Collins Junior Illustrated Thesaurus

Mum said her new outfit would be perfect for the wedding.

wardrobe

A famous designer planned the wardrobe for the musical.

wear

The shop sold everything you could want in the way of outdoor wear.

cold ADJECTIVE

If the weather is cold, the temperature outside is low.

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE THE COLD:

arctic

biting

bitter

chilly

cool

freezing

frosty

frozen

icy

raw

wintry

collect VERB

If you collect a number of things, you bring them together.

assemble

They assembled lots of food for the midnight feast.

gather

We went out to gather blackberries from a field near our house.

hoard

David hoarded empty glass bottles for his display.

raise

The school is trying to raise money for Children in Need.

save

We have been asked to save used stamps for a school project.

collection NOUN

A collection is a group of things brought together over a period of time.

assortment

The bathroom shelf is full of an assortment of shampoo bottles.

heap

Now and again, Dad adds another book to the heap.

mass

Dan worked his way through a mass of clothes to find his jeans.

pile

There was a pile of smelly old trainers in the corner.

set

“One more card and I’ll have a complete set,” said Raymond.

colour NOUN

The colour of something is the way it looks in daylight.

shade

The walls were painted in different shades.

tint

The autumn leaves were taking on a warm red tint.

DIFFERENT COLOURS:

black

blue

navy

sky blue

turquoise

brown

chocolate

coffee

fawn

green

bottle-green

lime

orange

tan

pink

rose

purple

lavender

lilac

mauve

red

crimson

scarlet

vermilion

white

cream

ivory

yellow

amber

gold

come VERB

To come to a place is to move there or arrive there.

appear

We all giggled when the magician’s rabbit appeared on stage.

approach

The guard dog growled loudly when the stranger approached.

arrive

The train arrived, and Grandma got out.

draw near

As they drew near to the castle, the great door opened.

show up

Most of the acts were good, but the conjuror didn’t show up.

turn up

“Don’t worry about us. We’ll turn up later,” said Ted.

visit

The Mayor is going to visit this afternoon.

ANTONYM: go

comfortable (1) ADJECTIVE

Something comfortable makes you feel relaxed and snug.

cosy

My room’s warm and cosy in winter, even when it’s freezing outside.

snug

Jamil felt snug tucked up in bed.

soft

Charlotte snuggled into the soft pillow and fell asleep straight away.

comfortable (2) ADJECTIVE

If you are comfortable, you feel at ease.

contented

The cat looked contented stretching out beside the fire.

happy

He was happy in his new room.

relaxed

Rebecca felt relaxed in the company of her friends.

ANTONYM: uncomfortable

common ADJECTIVE

If something is common, you often see it or it often happens.

average

It’s average behaviour for a boy of his age.

everyday

Children feeding ducks on the pond is an everyday sight in this park.

standard

Power steering is standard in many cars that are made today.

usual

It is quite usual to see dogs and cats getting on well together.

competition NOUN

A competition is an event to see who is best at doing something.

championship

Our school is taking part in the junior swimming championship.

contest

There was a fierce contest between the red and blue teams.

game

Supporters cheered when their team won the game.

race

Attilio was by far the fastest runner and easily won the race.

tournament

My brother is through to the finals of the table-tennis tournament.

complete (1) ADJECTIVE

If something is complete, there is nothing missing.

entire

I’ve got the entire set of famous people in my album.

full

The teacher wanted a full report of the science experiment.

whole

Amy recited the whole poem without a single mistake.

complete (2) VERB

If you complete something, you finish it.

conclude

The head teacher concluded his lecture with a warning about litter.

do

Have you done your homework?

end

Simon ended his talk by asking if there were any questions.

finish

Charles couldn’t think how to finish his story.

conversation NOUN

If you have a conversation with someone, you talk to each other.

chat

My mum likes to have a chat with friends over a cup of coffee.

discussion

There was a long discussion about which class Sheena should be put in.

gossip

The opening of the new school provided plenty of gossip.

talk

“I think we should have a talk about this,” said his teacher.

cook VERB

When you cook food, you prepare it for eating by heating it.

WAYS OF COOKING:

bake

barbecue

boil

fry

grill

microwave

poach

roast

steam

stew

stir-fry

toast

copy (1) NOUN

A copy is something made to look like something else.

fake

The police say that painting is a fake.

forgery

He thought the man gave him a twenty-pound note, but it was a forgery.

imitation

Those jewels are only imitations. They’re made of glass.

photocopy

“Can you give me a photocopy of that page?” asked Domenica.

print

It’s not an original painting. It’s a print.

replica

Manuel bought a plastic replica of the Eiffel Tower.

copy (2) VERB

If you copy what someone does, you do the same thing.

follow

“You must follow my movements exactly,” said the dance teacher.

imitate

She can imitate her mum’s voice.

impersonate

Frank is really good at impersonating famous people.

mimic

Ben can mimic the sounds animals make.

mirror

We carefully mirrored the movements of the karate teacher.

trace

Kim carefully traced the outline of the country into her book.

