Search for synonyms using the Visual Thesaurus

The Visual Thesaurus is an online thesaurus and dictionary of over 145,000 words that you explore and visualize using an interactive map.

Type in a word and the Visual Thesaurus will show you a map of synonyms, antonyms, and definitions.

Unlike Roget's Thesaurus, the Visual Thesaurus contains over 39,000 proper nouns and American and British spellings and pronunciations.

It's a tool for people who think visually. Look up your word now!

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year: "Admonish"

November 20, 2009
By Ben Zimmer
The latest selection for 2009 Word of the Year comes from the good people at Merriam-Webster. Unlike other dictionary publishers that anoint an annual word, Merriam-Webster bases its winner and runners-up on actual user lookups to its online dictionary and thesaurus. So instead of the novelties selected by its competitors (distracted driving from Webster's New World, unfriend from New Oxford American), Merriam-Webster's choice is an old word that worked its way into current events: admonish. Continue reading...
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Word Count

Writers Talk About Writing

How the Visual Thesaurus Inspires the Blue Man Group

November 19, 2009
Blue Man Group cofounder Matt Goldman tells us how his organization has used the Visual Thesaurus as a source of inspiration. Continue reading...
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VOCABGRABBER

Automatically create lists of vocabulary from any text using the Visual Thesaurus VocabGrabber.
Try it now!

SPELLING BEE

Think you are a good speller? Take the Visual Thesaurus Spelling Bee and find out!
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Dog Eared

Books we love

2009 National Book Awards

November 20, 2009

The prestigious National Book Awards have been announced for 2009. The winners are:

Fiction: Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin

Nonfiction: T.J. Stiles, The First Tycoon

Poetry: Keith Waldrop, Transcendental Studies

Young People's Literature: Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin

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Blog Excerpts

Quadrivial Quandary

November 17, 2009
Software engineer Rudi Seitz has set up a fun challenge he calls Quadrivial Quandary: "Each day we present four words from our favorite dictionary sites. Your challenge is to use them all in a sentence that illustrates their meanings." Join in the logophilia here.
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Word Count

Writers Talk About Writing

The Noun Game
November 16, 2009 - 16 Comments

Word Count

Writers Talk About Writing

Author Bitten By Multiple Octopuses
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers November 13, 2009 - 6 Comments

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

Happy Web Day!
November 12, 2009 - 4 Comments

Behind the Dictionary

Lexicographers Talk About Language

A Troop of One
November 11, 2009 - 17 Comments

Evasive Maneuvers

Euphemisms old and new

We're All Only Humom
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers November 10, 2009 - 4 Comments

Word Count

Writers Talk About Writing

How Does English Instruction Add Up?
November 9, 2009 - 10 Comments

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

It's Cadillac Time!
November 6, 2009 - 3 Comments

Word Count

Writers Talk About Writing

Microspeaking
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers November 5, 2009 - 5 Comments

Teachers at Work

A column about teaching

Mourning and Celebrating: Lessons Learned at Stella Maris
November 4, 2009 - 8 Comments

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

Hyping Hypallage
November 3, 2009 - 8 Comments

Language Lounge

A Monthly Column for Word Lovers

Throwdown Catchup
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers November 2, 2009 - 29 Comments

Teachers at Work

A column about teaching

The Magic of Three: Teaching Students about "Triplets"
October 28, 2009 - 12 Comments

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

Beware the Colophon! The Return of the Literary Spelling Bee
October 27, 2009 - 5 Comments

Teachers at Work

A column about teaching

Voice: The Least of Your Worries
October 26, 2009 - 8 Comments

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

More Ms.-teries of "Ms."
October 23, 2009 - 4 Comments

Candlepower

Ad and marketing creatives

Don't Get Smart
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers October 22, 2009 - 30 Comments
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Lesson Plans

Put the VT to work in your classroom

Vocabulary Bursting with Energy

November 11, 2009
How can students use the Visual Thesaurus to review key vocabulary associated with the sources and properties of energy? Continue reading...
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Recent Lesson Plans:
Mind Your Pints and Quarts: Making Sense of Liquid Measurement
October 2, 2009 - 1 Comment
Mapping Your Identity: A Back-to-School Ice Breaker
August 28, 2009 - 10 Comments
The Continents and Oceans of the World
July 30, 2009 - 3 Comments
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Contest

The Visual Thesaurus Crossword Puzzle: October Edition

Premium content available only to Visual Thesaurus subscribers.October 30, 2009
For the October edition of the Visual Thesaurus crossword puzzle, we've got a spooky Halloween theme. Figure out the hidden word chain and you could win a Visual Thesaurus T-shirt! Continue reading...
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Announcements

The Visual Thesaurus and The New York Times Team Up for Learning

October 29, 2009
For the past few years, the Visual Thesaurus has been a proud partner of The New York Times Learning Network, helping students boost their reading, writing and communications skills. We've been working together to develop innovative lesson plans that integrate the Visual Thesaurus with engaging articles from the pages of The New York Times. Now, as the Learning Network gets a new look, re-launched as a Times blog, we're working even more closely to provide new resources for teaching and learning. Continue reading...
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Recent Announcements:
Introducing... Community Spelling Bees
September 23, 2009 - 7 Comments
Grab Hold of Your Vocabulary with VocabGrabber!
May 5, 2009 - 10 Comments
Word Lists: Sharing the Lexical Love
March 24, 2009 - 1 Comment
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Self Promotion

Now Wear This!

November 8, 2006
Give your favorite somebody your favorite word map! Now you can order a Visual Thesaurus word map on a t-shirt, mug, even a postage stamp. Simply search for a word, click on the "Share" button on top right hand of the Visual Thesaurus window, and follow the easy steps. We can't think of a better gift -- or a gift to yourself, for that matter! (Hey, we're biased!)
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Webmasters

Add the VT to your site or blog

Visual Thesaurus Everywhere

Incorporate the Visual Thesaurus into your blog or website, add it to your home page, or use it from Microsoft Word. Learn all the ways that we offer to make the Visual Thesaurus more convenient to use and easier to share with your friends, family, and colleagues: Continue reading...