The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

guests in the foyer. 4 experience, undergo, endure, suffer, bear, sustain, be subjected to, meet with: In return for helping him all I received was a punch in the nose. 5 gather, hear, learn, ascertain, be told, be informed or notified of,

find out, pick up: We only received the information yesterday that you were coming to stay for a month.

recent adj. late, latest, new, just out, brand-new, fresh; current, modern, up to date, late-model: This feature is now supplied as standard on all our more recent models. Recent arrivals will be interviewed by the committee.

receptacle

n. container, holder, repository; box, tin, can, case, casket, chest, reliquary, vessel, bag, basket: Please put the rubbish into the receptacle. She kept the diamond in a velvet-lined receptacle which she always carried with her.

reception n. 1 welcome, greeting, treatment, reaction, response: My suggestion that we open a bottle of champagne met with a warm reception. 2 party, levee, social, soir‚e, function; opening, preview, vernissage, Colloq do: Would you like to go to a reception at the new art gallery next week?

receptive adj. 1 open, hospitable, amenable, pervious, persuasible, tractable, flexible, pliant, interested, willing, responsive: I

have always found Peggy receptive to suggestions on improving productivity and efficiency. 2 quick, alert, perceptive, astute, intelligent, keen, sharp, bright, sensitive: Julia has a

receptive mind.

recess n. 1 alcove, niche, nook, cranny, bay, hollow: The statuette fits perfectly in that recess outside the library. 2 respite,

rest, interlude, time off, break, intermission, breather, breathing-spell, pause; holiday, vacation: A brief recess has been scheduled to allow us to relax before continuing. 3 recesses. innermost reaches, corners, secret places, depths, penetralia: I searched for her name in the recesses of my mind.

recession n. set-back, (economic) downturn, slump, decline, dip, depression: The slowing of the economy led to a recession which soon deepened into a depression.

recipe n. 1 formula, prescription: Elizabeth gave me a marvellous recipe for chocolate cake. 2 plan, procedure, method, approach, technique, way, means, system, programme, modus operandi, Colloq US MO: The minister insists that his recipe for conquering

inflation will work.

recipient n. receiver, beneficiary, heir or heiress, legatee: Who is the current recipient of her favours?

reciprocal

adj. mutual, exchanged, returned, complementary, correlative, common, shared, joint, requited: The reciprocal courtesies enjoyed among our neighbours benefit us all.

reciprocate

v. repay, recompense, requite, exchange, return, trade, match, equal, correspond: You have always been very kind to me and I want to reciprocate in any way I can.

recital n. 1 (solo) concert, performance, musicale, presentation, show, entertainment: We have tickets to a recital for that night. 2 report, narration, account, recitation, description, relation, telling, recounting, narrative, rendition, interpretation,

version, recapitulation, rehearsal, repetition, Colloq recap: A reporter who was on the flight provided us with a recital of the events leading up to the crash.

recitation

n. 1 reciting, performance, reading, monologue: At the age of four Simon delighted his parents with his recitation of 'The Charge of the Light Brigade'. 2 See recital, 2, above.

recite v. 1 quote, repeat, present: In the old days, children were often called upon to recite poems they had learned by heart. 2 report, narrate, recount, relate, tell, describe, detail, chronicle, list, share, recapitulate, repeat, Colloq recap: Again I recited every particular of the hold-up that I could recall.

reckless adj. careless, rash, thoughtless, incautious, heedless, foolhardy, imprudent, unwise, injudicious, impulsive, irresponsible, negligent, unmindful, foolish, devil-may-care, daredevil, wild, breakneck, dangerous, madcap, mad,

hermitic, anchoritic, monastic, cloistered, sequestered, retiring, shut off: She insists that she enjoys her reclusive existence.

recognition

n. 1 identification, detection: Her recognition of the man on TV led to his arrest. 2 acknowledgement, notice, attention, cognizance, acceptance, awareness, perception, admission; honour, appreciation: The award was a recognition of his contributions to scientific knowledge.

