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Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases is a reference work that catalogues synonyms, antonyms, and related expressions across the English language. The opening pages present a series of entries arranged alphabetically, each entry pairing a headword with one or more alternative terms, parts of speech, and a brief definition or nuance indicator. For example, “goodness” is linked to “substantiality,” while “a blue moon” is associated with “neverness,” illustrating the book’s method of linking ordinary phrases to more precise or figurative equivalents. The layout is dense, with abbreviations such as “N.” for noun, “Adj.” for adjective, and “Adv.” for adverb, and it frequently groups related concepts, e.g., “a crowd is not company” under “sociality.” This systematic approach makes the thesaurus a tool for locating precise vocabulary and exploring the breadth of meaning attached to everyday language.
The work reflects the scholarly tone of the early nineteenth century, when Peter Mark Roget first compiled his lexicon. Its prose is concise, often reduced to terse definitions and cross‑references, characteristic of the period’s reference literature. Readers who enjoy meticulous linguistic research, enjoy the challenge of navigating compact entries, or need a historical perspective on synonymy will find this volume rewarding. It appeals especially to writers, editors, and students of etymology who appreciate a systematic, almost encyclopedic presentation of English vocabulary.
The opening · free to read
1. Existence — N. existence, being, entity, ens [Lat.], esse [Lat.], subsistence. reality, actuality; positiveness &c adj.; fact, matter of fact, sober reality; truth &c 494; actual existence. presence &c (existence in space) 186; coexistence &c 120. stubborn fact, hard fact; not a dream &c 515; no joke. center of life, essence, inmost nature, inner reality, vital principle. [Science of existence], ontology. V. exist, be; have being &c n.; subsist, live, breathe, stand, obtain, be the case; occur &c (event) 151; have place, prevail; find oneself, pass the time, vegetate. consist in, lie in; be comprised in, be contained in, be constituted by. come into existence &c n.; arise &c (begin) 66; come forth &c (appear) 446. become &c (be converted) 144; bring into existence &c 161. abide, continue, endure, last, remain, stay. Adj. existing &c v.; existent, under the sun; in existence &c n.; extant; afloat, afoot, on foot, current, prevalent; undestroyed. real, actual, positive, absolute; true &c 494; substantial, substantive; self-existing, self-existent; essential. well-founded, well-grounded; unideal†, unimagined; not potential &c 2; authentic. Adv. actually &c adj.; in fact, in point of fact, in reality; indeed; de facto, ipso facto. Phr. ens rationis [Lat.]; ergo sum cogito [Lat.], thinkest thou existence doth depend on time? [Byron].
2. Inexistence — N. inexistence†; nonexistence, nonsubsistence; nonentity, nil; negativeness &c adj.; nullity; nihility†, nihilism; tabula rasa [Lat.], blank; abeyance; absence &c 187; no such thing &c 4; nonbeing, nothingness, oblivion. annihilation; extinction &c (destruction) 162; extinguishment, extirpation, Nirvana, obliteration. V. not exist &c 1; have no existence &c 1; be null and void; cease to exist &c 1; pass away, perish; be extinct, become extinct &c adj.; die out; disappear &c 449; melt away, dissolve, leave not a rack behind; go, be no more; die &c 360. annihilate, render null, nullify; abrogate &c 756; destroy &c 162; take away; remove &c (displace) 185; obliterate, extirpate. Adj. inexistent†, nonexistent &c 1; negative, blank; missing, omitted; absent &c 187; insubstantial, shadowy, spectral, visionary. unreal, potential, virtual; baseless, in nubibus [Lat.]; unsubstantial &c 4; vain. unborn, uncreated†, unbegotten, unconceived, unproduced, unmade. perished, annihilated, &c v.; extinct, exhausted, gone, lost, vanished, departed, gone with the wind; defunct &c (dead) 360. fabulous, ideal &c (imaginary) 515, supposititious &c 514. Adv. negatively, virtually &c adj.. Phr. non ens [Lat.].
3. Substantiality — N. substantiality, hypostasis; person, being, thing, object, article, item; something, a being, an existence; creature, body, substance, flesh and blood, stuff, substratum; matter &c 316; corporeity†, element, essential nature, groundwork, materiality, substantialness, vital part. [Totality of existences], world &c 318; plenum. Adj. substantive, substantial; hypostatic; personal, bodily, tangible &c (material) 316; corporeal. Adv. substantially &c adj.; bodily, essentially.
