Definition of "thesaurus" []

• A book of synonyms, often including related and contrasting words and antonyms. (noun)
• A book of selected words or concepts, such as a specialized vocabulary of a particular field, as of medicine or music. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "First there is a dig about people who write pretentiously: in blogworld, demonstrable ownership of a thesaurus is shorthand for 'good writing style'"
• "A lot of people seem to think the ability to use a thesaurus is all it takes to be a good writer."
• "Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word."