The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms
.pdfwondered what happened to all that sanctimonious talk about putting his family first?
sanction n. 1 confirmation, ratification, secondment, authorization, legalization, legitimatization or legitimization, validation, licence, certification, approval, permission, imprimatur, seal or stamp (of approval), signet: If you get the sanction of the rest of the members, then I shall agree. 2 help, aid,
encouragement, support, advocacy, backing, sponsorship, favour, countenance: You will need the sanction of the entire committee in order to win a vote of confidence. 3 agreement, concurrence, acceptance, affirmation, assent, acquiescence, compliance, approval, OK or okay: He would never have proceeded with the invasion without the sanction of his generals. 4 ban, penalty, punishment, retribution, discipline, retaliation, redress: The government decided to introduce sanctions against the regime on account of their atrocious record on human rights.
--v. 5 confirm, ratify, second, authorize, legalize, legitimatize or legitimize, validate, license, certify, approve, permit, allow, notarize, vouchsafe, subscribe to, commission,
consent to: If the board sanctions the purchase of the company, it is then up to the shareholders to vote. 6 support, encourage, advocate, back, sponsor, favour, countenance, help: You know I cannot be seen to sanction your plan in preference to others.
sanctity n. piety, holiness, saintliness, divinity, grace, sacredness, godliness, devotion, dedication: The arguments of the anti-abortionists were based on a belief in the sanctity of all human life.
sanctuary n. 1 sanctum, shrine, chapel, temple, church, house of worship, house of God; synagogue, mosque, pagoda: All of us retire at
this time to the sanctuary for evening prayer. 2 asylum, refuge, retreat, protection, shelter, safety: Formerly, criminals could seek sanctuary in churches. 3 (nature or wildlife) reserve or preserve, reservation, conservation area, national park: If housing is built here, it will destroy the bird sanctuary.
sanctum n. 1 sanctuary, holy of holies, shrine: No one is allowed into the sanctum except the high priestess. 2 sanctum sanctorum, den, study, retreat; hiding-place, hide-out, hideaway,
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cubby-hole: After dinner Roger goes to his sanctum to write. |
sane |
adj. normal, of sound mind, rational, compos mentis, |
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well-balanced, right-minded, level-headed, rational, reasonable, |
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sensible, judicious, Colloq right in the head, all there: They |
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decided that the killer was sane and fit to stand trial. |
sang-froid
n. cold-bloodedness, coolness, cool-headedness, indifference, composure, phlegm, self-possession, self-control, poise, imperturbability, equanimity, Colloq unflappability, cool,
coolth: What amazed us was the remarkable sang-froid displayed by even the smallest children in the face of bullying.
sanguinary
adj. 1 bloodthirsty, cruel, brutal, brutish, gory, merciless, remorseless, ruthless, pitiless, heartless, savage, barbarous, slaughterous, grim, fell, murderous, homicidal: The axe murder was the most sanguinary crime that the division had ever been required to investigate. 2 bloody, sanguineous, sanguinolent: I am unsure how I survived such a sanguinary battle.
sanguine adj. optimistic, rosy, confident, hopeful, forward-looking, anticipatory, expectant, enthusiastic, fervid, zealous: Some experts took a more sanguine view, saying that they expected to see the start of an economic upturn in the next few months.
sanitary adj. clean, sterile, hygienic, antiseptic, disinfected, aseptic, germ-free, bacteria-free; healthy, unpolluted,
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salubrious, healthful, salutary, wholesome: With such shortages |
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of personnel and equipment, it was impossible to maintain a |
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sanitary hospital environment. |
sanity |
n. saneness, reason, mental health or soundness, normality, |
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rationality, reason, reasonableness, stability, balance: Have |
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you any reason for suspecting her sanity? |
sap° |
n. 1 (vital) juice or fluid, bodily or US also body fluid, |
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lifeblood, essence, Literary ichor: He apostrophized about how |
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the sap of youth had shrunk from his veins. 2 fool, idiot, |
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nincompoop, ninny, ninny-hammer, simpleton, ignoramus, nitwit, |
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dim-wit, dunce, ass; dupe, gull, US thimble-wit; Colloq chump, |
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drip, Brit (right) charlie, noddy, noodle, wet, Chiefly Brit |
twit, Slang patsy, sucker, (easy) mark, pushover, sap-head, Brit muggins, US schnook, schlemiel or schlemihl or shlemiel, fall guy: You certainly were a sap to fall for that old line!
