Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
churchmen or women, the cloth, holy orders, ecclesiastics ◼ RELATED WORD: adjective clerical, pastoralclergyman, clergywoman NOUN = minister, member of the clergy, priest, vicar, parson, reverend (informal), rabbi, pastor, chaplain, cleric, rector, curate, father, churchman or woman, padre, man or woman or person of God, man or woman or person of the cloth, divineclerical ADJECTIVE 1 The hospital blamed the mix-up on a clerical error. = administrative, office, bureaucratic, secretarial, book-keeping, stenographic 2 a clergyman who had failed to carry out his clerical duties = ecclesiastical, priestly, pastoral, sacerdotalclever ADJECTIVE 1 My sister has always been the clever one in our family. = intelligent, quick, bright, talented, gifted, keen, capable, smart, sensible, rational, witty, apt, discerning, knowledgeable, astute, brainy (informal), quick-witted, sagacious (formal), knowing, deep, expert 2 It's a very clever idea. = shrewd, bright (informal), cunning, ingenious, inventive, astute, resourceful, canny ◼ OPPOSITE: unimaginative 3 My father was very clever with his hands. = skilful, able, talented, gifted, capable, inventive, adroit, dexterous ◼ OPPOSITE: ineptcleverness NOUN 1 He congratulated himself on his cleverness. = intelligence, sense, brains, wit, brightness, nous (Brit. slang), suss (slang), quickness, gumption (Brit. informal), sagacity, smartness, astuteness, quick wits, smarts (slang, chiefly U.S.) 2 a policy almost Machiavellian in its cleverness = shrewdness, sharpness, resourcefulness, canniness 3 The artist demonstrates a cleverness with colours and textures. = dexterity, ability, talent, gift, flair, ingenuity, adroitnesscliché NOUN = platitude, stereotype, commonplace, banality, truism, bromide, old saw, hackneyed phrase, chestnut (informal)click NOUN The door closed behind her with a click of the latch. = snap, beat, tick, clack ▸ VERB 1 Camera shutters clicked all around me. = snap, beat, tick, clack 2 When I saw the TV report, it all suddenly clicked. = become clear, come home (to), make sense, fall into place 3 They clicked immediately; they liked all the same things. = get on, be compatible, hit it off (informal), be on the same wavelength, get on like a house on fire (informal), take to each other, feel a rapportclient NOUN = customer, consumer, buyer, patron, shopper, habitué, patientclientele NOUN = customers, market, business, following, trade, regulars, clients, patronagecliff NOUN = rock face, overhang, crag, precipice, escarpment, face, scar, bluffclimactic ADJECTIVE = crucial, central, critical, peak, decisive, paramount, pivotal
| USAGE Climatic is sometimes wrongly used where climactic is meant. Climatic should be used to talk about things relating to climate; climactic is used to describe something which forms a climax: the climactic moment of the Revolution. |
climate NOUN 1 the hot and humid climate of Cyprus = weather, country, region, temperature, clime 2 A major change of political climate is unlikely. = atmosphere, environment, spirit, surroundings, tone, mood, trend, flavour, feeling, tendency, temper, ambience, vibes (slang)climax NOUN Reaching the Olympics was the climax of her career. = culmination, head, top, summit, height, highlight, peak, pay-off (informal), crest, high point, zenith, apogee, high spot (informal), acme, ne plus ultra (Latin) ▸ VERB They did a series of charity events climaxing in a midsummer concert. = culminate, end, finish, conclude, peak, come to a headclimb VERB 1 Climbing the first hill took half an hour. = ascend, scale, mount, go up, clamber, shin up 2 He climbed down from the cab. = clamber, descend, scramble, dismount 3 My Tokyo-bound plane climbed above the city. = rise, go up, soar, ascend, fly up ● climb down He has climbed down on pledges to reduce capital gains tax. = back down, withdraw, yield, concede, retreat, surrender, give in, cave in (informal), retract, admit defeat, back-pedal, eat your words, eat crow (U.S. informal)clinch VERB 1 We are about to clinch a deal with an American