Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

205

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n

o

f

single^2

adjective not married

» Barry was single and enjoyed

living on his own.

unattached, unmarried

single^3

adjective for one person only

» Mum booked a single room

at the hotel as Dad couldn’t go.

individual, separate

singular

adjective (formal) unusual

and remarkable » Mary had

a singular smile – it lit up her

whole face.

exceptional, extraordinary,

rare, remarkable,

uncommon, unique,

unusual

sinister

adjective seeming harmful or

evil » The bad guy in the book

was a sinister character.

evil, forbidding, menacing,

ominous, threatening,

baleful, bodeful, disquieting

situation

noun what is happening

» Mr Lee mistaking me for my

brother was a funny situation.

case, circumstances,

plight, scenario,

state of affairs

size^1

noun how big or small

something is » The bears

came in various sizes.

dimensions, extent,

proportions

size^2

noun the fact of something

being very large » The sheer

size of the island meant that

it would take weeks to travel

its entire coastline.

bulk, immensity,

magnitude, vastness

skilful

adjective able to do something

very well » Kate had regular

tennis coaching and was

a skilful player.

able, accomplished,

adept, competent, expert,

masterly, proficient, skilled,

adroit, dexterous

antonym: incompetent

skill

noun the ability to do

something well

» Completing such a complex

task requires skill.

ability, competence,

dexterity, expertise, facility,

knack, proficiency

skilled

adjective having the knowledge

to do something well

» The model was made by

a highly skilled carpenter.

able, accomplished,

competent, experienced,

expert, masterly,

professional, proficient,

skilful, trained

antonym: incompetent

skinny

adjective extremely thin

» The boy ate like a horse

but was naturally skinny.

bony, emaciated, lean,

scrawny, thin, underfed,

undernourished

antonym: plump

slander^1

noun something untrue and

malicious said about someone

» It was a slander to say that

someone else wrote her books.

libel, scandal, slur, smear,

aspersion, calumny,

defamation

slander^2

verb to say untrue and

malicious things about

someone » She apologized

for slandering the President.

libel, malign, smear,

defame, traduce, vilify

sleep^1

noun the natural state of rest

in which you are unconscious

» Heather woke up feeling

rested after a good sleep.

doze, forty winks (slang),

hibernation, kip (Britain;

slang), nap, slumber,

snooze (informal),

dormancy, repose, siesta

sleep^2

verb to rest in a natural state

of unconsciousness

▼ SEE BELOW

sleepy^1

adjective tired and ready to go

to sleep » The cat was sleepy

and curled up on the rug.

drowsy, lethargic, sluggish,

somnolent, torpid

sleepy^2

adjective not having much

activity or excitement » We

live in a sleepy little village.

dull, peaceful, quiet

sleepy

The bears came in various sizes.

sleep

(^2) verb to rest in a natural state
of unconsciousness » The cats slept.
doze
Orlando dozed.
slumber
Marmalade slumbered
snooze peacefully for hours.
Smudge snoozed
on and off.
kip (British; slang)
Kitty regularly kipped
on the sofa.
hibernate
Ferdinand hibernated
during winter.
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