Whatever along the way Flashcards
curious
cu‧ri‧ous /ˈkjʊəriəs $ ˈkjʊr-/ ●●○ W3 adjective
1 wanting to know about something → inquisitive
inquisitive
inquisitive
in‧quis‧i‧tive /ɪnˈkwɪzətɪv/ adjective
1 asking too many questions and trying to find out too many details about something or someone
insatiable
in‧sa‧tia‧ble /ɪnˈseɪʃəbəl/ adjective
always wanting more and more of something
insatiable appetite/desire/demand etc (for something)
his insatiable appetite for power
our insatiable thirst for knowledge
—insatiably adverb
avocado
av‧o‧ca‧do /ˌævəˈkɑːdəʊ◂ $ -doʊ◂/ (also avocado pear) noun (plural avocados) [countable]
Image of avocadoa fruit with a thick green or dark purple skin that is green inside and has a large seed in the middle
bread
bread /bred/ ●●● S2 W3 noun [uncountable]
1 a type of food made from flour and water that is mixed together and then baked
Would you like some bread with your soup?
a loaf of brown bread
a piece of bread and butter
2 → your/somebody’s bread and butter
3 → know which side your bread is buttered on
informal to know which people to be nice to in order to get advantages for yourself
4 old-fashioned informal money
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES
fresh
Eat the bread while it’s nice and fresh.
stale (=hard and no longer fresh)
This bread’s stale – shall I throw it away?
crusty (=having a hard crust that is nice to eat)
Serve the soup with crusty bread.
mouldy British English, moldy American English (=covered with a green substance that grows on old food)
All there was in the house was a loaf of mouldy old bread.
white/brown bread
Would you like white bread or brown bread?
wholewheat bread (also wholemeal bread British English) (=bread made with flour that contains all of the grain)
Wholemeal bread is good for you.
home-made/home-baked bread
I love home-made bread.
PHRASES
a slice/piece of bread
Can I have another slice of bread?
a loaf of bread
He’s gone to buy a loaf of bread.
a chunk of bread (=a piece that you pull off a loaf instead of cutting it)
He tore off a chunk of bread and dipped it in the sauce.
VERBS
make/bake bread
We usually make our own bread.
cut/slice bread
Could you cut some bread?
tyrant
ty‧rant /ˈtaɪərənt $ ˈtaɪr-/ ●○○ noun [countable]
1 a ruler who has complete power and uses it in a cruel and unfair way
The country had long been ruled by tyrants.
2 someone who has power over other people, and uses it cruelly or unfairly
My headmaster was a real tyrant.
tyranny
tyr‧an‧ny /ˈtɪrəni/ noun (plural tyrannies) [countable, uncountable]
1 cruel or unfair control over other people
Gorky was often the victim of his grandfather’s tyranny.
the fight against tyranny
2 cruel and unfair government
organizations which have criticized the tyrannies of the government
3 → tyranny of the majority
tyranny of the minority
4 something in your life that limits your freedom to do things the way you want to
tyranny of
the tyranny of the nine-to-five working day
tyrannical
ty‧ran‧ni‧cal /təˈrænɪkəl/ adjective
behaving in a cruel and unfair way towards someone you have power over → tyrant
a tyrannical parent
tyrannical laws
authority
au‧thor‧i‧ty /ɔːˈθɒrəti, ə- $ ɒːˈθɑː-, əˈθɔː-/ ●●● W1 AWL noun (plural authorities)
1 POWER [uncountable] the power you have because of your official position
the authority to do something
Only the president has the authority to declare war.
authority over
Several countries claim authority over the islands.
in authority
I need to speak to someone in authority (=who has a position of power).
2 → the authorities
authorize
au‧thor‧ize (also authorise British English) /ˈɔːθəraɪz $ ˈɒː-/ ●○○ verb [transitive]
to give official permission for something
an authorized biography
authorize somebody to do something
Napoleon III authorized Haussmann to rebuild Paris.
► see thesaurus at allow
authority collocation
COLLOCATIONS
VERBS
have authority
Teachers should have the authority to discipline their students.
He has no authority over us anymore.
exercise/exert your authority (also wield authority formal) (=use your authority)
In practice it’s very difficult for the president to exercise his authority.
