Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

21

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n

o

f

badly^1

adverb in an inferior way

» This essay is badly written,

with poor grammar.

inadequately, ineptly,

poorly, shoddily,

unsatisfactorily

antonym: well

badly^2

adverb seriously

» Ben was badly hurt in a fall.

deeply, desperately,

gravely, seriously

antonym: slightly

badly^3

adverb in a cruel manner

» Jim would never treat his

dog badly – he adores it.

brutally, callously, cruelly,

savagely, viciously

antonym: well

bait

noun something used to tempt

someone » Charles used

worms as bait to catch fish.

bribe, decoy, inducement,

lure, temptation

balance^1

verb to make or remain steady

» The gymnast balanced

gracefully on one leg.

level, stabilize, steady

balance^2

noun a stable relationship

between things » There

must be a balance between

study and play time.

equilibrium, equity,

equivalence, parity

ball

noun a round object

» The dog loved playing

with the ball.

drop, globe, pellet, sphere,

globule, orb, spheroid

ban^1

verb to disallow something

» Adults are banned from

taking part in the kids’ race.

bar, disqualify, exclude,

forbid, outlaw, prohibit,

banish, proscribe,

suppress

antonym: permit

ban^2

noun a rule disallowing

something » There is a ban

on chewing gum in school.

disqualification, embargo,

prohibition, suppression

antonym: permit

band^1

noun a group of musicians

who play together

» Luiz was a singer in

a rock-and-roll band.

group, orchestra, combo,

ensemble

band^2

noun a group of people who

share a common purpose

» The protest was led by

a band of angry students.

bunch, company, crowd,

gang, party, troupe

babble

verb to talk in an excited way

» Tim babbled on and on

about how much fun he’d

had at the party.

burble, chatter, gabble,

prattle

baby

noun a very young child

» Jia enjoyed playing

with her baby brother.

ankle-biter (Australia and

New Zealand; slang), bairn

(Scotland), child, infant

back^1

noun the part that is behind

the front » Write a message

on the back of a postcard.

end, rear, reverse, stern

antonym: front

back^2

verb to support a person

or organization

» Mina’s friends backed her

campaign for student president.

advocate, encourage,

endorse, favour, promote,

support, champion, second

antonym: oppose

background

noun where you come from;

your class, education, training,

or experience » Marianne

came from a rich background.

culture, environment,

history, upbringing

bad^1

adjective harmful, unpleasant,

or upsetting » I have bad

news – the holiday is cancelled.

damaging, destructive,

detrimental, distressing,

disturbing, grim, harmful,

painful, traumatic,

unhealthy, unpleasant,

unsettling, upsetting

antonym: good

bad^2

adjective of poor quality

» The roads were bad, full

of potholes.

defective, deficient, faulty,

imperfect, inadequate,

inferior, pathetic, poor,

sorry, unsatisfactory

antonym: good

bad^3

adjective evil in character

» Superheroes always win

over the bad guys.

corrupt, criminal, depraved,

evil, immoral, sinful,

villainous, wicked, wrong

antonym: good

band

Jia enjoyed playing with

her baby brother.

Write a message on the back

of a postcard.

The protest was led by a band

of angry students.

The gymnast balanced gracefully

on one leg.

The dog loved playing with the ball.

021-033_B.indd 21 13/01/17 10:51 am