The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

nursing home, old folks' or people's home, retirement community, almshouse, poorhouse, refuge, haven, institution, shelter, rest-home, US snug harbor: His parents, who are very old and indigent, have been sent to a home. 4 at home. a comfortable,

at ease, relaxed, cosy, composed, tranquil, placid, peaceful, serene, untroubled: The Harrises certainly do make one feel at home. b in, accessible, available, welcoming: You know that we are always at home to you, Frances. 5 at home with or in. comfortable with, conversant with, knowledgeable in or about, familiar with, well-versed in, competent in, expert in,

proficient in, skilled in, up on, current in, adept in, adroit in, qualified in, (well-)informed in or on or about: Widely read, she is at home in almost any subject you can name.

--adj. 6 domestic, native, national, internal: Buying more foreign than home goods upsets the balance of trade. 7 domestic, household: She now sells home appliances for a big manufacturer. 8 family, domestic: What kind of home life has he had?

--adv. 9 homeward(s): When will you come home? 10 to the heart or core, to the quick; effectively, tellingly, profoundly, deeply, stingingly, cuttingly, harshly, severely, Colloq where it hurts, where one lives: That remark really hit home. 11 bring or drive home. stress, emphasize, impress upon, make clear: I am trying to bring home to you the hardships people suffered during the war.

homeless adj. 1 dispossessed, outcast, exiled, vagabond, derelict, unsettled; unhoused: Their houses destroyed in the war, homeless people wandered everywhere.

--n. 2 the homeless. knights of the road, vagrants, vagabonds, tramps, US bums, hoboes: There are not enough shelters for the homeless.

homely adj. 1 homey, homelike, unpretentious, modest, unassuming, simple, unaffected, informal, plain, natural, everyday, unsophisticated, homespun, commonplace, ordinary, familiar, friendly, amiable, neighbourly, affable, congenial, Colloq chiefly US folksy: Her success as a doctor is traceable in part

to her homely approach. 2 homey, homelike, warm, cosy, snug, domestic, comfortable, easy, serene, peaceful, restful,

tranquil: I like staying here for the homely atmosphere. 3 ugly, plain, uncomely, unattractive, unlovely, ill-favoured:

Peggy-Jo's rather homely face is redeemed by her good-humoured nature.

homesick adj. nostalgic, longing, pining, lonely, lonesome; wistful, reminiscent: I was homesick for the smell and taste of a good haggis.

homespun adj. rustic, plain, simple, unrefined, unpolished, unsophisticated, down-to-earth, coarse, rough, rude, crude, inelegant, amateur, amateurish, non-professional, unprofessional; handmade: The furniture is not of museum quality, but it has a homespun quality.

homicidal adj. murderous, lethal, deadly, death-dealing, mortal, blood-thirsty, sanguinary, ferocious, maniacal, berserk, amok or amuck, mad, insane: The doctors say he is homicidal and should be institutionalized.

homogeneous

adj. uniform, consistent, unvarying, identical, constant; similar, comparable, alike, akin: The rock is ground up to make homogeneous powder.

homosexual

n. 1 gay, homophile; lesbian, tribade, sapphist; All the following are offensive and derogatory pervert, invert, Slang queer, fairy, pansy, nancy, nance, queen, drag queen, homo; butch, (bull) dyke; Brit poof, poofter, ginger (beer), US fruit, auntie, fag, faggot: We suspected that he was a closet homosexual.

--adj. 2 (of either sex) gay, homoerotic, homophile; (of a female) lesbian, tribadic, sapphic; (of a male) effeminate; All the following are offensive and derogatory perverted, inverted, Colloq chiefly Brit bent, Slang queer, camp, campy, faggy, kinky, Chiefly US fruity, limp-wristed, faggy, swish, swishy: We never knew of her homosexual tendencies.