--v. 3 bleed, drain, draw, tap, rob, milk: I could feel the strength being sapped from my body.
sapý |
v. undermine, sabotage, weaken, cripple, wreck, devitalize, |
deplete, drain, erode, enervate, debilitate: They did |
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everything they could to sap my self-confidence. |
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sarcasm |
n. scorn, contumely, derision, ridicule, bitterness, acrimony, |
acrimoniousness, acerbity, harshness, acridity, acridness,
asperity, venom, poison, venomousness, poisonousness, virulence, spite, spitefulness, malice, maliciousness, malevolence, satire, irony, cynicism, disdain: Kathy was too thick-skinned to appreciate the sarcasm of Tom's cutting commentary on her acting.
sarcastic adj. scornful, contumelious, derisive, derisory, ridiculing, bitter, biting, cutting, trenchant, incisive, acrimonious, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulous, harsh, acrid, aspersive, venomous, poisonous, virulent, spiteful, malicious, malefic, malevolent, satiric(al), ironic(al), cynical, disdainful, mocking, contemptuous, critical, censorious, captious, carping, cavilling, sardonic, scathing, caustic, nasty: I don't think he knows how hurtful his sarcastic remarks can be.
sardonic adj. ironic(al), derisive, derisory, mocking, cynical, sarcastic: She said that she was leaving him, but his only response was a sardonic smile.
satanic adj. 1 diabolic(al), fiendish, devilish, Mephistophelian, demonic, demoniac(al), infernal, cacodemonic, ghoulish, hellish, infernal, evil, wicked, iniquitous, corrupt, depraved,
perverted, perverse, godless, ungodly, impious, unholy, sinister, dark, black, immoral, amoral: They practise witchcraft and other satanic inventions. 2 dire, monstrous, heinous, atrocious, hideous, horrible, horrendous, horrid, horrifying, loathsome, vile, abhorrent, unspeakable, unutterable, damnable, despicable, abominable: The miners worked under positively satanic conditions.
satellite n. 1 moon, spacecraft, Old-fashioned sputnik: The sky is crowded with artificial satellites orbiting the earth. 2 follower, attendant, retainer, disciple, acolyte, aide, aide-de-camp, minion, lieutenant, assistant, helper, hanger-on,
dependant, shadow, right-hand man, vassal, parasite, sycophant, Colloq sidekick: Boswell became the obsequious satellite of Samuel Johnson.
satiate v. 1 stuff, glut, gorge, cloy, surfeit, overfill, overstuff, glut, pall, overindulge, saturate, choke, deluge, flood, choke, suffocate, weary, exhaust, bore, tire, jade: The travellers were so satiated with food and drink that nothing could wake them. 2 slake, satisfy, quench, content, gratify, sate: I felt the it would take at least a gallon of water to satiate my thirst.
satiety |
n. surfeit, glut, superabundance, overindulgence, saturation, |
nimiety, excess, superfluity: The painting exudes a mood of |
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sexual languor and satiety. |
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satire |
n. 1 ridicule, irony, sarcasm, mockery, spoofing, exaggeration, |
caricature: Often, the best way to comment on a distasteful political situation is through satire. 2 burlesque, lampoon, parody, travesty, pasquinade, spoof, cartoon, caricature, Colloq take-off, Chiefly Brit send-up: For several years he wrote mainly satires of life among the wealthy.
satirical adj. satiric, ironic, sarcastic, mocking, spoofing, irreverent, exaggerating, Hudibrastic, derisive, disparaging, abusive, scornful, flippant, ridiculing, chaffing: After a number of satirical plays, he returned to writing novels, which, he felt, reached a wider audience.
satirize v. lampoon, burlesque, parody, caricature, travesty, poke fun at, (hold up to) ridicule, make fun or sport of, pillory,
deride, mock; mimic, imitate; Colloq take off, put down, Brit send up: Since ancient times writers have satirized the follies of their age.
satisfaction
n. 1 gratification, comfort, fulfilment, contentment, delight, joy, enjoyment, pleasure, happiness: They get a great deal of satisfaction out of seeing their children happily married. 2
traipse: An oddly dressed man sauntered over and asked if I had ever bet on a horse before.
