Explanatory Notes

Introduction   Index   Handbook of Style: Punctuation

How to Use Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus

Every thesaurus user should read these Explanatory Notes because a thorough understanding of the scope, content, and structure of the book is essential to its effective employment.

Since the English lexicon contains an incalculable number of fixed combinations, senses, subsenses, and nuances of meaning (for example, Webster's Third New International Dictionary records some 251 distinguishable meanings for the verb  set and its fixed combinations),  it is essential that the thesaurus be used in conjunction with an adequate dictionary.

Scope of Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus

This book is concerned with the general vocabulary of the English language. Since the user may actually be hindered rather than helped by a vocabulary diluted with obsolete, archaic, or extremely rare terms or with specialized or technical jargon, such words have been omitted.

Structure and Content

Entry Order   The body of the book consists of main and secondary entries introduced by alphabetically ordered boldface headwords, as

raid  vb  1to make a raid on < Indians  raided the settlers frequently >
syn foray, harass, harry, maraud
rel despoil, devastate, ravage, sack, spoliate, waste; loot, plunder, rifle, rob
2 syn INVADE 1, foray, inroad, overrun, overswarm

raider  n syn MARAUDER, forager, freebooter, looter, pillager, plunderer, ravager, ravisher, sacker, spoiler

rail  n syn RAILING, balustrade, banister

where  raid, raider, and  rail are the headwords introducing either a main entry (as  raid  vb  1), or a secondary entry (as  raid  vb  2, raider  n, or  rail  n ).

Homograph headwords are entered in historical order: the one first used in English is entered first, as

till  prep
till  conj
till  vb

Verbs used predominantly with one or two prepositions or adverbs may be headwords introducing main or secondary entries; in this case, they are entered with the verb segment in boldface type followed by the parenthetical element or elements in lightface type. Such verb + particle combinations immediately follow their base verb in alphabetical order:

	put  vb	base-verb homograph
	put (back)  vb	verb+particle combinations
	put (on)  vb	"
	put (on or upon)  vb	"
	put  n	noun homograph

Fixed verb + adverb collocations commonly entered in dictionaries as two-word verbs have boldface entry at their appropriate alphabetical positions in this book. However, they follow any verb + particle combinations occurring in the same alphabetical sequence:

	take  vb	base verb
	take (from)  vb	verb+particle combinations
	take (to)  vb	"
	take away  vb	two-word verb collocations
	take back  vb	"
	take down  vb	"
	take in  vb	"
	take off  vb	"

Headwords ordinarily conform to normal dictionary practices: for instance, they are styled as singular nouns or infinitive verbs. Special situations (as plural usage or variant spellings) are signaled by the use of boldface subheads, as

crossroad  n, usu  crossroads  pl but sing or pl in constr  syn JUNCTURE 2, ...

woe  n...  3  usu  woes  pl syn DISASTER, ...

catercorner ( or  catty-corner  or  kitty-corner)  adv syn DIAGONALLY, ...

where  crossroads and  woes are subheads indicating plural usage, and  catty-corner and  kitty-corner are subheads showing variant spellings of the headwords.

The Main Entry and Its Basic Elements  Each main entry consists of a headword followed by a part-of-speech label, a sense number when needed, a meaning core with a brief verbal illustration, and a list of synonyms. Lists of related words, idiomatic equivalents, contrasted words, and antonyms follow the synonym list if they are called for.  A typical main entry is

calm  adj  1free from storm or rough activity < the wind died and the sea became  calm >
syn halcyon, hushed, placid, quiet, still, stilly, untroubled
rel inactive, quiescent, reposing, resting; pacific, smooth, tranquil, unruffled
idiom calm as a millpond, still as death
con agitated, disturbed, perturbed, restless, turbulent, uneasy
ant stormy

where the italic part-of-speech label  adj indicates that the headword is an adjective. Other such labels used in the book are: adv (adverb),  conj (conjunction),  interj (interjection),  n (noun), prep (preposition),  pron (pronoun), and  vb (verb).

Individual senses of multisense entries (as  calm  adj ) are introduced by a boldface sense number (as  1).

