The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms
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We have no use for cowards in this regiment. |
used |
adj. 1 second-hand, cast-off, old, worn, Euphemistic pre-owned, |
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Colloq hand-me-down, Brit reach-me-down: You're better off |
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buying a good used car, since new ones depreciate so quickly. 2 |
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utilized, employed, occupied; in use: We slept in a rarely used |
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room. 3 used to. accustomed to, habituated to, acclimatized or |
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acclimated to, adapted to, hardened or toughened or inured to or |
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against, tempered to, tolerant of; familiar or acquainted with: |
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After all those years, Amanda was used to Bill's shouting. |
useful |
adj. utilitarian, functional, serviceable, practical, usable, |
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of use, beneficial, salutary, advantageous, expedient, |
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profitable, valuable, gainful, helpful, fruitful, productive, |
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effective, worthwhile: Does this knob serve any useful purpose? |
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We had some very useful conversations with the bank manager. |
usefulness
n. utility, applicability, practicability, purpose, purposefulness, point, practicality, benefit, advantage, expediency, profit, profitability, value, gain, help, fruitfulness, effectiveness, worth: I never could see the usefulness of all the forms one has to fill in.
useless adj. 1 ineffective, ineffectual, unserviceable, impractical, impracticable, unpractical, unavailing, vain, pointless,
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purposeless, idle, futile, unproductive, unsuccessful, impotent, |
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effete, sterile, barren, abortive, unusable, bootless, |
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worthless, Rare inutile: The treatment that she tried was quite |
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useless. 2 inefficient, incompetent, unproductive, ineffectual, |
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ineffective, hopeless, inept: My dachshund has proved totally |
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useless as a watchdog. |
user |
n. 1 consumer, buyer, purchaser, owner; operator: Users of the |
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equipment report excellent results. 2 alcohol or drug or |
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narcotic addict: The police have been interviewing users in |
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order to obtain more information about the dealers. |
user-friendly
adj. simple, practicable, usable, explicit, accommodating, understandable: The system is designed to be particularly user-friendly.
usual adj. same, customary, habitual, accustomed, familiar, well-known, common, everyday, established, traditional, set, time-honoured, old, conventional, workaday, stock, wonted, regular, ordinary, normal, expected, routine, typical, run-of-the-mill, stereotypic(al), hackneyed, trite, prosaic, worn out, shop-worn, predictable, unexceptional, unoriginal,
unremarkable, unimaginative: The usual answer I get is 'Why?' I missed my usual train this morning. They still sing the usual drinking songs.
usually adv. customarily, as a rule, generally (speaking), most of the time, for the most part, most often, mostly, almost always, inveterately, on the whole, normally, commonly, regularly, predominantly, chiefly, all things considered, in the main, mainly, by and large, as usual, Colloq as per usual: I usually walk home from the office. Johnson usually interviews applicants in the morning.
21.8 Utopia...
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Utopia n. paradise, heaven, seventh heaven, (Garden of) Eden, bliss, cloud-cuckoo-land, Nephelococcygia, never-never land, Shangri-La, Cockaigne or Cockayne, heaven on earth, perfection: He dreams about a Utopia where everyone is rich and there are no taxes.
utterly adv. completely, perfectly, absolutely, thoroughly, fully, entirely, wholly, unreservedly, totally, unqualifiedly, out-and-out, altogether, overwhelmingly, unequivocally, categorically, definitely, properly; extremely, Brit dialect proper; (with) no holds barred, body and soul, head over heels: The proposal was utterly defeated in the Commons. That was an utterly foolish act. She gave herself to him utterly.
22.0 V =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
22.1 vacancy...
