Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
nurse, parent, rear, foster, bring up, take care of ◼ OPPOSITE: abandonadoption NOUN 1 They gave their babies up for adoption. = fostering, adopting, taking in, fosterage 2 the adoption of Japanese management practices = embracing, choice, taking on, taking up, support, taking over, selection, approval, following, assumption, maintenance, acceptance, endorsement, appropriation, ratification, approbation, espousaladorable ADJECTIVE = lovable, pleasing, appealing, dear, sweet, attractive, charming, precious, darling, fetching (informal), delightful, cute, captivating, cutesy (informal) ◼ OPPOSITE: hatefuladoration NOUN = love, honour, worship, worshipping, esteem, admiration, reverence, estimation, exaltation, veneration, glorification, idolatry, idolizationadore VERB = love, honour, admire, worship, esteem, cherish, bow to, revere, dote on, idolize ◼ OPPOSITE: hateadoring ADJECTIVE = admiring, loving, devoted, worshipping, fond, affectionate, ardent, doting, venerating, enamoured, reverential, reverent, idolizing, adulatory ◼ OPPOSITE: hatingadorn VERB = decorate, enhance, deck, trim, grace, array, enrich, garnish, ornament, embellish, emblazon, festoon, bedeck, beautify, engarlandadornment NOUN 1 a building without any adornment or decoration = decoration, trimming, supplement, accessory, ornament, frill, festoon, embellishment, frippery 2 Cosmetics are used for adornment. = beautification, decorating, decoration, embellishment, ornamentationadrift ADJECTIVE 1 They were spotted adrift in a dinghy. = drifting, afloat, cast off, unmoored, aweigh, unanchored 2 She had the growing sense that she was adrift and isolated. = aimless, goalless, directionless, purposeless ▸ ADVERB They are trying to place the blame for a policy that has gone adrift. = wrong, astray, off course, amiss, off target, wide of the markadroit ADJECTIVE = skilful, able, skilled, expert, bright, clever, apt, cunning, ingenious, adept, deft, nimble, masterful, proficient, artful, quick-witted, dexterous ◼ OPPOSITE: unskilfuladulation NOUN = extravagant flattery, worship, fawning, sycophancy, fulsome praise, blandishment, bootlicking (informal), servile flattery ◼ OPPOSITE: ridiculeadult NOUN Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. = grown-up, mature person, person of mature age, grown or grown-up person, man or woman ▸ ADJECTIVE 1 a pair of adult birds = fully grown, mature, grown-up, of age, ripe, fully fledged, fully developed, full grown 2 people working in the adult entertainment industry = pornographic, blue (old-fashioned), dirty, offensive, sexy, erotic, porn (informal), obscene, taboo, filthy, indecent, sensual, hard-core, lewd, carnal (formal), porno (informal), X-rated (informal), salacious (formal), prurient (formal), smuttyadulterer or adulteress NOUN = cheat (informal), love rat (slang), love cheat (slang), fornicatoradulterous ADJECTIVE = unfaithful, cheating (informal), extramarital, fornicating, unchasteadultery NOUN = unfaithfulness, infidelity, cheating (informal), fornication, playing the field (slang), extramarital sex, playing away from home (slang), illicit sex, unchastity, extramarital relations, extracurricular sex (informal), extramarital congress, having an affair or a fling ◼ OPPOSITE: faithfulnessadvance VERB 1 Rebel forces are advancing on the capital. = progress, proceed, go ahead, move up, come forward, go forward, press on, gain ground, make inroads, make headway, make your way, cover ground, make strides, move onward ◼ OPPOSITE: retreat 2 Too much protein in the diet may advance the ageing process. = accelerate, speed, promote, hurry (up), step up (informal), hasten, precipitate, quicken, bring forward, push forward, expedite, send forward, crack on (informal) 3 The country has advanced from a rural society to an industrial power. = improve, rise, grow, develop, reform, pick up, progress, thrive, upgrade, multiply, prosper, make strides 4 Many theories have been advanced as to why this is. = suggest, offer, present, propose, allege, cite, advocate, submit, prescribe, put forward, proffer, adduce, offer as a suggestion ◼ OPPOSITE: withhold 5 I advanced him some money, which he promised to repay. = lend, loan, accommodate someone with, supply on credit ◼ OPPOSITE: withhold payment ▸ NOUN 1 She was paid a £100,000 advance for her next two novels. = down payment, credit, fee, deposit, retainer, prepayment, loan 2 They simulated an advance on enemy positions. = attack, charge, strike, rush, assault, raid, invasion, offensive, onslaught, advancement, foray, incursion, forward movement, onward movement 3 These two vaccines are a huge advance for preventing cancer. = improvement, development, gain, growth, breakthrough, advancement, step, headway, inroads, betterment, furtherance, forward movement, amelioration, onward movement ▸ ADJECTIVE The event received little advance publicity. = prior, early, previous, beforehand ● in advance The subject of the talk is announced a week in advance. = beforehand, earlier, ahead, previously, pre-need, in the lead, in the forefrontadvanced ADJECTIVE = sophisticated, foremost, modern, revolutionary, up-to-date, higher, leading, recent, prime, forward, ahead, supreme, extreme, principal, progressive, paramount, state-of-the-art, avant-garde, precocious, pre-eminent, up-to-the-minute, ahead of the times ◼ OPPOSITE: backwardadvancement NOUN 1 He cared little for social advancement. = promotion, rise, gain, growth, advance, progress, improvement, betterment, preferment, amelioration 2 her work for the advancement of the status of women = progress, advance, headway, forward movement, onward movementadvantage NOUN 1 A good crowd will be a definite advantage to the team. = benefit, use, start, help, service, aid, profit, favour, asset, assistance, blessing, utility, boon, ace in the hole, ace up your sleeve ◼ OPPOSITE: disadvantage 2 Men still have an economic position of advantage over women. = lead, control, edge, sway, dominance, superiority, upper hand, precedence, primacy, pre-eminence 3 The great advantage of home-grown fruit is its magnificent flavour. = superiority, good, worth, gain, comfort, welfare, enjoyment, mileage (informal)advantageous ADJECTIVE 1 Free exchange of goods was advantageous to all. = beneficial, useful, valuable, helpful, profitable, of service, convenient, worthwhile, expedient ◼ OPPOSITE: unfavourable 2 She was determined to prise what she could from an advantageous situation. = superior, dominating, commanding, dominant, important, powerful, favourable, fortuitousadvent NOUN = coming, approach, appearance, arrival, entrance, onset, occurrence, visitationadventure NOUN I set off for a new adventure in the US on the first day of the year. = venture, experience, chance, risk, incident, enterprise, speculation, undertaking, exploit, fling, hazard, occurrence, contingency, caper, escapade ▸ VERB The group has adventured as far as the Alps. = venture, risk, brave, dareadventurer NOUN 1 ambitious political adventurers = mercenary, rogue, gambler, speculator, opportunist, charlatan, fortune-hunter 2 A round-the-world adventurer was killed when her plane crashed. = venturer, hero, traveller, heroine, wanderer, voyager, daredevil, soldier of fortune, swashbuckler, knight-errantadventurous ADJECTIVE = daring, dangerous, enterprising, bold, risky, rash, have-a-go (informal), hazardous, reckless, audacious, intrepid, foolhardy, daredevil, headstrong, venturesome, adventuresome, temerarious (rare) ◼ OPPOSITE: cautiousadversary NOUN = opponent, rival, opposer, enemy, competitor, foe (formal, literary), contestant, antagonist ◼ OPPOSITE: allyadverse ADJECTIVE 1 The decision would have no adverse effect on the investigation. = harmful, damaging, conflicting, dangerous, opposite, negative, destructive, detrimental, hurtful, antagonistic, injurious, inimical, inopportune, disadvantageous, unpropitious, inexpedient ◼ OPPOSITE: beneficial 2 Despite the adverse conditions, the road was finished in just eight months. = unfavourable, bad, threatening, hostile, unfortunate, unlucky, ominous, unfriendly, untimely, unsuited, ill-suited, inopportune, disadvantageous, unseasonable 3 The campaign has received adverse publicity. = negative, opposing, reluctant, hostile, contrary, dissenting, unwilling, unfriendly, unsympathetic, ill-disposedadversity NOUN = hardship, trouble, distress, suffering, trial, disaster, reverse, misery, hard times, catastrophe, sorrow, woe, misfortune, bad luck, deep water, calamity, mishap, affliction, wretchedness, ill-fortune, ill-luckadvert NOUN = advertisement,