recognize v. 1 identify, detect, place, recall, remember, recollect, know (again): I recognized him from seeing his picture in the newspaper. 2 acknowledge, perceive, understand, realize, see, admit, accept, own, concede, allow, grant, appreciate, respect,

be aware of: He refuses to recognize that he is responsible for his own actions. 3 approve, sanction, endorse, accept, validate, ratify: A totalitarian government refuses to recognize the rights of the individual. 4 honour, give recognition to, salute, show gratitude or appreciation, reward,

distinguish, pay respect, do homage: The society recognizes Dr Jackson for his many contributions to science.

recoil v. 1 jerk or jump or spring back, start, flinch, wince, shrink, blench, balk or baulk, shy (away) (from): He recoiled when confronted with the evidence of the gruesome experiments with live animals. 2 rebound, bounce back, resile, kick back: When fired, the gun recoiled, bruising his shoulder.

--n. 3 kick, rebound, repercussion, backlash: He was unprepared for the violent recoil of the old gun.

recollect v. recall, remember, call to mind: Now that you mention it, I do recollect your asking me to buy some milk when I went out.

recollection

n. memory, recall, remembrance, impression, reminiscence: My brother's recollection of our grandparents is quite different

from mine.

recommend v. 1 counsel, advise, guide, urge, exhort, suggest, advocate, propose, (put) forward, propound, persuade: He recommended that the entire system should be changed. 2 endorse, praise,

commend, mention favourably, vouch for, second, subscribe to, back, push, favour, approve, underwrite, stand up for, support, promote, Colloq tout, plug: I wish Charles would stop recommending his brother-in-law for a job with us. 3 make attractive or advisable or interesting or acceptable: Wendover has little to recommend it as a tourist spot.

recommendation

n. 1 counsel, advice, guidance, urging, exhortation, direction, encouragement, suggestion, prompting, advocacy, proposal: It was on your recommendation that we tried that restaurant. 2 endorsement, praise, commendation, favourable mention, backing, blessing, approval, approbation, support, promotion, good word, testimonial, say-so: The chairman of the board gave Caswell's brother-in-law his personal recommendation.

reconcile v. 1 get or bring (back) together, unite, reunite, settle or resolve differences between, restore harmony between, make peace between, placate, make compatible: Do you think that a marriage counsellor could help reconcile John and Martha? 2 resign,

submit, accommodate, adjust: Lady Mary Wortley Montague wrote that she was reconciled to being a woman when she reflected that she was thus in no danger of ever marrying one.

reconciliation

n. 1 conciliation, appeasement, propitiation, pacification, placation, rapprochement, reconcilement, understanding, d‚tente, reunion, harmony, concord, accord, amity, rapport: It was with great effort that the reconciliation between the two families

was finally arranged. 2 compromise, settlement, agreement, arbitration, conformity, compatibility, adjustment: Reconciliation of their differences seems difficult but not impossible.

recondite adj. abstruse, arcane, obscure, esoteric, deep, profound, incomprehensible, unfathomable, impenetrable, undecipherable, opaque, dark, occult, cabbalistic or cabalistic or kabbalistic, inexplicable, enigmatic: I have difficulty following the more recondite aspects of information theory.

reconnaissance

n. survey, examination, scouting, exploration, reconnoitring, investigation, inspection, scrutiny, Slang Brit recce: Their

reconnaissance showed that the enemy forces had withdrawn.

reconnoitre

v. survey, examine, scout (out), scan, explore, investigate, inspect, scrutinize, check out, check up (on), Slang Brit recce: We reconnoitred the territory and reported the enemy troop movements.

record v. 1 write (down), transcribe, document, register, note, make a notation (of), take down, put or set down, log, chronicle,

report, itemize, list, enumerate: I recorded the events of the day in my diary. 2 tell of, relate, recount, narrate, recite: The chronicle records an eyewitness account of the battle.