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vacancy n. 1 emptiness, void, gap, lacuna, hiatus, blank, deficiency, opening, breach, vacuum: Only after she left did Hubert sense the vacancy in his life. 2 (job) opening, slot, position, post, situation: Her promotion created a vacancy in the personnel department. 3 blankness, emptiness, vacuity, absent-mindedness, inanity, vacuousness, incomprehension, fatuity, unawareness: I knew by the vacancy of his look that he hadn't any idea of what
I was talking about.
vacant adj. 1 empty, void, hollow, unoccupied, untenanted, uninhabited, abandoned, deserted: The house remained vacant all summer. 2 blank, expressionless, deadpan, empty, vacuous, dull, absent-minded, inane, uncomprehending, fatuous, unaware: After the accident, she would just sit, for hours on end, with a
vacant look on her face. 3 unoccupied, free, unused, unutilized, spare, extra, idle, unfilled, unengaged, unspoken for: The doctor has a vacant hour tomorrow at ten and could see you then.
vacate v. 1 leave, depart (from), withdraw from, quit, evacuate, get or go out of; desert, abandon: In a fire drill, employees must vacate the building in five minutes. 2 give up, relinquish, sacrifice, renounce, let go, resign, abdicate, cede, give up
right or claim to, abandon: We vacated all claims to my aunt's property. 3 annul, declare null and void, nullify, void, repudiate, override, overrule, rescind, revoke, recall, quash, set aside, invalidate: The judge vacated the defendant's plea of diminished capacity.
vade-mecum
n. handbook, manual, ready reference, book, guide: She always had with her a vade-mecum on rare poisons.
vagabond n. 1 gypsy, tramp, vagrant, wayfarer, rover, wanderer, itinerant, migrant, bird of passage, rolling stone, beachcomber, derelict, Chiefly US and Canadian hobo, Australian swagman, Colloq US bum, Slang US bindle-stiff: The police interviewed every vagabond they could find for a clue to the murder.
--adj. 2 vagrant, wayfaring, roving, wandering, itinerant, migrant, derelict, nomadic, gypsy, rambling, roaming, drifting, peripatetic, transient, peregrinating: When will he give up his
vagabond ways and settle down?
vague adj. 1 indefinite, indistinct, imprecise, inexact, unclear, confused, unspecified or non-specified, general, generalized, unspecific or non-specific, inexplicit or unexplicit, ill-defined, hazy, fuzzy, ambiguous, obscure, amorphous;
shapeless, blurred, blurry, filmy, dim, shadowy, veiled, bleary, foggy, misty, cloudy, clouded, hardly or barely distinguishable or discernible: I have only a vague recollection of our having met. She must have had a vague idea of your intentions. Leon could almost make out the vague shape of an approaching figure. 2 undetermined, indeterminate, unfixed, indefinite, inexact, unspecified or non-specified, unspecific or non-specific, ambiguous, doubtful, in doubt, uncertain, equivocal, ambiguous: For security reasons, her time of arrival was left vague. 3 veiled, concealed, hidden, shrouded, obscure, ill-defined, unspecific or non-specific, inexplicit or unexplicit, ambiguous: There had been a vague threat of kidnapping, which should not have been ignored. 4 subliminal, subconscious, indefinable, unexplained: I had a vague sensation of being followed. 5 indefinite, ambiguous, wishy-washy, undecided, indecisive, irresolute, vacillating, wavering, inconstant, unsettled,
uncertain, nebulous, up in the air: Leonore is vague about her plans to run for re-election. 6 vacant, empty, blank, expressionless, empty, vacuous, dull; puzzled: By their vague expressions I could see they hadn't understood a word.
vaguely adv. 1 distantly, remotely, indefinitely, dimly, subliminally,
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subconsciously, inexplicably: I became vaguely aware of another |
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presence in the room. 2 ambiguously, imprecisely, inexactly, |
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unclearly, confusedly, confusingly, hazily, fuzzily, nebulously, |
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obscurely: Kenston claims that he expresses his theories |
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vaguely to allow for broad interpretation. 3 idly, vacantly, |
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detachedly, absent-mindedly, dreamily, absently, distractedly: |
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Manton listened only vaguely to the judge's words. |
vain |
adj. 1 proud, conceited, haughty, arrogant, boastful, |
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egotistical, cocky, self-important, vainglorious, narcissistic, |
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Colloq big-headed, swell-headed, stuck-up, swollen-headed: They |
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are so vain that they have mirrors in every room. 2 worthless, |
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profitless, bootless, pointless, unsuccessful, empty, futile, |
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useless, unavailing, unproductive, fruitless, ineffective, |
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abortive: Peter sent Carol flowers every day in a vain attempt |
to win her back. 3 in vain. a vainly, futilely, unsuccessfully, fruitlessly, bootlessly: In vain, we sought the help of the police. b irreverently, blasphemously, disrespectfully, improperly: Despite his mother's admonitions, he continues to take the Lord's name in vain.
