The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

compulsory, mandatory, sine qua non, obligatory: Are a black bowler and tightly furled umbrella still indispensable to doing business in the City?

indisposed

adj. 1 ill, ailing, unwell, sick, sickly, unsound, unhealthy,

in bad health, valetudinarian, out of commission, Colloq on the sick-list, (doing) poorly, laid up, in a bad way, not up to

snuff, off one's feed or Brit also grub, under the weather: Madam is indisposed and cannot have tea with you. 2 averse, disinclined, loath, unwilling, reluctant, resistant, hesitant: The judge was indisposed to leniency in such a serious case.

indisputable

adj. unquestionable, incontrovertible, incontestable, irrefutable, undeniable, indubitable, beyond doubt, sure, certain, positive, definite, definitive, absolute, fixed: It

was indisputable that the outlook was grim. The show was an indisputable success.

indistinct

adj. 1 faint, dim, obscure, vague, blurred, blurry, filmy, hazy, misty, bleary, shadowy, fuzzy, foggy, murky, muddy, unclear, indiscernible, illegible, muffled, unintelligible, indistinguishable, indeterminate, confused, indefinite: I could

barely make out an indistinct figure in the dark. The writing on the matchbox was indistinct. 2 indistinguishable, ambiguous, not distinct, equivocal, inseparable, ill-defined, undefined, nebulous, vague, confused: The identity of the three brothers

is indistinct in my mind.

indistinguishable

adj. 1 Often, indistinguishable from. undifferentiated (from), identical (to), alike, like two peas in a pod, twin, inseparable: He is indistinguishable from his brother. Her fingerprints and those found on the dagger are indistinguishable. 2 indiscernible, imperceptible, indefinite, unclear, indistinct: His good qualities were indistinguishable to me.

individual

adj. 1 single, sole, particular, separate, distinct, discrete, solitary, lone: Consider the entire utterance, not just the

individual words. 2 singular, special, specific, idiosyncratic, own, characteristic, distinctive, individualistic, unique, peculiar, personal, proper; unitary: She has her individual style of dressing.

--n. 3 person, human (being), (living) soul, mortal; one, party: In a democracy each individual is entitled to one vote.

individualist

n. independent, freethinker, nonconformist, maverick, loner, lone wolf: Nick is an individualist and seldom agrees with the majority.

individually

adv. one at a time, singly, one by one, separately, severally, apart: We must study each of these specimens individually.

indoctrinate

v. train, teach, instruct, school, discipline, drill,

brainwash, propagandize; inculcate, imbue, instil, implant: The children were indoctrinated to believe that they were members of the master race. He indoctrinated them with the idea that they were capable of anything.

indolence n. laziness, slothfulness, sloth, sluggishness, idleness, lethargy, shiftlessness, languor, languidness, lassitude, listlessness, torpor, torpidity, inertia, inaction, inactivity, faineance, dolce far niente, oscitancy: After winning the lottery, he spent his days in indolence.

indolent adj. lazy, slothful, sluggish, idle, lethargic, shiftless, languorous, languid, torpid, inert, inactive, stagnant, fain‚ant, listless: 'Peel me a grape', she said in her most indolent manner.

indomitable

adj. resolute, resolved, determined, steadfast, staunch, persistent, unstoppable, irrepressible, indefatigable, untiring, tireless, unflagging, unyielding, unswerving, unwavering, unflinching, undaunted, dauntless, fearless, unafraid, intrepid, brave, courageous, plucky, mettlesome; unconquerable, unbeatable, invincible: She survived the prison camp by dint of indomitable strength of character.

induce v. 1 lead, persuade, influence, prevail on or upon, sway, move, convince, get, talk into, prompt, incite, instigate, actuate, motivate, impel, encourage, inspire, stimulate, nudge, push, press, urge, prod, goad, spur, egg on, coax, cajole, lure,

entice, inveigle, seduce: He was induced to sell the secret plans to the enemy for a large sum. 2 cause, bring about or on, produce, give rise to, engender, create, generate, lead to; effect, occasion, set in motion: Some drugs induce a state of euphoria.

inducement

n. attraction, lure, incentive, stimulus, enticement, bait, encouragement, incitement, provocation, spur, premium, consideration, reward, Colloq carrot, Chiefly US come-on: What inducement were you offered to take out that subscription?

induct v. 1 install or instal, inaugurate, invest, instate, establish, swear in: Crocker was inducted as president of the lodge last night. 2 call up, enlist, conscript, enrol, register, US draft: He was inducted into the army at 18.

