Use a Different Word, Today is National Thesaurus Day

Thirty-nine and 200 years ago, Peter Mark Roget was born.

Oh wait, you don’t know who Roget was? Chances are then, you’re not a writer.

Perhaps you’ve heard of his famous creation: “Roget’s Thesaurus”? Yep, that was his doing.

He published his first book of synonyms in 1852 after retiring from a successful career in medicine. For some reason, words and their meanings and variations spoke to him and he devoted the rest of his life to working on “Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases.”

Today, no writer’s desk is complete without the handy “reference” or, choosing another word, “resource.” And that’s why we celebrate National Thesaurus Day, which is today, Jan. 18.

It seems like there's a special day for just about anything anymore, so why not honor Thesaurus Day? To celebrate: open a thesaurus to find synonyms of some of the words you might otherwise use today.

“Thanks,” Peter Roget. I “recognize” your contribution, and am “grateful” for its help.