honest adj. 1 trustworthy, truthful, veracious, trusty, honourable, creditable, decent, law-abiding, uncorrupted, uncorrupt, incorruptible, ethical, moral, virtuous, principled, upright,

high-minded, dependable, reliable, reputable, on the up and up: How often does one meet an honest person in politics? 2 above-board, straight, square, square-dealing, fair, just, on

the up and up, straightforward, proper, genuine, bona fide, real, authentic, Colloq on the level, US square-shooting: I write because I cannot earn an honest living. Would Felix give me an honest deal on a used car? 3 candid, frank, open, plain, straightforward, forthright, direct, sincere, ingenuous, explicit, uninhibited, unreserved, unrestrained, unconstrained,

above-board, plain-spoken, unambiguous, unequivocal, Colloq upfront: To be completely honest, I cannot stand the sight of you. 4 fair, just, equitable, legitimate, valid, rightful,

sound, proper: He gets an honest day's pay for an honest day's work.

honestly adv. 1 truthfully, honourably, creditably, decently, ethically, morally, uprightly, dependably, reliably, in good faith, justly, fairly, equitably, even-handedly, disinterestedly, objectively, impartially: In general, the police deal honestly with

suspects. 2 candidly, frankly, openly, straightforwardly, forthrightly, sincerely, truly, ingenuously, unreservedly, above-board, unambiguously, unequivocally, plainly, simply, straight (out), to one's face, in plain words or English, bluntly: I tell you honestly that I have never heard of the man.

honesty n. 1 trustworthiness, uprightness, rectitude, probity, integrity, virtue, virtuousness, honour: As he will deal with large amounts of money, his honesty cannot be in question. 2 truthfulness, veracity, candour, openness, frankness, forthrightness, directness, straightforwardness, outspokenness, sincerity, guilelessness, ingenuousness, bluntness: You might not like what he says, but you have to admire his honesty. 3 fairness, equity, equitableness, even-handedness, objectivity, impartiality, disinterestedness, justness, justice: We rely on the honesty of judges in meting out punishment to convicted felons.

honorarium

n. (token) fee, compensation, recompense, pay, payment, remuneration, emolument: Would you be willing to accept an honorarium in lieu of your usual fee?

honorary adj. nominal, titular, in name or title only, ex officio: She has several honorary doctoral degrees, which is not bad for someone who never went to university.

honour n. 1 integrity, honesty, fairness, justness, probity, uprightness, decency, goodness, righteousness, rectitude, justice, morality, principles, virtuousness, virtue: Doing the right thing is a matter of honour. 2 respect, esteem, reverence, veneration, approbation, deference, admiration,

homage, regard, accolade, praise, kudos, fame, glory, celebrity, distinction, prestige, illustriousness: Great honour accompanies the award of a Nobel prize. 3 privilege, distinction, pleasure, joy, delight; credit, blessing: I have

the honour to introduce tonight's speaker. It has been an honour to serve under you, Admiral. 4 virginity, chastity, virtue, purity, innocence: How did she manage to preserve her honour when fighting with the partisans?

--v. 5 respect, esteem, revere, venerate, adulate, adore, worship, approve, prize, value, defer to, admire, pay homage to: Albert Schweitzer was much honoured in the latter part of his life. 6 praise, laud, glorify, celebrate, eulogize, salute,

hail, acclaim, ennoble, dignify, exalt: We have come together to honour those who have died for their country. 7 keep, maintain, carry out, live up to, discharge, fulfil, observe, meet: She has done her best to honour her obligations. 8 pay, redeem, accept, clear, cash: The bank refused to honour his cheque because of 'insufficient funds'.

honourable

adj. 1 upright, upstanding, trustworthy, trusty, honest, just, fair, moral, principled, uncorrupt, uncorrupted, incorruptible,

high-minded, noble, virtuous: Mark Antony referred to Caesar as an honourable man. 2 right, correct, proper, fitting,

appropriate, virtuous, ethical, worthy, respectable, reputable, decent, square: I think you can count on Cedric to do the honourable thing. 3 fair (and square), impartial, equitable, just, honest, unbiased, unprejudiced, non-prejudicial, even-handed, straight, disinterested, guileless, ingenuous, artless, open, sincere, above-board, on the up and up, undeceiving, undeceitful, Colloq upfront, on the level: Eleanor is too honourable to accept payment for work she did not do. 4 distinguished, prestigious, eminent, notable, noteworthy, noted,

hopeful adj. 1 expectant, anticipating, optimistic, sanguine, confident, assured: We are hopeful of victory in the forthcoming election. 2 promising, bright, rosy, reassuring, heartening, encouraging, auspicious, propitious, inspiriting: Today was a disaster, but tomorrow looks more hopeful.

