Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
pain, smart, sting, pound, throb, be tender, twinge, be sore 2 It must have been hard to keep smiling when his heart was aching. = suffer, hurt, grieve, sorrow, agonize, be in pain, go through the mill (informal), mourn, feel wretched ▸ NOUN 1 You feel nausea and aches in your muscles. = pain, discomfort, suffering, hurt, smart, smarting, cramp, throb, throbbing, irritation, tenderness, pounding, spasm, pang, twinge, soreness, throe (rare) 2 Nothing could relieve the terrible ache of fear. = anguish, suffering, pain, torture, distress, grief, misery, mourning, torment, sorrow, woe, heartache, heartbreakachievable ADJECTIVE = attainable, obtainable, winnable, reachable, realizable, within your grasp, graspable, gettable, acquirable, possible, accessible, probable, feasible, practicable, accomplishableachieve VERB = accomplish, reach, fulfil, finish, complete, gain, perform, earn, do, get, win, carry out, realize, obtain, conclude, acquire, execute, bring about, attain, consummate, procure, bring off (informal), effectuate, put the tin lid onachievement NOUN 1 a conference celebrating women's achievements = accomplishment, effort, feat, deed, stroke, triumph, coup, exploit, act, attainment, feather in your cap 2 It is the achievement of these goals that will bring lasting peace. = fulfilment, effecting, performance, production, execution, implementation, completion, accomplishment, realization, attainment, acquirement, carrying out or throughachiever NOUN = success, winner, dynamo, high-flyer, doer, go-getter (informal), organizer, active person, overachiever, man or woman of action, wheeler-dealer (informal)aching ADJECTIVE 1 The aching joints and fever should last no longer than a few days. = painful, suffering, hurting, tired, smarting, pounding, raw, tender, sore, throbbing, inflamed, excruciating, agonizing 2 an aching need for approval = longing, anxious, eager, pining, hungering, craving, yearning, languishing, thirsting, ardent, avid, wishful, wistful, hankering, desirousacid ADJECTIVE 1 This apple juice has gone off and is somewhat acid. = sour, sharp, tart, pungent, biting, acidic, acerbic, acrid, acetic, vinegary, acidulous, acidulated, vinegarish, acerb ◼ OPPOSITE: sweet 2 a comedy told with compassion and acid humour = sharp, cutting, biting, severe, bitter, harsh, stinging, scathing, acrimonious, barbed, pungent, hurtful, sarcastic, sardonic, caustic, vitriolic, acerbic, trenchant, mordant, mordacious ◼ OPPOSITE: kindlyacidity NOUN = sourness, bitterness, sharpness, pungency, tartness, acerbity, acridness, acidulousness, acridity, vinegariness, vinegarishnessacknowledge VERB 1 I acknowledge that I made a mistake. = admit, own up to, allow, accept, reveal, grant, declare, recognize, yield, concede, confess, disclose, affirm, profess, divulge, accede, acquiesce, fess up (slang) ◼ OPPOSITE: deny 2 He saw her but refused to even acknowledge her. = greet, address, notice, recognize, salute, nod to, accost, tip your hat to ◼ OPPOSITE: snub 3 They sent me a text acknowledging my request. = reply to, answer, notice, recognize, respond to, come back to, react to, write back to, retort to ◼ OPPOSITE: ignoreacknowledged ADJECTIVE = accepted, admitted, established, confirmed, declared, approved, recognized, well-known, sanctioned, confessed, authorized, professed, accredited, agreed uponacknowledgment or acknowledgement NOUN 1 He appreciated her acknowledgement of his maturity. = recognition, allowing, understanding, yielding, profession, admission, awareness, acceptance, confession, realization, accession, acquiescence 2 He smiled in acknowledgement and gave her a bow. = greeting, welcome, notice, recognition, reception, hail, hailing, salute, salutation (formal) 3 Grateful acknowledgement is made for permission to reprint. = appreciation, answer, thanks, credit, response, reply, reaction, recognition, gratitude, indebtedness, thankfulness, gratefulnessacme NOUN = height, top, crown, summit, peak, climax, crest, optimum, high point, pinnacle, culmination, zenith, apex, apogee, vertex ◼ OPPOSITE: depthsacolyte NOUN 1 To his acolytes, he is known simply as 'The Boss'. = follower, fan, supporter, pupil, convert, believer, admirer, backer, partisan, disciple, devotee, worshipper, apostle, cohort (chiefly U.S.), adherent, henchman, habitué, votary 