The New American Webster Handy College Dictionary 4th Edition

907 Pages·2001·3.98 MB·English

Originally prepared and edited by
The National Lexicographic Board
Albert H. Morehead, Chairman and General Editor
Waldemar Von Zedtwitz, President
Loy C. Morehead, Vice President; Donald D. Wolf,
William C. Campbell, George H. Copeland, Jack Luzzatto.
Staff for
The New American Roget’s College Thesaurus
Jack Luzzatto and Loy Morehead, Editors
William C. Campbell, William T. Atwood,
Betty Brinkerhoff, Elizabeth MacLean, Associate Editors.
SIGNET
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Putnam Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Books Australia Ltd, Ringwood, Victoria, Australia
Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 3B2
Penguin Books (N.Z.) Ltd, 182–190 Wairau Road, Auckland 10, New Zealand
Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices:
Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England
Published by Signet, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Putnam Inc. Third revised edition previously published as
The Penguin Roget’s College Thesaurus in Dictionary Form.
ISBN: 1-4295-1376-4
Copyright © Albert H. Morehead, 1958, 1962
Copyright © Andrew T. Morehead and Philip D. Morehead, 1978
Copyright © Philip D. Morehead and Andrew T. Morehead, 1985
Copyright © Philip D. Morehead, 2001
All rights reserved
REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number for the Penguin Reference hardcover edi-
tion of this title: 2001036039
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publica-
tion may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmit-
ted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and
the above publisher of this book.
how to use this thesaurus
PETER MARK ROGET was an English physician who was born in 1779
and who died in 1869. As a hobby he liked to make lists of words and group
them together when they were related to one another. Some were related be-
cause they were synonyms, such as illegal and unlawful; some because they
were antonyms, such as peaceful and warlike; some because they were re-
minders of one another, such as father and mother. Altogether Mr. Roget
made a thousand different groups, or categories, of related words. Every
word he knew or could find in the dictionaries he had was classified in one
or more of these categories. In 1852, Mr. Roget’s list of words was pub-
lished. He called the book a thesaurus, or treasury, of words. There were not
many words in the first Roget’s Thesaurus compared to the number in a vol-
ume like this, but his book was the first collection of synonyms, antonyms,
and other related words. Not only writers, but also many others found it in-
valuable. Dozens of editors, beginning with Mr. Roget’s son, have revised
the original Thesaurus, added to it, and brought it up to date (for many of
the words in the original Roget list are now obsolete and many common
words of today were unknown in his time); but virtually every edition is still
called Roget’s Thesaurus in honor of the man who first had the idea.
This edition of Roget’s Thesaurus is both a dictionary of synonyms and
a thesaurus, or “treasury,” of related words. It combines in one easy-to-use
alphabetical list categories (very much like those in Roget’s original the-
saurus) and a list of words with their close synonyms. For clarity, each cat-
egory is printed the full width of the page and set off in a box while the syn-
onym listings are printed at half-page width.
To find synonyms for a word, first look up the word in the alphabetical
list. In most cases, you will find what you are looking for immediately un-
der that word. Reference to more synonyms is indicated by words printed in
small capitals. If you look up the word or words referred to, you will find
additional synonyms and other words related to the word you were looking
up. Most references are to categories, where you will also find words of re-
lated meaning but different parts of speech. Antonyms are listed for many
synonym entries, and at the end of each category entry you will find refer-
ences to sources for antonyms.
A special feature of this edition is the inclusion of many phrases and quo-
tations, both contemporary and historical, appropriate to a certain category.
Frequently only one form of a word is entered in the alphabetical word
list. You will find synonyms for the other forms by referring to the entries
printed in small capitals under the listed word. For example, to find syn-
onyms for proximate, look under proximity in the alphabetical word list and
refer to the category nearness, where you find adjacent, adjoining and
other related adjectives.
How to Use This Thesaurus
A word or phrase in parentheses—( )—is explanatory or shows how the
preceding word is to be used in a sentence. Brackets—[ ]—indicate that the
bracketed letters, word, or phrase might or might not be used with the ad-
joining word, depending on the preference of the writer.
In the listings, synonyms for different senses of the listed word are sepa-
rated by semicolons (;). Informal and slang senses of the entry word are la-
beled informal or slang at the beginning of each sense; informal and slang
synonyms for all senses of the entry word are listed separately, headed by In-
formal or Slang, respectively. Moreover, entry words or individual synonyms
might be labeled to indicates special or substandard usage. The most com-
monly used labels—in addition to informal and slang—are dial. (dialectal),
Brit. (British), poetic, and archaic.
