Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
gay, enlivening ◼ OPPOSITE: gloomycheerfulness NOUN = happiness, good humour, exuberance, high spirits, buoyancy, gaiety (old-fashioned), good cheer, gladness, geniality, light-heartedness, jauntiness, joyousnesscheery ADJECTIVE = cheerful, happy, pleasant, lively, sunny, upbeat (informal), good-humoured, carefree, breezy, genial, chirpy (informal), jovial, full of beans (informal)chemical NOUN = compound, drug, substance, synthetic substance, potionchemist NOUN = pharmacist, apothecary (obsolete), pharmacologist, dispensercherish VERB 1 I will cherish the memory of that visit for many years to come. = cling to, prize, treasure, hold dear, cleave to ◼ OPPOSITE: despise 2 He genuinely loved and cherished his children. = care for, love, support, comfort, look after, shelter, treasure, nurture, cosset, hold dear ◼ OPPOSITE: neglect 3 She cherished an ambition to be an actor. = harbour, nurse, sustain, foster, entertainchest NOUN 1 I crossed my arms over my chest. = breast, front 2 At the very bottom of the chest were some carving tools. = box, case, trunk, crate, coffer, ark (dialect), casket, strongbox ◼ RELATED WORD: adjective pectoralchew VERB Be careful to eat slowly and chew your food well. = munch, bite, grind, champ, crunch, gnaw, chomp, masticate ● chew something over You might want to sit back and chew things over for a while. = consider, weigh up, ponder, mull (over), meditate on, reflect upon, muse on, ruminate, deliberate uponchewy ADJECTIVE = tough, fibrous, leathery, as tough as old bootschic ADJECTIVE = stylish, smart, elegant, fashionable, trendy (Brit. informal), up-to-date, modish, à la mode, voguish (informal), schmick (Austral. informal) ◼ OPPOSITE: unfashionablechide VERB = scold, blame, lecture, carpet (informal), put down, criticize, slate (informal, chiefly Brit.), censure, rebuke, reprimand, reproach, berate, tick off (informal), admonish, tear into (informal), blast, tell off (informal), find fault, diss (slang), read the riot act, reprove, upbraid, slap on the wrist, lambast(e), bawl out (informal), rap over the knuckles, chew out (U.S. & Canad. informal), tear (someone) off a strip (Brit. informal), give (someone) a rocket (Brit. & N.Z. informal), reprehend, give (someone) a row (Scot. informal)chief NOUN The new leader is the deputy chief of the territory's defence force. = head, leader, director, manager, lord, boss (informal), captain, master, governor, commander, principal, superior, ruler, superintendent, chieftain, ringleader, ariki (N.Z.), sherang (Austral. & N.Z.) ◼ OPPOSITE: subordinate ▸ ADJECTIVE Financial stress is acknowledged as a chief reason for divorce. = primary, highest, leading, main, prime, capital, central, key, essential, premier, supreme, most important, outstanding, principal, prevailing, cardinal, paramount, big-time (informal), foremost, major league (informal), predominant, uppermost, pre-eminent, especial ◼ OPPOSITE: minorchiefly ADVERB 1 We are chiefly concerned with the welfare of the children. = especially, essentially, principally, primarily, above all 2 a committee composed of leaders of the rival factions = mainly, largely, usually, mostly, in general, on the whole, predominantly, in the mainchild NOUN 1 This film is not suitable for children. = youngster, baby, kid (informal), minor, infant, babe, juvenile, toddler, tot, wean (Scot.), little one, brat, bairn (Scot. & Northern English), suckling, nipper (informal), chit, babe in arms, sprog (slang), munchkin (informal, chiefly U.S.), rug rat (slang), nursling, littlie (Austral. informal), ankle-biter (Austral. & U.S. slang), tacker (Austral. slang) 2 How many children do you have? = offspring, issue, descendant, progeny ◼ RELATED WORDS: adjective filial; prefix paedo-childbirth NOUN = child-bearing, labour, delivery, lying-in, confinement, parturition ◼ RELATED WORD: adjective natal, obstetricchildhood NOUN = youth, minority, infancy, schooldays, immaturity, boyhood or girlhoodchildish ADJECTIVE 1 One of his most appealing qualities is his childish enthusiasm. = youthful, young, boyish