He was one of those people who want to wield authority over others.
abuse/misuse your authority (=use your authority in a bad way)
The mayor was accused of abusing his authority and taking bribes.
establish/assert/impose/stamp your authority (=show people that you have authority)
The new manager was anxious to establish her authority.
Robertson quickly stamped his authority on the team.
The State Department pressed him to take bolder steps to assert his authority.
lose your authority
He’s worried that he is losing his authority over the party.
undermine/weaken somebody’s authority (=make someone’s authority weaker)
I wasn’t trying to undermine your authority.
exceed/overstep your authority (=do more than you have the power or right to do)
A higher court decided that the judge had exceeded his authority.
challenge somebody’s authority (=try to take the power away from someone)
There had been no-one to really challenge his authority.
authoritarian
au‧thor‧i‧tar‧i‧an /ɔːˌθɒrəˈteəriən◂ $ ɒːˌθɑːrəˈter-, əˌθɔː-/ ●○○ adjective
strictly forcing people to obey a set of rules or laws, especially ones that are wrong or unfair
an authoritarian government
Critics claim his management has become too authoritarian.
► see thesaurus at strict
—authoritarian noun [countable]
—authoritarianism noun [uncountable]
authoritative
au‧thor‧i‧ta‧tive /ɔːˈθɒrətətɪv, ə- $ ɒːˈθɑːrəteɪtɪv, əˈθɔː-/ ●○○ AWL adjective
1 an authoritative book, account etc is respected because the person who wrote it knows a lot about the subject
the most authoritative work on English surnames
2 behaving or speaking in a confident determined way that makes people respect and obey you
He has a commanding presence and an authoritative voice.
—authoritatively adverb
totalitarian
to‧tal‧i‧tar‧i‧an /təʊˌtæləˈteəriən $ toʊˌtæləˈter-/ adjective
based on a political system in which ordinary people have no power and are completely controlled by the government
a totalitarian state/regime
► see thesaurus at government
—totalitarianism noun [uncountable]
salvation
sal‧va‧tion /sælˈveɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
1 something that prevents or saves someone or something from danger, loss, or failure
be somebody’s/something’s salvation
A drug treatment program was Ron’s salvation.
salvation of
The Internet turned out to be the salvation of the company.
2 in the Christian religion, the state of being saved from evil
the Salvation Army
a Christian organization that tries to help poor people
→ Salvation Army
enact
en‧act /ɪˈnækt/ verb [transitive]
1 formal to act in a play, story etc
a drama enacted on a darkened stage
2 law to make a proposal into a law
Congress refused to enact the bill.
—enactment noun [countable, uncountable]
trespass
tres‧pass1 /ˈtrespəs $ -pəs, -pæs/ verb [intransitive]
1 to go onto someone’s private land without their permission
trespass on
She was arrested for trespassing on government property.
► see thesaurus at enter
2 old use to do something wrong SYN sin
—trespasser noun [countable]
encroach
en‧croach /ɪnˈkrəʊtʃ $ -ˈkroʊtʃ/ verb [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]
1 to gradually take more of someone’s time, possessions, rights etc than you should
encroach on/upon
Bureaucratic power has encroached upon the freedom of the individual.
2 to gradually cover more and more land
encroach into
The fighting encroached further east.
—encroachment noun [countable, uncountable]
foreign encroachment
parkour
par·kour /pɑːˈkʊə $ pɑːrˈkʊr/ noun [uncountable]
the sport of running through city streets and jumping between buildings SYN freerunning
leprechaun
lep‧re‧chaun /ˈleprəkɔːn $ -kɑːn, -kɒːn/ noun [countable]
an imaginary creature in the form of a little old man, in old Irish stories
and they are allegedly rich
clover
clo‧ver /ˈkləʊvə $ ˈkloʊvər/ noun [uncountable]
1 Image of clovera small plant, usually with three leaves on each stem. If you find one with four leaves, it is thought to bring you luck
a four-leaf clover
daisy
dai‧sy /ˈdeɪzi/ noun (plural daisies) [countable]
1 Image of daisya white flower with a yellow centre
2 → be pushing up (the) daisies = to be dead – used humorously
→ as fresh as a daisy1(11) = Despite his busy day he arrived looking as fresh as a daisy (=not tired and ready to do things).
genesis
gen‧e‧sis /ˈdʒenɪsɪs/ noun [singular] formal
the beginning or origin of something
genesis of
the genesis of the myth
exodus
ex‧o‧dus /ˈeksədəs/ noun [singular]
a situation in which a lot of people leave a particular place at the same time
exodus of
A massive exodus of doctors is forcing the government to recruit from abroad.
exodus from/to
the exodus from the countryside to the towns in the 19th century
I joined the mass exodus for drinks during the interval.
