Collins Dictionaries - Collins Junior Illustrated Thesaurus

If you do something that annoys someone, you make them cross.

bother

The horse lashed its tail at flies that were bothering it.

hassle INFORMAL

Stop hassling me or we won’t go at all.

irritate

It irritates Thomas when people treat him like a child.

pester

The cubs would not stop pestering the old lion.

➔ drive someone crazy; get on someone’s nerves

appear (1) VERB

If something appears, it moves into a place where you can see it.

come into view

At last the train came into view round the bend.

emerge

A mouse emerged from a small hole in the skirting board.

turn up

They waited ages for the bus to turn up.

appear (2) VERB

If someone appears in a show or play, they take part in it.

act

Our drama teacher is looking for people to act in Peter Pan.

perform

I’ve been asked to perform in the school concert tonight.

argument NOUN

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

disagreement

There was a disagreement about the new kitten’s name.

fight

We had a bit of a fight over whose turn it was to wash up.

quarrel

Sophie was unhappy after the quarrel with her friend.

squabble

“I don’t want the usual squabble about this,” said Mary.

arrange (1) VERB

If you arrange something like a party, you make plans and organize it.

fix

We’d better fix the date soon or there won’t be any seats left.

organize

My mum’s great at organizing things, but she won’t do any cooking.

plan

William’s sister is planning a wedding at the end of the year.

arrange (2) VERB

If you arrange things like flowers, you group them in a special way.

group

Harry grouped the rocks according to size.

set out

The books were set out on the shelves.

sort

Dad sorted his files in alphabetical order to make them easy to find.

arrive VERB

When you arrive at a place, you reach it at the end of your journey.

come

What time’s Jeremy coming?

turn up

Chloe could turn up any minute now.

ask (1) VERB

You ask for something when you want to be given it.

beg

James begged his dad for a mountain bike for his birthday.

demand

“Who’s been playing with my camera?” demanded Dad.

order

The highwayman ordered them to hand over their jewels.

plead

Holly pleaded to be allowed to stay up late and read her book.

request

The sign read, “Parents are requested to control their children.”

ask (2) VERB

If you ask someone a question, you are trying to find something out.

enquire

“May I enquire,” said the teacher, “why that mouse is in your pocket?”

find out

I’ll find out what time the train goes from the station.

interrogate

“You don’t have to interrogate me,” said Nina. “I’ll tell you anyway.”

question

The police said they were questioning a number of people.

ask (3) VERB

If you ask someone somewhere, you want them to come.

invite

I invited all my friends to my birthday party at the pool.

summon

Christopher was summoned to the head teacher’s office.

attractive ADJECTIVE

If someone or something is attractive, they are nice to look at.

beautiful

The car stopped and a beautiful woman got out.

charming

We had tea in the garden of a charming little cottage.

handsome

“I’ll turn into a handsome prince if you kiss me,” said the frog.

lovely

There was a lovely view from the window.

pretty

On the way, we passed through several pretty villages.

awful ADJECTIVE

Something awful is very unpleasant or bad.

bad

The weather was so bad we had to cancel the picnic.

dreadful

Sarah had a dreadful cold and found it hard to breathe.

horrible

A horrible smell came wafting from the witch’s cauldron.

terrible

Rosetta’s writing is so terrible nobody can read it.

unpleasant

They’ve painted the walls an unpleasant shade of green.

Bb

bad (1) ADJECTIVE

You say somebody is bad if they are naughty or wicked.

criminal

The police arrested four of the men for criminal behaviour.

disobedient

I have a very disobedient dog. He doesn’t come when I call him.

evil

Stories often tell of the fight between good and evil forces.

vile

“You’re vile!” she screamed. “Go away!”

wicked

The wicked queen gave Snow White a poisoned apple.

ANTONYM: good

bad (2) ADJECTIVE

If something is bad, it is harmful, unpleasant or upsetting.

appalling

Conditions on the road were appalling. There were several accidents.

disgusting

A disgusting smell came from the cave. An ogre was washing his underpants.

dreadful

The kitchen was in a dreadful state when Sanjay had finished making a cake.

harmful

Pollution is harmful for the environment.

hazardous

There is thick fog on the motorway and driving conditions are hazardous.

horrid

Amy stood in the doorway. “I’ve just had a horrid dream,” she said.

nasty

The medicine tasted really nasty.

severe

Darren the dragon had a severe coughing fit and set light to the furniture.

terrible

The weathermen were forecasting terrible floods for the weekend.

unpleasant

Walking to school was really unpleasant. Slush was everywhere.

bad (3) ADJECTIVE

You say something is bad if it is of poor quality.

careless

Your answers are right, but your presentation is careless.

faulty

Robert’s handling of the cricket bat was faulty so he couldn’t hit the ball.

poor

The lighting was so poor nobody could see the steps properly.

shoddy

The cupboard was so shoddy that it fell apart when I opened it.

wrong

The instructions were wrong so we couldn’t see how to assemble the kit.

ban VERB

If someone bans something, you are not allowed to do it.

forbid

Our teacher has forbidden sweets and crisps in the classroom.

prohibit

The council has prohibited skateboarding in the shopping centre.

band (1) NOUN

A band is a small number of people, like a group of musicians.

group

Five of us have formed a pop group.

orchestra

Our school has its own orchestra.

band (2) NOUN

A band can be a strip of material such as iron, cloth or rubber.

hoop

Metal hoops held the barrel together.

strap

Strong straps keep the luggage safe on the roof rack.

strip

Strips of gold round the sailor’s sleeve showed he was in charge.

bang NOUN

A bang is a sudden loud noise.

blast

They heard a blast from the rocket as it launched.

boom

A boom from the explosive echoed round the quarry.

explosion

There was a deafening explosion and the ground shook.

knock

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the front door.

bare (1) ADJECTIVE

If something is bare, it has nothing in it or on it.

empty

She looked for food in the cupboard, but it was empty.

unfurnished

The place was unfurnished except for a table and one chair.

bare (2) ADJECTIVE

If part of your body is bare, it is not covered by clothes.

naked

The baby lay naked, kicking her legs.

nude

The painting showed a nude woman holding a towel.