correct ADJECTIVE

Something that is correct is true and has no mistakes.

accurate

Make sure that your measurements are accurate, or the pieces will not fit together.

exact

It’s no good guessing the amount of flour you need, it must be exact.

precise

“It’s very important that the details you give are precise,” said the policeman.

right

In the test, all his answers were right.

true

“Your report may be exciting,” said her teacher, “but is it true?”

cosy ADJECTIVE

A house or room that is cosy is comfortable and warm and not too big.

comfortable

It was a comfortable room with lots of deep armchairs and thick rugs.

snug

We love our house because it’s so snug.

warm

The fire sent out a warm, welcoming glow.

count VERB

If you count a number of things, you find out how many there are.

add up

She added up her pocket money to see if there was enough to go to the cinema.

calculate

Patrick calculated the number of hours he had spent doing his homework.

tally

The whole class stayed to tally the votes for the football captain.

work out

Work out how much you’ve got, and how much more you need to buy this bike.

cover VERB

If you cover something, you put something else over it to protect or hide it.

cloak

Mist cloaked the mountain top, making it too dangerous to climb.

conceal

The boy concealed his work with his hand.

hide

During winter a blanket of snow hid the lawn and flowerbeds.

mask

Edmund masked his feeling of dismay with a smile.

crack NOUN

A crack is a line or gap on something that shows it is damaged.

crevice

Many spiders lurked in crevices in the old stone wall.

gap

They had to watch the game through a gap in the fence.

split

One of the pieces of wood had a large split at the end.

crash NOUN

A crash is a sudden loud noise like something breaking.

clash

Fabian brought the cymbals together with a clash.

clatter

The metal tray dropped to the ground with a clatter.

smash

There was a smash as the stereo hit the floor.

crime NOUN

A crime is something that is against the law of a country.

KINDS OF CRIMES:

arson

burglary

graffiti

hijacking

joyriding

mugging

murder

piracy

robbery

shoplifting

smuggling

stealing

terrorism

theft

vandalism

criminal NOUN

A criminal is someone who has done something that is against the law.

KINDS OF CRIMINALS:

arsonist

burglar

graffitist

hijacker

joyrider

mugger

murderer

pirate

robber

shoplifter

smuggler

terrorist

thief

vandal

crooked ADJECTIVE

Something that is crooked is bent or twisted.

bent

Shadha complained she couldn’t get any juice through the bent straw, so the waiter got her another.

twisting

A twisting path led through the woods to the cottage.

warped

The wood was so warped they couldn’t use it for anything but firewood.

cross ADJECTIVE

Someone who is cross is angry about something.

angry

Adrian was so angry he could hardly speak to her.

annoyed

Grandpa was annoyed when he found slugs had eaten his lettuces.

grumpy

Steven felt grumpy about not being well enough to go out.

irritable

Flies pestered the pony and made him very irritable.

cruel ADJECTIVE

Someone who is cruel hurts people or animals without caring.

brutal

The police said it was a brutal murder.

cold-hearted

The kidnapper was cold-hearted and ignored their pleas.

heartless

A heartless burglar smashed my grandma’s favourite vase.

vicious

The burglar aimed a vicious kick at the guard dog.

ANTONYM: kind

crush VERB

To crush something is to destroy its shape by squeezing it.

flatten

They flattened the soft drink cans before recycling them.

screw up

Tibbles screwed up Mum’s jacket when she slept on it.

squash

I dropped the shopping bag and squashed the tomatoes.

cry (1) VERB

To cry means to call out loudly.

call

He called, “Anybody there?”

shout

“I can’t hear you,” she shouted.

shriek

“Oh no!” shrieked Libby. “My new jeans have shrunk.”

yell

Debbie had to yell above the din in the school playground.

cry (2) VERB

When you cry, tears come from your eyes and trickle down your face.

grizzle

The baby grizzles when he’s hungry.

howl

My sister howled when her gerbil died.

snivel

“It’s no good snivelling,” said the ugly sisters. “You’re not going to the ball.”

sob

Tommy sobbed when he dropped his ice cream.

wail

“I wanted to go to the pantomime!” wailed Roly.

weep

Lara wept as she waved goodbye.

whimper

The puppy whimpered when Abdul went off to school.

cut (1) VERB

If you cut something, you use a knife or scissors to remove parts of it.

carve

Nicholas carved the wood into the shape of a cat.

chop

The cook chopped an onion and carrot into small pieces.

clip

Katherine clipped out an advertisement from the newspaper.

mow

Grandpa loves mowing his lawn to keep it neat and tidy.

prune

Rose bushes need pruning in spring.

saw

The gardener sawed up some wood to make a nesting box.

slice

Mrs Cratchit always sliced the bread too thinly.

snip

The hairdresser snipped off my long hair.

trim

The barber carefully trimmed the wizard’s long beard.

cut (2) VERB

To cut can mean to reduce something.

lower

The supermarket is lowering a lot of its prices this week.

reduce

The government is trying to reduce the amount of traffic on the roads.

