Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
= take as an insult, take wrongly, take as offensive, take out of turnammunition NOUN = munitions, rounds, shot, shells, powder, explosives, cartridges, armaments, materiel, shot and shellamnesty NOUN = general pardon, mercy, pardoning, immunity, forgiveness, reprieve, oblivion, remission, clemency, dispensation, absolution, condonationamok or amuck ADVERB ● run amok = go wild, turn violent, go berserk, lose control, go into a frenzyamong or amongst PREPOSITION 1 They walked among the crowds in the large town square. = in the midst of, with, together with, in the middle of, amid, surrounded by, amidst, in the thick of 2 Among the speakers was the new Indian ambassador. = in the group of, one of, part of, included in, in the company of, in the class of, in the number of 3 Most of the furniture was distributed among friends. = between, to 4 The directors have been arguing amongst themselves. = with one another, mutually, by all of, by the whole of, by the joint action ofamoral ADJECTIVE = unethical, nonmoral, unvirtuous
| USAGE Amoral is sometimes confused with immoral. The a- at the beginning of the word means 'without' or 'lacking', so the word is properly used of people who have no moral code, or about places or situations where moral considerations do not apply: the film was violent and amoral. In contrast immoral should be used to talk about the breaking of moral rules, as in: I think that cheating is immoral. |
amorous ADJECTIVE = loving, in love, tender, passionate, fond, erotic, affectionate, ardent, impassioned, doting, enamoured, lustful, attached, lovesick, amatory ◼ OPPOSITE: coldamorphous ADJECTIVE = shapeless, vague, irregular, nondescript, indeterminate, unstructured, nebulous, formless, inchoate, characterless, unformed, unshaped, unshapen ◼ OPPOSITE: definiteamount NOUN 1 I still do a certain amount of work for them. = quantity, lot, measure, size, supply, mass, volume, capacity, extent, bulk, number, magnitude, expanse 2 If you always pay the full amount, this won't affect you. = total, whole, mass, addition, sum, lot, extent, aggregate, entirety, totality, sum total ● amount to something 1 The banks have what amounts to a monopoly. = add up to, mean, total, equal, constitute, comprise, aggregate, purport, be equivalent to 2 My music teacher said I'd never amount to anything. = come to, become, grow to, develop into, advance to, progress to, mature into
| USAGE Although it is common to use a plural noun after amount of, for example in the amount of people and the amount of goods, this should be avoided. Preferred alternatives would be to use quantity, as in the quantity of people, or number, as in the number of goods. |
amour NOUN = love affair, relationship, affair, romance, intrigue, liaison, affaire de coeur (French)ample ADJECTIVE 1 The design gave ample space for a good-sized kitchen. = plenty of, great, rich, liberal, broad, generous, lavish, spacious, abounding, abundant, plentiful, expansive, copious, roomy, unrestricted, voluminous, capacious, profuse, commodious, plenteous ◼ OPPOSITE: insufficient 2 He was asleep with his arms crossed on his ample stomach. = large, great, big, full, wide, broad, extensive, generous, abundant, voluminous, bountifulamplification NOUN 1 a voice that needed no amplification = increase, boosting, stretching, strengthening, expansion, extension, widening, raising, heightening, deepening, lengthening, enlargement, intensification, magnification, dilation, augmentation 2 They demanded amplification of the imprecise statement. = explanation, development, expansion, supplementing, fleshing out, elaboration, rounding out, augmentation, expatiationamplify VERB 1 The music was amplified with microphones. = expand, raise, extend, boost, stretch, strengthen, increase, widen, intensify, heighten, deepen, enlarge, lengthen, magnify, augment, dilate ◼ OPPOSITE: reduce 2 Intelligent guesswork must be used to amplify the facts. = go into detail, develop, explain, expand, supplement, elaborate, augment, flesh out, round out, enlarge