Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Thesaurus

The arrested woman insisted that the officer had made a mistake.

maintain

Hal maintained that only Leroy was better than him at basketball.

class (1) NOUN

A class is a group of pupils or students who are taught together.

group

Mum’s quilting group meets on Tuesday.

set

My clever sister is in the top maths set.

stream

At the grammar school, children were put in streams according to their ability.

tutor group

Jennifer is in Mrs Burton’s tutor group.

class (2) NOUN

A class of people or things is a group of them that are alike in some way.

category

Nitesh entered the junior category of the poetry competition.

kind

Beavenutti is the best restaurant of its kind in the area.

sort

“What is your favourite sort of music?” Carly asked Hannah.

type

The market stall sold lots of different types of vegetables and fruits.

clean (1) ADJECTIVE

If something is clean, it is free from dirt or unwanted marks.

immaculate

The car was immaculate when Dad bought it, but filthy two days later.

spotless

“I want this cabin spotless,” rasped the captain, “or you’re for the high jump!”

ANTONYM: dirty

clean (2) VERB

If you clean something, you remove dirt from it.

Different ways to clean:

bathe

brush

dry-clean

dust

hoover

launder

mop

polish

rinse

scour

scrub

shampoo

sponge

sweep

swill

vacuum

wash

wipe

clear (1) ADJECTIVE

If something is clear, it is easy to understand, see or hear.

apparent

It was apparent we were going to lose, right from the start of the match.

definite

There were definite indications that the swallows were nesting in the eaves.

distinct

We could hear the distinct sound of church bells in the distance.

evident

It was evident from the wet roads that it had been raining.

obvious

The man showed obvious signs of having been in a fight.

plain

“It’s plain to see that you have learnt very little,” the head teacher said.

ANTONYM: unclear

clear (2) ADJECTIVE

A clear sky has no clouds in it.

bright

A very bright morning can mean rain later.

cloudless

Skylarks sang high in the cloudless sky.

moonlit

The UFO slid silently across the moonlit sky.

starlit

On that starlit night, I could have stayed for hours by the shore.

ANTONYM: cloudy

clear (3) ADJECTIVE

If something is clear, it is easy to see through.

see-through

My mum has a see-through plastic coat.

translucent

The dragonfly’s translucent wings beat against the sky.

transparent

Scott covered his book with transparent sticky-backed plastic.

ANTONYMS: murky or opaque

clever ADJECTIVE

Someone who is clever is intelligent and quick to understand things.

brainy

My brainy brother came top of his class.

bright

Jim was only three, but he was bright enough to understand what was going on.

intelligent

“It’s no good just being intelligent. You have to work hard too,” said my English teacher.

smart

He’s far too smart to get mixed up in anything illegal.

ANTONYM: unintelligent

climb VERB

When you climb, you move upwards.

ascend

Alice ascended the stairs, carrying a candle.

clamber up

Having locked himself out, Dad had to clamber up the drainpipe to an open window.

scale

The daring climber had to scale the overhanging rockface.

clock NOUN

A clock is an instrument that measures and shows the time.

Other instruments that measure the time:

alarm clock

digital clock

egg timer

grandfather clock

hourglass

stopwatch

sundial

timer

watch

wristwatch

close (1) Said “klohz” VERB

If you close something, you move it so that it is no longer open.

seal

The crewman sealed the hatch and the submarine was ready to dive.

secure

“Make sure you secure all the bolts on that cage,” the zookeeper warned.

shut

“Shut the door behind you, but first check you’ve got your key,” said Mum.

ANTONYM: open

close (2) Said “klohss” ADJECTIVE

If something is close to something else, it is near to it.

adjacent

The amusement arcade was adjacent to the holiday camp.

handy

Our chalet was handy for the camp shop.

nearby

Grabbing a towel that was nearby, Jacinth soaked it and threw it over the flaming pan.

neighbouring

The neighbouring woods are full of bluebells.

ANTONYM: far

cloth NOUN

Cloth is fabric made by a process such as weaving.

fabric

“This fabric will make lovely curtains for the spare room,” said Gran.

material

The tailor used only the best material for the suits he made.

textiles

Natural textiles such as wool are warmer than man-made ones.

Some types of cloth:

corduroy

cotton

denim

felt

lace

nylon

satin

silk

tweed

velvet

wool

clothes PLURAL NOUN

Clothes are the things people wear on their bodies.

clothing

“My son is in the clothing trade,” Manny told everyone proudly.

costume

At the open-air museum, the guides wore period costume.

dress

“Shorts and trainers are hardly suitable dress for a wedding,” Lady Etherington said.

garments

The notice read: “To try garments on, please use the changing room”.

gear INFORMAL

As the forecast was poor, Kayla took her wet weather gear with her.

Some clothes:

blouse

burqa

cardigan

coat

dress

glove

hat

hijab

jacket

jumper

pyjamas

robe

sari

scarf

shalwar-kameez

shirt

shoe

skirt

sock

stocking

tie

tights

trousers

T-shirt

underwear

vest

cloudy (1) ADJECTIVE

If the sky is cloudy, it is full of clouds.

dull

The weather was dull, but there was some sunshine forecast for later.

gloomy

It was a gloomy day for the start of our holiday.

overcast

The sky was overcast when the plane took off.

cloudy (2) ADJECTIVE

Cloudy can mean difficult to see through.

muddy

The scuba divers could not find the shipwreck in the muddy water.

murky

The travellers could see a faint light shining through the murky evening – shelter at last!

opaque

The bottle was made of opaque glass, so we could not see clearly what was in it.

club (1) NOUN

A club is an organization of people with a particular interest, who meet regularly.

association

Grandad belongs to an ex-servicemen’s association.

group

Mr Fanshaw runs a local pottery group.

society

Dad is a member of a society for the protection of wildlife.

club (2) NOUN

A club is a thick, heavy stick used as a weapon.

baton

Police carry batons in case they need to defend themselves.

truncheon

In Grandad’s day, all police officers were issued with truncheons.

clumsy ADJECTIVE

Someone who is clumsy moves awkwardly and carelessly.

accident-prone

Matt is accident-prone; he’s always hurting himself somehow.

awkward

There’s something awkward about the way Indira holds her cutlery.

blundering

The blundering chef clattered about in the kitchen.

butterfingered INFORMAL

Butterfingered people should not work in china shops!

lumbering

Giant Grumbleweed was a lumbering hulk with a knack for breaking things.