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FOREWORD
This fourth edition of Webster''s New World''s college thesaurus isthe latest incarnation of the eminently successful work originallycreated by Charlton Laird. Professor Laird''s thesaurus, firstpublished in 1971 and revised in 1985 and 1997, has over the yearsproved itself to be the most usable and the most useful thesaurusavailable. These two qualities match perfectly the guidingprinciples of its acclaimed companion volume, the fourth edition ofWebster''s New World College Dictionary.
A thesaurus is designed to function as a treasure house ofpossibilities. The entries in this thesaurus have been chosen fromthe 30,000 most commonly used words in Amer- ican English. Matchedwith them are over 300,000 alternate terms that are potentiallyusable in their place. Entries in the main section of the thesaurusappear in alphabetical order, a sensible format that has provedpopular because it offers the convenience of ira- mediate access tothe wealth of synonyms, antonyms, related terms, and discussions ofcomparative meaning and usage.
The main entry list includes synonym studies adapted from theWebster''s New World College Dictionary and integrated into thetext, a feature not found in most thesauruses. The usefuldistinctions made in previous editions between main entries, briefentries, and cross-referring entries remain. Both the choice ofentries overall and the order of synonyms within entries areintended to reflect the frequency with which the terms are used inour language. The user of this book is more likely to need analternate for a com- monly used expression than for one of greaterrarity. Further delving into an entry, how- ever, will lead theuser away from the familiar toward more colorful, specific, orappropriate vocabulary. Users of the thesaurus are urged to readthe user''s guide, begin- ning on page ix, in order to get the mostout of this edition.
The new title gracing this fourth edition, Webster''s New WorldRoget''s A-Z Thesaurus, denotes the inclusion of a schematicoutline of language that offers readers a choice in how they canuse the work. The outline offered is drawn from the original planof Peter Roget that was published in his ground-breaking thesaurusof 1852. The editors wish to thank Mrs. Evelyn Ward, head of theLiterature Department of the Cleveland Public Li- brary, for herassistance in researching Roget''s original plan. The versionpresented here has been ably prepared by Barbara Ann Kipferespecially for Webster''s New World. Dr. Kipfer also compiled theword lists given in the back of the book. The schematic outlineenables users to explore language by using broad concepts ratherthan by searching for a single synonym for a specific word. It thusfunctions as a thematic index of and a gate- way to the mainentries in their alphabetical order. In offering both a thematicoutline and an alphabetical listing in a single volume, the editorshope to serve readers who may find one or the other method ofsearching preferable at any given time.
The editors of Webster''s New World proudly present this fourthedition with the confi- dence that it will provide inspiration andworthwhile assistance to writers, speakers, students, editors, andprofessionals everywhere.
Michael Agnes
Editor in Chief