The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

determination

n. 1 resoluteness, resolution, firmness, resolve, steadfastness, tenacity, perseverance, fortitude, doggedness,

persistence, constancy, single-mindedness, will (power), Colloq grit, guts: The idea is a good one, if only she has the determination to see it through. 2 settlement, resolution, resolving, decision, solution, judgement, verdict, outcome, result, upshot, conclusion, end, termination: None of us could live in peace till the determination of the border dispute. 3 fixing, settling, ascertainment, ascertaining, delimitation, definition: The determination of our position is critical in setting our course.

determine v. 1 settle, decide, clinch, arbitrate, judge, adjudge, conclude, terminate, end: The ambiguity must be determined one way or the other. 2 ascertain, find out, discover, conclude,

infer, draw, learn, detect; verify: From the evidence, they determined the identity of the intruder. 3 decide, choose, select, resolve, make up one's mind, settle on or upon, fix on

or upon: You alone can determine which candidate you want to vote for. 4 affect, influence, act on, shape, condition,

govern, regulate, dictate: There were many factors determining my choice.

determined

adj. 1 decided, resolute, resolved, purposeful, dogged, strong-willed, strong-minded, single-minded, tenacious, intent, firm, unflinching, unwavering, fixed, constant, persistent, persevering, steady, unfaltering, unhesitating, unyielding, stubborn, obstinate, adamant: He was determined not to go. We made a determined effort to locate the wreck. 2 fixed, determinate, definite, exact, precise, distinct, predetermined, ascertained, identified: They worked to a previously determined plan. They agreed to pay a percentage of the determined price.

deterrent n. hindrance, impediment, discouragement, disincentive, dissuasion, check, hitch, obstacle, obstruction, stumbling-block; catch, snag, rub, fly in the ointment, bar, drawback: Some experts hold that the death penalty is no deterrent to murder. The only deterrent to your plan is that we are likely to be caught.

detest v. despise, loathe, hate, abhor, execrate, abominate: They served turnips, which I detest, and sat me next to Ida, whom I also detest.

detour n. 1 diversion, deviation, circuitous route or way, roundabout way, bypass: The detour took us five miles out of our way.

--v. 2 deviate, turn (away) from, divert, bypass: I detoured from the main road and took a short cut.

detract v. detract from. diminish, reduce, take away from, subtract from, lessen, depreciate, disparage: Once you are in the public eye, your slightest fault detracts from your reputation.

detriment n. disadvantage, drawback, liability; damage, harm, ill, impairment, injury, hurt, loss: He has a tendency to support lost causes, to his own detriment. Seeds survive without detriment where their plants would perish.

detrimental

adj. disadvantageous, harmful, injurious, hurtful, damaging, deleterious, destructive, prejudicial, adverse, unfavourable, inimical, pernicious: I know nothing detrimental about either one of them.

devastate v. 1 lay waste, ravage, destroy, waste, sack, raze, ruin, desolate, spoil, wreck, demolish, level, flatten, gut, obliterate: The island was completely devastated by the tidal wave that followed the typhoon. 2 disconcert, confound, discomfit, take aback, nonplus, shatter, overwhelm, abash,

shock; humiliate, mortify, embarrass, chagrin, Colloq floor, US discombobulate: She was devastated by the news of Bertie's expulsion from college.

devastating

adj. 1 keen, incisive, mordant, penetrating, trenchant, telling; sardonic, sarcastic, bitter, acid, caustic, savage, satirical, virulent, vitriolic: Because of his bland manner, his devastating wit often caught people by surprise. 2 ravishing, captivating, enthralling, stunning, overpowering, bewitching, spellbinding; spectacular: Kathy was wearing a devastating black silk dress.