The meaning core, as at  calm 1

free from storm or rough activity

indicates the area of meaning in which a group of words (in this case  calm, halcyon, hushed, placid, quiet, still, stilly,and untroubled ) are considered to be synonymous.

In other words, the meaning core pinpoints the exact relationship between the main-entry headword and its synonyms.

A meaning core may be supplemented by a usage note introduced by a lightface dash when additional information or comments on syntax or usage are required:

yet  adv  1 beyond this  -  used as an intensive to stress the comparative degree

Some interjections express feelings but otherwise are untranslatable into substitutable meaning; in such cases, the meaning core itself may be replaced by a usage note:

good-bye  interj -  used as a conventional expression of good wishes at parting

Each meaning core is followed by a verbal illustration enclosed by angle brackets, as

< the wind died and the sea became  calm >

that exemplifies a typical use of the headword (here,  calm) in its pertinent sense ( 1). The verbal illustration also offers the thesaurus user a frame for testing the suitability of the synonyms and/or related words with regard to his particular needs. Two verbal illustrations may appear after a meaning core that is broad enough to subsume alternatives (as both a literal and an extended use):

see  vb  1 to take cognizance of by physical or mental vision <  saw that the boat was being driven ashore > < the only one who  saw the truth  >

Such double illustrations have been chosen with discretion and are used sparingly in this book.

The boldface italic abbreviation syn introduces a synonym list that appears at each main entry on a line below the meaning core and the verbal illustration. This list may consist of only one synonym (as  here at  hitherto  adv  2) or of many (as  halcyon, hushed, placid, quiet, still, stilly, and  untroubled at  calm  adj  1). Each synonym in a main-entry list has a boldface entry at its own alphabetical place.

A compare cross-reference may appear at the end of a main-entry syn list. This cross-reference introduced by the italic word compare is used (1) when two or more groups of synonyms are very closely related and it is felt that the user examining one list should be aware of the existence of the other list or lists:

assassin  n a person hired or hirable to commit murder < found out who paid the  assassin >
syn bravo, cutthroat, gun, gunman, || gunsel, gunslinger, hatchet man, hit man, torpedo, triggerman;  compare MURDERER

murderer  n one who kills a human being < a  murdererwho wouldn't hesitate to kill in cold blood >
syn homicide, killer, manslayer, slayer;  compare ASSASSIN

and (2) when the user should be warned that certain words have evolved derivative senses that tend to blur precise sense boundaries and consequently cause an overlapping of senses or of meaning, thus making those words somewhat less desirable choices for the user in terms of preciseness than other words in the lists. A comparison of the main entries

ration  n an amount allotted or made available especially from a limited supply < saved up their gasoline  rationfor a vacation trip >
syn allotment, allowance, apportionment, measure, meed, part, portion, quantum, quota, share;  compare SHARE 1

share  n  1 something belonging to, assumed  by, or falling to one (as in division or apportionment) < wanted his  shareof the prize money >

syn allotment, allowance, bite, cut, lot, part, partage, portion, quota, slice; compare RATION

reveals the usage overlap of the synonyms  allotment, allowance, part, portion, quota,and  share, which are indeed valid synonyms at both entries.

The Secondary Entry and Its Basic Elements
A secondary entry consists of a boldface headword followed by a part-of-speech label, a boldface sense number when needed, a syn cross-reference in small capitals directing the user to the appropriate main entry in whose syn list the secondary entry appears (followed when needed by a lightface sense number of the main entry), and a list of the other synonyms appearing at the main entry. Lists of related words, idiomatic equivalents, contrasted words, or antonyms that are specifically applicable to the secondary-entry headword in the relationship indicated by the syn cross-reference may be included as well. A typical secondary entry is

placid  adj  1 syn CALM 1, halcyon, hushed, quiet, still, stilly, untroubled
rel irenic, peaceful, serene, unagitated, unstirring
ant roiled

where placid is the headword,  adj is the part-of-speech label,  1 is the sense number of the secondary entry, and syn CALM 1 is the syn cross-reference directing the user to the main entry  calm 1 where placid is a synonym. The terms  halcyon, hushed, quiet, still, stilly, and  untroubled comprising the secondary-entry syn cross-reference list are the synonyms at  calm 1.  As such, each of these terms is entered at its own alphabetical position with at least one sense that is cross-referred to  calm 1, as

still  adj  1 syn MOTIONLESS, ...
2 syn CALM 1, halycon, hushed, placid, quiet, stilly, untroubled
rel peaceful, unperturbed
3 devoid of or making no stir ... syn...

where only sense  2 of  still is the secondary entry of  calm 1.

