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frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

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amateurish, unprofessional, unskilled, inexpert, unskilful,<br />

clumsy, mediocre, inferior, crude, bungling, second-rate; Colloq<br />

US bush-league: The amateur theatre group's performance<br />

received excellent reviews. These paintings are strictly<br />

amateur and totally without merit.<br />

amaze v. astound, astonish, surprise, awe, stun, stagger, take aback,<br />

floor, dumbfound or dumfound, confound, nonplus, stupefy, Colloq<br />

flabbergast, dazzle: Annie Oakley amazed audiences with her<br />

fancy shooting. I was amazed that she still cared for me.<br />

amazement n. astonishment, surprise, awe, wonder, stupefaction: He<br />

stared at her in amazement, sure that he had misunderstood what<br />

she was saying.<br />

amazing adj. astonishing, astounding, surprising, wonderful,<br />

remarkable, extraordinary, marvellous, fabulous, stunning,<br />

dazzling, staggering, awesome: The Cossacks put on an amazing<br />

display of horsemanship.<br />

ambassador<br />

n. envoy, delegate, legate, emissary, minister,<br />

plenipotentiary, diplomat; agent, deputy, representative,<br />

(papal) nuncio, messenger: The ambassador must present his<br />

credentials to the queen.<br />

ambiguity n. 1 equivocalness, equivocacy, amphibology or amphiboly;<br />

vagueness, indistinctness, uncertainty, indefiniteness,<br />

imprecision, inconclusiveness: Ambiguity of language must be<br />

avoided in legal documents. 2 equivocation, double-talk,<br />

double-speak, equivoque; pun, double entendre, amphibologism:<br />

The minister's speech was full of ambiguities.<br />

ambiguous adj. 1 equivocal, amphibological, amphibolic or amphibolous;<br />

misleading: If one says 'Taylor saw Tyler drunk', which one was<br />

drunk is ambiguous. 2 doubtful, dubious, questionable, obscure,<br />

indistinct, unclear, indefinite, indeterminate, uncertain,<br />

undefined, inconclusive, uncertain, vague, misty, foggy,<br />

unclear; cryptic, Delphic, enigmatic(al), oracular, mysterious,<br />

puzzling; confusable: The soothsayer's prophecies were<br />

sufficiently ambiguous to allow for several conflicting<br />

interpretations. 3 unreliable, undependable: How can the doctor<br />

decide on a correct diagnosis when the symptoms are ambiguous?

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