In the category entries, numbered senses are often preceded by a contex-
tual gist label in parentheses and italics that indicates the meaning being cov-
ered in that paragraph. These labels can help you find the right word more
quickly.
Familiar dictionary abbreviations are used for parts of speech: n., noun;
v., verb; v.i., intransitive verb; v.t., transitive verb; adj., adjective; adv., ad-
verb; pron., pronoun; prep., preposition; conj., conjunction; interj., interjec-
tion.
This is not a dictionary. It does not define words except to the extent that
they are defined in their synonyms. A word that has no natural synonyms is
not entered merely to define it. Moreover, alternate spellings for a word are
generally not given. The publishers of this thesaurus also publish a compan-
ion volume, The New American Webster Handy College Dictionary, which
was the authority for the preferred spellings used herein and in which may
be found definitions of most of the words in this book.
Antonyms formed by simply adding un-, in-, dis-, etc., are generally not
given, nor are words listed when they are simple negatives of other words.
For example, such a word as unloved is not entered because one may merely
look up the positive term, but unbearable is entered because the positive
term has various dissimilar meanings.
The editor appreciates readers’ suggestions for additions to the word list,
phrases, and quotations, and any other comments. Comments and sugges-
tions can be sent to the editor by e-mail at [email protected].
[ viii]
aback [ 1 ] abnormal
abdicate, v. relinquish, resign, re-
A
nounce, abandon, quit, surrender.
aback, adv. rearward, behind. See See relinquishment, resigna-
rear, difficulty. —taken tion. Ant., retain, maintain.
aback, disconcerted (see discon- abdomen, n. belly, paunch, epigas-
tent). trium, venter; midriff; corpora-
abaft, adv. aft, astern, behind. See tion, solar plexus, guts (all inf.).
rear. See interior, body.
abandon, v.t. relinquish, resign, give abduct, v.t. kidnap, carry off, steal,
up, forgo, surrender, discontinue, spirit away, shanghai, snatch. See
waive, abdicate; leave, quit, evac- stealing.
uate, withdraw (from); desert, for- abeam, adv. sideways (see side).
sake, maroon, discard, drop; let aberration, n. deviation, variation,
go, throw up, pull out of, have distortion, disorientation; aber-
done with, turn one’s back on, rance, insanity; error.
wash one’s hands of; pull out on. abet, v.t. aid, assist, support; encour-
See relinquishment, resigna- age. Ant., impede, discourage.
tion, disuse. —n. rashness, abeyance, n. suspension. See end,
recklessness, impetuosity, impul- latency. Ant., renewal, operation.
siveness, audacity. Ant., retain; abhor, v.t. hate. Ant., love.
continue; restraint. abide, v. dwell, reside, live, stay; tol-
abandoned, adj. dissipated, im- erate, endure, submit (to); remain,
moral, reprobate, dissolute, de- stay. See abode, durability,
praved; lost; unbridled. See feeling. Ant., proceed, depart.
impurity, rashness, relin- ability, n. power, skill, compe-
quishment, disuse. tency, capacity, capability, apti-
abase, v.t. humble (see abash); de- tude, faculty, talent (inf.), know-
mean, degrade; dishonor; cast how; what it takes (sl.). Ant.,
down. See humility, servility. inability, incompetency.
Ant., uplift, exalt. ab initio, Lat., from the beginning.
abash, v.t. humiliate, humble, abject, adj. servile, contemptible;
shame; embarrass, disconcert; miserable, wretched, hangdog;
mortify, crush, take down a peg. base. See servility, improbity,
See humility. Ant., hearten, rally. contempt. Ant., exalted, noble.
abate, v. decrease, lessen, moder- abjure, v. forswear, renounce, repu-
ate, diminish, subside; allay, diate. See negation, nullifica-
slake, slacken, subdue; curtail, re- tion. Ant., maintain.
mit; let down (on), take off the ablaze, adj. afire, burning; aglow.
edge (of). Ant., increase. See heat, light, resentment.
abattoir, n. slaughterhouse (see able, adj. capable, competent, skill-
killing). ful, talented. See power, skill.
abbé, abbess, abbot, n. See Ant., incompetent; weak.
clergy. able-bodied, adj. fit, robust. See
abbey, n. See temple. strength, health.
abbreviate, v. abridge, condense, abloom, adj. blossoming; in blos-
contract, shorten, curtail, digest, som or flower. See prosperity.
truncate, prune. See short- ablution, n. cleansing, washing. See
ness, deduction. Ant., expand, cleanness. Ant., pollution.
lengthen. abnegate, v. See negation.
