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The Synonym Finder
 
 
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The Synonym Finder [Paperback]

J.I. Rodale (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (136 customer reviews)

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Book Description

1986
With a simple alphabetical arrangement this book has been expanded to include thousands of new words and expressions that have entered the language in recent years, and includes clearly labelled slang and informal words and expressions.

Frequently Bought Together

The Synonym Finder + The Describer's Dictionary: A Treasury of Terms & Literary Quotations + The Thinker's Thesaurus: Sophisticated Alternatives to Common Words (Expanded Second Edition)
Price For All Three: $39.34

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The most comprehensive work of its kind I know".

-- John Barkham Reviews


Product Details

  • Paperback: 1361 pages
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Revised edition (1986)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0446370290
  • ISBN-13: 978-0446370295
  • Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 2.5 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (136 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
176 of 180 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"The Synonym Finder" is a thesaurus in dictionary form. There are no word definitions or pronunciation guides. Words are listed alphabetically, as they would be in a dictionary, and an exhaustive list of synonyms is given for each definition of every word. Clarifications such as "informal", "slang", "archaic", etc. are provided where appropriate. There are 1.5 million words in "The Synonym Finder", including variations on the same root word. That's more than 4 times the number of words in "Roget's International Thesaurus". If you simply want to find synonyms, this is the book for you. It isn't as versatile as a thesaurus that is organized by subject, but it's more to the point and easier to use if you are simply looking for word alternatives. Roget's is a better research tool, but this is a better and far more efficient synonym finder, and I think that students will prefer it to Roget's. My one pet peeve about the book is that the hardback edition doesn't have a dust jacket. The publisher may have thought a dust jacket would just be a nuisance on a reference book, but I would have preferred one for protection. I only wish "The Synonym Finder" were also available as software, as I have limited space for books within arm's reach of my computer. I use "The Synonym Finder" more frequently than my dictionary, Roget's Thesaurus, and Random House Word Menu combined. I think any writer will find it indispensable, and it would make great gift for middle school, high school, and college students.
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85 of 86 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Until coming across this book, I found thesauri to be more frustrating than trying to chew Captain Crunch cereal without any teeth. Not that I know what that's like, but it's easy enough to imagine.

Then I saw this. And found that all of the thesauri collected in my library had become worthless. This is the OED of thesauri, indispensable and perfect beyond comprehension. You will want to order this in hardcover, for you will find yourself using it again, and again, and again, and again.

When I bought this book I actually did comparisons between the synonyms in this book and others, and was astounded. I don't remember the word offhand, but this book had over twenty synonyms, while Roget's had seven. An Oxford thesaurus had eleven, but that was as good as it got.

The most important thing about this book is that the synonyms are relevant. The author hasn't just packed a bunch of words together here to make it look good.
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56 of 56 people found the following review helpful
The Best September 12, 2000
Format:Hardcover
I've had Rodale's Synonym Finder in my reference library for over ten years, and find that I use it at least ten times a month. There is simply no other book in the English language that is more comprehensive (the number of pages is an obvious give away) nor more helpful. As a lover of language, I frequently examine other such books, and always find that they come up short against this exhaustive resource. What makes this particular reference so valuable is that it recognizes each word usually has more than one meaning, and when it gives a synonym, it is by meaning, not simply by word. Moreover, the reference gives various examples when a word is used as an adjective or adverb, and either as a noun or a verb. It's this breadth and depth that makes this particular synonym finder so extraordinarily superior to the competition. My only lament is that it doesn't include antonymns, but then the book would probably be too large and too cumbersome. As it stands now, the words are clearly displayed, and the synonyms - in all their variety - are abundant.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Use this to find that word at the tip of your tongue!
I have had this book for longer than I can remember - I think I had a copy before publication of the revised version in 1986. I get twitchy if I don't have a copy at hand. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Suzani13
Great book
This is the best book of its kind. Would be great if it could be sold as an addition to a word processor.
Published 2 months ago by Doctorgin
Simply the best.
A thesaurus is not a thesaurus is not a thesaurus. Meaning all thesauruses are not created equal. The Synonym Finder is a resource par excellence giving even reluctant writers... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Writing Coach
Best thesaurus
This was recommended to me as a resource if you're looking to vary your vocabulary in writing, and it's perfect. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Laura
Where have you been?
I am a wannabe writer. This is just what I was looking for. It is much better than the limited thesaurus I was using on my computer. Read more
Published 3 months ago by J.D.
Writers Love It and Justly So
This monster of a book is invaluable to any writer, fiction writers in particular. No thesaurus or other writer's helper can touch this classic. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Stanley C. Sargent
The Synonym Finder
I received prompt service. The hard cover copy is like new and is a marvelous resource! It replaces my tattered paperback. Thank you for your great services Amazon.com!
Published 4 months ago by Anne Moore
Help for the manually challenged!
I just got back into writing. This book has helped me recover from years of TV and the computer. I highly recommend it!
Published 5 months ago by John R. Saylor
superb but huge
This is a marvelous reference for finding synonyms of just about any word you can think of. Just beware that it is a very thick and heavy book -- it will take up a lot of space on... Read more
Published 5 months ago by T.willy
the Synonym Finder
Regardless of all the electronic tools I prefer to have a book that I can hold in my hand. This one is perfect and one that I will utilize much more than the previous owner. Read more
Published 5 months ago by C.R.Katsantoness
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
cider squeezer, chronic crook, foolish humbug, gone kerflooie, queer potato, sky piracy, gin hound, scare stiff, simple chancre, hooch hound, noisy chatterer, drag through the mud, plant oneself, tall stepping, pat oneself, dip the beak, pit oneself, plume oneself, grand fromage, knock oneself, tickle pink, fling dirt, tear limb from limb, manor seat, great unnumbered
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Chiefly Brit, North Eng, Chiefly Scot, All Inf, Chiefly Literary, Chiefly Dial, Irish Eng, Both Brit, Chiefly Law, Spanish America, All Mil, Both Bot, Don Juan, Both Chiefly, Jack Robinson, Uncle Tom, All Euph, Often Disparaging, Tom Thumb, Simple Simon, All Law, Both Archaic, Both Music, John Hancock, Both Chem
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