develop v. 1 bring out or forth, advance, expand (on or upon), broaden, enlarge (on or upon), amplify, evolve, expatiate (on or upon), elaborate (on or upon), reveal, lay open, expose, unfold,

disclose, bare, (cause to) grow, realize the potential (of); cultivate, improve, promote, exploit, strengthen: The plot is fine, but the characters need to be developed more fully. It is the aim of the school to develop the students' natural abilities. 2 (make) grow, mature, ripen, age, expand; flower,

blossom, bloom, increase: You can't develop that idea without financial backing. These shrubs will be fully developed next year. 3 exhibit, display, show, demonstrate, manifest: She has recently developed an interest in cooking. 4 emerge, arise, appear, come out, come to light, evolve, originate, begin, commence, happen, occur, come about; come forth, result: A serious fault has developed in the rocket's fuel line. His natural talent for music developed when he joined the school band.

development

n. 1 occurrence, happening, event, incident, circumstance, situation, condition, phenomenon: William Nye will report new developments from the scene. 2 evolution, growth, evolvement, maturation, unfolding, maturing, maturity, increase, expansion, enlargement, increment; advance, advancement, progress; improvement: She has studied the region's economic development.

deviant adj. 1 deviating, divergent, different, abnormal, strange, uncommon, unusual, odd, peculiar, curious, aberrant, eccentric, idiosyncratic, deviate, queer, quirky, weird, bizarre, offbeat, singular, Slang kinky, freaky, Chiefly Brit bent: They have been observing his deviant behaviour for some time. 2 See homosexual, 2, below.

--n. 3 See homosexual, 1, below.

deviate v. 1 turn aside or away, swerve, veer, wander, stray, drift, digress, diverge; divert: He has chosen a path that deviates from the straight and narrow.

--adj., n. 2 See deviant, 1, 3, above.

device n. 1 contrivance, mechanism, machine, machinery, implement, utensil, apparatus, instrument, appliance, tool, gadget,

gimmick, Colloq contraption, widget, thingumajig or thingamajig, Brit gubbins: She has patented a device for peeling hard-boiled eggs. 2 stratagem, scheme, trick, artifice, ruse, plot, ploy, gambit, strategy, manoeuvre, machination; machinery, apparatus,

mechanism, contrivance, gimmick, tool, weapon: They resorted to a variety of devices in order to achieve their ends. That lawyer used every device he could think of to separate Cornelia from

her inheritance. 3 design, emblem, figure, (heraldic) bearing, insigne, cadency mark, mark of cadency, hallmark, trade mark, symbol, badge, coat of arms, seal, crest, colophon, logotype, logo, monogram, charge, cognizance, signet; motto, slogan, legend: The device - a closed eye - is that of Lord Boring. 4 devices. pleasure, disposition, will, inclination, fancy,

desire, whim: Left to his own devices, he'll survive very well indeed.

devil n. 1 Satan, Lucifer, Mephistopheles, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Abaddon, Apollyon, Belial, Lord of the Flies, prince of darkness, spirit of evil, evil spirit, cacodemon or cacodaemon, evil one, wicked one, archfiend, Fiend, deuce, Scots Clootie; Colloq Old Harry, (Old) Nick, US (Old) Scratch: In medieval times the devil was given horns, a tail, and cloven hooves. 2 brute, fiend, demon, beast, ogre, monster, rogue, scoundrel, rake, knave, rakehell, villain, ghoul, hell-hound, vampire, barbarian; witch, hell-cat, shrew, termagant, vixen, virago, ogress, harpy, hag, Xanthippe or Xantippe, crone: If you hit me again I'll phone the police, you devil! 3 fellow, person, chap, wretch, bloke, guy, beggar, unfortunate, Colloq bugger, Brit sod: The poor devil lost an arm at Gallipoli. 4 imp, scamp, rascal, fox, slyboots, sly dog, rapscallion, confidence man, trickster, Colloq operator, smoothie, smooth or slick operator, con man, con artist: The little devil has stolen our hearts.

