Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

122

A B C D E G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

F

instant

instant^1

noun a short period of time

» The rain stopped in

an instant.

flash, minute, moment,

second, split second, trice

instant^2

adjective immediate and

without delay » He took

an instant liking to her.

immediate, instantaneous,

prompt

instinct

noun a natural tendency to do

something » My dog has a

strong instinct to chase rabbits.

feeling, impulse, intuition,

sixth sense, urge

instruct^1

verb to tell someone to do

something » The teacher

instructed the class to be quiet.

command, direct, order, tell

antonym: forbid

instruct^2

verb to teach someone

about a subject or skill

» Liam instructs budding

sailors on how to raise the sail.

coach, educate, school,

teach, train, tutor

insufficient

adjective not enough for a

particular purpose » There

were insufficient refreshments

for the hungry players.

deficient, inadequate,

lacking, scant, short

antonym: sufficient

insult^1

verb to offend someone by

being rude to them » I did

not mean to insult you.

abuse, affront, offend,

put down, slander,

slight, snub

antonym: compliment

insult^2

noun a rude remark that

offends someone » The

two men exchanged insults.

abuse, affront, offence,

put-down, slight, snub

antonym: compliment

intelligence

noun the ability to understand

and learn things » The tricky

quiz really tested the teams’

intelligence.

cleverness,

comprehension, intellect,

perception, sense,

understanding, wit,

acumen, capacity, nous

intelligent

adjective able to understand

and learn things » Dolphins

are an intelligent species.

acute, brainy (informal),

bright, clever, quick,

sharp, smart

antonym: stupid

intend^1

verb to decide or plan to do

something » Harper intended

to stay for lunch.

aim, be determined, mean,

plan, propose, resolve

intend^2

verb to mean for a certain use

» This book is intended for

younger children.

aim, design, earmark, mean

intense^1

adjective very great in strength

or amount » Michaela

watched the screen with

intense concentration.

acute, deep, extreme,

fierce, great, powerful,

profound, severe

intense^2

adjective tending to have strong

feelings » The actor’s intense

performance was gripping.

ardent, earnest, fervent,

fierce, impassioned,

passionate, vehement

intention

noun a plan to do something

» Layla announced her

intention of going to the party.

aim, goal, idea, object,

objective, purpose

interest^1

noun a feeling of wanting

to know about something

» I have a great interest

in that period of history.

attention, concern,

curiosity, fascination

interest^2

noun a hobby » Of her many

interests, Nora enjoyed knitting

the most.

activity, hobby, pastime,

pursuit

interest^3

verb to attract someone’s

attention and curiosity

» This picture interests

me most, I love the colours.

appeal, captivate,

fascinate, intrigue,

stimulate

antonym: bore

interesting

adjective making you want

to know, learn, or hear more

» We had an interesting

conversation about bats

in the car this morning.

absorbing, compelling,

entertaining, gripping,

intriguing, stimulating

antonym: boring

interfere^1

verb to try to influence a

situation » Stop interfering

and leave her alone.

butt in, intervene, intrude,

meddle, tamper

interfere^2

verb to have a damaging effect

on a situation » The loud

music interfered with her sleep.

conflict, disrupt

internet

noun a worldwide network of

computers » Hazel used the

internet to book her holiday.

blogosphere, cloud,

cyberspace, net, web,

world wide web

interrogate

verb to question someone

thoroughly » I interrogated

everyone involved.

examine, grill (informal),

question, quiz,

cross-examine,

cross-question

Michaela watched the screen with

intense concentration.

Of her many interests, Nora

enjoyed knitting the most.

Hazel used the internet to book

her holiday.

The two men exchanged insults.

Liam instructs budding sailors

on how to raise the sail.

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