ABCs, n. alphabet; basics, rudi- abnormal, adj. unusual, aberrant, ec-
ments. See intrinsic, writing. centric, irregular, anomalous; in-
aboard [ 2 ] abode
sane; monstrous. See unconfor- Informal, astride. See presence,
mity, insanity. Ant., normal. ship.
aboard, adv. & prep. on, on board.
ABODE
Place of residence
Nouns—1, (living place) abode, dwelling, residence, accommodations,
domicile, address, habitation, berth, nest, seat, lodging[s], lodging place,
roof over one’s head, quarters, headquarters, base, depot, housing, place;
habitat; open housing; barracks, dormitory; harem; stigmatized house;
time-share. Informal, place to hang one’s hat. Slang, dump, joint, digs,
[crash]pad, [laid] crib, pilch, shebang. See location.
2, (home) home, homeplace, homestead, hearth, hearthstone, fireside, in-
glenook, ingleside, household, ménage, roof, lares et penates; ancestral
hall[s], fatherland, native land or soil, country. Informal, roost; repent pad.
3, (refuge) retreat, asylum, cloister, hermitage, hideaway, hiding-place,
sanctuary, arbor, sanctum sanctorum, cave, nest, den, cell, dugout, hive,
hole, lair, haunt. Slang, hangout, hideout, stamping ground or place. See
seclusion.
4, (outdoor camp) camp, barrack[s], bivouac, encampment, casemate;
stopover; tourist camp, trailer camp; caravan, mobile home; cave, cliff
dwelling; houseboat (see navigation). Slang, [hobo] jungle, squats.
5, (structure) house, dwelling[-place], building; hall; chalet, bungalow,
maisonette, manor-house; brownstone [house], semidetached, flat, apart-
ment [house], two-(etc.)family house, farmhouse, ranch house, split- or
bi-level, duplex, triplex, townhouse, pied-à-terre, condominium, coopera-
tive, time-share; penthouse, tenement, loft; ark; temple; rectory; [residen-
tial] hotel; skyscraper; [housing] development, [building] project; trailer;
cliff dwelling; outbuilding; pueblo. Informal, diggings, digs; condo,
co-op. Slang, pad, cheesebox, go-up, jam house, repent pad. See archi-
tecture, building.
6, (modest structure) hut, adobe, bunkhouse, cabin, cottage, hovel, igloo,
tupek, lean-to, log cabin, Quonset or Nissen hut, rancho, shack, shanty,
tent, tepee, hogan, earth lodge, wickiup, wigwam, balok, sweat lodge,
kiosk, jacal. Slang, rathole.
7, (commercial dwelling) inn, caravansary, club, hospice, pension, posada,
roadhouse, hostel, hostelry, hotel, motel, motor hotel, motor court, motor
inn, rooming house, bread and breakfast, boardinghouse; resort, spa.
Slang, scratch-crib; cherry orchard.
8, (animal dwelling) barn, cowshed, doghouse, kennel, pound, henhouse,
hutch, warren, pen, [pig]sty, apiary, shed, stable, stall, booth, coop, dove-
cote, aviary, birdcage, birdhouse, roost, beehive.
9, (palatial dwelling) casa, mansion, manor, manse, palace, château, villa,
alcázar, dacha, lodge, castle (see defense), hall, estate, hacienda, palazzo,
ranch, plantation, farm, domain, country seat.
10, (town) community; village, hamlet, burg, dorp, thorp, town, pueblo,
shtetl, kampong, kraal; municipality, metropolis, conurbation, dynapolis,
megalopolis, city, suburb, purlieu, satellite, exurb (see region); inner city,
ghetto, slum, quarter; colony; commune, kolkhoz; shantytown. Informal,
one-horse town, whistle stop, Podunk. Slang, duckburg; Hooverville, proj-
ects.
abolish [ 3 ] abridge
11, (dwelling for the ill, etc.) sanatorium, sanitarium, asylum, [health] re-
sort, [convalescent, nursing, or rest] home. Informal, old folks’ home. See
remedy.
12, dweller (see inhabitant).
13, (domestic arts) domestic arts, homemaking, home economics, human
ecology. See environment.
