Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
grinder, burnisher, scarifier, abradantabreast ADVERB a group of youths riding four abreast = alongside, level, beside, in a row, side by side, neck and neck, shoulder to shoulder ● abreast of or with We'll keep you abreast of developments. = informed about, in touch with, familiar with, acquainted with, up to date with, knowledgeable about, conversant with, up to speed with (informal), in the picture about, au courant with, au fait with, keeping your finger on the pulse ofabridge VERB = shorten, reduce, contract, trim, clip, diminish, decrease, abstract, digest, cut down, cut back, cut, prune, concentrate, lessen, summarize, compress, curtail, condense, abbreviate, truncate, epitomize, downsize, précis, synopsize (U.S.) ◼ OPPOSITE: expandabridged ADJECTIVE = shortened, shorter, reduced, brief, potted (informal), trimmed, diminished, pruned, summarized, cut, compressed, curtailed, concise, condensed, abbreviated ◼ OPPOSITE: expandedabroad ADVERB 1 About 65 per cent of our sales come from abroad. = overseas, out of the country, beyond the sea, in foreign lands 2 There is still a feeling abroad that this change must be recognized. = about, everywhere, circulating, at large, here and there, current, all over, in circulationabrupt ADJECTIVE 1 His abrupt departure is bound to raise questions. = sudden, unexpected, hurried, rapid, surprising, quick, swift, rash, precipitate, hasty, impulsive, headlong, unforeseen, unanticipated ◼ OPPOSITE: slow 2 He was abrupt to the point of rudeness. = curt, direct, brief, sharp, rough, short, clipped, blunt, rude, tart, impatient, brisk, concise, snappy, terse, gruff, succinct, pithy, brusque, offhand, impolite, monosyllabic, ungracious, discourteous, uncivil, unceremonious, snappish ◼ OPPOSITE: polite 3 narrow valleys and abrupt hillsides = steep, sharp, sheer, sudden, precipitous ◼ OPPOSITE: gradualabruptly ADVERB 1 He stopped abruptly and looked my way. = suddenly, short, unexpectedly, all of a sudden, hastily, precipitately, all at once, hurriedly ◼ OPPOSITE: gradually 2 'Good night then,' she said abruptly. = curtly, bluntly, rudely, briskly, tersely, shortly, sharply, brusquely, gruffly, snappily ◼ OPPOSITE: politelyabscess NOUN = boil, infection, swelling, blister, ulcer, inflammation, gathering (informal), whitlow, blain, carbuncle, pustule, bubo, furuncle (Pathology), gumboil, parulis (Pathology)abscond VERB = escape, flee, get away, bolt, fly, disappear, skip, run off, slip away, clear out, flit (informal), make off, break free or out, decamp, hook it (slang), do a runner (slang), steal away, sneak away, do a bunk (Brit. slang), fly the coop (U.S. & Canad. informal), skedaddle (informal), take a powder (U.S. & Canad. slang), go on the lam (U.S. & Canad. slang), make your getaway, do a Skase (Austral. informal), make or effect your escapeabsence NOUN 1 I see you've been busy in my absence. = time off, leave, break, vacation, recess, truancy, absenteeism, nonappearance, nonattendance 2 In the absence of a will, the courts decide who the guardian is. = lack, deficiency, deprivation, omission, scarcity, want, need, shortage, dearth, privation (formal), unavailability, nonexistenceabsent ADJECTIVE 1 He has been absent from his desk for two weeks. = away, missing, gone, lacking, elsewhere, unavailable, not present, truant, nonexistent, nonattendant ◼ OPPOSITE: present 2 'Nothing,' she said in an absent way. = absent-minded, blank, unconscious, abstracted, vague, distracted, unaware, musing, vacant, preoccupied, empty, absorbed, bemused, oblivious, dreamy, daydreaming, faraway, unthinking, heedless, inattentive, unheeding ◼ OPPOSITE: alert ● absent yourself He pleaded guilty to absenting himself without leave. = stay away, withdraw, depart, keep away, truant, abscond, play truant, slope off (informal), bunk off (slang), remove yourselfabsentee NOUN = nonattender, stay-at-home, truant, no-show, stayawayabsent-minded ADJECTIVE = forgetful, absorbed, abstracted, vague, absent, distracted, unaware, musing, preoccupied, careless, bemused, oblivious, dreamy, faraway, engrossed, unthinking, neglectful, heedless, inattentive, unmindful, unheeding, apt to forget, in a brown study, ditzy or ditsy (slang) ◼ OPPOSITE: alertabsolute ADJECTIVE 1 A sick person needs to have absolute trust in a doctor. = complete, total, perfect, entire, pure, sheer, utter, outright, thorough, downright, consummate, unqualified, full-on (informal), out-and-out, unadulterated, unmitigated, dyed-in-the-wool, thoroughgoing, unalloyed, unmixed, arrant (derogatory), deep-dyed 2 a ruler with absolute power = supreme, sovereign, unlimited, ultimate, full, utmost, unconditional, unqualified, predominant, superlative, unrestricted, pre-eminent, unrestrained, tyrannical, peerless, unsurpassed, unquestionable, matchless, peremptory, unbounded 3 the doctrine of absolute monarchy = autocratic, supreme, unlimited, autonomous, arbitrary, dictatorial, all-powerful, imperious, domineering, tyrannical, despotic, absolutist, tyrannous, autarchical 4 He brought the absolute proof that we needed. = definite, sure, certain, positive, guaranteed, actual, assured, genuine, exact, precise, decisive, conclusive, unequivocal, unambiguous, infallible, categorical, unquestionable, dinkum (Austral. & N.Z. informal), nailed-on (slang)absolutely ADVERB 1 She is absolutely right. = completely, totally, perfectly, quite, fully, entirely, purely, altogether, thoroughly, wholly, utterly, consummately, every inch, to the hilt, a hundred per cent, one hundred per cent, unmitigatedly, lock, stock and barrel ◼ OPPOSITE: somewhat 2 'It's worrying, isn't it?' 'Absolutely.' = definitely, surely, certainly, clearly, obviously, plainly, truly, precisely, exactly, genuinely, positively, decidedly, decisively, without doubt, unquestionably, undeniably, categorically, without question, unequivocally, conclusively, unambiguously, beyond any doubt, infalliblyabsolution NOUN = forgiveness, release, freedom, liberation, discharge, amnesty, mercy, pardon, indulgence, exemption, acquittal, remission, vindication, deliverance, dispensation, exoneration, exculpation, shriving, condonationabsolve VERB = excuse, free, clear, release, deliver, loose, forgive, discharge, liberate, pardon, exempt, acquit, vindicate, remit, let off, set free, exonerate, exculpate ◼ OPPOSITE: condemnabsorb VERB 1 Refined sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly. = soak up, drink in, devour, suck up, receive, digest, imbibe, ingest, osmose 2 a second career which absorbed her more completely than acting ever had = engross, hold, involve, fill, arrest, fix, occupy, engage, fascinate, preoccupy, engulf, fill up, immerse, rivet, captivate, monopolize, enwrapabsorbed ADJECTIVE = engrossed, lost, involved, fixed, concentrating, occupied, engaged, gripped, fascinated, caught up, intrigued, wrapped up, preoccupied, immersed, dialed in, locked in, riveted, captivated, enthralled, rapt, up to your earsabsorbent ADJECTIVE = porous, receptive, imbibing, spongy, permeable, absorptive, blotting, penetrable, pervious, assimilativeabsorbing ADJECTIVE = fascinating, interesting, engaging, gripping, arresting, compelling, intriguing, enticing, preoccupying, enchanting, seductive, riveting, captivating, alluring, bewitching, engrossing, spellbinding ◼ OPPOSITE: boringabsorption NOUN 1 Vitamin C increases absorption of iron. = soaking up, consumption, digestion, sucking up, osmosis 2 He was struck by the artists' total absorption in their work. = immersion, holding, involvement, concentration, occupation, engagement, fascination, preoccupation, intentness, captivation, raptnessabstain from VERB = refrain from, avoid, decline, give up, stop, refuse, cease, do without, shun, renounce, eschew, leave off, keep from, forgo, withhold from, forbear, desist from, deny yourself, kick (informal) ◼ OPPOSITE: abandon yourselfabstention NOUN 1 Abstention is traditionally high in this region. = abstaining, non-voting, refusal to vote 2 a daylong abstention from food and water = abstinence, refraining, avoidance, forbearance, eschewal, desistance, nonindulgenceabstinence NOUN = abstention, continence, temperance, self-denial, self-restraint, forbearance, refraining, avoidance, moderation, sobriety, asceticism, teetotalism, abstemiousness, soberness ◼ OPPOSITE: self-indulgenceabstract ADJECTIVE starting with a few abstract principles = theoretical, general, complex, academic, intellectual, subtle, profound, philosophical, speculative, unrealistic, conceptual, indefinite, deep, separate, occult, hypothetical, generalized, impractical, arcane, notional, abstruse, recondite, theoretic, conjectural, unpractical, nonconcrete ◼ OPPOSITE: actual ▸ NOUN If you want to submit a paper, you must supply an abstract. = summary,