Reverse Dictionary and Thesaurus

Potluck · Feb 1, 2008

How do you search for the perfect word? I know about a Thesaurus but that only works if the word you have written is close to the perfect word. I run into this problem all the time. I know what I want to say and I know there is the exact word for it but there's no good way to search for it on the web.

For example: I want to find a word that means, the change in tone in a child’s voice when two kids start to argue and the tone in their voice goes up. Not only does their tone change but it has the stubbornness of knowing they are right in the speech.

What I need is a type of reverse Dictionary or Thesaurus. So, how do you find the exact word?

wuzupbling22 · Feb 1, 2008

http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml

I wouldn't know how to find the exact word, but heres a reverse dictionary for you

DeleyanLee · Feb 1, 2008

I use a dictionary-style thesaurus when I know-but-don't-know a word. I might not be able to remember the exact word I want, but I can usually come close enough to look up a synonym or antonym and find the word I want.

Shadow_Ferret · Feb 1, 2008

Yeah, I was just doing this the other day. Try googling "Reverse dictionary" and you get a ton of definitions for the word "reverse." Aargh!

That onelook was the only one I could find and I didn't find it very satisfying.

maestrowork · Feb 1, 2008

The perfect word is the one you know that fits what you're writing.

For example: I want to find a word that means, the change in tone in a child’s voice when two kids start to argue and the tone in their voice goes up. Not only does their tone change but it has the stubbornness of knowing they are right in the speech.

Instead of using just one "big word," (e.g. they voices escalated) why not just describe it the way you did? Show. Not tell.

Potluck · Feb 1, 2008

Even when you show you want to use the right, “exact”, word. For the above example I originally wrote: "She said in rising tone of insolence." Insolence is the wrong word. She wasn't being “contemptuously rude or impertinent”, she is raising her tone because she knows she’s right. I want to capture the voice of young siblings arguing. I don’t need to explain it, everyone has heard it. I need the right word. And I run into this all the time.

Escalated, is a good one for this situation but is just doesn't seem to fit.

And, yes, I know I must work on my vocabulary. This is one way to do that.

Shadow_Ferret · Feb 1, 2008

maestrowork said:
The perfect word is the one you know that fits what you're writing.

I always hear this, but sometimes in my case there are times my mind just goes blank. The word, ANY word, refuses to leave the dusty, cobwebbed, comfines of my brain. It becomes very frustrating and causes everything I'm doing to come to a screeching halt as I scrambled through the thesaurus, dictionary, and even try verballing saying the alphabet hoping a letter will trigger the word.

If you've ever had this happen to you, you wouldn't just say, the perfect word is the one you know...

Potluck · Feb 1, 2008

Speaking of vocabulary, I'm reading "The First Five Pages" and he says there are flash card available to practice with. (I love ending a sentence with a preposition.) Can anyone recomend a set of cards they use?

Potluck · Feb 1, 2008

Shadow_Ferret said:
I always hear this, but sometimes in my case there are times my mind just goes blank. The word, ANY word, refuses to leave the dusty, cobwebbed, comfines of my brain. It becomes very frustrating and causes everything I'm doing to come to a screeching halt as I scrambled through the thesaurus, dictionary, and even try verballing saying the alphabet hoping a letter will trigger the word.

If you've ever had this happen to you, you wouldn't just say, the perfect word is the one you know...

Exactatotally!

LeeFlower · Feb 1, 2008

This site might help: http://www.visuwords.com/

It creates a web of words based on the first one you enter, and draws lines between them based on relationship (synonym, antonym, kind of, example of, etc). You can then expand the new words on the web into webs of their own, or hover your mouse over a word for a definition.

Granted, it's a nerdy, time-wasting toy. But I've found it really helpful when I need to find a word in a particular family of related meanings.

That said, I do agree with Maestro: showing is better than telling. The point isn't that people have seen kids argue before. They've seen movies of fights before, too, but you wouldn't condense a fight scene down to "They fought," even if you could find a really precise word for the kind of fight.

maestrowork · Feb 1, 2008

LeeFlower said:
This site might help: http://www.visuwords.com/

It's like visualthesaurus.com. I really like that one.

maestrowork · Feb 1, 2008

Potluck said:
Even when you show you want to use the right, “exact”, word. For the above example I originally wrote: "She said in rising tone of insolence." Insolence is the wrong word. She wasn't being “contemptuously rude or impertinent”, she is raising her tone because she knows she’s right. I want to capture the voice of young siblings arguing. I don’t need to explain it, everyone has heard it. I need the right word. And I run into this all the time.

I really don't think you can, with just one word. Even if you find that perfect one word to describe what you want to say, you're dependent on your readers to know that word and know EXACTLY what you mean, too. That's a lot of assumptions. Again, why not just show and not tell?

