The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms
.pdf
|
been plentiful this year, especially pheasant and quail. He is |
|
fair game for any unscrupulous swindler. 6 play games. |
|
dissemble, dissimulate, be deceitful or underhand, misrepresent, |
|
pretend, practise deceit or deception, fake, feign: She wasn't |
|
serious about selling, she was just playing games. |
|
--adj. 7 ready, willing, prepared; plucky or spirited or daring |
|
or adventurous enough: She's game for anything: I'm sure she'll |
|
jump at the chance of scuba-diving lessons. 8 plucky, spirited, |
|
high-spirited, daring, devil-may-care, adventurous, unflinching, |
|
courageous, brave, bold, heroic, Colloq nervy, gutsy: Entering |
|
the cave to rescue the dog was a game thing for him to do. |
|
--v. 9 gamble: He has taken up gaming as a hobby. |
gamut |
n. range, scale, spectrum, compass, spread, sweep, field, |
|
series: Parker said that Hepburn's acting ran the whole gamut |
|
of emotions from A to B. |
gang |
n. 1 group, band, crowd, company, pack, mob, ring: The police |
|
are looking for the gang that robbed the mail train. 2 clique, |
|
set, coterie, circle, party, company, team, troupe: A whole |
|
gang of my friends came over yesterday evening. |
|
--v. 3 gang up (on or against.) conspire or plot against, |
|
combine or unite or unify or join (against), league or ally or |
|
club or band (against), join forces (against), overwhelm: When |
|
they all ganged up on me, I decided to change my mind. |
gangster n. criminal, gang member, racketeer, Mafioso, soldier, |
|
|
hooligan, gunman, thug, mugger, robber, tough, ruffian, |
|
desperado, brigand, bandit, Brit skinhead, Australian and New |
|
Zealand larrikin, Chiefly US and Canadian hoodlum, gunslinger, |
|
Colloq crook; Slang hood, hit man, US gunsel, torpedo, mobster, |
|
goon: The gangsters were arrested for smuggling cocaine. |
gap |
n. 1 opening, space, aperture, distance, hole, void, gulf, |
|
cavity, break, breach, crevice, chink, crack, split, division, |
|
cleft, rift, rip, tear, rent; interruption, interval, lacuna, |
|
hiatus, discontinuity, disruption; lull, pause, rest, recess, |
|
halt, stop, suspension, delay, wait, intermission, respite: The |
gap between the walls is just big enough for a child. I can see through a gap in the curtain. There is a gap in his payment
record. 2 difference, divergence, disparity, disagreement, inconsistency, discrepancy; division, distinction: A gap exists between your ideas of justice and mine.
gape |
v. 1 stare, gawk, goggle, Slang rubberneck, Brit gawp or gaup: |
She gaped when they brought in the boar's head. 2 yawn, open |
|
wide, part; split: The jaws of the huge shark gaped to swallow |
|
the diver. |
|
garbage |
n. rubbish, refuse, waste, muck, offal, sweepings, swill, |
filth, slops, dross, scraps, junk, litter, debris, detritus, |
|
Chiefly US and Canadian trash, Slang crap: The garbage in the |
|
river is a health hazard. |
|
garble |
v. 1 warp, distort, twist, corrupt, adulterate, slant, colour, |
mangle, mutilate, pervert, doctor, falsify, misrepresent, belie, misstate, misquote, misreport, mistranslate, misrender; misunderstand, misconstrue, misread: She has garbled the story and it makes no sense. I've garbled your message completely. 2 confuse, mix up, jumble, mumble, mutter: He garbles his words so badly that I cannot understand him.
garish adj. gaudy, flashy, glaring, cheap, tawdry, florid, raffish, vulgar, harsh, loud, meretricious, Brummagem, showy, crude, tasteless, Colloq flash, Slang US glitzy: Their flat is filled with the most garish decorations.
garland n. 1 wreath, festoon, crown, chaplet, circlet: Diana crowned the sleeping Endymion with a garland of flowers.
--v. 2 wreathe, festoon, crown, decorate, coil, spiral, encircle, ring, circle: The columns were all garlanded with brightly coloured paper decorations.
garments n.pl. garb, clothes, clothing, raiment, dress, attire, apparel, costume, outfit, habit, vestments, habiliment; wardrobe; uniform, livery; Colloq duds, rig, togs, Slang rags, threads, gear: All his garments are custom-made in Savile Row.
garner v. gather, collect, accumulate, assemble, amass, store (up), stock (up), husband, lay in or up or down or by, heap or pile up, put away or by, stow (away), cache, store, save, reserve: He garnered what he could from the family estate.
gash |
n. 1 cut, slash, wound, score, cleft, incision, laceration, |
|
slit, groove, split: The chisel slipped, cutting a deep gash in |
|
the table. |
|
--v. 2 cut, slash, wound, score, cleave, incise, lacerate, |
|
slit, groove, split: I've gashed my hand on a rusty nail. |
gasp |
v. 1 pant, gulp for air, fight for air or breath; catch one's |
|
breath, snort, huff, puff: I gasped when I saw the condition of |
|
the room. |
|
--n. 2 snort, puff, blow, gulp, wheeze: He gave a gasp of |
|
horror. |
gate |
n. 1 gateway, barrier, doorway, door, access, entrance, exit, |
|
passage, opening: The garden gate sagged on its hinges. 2 |
|
admissions, attendance, crowd, audience, assemblage: We had the |
|
biggest gate of the year at yesterday's game. |
gather |
v. 1 collect, assemble, accumulate, amass, muster, heap or pile |
|
(up), garner, pick, harvest, glean, get or bring together, |
|
stockpile, stock: I gathered all the firewood I could find. 2 |
|
collect, assemble, convene, meet, huddle, forgather or |
|
foregather, get or come together, congregate, turn out, flock or |
|
herd (together), group, cluster, throng, crowd, swarm, rally: |
|
We gathered round the old man's bed. 3 purse, shirr, pucker, |
|
tuck, ruffle, pleat, draw or pull together, contract, constrict: |
|
The fabric is gathered at the waist. 4 draw, conclude, infer, |
|
assume, deduce, understand, learn, hear, be led to believe: I |
|
gather that you'd prefer not to collect the award in person. 5 |
|
increase, grow, enlarge, expand, extend, wax, heighten, deepen, |
|
intensify, build, rise: He stood, menacingly, in the gathering |
|
shadows. |
gathering n. assembly, convocation, convention, congress, assemblage, meeting, get-together, turnout, conclave, rally, aggregation: There is a gathering of the clan once a year.
gaudy adj. garish, flashy, glaring, tawdry, loud, cheap, florid, showy, ostentatious, raffish, vulgar, crude, tasteless, Brummagem, meretricious, tinselly, gimcrack, shoddy, trashy, Brit tatty, US and Canadian honky-tonk, Colloq US tacky,
chintzy: The carnival stands were painted pink, purple, and other gaudy colours.
gauge v. 1 measure, determine, weigh, calculate, compute, reckon, figure, US technical also gage: Try to gauge the height of that building. 2 judge, evaluate, appraise, assess, rate, estimate, guess, US technical also gage: How can we gauge the strength of the opposition?
|
--n. 3 standard, yardstick, criterion, benchmark, basis, |
|
measure, norm, model, example, pattern, rule, touchstone, test, |
|
guide, guideline, US litmus test, Technical also gage: You |
|
cannot use your compulsive work habits as a gauge for others. 4 |
|
scope, capacity, amount, extent, measure, size, dimension(s), |
|
magnitude, degree, limit: There are a number of narrow-gauge |
|
railways in Wales. What will be the gauge of your involvement in |
|
the enterprise? |
gaunt |
adj. 1 emaciated, scrawny, raw-boned, bony, angular, haggard, |
|
skeletal, wasted, starved-looking, cadaverous, scraggy, spindly, |
|
meagre, hollow-cheeked, spare, skinny, lank(y), pinched, thin, |
|
underweight: We were shocked by the gaunt faces of the famine |
|
victims. 2 dreary, dismal, bleak, bare, barren, deserted, |
|
desolate, harsh, hostile, unfriendly, inimical, stern, |
|
forbidding, stark, grim, forlorn: Under the low cloud, the moor |
|
looked even more gaunt than usual. |
gawk |
n. 1 oaf, lout, bumpkin, clod, boor, churl, dolt, dunderhead or |
|
dunderpate, ninny, ninny-hammer, ignoramus, fool, simpleton, |
|
ass, bungler, bumbler, Colloq clodhopper, lummox, Slang chiefly |
|
US old-fashioned galoot or galloot, lug: You big gawk, get out |
|
of my way! |
|
--v. 2 stare, goggle, gape, Colloq rubberneck, Slang Brit gawp |
|
or gaup: Stop gawking and help me get him to a hospital. |
gay |
adj. 1 See homosexual, 1, below. 2 happy, blithe, jovial, |
|
light-hearted, carefree, debonair, cheerful, gleeful, bright, |
|
joyful, joyous, jubilant, high-spirited, merry, lively, |
