2. Adjectives Flashcards
very enthusiastic (for people)
алчный, жадный до чего-либо, заядлый
avid
(ˈævɪd)
an avid reader/football fan/stamp collector
very obvious, done without shame or embarrassment (used to describe bad things)
очевидный, вопиющий
blatant
(ˈbleɪtnt)
- a blatant attempt to buy votes
- It was a blatant lie.
very beautiful, surprising or impressive
захватывающий, потрясающий, поразительный
breathtaking
(ˈbreθteɪkɪŋ)
- breathtaking view/scenery
- For a child of his age, his knowledge of the subject was breathtaking.
very exciting; for films and books
захватывающий
gripping
(ˈɡrɪpɪŋ)
It was a gripping tale of murder and intrigue.
shocking, making you feel very upset (not used to describe people)
душераздирающий
harrowing
(ˈhærəʊɪŋ)
- a harrowing film/tale/experience
- There were harrowing scenes at the airport as relatives heard news of the crash.
not strict or not careful enough (for safety measures, security, morals, discipline, laws, etc)
слабый, небрежный, нестрогий
lax
(læks)
not strict; used to describe people in a position to punish (parents, teachers, etc)
мягкий, снисходительный, терпимый
lenient
(ˈliːniənt)
The judge was lenient and let him off with a fine.
very sudden and very quick (generally used with the noun rise)
мелькнувший, сверкнувший как метеор; стремительный
meteoric
(ˌmiːtiˈɔːrɪk)
He was unprepared for his meteoric rise to fame
giving the wrong idea or impression
вводящий в заблуждение, обманчивый
misleading
(ˌmɪsˈliːdɪŋ)
- misleading information/advertisements
- It would be seriously misleading to suggest that television has no effect on children.
loud and high-pitched (for noises)
пронзительный, пронизывающий, резкий
piercing
(ˈpɪrsɪŋ)
She let out a piercing scream of terror.
producing a large number of works (for artists, composers and writers)
плодовитый
prolific
(prəˈlɪfɪk)
happening at irregular intervals
спорадический, единичный, случайный, нерегулярный
sporadic
(spəˈrædɪk)
- sporadic fighting/gunfire/violence
- sporadic outbreaks of the disease
very loyal
syn. faithful
верный, преданный
staunch
(stɔːntʃ)
- a staunch supporter of the monarchy
- one of the president’s staunchest allies
- a staunch Catholic
too general and therefore not valid (for statements and generalisations)
не делающий различий; огульный (широкое обобщение)
sweeping
(ˈswiːpɪŋ)
‘Women are bad drivers’ is a sweeping generalisation that is all too common these days.
large and affecting everyone (for changes and reforms)
широкий, с большим охватом; касающийся всех
sweeping
(ˈswiːpɪŋ)
He proposed sweeping changes to the country’s electoral system.
impossible to prove wrong or argue against
водонепроницаемый; выдерживающий критику; неопровержимый
watertight
(ˈwɔːtərtaɪt)
- a watertight alibi
- The case has to be made watertight.
- a pretty watertight argument
boring and depressing
syn. dull
тоскливый, мрачный
dreary
(ˈdrɪri)
- a dreary day/life/town
- Her apartment was dreary and depressing.
boring, without life, excitement or colour
syn. dreary
скучный, тупой, унылый, тусклый, пасмурный
dull
(dʌl)
dull afternoon/ people/ colour/ weather
ordinary, boring, giving little satisfaction; often used to describe jobs
обыденный, скучный; мирской, земной
mundane
(mʌnˈdeɪn)
- He had a mundane job in a local bank.
- I lead a pretty mundane existence.
lasting or taking too long; boring, and often frustrating
утомительный, скучный, нудный, муторный
tedious
(ˈtiːdiəs)
- tedious journey/task/job
- The journey soon became tedious.
- We had to listen to the tedious details of his operation.
extremely bad or unpleasant
syn. terrible
отвратительный; жестокий, зверский, ужасный;
atrocious
(əˈtrəʊʃəs)
- atrocious film/mess/game, etc
- She speaks French with an atrocious accent.
- Isn’t the weather atrocious?
- atrocious acts of brutality (very cruel and making you feel shocked)
very bad; causing fear, pain or difficulty
ужасный, страшный; наводящий ужас; отвратительный
dreadful
(ˈdredfl)
- dreadful weather/mistakes/acting
- What a dreadful thing to say!
