The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

convulsion, paroxysm, spell, outburst, burst, eruption: After that, every time he said 'furniture', the crowd went into spasms of laughter.

spasmodic adj. 1 spasmodical, paroxysmal, convulsive, jerky, jerking, sudden, Technical spastic: John was quite uneasy, unaware that Cynthia's spasmodic winking was due to a tic. 2 fitful, irregular, intermittent, arrhythmic, random, interrupted, sporadic, erratic, occasional, periodic, unsustained, discontinuous, pulsating, cyclic(al), broken: Spasmodic peals of thunder shook the house.

bedaub, sprinkle, besprinkle, Brit splodge, US splotch: When she dropped the pan the grease spattered all over my new white flannels.

spawn v. give birth to, yield, bear, bring forth, breed, beget, create, father, sire, produce, generate, engender, give rise to,

bring about, cause: Donald's arrogance over his wealth spawned a great deal of resentment.

speak v. 1 talk, converse, discourse: We were not allowed to speak during lessons. 2 talk to, converse or discourse with, address, say (something or) anything to: She was speaking quietly to the children. That is no way to speak to your elders. 3 talk, communicate in, discourse or converse in, communicate in, utter in, articulate in, use: Can you really speak Chinese? 4

express, utter, say, state, tell, pronounce, enunciate, voice; articulate, make known, communicate, reveal, indicate: He is speaking the truth. 5 symbolize, betoken, signify, communicate, convey, indicate: Her refusal to return your love-letters

speaks volumes. 6 so to speak. as it were, in a manner of speaking, figuratively or metaphorically (speaking): When it comes to employee benefits, the boss is Scrooge himself, so to speak. 7 speak for. a support, uphold, defend, stand up for, plead for, make a plea for, recommend, Colloq stick up for: Be quiet and let Simon speak for himself. b act on or in behalf

of, act for, represent, act as agent for: He is speaking for

the whole staff when he expresses worries about the cuts. c demand, require, beg, request, ask for: The situation speaks urgently for an effective drug rehabilitation programme. 8 speak for itself. be self-evident, be obvious, be significant: The

fact that both your son and the ring are missing speaks for itself. 9 speak of. mention, advert to, allude to, refer to,

make reference to, comment on, speak or talk about: I begged you not to speak of her again in my presence. 10 speak on. discuss, address, discourse upon or on, speak to, treat (of), deal with, examine, touch upon or on: In his presentation Dr Andrews spoke on the role of natural predators in pest control. 11 speak out or up. a talk (more) loudly or clearly, make oneself heard: I cannot hear you unless you speak up a bit. b talk freely or unreservedly, express one's opinion, speak one's mind, declare, come out, state one's position, take a stand: I heard a mother of ten speak out against birth control. 12 speak to. a reprove, scold, reprimand, rebuke, admonish, warn, lecture: After his father spoke to him, Nicholas stopped staying out so late. b be meaningful to, appeal to, influence, affect, touch: Constance's poetry effectively speaks to the heart. c accost, address, talk to, Formal apostrophize: I have to speak to the teacher after class. d See 10, above. 13 spoken for. reserved, engaged, bespoke, set aside, accounted for, chosen, selected: I'm afraid that the purple dress has already been spoken for, madam.

speaker n. orator, lecturer; keynoter; rabble-rouser, demagogue, Colloq tub-thumper, spieler: It was my function to introduce the

speaker.

spearhead v. 1 launch, initiate, lead (the way), take the initiative, pioneer, blaze the trail, break the ice, take the lead, be in the van or vanguard: He spearheaded medical research into arthritis.

--n. 2 vanguard, advance guard, van, forefront, cutting edge: They claim to be the spearhead of space technology.

special adj. 1 particular, specific, exceptional, uncommon, especial, rare, unusual, out of the ordinary, extraordinary, different, unorthodox, unconventional, unique, precise, individual, singular, distinctive, specialized, certain, remarkable, inimitable, idiosyncratic, curious, peculiar, odd, strange,

bizarre, weird, one of a kind; distinguished, notable,

noteworthy: They have a special way of communicating with each other. I bought something very special for your birthday. A special relationship sprang up between us. 2 significant, important, momentous, earth-shaking, memorable, red-letter;

gala, festive, celebratory: The fifth of September is a special day in our family. 3 pointed, concerted, deliberate, particular, extra, determined: After I had made a special effort to get there, nobody was home. 4 exclusive, express, individual, extra: Send the packet by special messenger. 5 dear, intimate, particular, good, close, bosom, staunch, loyal, faithful, devoted, steadfast; dearest, best, closest; esteemed, valued: I wasn't aware that John Spencer was a special friend of yours. 6 prime, primary, major, prominent, paramount: I shouldn't attach any special importance to her demands.