|
vivacious, buoyant, effervescent, bubbly, bubbling, sparkling, |
|
US chipper: In those days our hearts were young and gay. 3 |
|
garish, gaudy, flashy, bright, brilliant, vivid, many-coloured: |
|
The gay decorations added to the atmosphere to the party. |
|
--n. 4 See homosexual, 2, below. |
gaze |
v. 1 look at or on or upon or over, view, regard, contemplate, |
|
stare; wonder, gape: She stood gazing out to sea. I gazed at |
|
the screen in disbelief. |
|
--n. 2 fixed or steady or intent look, stare, look: His gaze |
|
faltered and he averted his eyes. |
7.2 gear...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
gear |
n. 1 cog, cog-wheel; gearbox, mechanism, machinery; works: |
|
This gear operates the automatic doors. 2 equipment, apparatus, |
|
appliances, implements, tools, tackle, utensils, supplies, |
|
material(s), accessories, accoutrements or US also |
|
accouterments, appurtenances, paraphernalia, panoply, outfit, |
|
trappings, fixtures, materiel or mat‚riel: Have you taken all |
|
the camping gear? 3 clothing, apparel, attire, clothes, |
|
garments, habit, habiliments, vestments, raiment, regalia, |
|
uniform, livery, Colloq duds, togs, Brit clobber: You should |
|
keep your gear in your locker. 4 belongings, things, stuff, |
|
effects, kit, effects, chattels, goods, impedimenta, (bag and) |
|
baggage, accoutrements, Colloq junk, Slang shit: Get your gear |
|
together and get out of here! |
|
--v. 5 adjust, adapt, fit, suit, tailor, accommodate: You will |
|
have to gear your schedule according to our plans. |
gem |
n. 1 gemstone, jewel, stone, precious or semiprecious stone: |
|
The crown was set with rubies and other precious gems. 2 ideal, |
|
quintessence, perfect example; pearl (of great price), marvel, |
|
flower, ‚lite, cream, crŠme de la crŠme, pick, nonpareil, |
treasure, prize, masterpiece, chef-d'oeuvre: This is a perfect gem of a painting. The vale of Grasmere is a gem in the diadem of the Lake District.
general adj. 1 common, prevailing, accepted, popular, public, communal, community, widespread, shared, extensive, prevalent, universal, worldwide, global; comprehensive, inclusive, all-inclusive, non-exclusive, overall, unrestricted: The general feeling is
that she should resign. We demanded a general revision of the law. 2 ordinary, common, normal, customary, habitual, regular, usual, run-of-the-mill, everyday, familiar, accustomed; non-specialized, unspecialized, non-specific, unspecific: Indoor plumbing became general only in the twentieth century. Within the general area of ceramics there are scores of specialities. 3 mixed, assorted, miscellaneous, heterogeneous, encyclopedic or encyclopaedic, diversified, extended, broad, comprehensive, inclusive, all-inclusive, non-exclusive, overall, blanket, across the board, sweeping, panoramic, catholic, composite, combined, blended, hybrid, mongrel: The plan is to prepare a general work of reference. 4 vague, indefinite, broad, ill-defined, loose, inexact, imprecise, undetailed, non-specific, unspecific, generalized, overall; approximate: This kind of general report fails to pinpoint problems.
generality
n. 1 generalization, abstraction, abstract, vague or loose or sweeping or indefinite statement, imprecise or vague notion: His talks are characterized by empty generality, without detailed facts. 2 Often, generalities. principle(s), law(s), abstraction(s), generalization(s), universality or
universalities: You have given us the generalities, now we want the particulars.
generally adv. 1 usually, commonly, ordinarily, in general, customarily, habitually, conventionally, normally, typically, on average, as
a rule, by and large, for the most part, mostly, mainly, on the whole, predominantly: Generally, people do not have a healthy diet. He is generally in the office at noon. 2 superficially, non-specifically, unspecifically, roughly, broadly, in a general way, loosely, approximately, largely, in the main, mainly, principally: He covered the subject generally, not dwelling on details.
generate v. 1 produce, create, originate, make, manufacture: At these stations we can generate 1000 megawatts of electricity. 2 spawn, father, sire, bring into being, procreate, breed, beget, engender, propagate: This one fish would generate millions of offspring if all survived. 3 produce, create, give rise to,
inspire, whip up, cause, initiate: Her good fortune generated in him a feeling of envy. 4 produce, create, invent, coin, make up, fabricate, fashion, devise, develop, form, forge, mould,
contrive, construct, put together: We must generate a new theory to account for these phenomena.
