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

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

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dapple(d), freckled, brindle(d); discoloured, spattered,<br />

bespattered: I can see by looking at it that it's a speckled<br />

trout.<br />

spectacle n. 1 show, display, sight, performance, event, presentation,<br />

exhibition, exhibit, exposition, demonstration, extravaganza,<br />

marvel, wonder, sensation: Instead <strong>of</strong> criticizing everything in<br />

life, why not just sit back and enjoy the spectacle? 2 fool,<br />

laughing-stock, curiosity: Joan makes a spectacle <strong>of</strong> herself by<br />

her solo dancing when she gets a little tipsy. 3 spectacles.<br />

eyeglasses, glasses, Colloq specs: He wears spectacles only for<br />

reading.<br />

spectator n. witness, eyewitness, observer, viewer, onlooker, looker-on,<br />

watcher, beholder: <strong>The</strong>re were more spectators than participants<br />

at the spring dance.<br />

spectral adj. ghostly, ghostlike, phantom, eerie, wraithlike,<br />

incorporeal, unearthly, supernatural, weird, Colloq spooky: I<br />

could have sworn there was a spectral figure, dressed in white,<br />

standing near the window.<br />

spectre n. 1 ghost, phantom, wraith, apparition, vision, spirit, shade,<br />

revenant, Doppelg„nger, chimera, Colloq spook, bogeyman or<br />

bogyman: Each year the spectre appeared to her on Christmas<br />

Eve. 2 image, vision, (mental) picture: Again the horrible<br />

spectre <strong>of</strong> war and pestilence arose.<br />

speculate v. 1 Often, speculate on or upon or about or over. reflect (on<br />

or about or over), consider, muse (on or about or over),<br />

meditate (on or over or about), contemplate (on or about),<br />

cogitate (on or about), think (about or over or on), ponder<br />

(over or about), mull over, chew on or over, ruminate (on or<br />

over or about), wonder (about), deliberate (over or on or<br />

about), weigh, judge, evaluate, theorize (on or about),<br />

conjecture (on or about), postulate, hypothesize: I have been<br />

speculating about whether I should take a holiday in the<br />

Algarve. Why not go and enjoy yourself instead <strong>of</strong> speculating on<br />

the world's injustices? 2 gamble, wager, take a chance, Colloq<br />

have a flutter, play the market, take a plunge: She is too<br />

conservative to speculate in the stock market.<br />

speculation

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