Reverse dictionary: describe it, find the word
Know the idea but not the word? Describe it in plain language and get candidate words, closest first, each rated for strength and formality.
Results appear here. Descriptions work best when they include the feeling you want: “a polite way to say no”, “a harsh word for lazy”.
Questions
What is a reverse dictionary?
A normal dictionary goes from a word to its meaning. A reverse dictionary goes the other way: you describe the meaning, the feeling or the situation, and it returns words that express it. It is the tool for “it is on the tip of my tongue”.
How do I get better results?
Describe the idea as you would to a friend, include the tone you want (“a polite word for…”, “a harsh word for…”) and pick the part of speech. Short, concrete descriptions work better than long ones.
Is this reverse dictionary free?
Yes, with a fair-use limit of a couple of dozen searches every ten minutes per visitor, because every search runs an AI model.