Wiktionary:Thesaurus/Purpose

PURPOSE OF Wikisaurus
Wikisaurus is intended to fulfil a number of purposes as an electronic Thesaurus.
 * Given one word, by searching, to provide lists of alternative words with the same or similar meaning.
 * for writers, this may provide an alternative, instead of repeating the use of one word.
 * for readers, this may provide an additional insight to the meaning of a word, which may not be clear from the definitions in the main entry for a word.
 * A user may be trying to recall a particular word. They can be helped to find that word by finding a word with similar meaning in the Wikisaurus.
 * In all cases, the user will still be best advised to check the main entry for the word they have found, to check its usage, definitions etc.

Wikisaurus also serves a purpose for new words just finding their way into Wiktionary.
 * A word may not have its own entry (perhaps not yet meeting the exacting Critieria For Inclusion,) and may first appear in a Wikisaurus entry. The meaning can be understood just through the list of synonyms.
 * This can be particularly true for newly generated words, which will often be found only in the /more page of a Wikisaurus entry.

Further uses of Wikisaurus may develop, as this purpose, and the Wikisaurus content, are by no means yet set in concrete.