manufacturer. = secure, close, confirm, conclude, seal, verify, sew up (informal), close out, set the seal on 2 Evidently this information clinched the matter. = settle, decide, determine, tip the balancecling VERB 1 She had to cling onto the door handle until the pain passed. = clutch, grip, embrace, grasp, hug, hold on to, clasp 2 His sodden trousers were clinging to his shins. = stick to, attach to, adhere to, fasten to, twine round ● cling to something They still cling to their beliefs. = adhere to, maintain, stand by, cherish, abide by, be true to, be loyal to, be faithful to, cleave toclinical ADJECTIVE = unemotional, cold, scientific, objective, detached, analytic, impersonal, antiseptic, disinterested, dispassionate, emotionlessclip1 VERB 1 I saw an old man out clipping his hedge. = trim, cut, crop, dock, prune, shorten, shear, cut short, snip, pare 2 She clipped his ear. = smack, strike, box, knock, punch, belt (informal), thump, clout (informal), cuff, whack, wallop (informal), skelp (dialect) ▸ NOUN 1 a clip round the ear = smack, strike, box, knock, punch, belt (informal), thump, clout (informal), cuff, whack, wallop (informal), skelp (dialect) 2 They trotted along at a brisk clip. = speed, rate, pace, gallop, lick (informal), velocityclip2 VERB He clipped his flashlight to his belt. = attach, fix, secure, connect, pin, staple, fasten, affix, holdclipping NOUN = cutting, passage, extract, excerpt, piece, articleclique NOUN = group, set, crowd, pack, circle, crew (informal), gang, faction, mob, clan, posse (informal), coterie, schism, cabalcloak NOUN 1 She set out, wrapping her cloak about her. = cape, coat, wrap, mantle (archaic) 2 Today most of England will be under a cloak of thick mist. = covering, layer, blanket, shroud 3 Individualism is sometimes used as a cloak for self-interest. = disguise, front (informal), cover, screen, blind, mask, shield, cover-up, façade, pretext, smoke screen ▸ VERB 1 The coastline was cloaked in fog. = cover, coat, wrap, blanket, shroud, envelop 2 He uses jargon to cloak his inefficiency. = hide, cover, screen, mask, disguise, conceal, obscure, veil, camouflageclobber1 VERB She clobbered him with a vase. = batter, beat, assault, smash, bash (informal), lash, thrash, pound, beat up (informal), wallop (informal), pummel, rough up (informal), lambast(e), belabour, duff up (informal), beat or knock seven bells out of (informal)clobber2 NOUN His house is filled with a load of old clobber. = belongings, things, effects, property, stuff, gear, possessions, paraphernalia, accoutrements, chattelsclog VERB = obstruct, block, jam, hamper, hinder, impede, bung, stop up, dam up, occlude (formal), congestcloistered ADJECTIVE = sheltered, protected, restricted, shielded, confined, insulated, secluded, reclusive, shut off, sequestered, withdrawn, cloistral ◼ OPPOSITE: publicclose1 ADJECTIVE 1 The hotel is close to Sydney airport. = near, neighbouring, nearby, handy, adjacent, adjoining, hard by, just round the corner, within striking distance (informal), cheek by jowl, proximate, within spitting distance (informal), within sniffing distance, a hop, skip and a jump away ◼ OPPOSITE: far 2 She and Linda became very close. = intimate, loving, friendly, familiar, thick (informal), attached, devoted, confidential, inseparable, dear ◼ OPPOSITE: distant 3 There is a close resemblance between them. = noticeable, marked, strong, distinct, pronounced 4 His recent actions have been the subject of close scrutiny. = careful, detailed, searching, concentrated, keen, intense, minute, alert, intent, thorough, rigorous, attentive, painstaking, assiduous 5 It is still a close contest between the two leading parties. = even, level, neck and neck, fifty-fifty (informal), evenly matched, equally balanced 6 A White House official said an agreement is close. = imminent, near, approaching, impending, at hand, upcoming, nigh, just round the corner ◼ OPPOSITE: far away 7 They sat in that hot, close room for two hours. = stifling, confined, oppressive, stale, suffocating, stuffy, humid, sweltering, airless, muggy, unventilated, heavy, thick ◼ OPPOSITE: