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Standard American Thesaurus

Reference work for the Standard American register, ratified through the public ballot of Standard American 250.

The Standard American Thesaurus shows the synonym and related-word architecture under Garner's Standard American, the canonical reference work for the Standard American register, edited by Bryan Garner as part of Standard American 250. The thesaurus records the lateral relationships among Standard American terms — synonyms, near-synonyms, related forms, register notes, and cross-register equivalents.

The reference work accumulates from the contest dataset. Each ballot entry ratifies a parallel synonym map in both registers; the Standard American Thesaurus and the Black American Thesaurus populate simultaneously, recording the lateral architecture of the lexicon at full depth in both registers as the public adjudicates.

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A Specimen of the Forthcoming Reference Work

The reference work populates in real time following publication on the Fourth of July, Two Thousand and Twenty-Six. The entries below are a specimen of the typesetting and editorial method.

  • use v.

    — to employ or apply for a purpose.

    Synonyms employ, apply, exercise, draw on
    Related utilize (reserved sense: to use for a purpose other than the intended one), deploy, leverage
    Cross-Reg. Black American: use, work with, run with

    See also: register notes on utilize; preferred plain-language forms in Standard American formal writing.

    — Ratified by ballot · Garner's Standard American · 2026 —

  • begin v.

    — to start.

    Synonyms start, commence, initiate, undertake
    Related embark on, set out, get under way, open
    Register begin is the plain-Standard form; commence is Latinate and reserved for legal or ceremonial registers.

    See also: Latinate-versus-Anglo-Saxon register choices in Standard American formal writing.

    — Ratified by ballot · Garner's Standard American · 2026 —

  • many adj.

    — a large number of.

    Synonyms numerous, multiple, several, various
    Related a number of, a great deal of, plenty of, countless
    Cross-Reg. Black American: a whole lot of, all kinda, mad (quantifier intensifier)

    See also: quantifier choices across registers; informal-versus-formal Standard American distinctions.

    — Ratified by ballot · Garner's Standard American · 2026 —

  • different from adj. phrase

    — distinct or unlike, in comparison.

    Synonyms distinct from, dissimilar to, unlike, at variance with
    Variants different than (informal Standard American), different to (British)
    Register different from is preferred in formal Standard American; different than is recorded as an informal variant.

    See also: prepositional choices in comparative constructions; American-versus-British preposition patterns.

    — Ratified by ballot · Garner's Standard American · 2026 —

Full reference work activates upon publication. Until then, the ballot determines what enters the volume.

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The Reference Work Is Participatory

Electors of the Academy may propose entries for ratification through the standing submission process. Submitted entries enter editorial review under Bryan Garner, route through the public-ratification ballot, and — upon approval — enter the live reference work with full editorial provenance. The reference works are not edited from above. They are ratified from below, by the public that uses the language.

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