Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

8

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

about^1

preposition relating to or

concerning » Laura was happy

about her excellent exam results.

concerning, on, regarding,

relating to

about^2

adverb not exactly

» I think the film lasts about

one hour.

almost, approximately,

around, nearly, roughly

above^1

preposition over or higher than

something » The bird flew

above the clouds.

higher than, over

antonym: below

related words: prefixes super-,

supra-, sur-

above^2

preposition greater than

a certain level or amount

» The number of visitors

will rise above the 100 mark.

beyond, exceeding

abrupt^1

adjective sudden or unexpected

» They were surprised at the

teacher’s abrupt departure.

sudden, unexpected,

unforeseen, precipitate,

unanticipated

abrupt^2

adjective unfriendly and

impolite » He was taken

aback by her abrupt manner.

curt, rude, short, terse,

brusque, unceremonious

antonym: polite

absent

adjective not present

» Hugo was absent from

school yesterday so

missed the mock test.

away, elsewhere,

gone, missing

antonym: present

absentminded

adjective forgetful or not

paying attention » Nora’s

absentminded father left

the camera under the seat.

distracted, forgetful,

random (New Zealand),

inattentive

absolute^1

adjective total and complete

» I can’t understand him,

he is talking absolute nonsense.

complete, downright, pure,

sheer, thorough, total, utter,

unmitigated, unqualified

abandon^1

verb to leave someone

or something » The

child abandoned its toy.

desert, jilt, leave,

leave behind, forsake,

leave in the lurch

abandon^2

noun lack of restraint

» Raj began to laugh

with abandon.

recklessness, wildness

antonym: control

abate

verb to become less

» The four-day flood abated

and the road became visible.

decrease, diminish, ebb,

lessen, subside, wane

ability

noun the skill needed to do

something » Sheila has the

ability to get on with others.

capability, competence,

expertise, skill, talent,

aptitude, dexterity,

proficiency

antonym: inability

able

adjective good at doing

something » Luca proved

himself to be an able

teacher when all his pupils

passed the exam.

accomplished, capable,

efficient, expert, first-rate,

skilled, talented,

competent, proficient

abolish

verb to do away with something

» The children wanted

to abolish the school’s

homework policy.

annul, do away with,

overturn, put an end to,

quash, rescind, revoke

abandon

The child abandoned its toy.

The bird flew above the clouds.

digs

(Britain; informal)

The actors stayed in digs

as they toured the country.

house

Each house has

its own garden.

accommodation

noun a house or room for living in

» What kind of accommodation are you staying in?

bungalow

A bungalow has only

one floor.

penthouse

I live in the

penthouse on

the top floor.

mobile home

A static caravan or a

mobile home is more

affordable than a house.

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