Clarify it! and cut the flab!

Plain English Thesaurus

Now you can clarify it! —Give this Plain English Thesaurus a whirl…

Type in the specific word or phrase:

Or search by letter:

Searching for words starting with "e".

50 words found

Instead of This

Try This

e.g.

for example

eccentric

odd; strange

economical

cheap; thrifty

economize

spend less

effect

make

elect

choose

electrolytes

blood salts

elevate

lift; raise; raise higher

eligible

can receive; can take part

eliminate

drop; get rid of; throw out

emaciated

bony; gaunt; thin; wasted

embolism

blood clot

eminent

famous; high; noted

emphasize

stress; underline

employ

apply; hire; use

employable

able to work

empower

enable; give a person the strength/ability/control

encounter

have; come upon; meet

endeavor (n)

effort; project

endeavor (v)

try

endorse

support

enhance

add to; improve

ensue

develop; follow; happen

ensure

make sure

enter

go in

enumerate

add up; cite; count

envision

see; foresee; imagine

equilibrium

balance

equivalent of

equal to; same as

erroneous

false; wrong

escalate

step up; worsen; make worse

eschew

avoid

essential

key; important

establish

set up; start; set; create; build; prove; decide

evident

obvious; plain

exacerbate

make worse

excessive

too much; undue

exempt

make an exception; excuse

exhale

breathe out

exhibit

show; display; reveal

exorbitant

overpriced; too high

expedite

push; speed up

expenditure

cost; expense; spending

expensive

costs a lot

experience

feel; go through; have; live through; undergo

expertise

know-how; knowledge; skill

explicit

clear; exact; precise

extend

offer; reach; stretch

extended

drawn out; long

extensive

broad; large; roomy; wide


Plain Language Medical Dictionary

Looking for ways to clarify medical lingo? Look no further–this tool developed by the University of Michigan Taubman Health Sciences Library may be just what you need. Simply click on the drop-down menu to browse the list of medical terms, and then select a word to see the plain language alternatives.

Redundant Word and Jargon Buster

Now you can cut the flab! —Simply search by letter to find words that you can often remove from your writing that don’t actually take away from it and usually improve it.

Type in the specific word or phrase:

Or search by letter: