A remarkable dictionary of online synonyms

Last updated on 30 July 2023

If you are looking for a free and quality online synonym dictionary, take a tour on the DES. An electronic dictionary of synonyms developed and maintained by CRISCO, a research team from the University of Caen Normandie.

A resource that is already old, but which continues to evolve over the years with the addition of new terms proposed by readers and validated by the CRISCO team.

The dictionary of DES synonyms surprises by the richness of the range of synonyms it offers and by a navigation that allows you to move from one word to another to explore all the nuances of vocabulary. That's great.

More than 50,000 synonyms at the click of a button

DES was set up for its starting base from seven classic dictionaries. These seven reference indexes were put into the pot of the explorers of the University of Caen and then merged, corrected and enriched to serve as synonymous tools.

The result provided a fairly large initial vocabulary background, but the true originality of this electronic dictionary is elsewhere. Designers have, in fact, introduced a rather particular system of relations between words: symmetrization. To put it simply, the dice will create synonymous links or relationships between words, regardless of the nuances of use governing those relationships. In other words, the links are neutral and all have the same value. DES is symmetrical: this means that if one word is synonymous with another, the reciprocal is true. This equal value will significantly increase the number of links and the richness of the results.

A minimalist but efficient interface

Le Dés offers an interface of great sobriety. Just write the word you are looking for synonyms on the homepage. As soon as you write the first letters, the dictionary offers examples of words that start with the same letters in the index. Yours will probably be included and you will not need to write it down in full. This works perfectly for a typical query: fan synonym 7 letters or if you are looking for 10 synonyms of this or that word. This won't work if you're looking for a synonymous digital tools.

Once the search is launched, the result is almost instantaneous. The result window offers a lot of interesting information. You will of course have the synonyms displayed, but you will also discover antonyms, but also one or more words with a similar sound. Next to the word entered, a small loudspeaker icon allows you to hear the word and an open book displays its definition in the CNRTL.

You can classify synonyms obtained in different ways by order, direction or semantic space. Each synonym is clickable and starts a new search. It is this ability to search with drawers that makes it possible to bring out all the finesse of the language.

Happiness for all language lovers. Many of them are also involved in the enrichment of the DES dictionary.

Thus, you can, indeed, help to evolve the DES by proposing new synonymic or antonymic relationships, or the removal of those that do not seem relevant to you.

To be inserted in your digital toolkit dedicated to online dictionaries. DES is formidable, amazing, extraordinary, sensational, fabulous, colossal, astounding, unheard of, phenomenal, gigantic, monumental, stunning, imposing …