Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

140

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

meagre

adjective very small and

inadequate » The restaurant

served such meagre portions

we went home hungry.

inadequate, measly

(informal), paltry, scant,

sparse, exiguous,

insubstantial, scanty,

skimpy

meal

noun an occasion when people

eat » My mother cooked a

special meal for my birthday.

banquet, dinner, feast,

repast, spread

mean^1

verb to convey a message

» A red traffic light means

that you have to stop.

denote, indicate, signify

mean^2

verb to intend to do something

» I meant to phone you, but

didn’t have time.

aim, intend, plan

mean^3

adjective unwilling to spend

money » Don’t be mean:

leave the waiter a good tip.

miserly, tight (informal),

parsimonious,

penny-pinching,

stingy, tight-fisted

antonym: generous

meaning

noun the idea expressed by

something » Tom had to look

up the meaning of the word

in the dictionary.

drift, gist, message,

significance, connotation,

import

measure^1

verb to check the size of

something » We measured

how tall our little brother was.

gauge, survey, calibrate,

quantify

measure^2

noun an amount of something

» There was a measure of

silence after the actor’s

shocking announcement.

amount, degree, portion,

proportion

measure^3

noun an action to achieve

something » Tough measures

are needed to maintain order.

act, action, deed,

expedient, manoeuvre,

means, procedure, step

medicine

noun something you take to

make you better » The doctor

prescribed some medicine for

my sore throat.

cure, drug, medication,

pill, tablet, remedy

medium^1

adjective average in size

» Ella was of medium height.

average, medium-sized,

middling

medium^2

noun a means of

communication » TV is a

useful medium for relaying

important news to the nation.

channel, vehicle, agency,

instrument

meek

adjective quiet and timid

» Janet was a meek girl,

always agreeing with whatever

her friends said.

deferential, docile,

mild, submissive, timid,

unassuming, acquiescent,

compliant, mild-mannered

antonym: bold

meet^1

verb to be in the same place

as someone » I met my

cousin quite by chance.

bump into (informal),

come across, come upon,

encounter, run across,

run into

meet^2

verb to gather in a group

» We meet for lunch at a café

once a week.

assemble, congregate,

convene, gather,

get together

meet^3

verb to fulfil a need

» Meals must meet the

needs of growing children.

answer, fulfil, satisfy

meeting^1

noun an event at which people

come together for a purpose

» All the parents went

to a meeting about the

new playground.

audience, conference,

congress, convention,

gathering, get-together

(informal), reunion, conclave,

convocation

meeting^2

noun an occasion when you

meet someone » I had a

chance meeting with an old

friend while I was shopping.

assignation (literary),

encounter, rendezvous,

tryst

melodramatic

adjective behaving in an

exaggerated way » Elodie was

so melodramatic, flouncing out

of the café because she didn’t

like the table they gave her.

histrionic, sensational,

theatrical

melt^1

verb to become liquid

» The ice cream started

to melt on the floor.

dissolve, thaw, liquefy

melt^2

verb to disappear » Isabella’s

anger melted when she saw

what Leo had brought her.

disappear, disperse,

dissolve, evaporate, vanish

memorable

adjective likely to be

remembered » The cup final

was a memorable victory over

the league champions.

catchy, historic, notable,

striking, unforgettable

memory

noun the ability to remember

» I have an excellent memory

for phone numbers.

recall, remembrance

(formal), recollection,

retention

Ella was of medium height.

The ice cream started to melt

on the floor.

We meet for lunch at a café

once a week.

The restaurant served such meagre

portions we went home hungry.

meagre

137-145_M.indd 140 13/01/17 12:24 pm