiters

have a way of putting people down if they behave presumptuously. f take for, reckon, account, count, categorize, regard: Don't

put Martin down as a dunce just because he acts the fool now and then. g belittle, diminish, disparage, deprecate, depreciate, criticize, disdain, look down on, despise, contemn: They deny being prejudiced, but they put down everyone who isn't exactly like them. 17 put forth. a propose, offer, set forth, advance: Several theories have been put forth on the function of mitochondrial DNA. b grow, produce, send out or forth, bud, flower: When the plant puts forth suckers, they must be pinched back. c begin, set out, set forth, start: We put forth on our voyage with great enthusiasm. d promulgate, issue, publish, make known, make public: The committee have not put forth any suggestions for improving traffic flow. 18 put forward. a

propose, present, tender, nominate, name; recommend: Your name has been put forward as chair for next year's committee. b suggest, offer, propose, set forth, put forth, present, submit,

tender, proffer, introduce, advance, propound, air, make known, announce: No new solutions to the problem were put forward. 19 put in. a insert, introduce: Why did you put in a reference to your mother? b spend, devote: During the holiday season I plan to put in a lot of time to reading. c make: So, you finally

decided to put in an appearance. 20 put in for. a apply for, request, ask for, petition for: He has put in for a transfer twice and has been refused both times. b seek, apply for, pursue, file: Do you really think that Jamieson will put in for re-election? 21 put off. a postpone, delay, defer, put back, stay, hold off, shelve, put or set aside, Chiefly US put over, table: Consideration of your request has been put off till tomorrow. b dismiss, get rid of, send away, turn away;

discourage, Colloq give (someone) the brush-off, US brush off: The manager put me off when I went in to ask about a salary increase. c dismay, disconcert, upset, confuse, disturb, perturb, abash, distress, Colloq throw, rattle: Curiously, Michael didn't seem a bit put off to learn about the murder. d repel, disgust, sicken, revolt, nauseate: That television programme on open-heart surgery really put me off. e leave, depart, go (off), set off: We put off tomorrow morning for Rockall. 22 put on. a don, clothe or attire or dress (oneself) in, get dressed in, change or slip into: We put on our best

clothes to come to your party. b assume, take on, pretend, affect, feign, bluff, make a show of: She puts on an air of indifference, but she really does care. c add, gain: Bill put on quite a bit of weight when he stopped smoking. d stage,

mount, produce, present, perform: Our local repertory group is putting on Hedda Gabler this weekend. e tease, mock, Colloq kid, pull (someone's) leg, rib, rag, Brit have on: When he told you that all holidays had been cancelled he was only putting you on. 23 put out. a inconvenience, discommode, disturb, embarrass, trouble, bother, impose upon or on, Colloq put on the spot: Her arriving an hour early didn't put me out one bit. b annoy, vex, irritate, anger, exasperate, irk, perturb, provoke, Slang bug: Donald was very much put out to discover that the appointment had gone to someone else. c snuff out, extinguish, blow out, douse, quench, smother: We put out the fire on the stove before it could spread. d exert, put forth, expend, use, exercise: We put out considerable effort moving the furniture before she decided she liked it the way it had been. e publish, issue, broadcast, make public, circulate, spread, make known, release: The information office put out the news that the summit meeting had been a great success. 24 put out of (one's) misery. release, relieve, free, deliver, rescue, save, spare:

Just tell him what they said and put him out of his misery. 25 put over. a put or get across, convey, communicate, set or put forth, relate: I am trying to put the point over to you that I cannot leave now. b See 21 (a), above. 26 put (one or something) over on (someone). fool (someone), pull (someone's) leg, deceive (someone), mislead (someone), pull the wool over (someone's) eyes, trick (someone), hoodwink (someone): She really put one over on me when she said she loved me. I think that Manfred is trying to put something over on you. 27 put through. a carry out or through, execute, (put into) effect,

bring off, accomplish, complete, finish, conclude, Colloq pull off: If they succeed in putting through their plan, the company will be bankrupt. b process, handle, organize, see to, follow up on: I will personally see that your application is put through the proper channels. c connect, hook up: I asked the operator to put me through to the chairman himself. 28 put up. a erect, build, construct, raise, set up, put together, fabricate: They

demolished a row of Georgian houses and put up some ugly County offices in their place. b accommodate, lodge, board, house, take

in, quarter, Chiefly military billet: As our house is small, we were able to put up only three people. c preserve, can; cure,

perplex, nonplus, stymie, stump: I am completely puzzled by what you wrote in your last letter. 2 Usually, puzzle over. study, ponder (over), mull over, contemplate, meditate on or upon or over, consider, muse over or on, reflect on or over, think about or over or on: If you puzzle over it long enough, the problem may vanish of its own accord. 3 puzzle out. solve, decipher, crack (the code), unravel, work out, figure out, think through, sort out, unlock: I finally puzzled out the

inscription on this old coin. It might take a while, but I can puzzle out the solution to this crossword.

