Skip to main content Skip to navigation

Open House

How not to use a Thesaurus


In this exercise, we can see examples of how someone perhaps used a Thesaurus to find an alternative word or expression, but didn't check the synonym in the dictionary. If they had, then they might have noticed that the new word:

-has a different meaning

-has the same meaning, but a different feel or connotation e.g. sterile/pristine (negative/positive) freaky/peculiar (colloquial/semi-formal)

-works in a grammatically different way e.g. damage/deteriorate (transitive/intransitive) guidance/recommendations (uncountable/countable)

For each question, using a Thesaurus and dictionary,, work out why the synonym (in CAPITAL LETTERS) is not a good replacement for the original word.


A good team should be made up of people with diverse skills.

A good team should be made up of people with DISPARATE skills.
Team members need to collaborate and focus their energies on the main tasks.

Team members need to CONSPIRE and focus their energies on the main tasks.
If a project stagnates, then someone in the team needs to inject new life and ideas into it.

If a project PROCRASTINATES, then someone in the team needs to inject new life and ideas into it.
A good team-player is a person who definitely would not take all the credit for success.

A good team-player is a person who FORSOOTH would not take all the credit for success.
If there is a lack of team effort, then the project will probably fail.

If there is a lack of team effort, then the project will probably ABORT.
It would be strange to find a team without a natural leader.

It would be UNCANNY to find a team without a natural leader.
Privacy notice
This quiz is anonymous. No data which personally identifies you is collected on the quiz, and the data you provide is used solely to help us improve the delivery of our courses.

The University of Warwick is the Data Controller of any information you have entered on this form and is committed to protecting the rights of individuals in line with Data Protection Legislation. The University's Data Protection webpages provide further information on your rights and how the University processes personal data. If you wish to submit a data subjects rights request, make a complaint or report a suspected personal data breach, please contact the University’s Data Protection Officer by email at infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk.

Spam prevention

Failure to load reCAPTCHA

reCAPTCHA is a utility used to verify you're not a robot filling out this form. Unfortunately this has failed to load correctly.

Please try reloading the page. If the problem persists, or if you are in a country which blocks Google products, please contact us by using the ‘page contact’ link at the foot of this page.