Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

236

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

uncommon

uncommon^2

adjective unusually great

» Sue read Cecilia’s letter

with uncommon interest.

acute, exceptional,

extraordinary, extreme,

great, intense, remarkable,

unparalleled

unconscious^1

adjective in a state similar

to sleep » Frank banged

his head and knocked

himself unconscious.

asleep, senseless, stunned,

comatose, insensible

antonym: conscious

unconscious^2

adjective not aware of what is

happening » The fox was quite

unconscious of their presence.

oblivious, unaware,

unknowing, unsuspecting

antonym: aware

uncover^1

verb to find something out

» The journalist uncovered

the truth behind the scandal.

bring to light, expose,

reveal, show up, unearth

uncover^2

verb to remove the lid or cover

from something » When the

seedlings sprout, lift the plastic

to uncover the tray.

expose, lay bare, open,

reveal, unearth, unveil,

unwrap

under

preposition at a lower level

than something » The young

children played with their toys

under the table.

below, beneath, underneath

antonym: above

undergo

verb to have something happen

to you » My uncle had

to undergo major surgery.

be subjected to, endure,

experience, go through,

suffer

undermine

verb to make something less

secure or strong » I won’t let

you undermine me – I know

I’m right.

impair, sap, subvert,

weaken

antonym: strengthen

understand^1

verb to know what someone

means » Do you understand

what I’m saying?

catch on (informal),

comprehend, follow,

get, grasp, see, take in

understand^2

verb to know why or how

something is happening

» Ria was too young to

understand what was

happening.

appreciate, comprehend,

fathom, grasp, realize,

conceive, discern

understand^3

verb to hear of something

» I understand your cousin

hasn’t been well.

believe, gather, hear, learn

understanding^1

noun a knowledge of something

» Kai has a good

understanding of computers.

appreciation,

comprehension, grasp,

knowledge, perception

understanding^2

noun an informal agreement

» They came to an

understanding that worked

for both of them.

accord, agreement, pact

understanding^3

adjective having a sympathetic

nature » My parents are very

understanding.

compassionate,

considerate, sensitive,

sympathetic

undertaking

noun a task which you have

agreed to do » Organizing

the show has been a massive

undertaking.

affair, business, endeavour,

enterprise, job, operation,

project, task, venture

uneasy

adjective worried that

something may be wrong

» I was very uneasy about

the plans to close the library.

agitated, anxious, nervous,

perturbed, worried,

apprehensive,

discomposed, restive

antonym: comfortable

unemployed

adjective not having a job

» Henry is unemployed

and looking for work.

idle, jobless, redundant

antonym: employed

uneven^1

adjective not the same or

consistent » Brooke drew

six lines of uneven length.

fluctuating, inconsistent,

irregular, patchy, variable

antonym: even

uneven^2

adjective having an unlevel

or rough surface » The bikers

raced over the uneven terrain

with ease.

bumpy, not level,

not smooth, rough

antonym: level

unexpected

adjective not considered likely

to happen » Raj’s win was

completely unexpected – he

was last in the semi-finals.

astonishing, chance,

surprising, unforeseen,

fortuitous, unanticipated

unfailing

adjective continuous and not

weakening as time passes

» I admire Jan’s unfailing

cheerfulness, even in the

most stressful times.

constant, endless,

unremitting

They came to an understanding

that worked for both of them.

The young children played with

their toys under the table.

The bikers raced over the

uneven terrain with ease.

When the seedlings sprout, lift

the plastic to uncover the tray.

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