Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Thesaurus

A lot of the outback in Australia is really very wild.

wilds

The gamekeeper lived out in the wilds in a small cottage.

The adjective used to describe things in the country is rural.

courage NOUN

Courage is the quality shown by people who do things that they know are dangerous or difficult.

bravery

His bravery in saving the child brought him letters from all over the world.

daring

The daring of King Arthur’s knights is recorded in legend.

guts INFORMAL

The timid girl showed real guts when she went down the rope slide.

heroism

For her heroism in an enemy country, the undercover agent received a secret award.

ANTONYM: cowardice

course NOUN

A course is the route something such as an aircraft, river or ship takes.

path

The plane’s flight path brought it close to the enemy coast.

route

Our quickest route to the Far East is, surprisingly, over the North Pole.

trajectory

The stone’s trajectory was a graceful arc from my catapult to our greenhouse.

way

“Which way do you go home?” I asked Sunil.

of course PHRASE

If you say of course, you are showing that you are absolutely sure about something.

certainly

School meals are certainly tastier than they used to be.

definitely

“I’m definitely coming to camp,” Vadim confirmed.

undoubtedly

I bragged that my team was undoubtedly the best in the world.

crack NOUN

A crack is a narrow gap.

cranny

In a tiny cranny in the cupboard lay the key that they sought.

crevice

Climbers use crevices in the rock to hold the pieces of equipment that support them.

nook

The birds lay their eggs in nooks in the sheer cliffs above the sea.

crafty ADJECTIVE

Someone who is crafty gets what they want by tricking people in a clever way.

cunning

Bond’s cunning trick was to hide above the door.

sly

The sly fox hid behind the henhouse.

wily

The wily coyote was no match for the even cleverer roadrunner.

crash (1) NOUN

A crash is an accident in which a moving vehicle hits something and is damaged.

accident

Queues built up, as the accident had blocked both sides of the road.

collision

The collision took place at a busy road intersection.

pile-up

Pile-ups often occur during fog, when vehicles collide with one another.

smash

It was a bad smash, with two people injured.

crash (2) VERB

If a vehicle crashes, it hits something and is badly damaged.

bump

The motorbike bumped into the back of the car.

collide

My dad’s car collided with a quarry truck on a narrow bend.

plough into

The runaway lorry ploughed into the wall.

crazy ADJECTIVE INFORMAL

Someone or something crazy is very strange or foolish.

absurd

How absurd that you should think that baked beans grow on trees!

bizarre

To see my brother on a bike dressed as a teddy bear was a bizarre experience.

insane

I reckon that bungee jumping is an insane thing to do.

outrageous

Uncle Will is aways doing outrageous things.

ridiculous

Dad thought the idea was ridiculous.

strange

The cowboy had a strange look in his eye.

creep VERB

If you creep somewhere, you move there quietly and slowly.

edge

I edged towards the door, hoping that no one would notice me leave.

slink

“Don’t try to slink off. I haven’t finished yet!” snapped the irritable countess.

sneak

The cat sneaked up the fire escape and crept in through the back door.

tiptoe

I heard my big brother tiptoe past my room.

creepy ADJECTIVE

Someone or something creepy is strange and frightening.

eerie

Eerie noises floated down from the moor.

mysterious

The mysterious stranger disappeared into the mist with a flourish of his cloak.

sinister

With his eyepatch and wooden leg, Long John looked a truly sinister character.

spooky INFORMAL

The film was so spooky Hailey had to cover her eyes.

criminal NOUN

A criminal is someone who has committed a crime.

crook INFORMAL

Two crooks called at our door pretending to be from the water company.

offender

As a young offender, the 15-year-old was not sent to prison.

villain

“Have nothing to do with him. He’s a total villain,” Mum warned.

Types of criminal:

assassin

bandit

blackmailer

burglar

gangster

highwayman

hijacker

kidnapper

mugger

murderer

pickpocket

pirate

robber

shoplifter

smuggler

terrorist

thief

vandal

Types of crime committed by criminals:

abduction

assassination

blackmail

burglary

hijacking

kidnapping

mugging

murder

robbery

shoplifting

smuggling

terrorism

theft

vandalism

crisp ADJECTIVE

Food that is crisp is pleasantly fresh and firm.

crispy

To really be enjoyed, lettuce needs to be fresh and crispy.

crunchy

The apples were crunchy and juicy.

ANTONYM: soft

criticize VERB

If you criticize someone or something, you say what you think is wrong with them.

disapprove of

My parents disapprove of expensive fast food which is full of chemicals.

find fault with

The duchess managed to find fault with everyone in the room.

crooked (1) Said “kroo-kid” ADJECTIVE

Something that is crooked is bent or twisted.

deformed

Gran’s hands are deformed with arthritis.

distorted

The distorted shape of the trees was caused by the onshore wind.

twisted

The wreckage of the car was twisted beyond all recognition.

ANTONYM: straight

crooked (2) Said “kroo-kid” ADJECTIVE

A crooked person is dishonest.

corrupt

The corrupt police officer accepted bribes.

criminal

“You have committed a criminal offence,” intoned the judge.

dishonest

Something made me suspect that the salesman was dishonest.

shady INFORMAL

“He looks a shady customer,” said Carlos, nodding towards a surly man across the street.

ANTONYMS: law-abiding or honest

cross ADJECTIVE

Someone who is cross is rather angry.

angry

My friend Anna was rather angry when I lost her favourite CD.

annoyed

Dad was annoyed that I hadn’t washed up as I’d promised.

cantankerous

The cantankerous old farmer used to shout at anyone who walked past his farm.

crotchety

Gran sometimes gets crotchety when her arthritis is painful.

grumpy

My brother is always grumpy when it comes to having a bath.

irritable

Mum was rather irritable because she had a bad headache.

snappy

“There’s no need to get snappy,” Lynn retorted. “Here’s your wretched comb.”

crowd (1) NOUN

A crowd is a large group of people gathered together.

mass

The whole square was a seething mass of red, white and blue flags.

mob

Enraged, the mob surged through the streets like a human tide.

multitude

The prophet spoke to the multitude, foretelling the great events to come.

swarm

A swarm of demonstrators headed for the parliament building.

crowd (2) NOUN

A crowd is a large number of people watching an event.

audience

The concert audience clapped when the conductor took the stage.

gate

Fifty thousand were there – the biggest gate that United had had all season.