valley n. glen, dale, dell, vale, dingle, hollow, coomb or coombe or combe or comb, No. Brit and Welsh cirque or corrie or cwm, Scots strath: Oh, to stroll once again the cool valleys and the
heathered hills of home!
vanity n. 1 conceit, conceitedness, egotism, narcissism, arrogance, cockiness, self-importance, vainglory, haughtiness, pride, self-admiration, self-worship, Colloq swell-headedness, big-headedness: It is disgraceful what some people do to satisfy their vanity. 2 vainness, emptiness, hollowness, worthlessness, futility, unreality, bootlessness, pointlessness, uselessness, folly, vapidity, silliness, vacuousness, vacuity, foolishness, fatuity, frivolousness: The vanity of trying to complete the book in a year must be obvious by now.
vapid adj. insipid, flavourless, tasteless, bland, watery, watered down, wishy-washy, jejune, colourless, unpalatable, flat, tame, lifeless, boring, tedious, tiresome, uninteresting, trite,
wearisome, wearying, humdrum, Colloq blah, ho-hum: The minister attacked green politics as vapid romanticism.
vapour n. 1 mist, fog, steam, cloud, smoke, smog, exhalation: There arose from the bog a suffocating, miasmic vapour. 2 the vapours. morbidity, hypochondria, hysteria, nervousness, depression, rheuminess, Archaic distemper, Colloq the pip: Charlotte suffered an attack of the vapours and retired to her room.
variable adj. changeable, protean, changing, inconstant, varying, wavering, mercurial, fickle, capricious, unsteady, unfixed, unstable, uncertain, undependable, unpredictable, fluctuating, vacillating, mutable, chameleonic, chameleon-like: The weather can be quite variable depending on the season.
variance n. 1 variation, difference, disparity, discrepancy, disagreement, deviation, inconsistency, divergence, incongruity: The monitor takes account of minute variance in blood pressure.
2 disagreement, misunderstanding, discord, difference (of opinion), dissension, contention, dispute, dissent, controversy, quarrel, conflict, argument, debate, lack of harmony, falling out, schism, rift: There has never been any variance between us about the disciplining of the children. 3 at variance. in
dispute, in disagreement, quarrelling, in contention, in
conflict: The workforce was at variance with management in the matter of day care.
variant n. 1 alternative, modification, variation: 'Labor' is an American spelling variant of 'labour'.
--adj. 2 varying, variable, changing, altering, unstable, deviant, deviating, different, differing; separate, distinct: It is claimed that the law is given variant interpretations depending on the social standing of the suspect.
variation n. 1 change, changing, alteration, altering, variety, varying, modification, modifying, difference, differing, diversification, diversity, diversifying, modulation, modulating, conversion, converting, permutation, permuting: We have to allow for variation in the intensity of the light. 2 variety, choice, novelty, diversity, departure (from the norm or usual), change of pace, divergence, variegation, deviation (from the norm): This restaurant offers considerable variation in its menu.
varied adj. 1 diverse, diversified, mixed, miscellaneous, assorted, heterogeneous: An insufficiently varied diet may lead to malnutrition. 2 See various, below 3 See variegated, below.
variegated
adj. multicolour(ed), particolour(ed), varicoloured, many-coloured, motley, pied, piebald, brindled, mottled, polychrome, polychromatic; nacreous, changeant, opalescent, opaline: Plants with variegated foliage always add interest to a garden.
variety n. 1 diversity, diversification, multifariousness, multiplicity, number, range, assortment, medley, mixture, mix, miscellany, heterogeneity, choice, selection, collection: Don't you find that the variety of foods in supermarkets today is astonishing? There was certainly a wide variety of people at their party. 2 difference, heterogeneity, discrepancy,
diversity, disparity, variation, contrast: The flora and fauna of Australia display great variety. 3 sort, brand, make, mark, kind, class, category, breed, type, order, genre, species,
genus, classification, strain: Which variety of washing powder do you prefer? Rex cultivated only the rarest varieties of orchid.
