Outlook 2016 Thesaurus

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Introduction

The Outlook 2016 Thesaurus, finds synonyms for words and can place them in your document or be copied to your clipboard. The Thesaurus is a powerful tool of Outlook that can help you find that word perching on the tip of your tongue that you can’t seem to catch!

Using the Outlook 2016 Thesaurus

Within the body of a message, select the word for which you’d like to find synonyms. After selecting the word, follow these steps to open the Thesaurus:

  • Open the Review Ribbon (ALT-V)
  • Activate the “Thesaurus” command (E)

The Thesaurus Task Pane

The Thesaurus Task Pane is docked on the right side of the Outlook Window. It consists of three elements.

  • The search edit field
  • The search button
  • The list view of search results

Using the Thesaurus Task Pane

When you activate the Thesaurus with a word selected, the list view contains search results for synonyms that match the selected text. Navigate the list with UP AND DOWN ARROW.

When focused on a word you’d like to use in place of the selected text:

  • Open the Windows Application Menu (WINDOWS APPLICATION KEY)
  • Use UP AND DOWN ARROW to make a selection
  • Press ENTER on the selection

The options available within the Windows Application Menu are:

  • Insert – The text is inserted at the cursor and overwrites selected text
  • Copy – The word is copied to your clipboard

Launch a New Search

There are two ways in which to launch a new search within the Thesaurus of Outlook 2016:

  • Using a search result
  • Creating a new search

Using a Search Result to Launch a New Search

When focused on a search result word, press ENTER on the word to launch a new search to display synonyms of the selected word. Navigate the search results as described above.

Launching a New Search

To launch a new search, use the edit field within the task pane:

  • Focus in the edit field
  • Type the word for which you’d like to display synonyms
  • Press ENTER

The new search launches and the results are displayed in the list view. Press DOWN ARROW to navigate among the search results.

Closing the Thesaurus Task Pane

Some know how o use the Thesaurus but don’t know how to close Task Panes.  Within Office, Task Panes are all closed in the same way.  When focused in the task pane, close it by following these steps:

  • Open the Task Pane Control Menu (CTRL-SPACEBAR)
  • Navigate to “Close” and press ENTER

The Thesaurus Task Pane closes and returns focus to the document.