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!

Behind the Dictionary

Lexicographers Talk About Language

Teased and Spoiled

Premium content available only to Visual Thesaurus subscribers.June 20, 2013
By Neal Whitman
Early trailers for movies are often teasers, which do little more than tell fans that some movie is in the works. But as the release date approaches, these trailers give away key moments of the plot and spoil the experience for many viewers. In earlier years, you teased people and spoiled things. But you can now tease things and spoil people. What happened?  Continue reading...
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Blog Excerpts

When Words Get Fossilized

June 19, 2013
On Mental Floss, Arika Okrent lists a dozen "lucky words that survived by getting fossilized in idioms."  Continue reading...
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Word Count

Writers Talk About Writing

Letter Perfect: Why English is So Hard

Premium content available only to Visual Thesaurus subscribers.June 18, 2013
By Merrill Perlman
The cashier at the fancy foods store was from Bosnia. "I have so much hard time with English," she said. "Why when you add one letter does whole word change?"  Continue reading...
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Teachers at Work

A column about teaching

Turning the Page: Short Fiction for English Language Learners

June 17, 2013
By Fitch O'Connell
Getting to grips with stories in the EFL environment is more than simply dealing with problematic vocabulary. It's all to do with context, and how words work together to form a greater whole.  Continue reading...
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VOCABGRABBER

Automatically create lists of vocabulary from any text using the Visual Thesaurus VocabGrabber.
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SPELLING BEE

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

About Those Dialect Maps...

June 7, 2013
You might have seen a set of American English dialect maps making the rounds online after a Business Insider piece about the maps went viral. But where does all of that survey data come from? Our own Ben Zimmer has the story on Language Log — read his post here.
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Blog Excerpts

How To Speak Teen

June 4, 2013
Visual Thesaurus contributor James Harbeck recently appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition to give a phonetic breakdown of noises that teenagers often make. Listen to the segment here, and read more about teenage sounds on The Week here. Breathy-voiced long low back unrounded vowel with advanced tongue root, anyone?
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Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

Would You Prefer a "Cronut" or a "Dossant"?
June 14, 2013 - 7 Comments

Word Count

Writers Talk About Writing

How Copy Editors Are Killing Restrictive "Which"
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers June 13, 2013 - 5 Comments

Word Count

Writers Talk About Writing

Why You Should Be a Copycat
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers June 12, 2013 - 27 Comments

Dog Eared

Books we love

"How to Not Write Bad" Is Not Bad at All
June 11, 2013

Word Count

Writers Talk About Writing

Killing the Zombies: "Between" and "Since"
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers June 10, 2013 - 10 Comments

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

How "Emo" Got Political
June 7, 2013 - 3 Comments

Word Count

Writers Talk About Writing

The Power of Place
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers June 6, 2013 - 2 Comments

Evasive Maneuvers

Euphemisms old and new

Ladies' Night at the Euphemism Bar
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers June 5, 2013 - 6 Comments

Teachers at Work

A column about teaching

Writing Prompts for Students: How to Strike the Right Balance
June 4, 2013 - 1 Comment

Language Lounge

A Monthly Column for Word Lovers

Self Styling
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers June 3, 2013 - 9 Comments

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

2013 Spelling Bee: Arvind Mahankali Turns "German Curse" Into "German Blessing"
May 31, 2013 - 5 Comments

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

2013 Spelling Bee: 42 Make it Through Vocabulary-Infused Preliminaries
May 30, 2013

Wordshop

Vocab activities for your classroom

How to Teach Setting: Beyond Time and Place
May 29, 2013 - 4 Comments

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

2013 Spelling Bee: Vocabulary Questions in the Spotlight
May 29, 2013

Candlepower

Ad and marketing creatives

Branding by Definition
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers May 28, 2013

Word Count

Writers Talk About Writing

Memorial Day: Is It "Celebrated" or "Observed"?
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers May 27, 2013 - 1 Comment
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OVERHEARD

RECENT COMMENTS FROM OUR SUBSCRIBERS

Ladies' Night at the Euphemism Bar
Kristine F. said, "Let's not forget lady fingers (skinny little sandwiches - or are they cookies?) "Lady of Spain, I adore you, from the first moment I saw you ..." ..." - Yesterday, 2:08 PM
Would You Prefer a "Cronut" or a "Dossant"?
christiane P. said, "I don't doubt that a cronut 's taste is good, but for me that is not a "Croissan". the shape and the texture are not the same.I am sure." - Yesterday, 11:52 AM
When Words Get Fossilized
Roberta M. said, "I don't know, Sue B. I think I am going to start wending to the dog park a couple of times a week from now on. After all, I went there that..." - Yesterday, 11:27 AM
Letter Perfect: Why English is So Hard
mafannie said, "I enjoyed reading the article; it simply highlighted some of the quirks in the language--just as you will find in most languages." - Yesterday, 10:07 AM
When Words Get Fossilized
Sue B. said, "It's good to know these details about these words. They are some of my favorites, and their usual modern usages I find charming. Or at least, mostly..." - Yesterday, 4:10 AM
Letter Perfect: Why English is So Hard
Kathleen C. said, "The premise here...that the meaning of words can be changed by adding or subtracting a letter...is so patently obvious that I can't imagine why..." - Tuesday June 18th, 11:42 AM
Orin Hargraves said, "Great article. Reminds me of seeing a foreign colleague at a conference recently. She was talking about LinkedIn, which she pronounced with three..." - Tuesday June 18th, 8:27 AM
Geoffrey BH said, "Of, "But "door jam" would probably make the door stick, and is incorrect to boot.", I suggest that it might be necessary to boot a door that was..." - Tuesday June 18th, 5:12 AM
Turning the Page: Short Fiction for English Language Learners
mike H. said, "If not read what do they do for fun? Mike" - Monday June 17th, 5:12 PM
Ingrid A. V. said, "Interesting and touching story, the message essentially being "Yes we can!" A real love story!" - Monday June 17th, 1:20 AM

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Lesson Plans

Put the VT to work in your classroom

"Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair": Sound Devices in Shakespeare's "Macbeth"

April 30, 2013
In this lesson, students use the Visual Thesaurus to explore the pronunciation and meaning of several key vocabulary words in Macbeth. They then examine how Shakespeare uses these vocabulary words to enhance the text through the sound devices of alliteration and assonance.  Continue reading...
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Contest

The Visual Thesaurus Crossword Puzzle: May Edition

Premium content available only to Visual Thesaurus subscribers.May 24, 2013
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is being held next week, and to celebrate the occasion we have a spelling-themed crossword. Figure it out and you could win a Visual Thesaurus T-shirt!  Continue reading...
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Announcements

Visual Thesaurus Expands to the iPad and iPhone

June 9, 2011
We've just released a new version of the Visual Thesaurus that works for the iPad and the iPhone, at no extra cost to subscribers. And whether you're using the VT in your Web browser, on your iPhone, or on your iPad, you'll enjoy lightning-fast load times.  Continue reading...
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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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Incorporate the Visual Thesaurus into your blog or website, or add it to your home page. 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...