Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
push forward, draw near, creep up on 2 When he approached me about the job, my first reaction was disbelief. = make a proposal to, speak to, apply to, appeal to, proposition, solicit, sound out, make overtures to, make advances to, broach the matter with 3 The bank has approached the issue in a practical way. = set about, tackle, undertake, embark on, get down to, launch into, begin work on, commence on, make a start on, enter upon 4 They race at speeds approaching 200mph. = approximate, touch (informal), be like, compare with, resemble, come close to, border on, verge on, be comparable to, come near to ▸ NOUN 1 At their approach the little boy ran away and hid. = advance, coming, nearing, appearance, arrival, advent, drawing near 2 The path serves as an approach to the boat house. = access, way, drive, road, passage, entrance, avenue, passageway 3 (often plural) There had already been approaches from interested buyers. = proposal, offer, appeal, advance, application, invitation, proposition, overture 4 We will be exploring different approaches to information-gathering. = way, means, course, style, attitude, method, technique, manner, procedure, mode, modus operandi 5 the nearest approach to an apology we have so far heard = approximation, likeness, semblanceapproachable ADJECTIVE 1 We found him very approachable and easy to talk to. = friendly, open, cordial, sociable, affable, congenial ◼ OPPOSITE: unfriendly 2 It is approachable on foot for only a few hours a day. = accessible, attainable, reachable, get-at-able (informal), come-at-able (informal) ◼ OPPOSITE: inaccessibleappropriate ADJECTIVE It is appropriate that Irish names dominate the list. = suitable, right, fitting, fit, suited, correct, belonging, relevant, proper, to the point, in keeping, apt, applicable, pertinent, befitting, well-suited, well-timed, apposite, apropos, opportune (formal), becoming, seemly, felicitous, germane, to the purpose, appurtenant, congruous ◼ OPPOSITE: unsuitable ▸ VERB 1 Several other newspapers have appropriated the idea. = seize, take, claim, assume, take over, acquire, confiscate, annex, usurp, impound, pre-empt, commandeer, take possession of, expropriate (formal), arrogate ◼ OPPOSITE: relinquish 2 He is sceptical that Congress will appropriate more money for this. = allocate, allow, budget, devote, assign, designate, set aside, earmark, allot, share out, apportion ◼ OPPOSITE: withhold 3 What do they think about your appropriating their music and culture? = steal, take, nick (slang, chiefly Brit.), pocket, pinch (informal), pirate, poach, swipe (slang), lift (informal), heist (U.S. slang), embezzle, blag (slang), pilfer, misappropriate, snitch (slang), purloin, filch, plagiarize, thieve, peculate (literary)appropriateness NOUN = suitability, fitness, relevance, correctness, felicity, rightness, applicability, timeliness, aptness, pertinence, fittingness, seemliness, appositeness, properness, germaneness, opportuneness, becomingness, congruousness, felicitousness, well-suitednessappropriation NOUN 1 The government raised defence appropriations by 12 per cent. = setting aside, assignment, allocation, earmarking, allotment, apportionment 2 fraud and illegal appropriation of land = seizure, taking, takeover, assumption, annexation, confiscation, commandeering, expropriation (formal), pre-emption, usurpation, impoundment, arrogationapproval NOUN 1 The proposed modifications met with widespread approval. = consent, agreement, sanction, licence, blessing, permission, recommendation, concession, confirmation, mandate, endorsement, leave, compliance, the go-ahead (informal), countenance, ratification, the green light, assent, authorization, validation, acquiescence, imprimatur, concurrence, O.K. or okay (informal), endorsation (Canad.) 