Word
thesaurus
Phoneticsthe·saurus
US/θəˈsɔɹəs/
UK/θɛsˈɔːɹəs/
Definitions
01book of synonyms
n. a book or website that lists words with the same or similar meanings.
n. a reference work containing lists of words with similar meanings, often used to avoid repetition or to find a more precise term.
“I used a thesaurus to find a better word than 'big' for my essay.”
“The student consulted a thesaurus to diversify her vocabulary, replacing repetitive adjectives with more nuanced alternatives throughout the manuscript.”
Usage
The plural can be either 'thesauruses' or 'thesauri'.
Pitfall
I looked the word up in the thesaurus to find its definition.
I looked the word up in the dictionary to find its definition.
A thesaurus provides synonyms, while a dictionary provides definitions and pronunciations.
Synonyms
02data classification
n. a list of specific terms used to organize and search for information in a database.
n. a controlled vocabulary of terms used in information science to facilitate the indexing and retrieval of documents within a specific domain.
“The library uses a special thesaurus to categorize all their science books.”
“The database architect developed a hierarchical thesaurus to ensure that all technical documents were indexed under standardized subject headings.”
Technical
Teaching tip
This sense is specific to library science and information technology; general learners will rarely encounter it outside of professional contexts.
Synonyms
Etymology
16th century, borrowed from Latin thēsaurus, from Ancient Greek θησαυρός (thēsaurós, “storehouse, treasure”); its current English usage/meaning was established soon after the publication of Peter Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases in 1852. Doublet of treasure.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/thesaurus