generation
n. 1 production, reproduction, propagation, procreation, begetting, fathering, siring: In the lower animals, the generation of offspring is asexual. 2 time(s), day(s), age, period, era, epoch: The trait did not appear till later
generations. The 1950s and '60s spawned the yuppie generation of the '80s. 3 origination, creation, genesis, inception,
initiation, start, beginning, institution, establishment, formation, formulation: The generation of legal systems can be traced to the oldest civilizations. 4 crop; age (group);
contemporaries: This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny. He prefers to be with people of his own generation.
generous adj. 1 bounteous, bountiful, magnanimous, charitable, eleemosynary, philanthropic, lavish, open-handed, free, liberal, unstinting, ungrudging, beneficent, benevolent, big-hearted, munificent: Not everyone who has money is generous with it. 2 magnanimous, benevolent, charitable, unselfish, humanitarian, humane, kindly, noble, high-minded, lofty, good, disinterested, unprejudiced: He was too generous in acknowledging the accomplishments of his political foes. 3 plentiful, full,
lavish, overflowing, abundant, bounteous, handsome, copious, ample: They certainly serve generous portions at that restaurant.
genial adj. affable, amiable, cordial, warm, friendly, congenial, agreeable, good-natured, good-humoured, well-disposed, neighbourly, sociable, kindly, kind, hospitable, easygoing, relaxed, pleasant, nice, cheerful, cheery, convivial: And here is your genial host, Sonny Gegenschein!
genitals n.pl. genitalia, sexual or reproductive organs, sex organs, organs of procreation or generation, private parts, privates: They wore loincloths to cover their genitals.
genius n. 1 mastermind, master, virtuoso, intellect; maestro, expert, adept; Colloq brain, Einstein: At the age of nine, this genius entered university. 2 intelligence, brilliance, wit, ingenuity, brains, ability, aptitude: She is a woman of incredible genius.
3 talent, gift, knack, faculty, flair, aptitude, forte,
capacity, ability, capability: He has a genius for saying the wrong thing.
genre |
n. kind, sort, type, class, style, brand, character, category, |
genus, species, variety, fashion: Her paintings are in the |
|
classicist genre. |
|
genteel |
adj. 1 over-polite, unnatural, pretentious, affected, mannered, |
putting on airs, pompous, overdone, Colloq posh, la-di-da or lah-di-dah or la-de-da, phoney or US also phony, Brit county: The Brumfits are a bit too genteel for my taste. 2 courtly, polite, civil, well-mannered, well-bred, courteous, mannerly, gracious, proper, respectable, decorous, ladylike, gentlemanly, chivalrous, cavalier, debonair, suave, patrician, high-class, upper-class, aristocratic, thoroughbred, blue-blooded, noble, royal, Colloq classy, tony, upper crust, US silk-stocking: His son married a woman from an ancient, genteel house. 3 refined, polished, sophisticated, debonair, suave, urbane, cosmopolitan, cultivated, cultured, elegant, Colloq ritzy: Why small feet are considered genteel, I cannot say.
gentle adj. 1 kind, kindly, mild, tender, benign, moderate, easy, quiet, calm, still, temperate, unruffled, untroubled, undisturbed, tranquil, restful, peaceful, pacific, placid, smooth, lenient, patient, indulgent, soothing, thoughtful,
gracious, compassionate, humane, tender-hearted, merciful; soft, light, balmy: Amy is very gentle with the patients. A gentle breeze barely stirred the leaves. The gentle waves belied the terror that lurked below. 2 tame, tractable, docile, manageable, controllable; broken: As he's a beginner, he's been given a gentle mare to ride. 3 gradual, easy, moderate: The car rolled down the gentle slope and stopped.
gentry n. ladies and gentlemen, upper classes, Šlite, aristocracy, landed gentry, gentlefolk, upper class(es) or strata, cream, crŠme de la crŠme; landowners, Brit squirearchy, Colloq upper crust or strata: He thinks he is privileged because he belongs to the gentry.
genuine adj. 1 authentic, real, bona fide, veritable, legitimate, true, original, proper, not counterfeit or fake; pukka or pucka: Is
that a genuine diamond? I know his feelings for her are genuine.
|
Armstrong is a genuine leader of men. 2 candid, frank, open, |
|
sincere, earnest, honest, unfeigned: His art is much more |
|
genuine than the pretentious output of his contemporaries. |
germ |
n. 1 micro-organism, microbe, bacterium, virus, Colloq bug: |
|
Germs were not conceived of before Leeuwenhoek's invention of |
|
the microscope. 2 source, origin, fount, embryo, seed, root, |
rudiment, beginning, start, base, basis: The germ of romantic literature lies in folk-tales.