4. Unsubstantiality — N. unsubstantiality†, insubstantiality; nothingness, nihility†; no degree, no part, no quantity, no thing. nothing, naught, nil, nullity, zero, cipher, no one, nobody; never a one, ne'er a one [Contr.]; no such thing, none in the world; nothing whatever, nothing at all, nothing on earth; not a particle &c (smallness) 32; all talk, moonshine, stuff and nonsense; matter of no importance, matter of no consequence. thing of naught, man of straw, John Doe and Richard Roe, faggot voter; nominis umbra [Lat.], nonentity; flash in the pan, vox et praeterea nihil [Lat.]. shadow; phantom &c (fallacy of vision) 443; dream &c (imagination) 515; ignis fatuus &c (luminary) 423 [Lat.]; such stuff as dreams are made of [Tempest]; air, thin air, vapor; bubble &c 353; baseless fabric of a vision [Tempest]; mockery. hollowness, blank; void &c (absence) 187. inanity, fool's paradise. V. vanish, evaporate, fade, dissolve, melt away; disappear &c 449. Adj. unsubstantial; baseless, groundless; ungrounded; without foundation, having no foundation. visionary &c (imaginary) 515; immaterial &c 137; spectral &c 980; dreamy; shadowy; ethereal, airy; cloud built, cloud formed; gossamery, illusory, insubstantial, unreal. vacant, vacuous; empty &c 187; eviscerated; blank, hollow; nominal; null; inane. Phr. there's nothing in it; an ocean of dreams without a sound [Shelley].
5. Intrinsicality — N. intrinsicality†, inbeing†, inherence, inhesion†; subjectiveness; ego; egohood†; essence, noumenon; essentialness† &c adj.; essential part, quintessence, incarnation, quiddity, gist, pith, marrow, core, sap, lifeblood, backbone, heart, soul; important part &c (importance) 642. principle, nature, constitution, character, type, quality, crasis†, diathesis†. habit; temper, temperament; spirit, humor, grain; disposition. endowment, capacity; capability &c (power) 157. moods, declensions, features, aspects; peculiarities &c (speciality) 79; idiosyncrasy, oddity; idiocrasy &c (tendency) 176; diagnostics. V. be in the blood, run in the blood; be born so; be intrinsic &c adj.. Adj. derived from within, subjective; intrinsic, intrinsical†; fundamental, normal; implanted, inherent, essential, natural; innate, inborn, inbred, ingrained, inwrought; coeval with birth, genetous†, haematobious†, syngenic†; radical, incarnate, thoroughbred, hereditary, inherited, immanent; congenital, congenite†; connate, running in the blood; ingenerate†, ingenite†; indigenous; in the grain &c n.; bred in the bone, instinctive; inward, internal &c 221; to the manner born; virtual. characteristic &c (special) 79, (indicative) 550; invariable, incurable, incorrigible, ineradicable, fixed. Adv. intrinsically &c adj.; at bottom, in the main, in effect, practically, virtually, substantially, au fond; fairly. Phr. character is higher than intellect [Emerson]; come give us a taste of your quality [Hamlet]; magnos homines virtute metimur non fortuna [Lat.] [Nepos]; non numero haec judicantur sed pondere [Lat.] [Cicero]; vital spark of heavenly flame [Pope].
6. Extrinsicality — N. extrinsicality†, objectiveness, non ego; extraneousness &c 57; accident; appearance, phenomenon &c 448. Adj. derived from without; objective; extrinsic, extrinsical†; extraneous &c (foreign) 57; modal, adventitious; ascititious†, adscititious†; incidental, accidental, nonessential; contingent, fortuitous. implanted, ingrafted†; inculcated, infused. outward, apparent &c (external) 220. Adv. extrinsically &c adj..
7. State — N. state, condition, category, estate, lot, ease, trim, mood, pickle, plight, temper; aspect &c (appearance) 448, dilemma, pass, predicament. constitution, habitude, diathesis†; frame, fabric &c 329; stamp, set, fit, mold, mould. mode, modality, schesis†; form &c (shape) 240. tone, tenor, turn; trim, guise, fashion, light, complexion, style, character. V. be in a state, possess a state, enjoy a state, labor under a state &c n.; be on a footing, do, fare; come to pass. Adj. conditional, modal, formal; structural, organic. Adv. conditionally &c adj.; as the matter stands, as things are; such being the case &c 8.
