Collins Junior Illustrated Thesaurus. Collins Dictionaries

police said they were questioning a number of people.

      ask (3) VERB

      If you ask someone somewhere, you want them to come.

      invite

      I invited all my friends to my birthday party at the pool.

      summon

      Christopher was summoned to the head teacher’s office.

      attractive ADJECTIVE

      If someone or something is attractive, they are nice to look at.

      beautiful

      The car stopped and a beautiful woman got out.

      charming

      We had tea in the garden of a charming little cottage.

      handsome

      “I’ll turn into a handsome prince if you kiss me,” said the frog.

      lovely

      There was a lovely view from the window.

      pretty

      On the way, we passed through several pretty villages.

      awful ADJECTIVE

      Something awful is very unpleasant or bad.

      bad

      The weather was so bad we had to cancel the picnic.

      dreadful

      Sarah had a dreadful cold and found it hard to breathe.

      horrible

      A horrible smell came wafting from the witch’s cauldron.

      terrible

      Rosetta’s writing is so terrible nobody can read it.

      unpleasant

      They’ve painted the walls an unpleasant shade of green.

Bb

      bad (1) ADJECTIVE

      You say somebody is bad if they are naughty or wicked.

      criminal

      The police arrested four of the men for criminal behaviour.

      disobedient

      I have a very disobedient dog. He doesn’t come when I call him.

      evil

      Stories often tell of the fight between good and evil forces.

      vile

      “You’re vile!” she screamed. “Go away!”

      wicked

      The wicked queen gave Snow White a poisoned apple.

      ANTONYM: good

      bad (2) ADJECTIVE

      If something is bad, it is harmful, unpleasant or upsetting.

      appalling

      Conditions on the road were appalling. There were several accidents.

      disgusting

      A disgusting smell came from the cave. An ogre was washing his underpants.

      dreadful

      The kitchen was in a dreadful state when Sanjay had finished making a cake.

      harmful

      Pollution is harmful for the environment.

      hazardous

      There is thick fog on the motorway and driving conditions are hazardous.

      horrid

      Amy stood in the doorway. “I’ve just had a horrid dream,” she said.

      nasty

      The medicine tasted really nasty.

      severe

      Darren the dragon had a severe coughing fit and set light to the furniture.

      terrible

      The weathermen were forecasting terrible floods for the weekend.

      unpleasant

      Walking to school was really unpleasant. Slush was everywhere.

      bad (3) ADJECTIVE

      You say something is bad if it is of poor quality.

      careless

      Your answers are right, but your presentation is careless.

      faulty

      Robert’s handling of the cricket bat was faulty so he couldn’t hit the ball.

      poor

      The lighting was so poor nobody could see the steps properly.

      shoddy

      The cupboard was so shoddy that it fell apart when I opened it.

      wrong

      The instructions were wrong so we couldn’t see how to assemble the kit.

      ban VERB

      If someone bans something, you are not allowed to do it.

      forbid

      Our teacher has forbidden sweets and crisps in the classroom.

      prohibit

      The council has prohibited skateboarding in the shopping centre.

      band (1) NOUN

      A band is a small number of people, like a group of musicians.

      group

      Five of us have formed a pop group.

      orchestra

      Our school has its own orchestra.

      band (2) NOUN

      A band can be a strip of material such as iron, cloth or rubber.

      hoop

      Metal hoops held the barrel together.

      strap

      Strong straps keep the luggage safe on the roof rack.

      strip

      Strips of gold round the sailor’s sleeve showed he was in charge.

      bang NOUN

      A bang is a sudden loud noise.

      blast

      They heard a blast from the rocket as it launched.

      boom

      A boom from the explosive echoed round the quarry.

      explosion

      There was a deafening explosion and the ground shook.

      knock

      Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the front door.

      bare (1) ADJECTIVE

      If something is bare, it has nothing in it or on it.

      empty

      She looked for food in the cupboard, but it was empty.

      unfurnished

      The place was unfurnished except for a table and one chair.

      bare (2) ADJECTIVE

      If part of your body is bare, it is not covered by clothes.

      naked

      The baby lay naked, kicking her legs.

      nude

      The painting showed a nude woman holding a towel.

      undressed