gesture n. 1 movement, motion, gesticulation, signal, indication, action, Colloq US high sign: She made a gesture of dismissal. 2 formality, move; gambit, ploy; token, indication, symbol: Sending her flowers was a friendly gesture. Their burning the flag was a gesture of defiance.
|
--v. 3 motion, gesticulate, signal, sign, indicate, Colloq US |
|
give (someone) the high sign: He gestured for me to step |
|
forward. |
get |
v. 1 obtain, secure, acquire, come by or into (the) possession |
|
of, procure, pick up; collect; buy, purchase, book, retain, |
|
hire, engage, rent, lease; accede to, inherit, fall heir to, |
|
succeed to: Where did you get these beautiful prints? You had |
|
better get yourself a good lawyer. They got the furniture from |
|
his mother's estate. 2 receive; be given, come by: He got a |
|
bicycle from his grandma. I got a job at the carwash. 3 earn, |
|
receive, realize, make, take, gross, clear, net, pocket, be |
|
paid; win, Colloq take home, pull down: He gets a lot of money |
|
for just standing there and answering questions. 4 fetch, go |
|
(to or and) get, go for or after, pick up; bring (back), |
|
retrieve: Please get me a cup of tea. 5 catch, contract, have, |
|
suffer from, come down with, fall ill or sick with, be afflicted |
|
with, become infected with, acquire: You'll get pneumonia if |
|
you go out without your coat. 6 become, fall: We got ill from |
|
eating too much chocolate. 7 become, turn, grow: It got very |
|
cold last night. He got rich almost overnight. 8 capture, |
|
seize, arrest, take, apprehend, grab, pick up, lay hold of, bag, |
|
Colloq collar, nab, pinch: Are the police sure that they got |
|
the right person? 9 manage, arrange, come, succeed; contrive, |
|
fix it, manoeuvre, manipulate, Colloq wangle: How did you get |
|
to be chairman? 10 reach, arrive (at), come, go, travel, |
|
journey: She got home by taxi. 11 catch, take, enter, make, |
come or go by, travel or journey by: He got the midnight train. 12 reach, get in touch with, communicate with, get onto or through to, Colloq contact: We finally got him just before he left for the day. 13 receive, pick up, tune in to or on, listen
to or watch: I cannot get that programme. 14 persuade, prevail upon, coax, induce, influence, cajole, wheedle, talk (someone) into, sway, bring (someone) round, make, cause: How did you ever get them to let you go? 15 put, place, set, fit,
manoeuvre, manipulate, wiggle, wriggle: I can't get this knob back on. 16 affect, stir, move, touch, arouse, stimulate, excite, have an impact or effect on, make an impression on, impress, leave a mark on, get to, Colloq turn (someone) on: Those old romantic songs really get me. 17 get at, irritate, annoy, vex, irk, nettle, pique, provoke, anger, exasperate, bother, perturb, rile, Colloq bug, get (someone's) goat, rub
(someone) (up) the wrong way, Sometimes non-standard aggravate: Doesn't it get you to see people going unpunished for their
crimes? 18 baffle, confuse, confound, puzzle, perplex, bewilder: You've got me! I don't know where it is! 19 understand, appreciate, fathom, see, grasp, apprehend, perceive, follow, comprehend, take in, work out, make head(s) or tail(s) of: You just don't get the joke, do you? 20 catch, hear: I didn't get the name; please repeat it. 21 derive, learn, glean, absorb, take in: Did you get anything from yesterday's lecture? 22 have, place, put, fix, pinpoint: Eventually, I'll get him where I want him! 23 get even with, revenge oneself on, take
vengeance on, pay (someone) back, settle or even the score with, get back at: I'll get him for betraying me if it's the last
thing I do! 24 strike, hit, punch, smack; shoot; hurt, harm, damage, injure; Slang sock, slug: She got him right between the eyes. 25 get about or around. a spread, become known, leak (out), circulate, be bruited about or around, be noised abroad, go about or around: He let the news get about that he needed a secretary. b be socially active, socialize, go or get out; run about or around, gad about: Since his accident, he doesn't get around much any more. 26 get across. get or put over, put across, get through, communicate, make clear, impart: She is trying to get across to you the fact that she despises
television. 27 get ahead. succeed, prosper, be or become successful, do well, flourish, thrive, make good, progress, rise (up) in the world, Colloq go places: With his contacts, he's bound to get ahead. 28 get along. a be friendly or compatible (with), associate (with), agree (with), be agreeable, get on