indulge v. 1 Often, indulge in. yield (to), succumb (to), favour, gratify, humour, oblige (with), comply (with), minister to, cater to, pander to, treat (to), pamper (with): When it comes to chocolates, I indulge myself to the fullest. We indulge in

an occasional beer. She indulges his every whim. 2 coddle, baby, pamper, cosset, mollycoddle, spoil: He doesn't believe in indulging children.

indulgence

n. 1 tolerance, sufferance, understanding, patience, good will, allowance, forbearance; acceptance, overlooking: Genevieve's behaviour is testing the limits of Tom's indulgence. 2 self-indulgence, luxury, extravagance, profligacy, self-gratification, self-satisfaction: A notorious pleasure-seeker, his capacity for indulgence is legendary. 3 treat, luxury, extravagance: My sole indulgence is vintage port.

indulgent adj. tolerant, permissive, patient, understanding, forbearing, lenient, easygoing, relaxed, liberal, lax, kind, kindly, well-disposed, agreeable: Tony and Hazel are extremely

indulgent parents.

industrious

adj. sedulous, assiduous, hard-working, diligent, intense, conscientious, energetic, dynamic, aggressive, vigorous, untiring, tireless, indefatigable, unflagging, persistent, pertinacious, dogged, tenacious, US hustling: The business was built up only because she was so industrious.

industry n. 1 production, manufacture, trade, commerce, business: Competition in the car industry helps keep prices lower. 2 diligence, assiduity, sedulousness, energy, exertion, effort, application, perseverance, persistence, work, labour, toil: We were complimented on our industry by the teacher. 3 industriousness, energy, activity, vigour, hustle, bustle, dynamism, enterprise, earnestness, determination: The sales office is a hive of industry.

ineffable adj. 1 unutterable, unspeakable, unmentionable, taboo: In certain religions, the name of the deity is ineffable. 2 inexpressible, indescribable, indefinable or undefinable, indescribable or undescribable, beyond description, beyond words: The Royal Hotel had an ineffable air of serene affluence.

ineffective

adj. 1 unproductive, unfruitful, bootless, idle, vain, useless, ineffectual, inefficacious, inoperative, non-functioning, inadequate, insufficient, worthless: The anti-crime measures appear to have been ineffective. 2 inefficient, incompetent, incapable, unskilled, unskilful, inept, unfit, unproficient: The new office manager is totally ineffective.

ineffectual

adj. 1 unsuccessful, unavailing, futile, bootless, sterile, barren, fruitless, unproductive, ineffective, inefficacious, inoperative: Our efforts to deal with pollution have been largely ineffectual. 2 weak, feeble, effete, impotent, tame,

lame, powerless, inefficient, incompetent, inadequate: We tried to read the inscription by the ineffectual light of a match.

inefficacious

adj. See ineffectual and ineffective.

inefficient

adj. 1 ineffective, incompetent, incapable, unqualified, inexpert, unskilled, unskilful, unfit, inept, ineffectual, deficient: Poorly paid labour is inefficient labour. 2 uneconomic(al), wasteful, disorganized, slipshod: For our purposes, the layout of the factory is quite inefficient.

ineligible

adj. unqualified, unacceptable, unfit, unsuited, unsuitable, inappropriate, improper: He is ineligible for benefit as he left his job voluntarily.

inept adj. 1 clumsy, awkward, bungling, maladroit, ungainly, bumbling, gauche, inexpert, unskilled, unskilful, incompetent, inefficient: If he is inept at sailing, he'd better become proficient. 2 inappropriate, inapt, unseemly, improper, unfitting, unfit, unsuitable, impolitic, undiplomatic, injudicious, imprudent, indiscreet, ill-considered, ill-judged, ill-advised, unadvised, unadvisable or inadvised, misguided,

inexpedient, out of place, unwise: She made some inept comment and blushed furiously.

ineptitude

n. 1 ineptness, clumsiness, awkwardness, maladroitness, ungainliness, gaucherie, incompetence, inefficiency, unfitness, unsuitableness: He displays a remarkable ineptitude for the pronunciation of French. 2 inappropriateness, inaptness, absurdity, unsuitability, unseemliness: The ineptitude of her comments embarrasses everyone.

inequality

n. 1 disparity, difference, discrepancy, unevenness, nonconformity, incongruence, incongruity, inconsistency, dissimilarity, imbalance: The inequality between their incomes made him resentful. 2 bias, prejudice, partiality, unfairness, injustice, inequity: Why should they have to tolerate any inequality of treatment?

inert adj. 1 inactive, unreactive, unresponsive, neutral: Argon, xenon, and neon are inert gases. 2 motionless, immobile, inanimate, lifeless, still, quiet, quiescent, stationary,

static: He was mute and inert: it was like talking to a zombie.