--n. 4 enigma, problem, question, paradox, poser, mystery, riddle, conundrum, Colloq brain-teaser: The puzzle is how the murder was committed when the door was locked from the inside.

puzzling adj. mystifying, enigmatic(al), bewildering, baffling, confounding, perplexing, confusing, ambiguous, contradictory, abstruse: It is a bit puzzling to see Catherine so often in the company of the husband she recently divorced.

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quack n. 1 charlatan, impostor, pretender, fake(r), fraud, Colloq phoney or US also phony: The quack diagnosed Franny as having appendicitis, but it turned out that she was pregnant.

--adj. 2 fake, fraudulent, sham, counterfeit, Colloq phoney or US also phony: Are you still going to see that quack doctor - the one who told you to take aspirin to relieve the pain from your ulcer?

quaint adj. 1 curious, odd, strange, bizarre, peculiar, unusual, queer, uncommon, singular, unorthodox, eccentric, whimsical, offbeat, fanciful, outlandish, unconventional, fantastic: Her sitting-room was furnished in a quaint mixture of Gothic and Victorian styles. 2 old-fashioned, archaic, antiquated,

out-dated, picturesque, antique: A rotund little figure appeared, dressed in the quaint clothing of another era.

quake v. 1 tremble, shake, quiver, shudder; vibrate, stagger: The children were quaking with fear that their teacher would come back and catch them red-handed. 2 earthquake, tremor, temblor or trembler or tremblor, seismic(al) activity, Rare seism: In a

few moments the quake levelled three cities that had stood for thousands of years.

qualification

n. 1 Often, qualifications. fitness, ability, aptitude, capability, competence or competency, capacity, suitableness, suitability, eligibility, proficiency, skill, knowledge, Colloq know-how: You cannot persuade me that Powell has the qualifications needed to do the job. 2 limitation, restriction, modification, reservation, caveat, condition, stipulation, proviso, prerequisite, requirement: The only qualification for use of the club's facilities is that one must be a member. My support for the proposal is without qualification.

qualified adj. 1 able, suitable, capable, competent, fit, fitted, equipped, prepared, ready, trained, proficient, accomplished, expert, talented, adept, skilful, skilled, experienced,

practised, knowledgeable, well-informed: Is Kimble qualified to become foreman? 2 contingent, conditional, restricted, modified, limited, provisional: The chairman has given his qualified approval to the scheme.

qualify v. 1 equip, fit (out), ready, prepare, condition, make eligible; certify: His training in the air force qualified him to be a pilot. 2 be eligible, meet the requirements, be fit or

suitable or equipped or ready or prepared, make the grade: Sue will qualify as a doctor if she passes just one more exam. 3 temper, mitigate, modify, moderate, modulate, restrict, limit: In light of their later behaviour, I shall have to qualify my recommendation that you accept them as students.

quality n. 1 property, attribute, characteristic, mark, distinction, je ne sais quoi, trait: Can you describe the qualities needed to

be a good musician? 2 grade, calibre, rank, status, importance, value, worth: In the curiosity shop items of high and low quality are mixed together haphazardly. 3 Old-fashioned

eminence, prominence, importance, excellence, superiority, distinction, standing, supremacy, dignity, grandeur, nobility,

blue blood: Despite her shabby appearance, from her bearing and speech the woman was clearly a person of quality.

qualm n. second thought, doubt, uncertainty, misgiving, hesitation, scruple, uneasiness, compunction, reluctance, disinclination, queasiness, apprehension, apprehensiveness, twinge, pang, worry, concern, Colloq funny feeling, sinking feeling: He had some qualms about leaving the town where he had lived for over thirty years.

quandary n. dilemma, predicament, difficulty, plight, cleft stick, uncertainty: The management is in a quandary: should it risk overstretching the company by making further capital investment, or should it risk being left behind by its competitors by

playing safe?

quantity n. amount, extent, volume; sum, number, total; weight, measure: There seemed to be no limit to the quantity of gold in the mine.