Potluck · Feb 1, 2008

Ok I understand about SHOWING.

To help understand wait I’m saying here's the scene:

There are three children, 16, 11 and 9. The 16 year old boy has just yelled at his younger brother and sister to stop where they are,

Of course Travis ignored him and pressed harder down the steps. Just as his hand reached the giant spider leg he heard.

“First!” his sister panted.

“No way, I got here first.”

“NOOOOO, I did,” announced Kaylin in a rising tone of insolence. She was almost in tears.

“O.K., O.K., how about we tied?” Travis suggested.

“Nooooo! I won!”

“Jeeese Kaylin.”

“Well, I did!”

You see insolence is the wrong word and I'm looking for a way to find the right word and that's all for now. Later I'll be crying to you about "Why doesn't this scene work?" But I'll save those tears for later.

Thanks.

Potluck · Feb 1, 2008

Thanks, I'll check out both websites.

maestrowork · Feb 1, 2008

IMHO, you don't need any of that "rising tone of insolence." Let your dialogue do the work. We all have been children and have seen children fight. We get it.

scribbler1382 · Feb 1, 2008

This thread reminded me of a recent post in another thread. George Orwell's #2 rule of effective writing:

2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.

Long words don’t make you sound intelligent unless used skillfully. In the wrong situation they’ll have the opposite effect, making you sound pretentious and arrogant. They’re also less likely to be understood and more awkward to read.

When Hemingway was criticized by Faulkner for his limited word choice he replied:

Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.

LeeFlower · Feb 1, 2008

The problem I see there is that 'insolence,' or any equivalent, is still 'telling.' 'Insolent' is not a description of how people speak; it's a description of the emotion behind the words. Low, high, shaky, sing-songy, slow, fast, rhythmic, squeaky--those are the sorts of words you use to describe the sound of a voice. Words like 'insolent,' 'angry,' 'happy,' or 'annoyed' don't describe the sound of the voice; they tell the reader what the sound is supposed to indicate. You don't need a word for the precise emotion. You need a concrete physical detail (like the way the dialog sounds) from which readers can infer the emotion. That's showing.

But in this particular case, I once again agree with Maestro-- the words themselves convey the tone just fine. You don't need a descriptor at all.

Oberon · Feb 1, 2008

I agree with Maestro, you have the scene without the rising insolence. In fact, it tends to take us away from the flow. After that the meaning is clear, we get the picture, the feelings of the two, just from their words. If you did find a single word for what you're looking for, it could well be so obscure or pretentious sounding as to distract the readers.

How about, Of course Travis ignored him and pressed harder down the steps. Just as his hand reached the giant spider leg his sister yelled “First!” She was panting from her desperate effort to win..

Potluck · Feb 1, 2008

maestrowork said:
IMHO, you don't need any of that "rising tone of insolence." Let your dialogue do the work. We all have been children and have seen children fight. We get it.

Yeah, I'm struggling with that. It's a voice characteristic of just this character and I'd really like to get it in. It's important (for me) to have them argue, with different mannerisms and then be over it 5 seconds later. The escalating tone reflects the rise and fall of the argument.

Potluck · Feb 1, 2008

LeeFlower said:
The problem I see there is that 'insolence,' or any equivalent, is still 'telling.' 'Insolent' is not a description of how people speak; it's a description of the emotion behind the words. Low, high, shaky, sing-songy, slow, fast, rhythmic, squeaky--those are the sorts of words you use to describe the sound of a voice. Words like 'insolent,' 'angry,' 'happy,' or 'annoyed' don't describe the sound of the voice; they tell the reader what the sound is supposed to indicate. You don't need a word for the precise emotion. You need a concrete physical detail (like the way the dialog sounds) from which readers can infer the emotion. That's showing.

But in this particular case, I once again agree with Maestro-- the words themselves convey the tone just fine. You don't need a descriptor at all.

I totally agree, insolence is the wrong and I used it as a place holder. And my approach of looking up synonyms for it is wrong. I should be looking for words related to ”Low, high, shaky, sing-songy, slow, fast, rhythmic, squeaky”.

Said Kaylin sing-songyly. (Just want to run my fingernails on the chalkboard.)

I’ll keep looking and then I’ll probably rewrite it out.

LeeFlower · Feb 1, 2008

ha, yeah, sing-songy was a terrible example. Don't use it (and of course you probably don't want to adverbify said if you can avoid it). Good luck.

Reverse Dictionary and Thesaurus

Potluck

wuzupbling22

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Potluck

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

Potluck

Potluck

LeeFlower

Lurker Extraordinaire

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Potluck

Potluck

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

scribbler1382

Write For You, Edit For The Reader

LeeFlower

Lurker Extraordinaire

Oberon

Potluck

Potluck

LeeFlower

Lurker Extraordinaire