3 sluggish, slow, torpid, dull, inactive, idle, indolent, lazy, slothful, leaden, slack, passive, supine, dormant, otiose, listless, languid or languorous: I contemplated the inert bodies sunbathing around the swimming-pool.

inertia n. inertness, inactivity, sloth, sluggishness, torpor, dullness, idleness, indolence, laziness, slothfulness, passivity, apathy, lassitude, dormancy, listlessness, languor, immobility, motionlessness: Adele finds it difficult to overcome her feeling of inertia in the morning.

inestimable

adj. 1 incalculable, immeasurable, measureless, untold, incomputable; priceless, invaluable, precious: You have been of inestimable help in completing the project on time. 2 countless, innumerable, vast, immense, prodigious, boundless, unfathomable, infinite, incalculable, immeasurable, measureless, untold, incomputable: An inestimable number of organisms have inhabited the earth.

inevitable

adj. unavoidable, inescapable, ineluctable, unpreventable, certain, sure, destined, fated, assured, inexorable, irrevocable, unchangeable, absolute, ordained, decreed, authoritative, incontestable: The inevitable outcome of war is misery for all participants.

inexact adj. imprecise, inaccurate, erroneous, incorrect, wrong, false, faulty, indefinite, fallacious, fuzzy, muddled: This gauge is giving an inexact reading.

inexcusable

adj. unjustifiable, unjustified, indefensible, unpardonable, unforgivable, intolerable, inexpiable: Insulting your hostess was inexcusable.

inexhaustible

adj. 1 limitless, boundless, unlimited, unbounded, unrestricted, endless, measureless, indeterminate, infinite, incalculable: The supply of tasteless television programmes seems virtually inexhaustible. 2 untiring, tireless, indefatigable, unflagging, unfailing, unfaltering, unwearying, unwearied: Bartell is an inexhaustible practical joker.

inexpensive

adj. cheap, economical, low-priced, low-cost, reasonable, budget-priced: What might seem inexpensive to you is very costly for me.

inexperience

n. immaturity, innocence, na‹vety, greenness, callowness, unsophistication: I attribute his mistakes to inexperience.

inexperienced

adj. immature, innocent, na‹ve, green, callow, unsophisticated, unworldly, unfledged, raw, uninitiated, untrained, unschooled, uninformed, unseasoned, Colloq (still) wet behind the ears, born yesterday: Isn't she too inexperienced to take on such a great responsibility?

inexplicable

adj. unexplainable, unaccountable, unintelligible, inscrutable, puzzling, enigmatic, mystifying, perplexing, confounding, baffling, bewildering, incomprehensible: I find inexplicable their refusal to allow freedom of religion.

inexpressible

adj. unutterable, ineffable, unspeakable, indescribable, indefinable: I felt inexpressible joy at seeing my children again.

inextinguishable

adj. unquenchable, irrepressible, unsuppressible; enduring, undying, imperishable, eternal, everlasting: The teacher had to cope with inextinguishable giggling. Our hopes for freedom were inextinguishable.

inextricably

adv. inescapably, ineluctably, unavoidably, irretrievably, completely, inseparably, indissolubly, totally, complicatedly, intricately: I found myself inextricably caught up in her emotional problems.

infallible

adj. 1 unerring, faultless, flawless, perfect, oracular, unmistaken: The infallible logic of computers sometimes defeats

their users. 2 unfailing, dependable, sure, secure, certain, reliable, foolproof: The vaccination provides infallible protection against the virus.

infamous adj. 1 notorious, disreputable, ill-famed, stigmatized, scandalous, discreditable, dishonourable, ignominious: So this is the infamous house where the murders took place! 2 bad, awful, wicked, evil, iniquitous, villainous, heinous, vile, abominable, outrageous, execrable, abhorrent, opprobrious, despicable, loathsome, detestable, odious, foul, scurvy, rotten, atrocious, flagitious, revolting, monstrous, egregious, base,

low, shameful, disgraceful: A number of infamous criminals are portrayed in the Chamber of Horrors.

infamy n. 1 notoriety, ill repute, ill fame, disrepute, shame, ignominy, obloquy, disgrace, dishonour, stigma, discredit: She has to suffer the infamy of her husband's treachery. 2 wickedness, evil, iniquity, villainy, heinousness, vileness, abomination, outrage, abhorrence, opprobrium, loathsomeness, detestation, hatred, odium, atrocity, revulsion, monstrosity, egregiousness, shame, shamefulness, disgrace, disgracefulness: The infamy of his profligate behaviour is widely known.

