Collins Primary Thesaurus. Collins Dictionaries

you have to be single-minded to do a job properly.

      die (1) VERB

      When a person, animal or plant dies, they stop living.

      expire

      Tragically, the old man expired from the effort of the hill climb.

      pass away

      In memory of John Silver, who passed away this day in 1792.

      perish

      Around 700 seamen perished when the Mary Rose went down.

      die (2) VERB

      When something dies, dies away or dies down, it becomes less intense and disappears.

      dwindle

      Support for the team dwindled when they were relegated.

      fade

      As the fire brigade approached, the desperate hammering faded to a faint knocking.

      peter out

      Just before the finish line, the old car’s engine petered out.

      difference NOUN

      The difference between two things is the way in which they are unlike each other.

      contrast

      Although they look similar, there is a big contrast in the characters of the twins.

      distinction

      Colour-blind people often cannot see a distinction between red and green.

      variation

      We noticed a terrific variation in price between one shop and another.

      ANTONYM: similarity

      different (1) ADJECTIVE

      If one thing is different from another, it is not like it.

      contrasting

      In the story, honest Cinderella is a contrasting character to her scheming stepsisters.

      distinct

      The taste of blue cheese is quite distinct from ordinary cheese.

      opposed

      The couple’s viewpoints were opposed.

      ANTONYMS: similar or identical

       One thing is different from another thing. Some people think that different to is wrong. Different than is used in American English.

      different (2) ADJECTIVE

      If several things are different from each other, they are not the same.

      assorted

      My pockets contained assorted coins, sweet wrappers, paperclips and fluff.

      varied

      The plants were of varied colours, including some lovely reds and purples.

      ANTONYMS: similar or identical

       If something is different from everything else in the world, it is unique.

      difficult (1) ADJECTIVE

      Difficult things are not easy to do, understand or solve.

      difficult to work out or deal with:

      awkward

      The tap was in an awkward place for the plumber to get at.

      challenging

      “It’s the most challenging operation I’ve ever tackled,” the surgeon admitted.

      demanding

      Dad had a demanding week at work.

      formidable

      Rescuing thousands from the earthquake rubble was a formidable task.

      knotty

      It was a knotty problem: to cross the deep river without a bridge!

      puzzling

      Zara is puzzling. One minute she’s pleasant, the next she’s horrid.

      tricky

      The climbers were in a tricky situation, stuck on the ledge as night drew in.

      physically difficult:

      backbreaking

      Digging the canals by hand was a backbreaking job for the navvies.

      laborious

      Archaeology is laborious work, digging slowly and sifting carefully.

      strenuous

      Marathon running is a strenuous business.

      difficult (2) ADJECTIVE

      Someone who is difficult behaves in an unreasonable way.

      awkward

      “That horse is awkward,” said the cowboy, “but I’ll ride him eventually.”

      troublesome

      The troublesome twins made their teacher’s life a hard one.

      trying

      Mrs Kray had a trying time with Class 6 and their spellings.

      uncooperative

      Uncooperative people never work well in a team.

      difficulty NOUN

      A difficulty is a problem.

      complication

      The biggest complication for Brunel was that his tunnel kept flooding.

      dilemma

      Karen faced a dilemma. Should she play with her friends or help her mum?

      hitch

      After a hitch with the curtains, the play began five minutes late.

      obstacle

      The star encountered many obstacles on the road to fame.

      plight

      “Your plight is indeed a sorry one,” said the knight to the damsel in the tower.

      snag

      Progress on the house was smooth, until they hit a snag when they found a hole in the roof.

      dig VERB

      If you dig, you make a hole in earth or sand, especially with a spade or shovel.

      burrow

      Rabbits create warrens by burrowing into hillsides.

      delve

      The diggers delved deeper, looking for a glimmer of gold.

      excavate

      Rescue workers excavated the rubble to free the trapped people.

      hollow out

      We hollowed out a dip in the sand in which to build our camp fire.

      scoop out

      The squirrel scooped out a hole in the early snow to reach the acorns beneath.

      dim ADJECTIVE

      Something that is dim is lacking in brightness and badly lit.

      faint

      As they neared Mordor, faint lights shone in the hills beyond.

      gloomy

      The gloomy passages of the castle were lit by flaming torches on the walls.

      shadowy

      I had trouble finding my way across the shadowy room to reach the light switch.

      vague

      Ben