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Celebrate National Thesaurus Day with a fun word hunt! Challenge yourself to find the perfect words to express yourself and get creative!
Celebrate National Thesaurus Day on Jan. 18! This day honors the first published thesaurus, which was created by Peter Mark Roget in 1852. Since then, many other versions of the book have been produced and it has become an essential tool for writers and scholars alike. On this day, take some time to explore all of the creative ways one can use a thesaurus to express themselves more accurately and creatively through their writing or speech.
<div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1852</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Roget's Thesaurus Published</div><div class='timeline-text'>Peter Mark Roget, a British physician, theologian, and lexicographer, publishes the first edition of "Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases."</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1911</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Expansion and Revising</div><div class='timeline-text'>Roget’s Thesaurus goes through a massive augmenting and revising, more than doubling its original breadth.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1962</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>First Electronic Thesaurus</div><div class='timeline-text'>IBM releases the first electronic thesaurus as part of its 1962 World Wide English Language Processing System.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1984</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Thesaurus in Word Processors</div><div class='timeline-text'>Microsoft Word becomes one of the first word processors to include a built-in thesaurus.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>2007</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Thesaurus Day Recognition</div><div class='timeline-text'>National Thesaurus Day is recognized and celebrated for the first time on January 18th, marking the birthday of Peter Mark Roget.</div></div></div>
<div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>1</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Explore a thesaurus</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Grab your favorite thesaurus, whether it's physical or digital, and take some time to explore it. See how many creative new words you can find and start to incorporate them into your vocabulary.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>2</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Create synonym art</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Take a phrase or word and create artwork using only its synonyms. Let your creativity run wild as you come up with unique ways to express yourself with this new form of art.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>3</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Play a game of synonyms</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Get together with friends and family and see who can come up with the most synonyms for a given word in 2 minutes. It's a great way to practice and learn new words while having fun.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>4</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Compile a list of favorites</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Create a list of your favorite words and their synonyms. You could even print them out and hang them up in your home or office as an inspirational reminder.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>5</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Write an ode to the thesaurus</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Take some time to write an ode to the thesaurus, expressing your appreciation for all of the new words that it has introduced you to over the years.</p></div></div>
<div id='' class='whywelove-item'><div id='' class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>A</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 id='' class='whywelove-title'>Thesauri help with language development</h3><p id='' class='whywelove-text'>Using the correct words to describe something or express an emotion can be tricky, and Thesaurus Day is a great reminder to students and writers of any age to increase their vocabularies. By utilizing a thesaurus, people can explore new words which can expand their understanding of a subject or even just add nuance to everyday conversation.</p></div></div><div id='' class='whywelove-item'><div id='' class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>B</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 id='' class='whywelove-title'>Thesauri promote creativity</h3><p id='' class='whywelove-text'>Learning new words gives us opportunities to be more creative with our writing. We can add variety to our work while also honing our craft. Using a thesaurus when writing helps us find new ways to say the same thing in different contexts, which can bring new perspectives to our readers.</p></div></div><div id='' class='whywelove-item'><div id='' class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>C</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 id='' class='whywelove-title'>Thesauri make language accessible</h3><p id='' class='whywelove-text'>Not everyone has a vast vocabulary at their disposal, and that's why Thesaurus Day is important - it encourages language learning for all levels. It creates the opportunity for nonnative English speakers and children alike to discover new words in an easy way that's fun and engaging.</p></div></div>
National Thesaurus Day is celebrated on January 18 every year. In 2024 National Thesaurus Day will occur on a Thursday.
2023
Jan 18
Wednesday
2024
Jan 18
Thursday
2025
Jan 18
Saturday
2026
Jan 18
Sunday
2027
Jan 18
Monday
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