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frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

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through the windscreen.<br />

--adj. 3 headlong, violent, rapid, swift, quick, speedy,<br />

meteoric, fast: A powerful counter-attack brought about the<br />

enemy's precipitate rout. 4 sudden, abrupt, unannounced,<br />

unexpected, unanticipated: Today's fall in share prices was as<br />

precipitate as yesterday's rise. 5 rash, impetuous, hasty,<br />

volatile, hotheaded, careless, reckless, incautious,<br />

injudicious, foolhardy, impulsive, unrestrained: The selection<br />

of a career should not be a precipitate decision.<br />

precipitation<br />

n. showers, drizzle, downpour, rain, rainfall, snow, snowfall,<br />

hail, sleet: Precipitation can be expected in advance of the<br />

low-pressure area pushing down from the north.<br />

precipitous<br />

adj. 1 abrupt, steep, perpendicular, sheer, bluff, acclivitous,<br />

declivitous: I cannot see how anyone can climb up the<br />

precipitous face of that crag. 2 See precipitate, 5, above.<br />

pr‚cis n. outline, summary, synopsis, aper‡u, r‚sum‚, conspectus,<br />

survey, overview, abstract, abridgement, digest, compendium,<br />

recapitulation; table of contents: As I haven't the time to<br />

read the entire study document, let me have a pr‚cis of it.<br />

precise adj. 1 correct, exact, definite, well-defined, explicit,<br />

word-for-word, verbatim, literal, letter-for-letter, literatim,<br />

faithful, specific, unambiguous, unequivocal, strict, authentic,<br />

perfect, true, veracious, truthful, unerring, error-free,<br />

accurate: Errors show that medieval scribes did not always<br />

succeed in making precise copies. 2 strict, meticulous,<br />

scrupulous, careful, conscientious, exact, unconditional,<br />

rigorous, rigid, puritanical, unbending, inflexible, unyielding,<br />

demanding, severe, prim, absolute: He has been very precise<br />

about dates and facts. Margaret is precise in insisting on<br />

obedience to her orders. 3 fastidious, particular, finicky,<br />

finical, fussy, meticulous, scrupulous, careful, conscientious,<br />

nice, exacting, critical, demanding: Painting miniatures is<br />

very precise work. 4 exact, very: This is the precise spot<br />

where I found the body.<br />

precisely adv. 1 exactly, just, strictly, Colloq on the nail, smack,

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