savage adj. 1 wild, untamed, undomesticated, feral, unbroken: These savage beasts had never seen a man before. 2 vicious,
ferocious, fierce, beastly, bestial, brutish, bloodthirsty, brutal, cruel, ruthless, pitiless, merciless, harsh, bloody, unmerciful, fell, barbarous, barbaric, murderous, demonic,
demoniac, sadistic: The boy was subjected to a savage attack by the defendant's dog. The king's guards were selected for their savage nature. 3 wild, uncivilized, uncultivated, primitive, inhuman, bestial, barbaric, barbarous, untamed, rude: The
savage behaviour of some New Guinea tribes included cannibalism.
--n. 4 wild man or woman, brute, barbarian; Caliban: When the explorers landed on the island, they were welcomed by the savages who lived there.
save v. 1 (come to someone's) rescue, deliver; (set) free, liberate, release, redeem, bail (someone) out; recover, salvage, retrieve: What can be done to save me from the drudgery of doing the laundry? She saved only one thing of value from the fire. 2 keep, preserve, guard, safeguard, protect, conserve, secure, shelter, shield: One way to save dried flowers is to press them between the leaves of a book. 3 lay or put aside, lay or put by, lay or put away, keep, retain, set apart, hold, reserve, preserve, conserve; economize, scrimp, scrape: Soon he had
saved enough money to buy a new car. If you keep on saving, you may soon have enough for a new suit. 4 obviate, preclude, spare, prevent: A little extra care taken now will save a lot of
trouble later on.
saving adj. 1 redeeming, redemptory or redemptive or redemptional, compensating, compensatory, qualifying, extenuating, extenuatory: His one saving grace is that he has a lot of
money. 2 parsimonious, economical, thrifty, provident, frugal, sparing, prudent: It was only because of Alison's saving nature that we had enough to live on during the strike.
--n. 3 economizing, economization, economy, thrift, providence, frugality, prudence, scrimping, scraping, sparingness: It was only by her saving that we survived. 4 savings. resources, reserve, cache, hoard, nest egg: Our savings are to pay for
your education, not for having a good time.
saviour n. 1 rescuer, salvation, friend in need, Good Samaritan, liberator, redeemer, deliverer, emancipator, champion, knight errant, knight in shining armour: Because he gave her a job when she most needed it, she regarded him as her saviour. 2 the or our Saviour. Christian religion Christ (the Redeemer),
Jesus, the Messiah, Lamb of God, Our Lord, Son of God, King of Kings, Prince of Peace, Islam Mahdi.
savoir faire
n. tact, tactfulness, sophistication, finesse, urbanity, discretion, knowledgeability, diplomacy, urbanity, smoothness, polish, suavity or suaveness, poise, grace, style, skill, adroitness, knowledge, comprehension, Slang savvy: She felt a vague sense of social inferiority, an uneasy lack of savoir
faire.
savoir vivre
n. breeding, upbringing, comity, knowledge, sophistication, polish: He has at least enough savoir vivre to know that one doesn't drink red wine with oysters.
savour n. 1 taste, flavour, zest, tang, smack, piquancy: These poached peaches have a savour of brandy about them. 2 hint, suggestion, odour, scent, fragrance, smell, perfume, redolence, bouquet, breath, trace, quality, soup‡on, dash: He preferred talking about the savour rather than the odour of sanctity, for alliteration's sake.
--v. 3 taste, sample, perceive, detect, sense, discern, mark, descry, observe, notice, note, identify; enjoy, luxuriate in, relish, indulge in, bask in, appreciate, revel in, delight in, value, cherish, Colloq lick or smack one's lips or chops over: One could savour a trace of honey in the wine. For a week we savoured the delights of the Costa Brava.
