1. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2021
    Messages:
    1,714
    Likes Received:
    1,359

    Thesauri?

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by SapereAude, Mar 28, 2021.

    I dunno -- is "thesauri" a proper plural for "thesaurus"?

    What's the consensus (if there is one) on the best thesaurus? I'm a long-time advocate of what I refer to as the "real" Roget's thesaurus -- the kind with an index in the back, and then numbered sections in the front that provide not just synonyms but also shades of meaning. It seems that there are 5,267,342 publishers out there today ALL selling "Roget's" thesauri, but they are all nothing but dictionaries of synonyms, and that's not the same as a thesaurus at all. I was dismayed the last time I was in a Barnes & Noble store to find that they didn't have a single "real" thesaurus in the place. All they had was a plethora of pseudo thesauri, all dictionaries of synonyms and all claiming to be "Roget's" thesauri.

    There ought'a be a law ...

    On Saturday I happened to be looking through Amazon, wondering if I need yet another thesaurus. Looking at the reference bookshelf on my desk, I count seven (7) proper thesauri, the kind with a word group index in the back and numbered sections in the front. My oldest is the third edition of Roget's International Thesaurus, and my newest is the fifth edition (two copies, one trade paperback and one mass market paperback).

    What do you more prolific writers use? I considered ordering a copy of the eighth edition, since my fifth edition is so old, but reviews of the eighth edition were not encouraging. Looks like I can still get the sixth and seventh editions.

    Your thoughts, please?
     
    Catrin Lewis likes this.
  2. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

    Joined:
    Dec 24, 2019
    Messages:
    12,459
    Likes Received:
    13,503
    Location:
    Way, way out there
    Could the difference be because some are the Roget's pocket thesaurus? I imagine if you get it in paperback that's what it will be.

    I made the mistake a few years ago of ordering a concise dictionary. I didn't really think about what concise means, but it was boiled down to only the most commonly-used contemporary words. After some researching I ended up getting the Oxford compact dictionary, which includes archaic words going way way back. Extremely helpful when you like to read the classics.
     
    alw86 likes this.
  3. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2021
    Messages:
    1,714
    Likes Received:
    1,359
    No. Most of the big, expensive "thesauri" are in dictionary format. Some of them even say that in their titles. And I have a pocket thesaurus that's in the proper, two-part format that was published by -- TA DA! -- none other than Pocket Books, and which is titled Roget's Pocket Thesaurus.

    I think it's a case of publishers not wanting to pay editors to do the work necessary to produce a proper thesaurus, so they default to printing dictionaries of synonyms and they call them "Roget's Thesarus" to ride on the good doctor's deceased coat tails.
     
  4. Seven Crowns

    Seven Crowns Moderator Staff Supporter Contributor Contest Winner 2022

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2017
    Messages:
    1,998
    Likes Received:
    3,691
    I have Roget's too, but Rodale's "Synonym Finder" is my favorite. There's just something about it that clicks. It consistently gives me what I want. Sometimes I want colorfully specific words and sometimes just simplifying because I tend to get hung up on words that are too fancy. Rodale's is excellent at dialing terms back and making them invisible. It's fairly comprehensive.

    [​IMG]

    It's rather corrupt that there are no professional, installable dictionaries or thesauruses for the computer. There's open source efforts, but where's Roget, Merriam, Oxford, Collins, or for that matter, Rodale? They refuse to make it. They want you seeing ads on a website. It's tacky. (brazen, vulgar, obtrusive, tawdry, meretricious) I guess paper is the way to go. Kind of a pain when you're out and about.

    If you want an "anti-thesaurus" look at "The Thinker's Thesaurus." It's ridiculous. You get one word for each synonym and it's always as weird as possible. Not really multi-syllable obscurities (well, sometimes), but just out-and-out strange. Very Poindexter. It likes French and Latin phrases and crazy metaphorical connections. It's actually more useful as a study guide than a real thesaurus. To me it's just funny, as funny as a resource book can be anyway.

    An aside. I've got a 60k word story about Peter Roget. It's bawdy and hilarious. (Disclaimer: IMO) I'm revisiting it soon and bumping it up to a novel.
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2021
  5. Otterley

    Otterley New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2021
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    16
    Location:
    England
    Accept nothing less than a genuine Roget's thesaurus. It's fantastic... tremendous, impressive, outstanding, extraordinary... ;)
     
  6. hyacinthe

    hyacinthe Banned

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2018
    Messages:
    305
    Likes Received:
    338
    Location:
    Canada
    i just use thesaurus.com and wordhippo.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice