The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

--n. 3 epicure: It was a meal that would have won the approval of the greatest epicureans.

epidemic adj. 1 widespread, universal, prevalent, prevailing, rampant, general, wide-ranging, pandemic: The disease has reached epidemic proportions.

--n. 2 plague, pestilence, scourge, rash, growth, upsurge, outbreak, spread: An epidemic of anthrax has affected the cattle.

epigram n. 1 witticism, bon mot, quip, mot, turn of phrase, jeu d'esprit, Atticism; pun, double entendre, jeu de mots, play on words, equivoque; paronomasia: His epigram characterizing Eskimos as 'God's frozen people' was widely quoted. 2 proverb, aphorism, maxim, saw, saying, adage, apophthegm or apothegm: 'Nothing succeeds like success' is his favourite epigram.

epigrammatic

adj. pithy, terse, laconic, concise, succinct, compendious, piquant, pungent, trenchant, sententious, witty, pointed, proverbial, aphoristic, apophthegmatic or apothegmatic, Colloq snappy, punchy: Oscar Wilde is known for his epigrammatic sayings.

archetype, exemplar, (typical) example, model, prototype: My secretary is the epitome of laziness. 2 summary, abstract, condensation, synopsis, digest, compendium, abridgement, abbreviation, conspectus, r‚sum‚, contraction; outline, pr‚cis, syllabus: The chairman wants an epitome of the report by lunch-time.

5.13 equable...

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equable adj. 1 even-tempered, easygoing, serene, calm, placid, composed, cool, imperturbable, collected, unruffled, tranquil, peaceful, level-headed, Colloq unflappable: With his equable temperament, Edgar is the man for the job. 2 uniform, unvarying, unvaried, consistent, stable, steady, regular, even, unchanging, invariable, constant: We moved to the Caribbean because of its equable climate.

equal adj. 1 identical, the same (as), interchangeable, one and the same, coequal, selfsame; like, alike, tantamount, similar (to), equivalent, commensurate: This year's sales figures are equal to last year's. 2 uniform, regular, corresponding,

correspondent, congruent, congruous, (evenly) balanced, (evenly) matched, matching; equivalent, even; commensurate, comparable, proportionate, (evenly) proportioned, harmonious, symmetrical; Colloq fifty-fifty, Brit level pegging, US even Steven: Women are entitled to equal employment opportunities. The scores are equal. 3 equal to. up to, capable of, fit(ted) or suited or

suitable for, adequate for, Archaic or literary sufficient unto: Are you sure that Renwick is equal to the responsibility?

--n. 4 peer, colleague, fellow, brother, mate, counterpart, equivalent, alter ego, compeer: Constance is certainly anyone's equal in intelligence.

--v. 5 match, meet, even, correspond (to), square (with), tally (with), tie (with), parallel, come up to; rival: He will never be able to equal the world record.

equality n. 1 parity, sameness, identity, coequality, uniformity: The equality of the two bids was very suspicious. 2 similarity, likeness, resemblance, equivalence, correspondence, conformity, congruence, similitude, analogy, comparability, comparison, coincidence: The equality between their performances is surprising. 3 impartiality, fairness, justice; egalitarianism: Surely we all deserve equality of treatment under the law.

equalize v. regularize, even up, square, balance, equate, match, standardize, (make) equal: Equalize the amounts of liquid in all the containers.

equip v. furnish, provide, supply, stock, outfit, fit (out or up), rig (out or up), accoutre, array, attire, dress, deck (out),

caparison, clothe, Chiefly Brit kit out or up: We can equip you with any scuba gear you may require.

equipment n. gear, apparatus, furnishings, accoutrements, appurtenances, paraphernalia, kit, materiel or mat‚riel, tackle, outfit,

trappings, tack, equipage, Colloq Brit clobber: They spent a fortune on mountain-climbing equipment.

equitable adj. fair, even-handed, just, impartial, objective, unbiased, unprejudiced, square, fair-minded, open-minded, disinterested, dispassionate, neutral, tolerant, unbigoted, reasonable, judicious, ethical, principled, moral, proper, right-minded, Colloq fair and square: Suspects have the right to equitable treatment.

equity n. fairness, impartiality, even-handedness, justice, fair play, objectivity, disinterest, fair-mindedness, equitableness, open-mindedness, disinterestedness, neutrality, tolerance, judiciousness, right-mindedness, high-mindedness: This court recognizes the equity of your claim.

equivalent

adj. 1 tantamount, commensurate, alike, similar, close, comparable, corresponding, interchangeable, equal, synonymous, of a piece or a kind: He didn't really believe that women's

rights should be equivalent to men's.

