What is a Thesaurus?
A thesaurus is a structured list of synonyms, related terms, and sometimes antonyms. In search engines, it ensures that queries and content using different words (“sneakers” vs “trainers”) are still matched.
How It Works (quick)
- Synonym groups: Word sets linked together.
- Contextual mapping: May vary by category or locale.
- One-way vs two-way: Couch → sofa (one-way), sofa ↔ couch (two-way).
- Integration: Applied at query analysis or indexing.
Why It Matters in E-commerce
- Bridges the gap between shopper language and catalog descriptions.
- Reduces zero-results from uncommon terms.
- Improves long-tail recall by expanding query options.
Best Practices
- Keep locale-specific thesauri.
- Start manual, expand with logs + ML.
- Audit often to prevent over-expansion (irrelevant matches).
- Weight expansions differently—don’t equalize everything.
Summary
A thesaurus powers synonym mapping in search. Done carefully, it improves recall and ensures products are discoverable under different names.
