Tuesday, August 30, 2011

On Choosing the Right Word


"A van loaded with copies of Roget's Thesaurus collided with a taxi.
Witnesses were astounded, shocked, taken aback, surprised, startled,
dumbfounded, thunderstruck, and caught unawares." --Imprint

Choices, choices, choices. How do you choose just the right word?

Got a favorite thesaurus resource? A few you might find helpful include:

Thesaurus.com
Synonym Finder
Wordnik
Merriam-Webster
The Bookshelf Muse

How much do you depend on a thesaurus to find just the right word--or are you one of those for whom words just pop, hop, materialize, appear, surface, arrive, dance, or leap into your head?
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12 comments:

  1. DianeAugust 30, 2011 at 9:45 AM

    I love scouring for just the right word. It makes it so much better. :O)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Debbie Maxwell AllenAugust 30, 2011 at 10:30 AM

    You've listed two of my favorites: The Synonym Finder and The Bookshelf Muse!

    ~Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Elizabeth Varadan, AuthorAugust 30, 2011 at 12:00 PM

    Great picture and caption. I have a Roget's thesaurus on my bookshelf, but it's nice to find these online sites as well. I do like to browse the possibilities until I find just the right word.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Peggy HarkinsAugust 30, 2011 at 5:01 PM

    Funny quote!

    I'm a stickler for finding just the "right word." I use online sources, but I still like the old-fashioned approach, too - the dictionary.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Karen StrongAugust 30, 2011 at 5:26 PM

    I have to admit, I do love the thesaurus.com because sometimes the opposite word can help you find the right word.

    This is one of the things I love to do during revisions to make my sentences pop.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rachna ChhabriaAugust 31, 2011 at 3:18 AM

    I have a Thesarus in my bookshelf. Thanks for the other links, will check them out.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Karen LangeSeptember 1, 2011 at 5:14 PM

    I love this! Thanks for the links. I'm familiar with some, but need to check the others out. The Bookshelf Muse is one of my favorites!

    Have a good weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kenda TurnerSeptember 1, 2011 at 5:47 PM

    Thanks, everyone, for stopping in. Have fun on your hunts for just the right word, no matter what source you use!

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousSeptember 1, 2011 at 9:29 PM

    Um, crud, I just use the one on my computer. Thanks for broadening my horizons!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Peggy HarkinsSeptember 8, 2011 at 3:24 PM

    One more word source I just discovered today that might be useful to some people - The Online Etymology Dictionary.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Kenda TurnerSeptember 8, 2011 at 11:14 PM

    Peggy, off to check it out now. Thanks so much for a new source to investigate :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownApril 24, 2015 at 4:39 AM

    Hello! Thank you so much for the article. You get a very good list! I add it to my bookmarks. I’m still a novice but so glad to found this useful information. What should I add? You wrote about synonyms, I think that antonyms nice complement any prose. Can be used for example - Antonims for.... But I’ll be grateful,if you offer other resources.

    ReplyDelete

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