Dictionary.com provides a wonderful utility for looking up definitions and synonyms for words that you highlight in any of your PC-based applications (see my review at xxx).  But for intensive synonym searching, www.visualthesaurus.com provides an unusual “visual” approach to viewing relationships among words that can’t be matched by dictionary.com and simply can’t be reproduced in hard-copy format.

Visual Thesaurus allows you to explore your word options in a web-like fashion.  Type in a word, and the Visual Thesaurus shows you a “web” of synonyms for that word.  When you click on one of those synonyms, the Visual Thesaurus centers the web around that word and generates another list of synonyms for the new word.  Unsure of the meaning or usage for a particular word?  Click on the circle in the middle of the connection line, and Visual Thesaurus shows you the definition and one or more contextual usages for the word.  Dotted-line connections show other relationships such as antonyms; you can determine the type of relationship by floating your cursor over the dotted line.  There are other great features that are built in as well, and I’d highly recommend navigating through the excellent “Guided Tour” for a more complete explanation of the tool’s features and functions.

Visual Thesaurus also offers a $30 CD-ROM-based “desktop” edition that enables you to look up words while not connected to the internet.

To begin using the free online version of Visual Thesaurus, go to http://www.visualthesaurus.com/online/ , type in the word that you want to look up, and click LOOK IT UP.