communication

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Act of communicating ideas

Nouns

1. communication, intercourse, conversation, speech, writing, correspondence; message, tidings, news(see information).

2. communicator, messenger, nuncio; herald, crier, trumpeter, bellman, courier, runner; postman, letter carrier; Mercury, Iris, Ariel; operator (radio, telephone, switchboard, etc.). See transportation.

3. the media, radio, television, cable, wireless, telephone, radiotelephony, telegraphy, etc.; broadcast, cablecast, simulcast; newspapers, press, fourth estate; magazines, reviews, journals; tabloid TV, shock radio; public-address system; switchboard; press box. See publication.

4.

a. radio; band, AM, FM, citizens band, CB, shortwave, wireless; crystal, capsule, car, or pocket radio, radio pill, Walkman, ghetto blaster, boom box, clock radio; transmitter, station, channel; multiplex.

b. [broadcast, satellite, cable, network, or high-definition] television, UHF, VHF, HDTV, CATV, small screen; video, videocassette, videodisk, videotape, VHS, Beta, videotape recorder, VTR; minicam, steadicam, mobile camera or unit, portapak; TelePrompTer; teletext, videotext; test pattern; monitor. Slang, idiot box.

c. telephone, receiver, transmitter, mouthpiece; ex-tension; wall or desk telephone, speakerphone; dial or [Touch-]Tone dialing; beeper, pager; pay [tele]phone, call box; mobile, portable or cordless telephone, cellular telephone, airtime, home area, roaming area; call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID, etc.; telephone number, area code, telephone book, [un]listed number; station-to-station or person-to-person call, conference call, collect call, calling card call; answering machine, voicemail; telemarketing; telephone line, private, trunk, or party line, hot line; wide-area telecommunications service, WATS; integrated services digital network, ISDN; DSL. Informal, tinkle, the horn, jingle, boody call.

d. facsimile, fax, telefax; Wirephoto; tele-gram, wire, telex; cable[gram]; day or night letter; Internet mail, electronic mail, e-mail (see computers).

e. parallel or serial communication, data transmission; modem, acoustic coupler; baud, bandwidth, full or half duplex, packet switching; communications protocol, X-, Y-, or Zmodem, fax modem, Kermit; bulletin board system, BBS, bulletin board; network, local-area network, LAN, wide-area network, WAN, neural network, intranet, client, [file] server, firewall; information superhighway, Internet, Bitnet, Usenet, Infobahn, World Wide Web, WWW, cyberspace, Web page or site, domain, host name, HTML, HTTP, address, uniform resource locator, URL, site, home page, avatar, meme, e-zine, thread, emoticon, 'bot, chat, Internet relay chat, IRC, handle, mailing list, newsgroup;

Java; Web browser, Mosaic, Netscape, Internet Explorer; service provider, gate, portal; archie, gopher, veronica, jughead, WAIS; listserv, [anonymous] FTP (file transfer protocol), TCP/IP, telnet; mailbox, spam[ming], crossposting, junk mail, spoiler; on-line help, technical support; bandwidth. Informal, sysop.

5. communiqué, bulletin; wire or press service, syndicate; telegram, cable, wire, night or day letter; carrier pigeon; heliograph, wigwag, semaphore, signal; news flash, press release. See news.

6. [mental] telepathy, thought transference, telekinesis, extrasensory perception, ESP; spiritualism, spirit rapping.

7. (types of antennas) aerial, antenna; dipole, parabolic, etc. antenna; community antenna, CATV; rabbit ears.

8. intercourse, conversation, exchange of talk or ideas. See speech.

9. newsman, talking head (see news); publisher; correspondent, pen pal; medium, spiritualist; messenger (see agent); couch potato; football, golf, etc. widow.

10. communicativeness, openness, accessibility, sociability.

Verbs

1. communicate, send messages, broadcast, publish, write, preach, disseminate news or information; radio, telegraph, [tele]fax, e-mail, telex, wire, cable; call [up], ring up, phone, give a ring or buzz, telephone; signal; sign on or off.

2. correspond (with) (see correspondence); intercommunicate; keep track (of), keep in touch, touch base with.

Adjectives — communicative, talkative; outgoing, extrovert; correspondent, corresponding, epistolary, postal; multimedia; on the air; cable-ready.

Quotations — Because television can make so much money doing its worst, it often cannot afford to do its best (Fred W. Friendly), The medium is the message (Marshall McLuhan), The more we elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate (J. B. Priestley), What we've got here is failure to communicate (Frank R. Pierson), Television contracts the imagination and radio expands it (Terry Wogan).

Antonyms, see concealment, silence.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [The giving or exchanging of information]

Syn. speech, talk, utterance, announcement, revelation, conversation, discussion, dialogue, discourse, conference, contact, connection, communion, rapport, dissemination, conveyance, making known, imparting, informing, advisement, notification, acquainting, disclosing, discovering, telling, submitting, delivery, correspondence, disclosure, speaking, description, exposition, pronouncement, mention, presentation, interaction, interchange, intercourse, dealings, interface, expression, narration, relation, declaration, assertion, articulation, elucidation, transfer, transmission, spreading, telepathy, extrasensory perception, ESP, publication, writing, picturing, signaling, signing, broadcasting, passing on, getting across, transLating, interpreting; see also conversation , speech 2 .

Ant. concealment, censorship*, withholding.

Means of communication include: book, letter, electronic mail, E-mail, voice mail, newspaper, magazine, radio, proclamation, broadcast, dispatch, radio report, telecast, telephone call, telegram, facsimile, fax, cable, radiogram, broadside, circular, notes, memorandum, post card, picture post card, poster, billboard; see also journal 2 , news 2 , report 1 , 2 .

2. [Transmitted information]

Syn. message, news, ideas, announcement, statement, disclosure, utterance, speech, language, warning, revelation, prophecy, communiqu?, briefing, bulletin, dispatch, excerpt, pr?cis, summary, information, report, account, declaration, publicity, translation, (printed) work, advice, intelligence, tidings, conversation, converse, letter, note, fax.

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

1. conveyance correspondence, contact, interchange, disclosure, exchange, transmission, intercourse, expression, interface, interplay, interaction.

2. correspondence communique, report, dispatch, news, message, bulletin.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. The exchange of ideas by writing, speech, or signals: communion, intercommunication, intercourse. Obsolete: converse1. See KNOWLEDGE. 2. Something communicated, as information: message, word. See WORDS. 3. A situation allowing exchange of ideas or messages: contact, intercommunication, touch. See CONNECT, TOUCH.