Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

58

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

dash

dash^3

verb to ruin or frustrate

someone’s hopes or ambitions

» The children’s hopes of a

picnic were dashed by the rain.

crush, destroy, disappoint,

foil, frustrate, shatter,

thwart, confound, quash

dash^4

noun a sudden movement

or rush » Harper made a

dash for the door.

bolt, race, run, rush,

sprint, stampede

dash^5

noun a small quantity of

something » He added

a dash of salt to his meal.

drop, pinch, splash,

sprinkling

daydream^1

noun a series of pleasant

thoughts » His mind often

drifted into a daydream.

dream, fantasy, pipe

dream, reverie

daydream^2

verb to think about pleasant

things » Noah daydreams of

being famous.

dream, fantasize

dazed

adjective unable to think clearly

» At the end of the interview

I felt dazed and exhausted.

bewildered, confused,

dizzy, light-headed,

numbed, stunned,

disorientated,

punch-drunk, stupefied

dead^1

adjective no longer alive

» He found a dead jellyfish

washed up on the beach.

deceased, departed,

extinct, late

antonym: alive

dead^2

adjective no longer functioning

» The radio is dead.

defunct, not working

deadly

adjective causing death

» The Brazilian wandering

spider is the world’s most

deadly arachnid.

destructive, fatal,

lethal, mortal

deal

verb to cope successfully with

something » Ethan deals

with stress by doing yoga.

attend to, cope with,

handle, manage, see to,

take care of

dear^1

noun a person for whom

you have affection

» Happy Valentine’s Day, dear.

angel, beloved

(old-fashioned), darling,

love, sweetheart,

treasure (informal)

dear^2

adjective much loved

» He was a dear friend

of mine and I miss him.

beloved, cherished, darling,

esteemed, precious, prized,

treasured

dear^3

adjective costing a lot

» She didn't buy the handbag

because it was too dear.

costly, expensive,

pricey (informal)

deceive

verb to make someone believe

something that is untrue

» The advert deceived the

public by claiming the product

would make them look younger.

con (informal), double-cross,

dupe, fool, mislead, take in,

trick, bamboozle, beguile,

hoodwink

decent^1

adjective of an acceptable

standard » The pay was

decent although not generous.

adequate, passable,

reasonable, respectable,

satisfactory, tolerable

decent^2

adjective correct and

respectable » She was a

decent person who always

tried to do the right thing.

proper, respectable

antonym: improper

deceptive

adjective likely to make people

believe something untrue

» The deceptive honey badger

looks cute, but it can give

a painful scratch.

false, fraudulent, illusory,

misleading, unreliable,

delusive, specious

decide

verb to choose to do something

» She decided to sign up for

swimming lessons.

choose, come to a decision,

determine (formal),

elect (formal), make up your

mind, reach a decision,

resolve (formal)

decision

noun a judgment about

something » The judges came

to a decision about who the

winner was.

conclusion, finding,

judgment, resolution,

ruling, verdict

declaration

noun a forceful or official

announcement » She made

her declaration in public for

all to hear.

affirmation, protestation

(formal), statement,

testimony, assertion,

avowal

declare

verb to state something

forcefully or officially

» Rohan declared that he was

going to sail round the world.

affirm, announce,

assert, certify, proclaim,

profess (formal), pronounce,

state, attest, aver, avow

decline^1

verb to become smaller

or weaker » The plants in the

garden declined during winter.

decrease, diminish, drop,

fall, go down, plummet,

reduce, dwindle, wane

antonym: increase

His mind often drifted into

a daydream.

Happy Valentine’s Day, dear.

She didn’t buy the handbag

because it was too dear.

She made her declaration in public

for all to hear.

£350

057-071_D.indd 58 22/03/17 11:35 am