various |
adj. 1 different, a number of, a variety of, diversified, |
diverse, several, many, numerous, sundry, heterogeneous, |
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miscellaneous, Literary divers: We are considering various |
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offers for the painting. Catherine held various executive |
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positions in the company. 2 different, distinct, individual: |
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There are various ways of looking at the problem. |
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vary |
v. 1 change, alter, diversify, transform, reshape, remodel, |
restyle, modify, reorganize: We vary the programme each month |
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to make it more interesting. 2 change, switch, alternate, |
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fluctuate, vacillate: The manager's attitude varies from |
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helpful to downright rude. 3 depart, deviate, differ, diverge, |
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shift, veer: These results do not vary from the average by more |
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than five per cent. |
vast |
adj. infinite, unlimited, boundless, limitless, unbounded, |
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interminable, endless, never-ending, inexhaustible, |
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indeterminate, immeasurable, incalculable, measureless; immense, |
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enormous, huge, tremendous, great, prodigious, stupendous, |
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gigantic, massive, voluminous, capacious, colossal, monumental, |
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mammoth, jumbo, elephantine, behemoth, Cyclopean, |
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Brobdingnagian, titanic, Literary vasty, Colloq ginormous, |
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humongous: It is difficult to comprehend the vast distances of |
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space. There is a vast difference between the climates of |
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California and the Midwest. |
vastly |
adv. immensely, greatly, hugely, enormously, considerably, |
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substantially, (almost) entirely, infinitely, exceedingly, |
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extremely, very much, Colloq worlds: Their new house was vastly |
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different from the way I had pictured it. Katy looks vastly |
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better since she lost two stone. |
22.2 vehicle...
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vehicle n. 1 conveyance: The police report that two vehicles were
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damaged in the crash. 2 means, channel, mechanism, carrier, |
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conduit, agency, instrument: Water is the vehicle used in many |
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sprays. |
veil |
n. 1 covering, cover, screen, camouflage, cloak, curtain, mask, |
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shroud: A veil of silence has been drawn over the meetings. He |
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stole away under the veil of darkness. |
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--v. 2 cover, conceal, hide, camouflage, cloak, mask, disguise, |
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shroud, shield, obscure: The writer's identity was veiled from |
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us till recently. |
veiled |
adj. concealed, hidden, masked, obscure, unrevealed, covert, |
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disguised, secret, sub rosa, subtle: There seemed to be a |
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veiled threat in the way he said goodbye. |
vein |
n. 1 blood-vessel; nervure: He killed himself by opening a |
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vein in his wrist. 2 streak, seam, stripe, striation, stria, |
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thread, line: The reddish vein gives this marble a warm |
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feeling. 3 seam, lode, stratum, course, deposit, bed: The |
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prospector discovered a vein of almost pure gold in the old |
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mine. 4 thread, hint, suggestion, touch, trace, streak, line, |
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strain, mood, spirit, tone, note, tenor, feeling, attitude, |
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disposition, humour, temper; tendency or inclination or |
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proclivity toward(s): Underlying her apparent kindness is a |
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vein of bitter hatred. 5 way, manner, course, fashion, style, |
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mode, pattern: He would have continued in that same vein if the |
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chairman hadn't stopped him. |
velocity n. speed, swiftness, rapidity, fleetness, quickness, briskness,
alacrity, celerity, pace, rate of speed, miles per hour, m.p.h., |
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kilometres per hour, km/hr: Our velocity slowed as we neared |
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the outer atmosphere. |
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venal |
adj. corrupt, corruptible, bribable or bribeable, buyable, |
purchasable, mercenary, unprincipled, dishonourable, rapacious, |
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avaricious, greedy, simoniacal, Colloq crooked, Slang bent: All |
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we had to do was to find a venal official, cross his palm with |
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silver, and they would release our son. |
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vendetta |
n. (blood) feud, quarrel, dispute, conflict, rivalry, enmity, |
bitterness, hatred, ill will, bad blood: Fifty years after
leaving Palermo, the vendetta between their families still persisted.
