The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

inopportune, unpromising, bleak, inauspicious, bad, unfortunate: The rainstorm created untoward conditions, causing the river to rise dangerously. 2 unbecoming, unfitting, awkward, inappropriate, unapt, unsuitable, improper, impolite, rude, boorish, ungentlemanly, unladylike, indecorous, indelicate, unwarranted, uncalled-for, unrefined, unseemly, unwise, imprudent, undiplomatic, tactless, untactful, ill-conceived,

silly, foolish, stupid, ill-timed, vexatious, vexing,

irritating, annoying: Charles made some untoward remark about the size of Sandra's feet.

undependable, unreliable, dishonourable, untrustworthy, false, hypocritical, dishonest, insincere, two-faced, duplicitous, devious, deceitful, treacherous, perfidious: Only when I saw her with Henry did I realize that Pauline had been untrue to me. 2 wrong, false, inaccurate, incorrect, erroneous, misleading, mistaken, distorted: What you said about Pauline was simply untrue. 3 inexact, non-standard, substandard, imprecise, imperfect: How unfortunate for legend had William Tell's aim been untrue!

unused adj. 1 (brand) new, untouched, pristine, original, intact, fresh, firsthand: He sold me his unused computer for half what it cost. 2 disused, abandoned, derelict, neglected, given up: We hid in an old unused factory building. 3 unconsumed, leftover, remaining, left: If dissatisfied with this product, return the unused portion for a full refund. 4 unused to. unaccustomed to, unfamiliar with, inexperienced in or at, amateurish at, unpractised in or at, uninitiated in: I am quite unused to doing that sort of thing.

unusual adj. uncommon, exceptional, atypical, untypical, different, unexpected, singular, out of the ordinary, extraordinary, odd, peculiar, curious, bizarre, strange, queer, remarkable, unique, freakish, unprecedented, unconventional, unorthodox, Slang off-the-wall: It takes an unusual person to be as charitable as Jean. Don't you agree that an egg-laying mammal is a bit unusual?

unvarnished

adj. plain, simple, pure, unembellished, straightforward, straight, direct, honest, unelaborated, naked, stark, sincere, frank, candid, outspoken: My dear, let me tell you the unvarnished truth about Marnie and Jim.

unveil v. reveal, expose, uncover, lay bare or open, bare, bring to light: They will unveil a rival bid at tomorrow's meeting. Only after William died did Cynthia unveil the truth about his double life.

unwarranted

adj. uncalled-for, unasked, unasked for, unjustified, indefensible, unjust, unfair, unconscionable, unworthy, improper, inexcusable, gratuitous, unmerited, undeserved, unprovoked, outrageous, excessive, unreasonable, unrestrained, intemperate, untempered, immoderate, undue, unnecessary: The police were accused of unwarranted use of force in ejecting the rowdies from the pub.

unwary adj. heedless, careless, hasty, incautious, unguarded, imprudent, rash, foolhardy, reckless, thoughtless, indiscreet, unthinking, mindless, unwise: Many perils await the unwary traveller. It was unwary of you not to lock the doors and windows.

unwashed adj. 1 dirty, uncleaned, unclean, uncleansed: Separate your personal things from the unwashed laundry in the hamper.

--n. 2 the (great) unwashed. Derogatory the rabble, the masses, the mob, the plebs, people (at large or in general), the

population, the populace, the man or woman in the street, Mr (& Mrs) Average, the working class(es), most people, the (silent) majority, US John Q. Public: The effort to sell expensive brandy to the great unwashed failed miserably.

unwelcome adj. 1 uninvited, unsought for, unwished for, undesired, undesirable, displeasing, unpleasing, distasteful, unpleasant: My day was further ruined by the unwelcome arrival of all those bills. 2 unwanted, rejected, unaccepted, excluded; persona non grata, anathema: Following that episode, Curshaw was made to feel unwelcome at the club.

unwholesome

adj. 1 unhealthy, unhealthful, detrimental, deleterious, pernicious, insalubrious, unhygienic, insalutary, harmful, noxious, toxic, injurious, destructive: Fernthwaite finally

succumbed to the unwholesome climate and had to be sent home. 2 corrupt, immoral, bad, wicked, evil, sinful, perverted; demoralizing, depraved, degrading, corrupting, perverting: The social worker said it was wrong for a child to be raised in such

an unwholesome atmosphere. 3 ill, ailing, sickly, sick, pale,

wan, anaemic, pallid, pasty: Their unwholesome complexion comes from malnutrition.