If a main-entry syn list contains more than ten terms (as at notable  n  1), the secondary entries cross-referred to that main entry include only nine synonyms selected from the entire list. This space-saving convention is illustrated at

high-muck-a-muck  n syn NOTABLE 1, big boy, || big cheese, || big chief, big shot, || big wheel, bigwig, mugwump, nabob, VIP

where nine synonyms of the thirty-four at the main entry have been selected for inclusion at the secondary entry.

Main and Secondary Entries: Elements Common to Both
All, some, or none of the following lists may appear at both main and secondary entries in this order: related words, idiomatic equivalents, contrasted words, and antonyms.

The boldface abbreviation rel introduces a list of related words. The related words  -  words that are almost but not quite synonymous with the headword  -  are included at an entry next after the synonym list. For example, at the main entry

splendid  adj...
2 extraordinarily or transcendently impressive ...
syn glorious, gorgeous, magnificent, proud, resplendent, splendiferous, splendorous, sublime,  superb
rel eminent, illustrious; grand, impressive, lavish, luxurious, royal, sumptuous; divine, exquisite, lovely; incomparable, matchless, peerless, superlative, supreme, unparalleled, unsurpassed; surpassing, transcendent

the rel list is composed of twenty terms separated into five subgroups that each share a common likeness or relation with the headword and its synonyms. On the other hand, at the secondary entry

splendiferous  adj syn SPLENDID 2, ...
rel dazzling, marvelous; smashing, walloping; rattling, ripping, screaming, terrific

three subgroups of eight terms were selected as being distinctively related to  splendiferous rather than to the whole synonym group in the context indicated by the syn cross-reference to  splendid 2. Related words appearing at a main entry are not ordinarily repeated at the secondary entries. The user should therefore check the main entry when seeking the most complete groupings of related words. Related words as such are not entered in boldface at their own alphabetical places. They may, of course, be synonyms in other lists or head their own main entries.

The boldface italic abbreviation idiom introduces a list of idiomatic equivalents that are essentially the same in meaning as the members of a synonym group. An idiom list at a main entry includes phrases that are generally pertinent to the entire syn list and the headword, as the ones at

speak  vb  1 to articulate words in order to express thoughts ...
syn talk, utter, verbalize, vocalize, voice
rel...
idiom break silence, give voice ( or tongue  or utterance) to, let fall, make public ( or known), open one's mouth ( or lips), put in ( or into) words, say one's say, speak one's piece

while a secondary-entry list, as the one at

retaliate  vb syn RECIPROCATE, recompense, requite, return
rel...
idiom even the score, get back at, get even with, give in kind, give one a dose of his own medicine, give one tit for tat, pay one in his own coin, settle ( or square) accounts, turn the tables on

features idioms that are particularly appropriate equivalents of its headword in the context indicated by the syn cross-reference. Idiomatic equivalents, including those fixed verb + preposition combinations that function as idioms rather than as literal meanings of the verb, are not entered in boldface at their own alphabetical places in this book.

The boldface italic abbreviation con introduces a list of contrasted words  -  words that are strongly contrastable but not quite antonymous with the headword  -  that may appear at an entry:

watchful  adj paying close attention usually with a view to anticipating approaching danger or opportunity ...
syn...
rel...
idiom...
concareless, heedless, thoughtless; inadvertent; absentminded, abstracted, faraway

alert  adj  1 syn WATCHFUL, open-eyed, unsleeping, vigilant, wakeful, wide-awake
rel...
idiom...
con inattentive, unmindful; aloof, detached, indifferent, unconcerned

At the main entry  watchful  adj the con list is composed of seven words separated into three subgroups that each share at least one aspect of contrast to the headword and its syn list, while the con list at the secondary entry  alert 1 comprises six words separated into two such subgroups. Contrasted words appearing at a main entry are not ordinarily repeated at the secondary entries. The thesaurus user should therefore check the main entry when seeking the most complete groupings of contrasted words. Contrasted words as such are not entered in boldface at their own alphabetical places. They may, of course, be synonyms in other lists or head their own main entries.