Verbs—1, (live in) inhabit, domesticate, colonize, naturalize; take root, sit
down, settle [down], take up one’s abode, establish oneself, squat, perch,
pitch one’s tent, put up at, keep or set up house; bivouac, stop over, en-
camp, rough it.
2, (make one’s home) abide, occupy, people, dwell, reside, stay, sojourn,
live, put up, tenant, lodge, nestle, board, live in, camp out. Informal, roost.
Slang, shack up, cohabit. See inhabitant.
3, (provide dwelling for) accommodate, lodge, put up, board.
Adjectives—1, (making one’s residence) dwelling, residing, in residence, at
home.
2, (of dwelling centers) urban, suburban, provincial; metropolitan, cosmo-
politan; domestic, foreign.
3, downhome.
Phrases—home is where the heart is; East, West, home’s best; there’s no
place like home.
Quotations—A man’s house is his castle ( James Otis); There’s no place like
home ( John Howard Paine); A house is a machine for living in (Le Cor-
busier), The city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo (Desmond
Morris), Slums may be the breeding-grounds of crime, but middle-class
suburbs are incubators of apathy and delirium (Cyril Connolly), Home is
the girl’s prison and the woman’s workhouse (G. B. Shaw), Home is where
you come to when you have nothing better to do (Margaret Thatcher).
abolish, v.t. annul, cancel, abrogate; most. —prep. concerning, regard-
exterminate, wipe out. See nulli- ing, anent, respecting. See rela-
fication, destruction. Ant., es- tion, nearness.
tablish, reinstate. about-face, n. turnabout, reversal,
abolitionist, n. & adj. emancipator, volte-face. See inversion.
freer (see nullification, liber- above, adv. aloft, overhead, up; ear-
ation). lier, before. See height. —prep.
abominable, adj. detestable. See over, beyond; surpassing; more
hate, uncleanness. Ant., lik- than, exceeding.
able. —Abominable Snowman, aboveboard, adj. candid (see pro-
yeti. bity).
aboriginal, adj. primitive, primeval; abracadabra, n. mumbo-jumbo
indigenous. See oldness, inhab- (see sorcery).
itant. abrade, v.t. wear (away), grind. See
abortion, n. miscarriage; premature friction.
delivery or birth; failure, fiasco; abrasive, adj. & n. —adj. rough,
monstrosity, freak. See end. frictional; unpleasant. —n. grinder;
abound, v.i. teem, swarm, be plenti- sandpaper, corundum, etc. See
ful; be filled (with). See suffi- discourtesy, friction.
ciency. Ant., be short of, lack. abreast, adv. side by side; to the
about, adv. around, round, on all same degree. See side, equality.
sides; approximately; nearly, al- abridge, v. condense, shorten,
abroad [ 4 ] absolve
compress, contract. See short- short, curt; steep, precipitous,
ness. Ant., expand, extend. sheer; sudden or sharp (turn, etc.);
abroad, adv. overseas, away, out- jerky. See instantaneity. Ant.,
side; roaming, wandering, at large. gradual.
See travel, absence, distance. abscess, n. ulcer, boil. See disease.
abrogate, v.t. repeal, annul, retract. abscond, v.i. decamp, bolt, run away,
See rejection, nullification. flee, fly, take off. See avoidance,
abrupt, adj. sudden, precipitate, escape. Ant., abide, stay.
ABSENCE
State of being away
Nouns—1, (not being here) absence, nonresidence, noninhabitance, non-
presence, nonattendance, absenteeism, truancy, hooky, family leave;
French leave; nonexistence.
2, (lack of contents) emptiness, void, vacuum, vacuity, vacancy; blank,
clean slate; aching void. See space, insubstantiality.
3, (one who is not present) absentee, truant; missing person, MIA; absen-
tee landlord or owner. Informal, no-show.
4, (phrases) nobody present, not a soul, nary a soul, nobody under the sun,
nary a one, no one, no man, never a one.
5, lack (see insufficiency).
Verbs—be absent, absent oneself, stay or keep away, keep out of the way,
play truant, play hooky, take French leave, go AWOL, absent oneself with-
out [official] leave; slip away (see escape); keep or hold aloof; withdraw,
vacate (see departure). Informal, not show up, make oneself scarce.
Slang, cut [out].
Adjectives—1, (not present) absent, nonattendant, not present, away, non-
resident, missing, missing in action, lost, wanting, omitted, nowhere to be
found, out of sight, gone, lacking, away from home, truant, absent with-
out [official] leave, AWOL; abroad, oversea[s], on vacation; gone with the
wind. Informal, minus.