8. Circumstance — N. circumstance, situation, phase, position, posture, attitude, place, point; terms; regime; footing, standing, status. occasion, juncture, conjunctive; contingency &c (event) 151. predicament; emergence, emergency; exigency, crisis, pinch, pass, push; occurrence; turning point. bearings, how the land lies. surroundings, context, environment 232; location 184. contingency, dependence (uncertainty) 475; causation 153, attribution 155. Adj. circumstantial; given, conditional, provisional; critical; modal; contingent, incidental; adventitious &c (extrinsic) 6; limitative†. Adv. in the circumstances, under the circumstances &c n., the circumstances, conditions &c 7; thus, in such wise. accordingly; that being the case, such being the case, in view of the circumstances; that being so, sith†, since, seeing that. as matters stand; as things go, as times go. conditionally, provided, if, in case; if so, if so be, if it be so; depending on circumstances, in certain circumstances, under certain conditions; if it so happen, if it so turn out; in the event of; in such a contingency, in such a case, in such an event; provisionally, unless, without. according to circumstances, according to the occasion; as it may happen, as it may turn out, as it may be; as the case may be, as the wind blows; pro re nata [Lat.]. Phr. yet are my sins not those of circumstance [Lytton].
9. Relation — N. relation, bearing, reference, connection, concern, cognation; correlation &c 12; analogy; similarity &c 17; affinity, homology, alliance, homogeneity, association; approximation &c (nearness) 197; filiation &c (consanguinity) 11; interest; relevancy &c 23; dependency, relationship, relative position. comparison &c 464; ratio, proportion. link, tie, bond of union. V. be related &c adj.; have a relation &c n.; relate to, refer to; bear upon, regard, concern, touch, affect, have to do with; pertain to, belong to, appertain to; answer to; interest. bring into relation with, bring to bear upon; connect, associate, draw a parallel; link &c 43. Adj. relative; correlative &c 12; cognate; relating to &c v.; relative to, in relation with, referable or referrible to†; belonging to &c v.; appurtenant to, in common with. related, connected; implicated, associated, affiliated, allied to; en rapport, in touch with. approximative†, approximating; proportional, proportionate, proportionable; allusive, comparable. in the same category &c 75; like &c 17; relevant &c (apt) 23; applicable, equiparant†. Adv. relatively &c adj.; pertinently &c 23. thereof; as to, as for, as respects, as regards; about; concerning &c v.; anent; relating to, as relates to; with relation, with reference to, with respect to, with regard to; in respect of; while speaking of, a propos of [Fr.]; in connection with; by the way, by the by; whereas; for as much as, in as much as; in point of, as far as; on the part of, on the score of; quoad hoc [Lat.]; pro re nata [Lat.]; under the head of &c (class) 75, of; in the matter of, in re. Phr. thereby hangs a tale [Taming of the Shrew].
10. [Want, or absence of relation.] Irrelation — N. irrelation†, dissociation; misrelation†; inapplicability; inconnection†; multifariousness; disconnection &c (disjunction) 44; inconsequence, independence; incommensurability; irreconcilableness &c (disagreement) 24; heterogeneity; unconformity &c 83; irrelevancy, impertinence, nihil ad rem [Lat.]; intrusion &c 24; non-pertinence. V. have no relation to &c 9; have no bearing upon, have no concern with &c 9, have no business with; not concern &c 9; have no business there, have nothing to do with, intrude &c 24. bring in head and shoulders, drag in head and shoulders, lug in head and shoulders. Adj. irrelative†, irrespective, unrelated; arbitrary; independent, unallied; unconnected, disconnected; adrift, isolated, insular; extraneous, strange, alien, foreign, outlandish, exotic. not comparable, incommensurable, heterogeneous; unconformable &c 83. irrelevant, inapplicable; not pertinent, not to the, purpose; impertinent, inapposite, beside the mark, a propos de bottes [Fr.]; aside from the purpose, away from the purpose, foreign to the purpose, beside the purpose, beside the question, beside the transaction, beside the point; misplaced &c (intrusive) 24; traveling out of the record. remote, far-fetched, out of the way, forced, neither here nor there, quite another thing; detached, segregate; disquiparant†. multifarious; discordant &c 24. incidental, parenthetical, obiter dicta, episodic. Adv. parenthetically &c adj.; by the way, by the by; en passant [Fr.], incidentally; irrespectively &c adj.; without reference to, without regard to; in the abstract &c 87; a se.
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