How to Use Thesaurus in Microsoft Word: 6 Steps

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How to Use Thesaurus in Microsoft Word: 6 Steps
How to Use Thesaurus in Microsoft Word: 6 Steps
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A thesaurus is a dictionary of synonyms, that is, words and phrases that have a similar meaning for a particular word or phrase. Microsoft Word and, in more recent versions of Microsoft Office, other programs of the Office suite, are equipped with the thesaurus feature that allows you to search for both synonyms and antonyms (words and phrases that mean the opposite of a given word or phrase). Using Word's thesaurus feature allows you to give your writing more variety, and suggest words and phrases your readers can understand better than words you're unsure of. Here's how to use Word's thesaurus function.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Using Thesaurus from the Toolbar

Use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word Step 1
Use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word Step 1

Step 1. Access the thesaurus

The location of the thesaurus feature depends on which version of Word you are using. Word 2003 uses the older menu system and toolbar interface, while Word 2007 and 2010 use the newer multifunction interface.

  • In Word 2003, select "Search" from the "Tools" menu, then select "Thesaurus" in the "Search" list.
  • In Word 2007 and 2010, select "Thesaurus" in the "Proofing" group in the "Review" menu of the ribbon.
Use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word Step 2
Use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word Step 2

Step 2. Select the word you want to find a synonym for

Press the "ALT" key and click on the word. A list of synonyms will appear in the "Search" task pane.

Use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word Step 3
Use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word Step 3

Step 3. Replace the selected word with the synonym or antonym of your choice

Choose to replace the word or phrase, click the arrow to the right and click "Insert" or "Copy" in the pop-up menu that appears.

If you don't see the word or phrase you want, you can find additional synonyms by clicking on any word in the results list. To restore a previous list of words, click the "Back" button on the list of results

Method 2 of 2: Using Thesaurus from the Pop-up Menu

Use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word Step 4
Use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word Step 4

Step 1. Click with the right mouse button on the word for which you want to find a synonym

This will be displayed in a pop-up menu.

Use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word Step 5
Use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word Step 5

Step 2. Choose "Synonyms" from the pop-up menu

A list of synonyms will appear.

Use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word Step 6
Use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word Step 6

Step 3. Select the word or phrase in the synonyms menu

If you can't find the word or phrase you want, select "Thesaurus" from the "Synonyms" pop-up menu. The "Search" task pane will open, showing all previously viewed synonyms. You can click on any of these words to find other synonyms.

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