infancy n. 1 babyhood, early childhood: His limp was the result of polio, which he had contracted in infancy. 2 beginning(s), inception, early or initial, stage(s), commencement, start, emergence, dawn, rise: When psychiatry was in its infancy it was marked by a notable lack of success.

infantile adj. childish, immature, puerile, babyish, juvenile: Ben behaves in the most infantile way whenever there are girls about.

infatuated

adj. fascinated, beguiled, enchanted, bewitched, spellbound, charmed, ensorcelled, enraptured, possessed, hypnotized, mesmerized, captivated, besotted, taken with, obsessed, smitten, enamoured, fond: Francis is completely infatuated with the girl who moved in next door.

infectious

adj. contagious, catching, communicable, transmissible: There is also a highly infectious variety of the disease.

infer v. deduce, derive, draw, conclude, understand, gather, surmise, guess, assume: From the evidence, I infer that you were not at home last night.

inference n. deduction, conclusion, understanding, surmise, assumption, presumption: If this man's father is my father's son, the

inference is that this man is my nephew.

inferior adj. 1 lower, nether: We descended into the inferior regions of the cavern. The numeral in H2O is called an inferior character. 2 lesser, lower, subordinate, secondary, junior, minor, unimportant, insignificant, lowly, subservient, humble, servile: He occupies an inferior position in the company. 3 poor, bad, low-quality, mediocre, indifferent, imperfect, defective, second-rate, second-class, substandard, low-grade,

shoddy, gimcrack, Colloq grotty, junky, crummy or crumby, lousy, Slang crappy, Brit naff: They tried to market an inferior

product, but it was rejected by consumers.

--n. 4 subordinate, underling, junior, menial, lackey, flunkey, dogsbody, cat's-paw, doormat, stooge, yes-man, lickspittle, bootlicker: She is tired of being treated as an inferior.

inferiority

n. 1 unimportance, insignificance, lowliness: The inferiority of his position rankled with him. 2 inadequacy, deficiency, insignificance, unimportance, worthlessness: Do not confuse modesty with a sense of inferiority. 3 shoddiness, imperfection, mediocrity: Consumers are not fooled by the inferiority of a product for long.

infernal adj. 1 hellish, underworld, nether, Hadean: Virgil was Dante's guide in the infernal regions. 2 devilish, diabolic(al), demonic(al), demoniac(al), fiendish, satanic, Mephistophelian; damnable, damned, execrable, malicious, malevolent, maleficent, wicked, evil, iniquitous, flagitious, villainous, heinous, dire, sinister, dreadful: She tells everyone that there is an

infernal plot against her.

infertile adj. sterile, barren, infecund, unproductive, unfruitful, non-productive: The stony, infertile earth yielded only cactus and scrub grass.

atheist, nullifidian, freethinker: Thousands of the fanatics swarmed over the infidels, slaughtering them mercilessly.

infidelity

n. 1 unfaithfulness, faithlessness, treachery, traitorousness, disloyalty, perfidy, falseness, apostasy, heresy: The infidelity of his supporters brought about his downfall. 2 adultery, cuckoldry; affair, liaison, amour, Colloq cheating:

Infidelity is a common cause of marriage break-up. She forgave him his many infidelities.

infinite adj. 1 boundless, vast, limitless, unlimited, illimitable, endless, interminable, indeterminable, indeterminate, inestimable, astronomical, numberless, multitudinous, uncountable, uncounted, innumerable, incalculable, inexhaustible, immense, enormous, immeasurable, measureless, bottomless, unfathomable: They hurtled through infinite space at the speed of light. We do what we can, but our resources are not infinite. In his infinite wisdom, God made the garden slug. 2 eternal, everlasting, perpetual, endless, unending, inexhaustible, undying, never-ending: It is difficult to conceive of time as being anything but infinite, without beginning or end. With infinite patience she reassembled the pieces of the vase.

infirm adj. 1 ill, indisposed, debilitated, frail, fragile, weak, feeble, weakened, ailing, decrepit, enfeebled, failing, wasted, on the decline, sick, sickly, unwell, lame, crippled: Campbell is infirm and unable to travel. 2 shaky, flimsy, wobbly, wobbling, doddering, unstable, faltering, vacillating, wavering, unsteady, unsteadfast, inconstant, changeable, irresolute: We must find stalwart recruits, recruits who are not infirm of purpose.

infirmary n. clinic, hospital, sickbay, first-aid station; dispensary, Brit nursing home, surgery: The infirmary is able to deal only with emergencies, not with long-term care.