--n. 7 See speciality, 2 below.

specialist

n. expert, authority, professional, master, connoisseur, maestro, artiste, artist, adept: Pierre Legrand is a specialist in matching antique furniture finishes. Such work requires specialist knowledge.

speciality

n. 1 expertise, talent, genius, gift, skill, aptitude, trade, craft, accomplishment, ability, strength, forte, strong point, capability, adeptness, art, sphere, field, area, subject,

concentration, specialization, m‚tier, Chiefly US and Canadian specialty, Colloq bag, thing, cup of tea, baby, claim to fame: Dr Mann's speciality is tropical diseases. 2 piŠce de r‚sistance, sp‚cialit‚ de la maison, special, Chiefly US and Canadian specialty, US blueplate special: Today's speciality is calves' brains au beurre noir.

specially adv. especially, particularly, custom, expressly, exclusively: I had this suit specially made for me.

specific adj. 1 definite, precise, exact, particular, explicit, express, unambiguous, definitive, clear-cut, unequivocal, (well-)defined, determined, specified, individual, peculiar, certain, limited, indicated, predetermined, established, spelt or spelled out, delineated, set, distinct, fixed, circumscribed, restricted:

n. 1 conjecture, guess, hypothesis, theory, guesswork, postulation, surmise, supposition, opinion: My speculations have often proved true. Both the steady-state and the big-bang theories of the origins of the universe are pure speculation. 2 thinking, rumination, cogitation, reflection, meditation, contemplation, consideration, cerebration, pondering, wondering, deliberation, evaluation: All serious philosophers engage in

idle speculation. 3 gambling, gamble, wagering, wager, taking

(a) chance(s) or risk(s), chance-taking: Her speculation on the market paid off handsomely.

speculative

adj. 1 intellectual, ideational, abstract, cogitative,

notional, theoretical, hypothetical, conjectural, suppositional, supposititious or suppositious, suppositive, rational, ratiocinative, ideal, idealized, idealistic, unrealistic, unpractical, impractical, analytical: Frank's theories about climate change were entirely speculative and substantially wrong. 2 risky, hazardous, uncertain, unreliable, untrustworthy, doubtful, dubious, untested, unproven, unproved, Colloq iffy, chancy, Slang dicey: You ought to invest your money in less speculative enterprises.

speech n. 1 speaking, talking, articulation, diction, language, expression, enunciation, elocution, speech pattern; communication: His speech is marred by a lisp. Martha studied speech at a well-known drama school. 2 oration, address, lecture, talk, discourse, disquisition, sermon, homily; tirade, harangue, philippic; (sales) pitch, line, song and dance; Colloq spiel, blast: Her speech left her audience awed with her knowledge of the subject. When the householder opens the door, you launch into your speech about the encyclopedia. 3 dialect, idiolect, jargon, parlance, idiom, fa‡on de parler, language, tongue, Colloq lingo: English speech varieties range from Scots to Cockney to Texan to Jamaican.

speechless

adj. 1 mute, dumb, voiceless: He was speechless and in shock for two days following the accident. They claim to speak for

animals who are, of course, speechless themselves. 2 dumbfounded or dumfounded, dumbstruck or dumbstricken, wordless, struck dumb, tongue-tied, thunderstruck, shocked, dazed, inarticulate, paralysed, nonplussed, Slang Brit gobsmacked: He was speechless

with fury to find his car missing.

speed n. 1 rapidity, fleetness, quickness, speediness, swiftness, velocity, dispatch or despatch, hurry, hurriedness, haste, hastiness, celerity, alacrity, expeditiousness, expedition, briskness, promptness, timeliness; suddenness, precipitateness, precipitousness, abruptness: We reached a speed of Mach 2. What is the speed of your new computer? The speed of her reactions will be recorded during the experiment.

--v. 2 Often, speed up. accelerate, move, expedite, forward, advance, facilitate, boost, further, promote, help, assist, aid, Colloq give a leg up: He vowed to do anything he could to speed the troops' return from the battlefield. 3 hasten, make haste, hurry, rush, charge, dart, bolt, shoot, run, race, sprint, fly,

streak, scurry, tear, hustle, scramble, scamper, career, bowl along, go or fly like the wind, Colloq go hell for leather, go like a bat out of hell, belt along, step on it, put one's foot down, zip, zoom, skedaddle, go like a shot, US hightail it, step on the gas, go like greased lightning, make tracks, Slang US burn rubber: Where the road is straight, cars speed along at up to 120 miles per hour.

speedy adj. 1 quick, rapid, swift, brisk, expeditious, fast, immediate, prompt: What happened to the form of justice under which the accused were guaranteed a speedy trial? 2 hasty, precipitate, precipitous, hurried, summary: Some of the townspeople favoured the wrong kind of speedy justice - by lynching. 3 fleet, nimble, wing-footed, winged, fast, quick, rapid, swift: Carol is one of the speediest sprinters on our

team.

spell° n. 1 period, interval, time, term, season; stint, turn, run, course, shift, tour (of duty), watch, round: We had a spell of bad weather. Each of us had a spell at the tiller during the crossing.

