Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

74

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

edge

edge^1

noun the place where

something ends or meets

something else » Don’t go

near the edge of the cliff!

border, boundary, brim,

fringe, lip, margin, rim,

perimeter, periphery

antonym: centre

edge^2

verb to move somewhere slowly

» The cat edged towards the

mouse, but it saw him and

scampered away.

creep, inch, sidle

educated

adjective having a high

standard of learning

» Our head teacher is

an educated and wise lady.

cultivated, cultured,

intellectual, learned,

erudite, well-educated

education

noun the process of

learning or teaching

» A good education is

essential for success in life.

coaching, e-learning,

instruction, schooling,

training, tuition

effect

noun a direct result of

something » Regular piano

practice had a real effect on

my playing.

consequence, end result,

fruit, result, upshot

efficient

adjective able to work well

without wasting time or energy

» Kit’s an efficient worker

who helps us get things

done quickly.

businesslike, competent,

economic, effective,

organized, productive

antonym: inefficient

effort^1

noun physical or mental energy

» It took a lot of effort

to move the heavy box.

application, energy,

exertion, trouble, work

effort^2

noun an attempt or struggle

» Mum’s cake-making efforts

are greatly appreciated by her

hungry family.

attempt, bid, stab (informal),

struggle

elaborate^1

adjective having many different

parts » She threw an

elaborate party with lots of

entertainment and music,

and huge amounts of food.

complex, complicated,

detailed, intricate, involved

antonym: simple

elaborate^2

adjective highly decorated

» The wooden box had

elaborate carvings.

fancy, fussy, ornate

elaborate^3

verb to add more information

about something

» He promised to elaborate on

the plan by giving more details.

develop, enlarge, expand

eliminate^1

verb to get rid of someone

or something » My lactose-

intolerant friend has to

eliminate dairy foods

from her diet.

cut out, do away with,

eradicate, get rid of,

remove, stamp out

eliminate^2

verb to beat someone in a

competition » Dan’s team was

eliminated in the first round.

knock out, put out

embarrass

verb to make someone

feel ashamed or awkward

» My dad likes to embarrass

me in front of my friends!

disconcert, fluster,

humiliate, shame,

discomfit, faze, mortify

embarrassed

adjective ashamed and

awkward » She was easily

embarrassed and turned red

when anyone looked at her.

ashamed, awkward,

humiliated, red-faced,

self-conscious, sheepish,

abashed, bashful,

discomfited, mortified

embarrassment

noun shame and awkwardness

» I laughed loudly to cover my

embarrassment at falling over.

awkwardness,

bashfulness, humiliation,

self-consciousness, shame,

chagrin, discomfiture,

mortification

emergency

noun an unexpected and

difficult situation » It was an

emergency: she was lost and

couldn’t find her way home.

crisis, pinch

emit

verb to give out or release

something » The alarm

emitted a loud, shrill ring.

exude, give off, give out,

release, send out, utter,

produce, radiate, send forth

emphasis

noun special or extra

importance » The book

placed more emphasis on

the characters than the plot.

accent, importance,

prominence, weight

emphasize

verb to make something seem

especially important or obvious

» He emphasized the need for

everyone to stay quiet while

they visited the reptile house.

accent, accentuate,

highlight, play up, stress,

underline, foreground,

prioritize, underscore

employ^1

verb to pay someone to work

for you » The family next

door employs me to babysit.

appoint, commission,

engage (formal), hire,

take on

employ^2

verb to use something

» When his parents said no,

Kieran employed a new strategy

to get what he wanted.

bring to bear, make use of,

use, utilize

employee

noun someone who is paid

to work for someone else

» Hannah was one of eight

employees on the farm.

hand, worker, workman

employer

noun someone that other

people work for » The new

office assistant thanked her

employer for giving her the job.

boss, gaffer (informal)

employment

noun giving someone paid work

or having paid work

» Will you stay in education

or seek employment?

engagement, enlistment,

hiring, recruitment

▶▶ SEE RIGHT

The wooden box had

elaborate carvings.

Don’t go near the edge of the cliff!

072-082_E.indd 74 13/01/17 10:52 am