The person who most accurately guesses the quantity of beans in the jar wins a prize. What quantity of flour should I buy to

make enough cakes for fifty people?

quarrel n. 1 dispute, argument, disagreement, debate, controversy, discord, difference (of opinion), contention, misunderstanding; wrangle, tiff, row, squabble, altercation, set-to, scuffle,

feud, fight, fray, fracas, brawl, Donnybrook, mˆl‚e or melee, riot, battle (royal), Colloq dust-up, barney, scrap, US spat: I have no quarrel with my accountant - it's the tax man that's the problem. A quarrel broke out over whose turn it was to wash the dishes.

--v. 2 argue, disagree, dispute, altercate, have an altercation, differ, wrangle, be at odds or loggerheads, clash, squabble, feud, fight, brawl, battle, Colloq fall out, scrap:

When we were children, my sister and I quarrelled all the time, but we still loved each other.

quarrelsome

adj. testy, petulant, irascible, irritable, disagreeable, fractious, querulous, peevish, cross, choleric, curmudgeonly,

contrary, dyspeptic, cranky, grouchy, argumentative, combative,

squabbling, disputatious, hostile, antagonistic, dissentious, dissentient, dissident, pugnacious, bellicose, belligerent, contentious: I have to listen to the continual bickering of my quarrelsome neighbours.

statuary marble needed by those sculptors.

--v. 2 mine, extract, obtain, get: Gault's ideas were all quarried from the jottings of obscure writers.

quarter n. 1 fourth: Statistics showed that a quarter of the population attended church regularly. 2 three-month period, three months, ninety days, thirteen weeks; fifteen minutes; phase (of the moon), quadrature: The first quarter's rent is now due. We waited a quarter of an hour. The moon is in its third quarter. 3 area, region, part, section, district, zone, division, territory, place, neighbourhood, locality, locale, location, point, spot; direction: The army was called in to patrol the quarter of the city where looting had occurred. It

was difficult to tell from which quarter the wind was blowing. 4 mercy, compassion, mercifulness, clemency, leniency, forgiveness, favour, humanity, pity: The hostages expected no quarter from their captors. 5 quarters. living quarters, lodging(s), dwelling-place, dwelling, accommodation(s), rooms, chambers, residence, shelter, habitation, domicile, home, house, abode; Military billet, barracks, cantonment, casern or caserne: We found comfortable quarters in which we remained during our stay in the area.

--v. 6 lodge, accommodate, house, board, shelter, put up; Military billet, post, station: The tour guide stayed at the best hotel, while we were quartered in a youth hostel.

quarterly adj. 1 trimonthly, three-monthly: She is editor of a quarterly medical journal.

--adv. 2 every three months, every ninety days, every thirteen weeks, four times a year: The landlady insisted on being paid

quarterly, in advance.

quash v. 1 annul, nullify, void, declare or render null and void, invalidate, revoke, vacate, set aside, rescind, cancel, reject, throw out, reverse, overthrow, discharge, overrule: When the real culprit confessed, my conviction was quashed and I was set free. 2 suppress, subdue, quell, put down, squelch, repress, overthrow, crush, overwhelm: The rebellion was quashed by the secret police.

quasiadv. 1 Sometimes, quasi. as if, as it were, seemingly, apparently, partly, to some extent, to all intents and purposes, more or less, virtually, almost: Her apology seemed only quasi-sincere to me. His function in the proceedings was quasi-judicial.

--adj. 2 Often, quasi. so to speak, kind of, sort of;

pretended, fake, pseudo, so-called, supposed, artificial, mock, sham, Colloq phoney or US also phony: His quasi excuse does not diminish the horror of what he did.

quaver v. 1 tremble, quiver, shake, shiver, vibrate, waver, shudder, fluctuate, oscillate, flutter: His voice quavered with emotion as he described his rescue.

--n. 2 trembling, tremble, quiver, quivering, tremor, shaking, vibration, wavering, break, fluctuation, oscillation: Only a slight quaver in her voice betrayed her feeling of panic.

queasy adj. 1 uncomfortable, uneasy, nervous, apprehensive, ill at ease, troubled, worried, discomfited; doubtful, hesitant: I had

a queasy feeling that I was being watched. The manager was a bit queasy about giving Denis so much responsibility. 2 sick, nauseous, nauseated, ill, bilious, queer, Colloq green around or about the gills, groggy, woozy: Catherine felt very queasy

after the ride on the roller coaster.

queen n. 1 sovereign, monarch, ruler; empress; queen consort; queen mother; queen dowager: She was absolutely thrilled when she was invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace and met the Queen. 2 beauty queen, movie queen, star, prima donna, diva; epitome, model, idol, leading light, cynosure, leader: At the height of her career, she was known as 'the Queen of the Silver

