Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

226

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

telephone

telephone^1

noun a device that allows you

to speak to someone in another

place » Will you please

answer the telephone?

cellphone, mobile,

mobile phone, phone

telephone^2

verb to contact a person by

telephone » Telephone me

when you get home.

call, contact, phone,

ring, Skype ®

tell^1

verb to let someone know

something » Vanessa told

us she was expecting twins.

inform, notify, acquaint,

apprise

tell^2

verb to give someone an order

» The police officer told Jan

to stop driving so fast in the

town centre.

command, direct (formal),

instruct, order, call upon,

enjoin

tell^3

verb to judge something

correctly » I could tell

by her smile that my aunt

was pleased to see me.

discern, see

temporary

adjective lasting a short time

» Fred took a temporary job

for the summer holidays.

ephemeral, fleeting,

interim, momentary,

passing, provisional,

transient, transitory,

impermanent, short-lived

antonym: permanent

tempt: be tempted by

verb to have an urge to do

something » Joe was

tempted to eat lots

of the cookies.

entice, lure, seduce

tend^1

verb to happen usually or often

» I tend to dress in jeans

at the weekend.

be apt, be inclined,

be liable, be prone,

have a tendency

tend^2

verb to look after someone

or something » The farmer

tended the lambs.

care for, look after, nurse,

take care of

tendency

noun behaviour that happens

often » Dad has a tendency

to talk too fast.

inclination, leaning,

propensity, predisposition,

proclivity, proneness

tender^1

adjective showing gentle

and caring feelings

» My niece is a naturally

tender and loving person.

affectionate, caring,

compassionate, gentle,

kind, loving, sensitive,

warm

antonym: tough

tender^2

adjective painful and sore

» My ribs felt tender for

days after the fall.

aching, bruised, inflamed,

painful, raw, sensitive, sore

The police officer told Jan to stop

driving so fast in the town centre.

Joe was tempted to eat lots

of the cookies.

thin

emaciated

slender

lanky

underweight

slim

bony

scrawny scraggy

spare

slight skinny

lean

light

(^2) adjective not carrying
a lot of fat » The thin cat
crept through the fence.
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