thesaurus

[ thi-sawr-uhs ]

See synonyms for thesaurus on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural the·sau·rus·es, the·sau·ri

[-sawr-ahy]. /-ˈsɔr aɪ/.

a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms, such as the online Thesaurus.com.
any dictionary, encyclopedia, or other comprehensive reference book.

a storehouse, repository, or treasury.
Computers.
- an index to information stored in a computer, consisting of a comprehensive list of subjects concerning which information may be retrieved by using the proper key terms.
- a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms stored in memory for use in word processing.

Origin of thesaurus

First recorded in 1730–40; from Latin thēsaurus, from Greek thēsaurós “treasure, treasury”

Words Nearby thesaurus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use thesaurus in a sentence

A thesaurus is a handy thing, but sometimes seemingly tiny differences in meaning can actually have a huge impact.
Earliest known burial in Africa is that of a small, fragile child | Kiona N. Smith | May 6, 2021 | Ars Technica
Instead, day after day I turn to all the wonderful dictionaries, thesauruses, and weird twists on them that are out there on the internet.
Become a better writer with these online tools | Harry Guinness | October 20, 2020 | Popular-Science
Had Palin scoured a thesaurus, she could not have come up with a more inflammatory phrase.
Palin Goes Nuclear With 'Blood Libel' Speech | Howard Kurtz | January 12, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
Hickes' transcript of the Calendar (thesaurus, I, 203) shows an average of one error in every six lines.
Beowulf | R. W. Chambers
Thus the ancient Runic inscriptions, as we gather from Hickes's thesaurus, are in the form of a knot.
The Medicine-Men of the Apache. (1892 N 09 / 1887-1888 (pages 443-604)) | John G. Bourke

The new thought of a treasury of merits (thesaurus meritorum) introduced further changes.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 2 | Various
The work, however, on which his fame as a scholar is most surely based is the thesaurus Graecae linguae.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7 | Various
John Starke himself, with his thesaurus of Horror, never penned anything so deliciously frightful.
The History of Burke and Hare | George Mac Gregor

British Dictionary definitions for thesaurus

thesaurus

/ (θɪˈsɔːrəs) /

nounplural -ruses or -ri (-raɪ)

a book containing systematized lists of synonyms and related words
a dictionary of selected words or topics

rare a treasury

Origin of thesaurus

C18: from Latin, Greek: treasure

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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