Thesaurus.com and How It Can Benefit You

I never really paid much attention to online dictionaries and thesauruses before.

At least not until my computer crashed and I lost my MS Word software with my beloved spell checker!

Generally, I am a very good speller, but having some sort of spell or grammar checker is a must for all content creators. Even the best editors can sometimes overlook a misspelled or misplaced word.
I came across Thesaurus.com ages ago, but never looked into all it offered until just recently.


Note that Thesaurus.com is also known as Dictionary.com.

It doesn’t stop at the functions of a thesaurus or dictionary though. Listed on the top tabs of the site are:

• Quotes
• Encyclopedia
• Translator

Listed in the left-hand column are fun items such as:

• Daily Crossword
• Crossword Solver
• Full Text Translator
• Word Games
• Tools and Resources
• Word of the Day

By the way, do you know what “yeuk” means? I didn’t either, but now I do! Yeuk is an itching sensation

“Okay, but how does Thesauras.com benefit me?”

I knew you were going to ask that.

Well, let’s say you are writing up a business contract or proposal. You may need to come up with a fancy-spancy word so you will dazzle the reader and bring in the big bucks.

You are on a roll now, but perhaps you still don’t know the definition of PVA. Knowing this is crucial.
Simply head over to Thesaurus.com and hit the encyclopedia tab.

As you read the insert you now have what you have been searching for.

I quote, “PVA (Process Validation Assessment) or System Audits with a certain standard of care.
Due diligence in Supplier Quality (also known as due care) is the effort made by an SQE professional to validate conformance of product provided by the seller to the purchaser. Failure to make this effort may be considered negligence.

This is conceptually distinct from investigative due diligence, involving a general obligation to identify true, root cause for non-compliance to meet a standard or contract requirement.”

After all, as Lisa say’s; “What does vocabulary have to do with success? Everything!”

Do people listen when you speak?  Not just “hear” you, but actually listen to the words coming out of your mouth.

Find the words and terms that will stop someone in their tracks and cause them to perk up their ears.  A wider and more advanced vocabulary can help to better convey your thoughts and ideas to listeners.

Besides the obvious benefits of the dictionary and thesaurus, the Quotes tab can be a great item to use also. You can share you favorite quotes within your social media and on your site.
Here’s a quote I personally found interesting:

“Writers must fortify themselves with pride and egotism as best they can. The process is analogous to using sandbags and loose timbers to protect a house against a flood. Writers are vulnerable creatures like anyone else. For what do they have in reality? Not sandbags, not timbers. Just a flimsy reputation and a name.”

- Brian Aldiss (b. 1925), British science fiction writer. “Apéritif,” Bury My Heart at W.H. Smith’s (1990).

I leave you with this fun fact, and yes, I found it at Thesaurus.com under the Translator tab:

The word “Barbeque” is actually an old word originating in Haiti. 1650s, from Amer.Sp. barbacoa, from Arawakan (Haiti) barbakoa “framework of sticks”

Happy searchin’ and learnin’!