Genesis
Genesis
the first book of the Old Testament of the Bible, which describes the history of the Earth and its people. It includes the creation of Heaven and the Earth, the story of Adam and Eve and, and the story of the flood. Many people know the first words of Genesis
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Exodus
Exodus
the second book of the Old Testament of the Bible, which tells the story of the Exodus, the journey out of Egypt to the Promised Land, made by Moses and the Israelites
Israelite
Is‧rael‧ite /ˈɪzrəlaɪt $ ˈɪzriə-/ noun, adjective biblical
someone who lived in Israel in the past when it was ruled by kings, or relating to this country or its people
Zionism
Zi‧on‧is‧m /ˈzaɪənɪzəm/ noun [uncountable]
support for the establishment and development of a state for the Jews in Israel
—Zionist noun [countable], adjective
Judaism
Ju‧da‧is‧m /ˈdʒuːdeɪ-ɪzəm, ˈdʒuːdə- $ ˈdʒuːdə-, ˈdʒuːdi-/ noun [uncountable]
the Jewish religion based on the sacred books known as the Hebrew Scriptures. These writings contain many of the books that are also in the Old Testament of the Christian bible.
—Judaic /dʒuːˈdeɪ-ɪk/ adjective
Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian
adjective
Ju·deo-Chris·tian jü-ˌdā-ō-ˈkris-chən -ˈkrish-, also ˌjü-dē-ō-, or jü-ˌdē-ō-
: having historical roots in both Judaism and Christianity
cloaca
/ kloʊˈeɪ kə /
The common cavity that serves as the opening for the intestinal, genital, and urinary tracts in many vertebrates, including amphibians, reptiles, birds, monotremes, and some fishes.
The posterior part of the intestinal tract in various invertebrates.
debilitate
de‧bil‧i‧tate /dɪˈbɪlɪteɪt/ verb [transitive] formal
1 to make someone ill and weak
He was debilitated by his illness.
2 to make an organization or system less effective or powerful
The state is debilitated by inefficiency and corruption.
—debilitating adjective
a debilitating disease
sterile
ster‧ile /ˈsteraɪl $ -rəl/ adjective
1 a person or animal that is sterile cannot produce babies SYN infertile OPP fertile
make/render/leave somebody sterile
Radiotherapy has left her permanently sterile.
2 completely clean and not containing any bacteria that might cause infection
sterile equipment/water/bandages etc
Rinse the eye with sterile water.
► see thesaurus at clean
3 lacking new ideas, interest, or imagination OPP productive
sterile argument/debate etc
the increasingly sterile debate on political reform
4 a sterile building, room etc is not interesting or attractive and is often very plain
The classrooms are sterile, with no artwork on the walls.
5 sterile land cannot be used to grow crops SYN barren
—sterility /stəˈrɪləti/ noun [uncountable]
castrate
cas‧trate /kæˈstreɪt $ ˈkæstreɪt/ verb [transitive]
to remove the testicles of a male animal or a man
—castration /kæˈstreɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
gouge
gouge1 /ɡaʊdʒ/ verb [transitive]
to make a deep hole or cut in the surface of something
He took a knife and gouged a hole in the bottom of the boat.
→ gouge something ↔ out
chaplain
chap‧lain /ˈtʃæplɪn/ noun [countable]
a priest or other religious minister responsible for the religious needs of a club, the army, a hospital etc
the prison chaplain
covenant
cov‧e‧nant /ˈkʌvənənt/ noun [countable]
a legal agreement in which someone promises to pay a person or organization an amount of money regularly → endowment
—covenant verb [intransitive, transitive]
He covenanted to pay £30 a month into the fund.
soulless
spelling
countenance
coun‧te‧nance1 /ˈkaʊntənəns/ noun
[countable] literary your face or your expression
All colour drained from her countenance.
