A dictionary is a list of words, arranged alphabetically, with their meanings. A thesaurus is a list of meanings, arranged by concept, with the words that express those meanings.
If you find a copy of Roget's Thesaurus (I mean the real Roget's Thesaurus), you will find that the first entry is "Existence" (under which are listed words such as reality, actuality, absolute, true and so on) and the second is "Inexistence". Peter Mark Roget, who wrote it, said in his introduction:
The present Work is intended to supply, with respect to the English language, a desideratum hitherto unsupplied in any language; namely, a collection of the words it contains and of the idiomatic combinations peculiar to it, arranged, not in alphabetical order as they are in a Dictionary, but according to the ideas which they express. (Emphasis in original)
Roget considered that his most important creation was the rubric which categorized the meanings of all words and which was the organizing principle of the thesaurus. However, many people found the thesaurus hard to work with. Rather than start with the idea they wanted to express, they preferred to start with a similar word and look for synonyms. As a result people were looking for a Dictionary of Synonyms in which words were listed alphabetically. Nowadays what is sold under the name of "Roget's Thesaurus" is usually not in fact a thesaurus at all, but a Dictionary of Synonyms (and often of Antonyms). Roget would turn over in his grave.
A dictionary tells you the definition (meaning) of a word. A thesaurus gives you words of similar definition An encyclopedia is a database for well known, important, and famous people, events, objects and concepts.
what is the difference between thesaurus and synonym
A thesaurus has antonyms and synonyms but a dictionary doesn't
A dictionary provides a basic definition for a given word. An encyclopedia provides basic information for a given topic, such as a specific person (depending on the encyclopedia).
a synonym is something that means the same thing . a thesaurus is abook that uses bigger words like ginormous
The words
If you would, for instance, read a dictionary, such as the "Webster's Student's Dictionary, you will find that the difference between cultural and cultural is basically nonexistent.
While both encyclopedias and dictionaries provide information that people are seeking, there is a big difference between these two sources. A dictionary defines terms while an encyclopedia gives more in depth information on a source.
Data dictionary allow the user to split data about in multiple direction
An atlas is a collection of maps, while an almanac is a yearly publication containing statistical and general information. A thesaurus is a book that lists synonyms and antonyms of words.
A dictionary has the definition of the word.A glossary is telling you where the word you are looking for is at.A thesaurus is something like a dictionary but not exactly.
An standard dictionary will give you the meaning of a word. An etymological dictionary will give you its origin.