veneer n. gloss, fa‡ade, finish, pretence, (false) front, (outward) show or display, appearance, mask, guise, aspect, superficies: Beneath that veneer of elegance and refinement lie the heart and soul of a monstrous criminal.
venerable adj. respectable, honourable, estimable, respected, honoured, esteemed, august, sedate, impressive, revered, reverenced, worshipped: Venerable old military men were called on for advice.
venerate v. respect, honour, esteem, revere, reverence, worship, hallow, adore, admire, look up to: Schweitzer was widely venerated for his charitable works.
veneration
n. respect, honour, esteem, reverence, deference, homage, devotion, worship, admiration, adoration, idolization, awe: Their veneration for their hero turned to contempt when his past was revealed.
venereal adj. sexual; genital; social, sexually transmitted, gonorrhoeal or gonorrhoeic, syphilitic: Reports indicate that venereal disease has been on the decline since the advent of AIDS.
vengeance n. 1 revenge, retaliation, retribution, requital, reprisal: Her vengeance for what he had done was to disinherit him. 2 with a vengeance. a violently, fiercely, ferociously, wildly, vehemently, furiously, forcefully: The wind blew with a vengeance all night. b energetically, to the fullest extent, to the utmost or the fullest or the limit, (with) no holds barred, enthusiastically, wholeheartedly: Give Richard a job to do and he goes at with a vengeance.
venial adj. forgivable, excusable, pardonable, tolerable, tolerated, minor, petty, insignificant, unimportant, remittable or remissible: That hypocrite considers even his most heinous crimes to be venial.
venom n. 1 poison, toxin: The snakes are 'milked' of their venom, which is collected for research in antitoxins and
pharmaceuticals. 2 malice, maliciousness, malevolence, ill will, malignity, animosity, hate, hatred, hostility, antagonism,
spite, spitefulness, spleen, rancour, bitterness,
embitteredness, gall, poison, poisonousness, virulence: Vinnie was totally unprepared for the venom of the attack.
venomous adj. 1 poisonous, deadly, toxic, dangerous, life-threatening, lethal: There are few venomous snakes in the British Isles. 2 poisonous, virulent, malicious, malevolent, malign, malignant, savage, baleful, envenomed, hostile, antagonistic, spiteful, splenetic, acerbic, rancorous, bitter, embittered, mean,
vicious: That venomous little man caused me to lose my job.
vent |
n. 1 opening, slit, slot, hole, aperture, air-hole, blow-hole, |
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spiracle, orifice, outlet, inlet, funnel, flue, duct, passage; |
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fumarole, fissure, pipe, mofette or moffette: The tepee has a |
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vent at the peak to let the smoke of the fire escape. 2 give |
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vent to. See 3, below. |
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--v. 3 give vent to, express, verbalize, air, articulate, |
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enunciate, declare, voice, announce, communicate, pronounce, |
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proclaim, reveal, release, let go, let loose, allow to become |
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known, make known, blurt out, make public, broadcast: Has |
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Margie ever vented her true feelings about your work as a bomb |
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disposal expert? Arnold vents his spleen on any unfortunate who |
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will stand for it. 4 discharge, release, emit, eject, issue, |
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empty, dump, expel, send or pour out or forth, throw out: It is |
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illegal to vent poisonous fumes into the atmosphere. |
venture n. 1 risk, chance, hazardous undertaking, experiment, speculation, gamble, plunge, fling: Their new publishing venture turned out to be quite a success.
--v. 2 dare(say), make bold, hazard, volunteer, tender, offer, broach, advance, proffer, put forward: Ambrose ventured some nasty remark and was asked to leave. 3 jeopardize, risk, endanger, hazard, imperil; gamble, bet, wager, plunge, put down: Thomas ventured his last chip on the number four.
venturesome
adj. 1 daring, bold, intrepid, adventurous, courageous, plucky, adventuresome, audacious, fearless, doughty, brave, spirited: Henderson felt that he was being truly venturesome by sailing