Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

4

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

How to use this book

The Children’s Illustrated Thesaurus is easy to use

when you want to find a synonym to improve your writing.

Synonyms are words that can have the same meaning

as other words – see page 6 for more information.

Guideword

The word on the

top left shows

you the first entry

on the page.

Entry

This is the word

you want to find

a synonym for.

Related words

Words that relate

to the entry to expand your

vocabulary even further

come at the end.

Synonym

Alternative words

you can use

instead of the

entry word are

shown in bold.

Definition

What the

word means.

Example

sentence

Helping you find

the right word

by putting it

in context.

8 9

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

a b c d e g h i j k l m p q r s t u v w x y z

n

o

f

absolute^2

adjective having total power

» Louis XIV of France was

an absolute monarch and

had complete authority

on all state matters.

dictatorial, supreme,

tyrannical

absorb

verb to soak up or take

in something » A sponge

can absorb a lot of water.

digest, soak up, take in

abstain

verb to choose not to do

something » Vegetarians

abstain from eating meat.

avoid, deny yourself, forgo,

give up, refrain, desist,

forbear, renounce

absurd

adjective ridiculous

or nonsensical » The

film’s plot was absurd,

I couldn't make sense of it.

crazy (informal), illogical,

ludicrous, nonsensical,

ridiculous, incongruous,

preposterous

abundance

noun a great amount

of something

» There is an abundance

of wildlife in the rainforest.

affluence, bounty, plenty,

cornucopia, plethora

antonym: shortage

abundant

adjective present in large

quantities » There was

an abundant supply of

cakes at the party.

ample, copious,

full, plentiful

antonym: scarce

abuse^1

noun cruel treatment

of someone » Animal

abuse is rightly illegal.

exploitation, harm, hurt,

ill-treatment, oppression

abuse^2

noun unkind remarks directed

towards someone » The

cyclist shouted abuse at

the man driving dangerously.

censure, derision,

insults, invective

abuse^3

verb to speak insultingly to

someone » The fans verbally

abused the rival football team.

curse, insult, scold,

slate (Britain; informal)

about^1

preposition relating to or

concerning » Laura was happy

about her excellent exam results.

concerning, on, regarding,

relating to

about^2

adverb not exactly

» I think the film lasts about

one hour.

almost, approximately,

around, nearly, roughly

above^1

preposition over or higher than

something » The bird flew

above the clouds.

higher than, over

antonym: below

related words: prefixes super-,

supra-, sur-

above^2

preposition greater than

a certain level or amount

» The number of visitors

will rise above the 100 mark.

beyond, exceeding

abusive

adjective rude and unkind

» Don’t use abusive language

when speaking to people, it will

offend them.

disparaging, insulting,

offensive, rude, scathing,

censorious, vituperative

abyss

noun a very deep hole

» He peered over the edge

of the abyss.

chasm, fissure, gorge,

pit, void

accelerate

verb to go faster » The car

accelerated to reach the

higher speed limit.

hurry, quicken, speed up

antonym: decelerate

accept

verb to receive or agree

to something » Lucas

accepted the party invitation.

acknowledge,

agree to, concur with,

consent to, take

antonym: refuse

abrupt^1

adjective sudden or unexpected

» They were surprised at the

teacher’s abrupt departure.

sudden, unexpected,

unforeseen, precipitate,

unanticipated

abrupt^2

adjective unfriendly and

impolite » He was taken

aback by her abrupt manner.

curt, rude, short, terse,

brusque, unceremonious

antonym: polite

absent

adjective not present

» Hugo was absent from

school yesterday so

missed the mock test.

away, elsewhere,

gone, missing

antonym: present

absent-minded

adjective forgetful or not

paying attention » Nora’s

absent-minded father left

the camera under the seat.

distracted, forgetful,

random (New Zealand),

inattentive

absolute 1

adjective total and complete

» I can’t understand him,

he is talking absolute nonsense.

complete, downright, pure,

sheer, thorough, total, utter,

unmitigated, unqualified

acceptable

adjective good enough

to be accepted

» His messy handwriting

was not acceptable.

adequate, all right, fair,

good enough, passable,

satisfactory, tolerable

accidental

adjective happening by chance

» The fire was accidental.

casual, chance,

inadvertent, random

antonym: deliberate

accommodate

verb to provide someone with

a place to stay » A hotel was

built to accommodate guests

for weddings.

house, put up, shelter

accommodating

adjective willing to help » The

waiter was very accommodating

and found us a new table.

considerate, helpful,

hospitable, kind, obliging

accommodation

noun a house or room

for living in

▼ SEE BELOW

accompany^1

verb to go somewhere with

someone » Children must

be accompanied by an adult.

conduct (formal), escort,

go with, usher

abandon^1

verb to leave someone

or something » The

child abandoned its toy.

desert, jilt, leave,

leave behind, forsake,

leave in the lurch

abandon^2

noun lack of restraint

» Raj began to laugh

with abandon.

recklessness, wildness

antonym: control

abate

verb to become less

» The four-day flood abated

and the road became visible.

decrease, diminish, ebb,

lessen, subside, wane

ability

noun the skill needed to do

something » Sheila has the

ability to get on with others.

capability, competence,

expertise, skill, talent,

aptitude, dexterity,

proficiency

antonym: inability

able

adjective good at doing

something » Luca proved

himself to be an able

teacher when all his pupils

passed the exam.

accomplished, capable,

efficient, expert, first-rate,

skilled, talented,

competent, proficient

abolish

verb to do away with something

» The children wanted

to abolish the school’s

homework policy.

annul, do away with,

overturn, put an end to,

quash, rescind, revoke

abandon accompany

The child abandoned its toy.

There was an abundant supply

of cakes at the party.

He peered over the edge

of the abyss.

The bird flew above the clouds.

digs

(Britain; informal)

The actors stayed in digs

as they toured the country.

house

Each house has

its own garden.

housing

This housing

is perfect

for families.

maisonette

A maisonette is a flat

with its own front door

to the street.

mansion

The mansion has

seven bedrooms.

accommodation

noun a house or room for living in

» What kind of accommodation are you staying in?

bungalow

A bungalow has only

one floor.

flats

How many flats are

in the block?

lodgings

The student lodgings

needed decorating.

penthouse

I live in the

penthouse on

the top-floor.

mobile home

A static caravan or a

mobile home is more

affordable than a house.

studio

He lives in a

one-room studio.

apartment

My apartment has

a concierge service.

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