frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

news of the car crash. After the long war, the countries were
struggling to revitalize their prostrate economies. 5 exhausted,
drained, fatigued, spent, worn out, wearied, weary, tired (out),
dead tired, dog-tired, played out, Colloq fagged out, knocked
out, all in, beat, bushed, US wiped out, Slang shagged out, US
and Canadian pooped (out): We were prostrate after the long
climb.
prostration
n. 1 genuflection or Brit also genuflexion, kowtowing, kowtow,
kneeling, bowing, bow, salaaming, salaam, submission:
Prostration before a superior was a mark of honour. 2
servility, veneration, worship, humiliation, respect, adulation,
deference, obeisance, homage: Their silence betokened the
profound prostration they felt before her superior intellect. 3
despair, misery, desolation, desperation, dejection, depression,
despondency, wretchedness, unhappiness, grief, woe, woefulness:
Years of poverty created in him a spiritual prostration from
which he never recovered. 4 weariness, exhaustion, weakness,
debility, feebleness, enervation, lassitude, paralysis,
collapse, breakdown: The diagnosis was nervous prostration and
the treatment was bed rest for a week or more.
protagonist
n. 1 hero, heroine, anti-hero, anti-heroine, principal, leading
character; lead, leading role, title role: Mother was always
the protagonist in our little domestic dramas. 2 leader,
supporter, advocate, backer, prime mover, moving spirit,
champion, mainstay, standard-bearer, exponent: He is considered
the chief protagonist of reformist policies in the party.
protean adj. variable, ever-changing, multiform, variable, mutable,
changeable, labile, polymorphous or polymorphic, kaleidoscopic:
The magic ring gave him protean powers to appear now as an
eagle, now as a serpent.
protect v. 1 defend, guard, safeguard, keep safe, shield, cover,
screen: Company rules require the wearing of safety goggles to
protect the eyes when operating any machine. 2 care for,
preserve, keep, shelter, watch over, safeguard, take care of,
conserve, take under one's wing, foster, nurture, tend, mind:
The best way of protecting wildlife is to conserve natural
habitats.