Screen'. 'Queen of the Antilles' was once a nickname of Cuba.

queer adj. 1 odd, strange, different, peculiar, funny, curious, uncommon, unconventional, unorthodox, atypical, singular, exceptional, anomalous, extraordinary, unusual, weird, bizarre, uncanny, unnatural, freakish, remarkable, offbeat, irregular, unparalleled, incongruous, outlandish, outr‚, exotic, eccentric, fey, quaint, absurd, ridiculous, ludicrous, unexampled: How do you explain Basil's queer behaviour at the office party? Her attire could only be described as queer, given her age and status. 2 questionable, dubious, suspicious, suspect, doubtful, puzzling, mysterious, Colloq fishy, shady: We had a feeling that something queer was going on when the clocks started running backwards. 3 (slightly) ill, queasy, sick, unwell, poorly, faint, uneasy, dizzy, giddy, vertiginous, light-headed: It's not surprising that you feel queer after drinking all that

wine. 4 mad, unbalanced, unhinged, demented, deranged, insane, daft, touched, Colloq dotty, potty, nutty, nuts, loony, batty, cracked: Francis seems to have gone a bit queer - fancies himself a reincarnation of Cicero.

--v. 5 ruin, spoil, bungle, botch, muddle, muff, mar, wreck, destroy, Colloq make a hash or mess of, gum up (the works), Slang muck up, screw up, louse up, US ball up, Taboo slang Brit balls up: Grimstone queered the deal by telling the buyer the company was worth half what we were asking.

quell v. 1 suppress, put down, repress, subdue, quash, overcome, crush, squelch: The army arrived to quell the uprising at the prison. 2 moderate, mollify, soothe, assuage, alleviate, mitigate, allay, quiet, calm; pacify, tranquillize, compose:

Any feelings of bitterness were quelled by her comforting words.

quench v. 1 satisfy, slake, sate, surfeit, satiate, allay, appease: My thirst isn't quenched by those sweet fizzy drinks. 2 put out, extinguish, douse, smother, snuff out, stifle, kill,

destroy, suppress, squelch, repress, overcome, subdue: Even the most totalitarian regime cannot entirely quench the fire of freedom in the hearts of the oppressed.

querulous adj. complaining, carping, critical, criticizing, hypercritical, fault-finding, finicky, finical, fussy, over-particular, censorious, petulant, whining, murmuring,

grumbling, peevish, testy, touchy, irritable, irritated, annoyed, piqued, in a pique, irascible, fractious, perverse, quarrelsome, ill-natured, ill-humoured, cantankerous, curmudgeonly, crusty, crotchety, fretful, bad-tempered, ill-tempered, waspish, crabby, cross, splenetic, choleric, sour, dyspeptic, grumpy, Colloq grousing, pernickety or US also persnickety, Slang bitching: He objected to almost all the television programmes and sent querulous letters to the broadcasters telling them so.

query n. 1 question, inquiry or enquiry: The information office will answer any query you may have about social security benefits. 2 doubt, uncertainty, scepticism, reservation, problem: She wants to see the manager about some query concerning her bank balance.

--v. 3 ask (about), inquire or enquire (about), question; challenge, doubt, dispute: I am writing to query the third item on your latest bill.

quest n. 1 search, pursuit, exploration, expedition, voyage (of discovery), pilgrimage, mission, crusade; chase, hunt: When a child, he was inspired by the legend of Sir Launcelot's quest for the Holy Grail.

--v. 2 Usually, quest after or for. seek (after or for), search after or for, hunt (for), track down, pursue, stalk: In 1928, joined by his father, he quested for gold along the Orinoco river.

question n. 1 query, inquiry or enquiry: I asked you a simple question, 'Where were you last night?', and I expect a civil answer. 2 problem, difficulty, confusion, doubt, dubiousness, uncertainty, query, mystery, puzzle: Is there some question about the qualifications of the new employee? 3 matter, issue, point, subject, topic, theme, proposition: Whether you stay is not the question. The question remains, How are you going to earn a living? 4 beyond (all or any) question. beyond (the shadow of) a doubt, without question, without a doubt, indubitably, undoubtedly, doubtlessly, definitely, certainly, assuredly: He

is guilty beyond all question. 5 call in or into question. question, doubt, query, challenge, dispute, harbour or entertain or have doubts or suspicions about, suspect, cast doubt or suspicion on: I cannot see why he has called her loyalty into