--v. 2 relieve, replace, substitute for, take over for or from: After 36 hours of uninterrupted duty, I needed someone to spell me for a while.

spellý n. 1 enchantment, allure, charm, magic, witchcraft, witchery, fascination, captivation, enthralment: She had them all under

her spell. 2 incantation, formula, charm: The priest uttered some spell and I found myself unable to move. 3 attraction, lure, allure, appeal, draw, pull, magnetism, fascination, influence, mesmerism, hypnotic effect: We were drawn ever onward by the spell of the jungle.

spell° v. 1 augur, portend, presage, promise, hold promise of, signify, point to, indicate, omen, bode, look like, amount to, mean: Harry's conviction will spell the end of his career as a bank robber. 2 spell out. specify, delineate, make clear or plain or explicit, clarify, elucidate: She despises you - I can't spell it out for you more plainly than that.

spellbinding

adj. fascinating, enchanting, enthralling, captivating, enrapturing, bewitching, mesmerizing, charming, overpowering: The preacher put on one of his most spellbinding performances.

spend v. 1 pay out, disburse, expend, lay out, Colloq fork out, dish out, shell out, Brit splash out: That man spends more for a

suit than you earn in a year. 2 squander, throw away, fritter away, waste, go through, splurge, lavish, dissipate: He spends money as if it's going out of style. 3 devote, allot, assign, invest, put in, pass: If you don't spend more time with the children they'll forget they have a father.

spendthrift

n. 1 profligate, wastrel, (big) spender, squanderer, prodigal: Because her nephew is such a spendthrift, she put his inheritance in a trust fund.

--adj. 2 wasteful, free-spending, prodigal, profligate, squandering, extravagant, improvident: The chancellor's spendthrift budget will increase inflation.

spent adj. 1 drained, exhausted, prostrate, tired, fatigued, fagged out, weary, wearied, worn out, Colloq (dead) beat, done in, done for, all in, dog-tired, played out, burntor burned-out, used

up, Brit knackered, done up, US pooped: He was totally spent after sitting in the airport all night during the storm. 2 exhausted, used up, emptied, gone, expended, finished, fini, consumed, depleted: At 70, he was wrong to feel that his life was spent.

Flotation is provided by thousands of hollow plastic spheres. 2 society, class, level, caste, rank, domain, walk of life,

station, stratum, position: They did not belong to the same social sphere. 3 area, field, province, subject, discipline, range, speciality or US specialty, forte, Colloq bailiwick, territory, department, thing, bag: Are Gregorian chants within Stanley's sphere of interest?

spherical adj. spheric, globular, round, ball-shaped, ball-like, globelike, globe-shaped, globose or globous, globoid, globate(d), spheroid(al): They chose simple, spherical lampshades for the sitting-room.

spice n. 1 condiment, relish, seasoning, flavour(ing); herb: Much of the purpose of early explorers was to search for spices. 2

zest, spiciness, piquancy, tang, pungency, bite, sharpness, poignancy, gusto, excitement, seasoning, dash, ‚lan, colour, life, vigour, interest, stimulation, stimulant, spirit, Colloq vim, zip, pep, kick, pizazz, punch, ginger, pepper: A holiday in the Bahamas will add a little spice to our lives.

--v. 3 season, flavour: Highly spiced food does not agree with many people. 4 Often, spice up. enliven, inspirit, stimulate, invigorate: The proprietor felt that the new editor should try to spice up the magazine.

spicy adj. 1 zesty, zestful, piquant, tangy, (well-)spiced, (well-)seasoned, hot, peppery, sharp, pungent, snappy, biting, full-bodied, aromatic, savoury, flavoursome, flavourful: This curry is a little too spicy for my taste. 2 off colour, indelicate, suggestive, risqu‚, improper, indecent, indecorous, ribald, racy, bawdy, unseemly, offensive, titillating, sexy,

Colloq hot: This magazine often publishes spicy nude photos. 3 scandalous, sensational, outrageous, notorious, revealing, revelatory, intimate: She likes to read about the spicy

goings-on in Hollywood.

spike n. 1 skewer, stake, prong, treenail, nail, peg, picket, pin,

pike, spine: To subdue a vampire, drive a wooden spike through its heart.