Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

150

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

obscure^3

adjective difficult to understand

» The author used such

obscure language in his book,

Ciara needed to look up some

of the words in a dictionary

to understand them.

arcane, cryptic, opaque,

abstruse, esoteric

antonym: simple

observant

adjective good at noticing

things » The artist was

very observant and captured

every detail of the flowers

in his painting.

attentive, perceptive,

vigilant, watchful,

eagle-eyed, sharp-eyed

observe^1

verb to watch something

carefully » The zoologists

spent years observing the

behaviour of chimpanzees.

monitor, scrutinize,

study, survey,

view, watch

observe^2

verb to notice something

» The teacher took

the class for a walk

in the woods and asked

them to write down what

wildlife they observed.

discover, note, notice,

see, spot, witness

observe^3

verb to make a comment

about something

» “You’ve had your

hair cut,” Dad observed.

comment, mention,

remark, say, state

obsession

noun a compulsion to think

about something » Wayne

had always had an obsession

with trains.

complex, fixation,

mania, preoccupation,

thing (informal)

obstacle

noun something that makes

it difficult to go forward

» The main obstacle to

cleaning my bedroom is

the broken vacuum cleaner.

barrier, difficulty,

hindrance, hurdle,

impediment, obstruction,

bar, stumbling block

obstinate

adjective unwilling to change

your mind » He is obstinate

and will not give up.

dogged, headstrong,

inflexible, intractable,

stubborn, wilful,

intransigent, recalcitrant

antonym: flexible

obstruct

verb to block a road or path

» The fallen tree obstructed

the road.

bar, block,

choke, clog

oaf

noun a clumsy or aggressive

person » My brother can be

such an oaf, always knocking

things over.

brute, lout

oath

noun a formal promise

» When you join the Scouts,

you take an oath.

pledge, promise, vow

obedient

adjective tending to do what

you are told » The horse was

calm and obedient – perfect

for young riders.

law-abiding, submissive,

subservient, biddable,

compliant

antonym: disobedient

obey

verb to do what you are told

» Everyone should obey

the law.

abide by, adhere to,

comply with, follow,

observe

antonym: disobey

object^1

noun anything solid and

non-living » My dog likes to

chew on all sorts of objects.

article, thing

object^2

noun an aim or purpose

» The object of the exercise is

to raise money for the charity.

aim, goal, idea, intention,

objective, purpose

object^3

verb to express disapproval

» Al objected to seeing the

film because it was too long.

oppose, protest, demur,

expostulate

antonym: approve

objection

noun disapproval of something

» Despite objections from

her father, Jacqui wore

shorts and trainers.

opposition, protest

antonym: support

obligatory

adjective required by a rule or

law » He said that attendance

was obligatory; no one was

allowed to miss the class.

compulsory, forced,

mandatory, required,

requisite

obscure^1

verb to make something

difficult to see

▶▶ SEE RIGHT

obscure^2

adjective known by only a

few people » We went to

an obscure restaurant in a side

street, away from the crowds.

little-known, unknown

antonym: famous

The fallen tree obstructed

the road.

My dog likes to chew on

all sorts of objects.

oaf

The artist was very observant

and captured every detail

of the flowers in his painting.

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