on, expatiate ◼ OPPOSITE: simplifyamplitude NOUN 1 The operatic amplitude of her voice suits the occasion. = extent, reach, range, size, mass, sweep, dimension, bulk, scope, width, magnitude, compass, greatness, breadth, expanse, vastness, spaciousness, bigness, largeness, hugeness, capaciousness 2 The character comes to imply an amplitude of meanings. = fullness, abundance, richness, plethora, profusion, completeness, plenitude, copiousness, amplenessamply ADVERB = fully, well, greatly, completely, richly, liberally, thoroughly, substantially, lavishly, extensively, generously, abundantly, profusely, copiously, plentifully, unstintingly, bountifully, without stinting, plenteously, capaciously ◼ OPPOSITE: insufficientlyamputate VERB = cut off, remove, separate, sever, curtail, truncate, lop offamuck see amokamuse VERB 1 The thought seemed to amuse her. = entertain, please, delight, charm, cheer, tickle, gratify, beguile, enliven, regale, gladden ◼ OPPOSITE: bore 2 Put a selection of toys in his cot to amuse him if he wakes early. = occupy, interest, involve, engage, entertain, absorb, divert, engrossamusement NOUN 1 He watched with amusement to see the child so absorbed. = enjoyment, delight, entertainment, cheer, laughter, mirth, hilarity, merriment, gladdening, beguilement, regalement ◼ OPPOSITE: boredom 2 It's unacceptable to keep animals confined for our amusement. = diversion, interest, sport, pleasing, fun, pleasure, recreation, entertainment, gratification 3 People had very few amusements to choose from in those days. = pastime, game, sport, joke, entertainment, hobby, recreation, distraction, diversion, lark, prankamusing ADJECTIVE = funny, humorous, gratifying, laughable, farcical, comical, droll, interesting, pleasing, charming, cheering, entertaining, comic, pleasant, lively, diverting, delightful, enjoyable, cheerful, witty, merry, gladdening, facetious, jocular, rib-tickling, waggish ◼ OPPOSITE: boringanaemic ADJECTIVE 1 Losing a lot of blood makes you tired and anaemic. = pale, weak, dull, frail, feeble, wan, sickly, bloodless, colourless, infirm, pallid, ashen, characterless, enervated, like death warmed up (informal) ◼ OPPOSITE: rosy 2 We will see some economic recovery, but it will be very anaemic. = weak, feebleanaesthetic NOUN The operation is carried out under general anaesthetic. = painkiller, narcotic, sedative, opiate, anodyne, analgesic, soporific, stupefacient, stupefactive ▸ ADJECTIVE They are rendered unconscious by anaesthetic darts. = pain-killing, dulling, numbing, narcotic, sedative, opiate, deadening, anodyne, analgesic, soporific, sleep-inducing, stupefacient, stupefactiveanalogous ADJECTIVE = similar, like, related, equivalent, parallel, resembling, alike, corresponding, comparable, akin, homologous ◼ OPPOSITE: different
| USAGE The correct word to use after analogous is to, not with, for example: swimming has no event that is analogous to the 100 metres in athletics (not analogous with the 100 metres in athletics). |
analogy NOUN = similarity, relation, comparison, parallel, correspondence, resemblance, correlation, likeness, equivalence, homology, similitudeanalyse VERB 1 This book teaches you to analyse causes of stress in your life. = examine, test, study, research, judge, estimate, survey, investigate, interpret, evaluate, inspect, work over 2 We haven't had time to analyse those samples yet. = break down, consider, study, separate, divide, resolve, dissolve, dissect, think through, assay, anatomizeanalysis NOUN 1 We did an analysis of the way they have spent money in the past. = study, reasoning, opinion, judgment, interpretation, evaluation, estimation, dissection 2 They collect blood samples for analysis at the laboratory. = examination, test, division, inquiry, investigation, resolution, interpretation, breakdown, scanning, separation, evaluation, scrutiny, sifting, anatomy, dissolution, dissection, assay, perusal, anatomizationanalytic or analytical ADJECTIVE = rational, questioning, testing, detailed, searching, organized, exact, precise, logical, systematic, inquiring, diagnostic,