The devil wormed his way into our confidence and then made off with our money. 5 like the devil. exceedingly, extremely, excessively, violently, speedily, confoundedly, deucedly: The car was going like the devil when it hit the tree. She fought

like the devil to protect the house. 6 - the devil. in heaven's name, the dickens, in the world, on God's green earth, in hell: What the devil do you think you are doing? Who the devil is she? Where the devil have you put my trousers?

devilish adj. diabolic(al), satanic, Mephistophelian, fiendish, demonic, cacodemonic, demoniac(al), infernal, hellish, villainous,

Colloq buff, fiend, US hound; Slang bug, nut, freak, US head, junkie, groupie: The band was followed about on tour by scores of screaming devotees of rock music.

devotion n. 1 devotedness, devoutness, reverence; earnestness, religiousness, piety, religiosity, pietism, godliness, holiness, spirituality, sanctity; worship, prayer, observance, ritual:

The sect was noted for its devotion to martyrs and their relics. It is gratifying to see such devotion amongst the younger members of the congregation. They interrupted the holy man at his devotions. 2 dedication, consecration, attachment, loyalty, devotedness: His devotion to duty will be remembered by his fellow soldiers. 3 zeal, ardour, fervour, ardency, intensity, fanaticism, eagerness, enthusiasm, earnestness, readiness, willingness; love, passion, infatuation, fondness, affection,

attachment, adherence, loyalty, allegiance: They would dedicate themselves with slavish devotion to some brutal master.

devour v. 1 wolf (down), gulp (down), bolt, swallow (up), gorge, gobble (up), gormandize, cram, stuff, eat (up) greedily, Archaic gluttonize; Colloq Brit pig, US and Canadian pig out (on): He was so hungry when he came in that he devoured two whole pies and a plate of chips. 2 consume, waste, destroy, wipe out, ravage, annihilate, demolish, ruin, wreak havoc (up)on, devastate, obliterate, eradicate: A quarter of Europe was already devoured by the plague. 3 relish, revel in, absorb, be absorbed by; engulf, consume, drink in, eat up, swallow up, take in; swamp, overcome, overwhelm: He eagerly devoured all of Dickens's novels. The sea devoured its victims silently.

devout adj. 1 devoted, pious, religious, reverent, worshipful, faithful, dedicated, staunch, churchgoing; holy, godly, saintly, pure: When I last saw him, he had become a devout Christian. 2 devotional, reverential, religious, solemn: Through devout prayer one might see the kingdom of heaven. 3 earnest, sincere, genuine, hearty, heartfelt, devoted, ardent, zealous: You have my devout best wishes for your happiness.

dexterity n. 1 touch, nimbleness, adroitness, deftness, facility, knack, skill, proficiency; sleight of hand: Much fine rug-weaving is done by little children because of the dexterity of their small fingers. 2 cleverness, ingenuity, ingeniousness, tact, astuteness, keenness, sharpness, shrewdness, cunning, guile,

canniness, artfulness: I admire his dexterity in arguing the case in court. He exercised great dexterity in eluding capture.

dexterous adj. 1 dextrous, deft, lithe, nimble, supple, agile, quick, skilful: He was a dexterous archer. 2 clever, ingenious, astute, keen, sharp, shrewd, cunning, guileful, canny, artful, crafty, slick: She was devout in religion, decorous in conduct, and dexterous in business. He was the most dexterous of our political leaders.

4.3 diabolic...

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diabolic adj. 1 diabolical, devilish, satanic, Mephistophelian, demonic, demoniac(al), fiendish, hellish, infernal: His interest in the supernatural included participation in diabolic rituals of the

most repulsive kind. 2 diabolical, cruel, wicked, iniquitous, evil, fiendish, appalling, dreadful, inhuman, atrocious, execrable, abominable, awful, terrible, damnable, accursed, horrid, horrible, hideous, monstrous, odious, vile, base, corrupt, foul, depraved, flagitious, heinous, malicious, malevolent, malign, maleficent, sinister, sinful, impious, bad: The prisoners suffered the most diabolic treatment.

diagnose v. identify, name, determine, recognize, distinguish, pinpoint, interpret; analyse: The doctor diagnosed the symptoms as those of rheumatoid arthritis.

dialect n. speech (pattern), phraseology, idiom, accent, pronunciation, patois, vernacular; jargon, cant, slang, argot, language,

tongue, Creole, pidgin; brogue, burr, Colloq lingo: Some of the regional dialects are hard to understand.

dialogue n. 1 duologue, conversation, discussion, conference, talk, chat, colloquy, communication: I wrote down that dialogue - it was hilarious! 2 parley, conference, meeting, huddle, tˆte-…-tˆte, colloquy, Colloq US and Canadian rap session: A

meaningful dialogue between labour and management could easily settle the question.

diary n. appointment book, date-book, calendar, engagement book; journal, chronicle, log, record, annal(s): According to my

diary, the date we dined was the lst.