savoury adj. 1 palatable, delicious, delectable, tasty, toothsome, appetizing, flavourful, flavorous, flavoursome, ambrosial, luscious: Pettigrew bit greedily into the savoury flesh of the ripe melon. 2 tasteful, honest, proper, decent, reputable, respectable, honourable, creditable, upright, decorous, seemly, wholesome, innocent: I am not sure that Victoria is travelling
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in particularly savoury society. |
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--n. 3 appetizer, hors-d'oeuvre; dessert, sweet; morsel, |
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dainty, titbit or US tidbit, Chiefly Brit starter, Archaic |
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warner: I think I'd like the Welsh rabbit as a savoury. |
saw |
n. proverb, maxim, (old) saying, aphorism, apophthegm or |
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apothegm, axiom, adage, epigram, gnome; slogan, motto, |
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catchword, catch-phrase, byword; dictum, platitude, truism, |
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clich‚, commonplace: She always quoted to him the old saw, 'A |
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fool and his mother are soon parted'. |
say |
v. 1 state, affirm, declare, maintain, hold, aver, remark, |
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assert, claim, asseverate, announce: She said that I had to go |
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at once, and I said, 'I shall never leave you!' 2 assert, |
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allege, report, mention, rumour, reveal, bruit about, disclose, |
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divulge, bring to light, put about, noise abroad, suggest, hint, |
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whisper: It was said that spies had already infiltrated the |
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party. 3 pronounce, articulate, utter; phrase, rephrase, |
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translate: How do you say gem•tlich? How do you say it in |
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English? 4 tell, put, express, verbalize, communicate, explain, |
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reveal, bring up, break, impart: I don't quite know how to say |
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this, Harry, but you have bad breath. 5 reply, respond, answer: |
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What have you to say to her allegation that it is all your |
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fault? 6 guess, estimate, conjecture, venture, judge, imagine, |
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believe, think: I'd say you look about 60 years old. 7 mean or |
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intend or try to say, think, contemplate, imply, suggest: Are |
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you saying that you would steal if you had the opportunity? 8 |
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predict, prognosticate, foretell: The newspaper says that |
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shares will go down. 9 signify, denote, symbolize, communicate, |
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indicate, convey, suggest, imply, mean: What does a red light |
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say to you? 10 order, require, demand, bid, stipulate, command, |
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give the word: If I say that you are to go, then you go - and |
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quickly. 11 deliver, utter, speak: Say your lines and exit |
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stage left without waiting for a reply. |
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--n. 12 voice, authority, influence, power, weight, sway, |
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clout: Does she have that much say about how the money should |
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be spent? 13 turn, chance, opportunity, vote: You've had your |
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say, now let's hear from Ackroyd. |
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--adv. 14 approximately, about, roughly, circa, nearly: The |
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snake was, say, twenty feet long. 15 for example, for instance, |
thumb or leaf through: I didn't have time to read it thoroughly, but I did scan it. 2 study, pore over, examine, investigate, scrutinize, inspect, delve into, research, explore (in depth), sweep, Archaic con: Scan the horizon for hostile planes.
--n. 3 look, survey, inspection, examination, overview: A microscopic scan revealed no trace of blood.
scandal n. 1 shame, disgrace, embarrassment, sin, outrage: It is a scandal how much of the money raised for charity goes into the pockets of the fund-raisers. 2 discredit, damage, calumny, ignominy, obloquy, dishonour, degradation, disrepute, infamy: The scandal resulting from their being found together could never be lived down. The breath of scandal never touched her. 3 slander, libel, aspersion, innuendo, insinuation, abuse, dirt, defilement, defamation, slur, smear, taint, blemish, spot, stigma, smirch, black mark or spot, blot (on the escutcheon), (badge of) infamy, skeleton in the cupboard, Brit blot on one's
copybook: His cowardice brought scandal to the name that could never be lived down.
scandalize
v. appal, shock, outrage, affront, offend, horrify, upset, disturb; rankle, stick in (someone's) craw or throat, gall: They were scandalized to learn the truth about Cooksley's father.
scandalous
adj. 1 shocking, disgraceful, ignominious, improper,
indecorous, unseemly, infamous, outrageous, shameful, immodest, dishonourable, disreputable, sordid, despicable, flagitious, wicked, sinful, evil, iniquitous, profligate, immoral, indecent, lewd, lascivious, lustful, licentious, lecherous, atrocious,
heinous, disgusting, fulsome, taboo, unmentionable, unspeakable: The scandalous goings-on at the Hellfire Club are well documented. 2 defamatory, libellous, slanderous, calumnious, calumniatory, aspersive, abusive, scurrilous, injurious, defamatory: The newspaper published a scandalous article about him which they refused to retract.
scanty adj. 1 scant, sparse, scarce, little, meagre, minimal; barely adequate or sufficient, limited, restricted, Colloq measly: The