unwieldy adj. awkward, clumsy, bulky, oversized, cumbersome, ungainly, unmanageable, unhandy, unmanoeuvrable: The huge oil tankers, though economical, often proved unwieldy in the ports they

visited.

unwonted adj. infrequent, unusual, uncustomary, uncommon, unfamiliar, unprecedented, rare, singular, atypical, abnormal, peculiar,

odd, strange, irregular, unconventional, unorthodox: All this unwonted physical exercise made them exhausted by evening.

unworthy adj. 1 unequal, meritless, unmerited, substandard, inferior, second-rate, menial, puny, petty, paltry, unprofessional, mediocre, despicable, contemptible, dishonourable, ignoble, disreputable, discreditable, unqualified, ineligible, unfit, undeserving: I consider Patrick an unworthy opponent. 2 unworthy of. unbecoming to, inappropriate to, unsuitable for, unfit for, out of character for, inconsistent with or for, out

of place with or for, incongruous with or for: That sort of petty haggling is unworthy of your position and of you.

21.5 upbeat...

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upbeat adj. positive, optimistic, sanguine, favourable, cheerful, encouraging, heartening, buoyant, light-hearted: Christopher has a very upbeat attitude towards life despite his age.

upbraid v. scold, rebuke, reprimand, reproach, berate, castigate, chastise, reprove, chide, censure, take to task, Colloq tell

off, tick off, dress down, give a dressing-down, give (someone)

poverty-stricken, Colloq broke: Stanley has been on his uppers since losing his job.

upper-class

adj. 1 ‚lite, aristocratic, blue-blooded, well-born, noble, high-born, patrician, Colloq upper crust: Eunice comes from an upper-class Irish family. 2 high-class, elegant, fancy, luxurious, first-rate, de luxe, royal, regal, sumptuous, Colloq swank(y), ritzy, posh: I'll have you know that we stayed only in upper-class hotels on our tour.

uppermost adj. 1 highest, topmost, loftiest, highest, top: These curious animals live in the uppermost branches of the trees. 2

foremost, first, most important or prominent or influential or telling, principal, paramount, pre-eminent, predominant: Uppermost in my mind is the safety of the children.

uppish adj. affected, putting on airs, snobbish, conceited, overweening, self-important, Colloq uppity, snooty, high and mighty, hoity-toity, highfalutin or hifalutin, stuck-up, on (one's) high horse, Slang snotty, Brit toffee-nosed: Even if she is in charge she doesn't have to be so uppish.

upright adj. 1 erect, perpendicular, vertical, on end, straight up and down, plumb, stand-up, standing up, Brit upstanding: Few upright columns of the Greek temple remained. 2 moral, principled, high-minded, ethical, virtuous, upstanding, straight, righteous, straightforward, honourable, honest, just, trustworthy, unimpeachable, uncorrupt(ed), incorruptible, decent, good: David had long been an upright member of the church council.

--n. 3 post, pole, column, vertical, perpendicular: We need another upright to support the floor over here.

--adv. 4 perpendicularly, vertically, upward(s), straight up

(and down): The javelin was sticking upright out of the ground. 5 right side up: Miraculously, the platter with the roast on it landed upright on the floor.

uprising n. rebellion, revolt, mutiny, revolution, insurrection, rising, putsch, coup (d'‚tat): The government quelled the uprising with water cannons and tear gas.

uproar n. clamour, hubbub, disturbance, commotion, hullabaloo, brouhaha, din, racket, pandemonium, tumult, turmoil, pother, outcry, outburst, bedlam, agitation, frenzy, broil, rumpus, fuss; affray, fracas, brawl; Colloq hoo-ha, to-do, US hoop-la, Brit kerfuffle or carfuffle or kurfuffle: The announcement of the new taxes caused a nation-wide uproar.

uproarious

adj. 1 clamorous, noisy, deafening, tumultuous, turbulent, tempestuous, excited, frenzied, rowdy, riotous, disorderly, wild: We had an uproarious party on New Year's Eve. 2 hilarious, hysterical, (screamingly) funny, side-splitting, Colloq too funny for words, killing: Leslie told his uproarious story about Colonel Cholmondley and the tiger.

uproot v. 1 transfer, transplant, move, displace; exile, banish: Finney has been uprooted five times in his career with the firm. 2 deracinate, extirpate, root out, dig out, pluck out, tear out; destroy, demolish, ruin, eradicate, annihilate, kill, ruin, devastate, ravage: Thousands of trees were uprooted by the hurricane.

