Thesaurus

A thesaurus is similar to a dictionary, but instead of giving word meanings, it lists synonyms and antonyms. A thesaurus can be especially useful when you are looking for just the right word to use. For example, you might want to describe how good of an experience NASA’s Space Camp^® is for kids—but without using that tired, overworked adjective. You could look up good in a thesaurus and find an entry that looks like this:

from Oxford American Writer’ Thesaurus. Christine A. Lundberg. By permission of Oxford University Press, Inc.

fine

bad

Synonyms are words with almost the same meanings.

Antonyms are words with opposite meanings.

Which synonym would you decide to use?

A thesaurus can also be helpful when you are trying to decide how to express your thoughts about a big idea or topic. If you can’t seem to come up with the right words, look up the subject—for example, universe—and see what you find.

These are only a few of the words listed in one thesaurus for that subject. Just think about how helpful these words might be.