The boldface italic abbreviation ant introduces the last possible element of a main or secondary entry: an antonym or list of antonyms, as at the entry

perfect  adj...  2...
ant imperfect

or at the entry

quiet  adj...  4 not showy or obtrusive ...
ant gaudy, loud

When antonyms are drawn from more than one of the accepted classes of opposites, members of the groups are separated by semicolons, as at the entry

assistance  n syn HELP 1, aid, assist, comfort, hand, lift, relief, secours, succor, support
rel...
con...
ant impediment, impeding;
obstructing, obstruction

Like related and contrasted words, antonyms as such are not entered in boldface at their own alphabetical places. They may, of course, be synonyms in other lists or head their own main entries.

Main and Secondary Entries: The One Arbitrary Rule
Ideally, a book such as this should be free of all arbitrary restraints and curtailments. In practice, however, its editors found that one rule was essential:  No word may appear in more than one list at a main or secondary entry.  For example,  nice is a synonym at pleasant  adj  1.  The applicable sense of nice is found in Webster's Third New International Dictionary at the entry  ¹ nice...  adj...  7(binding substitute) +  7b, where the definitions are

: pleasant and satisfying: as ...  b :ENJOYABLE, PLEASING, DELIGHTFUL < a nice time at the party > < nice and warm by the fire > < we have four  nice bedrooms upstairs to make them comfortable-Willa Cather >

However, one might reasonably construe senses  7e ( : MILD, CLEMENT, PLEASING < the  nice weather of late spring > < the  nice old days of the past  >) and  7g ( :FITTING, APPROPRIATE, SUITABLE < the  nice clothes she wears > < not a  nice word for use in church >) as a basis for entering niceas a related word as well as a synonym at  pleasant 1, while sense  8 in Webster's Third New International Dictionary

: most inappropriate  :UNPLEASANT, UNATTRACTIVE, TREACHEROUS  -  used ironically < a chronic alcoholic is certainly a  nice one to talk about temperance > < a  nice friend, who would have me ... cover myself with eternal infamy  - J.A. Froude > < got himself in a  nice fix >

could be construed as evidence for entering  niceas both a contrasted word and an antonym at  pleasant 1.  Obviously, the thesaurus user would not be helped by an entry showing any word in such an involved relationship with itself.

Labels, Punctuation, and Symbols
Labels   Words that are labeled  cap or  usu [ally]  cap in Webster's Third New International Dictionary are capitalized in this book. Thus, the synonyms  Gehenna, Pandemonium, Sheol, and Tophet are so styled at the main entry  hell  n as are the related words  Styx and  Tartarus.  A term that is capitalized in a main-entry syn list is also capitalized when it appears as a boldface secondary entry at its own alphabetical position:

Gehenna  n syn HELL , ...

If only one entered sense of a word is capitalized, an italic  cap label followed by a boldface capitalized subhead is attached to the affected sense:

pandemonium  n  1  cap  Pandemonium syn HELL, ...
2 syn SINK 1, ...
3 syn DIN, ...

In addition to the part-of-speech label, an italic plural label may be added when a word or a sense of a word is sometimes, often, usually, or always used in the plural. Typical examples of these labels are found at

years  n pl syn OLD AGE, age, caducity, elderliness, senectitude, senescence

where  pl indicates that the headword  years is always plural in form and construction in this particular application, and at

road  n  1  often  roads  pl syn HARBOR 3, anchorage, || chuck, harborage, haven, port, riding, roadstead
2 syn WAY 1, artery, avenue, boulevard, || drag, highway, path, street, thoroughfare, track
3 syn WAY 2, course, line, passage, path, route