--n. 3 recording, report, document, log, journal, memorandum, note, notation, minute(s), transactions, archive(s), annal(s), chronicle, diary, account, dossier, register, list, catalogue: Patricia has kept a careful record of all the men whose books she has ever read. 4 documentation, data, information, evidence; memorial, memento, souvenir: There is no record of your birth in the church archive. I took away a piece of the Berlin Wall as a record of my visit. 5 (best) performance, track record, accomplishment; time; distance; height: Her records for the 110-metre hurdles and the high jump still stand. 6 accomplishment(s), deed(s), history, reputation, curriculum vitae, CV, Colloq track record: He has a record of being late everywhere. His criminal record is none too savoury. 7 disc, recording, album, release, LP (= 'long playing'), 78, 331/3, 45, EP (= 'extended play'), maxisingle, compact disc, CD, Brit

gramophone record, US phonograph record, Colloq single, Slang US platter: We put a jazz combo together and cut a few records

last year. 8 off the record. confidential(ly), private(ly), not for publication, secret(ly), in confidence, unofficial(ly), sub rosa: We cannot publish his statement, which was off the record. Off the record, I'll tell you where Hazel is staying.

--adj. 9 record-breaking, extreme: Last week we had a record snowfall.

recount v. 1 relate, narrate, tell, recite, report, communicate, impart, unfold: The old man recounted for us the legend of the two-headed lamb. 2 particularize, review, detail, describe, enumerate, specify: Must I recount every particular all over

again?

recoup v. regain, make good, make up, recompense, repay, recover; refund, redeem, reimburse, remunerate: From his profits on the Culpepper deal, he recouped all the losses he had sustained when Cranston Ltd failed.

recourse n. 1 resort, access, entr‚e, admittance, availability: They are completely isolated and without recourse to help from the outside world. 2 resource, backup, reserve, refuge, place to turn, alternative, remedy: The company has no recourse against the authorities.

recover v. 1 regain, get or take or win or make back (again), recoup, repossess, retake, recapture, restore, retrieve, reclaim,

redeem: It was impossible to recover the time lost. After a fierce battle, the territory was recovered. 2 get well or better, recuperate, convalesce, mend, return to health, regain

one's strength or health, be on the mend, heal, improve, revive, rally, take a turn for the better, get back on one's feet, pull through: It took me a week to recover from the operation. Lucy had a virus, but she's recovering now. 3 save, salvage, deliver, rescue, return, bring back, reclaim, retrieve: They never did recover the gold from the sunken ship.

recovery n. 1 recuperation, convalescence, restoration, improvement, healing, rally, turn for the better; rise, revival, increase, amelioration, bettering, betterment, advance, gain, advance, advancement, Colloq pick-up, comeback: After so serious an illness, Bentley has made a remarkable recovery. Share prices staged a recovery after the reduction in interest rates. 2 retrieval, recouping, repossession, retaking, restoration, reclamation; recapture, redemption: The recovery of the stolen gems was credited to excellent detective work. Hard fighting resulted in the recovery of the land west of the river. 3

salvage, delivery, deliverance, rescue, return, saving, reclamation, retrieval: Recovery of the climbers' bodies from the ravine was very hazardous.

recreation

n. entertainment, amusement, enjoyment, diversion, distraction, fun and games, leisure (activity), pastime, relaxation, sport, play: What do you like to do for recreation? His favourite

recreation is building model aeroplanes.

recrimination

n. counter-accusation, countercharge, retaliation, counter-attack, blaming, aspersion, reprisal: Recriminations

for real and imagined ills were continually exchanged throughout their marriage.

recruit v. 1 draft, induct, enlist, enrol, muster, raise, call up, conscript, mobilize, impress, levy: Owing to the nefarious enemy attack, there was little time to recruit men for a strong fighting force.