2 an obsessive drive to win public approval = favour, liking, regard, respect, praise, esteem, acclaim, appreciation, encouragement, admiration, applause, commendation, approbation, good opinion ◼ OPPOSITE: disapprovalapprove VERB MPs approved the bill by a majority of 97. = agree to, second, allow, pass, accept, confirm, recommend, permit, sanction, advocate, bless, endorse, uphold, mandate, authorize, ratify, go along with, subscribe to, consent to, buy into (informal), validate, countenance, rubber stamp, accede to, give the go-ahead to (informal), give the green light to, assent to, concur in, O.K. or okay (informal) ◼ OPPOSITE: veto ● approve of something or someone Not everyone approves of the festival. = favour, like, support, respect, praise, appreciate, agree with, admire, endorse, esteem, acclaim, applaud, commend, be pleased with, have a good opinion of, regard highly, think highly ofapproving ADJECTIVE = favourable, admiring, applauding, respectful, appreciative, commendatory, acclamatoryapproximate ADJECTIVE The times are approximate only. = rough, close, general, near, estimated, loose, vague, hazy, sketchy, amorphous, imprecise, inexact, almost exact, almost accurate ◼ OPPOSITE: exact ● approximate to Something approximating to a just outcome will be ensured. = resemble, reach, approach, touch, come close to, border on, come near, verge onapproximately ADVERB = almost, about, around, generally, nearly, close to, relatively, roughly, loosely, just about, more or less, in the region of, in the vicinity of, not far off, in the neighbourhood ofapproximation NOUN 1 That's a fair approximation of the way the next boss will be chosen. = likeness, approach, correspondence, resemblance, semblance 2 That's an approximation, but my guess is there'll be a reasonable balance. = guess, estimate, conjecture, estimation, guesswork, rough idea, rough calculation, ballpark figure (informal), ballpark estimate (informal)a priori ADJECTIVE = deduced, deductive, inferentialapron NOUN = pinny, overall, pinafore (informal)apropos ADJECTIVE Having scarcely joined in the conversation before, it was not apropos to do it now. = appropriate, right, seemly, fitting, fit, related, correct, belonging, suitable, relevant, proper, to the point, apt, applicable, pertinent, befitting, apposite, opportune (formal), germane, to the purpose ● apropos of Apropos of the party, have you had any further thoughts on a venue? = concerning, about, re, regarding, respecting, on the subject of, in respect of, as to, with reference to, in re, in the matter of, as regards, in or with regard toapt ADJECTIVE 1 The words of this report are as apt today as they were in 1929. = appropriate, timely, right, seemly, fitting, fit, related, correct, belonging, suitable, relevant, proper, to the point, applicable, pertinent, befitting, apposite, apropos, opportune (formal), germane, to the purpose ◼ OPPOSITE: inappropriate 2 She was apt to raise her voice and wave her hands about. = inclined, likely, ready, disposed, prone, liable, given, predisposed, of a mind 3 She was never a very apt student. = gifted, skilled, expert, quick, bright, talented, sharp, capable, smart, prompt, clever, intelligent, accomplished, ingenious, skilful, astute, adroit, teachableaptitude NOUN = gift, ability, talent, capacity, intelligence, leaning, bent, tendency, faculty, capability, flair, inclination, disposition, knack, propensity, proficiency, predilection, cleverness, proclivity (formal), quickness, giftedness, proneness, aptnessarable ADJECTIVE = productive, fertile, fruitful, fecund, cultivable, farmable, ploughable, tillablearbiter NOUN 1 the court's role as arbiter in the law-making process = judge, referee, umpire, umpie (Austral. slang), arbitrator, adjudicator 2 Sequins have often aroused the scorn of arbiters of taste. = authority, expert, master, governor, ruler, dictator, controller, lord, punditarbitrary ADJECTIVE 1 Arbitrary arrests were common. = random, chance, optional, subjective, unreasonable, inconsistent, erratic, discretionary, personal, fanciful, wilful, whimsical, capricious ◼ OPPOSITE: logical 2 the arbitrary power of the autocratic state = dictatorial, absolute, unlimited, uncontrolled, autocratic, dogmatic, imperious, domineering, unrestrained, overbearing, tyrannical, summary, magisterial, despotic, high-handed, peremptory, tyrannousarbitrate VERB = decide, judge, determine, settle, referee, umpire, mediate, adjudicate, adjudge, pass judgment, sit in judgmentarbitration NOUN = decision, settlement, judgment, determination, adjudication, arbitramentarbitrator NOUN = judge, referee, umpire, umpie (Austral. slang), arbiter, adjudicatorarc NOUN = curve, bend, bow, arch, crescent, half-moonarcade NOUN = gallery, mall, cloister, portico, colonnade, covered walk, peristylearcane ADJECTIVE = mysterious, secret, hidden, esoteric,