where sense  1 (and only that sense) of the headword  road is often but not always used in the plural, and at

minutia  n, usu  minutiae  pl  1 syn INS AND OUTS, ropes
2 syn TRIVIA, small beer, small change, small potato(es), triviality

where the label preceding both senses indicates that the headword minutia is usually used in the plural in both of these applications, and at the main entry

trivia  n pl but sometimes sing in constr

where the label is qualified to show that this plural noun may sometimes be used with a singular verb, and at

common  n  1 commons  pl but sing or pl in constr  syn COMMONALTY, commonage, commoners, common men, people, plebeians, plebs, populace, rank and file, third estate

which indicates that common occurs as a plural noun in sense 1 but may occur with either singular or plural verbs, and at

outdoors  n pl but sing in constrthe space where air is unconfined < every night he let the dog run in the  outdoors >

whose label indicates that while the word outdoors is a plural noun, it consistently takes a singular verb. Use of these labels conforms to the treatment of plurals in Webster's Third New International Dictionary.

An italic subject guide phrase pointing to something with which the headword is associated may precede a meaning core in a very few instances, as at

set  vb...  11  of a fowl to incubate eggs by crouching upon them ...

Punctuation   A comma links items (as synonyms, idiomatic equivalents, members of a single group or subgroup of related or contrasted words or of antonyms) that are alike in their relation to the headword, as at
conservative  adj...  2...
syn controlled, discreet, moderate, reasonable, restrained, temperate, unexcessive, unextreme
rel cautious, chary, wary; circumspect, politic, proper, prudent
con expansive, unconstrained; excessive, freewheeling, uncontrolled, unrestrained

A semicolon signals a break in continuity and is used in rel and con lists (as between the two subgroups in the rel and con lists at conservative 2 above) to separate subgroups of words which differ in their relation to the headword. A semicolon is also used to separate antonyms that belong to different classes of opposites, as

arise  vb  1 syn RISE 4, ascend, aspire, lift, mount, soar, up, uprear
ant recline; slump

where the two antonyms are so separated. A semicolon may also appear at the end of a main-entry syn list to introduce a compare cross-reference, as shown at  honorable  adj  1:

syn estimable, high-principled, noble, sterling, worthy;  compareVENERABLE 1

Parentheses enclose variant spellings, as at the main entry  cake vb  1 where

encrust ( or incrust)

is a synonym, and at the secondary entries, where that particular synonym is styled

encrust (or  incrust)  vb syn CAKE 1, ...

Parentheses also enclose a particle or particles usually associated with a base word, as

adore  vb...  3to love, admire, or enjoy  excessively ...
syn dote (on  or upon), idolize, worship

dote (on  or upon)  vb syn ADORE 3, ...

Similarly, parentheses may indicate usage alternatives in idiomatic expressions, as at  slavery  n  2where

idiom the yoke (or chains) of slavery

alerts the user that he may choose one of two noun elements when employing this particular idiom. Parentheses are also used in main-entry syn lists to enclose plural suffixes of words that are sometimes, often, or usually but not always used in the plural:

scad  n, usu  scads  pl a great number or abundance ...
syn gob(s), heap, jillion, load(s), million, oodles, quantities, ...

Parentheses enclose material indicating a typical or, occasionally, a sole object of reference, as in the meaning core of  express  vb  2

to give expression to (as a thought, an opinion, or an emotion)

where they enclose an adjunct, or at entries such as  abrogate  vb 2

ant establish, fix ( as a right, a quality, or a custom)

where an antonym or a group of antonyms are associated with a particular object or objects of reference  -  a restriction or limitation to which the thesaurus user should be alerted.

Symbols   Two warning symbols are used in this book: the asterisk * and the double bars ||.

The asterisk prefixes terms that are generally or often considered vulgar and that are appropriately stigmatized in Webster's Third New International Dictionary. Examples of such terms may be found at the main entries  fool  n  1 and  nonsense  n  2.  If an asterisk prefixes a term in a main-entry syn list, it also prefixes that term at its secondary entry. When only one sense of an entry is considered vulgar, the asterisk precedes only the affected sense of the entry.