22.03.2013 Views

The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

hobnob, consort, go, spend time, Colloq hang about or around or<br />

out, rub shoulders, Brit pal up, US pal around: I asked Fred to<br />

mingle with the guests and make them feel at home.<br />

miniature adj. small, small-scale, little, tiny, diminutive, minute, wee,<br />

minuscule, mini, microscopic, micro, midget, dwarf, bantam,<br />

baby, pygmy,pocket, Lilliputian, US vest-pocket, Colloq minimal:<br />

This miniature TV fits in the palm <strong>of</strong> your hand.<br />

minimal adj. least, smallest, minutest, littlest, tiniest, slightest;<br />

minimum, nominal, token: As a house plant, the cactus requires<br />

minimal attention. <strong>The</strong>re is a minimal charge for service.<br />

minimize v. 1 reduce, shrink, lessen, diminish, prune, abbreviate, pare<br />

(down), cut (down), curtail, abridge, shorten, decrease, minify:<br />

Our stringent safety measures minimize the chance <strong>of</strong> an<br />

accident. 2 belittle, de-emphasize, downplay, play down, make<br />

little or light <strong>of</strong>, disparage, decry, deprecate, depreciate,<br />

misprize or misprise, devalue, devaluate, undervalue, underrate,<br />

underestimate, US talk down: Being modest, she minimizes her<br />

role in the organization.<br />

minimum n. 1 least, lowest, nadir: <strong>The</strong> hotel <strong>of</strong>fered the minimum <strong>of</strong><br />

comfort for the maximum price.<br />

--adj. 2 minimal, nominal, reduced, minutest, littlest, least,<br />

slightest, lowest: What is the minimum deposit the travel agent<br />

will accept? He refused to make even the minimum effort needed<br />

to save himself.<br />

minister n. 1 cleric, clergyman, clergywoman, ecclesiastic, pastor,<br />

vicar, priest, father, reverend, churchman, divine, parson,<br />

preacher, man or woman <strong>of</strong> the cloth, evangelist, missionary,<br />

dean, curate, cur‚, abb‚, chaplain, Colloq padre, Slang US<br />

military sky pilot, Holy Joe: <strong>The</strong> marriage was performed by a<br />

visiting minister. 2 envoy, delegate, legate, diplomat,<br />

ambassador, emissary, plenipotentiary, minister plenipotentiary,<br />

envoy extraordinary, minister resident, consul, agent, charg‚<br />

d'affaires, Brit cabinet <strong>of</strong>ficer or member: <strong>The</strong> minister<br />

himself signed the treaty.<br />

--v. 3 Usually, minister to. attend (to or on or upon), wait<br />

on, care for, look after, see to, accommodate; serve, supply,

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!