hopefully adv. 1 expectantly, optimistically, sanguinely, confidently: Jocelyn set off hopefully for the party. 2 with (any) luck, if things go well, all being well, it is hoped, expectedly: Hopefully, we shall arrive in time to catch the train.

hopeless adj. 1 desperate, beyond hope or saving, irreparable, beyond repair, irremediable, lost, gone, irretrievable; incurable, terminal, deadly, fatal, lethal: As their ship drifted into the intergalactic void, they saw that their situation was hopeless. They told me that her condition was hopeless. 2 bad, poor, incompetent, inferior, inadequate, inept, unqualified, unfit, unskilful, deficient: You might make a good surgeon, but as a

judge of human nature you're hopeless. 3 despairing, despondent,

forlorn, woebegone, disconsolate, inconsolable, depressed, dejected, melancholy, downcast, gloomy, miserable, discouraged, wretched, lugubrious, funereal, sorrowful, sad, unhappy:

Utterly hopeless after his script was rejected by Hollywood, he moped in his room. 4 futile, vain, bootless, unavailing, impossible, impracticable, unworkable, pointless, worthless, useless: It would be hopeless to try to send out a lifeboat in this storm.

horizon n. view, purview, range, scope, vista, compass, perspective, prospect, ken, field of vision, limit(s): This is something

that lies beyond the horizon of present-day knowledge.

horizontal

adj. level, flat, plane; prone, supine: Make sure that the plank is horizontal before fastening it down. They say that dancing is merely a vertical expression of a horizontal desire.

horrible adj. 1 awful, horrendous, horrid, horrifying, horrific, terrible, terrifying, dreadful, abominable, abhorrent, appalling, frightening, frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, ghoulish, gruesome, loathsome, hideous, repulsive, revolting, disgusting, sickening, nauseating, nauseous, harrowing,

blood-curdling, macabre, unspeakable, shocking: The horrible sight of her father's mangled body haunted her for the rest of her days. 2 awful, nasty, unpleasant, disagreeable, horrid, terrible, dreadful, obnoxious, offensive, atrocious, monstrous, contemptible, detestable, despicable, Colloq Brit beastly: The food was perfectly horrible at our hotel. Take that horrible little dog away.

horrify v. 1 terrify, frighten, scare, alarm, intimidate, panic, scare or frighten to death, petrify, Colloq scare or frighten the living daylights out of, scare stiff, make (someone's) hair stand on end, make (someone's or the) blood run cold, curl (someone's) hair, scare the pants off: I was horrified to see the attack dogs racing towards me. 2 shock, startle, upset, put off, outrage, dismay, appal, distress, discountenance, disconcert: I was horrified to hear that you weren't coming to my party.

horror n. 1 fear and loathing, repugnance, terror, dread, hatred, revulsion, detestation, abhorrence, distaste, dislike; aversion,

herd, troop, legion, body, assembly, assemblage, drove: The rock group turned up with a host of followers, their so-called groupies.

averse, loath: The government is hostile to curbs on business. 2 unfriendly, inimical, unsympathetic, cold, inhospitable; unfavourable: Why do many social workers seem hostile to the people they are supposed to help? The polar regions are very hostile environments to man. 3 warring, belligerent, bellicose,

warlike, combative, militant, aggressive: The UN units function as a buffer between the hostile forces.

hostility n. 1 antagonism, opposition, enmity, animosity, antipathy, animus, ill will, malevolence, malice, aversion, unfriendliness: Do you still harbour the feelings of hostility towards them that you had during the war? The petty quarrels broke out into open hostility. 2 hostilities. war, warfare, fighting, combat,

action, state of war, bloodshed: Hostilities ceased when the factions agreed to parley.