Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

179

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n

o

f

rather

adverb to a certain extent

» We got along rather well.

fairly, pretty (informal),

quite, relatively, slightly,

somewhat

rational

adjective using reason rather

than emotion » There must

be a rational explanation

for the lights going out.

enlightened, logical,

reasonable, sensible

rave^1

verb to talk in an uncontrolled

way » Ed started raving about

being treated badly.

babble, rage, rant

rave^2

verb (informal) to be

enthusiastic about something

» She raved about how good

the facilities were at the hotel.

be wild about (informal),

enthuse, gush

reach^1

verb to arrive somewhere

» Len did not stop until he

reached the end of the trail.

arrive at, attain,

get as far as, get to, make

reach^2

verb to extend as far as

something » Annabel used

a ladder to reach the book

she wanted.

extend to, go as far as,

touch

reach^3

verb to arrive at a certain

stage or level » Exam results

have reached record highs.

arrive at, attain, climb to,

fall to, rise to

reaction^1

noun a person’s response to

something » When she

spotted the spider, Louise’s

reaction was one of horror.

acknowledgment, answer,

feedback, response

reaction^2

noun a response to something

unpopular » There has

been a fierce reaction to the

suggestion that the school day

be made longer.

backlash, counterbalance

read^1

verb to look at and absorb

something written » Nancy

read the article with interest.

glance at, look at,

pore over, scan, study

read^2

verb to understand the true

nature or mood » Rob wished

he could read her thoughts.

comprehend, decipher,

interpret

ready^1

adjective prepared for action

or use » We were packed and

ready to go on holiday.

organized, prepared,

primed, ripe, set

ready^2

adjective willing to do

something » Kyle was always

ready to help with the dishes.

agreeable, eager, happy,

keen, willing, minded,

predisposed

ready^3

adjective easily produced or

obtained » Lily took a ready

meal out of the freezer.

accessible, available,

convenient, handy

real^1

adjective genuine and not

imitation » The jeweller

inspected the gem to see

if it was real or a fake.

authentic, bona fide,

genuine, honest, legitimate,

rightful, sincere, true,

unaffected

antonym: fake

real^2

adjective actually existing

and not imagined » The film

is based on the real story

of a famous scientist.

actual, authentic, concrete,

factual, genuine, legitimate,

tangible, true

antonym: imaginary

realistic^1

adjective accepting the true

situation » She was realistic

that her chances of winning

the lottery were virtually nil.

down-to-earth, level-

headed, matter-of-fact,

practical, sensible, sober

realistic^2

adjective true to real life

» My sister’s paintings are

very realistic.

authentic, faithful,

lifelike, true, naturalistic,

representational

reality

noun something that is true

and not imagined » The

reality of the situation is

that we are lost.

authenticity, fact,

realism, truth

realize

verb to become aware of

something » Nicole hadn’t

realized how difficult the

recipe was.

appreciate, comprehend,

grasp, recognize,

understand

My sister’s paintings are

very realistic.

When she spotted the spider,

Louise’s reaction was one of horror.

We were packed and ready

to go on holiday.

The jeweller inspected the gem

to see if it was real or a fake.

Nancy read the article with interest.

realize

Annabel used a ladder to reach

the book she wanted.

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