Search more than 275,000 synonyms, antonyms, related words, and idiomatic phrases. The thesaurus is more than just a list of synonyms; it is your guide to more precise and effective use of language.
thesaurus
noun
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In the early 19th century, archaeologists borrowed the Latin word thesaurus to denote an ancient treasury, such as that in a temple. Soon after, the word was metaphorically applied to a book containing a treasury of words or information about a particular field. In 1852, the English scholar Peter Mark Roget published his Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases, in which he listed a treasury of semantically related words organized into numerous categories. This work led to the common acceptance of the term thesaurus to refer to "a book of words and their synonyms." The word developed another meaning in the 1950s, when thesaurus began being used in the field of word processing to refer to a list of related terms used for indexing and retrieval.
Examples of thesaurus in a Sentence
David Marchese, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
Appropriate uses of generative AI include spell and grammar check or as a thesaurus.
—Allie Volpe, Vox, 19 Sep. 2024
Make sure to fold the letter correctly and use the Jane Austen thesaurus to keep your language historical.
—Annalise Frank, Axios, 12 July 2024
High Culture How to use a thesaurus to actually improve your writing
Looking up big, fancy words won’t make your writing better.
—Big Think, 24 June 2024
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“Thesaurus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thesaurus. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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thesaurus
noun
from scientific Latin thesaurus "treasury, storehouse, book of words," from Latin thesaurus "treasure, collection," from Greek thēsauros (same meaning) — related to treasure
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