When will I need a thesaurus?

A thesaurus is a dictionary of synonyms. In writing, it is important to avoid repeating vocabulary, so it can be very useful to search a thesaurus for words with the same or similar meaning. 

 

Are they easy to use?

When you see your list of synonyms, you must choose carefully. Make sure you know if the words are formal or informal, positive or negative, or if there are other small differences. Check a dictionary to find out.

 

Chambers Online Thesaurus

Type in your word and then select the thesaurus from the drop-down menu.

 

Macmillan Dictionary

Search for a word in the dictionary, then click on the 'T' icon to use the thesaurus.

 

Visual Thesaurus

Free online trial

 

Thesaurus.com

Provides many results.