The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

light-footed, limber, lissom or lissome: When dancing, he may be light on his feet, but he's not very light on mine. 8 simple-minded, light-headed, scatterbrained, rattle-brained, bird-brained, feather-brained, hare-brained, flighty, giddy, dizzy, silly, inane, foolish, frivolous, empty-headed, vacant, vacuous, shallow, superficial: Featherstone is a bit too light

in the head to be a good manager. 9 cheerful, happy, gay, sunny, merry, light-hearted, happy-go-lucky, easygoing, joyful, jovial, jolly: No‰l has written another light drawing-room comedy. 10 easy, not burdensome, endurable, bearable, tolerable, supportable, undemanding, effortless, untaxing, moderate: After my surgery, I was able to resume light duties at the office. The tax on such a small income is very light. You should take some light exercise every day. 11 amusing, entertaining, witty, diverting: The book hasn't much substance, but it makes good light reading. 12 make light of. dismiss, write off, shrug off; trivialize; ridicule: The teacher made

light of my attempts to play the concerto.

--v. 13 alight, land, come or go down, descend, settle; deplane, disembark or debark, detrain, dismount: The bird was so tame it lighted on my finger. 14 light into. attack, assail, lambaste, assault, pounce or fall on or upon, beat, belabour; abuse, tongue-lash, harangue, upbraid, scold, berate, Colloq lace into; Slang clobber: He really lit into the challenger in the third round. Her mother lit into her for not doing her

homework. 15 light on or upon. chance or happen or stumble or hit on or upon, come across, encounter, find, meet up with: She claimed she lit upon the formula when reading some ancient hieroglyphics.

lighten° v. 1 illuminate, brighten, light up: Opening the curtains would lighten up the room. 2 cheer (up), brighten, gladden, shine; smile: Her face lightened when he said he would be home for the holidays.

lightený v. disencumber, disburden, relieve, alleviate, reduce, lessen, mitigate: To lighten my load, I had left my suitcase at the hotel.

like° adj., adv. 1 similar (to), akin (to), allied (to), parallel (to or with), comparable (to or with), equivalent (to), equal (to), identical (to), cognate (with), analogous (to), corresponding

(to), correspondent (to), close (to), homologous (to or with), of a piece (with), (much) the same (as), along the same lines (as), not unlike: We hold like opinions. Her opinions are like mine. Her pies are like the ones my mother used to bake.

Problems like this give me a headache. Opposite charges attract, like charges repel. 2 in the mood for, disposed to: Do you feel like a walk in the park? He felt like going with me.

--adv. 3 as if, as though: He ran like mad.

--prep. 4 similar to, identical to or with: Her daughter looks like her. He makes her feel like a perfect fool. 5 in the same way as, in the manner of, similarly to: Sometimes she acts like a maniac. The jacket fits him like a glove. He laughed like a drain. He treats his mother like a child. 6 such as, for

example, for instance, e.g., that is (to say), i.e., in other words, namely, to wit, viz.: Mistletoe grows on various trees, like oaks and birches.

--n. 7 match, equal, peer, fellow, opposite number, counterpart, twin: It is doubtful that we shall see his like again. 8 same or similar kind or sort or ilk or type or kidney

or breed or mould or cast or strain: The book deals with music, literature, theatre, painting, and the like.

likeý v. 1 be fond of, approve of, appreciate, be partial to, have a fondness or liking for, have a weakness for, take to, delight in, take pleasure in, derive or get pleasure from, delight in, find agreeable or congenial, feel attracted to, be or feel favourably impressed by, relish, love, adore, adulate, Colloq take a shine to, Slang go for, dig, get a kick out of, US get off on, groove on, get a bang or a charge out of: She likes a day at the seaside. He likes chocolate ice-cream. I think she likes me. 2 Usually, would or should like. prefer, want, wish, ask: I would like you to try to get to work on time in future. I'd like a drink.

--n. 3 Usually, likes. preference, partiality, predilection, liking: We all have our different likes and dislikes.

likeable adj. likeable, genial, amiable, congenial, pleasant, simpatico, agreeable, pleasing, attractive, appealing, nice, friendly, winning, charming, engaging, good-natured, winsome: He is

likeable enough, but not my ideal son-in-law.

likelihood

n. probability, strong or distinct possibility, good chance: We must consider the likelihood that she will refuse to go.

likely adj. 1 probable, liable, expected: Three o'clock is the likely arrival time. 2 probable, conceivable, reasonable, credible, plausible, tenable: It seemed likely that Holmes would solve the case. 3 fitting, able, suitable, probable, seemly, meet, right, proper, qualified, acceptable, appropriate, apposite; favourite, odds-on, favoured, promising: Peters is the likely man for the job. 4 disposed to, apt to, inclined to, liable to: It's likely to rain. You're likely to think me mad, but I have my reasons for going.

--adv. 5 probably, undoubtedly, indubitably, no doubt, in all probability, Colloq like as not: You would most likely say that I am wrong. He will very likely win the election.

liken v. compare, equate, match, juxtapose: How can you liken him to Mahatma Gandhi?

likeness n. 1 similarity, resemblance, correspondence, analogy, agreement, parallelism: The artist has caught her likeness in the second painting. 2 copy, replica, facsimile, duplicate, reproduction, model, representation, portrait, painting, picture, drawing, photograph, sculpture,statue, statuette,

image, simulacrum, icon or ikon: He sells miniature likenesses of the Eiffel Tower to tourists. 3 appearance, face, figure, image: The premier's likeness appears on posters throughout the country.

likewise adv. 1 similarly, in the same or like manner or way: Penny is sitting quietly and you should do likewise. 2 as well, too,

also, furthermore, further, besides, in addition, moreover, to boot: There are many ways to take exercise and, likewise, many ways to avoid it.

liking n. 1 affinity, fondness, affection, love, partiality, bias, preference, bent, predilection, predisposition, inclination, appreciation, penchant; eye, appetite, soft spot, weakness: He has a liking for good claret and beautiful women. 2 taste,

limited adj. 1 circumscribed, restricted, fixed, predetermined; small, little, reduced, minimal: The theatre seats a limited number of people. She was awarded limited access to the children. 2 narrow, restricted, restrictive, meagre: Few original ideas presented themselves to his limited imagination.

limitless adj. unrestricted, unrestrained, unconfined, unbounded, boundless, extensive, vast, immense, enormous, unlimited, illimitable; interminable, unceasing, incessant, undefined, immeasurable, innumerable, numberless, countless, myriad, unending, perpetual, everlasting, eternal: Dickens possessed a seemingly limitless capacity for characterization. In the

postcard, letter, US postal card: Drop me a line when you get there. 9 course, direction, path, way, route, road, track, procedure, tack, policy, strategy, tactic(s), approach, plan: What line will our competitors take to win the account? I adopted the line of least resistance. 10 information, data, word, lead, clue, hint: Interpol is trying to get a line on where he might be found. 11 cord, string, thread, twine, yarn, strand, filament, rope, cable, hawser: The anchor line became entangled. Hang the clothes out on the line. 12 track, railway

or US and Canadian also railroad: The accident on the southern line is delaying all the trains. 13 telephone, wire, cable: We have three lines at the office. He tried all day to get you on

the line. 14 front (line), vanguard, formation: These men have been in the line for weeks. Captain Hughes was given command of a ship of the line. 15 ancestry, descent, stock, lineage,

succession, family, parentage, extraction, heritage, genealogy: She comes from a long line of horsewomen. 16 assortment, stock, merchandise, offerings, goods, brand, make, type, kind, variety: What line of lawnmower do you distribute? 17 Often, lines.

part, role, speech, script, words, Theatre US sides: I know my lines by heart for the school play. She has one line in the

third act. 18 story, (sales) pitch, blarney, Colloq spiel, song and dance, Slang con: He handed her a line about being lonely, but she soon found out why. 19 in or into line. a aligned, in alignment, true, straight, in a row, plumb: Bring the balusters for the railing in line. b in agreement, in accord, in

accordance, in conformity, in step, in harmony, US lined up: We are bringing the staffing requirements into line with the

council's recommendations. c Usually, into line. under or in control: Were you able to bring the other board members into line? 20 in line for. ready for, short-listed for, on the short list for, up for, being considered for, under consideration for, a candidate for, in the running for: We all think she's in line for a promotion.

