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thesaurus
[ thi-sawr-uhs ]
noun
- a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms, such as the online Thesaurus.com.
- any dictionary, encyclopedia, or other comprehensive reference book.
- a storehouse, repository, or treasury.
- Computers.
- an index to information stored in a computer, consisting of a comprehensive list of subjects concerning which information may be retrieved by using the proper key terms.
- a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms stored in memory for use in word processing.
thesaurus
/ θɪˈsɔːrəs /
noun
- a book containing systematized lists of synonyms and related words
- a dictionary of selected words or topics
- rare.a treasury
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Word History and Origins
Origin of thesaurus1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of thesaurus1
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Example Sentences
A thesaurus is a handy thing, but sometimes seemingly tiny differences in meaning can actually have a huge impact.
Instead, day after day I turn to all the wonderful dictionaries, thesauruses, and weird twists on them that are out there on the internet.
Had Palin scoured a thesaurus, she could not have come up with a more inflammatory phrase.
Hickes' transcript of the Calendar (Thesaurus, I, 203) shows an average of one error in every six lines.
Thus the ancient Runic inscriptions, as we gather from Hickes's Thesaurus, are in the form of a knot.
The new thought of a treasury of merits (thesaurus meritorum) introduced further changes.
The work, however, on which his fame as a scholar is most surely based is the Thesaurus Graecae linguae.
John Starke himself, with his Thesaurus of Horror, never penned anything so deliciously frightful.
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Related Words
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More About Thesaurus
What is a thesaurus?
A thesaurus is a book or program that lists synonyms and antonyms of words.
A thesaurus can be a book you can find in a library, a website (such as Thesaurus.com), or a database stored in a word processor (such as the one you can find in Microsoft Word). The plural of thesaurus is thesauruses or thesauri.
A synonym is a word that has the same meaning as another word. For example, huge, gigantic, massive, and large are synonyms of the word big. An antonym is a word that has the opposite meaning of another word. Small, tiny, and little are antonyms of the word big.
Thesauri are useful when you want to avoid using the same word over and over or need a fancy word to describe something as being “not good” or “not fun.”
Why is thesaurus important?
The first records of the term thesaurus come from around 1730. It ultimately comes from the Greek thēsaurós, meaning “treasure” or “treasury.” While the word thesaurus can mean a “treasury” or “storehouse,” this usage is very rare. Instead, thesaurus almost always refers to books, websites, or programs that are treasuries of synonyms and antonyms.
Repeatedly using the same word over and over is likely to bore or disinterest a reader. Even experienced authors like to keep a thesaurus handy to spice up their writing and possibly learn some new interesting words. Luckily, a fantastic thesaurus is readily available for anyone to use at Thesaurus.com.
Did you know ... ?
British doctor Peter Mark Roget (1779–1869) is credited as being the writer of the first modern thesaurus. Roget’s Thesaurus is still updated and published today, and National Thesaurus Day is held on January 18, Roget’s birthday.
What are real-life examples of thesaurus?
You can usually find a thesaurus like the one pictured below in your local library or bookstore. Alternatively, you can visit Thesaurus.com for all of your synonym-finding needs!
Most people know that a thesaurus is the tool to use if you need to find synonyms.
Use a thesaurus when you need it like a humble Hufflepuff. https://t.co/0DcsSceeG9
— Thesaurus.com (@thesauruscom) August 14, 2018
To whoever stole my thesaurus, you made my day bad. I hope bad things happen to you. You're a bad person.
— Pundamentalism (@Pundamentalism) April 12, 2016
What other words are related to thesaurus?
Quiz yourself!
True or False?
A thesaurus lists homonyms and pseudonyms of words.
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