noun
thesaurus
thih-SOR-uhs/θɪˈsɔːrəs/
A reference work listing synonyms and related words.
The open thesaurus lists glad and joyful as synonyms for happy.
Etymology
A thesaurus is figuratively a “treasury of words”: the image of a storehouse became a name for a collection of knowledge, then for words organized by meaning.
In context
a writer who put manipulative into a thesaurus she wanted a better word and she ended up using gerrymandering
More examples
- I check a thesaurus when I keep repeating the same word.
- A thesaurus suggests alternatives, but not every suggestion fits your sentence.
- The library keeps dictionaries and thesauruses on the reference shelf.
Forms
thesaurus · thesauruses · thesauri
synonym noun — A word similar in meaning to another.
Similar words
- synonym dictionary
- Specifically lists synonyms, sometimes explaining differences in their use.
- dictionary
- Defines words rather than mainly grouping words by meaning.