--n. 2 match, equal, peer, counterpart, twin: The garage could not supply the same part but they offered an equivalent.

equivocal adj. 1 evasive, misleading, roundabout, hedging, suspicious, duplicitous, questionable, oblique, circumlocutory, ambagious, ambivalent, amphibolic or amphibolous, Colloq waffling, wishy-washy: When asked about the guarantee, they gave an equivocal answer. 2 ambiguous, vague, hazy, indefinite, unclear, indistinct, enigmatic(al), puzzling, perplexing, indeterminate, uncertain, Colloq waffling: Just say Yes or No - none of your equivocal responses.

equivocate

v. evade, mislead, hedge, deceive, quibble, dodge, weasel out (of), double-talk, fence, sidestep, skirt, avoid, tergiversate, prevaricate, Colloq waffle, beat about the bush, pussyfoot: I

wish she'd confirm or deny it and stop equivocating.

5.14 era...

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erode v. wear (down or away), eat away, grind down, abrade, gnaw away (at), consume, corrode, wash away; deteriorate, destroy,

deplete, reduce, diminish: Water has eroded the rock. Their continued lying has eroded my confidence in their honesty.

erosion n. wear (and tear), wearing (down or away), wasting away, washing or grinding or rubbing away, corroding, corrosion, abrading, abrasion, eating or gnawing away, chafing, fraying, weathering, attrition: Erosion by rainwater has washed away the topsoil.

erotic adj. 1 sensual, stimulating, suggestive, titillating, risqu‚, bawdy, ribald, seductive, voluptuous, lustful, Colloq sexy: Some insist that there is a difference between pornographic and erotic literature. 2 amatory, venereal, amorous, anacreontic: Many classical poets wrote erotic verse. 3 erogenous, naughty, carnal, arousing, rousing, aphrodisiac, libidinous, lubricious

or lubricous, prurient, lascivious, lewd, concupiscent,

errand n. 1 trip, journey: She was on an errand of mercy. 2 mission, charge, assignment, commission, task, duty: Francis is out running some errands for me.

erratic adj. 1 irregular, unpredictable, inconsistent, unreliable, capricious, changeable, variable; wayward, unstable, aberrant, flighty: The buses run on an erratic schedule. 2 peculiar, abnormal, wayward, odd, eccentric, outlandish, strange, unusual, unorthodox, extraordinary, queer, quaint, bizarre, weird, unconventional: He thinks that his erratic behaviour marks him as an individualist. 3 wandering, meandering, directionless, planetary, aimless, haphazard, discursive, errant, divagatory: Their course was erratic, following the loss of their compass.

erroneous adj. wrong, mistaken, incorrect, inaccurate, inexact, imprecise, amiss, awry, false, faulty, misleading, flawed, botched, bungled, unsound, invalid, untrue, fallacious, spurious, counterfeit, Colloq off the mark, off course, Brit off beam, US off the beam: He gives the erroneous impression of being intelligent. 'Seperate' is an erroneous spelling of 'separate'.

error n. 1 mistake, inaccuracy, fault, flaw, blunder, slip, gaffe; misprint, typographical error, erratum, solecism; Brit literal, Colloq slip-up, goof, clanger, fluff, boo-boo, howler, Brit bloomer, Slang foul-up, boner, Brit boob: I cannot accept a report so full of errors. 2 sin, transgression, trespass, offence, indiscretion, wrongdoing, misconduct, iniquity, evil,

wickedness, flagitiousness: He seems to have seen the error of his ways. 3 in error. a wrong, mistaken, incorrect, at fault:

She was in error about the date of the conference. b mistakenly, incorrectly, by mistake, erroneously: I caught the earlier train in error.

erupt v. 1 eject, discharge, expel, emit, burst forth or out, blow up, explode, spew forth or out, break out, spout, vomit (up or forth), throw up or off, spit out or up, belch (forth), gush: The volcano erupted ash and lava. 2 appear, come out, break out: A boil erupted on his chin.

eruption n. 1 outbreak, outburst, discharge, expulsion, emission, bursting forth, explosion, spouting, vomiting (up or forth), belching forth: The eruption of Vesuvius killed thousands in Pompeii. 2 outbreak, rash: The doctor said the eruption would disappear in a day.

5.15 escape...

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escape v. 1 get away, break out or free, bolt, flee, fly, run away or off, elope, decamp, abscond, steal or slip off or away, take to one's heels, take French leave, disappear, vanish, Brit levant, Colloq take off, clear out, cut and run, duck out, make oneself scarce, do a disappearing act, Brit do a moonlight flit, US vamoose, hightail it, skedaddle, US and Canadian skip (town), fly the coop, cut out; Slang vamoose, Brit do a bunk, bugger off, mizzle off, US and Canadian scram, blow, lam out, take it on the lam, take a (run-out) powder, Chiefly Australian shoot through: They escaped when I wasn't looking. 2 evade, elude, avoid, dodge: They escaped detection for years by hiding in a deserted monastery. 3 drain, leak, issue, seep, discharge, emanate: Steam was escaping through a hole. 4 elude, evade, baffle, stump, mystify, puzzle, be forgotten by, be beyond (someone): How the thing started escapes me for the moment.

--n. 5 flight, getaway, departure, decampment, bolt, jailbreak, prison-break, Colloq break, break-out: The escape was planned for midnight. 6 distraction, relief, diversion, recreation: He watches westerns as an escape. 7 leakage, leaking, seepage, seeping, drainage, draining, leak, discharge, outpouring, outflow, effluence, efflux, effluxion: An escape of radioactive waste from the nuclear power station had been reported earlier.

escort n. 1 guard, convoy, bodyguard, protection, guardian, protector, chaperon, cortege or cortŠge, retinue, entourage, safe conduct, usher, companion: The king rode in with his armed escort. 2 guide, attendant, conductor, leader, cicerone: The curator

acted as our escort through the museum. 3 companion; date, boyfriend, beau: Donald is Thea's escort to the ball.

--v. 4 accompany, shepherd, squire, usher, conduct, guide, attend: Would you please escort Denise in to dinner? 5 guard, convoy, protect, watch over: The oil tankers were escorted by destroyers.

especially

adv. 1 particularly, specially, specifically, exceptionally, conspicuously, singularly, remarkably, extraordinarily, unusually, uncommonly, peculiarly, outstandingly, uniquely, notably, strikingly, noticeably, markedly, signally: She was especially good at mathematics. 2 chiefly, mainly, predominantly, primarily, principally, first, firstly, first of all, above all: He is especially interested in music.

essay n. 1 article, composition, paper, theme, piece; thesis, dissertation, disquisition, tract: Her essay is on the life cycle of the flea. 2 attempt, effort, try, endeavour, venture; Colloq shot, go: This is his first essay into the financial world.

--v. 3 try, attempt, endeavour, strive, make an effort, undertake, venture, tackle, test, go about, Colloq take a crack or whack or stab at, Slang have a go at, give (it or something) a shot, have a go or bash (at): Let him essay to do better.

essence n. 1 quintessence, quiddity, (essential) nature, substance, spirit, being, heart, core, pith, kernel, marrow, soul, significance, (active) principle, crux, cornerstone, foundation-stone, Colloq bottom line: The essence of her argument is that animals have the same rights as people. 2 extract, concentrate, distillate, elixir, tincture: The room smelled faintly of essence of roses. 3 in essence. essentially, basically, fundamentally, materially, substantially, at bottom, in the final analysis, au fond; in effect, virtually: In

essence, there is little to choose between Trotskyism and

Stalinism. 4 of the essence. essential, critical, crucial, vital, indispensable, requisite, important: In this job, time is of the essence.

essential adj. 1 indispensable, necessary, requisite, required, important, imperative, vital, material, quintessential: A strong defence is essential to peace. 2 fundamental, basic, intrinsic, elemental, elementary, principal, primary, key, main, leading, chief: Yeast or baking powder is an essential ingredient of bread.

establish v. 1 found, create, institute, set up, start, begin, inaugurate, organize, form, constitute; decree, enact, ordain,

introduce: The company was established in 1796. A new law was established to protect consumers. 2 secure, settle, fix,

entrench, install or instal, seat, ensconce; lodge, locate; station: Hitler became established as dictator in 1933. Are you established in your new house? 3 prove, confirm, certify, verify, affirm, determine, authenticate, demonstrate, show, substantiate, corroborate, validate, support, back (up): It

will be difficult to establish exactly how the crime was committed.

establishment

n. 1 foundation, founding, formation, organization, construction, creation, origin, origination, institution, inauguration, setting up: We look forward to the establishment

of a democratic government. 2 business, concern, firm, company, enterprise, institution, organization; office; shop, store,

market: He works for a retail establishment. 3 the Establishment. the system, the government, the authorities, the administration, the power structure, the ruling class, the (established) order, the conservatives,the powers that be; the Church: The press must not be under the control of the Establishment.

estate n. 1 property, holdings, domain, demesne, land, landed estate, manor, mansion: They live on a large estate in the south of France. 2 property, holdings, assets, capital, resources,

wealth, fortune; belongings, possessions, chattels: The estate was divided among the heirs. 3 estate of the realm, class, caste, order, standing, position, (social) status, state,

station, place, situation, stratum, level, rank: By virtue of

her high estate, she is entitled to certain privileges. 4 development, Brit (housing or industrial or trading) estate: They live in a council house on an estate near Reading.

esteem v. 1 respect, value, treasure, prize, cherish, hold dear, appreciate, admire, look up to, regard highly, venerate, revere, reverence, honour, defer to; like, love, adore: The novels of Virginia Woolf were greatly esteemed by a small intellectual group. 2 consider, judge, deem, view, regard, hold, estimate, account, believe, think, rate, rank, reckon, evaluate: The Duke was esteemed throughout Europe as 'the perfect knight'.

--n. 3 estimation, (high) regard, respect, (high) opinion, favour, admiration, appreciation, approval, approbation: He holds her talents in very high esteem. My esteem for your father's accomplishments is undiminished.

estimable adj. esteemed, respectable, respected, admirable, admired, valuable, valued, creditable, worthy, meritorious, reputable, honoured, honourable, laudable, praiseworthy, commendable, excellent, good: I want you to meet my estimable friend, Esterhazy.

estimate v. 1 approximate, gauge, determine, judge, guess; assess, appraise, value, evaluate, reckon, calculate, work out, Colloq guestimate or guesstimate: Experts estimated the cost of restoration at œ10,000. 2 consider, think, believe, guess, conjecture, judge: I estimate our chances of success as very low.

--n. 3 approximation, gauge, guess, conjecture, assessment, appraisal, evaluation, reckoning, calculation, Colloq guestimate or guesstimate: What is your estimate of the company's value? 4 estimation, belief, opinion, judgement, thinking, feeling, sentiment, sense, (point of) view, viewpoint: My estimate of his abilities is that he is not the man for the job.

estimation

n. 1 opinion, judgement, view, (way of) thinking, mind: In my estimation, the scheme will fail. 2 esteem, regard, respect, admiration: Her estimation of his talent is unflagging. 3 estimate, approximation, guess, gauge: You must make an estimation of the value for insurance purposes.

estranged adj. alienated, divided, separated, withdrawn, disaffected, driven apart, dissociated, disassociated: Iain Carstairs has had a lot of trouble with his estranged wife.

5.16 etch...

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etch v. 1 engrave, incise, carve, inscribe, grave, cut, score, scratch, corrode, eat into: After the design has been painted on, acid is used to etch the metal plate. 2 impress, imprint, engrave, ingrain: The scene will be etched into my memory forever.

eternal adj. 1 everlasting, timeless, infinite, endless, immortal, limitless: They pledged eternal love for one another. 2 unending, endless, ceaseless, unceasing, incessant, perpetual, constant, continuous, interminable, uninterrupted, non-stop, unremitting, persistent, relentless; continual, recurrent: I'm sick and tired of my neighbours' eternal arguing. 3 unchanged, unchanging, immutable, invariable, unvarying, unalterable, permanent, fixed, constant, everlasting, enduring, lasting, undiminished, unfaltering, unwavering: To the north there was only the eternal silence of the greatest desolation.

eternity n. endlessness, everlastingness, unendingness, boundlessness, perpetuity, timelessness, infinity: Many religions believe in

the eternity of the soul.

ethical adj. moral, upright, righteous, right, just, principled, correct, honest, proper, open, decent, fair, good, virtuous, straightforward, high-minded, noble: It wasn't ethical of him to disclose details of the report.

etiquette n. code (of behaviour), form, convention, ceremony, formalities, protocol, rules, custom(s), decorum, propriety, politesse, politeness, courtesy, (good) manners, civility, seemliness: Etiquette requires that you address me as 'Sir'.

5.17 eulogize...

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