Dd

damage VERB

To damage something means to harm or spoil it.

break

My little sister has broken her doll already.

chip

Melanie was furious when she chipped her nail varnish.

dent

A gatepost got in the way and dented Dad’s bumper.

destroy

An unexpected storm destroyed their beach hut.

ruin

“You’ve ruined my painting!” David screamed angrily.

scratch

Natalie’s bike was scratched when it fell in the holly bush.

spoil

The baby knocked over a cup and spoiled my homework.

vandalize

Someone has vandalized the phone box on the corner of our street.

wreck

Rocks often wreck boats that come too close to shore.

dance VERB

When you dance, you move your body in time to music.

SOME KINDS OF DANCING:

ballet dancing

ballroom dancing:

foxtrot

quickstep

tango

waltz

break dancing

disco dancing

folk dancing

Highland dancing

Irish dancing

line dancing

salsa

square dancing

tap dancing

dangerous ADJECTIVE

If something is dangerous, it is likely to harm you.

alarming

Rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate.

deadly

The bite of some snakes can be deadly.

harmful

Medicines can be harmful if taken by the wrong person.

menacing

The captain waved his hook at Peter in a menacing fashion.

risky

They decided the adventure was getting too risky.

treacherous

Road conditions were treacherous in the thick fog.

unsafe

The bridge was rotten and unsafe to cross.

ANTONYM: safe

dark ADJECTIVE

When it is dark, there is not enough light to see properly.

black

The night was black and stormy.

dim

They could hardly see in the dim hallway.

gloomy

Rooms in the old castle were damp and gloomy.

murky

The submarine moved slowly in the murky depths of the ocean.

shadowy

A shadowy figure emerged from the misty woods.

unlit

It looked as if no one was home as all the rooms were unlit.

delicious ADJECTIVE

Food that is delicious tastes or smells very nice.

mouthwatering

At the village fair, the smell of frying onions was mouthwatering.

scrumptious INFORMAL

When we got home from school, Mum made us a scrumptious apple pie.

tasty

Andrew enjoyed a tasty snack on his way home from football training.

ANTONYM: horrible

demonstrate (1) VERB

If someone demonstrates something, they show you how to do it.

explain

Jamie explained how to separate the yolks and whites of eggs.

illustrate

Our music teacher illustrated how to play the violin.

demonstrate (2) VERB

If people demonstrate, they hold a public meeting or march to show they are strongly for or against something.

march

Sometimes thousands of people march in the capital to make their feelings known to the government.

protest

When people protest, they often meet to carry banners and shout slogans.

deserted ADJECTIVE

If a place is deserted, there are no people there.

abandoned

In the middle of the wood, the boys came upon an abandoned cottage.

empty

They saw a farmhouse and ran towards it to ask for water, but it was empty.

destroy VERB

To destroy something means to damage it so much it cannot be mended.

crush

The cottages were crushed under the feet of the angry giant.

damage

A tree fell in the storm and damaged our garden shed.

demolish

Builders demolished an empty house to make space for a new theatre.

ruin

People complained that the new building ruined their view.

smash

The jetty was smashed when a motorboat went out of control.

wreck

Many ships used to be wrecked on rocks around the coast before lighthouses were built to signal warnings.

different (1) ADJECTIVE

Something that is different from something else is not like it in one or more ways.

assorted

I like boxes of assorted biscuits best.

changed

He seemed changed somehow. Perhaps it was the short hair.

mixed

Alex had mixed feelings about going up a grade at school.

opposite

Mum’s quite opposite to me. She likes my room to be tidy and I like it to be a mess.

various

He had various excuses for being late.

different (2) ADJECTIVE

Something different is unusual and out of the ordinary.

bizarre

Have you seen Polly’s new hairstyle? It’s really bizarre!

extraordinary

The magician at the party performed some extraordinary tricks.

peculiar

There was something peculiar about the expression on his face.

special

I wanted to do something special for my seventh birthday.

unusual

The baby had an unusual cry.

➔ something else

dig VERB

When people or animals dig, they break up a surface.

burrow

Rabbits keep burrowing holes in the vegetable patch.

excavate

Archeologists are excavating at an ancient burial site.

hollow

Hollow out the centre of the pumpkin and cut teeth and eyeholes in the skin.

quarry

Marble has been quarried in Italy for many centuries.

scoop

Libby scooped out some ice cream from the tub.

tunnel

Some prisoners of war tunnelled their way out of the camp.

dirty ADJECTIVE

Something that is dirty is marked or covered with mud or stains.

filthy

“Your hands are filthy,” said Dad. “Go and wash them.”

foul

The pigsty was foul with droppings, old straw and mud.

greasy

“I hate washing up greasy dishes,” complained Simon.

grimy

Driving in the open-top car was great fun, but it made their faces pretty grimy.

grubby

He scrubbed at his knees with a grubby old tissue.

messy

Cleaning out the hamster is a messy job.

muddy

He came in from football with muddy shorts and boots.