Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Thesaurus

indignant

You could see by her face that our terrier, Tess, was indignant that we had left her behind.

infuriated

The stressed commuter was infuriated to find that the train had left seconds earlier.

irate

It made Mrs Mawdsley irate to find the staffroom key missing.

irritated

I was irritated to find that Alex had borrowed my pencil.

livid

Father was livid that I had broken his favourite fishing rod.

outraged

Many townsfolk were outraged that the lovely old cinema was to be torn down.

seething

I knew from his gritted teeth that the boss was seething.

animal NOUN

An animal is any living being that is not a plant.

beast

The thoroughbred horse was a beautiful but temperamental beast.

creature

The platypus is a strange-looking creature.

General names for animals are fauna and wildlife.

Types of animal:

amphibian

bird

fish

insect

mammal

reptile

annoy VERB

If someone or something annoys you, they make you angry or impatient.

aggravate

My gran is often aggravated by noisy motorbikes late at night.

bother

“Please don’t bother me now. I’m really very busy,” said Dad.

drive someone up the wall INFORMAL

“Some of these stupid TV adverts drive me up the wall!” said Grandad.

get on someone’s nerves INFORMAL

Mitchi’s whiny voice really gets on my nerves.

harass

Many famous people are harassed by reporters and photographers.

irritate

My mum was irritated by the constant dripping of the tap in the night.

needle INFORMAL

The soccer player tried to needle his opponent by muttering insults.

provoke

My sister provoked me into an argument by saying I was no good at singing.

answer (1) VERB

If you answer someone, you reply to them in speech or writing.

answer back

When spoken to by the judge, the defendant was foolish enough to answer back rudely.

reply

If you receive an invitation, it’s polite to reply promptly.

respond

The captain asked for volunteers, and two crewmen responded.

retort

“I’d love to go to the ball,” said Cinderella. “No chance!” retorted her ugly sister.

return

“Yes, I’d love to come to the theatre,” Genevieve returned.

answer (2) NOUN

An answer is the reply you give when you answer someone.

acknowledgment

The palace sent a brief letter as an acknowledgment to my request.

reaction

The mayor received an angry reaction to his scheme to sell off the sports field.

reply

The salesman rang the door bell, but there was no reply.

response

There was a terrific response to the famine appeal.

retort

“Ouch, that hurt!” I said. “Serves you right!” came the retort.

appear VERB

When something appears, it moves from somewhere you could not see it to somewhere you can see it.

come into sight

A woolly mammoth came into sight, lumbering from behind the rock.

come into view

A triceratops came into view, its serrated back appearing over the ridge.

emerge

Emerging from his bedroom, my lazy brother rubbed his eyes.

loom

The gigantic airship blotted out the sun as it loomed nearer.

➔ See arrive

area (1) NOUN

An area is a particular part of a place, country or the world.

community

We live in a friendly community, with lots going on.

district

It was a poor district, where litter and street crime were a problem.

neighbourhood

In our neighbourhood, everybody helps one another.

region

This region of Italy is famous for its pizzas.

zone

That zone is open only to airport staff.

area (2) NOUN

Area can mean the measurement of a flat surface.

extent

From the top of the tower, Jamie could see the extent of the city.

size

“What size of paper shall I use?” Dani asked.

area (3) NOUN

The area of a piece of ground or surface is the amount of space it covers.

expanse

When Noah looked from his ark, all he saw was a huge expanse of water.

patch INFORMAL

The police officer said he would miss the people in his patch when he retired.

plot

My parents bought a plot of land, hoping to build a house there.

stretch

You can see otters on this stretch of the river.

argue (1) VERB

If you argue with someone about something, you disagree with them about it, sometimes in an angry way.

bicker

My sisters are always bickering at the table.

disagree

Simon and Sanjiv disagreed passionately about which team would win.

fall out

Hazel and I fell out when she broke her promise to keep my secret.

have a difference of opinion

The two neighbours had a difference of opinion over who owned the fence.

have an argument

Dad and Mum had an argument about whose turn it was to get up and see to the baby.

quarrel

Jack and Wilbur quarrelled over land, and their two families have not spoken since.

row Rhymes with “cow”

The couple next door were always rowing. Now they’ve gone we’ll get some peace!

squabble

“Stop squabbling, you two!” Mum said, exasperated. “You’ll both get a turn.”

argue (2) VERB

If you argue that something is true, you give reasons why you think that it is.

assert

The prisoner continues to assert his innocence.

claim

Mervyn claimed he was the lost King of Albania, but nobody believed him.

debate

“I think we’ll be debating this issue forever!” joked Mrs Evans.

hold

Before 1492, many people held that the earth was flat.

maintain

Columbus always maintained that the earth was round, and proceeded to prove it.

put the case

In the debate, Scarlet put the case for hunting and I opposed it.

reason

Mum tried to reason with my little brother, but it was a waste of time.

argument (1) NOUN

An argument is a talk between people who do not agree.

barney INFORMAL

Kayla and I had a bit of a barney, but we soon made up.

difference of opinion

Panna and Liz had a difference of opinion over which team would win.

disagreement

The tennis players had a disagreement about whether the service was in or out.

dispute

The long-running dispute between the two neighbours ended in a court case.

feud

Occasionally, the feud between the Campbell clan and the MacDonald clan erupted into violence.

fight

Two girls in our class got into a fight over a missing purse.

quarrel

The quarrel started when Colin was left out of the team in favour of Barry.

row Rhymes with “cow”

I was upstairs in my room when the row between Dad and Grandad started.

squabble

It was a silly squabble over who would sleep in the top bunk.

A formal talk between people who do not agree is a debate.

argument (2) NOUN

An argument is a point or set of reasons you use to convince people about something.

case

The barrister set out the case for the prosecution.

grounds

The judge decided there were no grounds on which to find the defendant guilty.

reason

Guy Fawkes was asked to give his reasons for wishing to blow up Parliament.

armour NOUN

Armour is special metal clothing that soldiers wore in the past for protection.

Pieces of armour:

breastplate

gauntlet

helmet

visor

army NOUN

An army is a large group of soldiers who are trained to fight on land.