Dr. Peter Mark Roget published the first thesaurus in 1852.

When Peter Mark Roget published the first thesaurus in 1852, he created a reference book that is the opposite of a dictionary. A dictionary is the right tool when you know a word and want to determine how it is spelled or learn more about it. A thesaurus is useful when you know what a word means, but are looking for a nuance, or a subtle distinction in meaning, that will convey an idea.

The word "thesaurus" is derived from the Latin word for treasury. For writers, the thesaurus is a treasure chest of words. It provides synonyms and antonyms and helps writers express themselves more precisely.

Watch as this incredible visual thesaurus weaves a moving web between related words.

How many substitutes do you think the online thesaurus will give for a simple word such as "walk"? Give up? There are 67. Some (such as "slip," "slither," "sneak," and "ooze") might fit your needs. Others (such as "stroll" and "wash") might not work at all. Entering any reasonable substitute in the thesaurus might generate even more possibilities.

A thesaurus is an indispensable tool, and you can access one from this page by typing a word in the "Dictionary look up" box, then clicking on the "Collegiate Thesaurus" tab on the online dictionary page.

Be warned. When you enter "walk," four possibilities come up. When you do your thesaurus searches, be sure the synonym you select matches the part of speech and the sense of the original. If you meant to look up "thought" as in "that's a good thought," you would not want to replace it with "considered." But if you meant "thought" as in "he thought it over," the word "considered" would be a good synonym.

Who Wants to Be an Editor?

Here are some lines from famous pieces of writing. In each of the quotes below, three synonyms are highlighted. Which of the synonyms did the author actually choose? Can you think of reasons why?

"This parrot is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! This is a late parrot! It's a stiff!" Monty Python's "Dead Parrot" Sketch is like an oral thesaurus. How many words can you think of that mean the same as "dead"?

1. "Then in comes Romeo, he's crying ||| moaning ||| sobbing
   'You belong to me I believe'
   Then someone says 'you're in the wrong place my friend
   You'd better leave.'"
   -Bob Dylan, "Desolation Row"

2. "Tremors of your network
   cause kings to disappear.
   Your open mouth in anger
   makes nations bow in fear.
   Your bombs can change the seasons,
   Ruin ||| Destroy ||| Obliterate the spring.
   What more do you long for?"
   -Maya Angelou, "These Yet to be United States"

3. "When my mother was pregnant with me, she told me later, a party of hooded Ku Klux Klan riders galloped up to our home in Omaha, Nebraska, one night. Surrounding the house, brandishing ||| displaying ||| flaunting their shotguns and rifles, they shouted for my father to come out." -Malcolm X (with Alex Haley), The Autobiography of Malcolm X

4. "Then she too seemed to blow out of his life on the long wind like a third bit ||| piece ||| scrap of paper." -William Faulkner, A Light in August

5. "This next part I don't remember so hot. All I know is I got up from the bed, like I was going down to the can or something, and then I tried to hit ||| punch ||| sock him, with all my might, right smack in the toothbrush." -J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Concentration: Match the Pairs Instructions: This is the classic game Concentration. Click a question-mark tile to turn it over. Try to find its match by clicking another tile. If the tiles match, they will turn yellow and stay face up. If they don't match, they will flip over and you must try again. Click Here!

A Revision Exercise

Take any piece of your own writing. Read it through, looking relentlessly for about 10 words you suspect could be improved; circle them. Using the thesaurus, find substitutes that might work. Read the piece again with the substitutes in place. Revise your work by using any of the new vocabulary you thought strengthened the piece.