The Wordbook of Synonyms is a complete dictionary showing the exact comparative meaning of every similar expression in the English language
The Wordbook of Synonyms (PDF, New York: Hurst)
This early 20th‑century reference work, published by Hurst & Co. in New York, is a practical dictionary of synonyms designed to enrich vocabulary, improve writing style, and sharpen expression. It organizes words by meaning, offering alternatives that help writers, students, and speakers choose the most precise or elegant term.
📚 Key Features
- Synonym Lists — Words grouped by meaning with suggested alternatives.
- Writing Aid — Helps avoid repetition and improve clarity in essays, letters, and speeches.
- Compact Reference — Portable and easy to consult for quick word choices.
- Educational Value — Useful for students learning vocabulary and style.
- Historical Context — Reflects early 20th‑century English usage and literary preferences.
Example
Abandon, to —leave, forsake, desert,
withdraw from, depart from, retire
from, evacuate; — give up, discontinue, cease, quit; — let go, east off,
repudiate; — relinquish, forego, re¬
sign, yield, cede, renounce, surren¬
der, abdicate.
Abandoned —forsaken, deserted;—
left off, cast away, rejected, lost;—
destitute, abject, forlorn:—wicked,
reprobate, dissolute, profligate, dpraved, flagitious, heinous, criminal,
odious, detestable, corrupt, vicious,
unprincipled, sinful, graceless, vile,
disreputable, incorrigible.
Abandonment —leaving, desertion,
dereliction, renunciation, defection,
relinquishment.
Abase, to —lower, humble, humiliate,
degrade, depress, disgrace, reduce,
dishonour, demean, debase, bring low.
Abasement —degradation, humiliation, abjection, degeneracy, debase¬
ment, servility, disgrace, dishonour.
Abash, toconfuse, disconcert, dis¬
compose, confound, sh me, humble,
humiliate, mortify, dishearten.
Abate, to —lessen, diminish, reduce,
decrease, lower, mitigate, remove,
moderate, terminate, suppress;—
decline, subside, relax, slacken.
Abatement —diminution, decrease,
lessening, mitigation, alleviation,
depreciation;—reduction, discount,
the deduction, allowance, and drawback.
Abbey —monastery, cloister, priory,
convent, nunnery.
Abbreviate, to —shorten, condense,
abridge, contract, curtail, reduce,
compress, epitomize.
Abdicate, to —give up, relinquish, resigu, renounce, abandon, surrender,
forego, forsake, quit, vacate, desert.
Aberration —deviation, divergence;
irregularity, eccentricity, anomaly,
abnormity:—derangement of mind,
delusion, "hallucination, dementia,
mania, madness, lunacy, insanity.
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