2, (having no contents) empty, vacant, void, vacuous, untenanted, unoc-
cupied, uninhabited, tenantless; devoid, bare, hollow, blank.
Adverbs—nowhere; elsewhere; neither here nor there, neither hide nor hair;
somewhere else, not here. Dial., nowheres.
Prepositions—in absentia, without, less, minus, sans; wanting (see insuffi-
ciency).
Phrases—absence makes the heart grow fonder; out of sight, out of mind;
when the cat’s away, the mice will play; absence is the mother of disillu-
sion; a little absence does much good; nature abhors a vacuum.
Antonyms, see presence.
absentminded, adj. preoccupied, absolution, n. cleansing, forgive-
forgetful. See inattention. ness, shrift, dispensation; dis-
absolute, adj. complete, perfect, charge. See acquittal, exemp-
thorough; sheer; fixed, positive; tion.
unrestricted, unbounded, full, ple- absolutism, n. despotism, autoc-
nary; despotic, autocratic, su- racy; dogmatism. See author-
preme. See completion, great- ity, certainty.
ness, certainty. Ant., relative; absolve, v.t. forgive, cleanse, shrive,
qualified. pardon, discharge. See forgive-
absorb [ 5 ] abyss
ness, acquittal, exemption. cerpt (from); remove, steal. —n.
Ant., accuse, blame. compendium, summary, epitome,
absorb, v. assimilate, take in, suck précis, abridgment. See suppo-
up; incorporate, integrate; engross, sition, stealing, shortness.
preoccupy, obsess. See thought, Ant., restore; combine; concrete.
receiving, attention, use, abstracted, adj. absentminded, inat-
combination, learning. tentive. See inattention. Ant.,
abstain, v.i. forbear, refrain. See alert.
avoidance, moderation, ascet- abstraction, n. preoccupation;
icism, disuse. Ant., indulge. abridgment. See inattention,
abstemious, adj. abstaining, absti- shortness, thought.
nent; temperate, sober. See mod- abstruse, adj. profound, recondite,
eration, asceticism. esoteric, subtle, deep; obscure,
abstract, adj. theoretical, metaphys- enigmatical. See unintelligibil-
ical; abstruse, recondite. —v. ex- ity, obscurity.
ABSURDITY
Quality of being absurd
Nouns—1, (nonsensical quality) absurdity, absurdness, nonsense; paradox,
inconsistency; inanity (see folly); ludicrousness, ridiculousness, comi-
cality; koan, oxymoron, doublethink.
2, (ridiculous quality) muddle, [Irish] bull; bathos; song and dance; trav-
esty (see ridicule).
3, (nonsensical talk) jargon, doubletalk, twaddle, gibberish, fustian, empty
talk, galimatias. Informal, poppycock, stuff and nonsense. Slang, hot air,
crapola, doodly-squat, horse feathers, crock, bull[shit], bushwah, flumma-
diddle, blarney, blather, jive, moonshine, piffle. See unmeaningness.
4, (one who talks nonsense) Slang, blowhard, bullshit artist.
5, (art of nonsense) theater of the absurd; dada[ism].
Verbs—1, (act foolishly) play the fool, talk nonsense, talk through one’s hat,
go from the sublime to the ridiculous.
2, (make to look absurd) make a fool of, make absurd, burlesque (see
ridicule).
Adjectives—absurd, nonsensical, preposterous, senseless, inconsistent, il-
logical, paradoxical, ridiculous, extravagant, fantastic, silly, funny,
comic[al], unmeaning, without rhyme or reason, fatuous, ludicrous,
laughable. Slang, screwy, cockamamie, cock-and-bull.
Quotations—The intolerable absurdities of life (Michael Wreszin), There is
nothing so absurd but some philosopher has said it (Cicero), No matter
how you slice it, it’s still baloney (Al Smith).
Antonyms, see meaning.
abundance, n. plenty, sufficiency, ception, impurity, wrong. Ant.,
profusion, luxuriance, fullness; praise, flattery.
affluence, opulence, wealth. Ant., abut, v. touch, border (on). See con-
scarcity. tact.
abuse, v.t. misuse, misapply; mis- abysmal, adj. abyssal; deficient, be-
treat, injure, damage; malign, low par, miserable. See depth,
scold, berate, vilify, curse; flay. — inferiority.
n. injury, desecration; insult. See abyss, n. abysm, deep, depth[s],
disapprobation, badness, de- gulf, chasm, [bottomless] pit,