--n. 2 bargain, deal, haggle, negotiation: We had a bit of a dicker but finally settled on a figure.

(the law), order, direct, pronounce, impose: It is our leader who dictates what we may say and do.

--n. 2 decree, demand, command, order, direction, instruction, charge, pronouncement, edict, fiat, ukase, mandate, caveat, injunction, requirement, bidding, behest: Each must act in accord with the dictates of his conscience.

dictator n. autocrat, absolute ruler or monarch, despot, overlord, oppressor, tsar or czar, tyrant, Fuehrer or F•hrer: Among monarchs, Henry VIII certainly could have been characterized as a dictator.

dictatorial

adj. 1 absolute, arbitrary, totalitarian, authoritarian,

autocratic, all-powerful, omnipotent, unlimited: The peoples of some countries often confer dictatorial powers on their leaders. 2 despotic, tyrannical, authoritarian, iron-handed, domineering, imperious, overbearing, Colloq bossy: The dictatorial way she runs the department makes those who work there miserable.

diction n. 1 language, wording, (verbal or writing) style, expression, usage, expressiveness, terminology, word choice, vocabulary, phraseology, phrasing, rhetoric: Please go over my paper and correct the diction. 2 articulation, pronunciation,

enunciation, delivery, elocution, oratory, presentation, speech, intonation, inflection: That course in public speaking, improved Brian's diction enormously.

dictionary

n. lexicon, glossary, wordbook; thesaurus: My dictionary gives the pronunciation, etymology, and meanings of hundreds of thousands of words.

differ v. 1 diverge, deviate, be separate or distinct, be dissimilar or different, contrast; depart: Even the leaves of the same tree differ from one another. These substances differ in their magnetic properties. 2 disagree, conflict, contradict, be contradictory, vary, be at variance, take issue, part company, fall out, quarrel, argue: Opinions differ as to the best way to bring up children. She differed with me on many subjects.

difference

n. 1 distinction, dissimilarity, discrepancy, unlikeness, disagreement, inconsistency, diversity, variation, imbalance; inequality, dissimilitude, incongruity, contrast, contradistinction, contrariety: Difference of opinion can be constructive in a business partnership. Being colour-blind, he cannot tell the difference between red and green. 2 Often, differences. dispute, quarrel, argument, disagreement, dissension, conflict: We were able to settle our differences amicably. 3 change, alteration, metamorphosis, reformation, transformation, conversion, adjustment, modification: Since her operation, the difference in Philippa is surprising. 4 idiosyncrasy, peculiarity, characteristic, character, nature:

There are important differences between socialism and communism. 5 rest, remainder, leftovers, balance: After each had taken his share, the difference was 12, which we divided equally among the four of us.

different adj. 1 unlike, unalike, dissimilar, conflicting; contrary, discrete, contrastive, contrasting, disparate, divergent, diverse, distinct, opposite, separate, distinguishable; another or other: We both enjoy boating but in different ways. When modelling, she assumes a different pose every few seconds. 2 unique, unusual, peculiar, odd, singular, particular, distinctive, personal, extraordinary, special, remarkable, bizarre, rare, weird, strange, unconventional, original, out of

the ordinary; new, novel, exceptional, unheard-of: And now, for something completely different, we present a juggling trick cyclist. 3 assorted, manifold, multifarious, numerous, abundant, sundry, various, varied, divers, many, several: Different kinds of breakfast cereal are now available.

differentiate

v. 1 distinguish, discriminate, contradistinguish, separate, contrast, oppose, set off or apart, tell apart: They must learn