upset v. 1 disturb, agitate, distress, unsettle, put off, put out, perturb, disquiet, fluster, ruffle, frighten, scare, disconcert, dismay, trouble, worry, bother, discompose, make (someone) nervous: We once had a nanny who told the children horror stories just to upset them. 2 overturn, capsize, topple, up-end, tip over, knock over or down, invert, turn topsy-turvy or upside down, spill: That is the third time this week you have upset the cream jug. 3 disturb, derange, disrupt, disarrange, mess up, disorganize, snarl up, jumble, muddle, Colloq Brit kerfuffle or carfuffle or kurfuffle: The boys upset the entire house with their horseplay. 4 overthrow, defeat, beat, worst, thrash,

rout, conquer, overcome, win out over, get the better of, get or gain the advantage over, triumph over, be victorious over, vanquish: The question is whether the challenger will upset the champion in the Wimbledon finals. 5 defeat, ruin, spoil, thwart, interfere with, destroy, demolish, mess up, disturb, Colloq throw a Brit spanner in(to) or US monkey wrench into (the works), US discombobulate, Slang screw up, gum up, put the kibosh on, Taboo slang fuck up , Brit bugger up: Your coming early upset my plan to shampoo my hair.

--adj. 6 capsized, overturned, upside down, bottom side up, inverted, reversed, toppled, tipped over, topsy-turvy: We clung to the bottom of the upset boat till help arrived. 7 sick, queasy: Eve has an upset stomach and cannot go. 8 perturbed, disturbed, disquieted, disconcerted, agitated, distressed, worried, troubled, unnerved, distracted, apprehensive, nervous, frightened, scared, afraid: We found Valdimir in a terribly upset state at Natasha's disappearance. 9 disordered, confused, disorganized, messed-up, jumbled, muddled, disturbed, disarranged: The house is never so upset as after a party. 10 angry, irate, furious, beside oneself, mad, Colloq fit to be

tied, Slang freaked out: Father was upset because I took the car without his permission.

--n. 11 defeat, upsetting, conquest, overthrow, rout,

thrashing, triumph, victory: We celebrated the upset of Queen's Park Rangers by Manchester United. 12 surprise, unexpected event or occurrence: The upset of the season was when Carridoff won the Derby.

upshot n. result, end (result), outcome, ending, conclusion, termination, effect, after-effect, fallout, wake, backwash, repercussion, after-clap, feedback, resolution, culmination, denouement or d‚nouement, issue, Colloq pay-off, US wrap-up: The upshot of the nasty business was that Bowles was sent to prison for life.

perception, insight, perspicaciousness, perspicacity, perceptiveness, sensitivity: Billie was very quick on the uptake, and knew immediately what the man was after.

21.6 urge...

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his steed onward. 2 press, goad, prod, egg on, spur, prompt, induce, incite, constrain, exhort, encourage, demand, request, ask, plead (with), beseech, beg, entreat, importune: We've been urging the police for months to investigate the goings-on at that house. 3 coax, persuade, induce, prevail upon, campaign (with), sway, influence, talk into, advise, suggest, counsel:

The agents urged them to sell their house while the market was good. 4 argue, set forth, affirm, state, allege, assert, hold, advise, advocate, demand: The residents urged that the planning board should deny permission for a supermarket.

--n. 5 pressure, impetus, desire, compulsion, impulse, itch, longing, yearning, drive, fancy, hunger, thirst, craving, Colloq yen: We stopped because Corey felt the urge to have some ice-cream.

urgency n. imperativeness, pressure, stress, extremity, importance, seriousness, importunity, necessity, need, insistence, exigency, emergency: She was told to ring back as a matter of some urgency.

urgent adj. 1 immediate, instant, imperative, pressing, compelling, vital, life-and-death or life-or-death, important, serious, necessary, exigent, rush, emergency, pressing, high-priority: There was an urgent need to do something at once, so she screamed. 2 supplicative, begging, solicitous, earnest, importunate, insistent, loud, clamorous, active, energetic, pertinacious, tenacious, forceful, firm: Both parties were urgent in pressing for tax reform.

urinate v. pass or make water, Technical micturate; Babytalk (make a) wee, (go) wee-wee, (have a or US also take a) pee, (make) pee-pee, do number one, tinkle, piddle; Euphemistic go to the men's or ladies' (room), go to the lavatory, excuse (oneself), wash (one's) hands, go to the bathroom, go to the powder-room; Mincing go to the little boys' or girls' room; Colloq Brit spend

a penny, go to the loo, Slang (take or have a) piss, Brit have a or go for a slash: One symptom of cystitis is pain when urinating.

21.7 usage...

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