The Highly Selective Thesaurus for the Extraordinarily Literate

by Eugene Ehrlich

Anyone looking to improve his or her vocabulary and anyone who loves words will be enthralled by this unique and impressive thesaurus that provides only the most unusual -- or is it recondite? --words for each entry.

Genres: Reference, Language, Writing, Nonfiction, Humor, Collections, Words

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 27, 1994

Reviews

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this list, but wish it would provide explication of articulation. I still probably sound like a ninnyhammer because I lack the sense of orthoepy and context to use many of these terms with panache.

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are like me, you may find yourself using the same words over and over again when writing. I end up googling "synonym for..." a lot, but even Google's suggestions feel too derivative after a while. This book gives some really creative and obscure word suggestions that can really help spice up your writing.

I would suggest getting a digital copy of the book so you can quick search (ctrl+F). My only complaint is that it is too short. I'd love to see a more expansive, online database like this with all of the most esoteric and idiosyncratic words in one easily searchable place to nerd out on.

[két con · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like these kinds of things heheh

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars

[Tristan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book's title is misleading, as it functions more as a word list than a traditional thesaurus. Further, it lacks accuracy, as most of the words listed are not synonyms; they're only loosely related to the headword. If you're a logophile looking to expand your vocabulary with esoteric and unusual terms, you'll likely find delight in perusing this book's contents. Otherwise, I'd suggest looking elsewhere for a more practical and accurate thesaurus.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not pragmatic for writing fiction, but fun to look through and gawk at like a zoo exhibit.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another reference book that I just bought this year for NaNoWriMo, along with its companion dictionary version. It's quite comprehensive, which I really like. I don't think I've ever owned my own thesaurus before, but this one should work quite well. Despite my comment on the dictionary version about the pretentious (or florid or magniloquent or grandiloquent, as found as synonyms inside) title, I think this book will be extremely helpful.

[Don Incognito · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started reading this seeking to boost my vocabulary, but am abandoning it. I'll use a different thesaurus, probably my Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus.

It's not a very good thesaurus, for the simple reason of poor accuracy. As far as I can tell, many of the synonyms match the referent word loosely at best.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is, of course, not a book to read "cover to cover" but it IS a very good resource for some more uncommon synonyms in English :-)

I was using it daily when I got the book.....I now only refer to it on occassion as I have increased my vocabulary since then

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love dictionaries, thesauruses, and lexicography in general. This collection, while not providing the breadth of Roget's standard work, easily transcends that and other compendiums in the sheer quality of its contents. More importantly it is simply a delight to peruse.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really interesting and fun for all you word geeks out there.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome reference book for anyone that loves words.