frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

cleft, split, slit, cut, gash, rent, rift, tear, rip, puncture,
hole, perforation: The tiniest flaw may reduce the value of a
pot to a collector.
--v. 3 damage, harm, spoil, ruin, mark, weaken, disfigure:
Careless workmanship has flawed many of the objects they
produced. 4 discredit, stigmatize, damage, hurt, harm; taint,
mar, stain, blot: Her reputation has already been flawed.
flawed adj. damaged, harmed, marred, weakened, tainted, stained,
tarnished, defective, imperfect, unsound, faulty: His flawed
record prevented him from getting work.
flawless adj. 1 perfect, pristine, pure, uncorrupted, chaste, virgin,
intact, whole, clean, immaculate, unsullied, unspoilt, unsoiled,
impeccable, unblemished, faultless, undamaged, unimpaired,
spotless, untarnished: Two flawless artefacts were found in the
tomb. Many envied her flawless reputation. 2 undeniable,
unassailable, unimpeachable, unquestionable, irrefutable,
foolproof, sound, demonstrable: The prosecutor's evidence
appears to be flawless.
flecked adj. spotted, dappled, pied, (be)speckled, (be)sprinkled,
dotted, marked, stippled, dusted, specked, spattered, freckled:
His lank brown hair was flecked with grey.
flee v. 1 quit, run away or off, escape, get away, fly, take flight,
bolt, go (away), decamp, abscond, seek safety, avoid, make off,
make an exit, make (good) one's escape, make a (clean) getaway,
beat a (hasty) retreat, take to one's heels, show a clean pair
of heels, turn tail, make tracks, make a run for it, cut and
run, vanish, disappear, Brit levant, Colloq take off, scoot,
make oneself scarce, beat it, clear out, fly the coop,
skedaddle, scram, Brit scarper, Australian and New Zealand shoot
through, US and Canadian take a (run-out) powder, skip (town),
cut out, hightail it, Old-fashioned skiddoo; Slang split, Brit
bugger off, do a moonlight flit, do a bunk, US and Canadian
vamoose, lam out, take it on the lam, blow, bail out: He fled
the town and was never seen again. When they saw what they had
done, they fled. She fled to Brazil to avoid the tax
authorities. 2 avoid, evade, shun, escape from, eschew: She
fled the responsibilities of caring for her children.