frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

prankish: I could tell from the lad's arch expression that he
had thrown the snowball.
ardent adj. eager, intense, zealous, keen, fervent, fervid,
passionate, avid, fierce, impassioned, hot, warm; enthusiastic:
Diane was carrying on ardent love affairs with at least three
men.
ardour n. eagerness, desire, zeal, fervency, burning desire, keenness,
fervour, passion, heat, warmth; enthusiasm: Bernadette has
supported the cause with great ardour.
arduous adj. 1 laborious, difficult, hard, tough, strenuous, onerous,
burdensome, back-breaking, painful, Formal operose; tiring,
exhausting, wearisome, fatiguing, taxing, gruelling, trying,
formidable: The Sherpas were well equipped for the arduous
climb. What an arduous task it is to read the proofs of a
dictionary! 2 energetic, strenuous, vigorous: Montrose made
arduous efforts to reconstruct his army.
area n. 1 space, room: Is there enough floor area here for the
carpet? 2 extent, limit, compass, size, square footage,
acreage: The area of my greenhouse is thirty by fifteen feet.
3 space, field, region, tract, territory, district, zone,
stretch; section, quarter, precinct, arrondissement,
neighbourhood, locality, bailiwick, US block: An area was set
aside for a garden. There has been a lot of crime in that area
lately. 4 scope, range, extent, breadth, compass, section: His
studies cover only one area of Scottish history. 5 court,
courtyard, enclosure, close, yard; square, ground, arena, field,
parade-ground, parade: The soldiers drill in the area behind
the barracks.
argue v. 1 dispute, debate, disagree, bicker, wrangle, quarrel,
squabble, spar, fight, remonstrate, altercate, Colloq chiefly
Brit row, scrap: The couple next door are continually arguing
with each other at the tops of their voices. 2 discuss, reason,
debate, wrangle: He would argue by the hour, but never for
arguing's sake. 3 make a case, talk, plead, debate, contend: I
cannot tell whether she's arguing for or against the
proposition. 4 prove, evince, indicate, denote, demonstrate,
show, establish, suggest, signify, betoken: The increase in
street crime argues that the police are not visible enough. 5