How to Use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Open your Word document if it isn't open.

   To do so, you can double-click the file itself, or you can open Microsoft Word and then select the file name from the list of recent documents.
2. 2

   Step 2: Find a word for which you wish to use the thesaurus.

   Using the thesaurus feature in Microsoft Word will present you with a list of alternatives for your selected word. , To do so, click and drag your mouse across the section of text, then release the mouse when you're done.
   
   A blue background will appear behind the text in question. , Doing so will invoke a drop-down menu. , This option is near the middle of the drop-down menu.
   
   You should see a window pop out to the left or right of the drop-down menu. , It's near the bottom of the pop-out window.
   
   You can also click a word in the pop-out menu, since the words listed here are synonyms for your selected word. , This section is on the right side of the Word window; any words listed in this pane are considered synonyms of the selected word. , Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu.
   
   You'll first have to select the word with your mouse cursor for this icon to appear.
   
   You can also click the word in question to view its synonyms. , It's at the top of the drop-down menu.
   
   This will replace your selected word with its synonym.
3. 3

   Step 3: Select the word.

4. 4

   Step 4: Two-finger click (Mac) or right-click (Windows) the selected word.

5. 5

   Step 5: Select Synonyms.

6. 6

   Step 6: Click Thesaurus.

7. 7

   Step 7: Find a word in the "Thesaurus" tab.

8. 8

   Step 8: Click ▼ to the right of a word.

9. 9

   Step 9: Click Insert.

Detailed Guide

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