or girlish 2 I've never seen such selfish and childish behaviour. = immature, silly, juvenile, foolish, trifling, frivolous, infantile, puerile ◼ OPPOSITE: maturechildlike ADJECTIVE = innocent, trusting, simple, naive, credulous, artless, ingenuous, guileless, unfeigned, trustfulchill VERB 1 Chill the fruit salad until serving time. = cool, refrigerate, freeze 2 There was a coldness in her voice which chilled him. = dishearten, depress, discourage, dismay, dampen, deject ▸ NOUN 1 September is here, bringing with it a chill in the mornings. = coldness, bite, nip, sharpness, coolness, rawness, crispness, frigidity 2 He smiled an odd smile that sent a chill through me. = shiver, frisson, goose pimples, goose flesh ▸ ADJECTIVE A chill wind was blowing. = chilly, biting, sharp, freezing, raw, bleak, wintry, frigid, parky (Brit. informal)chilly ADJECTIVE 1 It was a chilly afternoon. = cool, fresh, sharp, crisp, penetrating, brisk, breezy, draughty, nippy, parky (Brit. informal), blowy ◼ OPPOSITE: warm 2 I was slightly afraid of his chilly, distant politeness. = unfriendly, hostile, unsympathetic, frigid, unresponsive, unwelcoming, cold as ice ◼ OPPOSITE: friendlychime VERB The station clock chimed three o'clock. = ring ▸ NOUN the chime of the station clock = sound, boom, toll, jingle, dong, tinkle, clang, pealchimera NOUN = illusion, dream, fantasy, delusion, spectre, snare, hallucination, figment, ignis fatuus, will-o'-the-wispchina1 NOUN I collect blue and white china. = pottery, ceramics, ware, porcelain, crockery, tableware, servicechina2 NOUN How are you, my old china? = friend, pal (informal), mate (informal), buddy (informal), companion, best friend, intimate, cock (Brit. informal), close friend, comrade, chum (informal), crony, main man (slang, chiefly U.S.), soul mate, homeboy (slang, chiefly U.S.), cobber (Austral. & N.Z. old-fashioned, informal), bosom friend, boon companion, E hoa (N.Z.)Chinese ADJECTIVE ◼ RELATED WORD: prefix Sino-chink NOUN = opening, crack, gap, rift, aperture, cleft, crevice, fissure, crannychip NOUN 1 His eyes gleamed like chips of blue glass. = fragment, scrap, shaving, flake, paring, wafer, sliver, shard 2 The washbasin had a small chip in it. = scratch, nick, flaw, notch, dent 3 He gambled all his chips on one number. = counter, disc, token ▸ VERB 1 She chipped her tooth. = nick, damage, gash 2 a sculptor chipping at a block of marble = chisel, whittle ● chip in 1 We'll all chip in for the petrol and food. = contribute, pay, donate, subscribe, go Dutch (informal) 2 He chipped in, 'That's right,' before she could answer. = interpose, put in, interrupt, interject, butt in, put your oar inchirp VERB = chirrup, pipe, peep, warble, twitter, cheep, tweetchirpy ADJECTIVE = cheerful, happy, bright, enthusiastic, lively, sparkling, sunny, jolly, animated, buoyant, radiant, jaunty, sprightly, in high spirits, blithe, full of beans (informal), light-heartedchivalry NOUN 1 He always treated women with old-fashioned chivalry. = courtesy, politeness, gallantry, courtliness, gentlemanliness 2 Our story is set in England, in the age of chivalry. = knight-errantry, knighthood, gallantry, courtliness
choice NOUN
1 It's available in a choice of colours. = range, variety, selection, assortment 2 His choice of words made Rajiv angry. = selection, preference, election, pick 3 If I had any choice in the matter, I wouldn't have gone. = option, say, alternative ▸ ADJECTIVE The finest array of choicest foods is to be found within their Food Hall. = best, bad (slang), special, prime, nice, prize, select, excellent, elect, crucial (slang), exclusive, elite, superior, exquisite, def (slang), sick (slang), booshit (Austral. slang), exo (Austral. slang), sik (Austral. slang), hand-picked, dainty, rad (informal), phat (slang), schmick (Austral. informal)choke VERB 1 Dense smoke swirled and billowed, its fumes choking her. = suffocate, stifle, smother, overpower, asphyxiate 2 They tried to choke him with his tie. = strangle, throttle, asphyxiate 3 The village roads are choked with traffic. = block, dam, clog, obstruct, bung, constrict, occlude (formal),