- She’s making a dreadful mess of things. (used to emphasize how bad something is)
- They suffered dreadful injuries.
(informal) very bad
паршивый, мерзкий, вшивый
lousy
(ˈlaʊzi)
- lousy day/hotel/teacher/singer
- All she bought me was this lousy T-shirt.
perfect, with no faults
NOT impeccable
безупречный, без изъяна
flawless
(ˈflɔːləs)
- a flawless complexion/performance
- Her English is almost flawless.
perfect, faultless
NOT flawless
безупречный
impeccable
(ɪmˈpekəbl)
- impeccable appearance/reputation/taste in clothes
- Her written English is impeccable.
sth that has not been spoilt or harmed
(formal)
незапятнанный, безупречный
unblemished
(ʌnˈblemɪʃt)
- unblemished record/reputation/character
- her pale unblemished skin
any situation or task that requires a great deal of effort, time, and patience can be considered ____
трудный, напряжённый
arduous
(ˈɑːrdʒuəs)
-Climbing the mountain was an arduous task, but we finally made it to the summit.
-The job of a doctor can be arduous, but it’s also very rewarding.
-Studying for the bar exam was an arduous process, but I finally passed.
tiring and lasting a long time
изнурительный, изматывающий
gruelling
(ˈɡruːəlɪŋ)
gruelling schedule/day/race
needing a lot of physical effort
требующий силы, усилий, напряжения
strenuous
(ˈstrenjuəs)
- strenuous activity/trip/effort/objection
- Avoid strenuous exercise immediately after a meal.
- The plan has met with strenuous opposition.
made wet, dirty or untidy by rain, mud, etc.
забрызганный, испачканный, мокрый (о людях)
bedraggled
(bɪˈdræɡld)
- bedraggled hair/clothes
- I barely recognized the bedraggled figure who staggered in from the storm.
- The two bedraggled children trudged into the house.
very untidy (of hair, clothes or somebody’s general appearance)
взъерошенный, растрепанный
dishevelled
(dɪˈʃevld)
(especially British English)
- He looked tired and dishevelled.
- She returned at 1 a.m. in a dishevelled state.
untidy (for people/places) old and worn out (for clothes)
(informal)
грязный, неряшливый (о людях и местах, одежде)
scruffy
(ˈskrʌfi)
- scruffy pair of jeans/flat/boy
- There was a gang of scruffy kids hanging around.
clever at understanding people and situations
syn. shrewd
проницательный, хитрый, сообразительный, коварный
astute
(əˈstuːt)
- an astute businessman/politician/observer
- It was an astute move to sell the shares then.
- She was astute enough to realize that what Jack wanted was her money.
clever and good at using deception to achieve success
syn. cunning, wily
хитрый, коварный, ловкий
crafty
(ˈkræfti)
crafty man/plan/look
clever and showing good judgement of other people and situations
syn. astute
проницательный, хитрый, умный
shrewd
(ʃruːd)
- shrewd businessman/investment/eyes
- Paul was too shrewd to be taken in by this argument.
- I could take a pretty shrewd guess at who had sent the letter.
clever, experienced at deceiving people and not easily deceived (for people/behaviour)
NOT crafty
лукавый, хитрый; коварный
wily
(ˈwaɪli)
- wily businessman/manoeuvring
- The boss is a wily old fox.
- He was outwitted by his wily opponent.
ordinary, normal
обычный, традиционный, стандартный
conventional
(kənˈvenʃənl)
conventional people/opinions/ideas
ordinary, conventional, neither strange nor extreme; shared by most people
представляющий большинство
mainstream
(ˈmeɪnstriːm)
- mainstream beliefs/ideas/organisations/politics
- His radical views place him outside the mainstream of American politics.
- He was never part of the literary mainstream as a writer.
ordinary, not extreme
syn. moderate
умеренный; неэкстремистский
middle-of-the-road
(ˌmɪdl əv ðə ˈrəʊd)
middle-of-the-road ideas/beliefs/music, etc
Anything can be described as middle-of-the-road if it falls in the middle between two opposing viewpoints, ideas, or positions. This can include political or social views, products, art, music, or any other aspect of life.
ordinary, nothing special
обычный, заурядный, посредственный
run-of-the-mill
(ˌrʌn əv ðə ˈmɪl)
- run-of-the-mill computer/supermarket
- These should be run-of-the-mill problems to the experienced manager.
