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Afshan Khan asks, “What is the difference between a dictionary and a thesaurus?”
A dictionary is a book containing the individual words of a language (usually organized alphabetically). The purpose of the dictionary is to set forth the orthography, pronunciation and signification of those words.
The thesaurus, on the other hand, is a specific dictionary that presents synonyms (words that have similar meaning) for every word listed. This type of dictionary became famous after its integration with word processing software.
The purpose of the thesaurus is to help the writer to find more suitable words and avoid the repetition of terms.
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When I was in school, my teacher called the Thesaurus, “the dinosaur book.” I guess because it has a dinosaur sounding name.
I live and work in a country that does not speak my native language. A thesaurus has become one of my favorite reference books. It can really help expand your understanding of word subtleties.
hi,,,
I think thesauruses are better.