Definition of thesaurus Thesaurus

/θʌsɔˈɹʌs/ - [thusorus] - the•sau•rus

We found 9 definitions of thesaurus from 7 different sources.

What does thesaurus mean?

Noun Plural: thesauruses
thesaurus - a book containing a classified list of synonyms
		synonym finder
		wordbook a reference book containing words (usually with their meanings)

= synonym
= antonym
= related word

thesaurus (Noun)
A publication, usually in the form of a book, that provides synonyms and sometimes antonyms for the words of a given language.
thesaurus (Noun)
A dictionary or encyclopedia.
thesaurus (Noun)
A hierarchy of subject headings—canonic titles of themes and topics, the titles serving as search keys.

thesaurus (n.)
A treasury or storehouse; hence, a repository, especially of knowledge; -- often applied to a comprehensive work, like a dictionary or cyclopedia.

thesaurus
A compilation of terms showing synonyms, related terms and other relationships and dependencies, often used in a book format or as a standardized, controlled vocabulary for an information storage and retrieval system.

thesaurus
thē-saw′rus, n. a treasury or repository, esp. of knowledge: a lexicon or cyclopædia. [L.,—Gr. thēsauros—tithēmi, I place.]

A thesaurus is a book of synonyms (words that mean the same thing). Thesauruses (Thesauri) often include related words that mean almost the same thing. Some thesauruses also include antonyms (words that have the opposite meaning).

For example, by looking up the word "big" in a thesaurus, someone would find a list of other similar words such as "huge" and "massive". If the thesarus also has a list of antonyms, the person could also find words which mean the opposite, like "small" and "tiny".

Many students and writers use a thesaurus to help them find words when they are writing. Using a thesaurus can help a person to improve their vocabulary (the number of words that they know).