--n. 2 conscript, trainee, beginner, apprentice, initiate, novice, neophyte, tiro or tyro, US draftee, enlistee, Colloq greenhorn, rookie: The new recruits have to be issued with their uniforms and other gear.

rectify v. correct, revise, redress, put or set right, cure, repair, remedy, improve, emend, fix, adjust, square, ameliorate: What do you intend to do to rectify the damage you have done?

rectitude n. propriety, correctness, morality, uprightness, probity, virtue, decency, goodness, honesty, integrity, incorruptibility, righteousness, principle, good character, respectability, unimpeachability: Fred's unquestioned moral rectitude makes him an outstanding candidate for membership.

recumbent adj. reclining, lying down, flat on one's back, horizontal, lying, reposing, accumbent, decumbent, supine, stretched out; leaning (back): Oscar resumed his recumbent posture, sprawled out on the cushions.

recuperate

v. improve, recover, convalesce, get better, rally, revive, mend, heal, get back on one's feet, regain one's health, pull through, survive, take a turn for the better: Paul went to Ibiza to recuperate from his illness.

recur v. return, happen or occur again, reoccur, repeat, come (back) again, reappear: The condition recurred after a year, and he was obliged to have another operation.

recurrent adj. repeated, recurring, returning, reoccurring, reappearing, frequent, periodic, cyclical, regular, repetitive, repetitious, persistent, incessant, continual, intermittent, habitual,

iterative: She told the psychiatrist about her recurrent dream of flying.

redeem v. 1 reclaim, recover, regain, repossess, retrieve, get back, buy back, repurchase; pay off, Brit clear: He went into the pawn shop to redeem the gold watch. 2 rescue, ransom, deliver, free, save, liberate, set free, emancipate, release: He was

able to redeem the boy only after paying the kidnappers. 3 exchange, cash (in), collect on, trade in: These coupons must be redeemed before the end of the month. 4 rehabilitate, save, reform, convert, absolve, restore to favour, reinstate: She can be redeemed only by atoning for her sins. 5 make amends for, make up for, atone for, redress, compensate for, offset, make restitution for: Do you think that 200 hours of community

service was enough to redeem his crime of snatching handbags in the shopping centre? 6 perform, fulfil, keep, make good (on), discharge, satisfy, abide by, keep faith with, be faithful to,

hold to, carry out, see through: Helen is here to redeem her promise to help at the charity bazaar.

red-handed

adj. in the (very) act, (in) flagrante delicto, Colloq with one's hand in the till, US with one's hand in the cookie-jar: There's no doubt that Rick did it - he was caught red-handed.

redolent adj. 1 fragrant, sweet-smelling, aromatic, perfumed, odorous, scented, savoury: The entire house was redolent with the odour of pine needles. 2 redolent with or of. reminiscent of, suggestive of, evocative of, remindful of, characteristic of, having the earmarks or hallmark of: The style of the film is redolent of 1930s Hollywood.

reduce v. 1 cut (back), cut down (on), decrease, diminish, moderate, abate, lessen, shorten, truncate, abbreviate, abridge, curtail, crop, trim, compress, restrict, limit, stunt: We must reduce expenses this year. 2 ease (up on), let up (on), decrease, mitigate, tone down, slacken up (on): It will reduce the burden of your costs if you share with me. 3 lose weight, slim (down), diet, trim down, Chiefly US slenderize: You'll have to reduce to fit into that dress, Betty. 4 change, modify, adjust, turn,

convert; break down or up, grind, rub, triturate, pulp, powder: Payment of the debt reduced me to poverty. The first step is to reduce the liquid to a thick extract. 5 cut, decrease, trim,

bring down, lower, drop, mark down, slash, Colloq knock down: The prices on these shoes have been reduced for a quick sale. 6 demote, degrade, lower, downgrade, break; humble; Military US and Canadian bust: He was reduced in rank from sergeant to private. 7 diminish, lessen, bring down, depreciate, subdue, belittle, minimize: He was reduced in her estimation when she saw the deprecating way his friends treated him. 8 Medicine set, adjust, reset: The doctor caused little pain when he reduced

her dislocated finger.

redundant adj. 1 superfluous, unnecessary, surplus, inessential or unessential, non-essential, unneeded, unwanted, de trop, in excess, excessive: He was made redundant at the age of forty-five and was unable to find another job. 2 wordy, verbose, prolix, over-long, long-winded, repetitious, tautologic(al) or tautologous, circumlocutory, roundabout: The book would be improved if certain redundant passages were improved.