--v. 21 rule, inscribe, score, underline, underscore: If you use lined paper, your writing wouldn't be so wavy. 22 edge, border, fringe: Millions lined the streets for the parade. 23 line up. a organize, prepare, ready, assemble, set up, put or set in place, develop, formulate, arrange (for), coordinate: Everything is all lined up for the big event. b arrange for, secure, get (hold of), obtain, contract for; uncover, dig up, acquire, engage, hire, sign (up), contract with, hire, employ:

We lined up an excellent after-dinner speaker. c queue (up), form a line, get in line, form ranks or columns: Hundreds of us lined up for meals three times a day. d align, array,

straighten, order: These paragraphs should line up. Line up the troops for inspection at 0600.

lineý v. 1 interline, cover, face; ceil: The coat is lined with fur. 2 line one's pockets. accept bribes, graft, US sell out, Colloq US be on the take: He was secretly lining his pockets during his years on the council.

lineage n. 1 extraction, ancestry, family tree, pedigree, descent, stock, bloodline, parentage, genealogy: She has spent a lot of time tracing the lineage of the village's families. 2 forebears,

lingering adj. 1 long, persistent, protracted, remaining: I was left with the lingering feeling that I had forgotten to tell her something. 2 slow, long-drawn-out, gradual: She died a lingering, painful death.

lingo n. jargon, argot, cant, patois, pidgin, Creole, parlance, vernacular, dialect, idiom, language, talk, speech; gobbledegook or gobbledygook, gibberish, mumbo-jumbo: In medical lingo, he is suffering from coryza - in other words, a cold.

listý v. 1 lean (over), tilt, slant, heel (over), tip, careen, cant, incline: The ship suddenly listed to starboard and I was thrown onto the deck.

--n. 2 lean, tilt, slant, heel, tip, cant, slope, inclination: The leak caused a severe list to port.

listen v. 1 hear, pay attention (to), attend, lend an ear (to), prick up one's ears, keep one's ears open, Archaic hark (to), hearken or US also harken (to): I was listening to the radio when you phoned. 2 obey, heed, mind, pay attention (to), do as one is told: You wouldn't be in this trouble if you'd listened to me.

listless adj. sluggish, lethargic, weary, weak, enervated, spent, languid, lifeless, heavy, phlegmatic, unemotional, impassive; unenthusiastic, indifferent, apathetic, unconcerned, lukewarm, tepid, cool, uncaring, insouciant; pococurante, Laodicean: She was just over an illness and feeling quite listless.

literally adv. 1 word for word, verbatim, line for line, letter for letter, literatim, faithfully, strictly, exactly, precisely,

closely; thus, sic: Generally cordon sanitaire means 'buffer zone', but literally it means 'sanitary line'. 2 actually, truly, in fact, really: When I said he'd spilled the beans, I meant it figuratively, not literally.

literary adj. 1 erudite, well-read, cultured, learned, bookish, scholarly, lettered, cultivated, refined, educated; literate: Her latest book has been scorned by the literary ‚lite. 2 written, formal, scholarly, pedantic, learned, academic,

scholastic, school-marmish: His writing contains literary words rarely heard in ordinary conversation.

literature

n. 1 writing(s), letters, belles-lettres, creative writing(s): These works are representative of the literature of the period. 2 information, facts, data, publicity; propaganda; brochures, pamphlets, hand-outs, handbills, leaflets, circulars: As a member, you will be sent literature about future events. They print subversive literature.

litigant n. litigator, party, plaintiff, appellant, suitor, petitioner, suer, defendant, appellee, accused: The judge suggested that the litigants settle out of court.

litigation

n. lawsuit, suit, action, case, legal remedy: The costs of litigation are extremely high.

litter n. 1 rubbish, debris, refuse, fragments, odds and ends, US and Canadian trash, Colloq junk: The room was strewn with food wrappers, cigarette butts, and other litter. 2 brood, issue, offspring, young: Note the differences in the young of the same litter. 3 stretcher, palanquin or palankeen, sedan chair: The potentate was borne in on a litter carried by four huge Nubians.

--v. 4 clutter, strew, scatter: The streets were littered with bricks and broken glass.

little adj. 1 small, short, slight, tiny, minute, diminutive, miniature, mini, baby, doll-sized, undersized, dwarf, midget, pygmy, elfin, toy, bantam, petite, wee, infinitesimal, minuscule, Lilliputian, teeny, teeny-weeny, teensy-weensy, itty-bitty, itsy-bitsy, microscopic: I live in a little house.