Roget's Super Thesaurus - Softcover

Marc McCutcheon is a nationally recognized lexicographer and the author of several reference titles, including Descriptionary and Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the 1800s. He lives in South Portland, Maine.

A Aback aback (taken) adv. startled, taken unawares, surprised, confused, thrown off guard. Abaft abaft a. aft, astern, rearward, behind, back. Abandon abandon n. unrestraint, carelessness, free-spiritedness, spontaneity, wildness, wantonness, intemperance, impulsiveness, devil-may-care attitude. restraint, reserve, restriction, self-consciousness. Abandon abandon v. leave, desert, discard, forsake, quit, dump, turn one's back on, cast off, reject, relinquish, discontinue, renounce, lay aside, leave in the lurch, cut one's losses, throw in the towel, strand, drop, give up, wash one's hands of, deep six, ditch. stick with, take up, continue, adopt. Abandoned abandoned a. 1. DESERTED given up, forgotten, left behind, rejected, stranded, forsaken, cast off, cast aside, discarded, destitute, forgotten, scorned, desolate, friendless. 2. UNRESTRAINED unreserved, uncontrolled, dissolute, wild, loose, immoral, wicked, shameless, licentious, lewd, wanton. 1. used, adopted, taken up, befriended. 2. restrained, reserved, moral, seemly. Abase abase v. humble, humiliate, degrade, prostrate oneself, deflate, put down, debase, vitiate, devalue. honor, puff up. Abashed ABASHED a. embarrassed, ill at ease. Mary spoke unabashedly about contraceptives. embarrassed, ashamed, humiliated, red-faced, disconcerted, discomfitted, mortified, chagrined, disgraced. reassured, relaxed, cool. Abate ABATE v. to subside, lessen, reduce. The pain from a stubbed toe will gradually abate. subside, lessen, reduce, weaken, slacken, diminish, decrease, wane, dwindle, decline, let up, taper off. grow, expand, intensify, surge. Abattoir abattoir n. slaughterhouse, butchery. Abbey abbey n. monastery, cloister, friary, convent, nunnery, ministry. area restricted to members: cloister governed by prior or prioress: priory orders: Benedictine, Dominican, Franciscan, Jesuit, Paulist, Trappist resident: monk, friar, nun superior or head: abbot, abbess Abbreviate abbreviate v. shorten, abridge, condense, cut, reduce, contract, curtail, clip, compress, synopsize. expand, broaden, enlarge. Abbreviation abbreviation n. shortening, condensation, abridgement, contraction, reduction, summary, synopsis, brief, abstract, short version, short form. ABCs: fundamentals, rudiments, basics, simple elements AC: alternating current; air conditioning A.D.: anno Domini; in the year of the Lord a.k.a: also known as anon: anonymous ASAP: as soon as possible aux.: auxiliary AWOL: absent without leave B.A.: Bachelor of Arts B.C.: before Christ blvd.: boulevard B.S.: Bachelor of Science BTU: British thermal unit BYOB: bring your own booze CB: Citizens Band C: Celsius, centigrade c: copyright Cdr.: Commander CEO: chief executive officer chm.: chairman cl.: centiliter cm.: centimeter c/o: care of co.: company COD: cash on delivery Col.: Colonel corp.: corporation CPA: certified public accountant CPR: cardiopulmonary resuscitation cu.: cubic DA: district attorney DC: direct current D.D.: Doctor of Divinity D.D.S.: Doctor of Dental Science DOA: dead on arrival Dr.: Doctor DST: daylight-saving time d.t.'s: delirium tremens EEG: electroencephalogram e.g.: exempli gratia; for example EKG: electrocardiogram ERA: earned run average ESP: extrasensory perception Esq.: Esquire et al: et alia; and others etc.: etcetera; and so forth F: Fahrenheit FM: frequency modulation f.o.b.: freight on board FYI: for your information g: gram GIGO: garbage in, garbage out GOP: Grand Old Party HMS: His/Her Majesty's Ship Hon.: Honorable hq.: headquarters ibid: ibidem; in the same place i.e.: id est; that is IQ: intelligence quotient