2 When they reached the shrine, acolytes removed the pall. = attendant, assistant, follower, helper, altar boy or girl, altar serveracquaint VERB = tell, reveal, advise, inform, communicate, disclose, notify, enlighten, divulge, familiarize, apprise, let (someone) knowacquaintance NOUN 1 I exchanged a few words with an old acquaintance. = associate, contact, ally, colleague, comrade, confrère ◼ OPPOSITE: intimate 2 He becomes involved in a real murder mystery through his acquaintance with a police officer. = relationship, association, exchange, connection, intimacy, fellowship, familiarity, companionship, social contact, cognizance, conversance, conversancy ◼ OPPOSITE: unfamiliarityacquainted ADJECTIVE ● acquainted with = familiar with, aware of, in on, experienced in, conscious of, informed of, alive to, privy to, knowledgeable about, versed in, conversant with, apprised of, cognizant of, up to speed with, au fait withacquiesce VERB = submit, agree, accept, approve, yield, bend, surrender, consent, tolerate, comply, give in, conform, succumb, go along with, bow to, cave in (informal), concur, assent, capitulate, accede, play ball (informal), toe the line, hoist the white flag ◼ OPPOSITE: resistacquiescence NOUN = agreement, yielding, approval, acceptance, consent, harmony, giving in, submission, compliance, obedience, conformity, assent, accession, concord, concurrenceacquire VERB = get, win, buy, receive, land (informal), score (slang), gain, achieve, earn, pick up, bag, secure, collect, gather, realize, obtain, attain, amass, procure, come into possession of ◼ OPPOSITE: loseacquisition NOUN 1 the President's recent acquisition of a helicopter = acquiring, gaining, achievement, procurement, attainment, acquirement, obtainment 2 her latest acquisition, a bright red dress = purchase, buy, investment, property, gain, prize, asset, possessionacquisitive ADJECTIVE = greedy, grabbing, grasping, hungry, selfish, avid, predatory, rapacious, avaricious, desirous, covetous ◼ OPPOSITE: generousacquit VERB He was acquitted of disorderly behaviour by magistrates. = clear, free, release, deliver, excuse, relieve, discharge, liberate, vindicate, exonerate, absolve, exculpate ◼ OPPOSITE: find guilty ● acquit yourself Most men acquitted themselves well throughout the action. = behave, bear yourself, conduct yourself, comport yourselfacquittal NOUN = clearance, freeing, release, relief, liberation, discharge, pardon, setting free, vindication, deliverance, absolution, exoneration, exculpationacrid ADJECTIVE 1 The room filled with the acrid smell of tobacco. = pungent, biting, strong, burning, sharp, acid, bitter, harsh, stinging, irritating, caustic, astringent, vitriolic, highly flavoured, acerb 2 He is soured by acrid memories he has dredged up. = harsh, cutting, biting, sharp, bitter, nasty, acrimonious, caustic, vitriolic, trenchant, mordant, mordaciousacrimonious ADJECTIVE = bitter, cutting, biting, sharp, severe, hostile, crabbed, sarcastic, embittered, caustic, petulant, spiteful, churlish, astringent, vitriolic, acerbic, trenchant, irascible, testy, censorious, rancorous, mordant, peevish, splenetic, mordacious ◼ OPPOSITE: good-temperedacrimony NOUN = bitterness, harshness, rancour, ill will, virulence, sarcasm, pungency, asperity, tartness, astringency, irascibility, peevishness, acerbity, churlishness, trenchancy, mordancy ◼ OPPOSITE: goodwillacrobat NOUN = gymnast, balancer, tumbler, tightrope walker, rope walker, funambulistacross PREPOSITION 1 Anyone from the houses across the road could see him. = over, on the other or far side of, past, beyond 2 The film opens across America in December. = throughout, over, all over, right through, all through, covering, straddling, everywhere in, through the whole of, from end to end of, over the length and breadth of ▸ ADVERB Trim toenails straight across using nail clippers. = from side to side, athwart, transversely, crossways or crosswiseacross-the-board ADJECTIVE = general, full, complete, total, sweeping, broad, widespread, comprehensive, universal, blanket, thorough, wholesale, panoramic, indiscriminate, all-inclusive, wall-to-wall, all-embracing, overarching, all-encompassing, thoroughgoing, without exception or omission, one-size-fits-all ◼ OPPOSITE: limitedact VERB 1 I have no reason to doubt that the bank acted properly. =