The Oxford Thesaurus of English
The Oxford Thesaurus of English, first published in 2000 and now appearing in its second edition, contains an unrivalled number of alternative and opposite words: well over 600,000 in total. It is the most comprehensive one-volume thesaurus available, including not only everyday words but also unusual and colourful words, specialist terms, and archaic and obsolete terms.
There are more than 16,000 entries, arranged A-Z, which means that you only have to go to one place to find what you are looking for, and there is no need for a bulky index. For
each of those 16,000 entries, there is an average of 38 alternatives, carefully chosen, sorted, and arranged to help you find the word you need as quickly as possible.
In addition to the standard entries, the Oxford Thesaurus of English offers an array of special features designed to enhance the usefulness and accessibility of the book:
Choose the Right Word panels explore in detail the differences between close synonyms such as brusque,
abrupt, curt, and terse; the findings presented in this edition are the result of sophisticated computational analysis of how these words are used in real English, giving the user the fullest and most accurate account available.
Also new to this edition are over 1300 Word Links, at 720 entries, to words which are not synonyms but which have another kind of relation to the headword: for example, at cat there are terms for the male and female cat (tom, queen) as well as the adjective relating to cats (feline).
Lastly, there is a new Word List section in the centre of the book, offering hundreds of lists covering everything from types of cheese to species of bird and names of dances. These are cross-referenced from within the main text but can also be used independently, ideal for crossword and word-game enthusiasts.
Judy Pearsall
26/08/2004
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