My frustrations with the version of Roget’s Thesaurus I used in my teens usually left me without a suitable substitute word or one that described the opposite meaning. I considered the revised version, listed alphabetically by letter as opposed to having suggestions in seven categories, to be a blessing. And now it’s a website! Much easier.
However, the thesaurus has always been a major asset to anyone who writes. After all, one can’t use “opposite” as an adjective over and over again when the thesaurus suggests, “unlike,” “conflicting,” or “differing” depending on the meaning of the word within the sentence.
Dr. Peter Mark Roget created the first Thesaurus in 1805 seeking to provide a book of words and phrases by their meanings. He worked seriously on the concept until the late 1840s, and the first edition was published in 1852. He continued with revisions and additions until his death at 90 years of age in 1869. The value of this work includes over 330,000 words and phrases arranged into 1,075 categories.
The thesaurus keeps current today with a new format using “A to Z” listing as opposed to the original version arranged by 1,000 conceptual headings or categories. These included “Class,” “Division,” “Section,” and “Possessive Relations”. Presented in an online essay one author gives an example of how the word “dept” would give the reader a series of classifications under V.ii.iv which translates into Class Five, Volition, Division Two, and Section 4. Personally, I find this first edition of the book to be confusing, and I seldom could find the information I needed.
My friend Ray Mason (retired high school English teacher) and his wife Liz (retired elementary school teacher) shared their thought on the thesaurus. “We both feel the old version was always too complicated. Ray feels the word associations were confusing, as you had to think about meanings and nuances.” Liz stated she often just went to a dictionary to look for synonyms and antonyms. “Many today believe the thesaurus is an obsolete thing. Students don’t have the patience to take the time to search the structure of the old thesaurus. Faster results can be had with dictionary.com.”
I will admit that as a technical writer by profession and a writer on general topics, I don’t own a thesaurus. I use online references and generally they work quite well.
When I did a Google Search on “other words for include” the results listed under “verb” were:
- Comprise or contain as part of a whole –
“Similar” – incorporate, comprise, encompass, cover, embrace, involve, take in, contain, consist of, and the list goes on.
“Opposite” – exclude and omit
- Make part of whole or part of a set
“Similar” – add, insert, put it, append, enter, build in
“Opposite” – leave out
- “Allow (someone) to share in an activity or privilege
“Similar” – allow for, count, take into account, take into consideration
Opposite” – exclude, leave out
Thesaurus.com has 73 Synonyms & Antonyms for INCLUDE within the word used as “VERB”. The Strongest Matches include add, build, carry, combine, consist of – etc. The Strong Matches lists accommodate, admit, append, bear, comprehend, etc. The Weak Matches reveal allow for, be composed of, be made up of, build in, etc.
January 18 is National Thesaurus Day and suggested activities which will celebrate the days involve:
- Play a game of “Synonym Password”
- Rewrite a famous poem or story
- Flip through a thesaurus, for old time’s sake.
The value of National Thesaurus Day will help us expand our vocabulary, which in turn will help people of all ages to learn and to help in telling a better story.
If you managed to survive the complexities of the original thesaurus and are one who loves to own the book format, I give you my compliments. But I, for one, am pleased with the newer options now readily available!
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