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frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

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more. 5 ripen, mellow, age, season; maturate: Fruit that has<br />

matured on the plant tastes best. 6 develop, perfect, refine,<br />

polish, maturate, bring to fruition: Their plans for major<br />

changes in company structure have not yet fully matured.<br />

maturity n. 1 adulthood, majority, full growth or development: Maturity<br />

is as much a state of mind as a matter of age. 2 ripeness,<br />

readiness, mellowness; maturation: Different wines need ageing<br />

for different periods to attain maturity. 3 readiness,<br />

perfection, completion, fullness, consummation, operability,<br />

applicability; maturation: Their plans were brought to<br />

maturity.<br />

maudlin adj. sentimental, (over)emotional, mawkish, romantic; tearful,<br />

lachrymose, weepy, teary(-eyed); Colloq mushy, slushy, Brit<br />

soppy, US soupy: He gets maudlin thinking about his childhood<br />

in the countryside.<br />

maxim n. saying, proverb, axiom, aphorism, adage, byword, saw,<br />

apophthegm or apothegm, epigram, motto, slogan; mot, witticism;<br />

clich‚, truism: Her maxim is, 'What you don't know, can't hurt<br />

you'.<br />

maximize n. 1 increase, broaden, improve, magnify, augment, add to,<br />

expand, build up, enlarge: He maximizes his chances for winning<br />

by betting on several numbers. To compete, you must maximize<br />

your productivity. 2 inflate, overplay, overdo, overstate,<br />

exaggerate, oversell, make much of, overstress, (over)colour,<br />

enhance, embroider (on), embellish, elaborate, magnify: Roland<br />

tends to maximize his role while minimizing others'.<br />

maximum n. 1 most, utmost, uttermost, greatest, peak, extreme,<br />

extremity, pinnacle, top, highest, (upper) limit: Turn the<br />

volume up to the maximum. 2 zenith, pinnacle, peak, limit,<br />

apex, acme, apogee, climax, crest, high(est) point, top, summit:<br />

Her career reached its maximum in the 1930s.<br />

--adj. 3 maximal, greatest, most, utmost, uttermost,<br />

superlative, supreme, paramount, extreme, highest, top, topmost,<br />

climactic, crowning: The maximum amount that I can afford for a<br />

car is œ2000.<br />

maybe adv. perhaps, possibly, Literary perchance, Archaic or dialect

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