countenance2 verb [transitive]
formal to accept, support, or approve of something
countenance (somebody) doing something
I will not countenance you being rude to Dr Baxter.
contentment
con‧tent‧ment /kənˈtentmənt/ noun [uncountable]
the state of being happy and satisfied OPP discontent
He gave a sigh of contentment, and fell asleep.
a feeling of deep contentment
► see thesaurus at pleasure
discontentment
dis‧con‧tent /ˌdɪskənˈtent/ (also discontentment /-ˈtentmənt/) noun [uncountable]
a feeling of being unhappy and not satisfied with the situation you are in OPP contentment
discontent with
Discontent with the current government is strong.
discontent at/over
There is widespread discontent at the quality of education.
Perhaps she sensed my growing discontent.
ruminate
ru‧mi‧nate /ˈruːməneɪt/ verb [intransitive]
1 formal to think carefully and deeply about something
ruminate on/over
He sat alone, ruminating on the injustice of the world.
2 technical if animals such as cows ruminate, they bring food back into their mouths from their stomachs and chew it again
—rumination /ˌruːməˈneɪʃən/ noun [countable, uncountable]
monetarily
spelling
monetary
desperate
spelling
immoral
im‧mor‧al /ɪˈmɒrəl $ ɪˈmɔː-/ adjective
1 morally wrong → amoral
Deliberately making people suffer is immoral.
It’s immoral to be rich while people are starving and homeless.
2 not following accepted standards of sexual behaviour
—immorally adverb
—immorality /ˌɪməˈræləti/ noun [uncountable]
un‧eth‧i‧cal /ʌnˈeθɪkəl/ AWL adjective
morally unacceptable → ethics
unethical medical practices
—unethically /-kli/ adverb
scrape
scrape1 /skreɪp/ ●●○ verb
1 [transitive] to remove something from a surface using the edge of a knife, a stick etc
Scrape the carrots and slice them thinly.
scrape something away/off
The earth was scraped away to uncover a trapdoor.
scrape something off/into etc something
Teresa scraped the mud off her boots.
The two of them scraped their dishes clean.
2 [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] to rub against a rough surface in a way that causes slight damage or injury, or to make something do this → graze
The coat was too long; the hem scraped the pavement.
scrape against/on etc
I heard the side of the car scrape against the wall.
scrape something against/on something
I scraped my knee painfully on the concrete.
3 [intransitive, transitive] to make a noise by rubbing roughly against a surface
Chairs scraped loudly as they stood up.
scrape (something) on/down/against something
He opened the gate quietly, trying not to let it scrape on the gravel.
4 → scrape home
5 → scrape (the bottom of) the barrel
6 [transitive] technical if a computer program scrapes data, it collects it from a website
caffeine
caf‧feine /ˈkæfiːn $ kæˈfiːn/ noun [uncountable]
a substance in tea, coffee, and some other drinks that makes you feel more active → decaffeinated
Avoid caffeine (=drinks with caffeine) before bedtime.
a caffeine-free cola
—caffeinated /ˈkæfɪneɪtɪd/ adjective
booze
booze1 /buːz/ noun [singular, uncountable]
informal alcoholic drink
a bottle of booze
on the booze
He’s been on the booze (=drinking too much alcohol) for five days.
off the booze
My husband is now off the booze (=no longer drinking too much alcohol) and he is a different person.
cull
cull1 /kʌl/ verb [transitive]
1 to kill animals so that there are not too many of them, or so that a disease does not spread
2 formal to find or choose information from many different places SYN collate
cull something from something
The data had been culled from a variety of sources.
vacant
va‧cant /ˈveɪkənt/ ●●○ adjective
1 a vacant seat, building, room, or piece of land is empty and available for someone to use
Only a few apartments were still vacant.
There was only a vacant lot (=empty unused area of land in a city) where her house used to be.
► see thesaurus at empty
Register
In everyday English, people usually say that a seat or room is free rather than vacant:
Is this seat free?
2 formal a job or position in an organization that is vacant is available for someone to start doing
fall vacant British English (=become vacant)
He was offered the position of headmaster when it fell vacant.
situations vacant British English (=the part of a newspaper where jobs are advertised)
3 → vacant expression/look/stare etc
—vacantly adverb
Cindy was staring vacantly into space.
vacancy
va‧can‧cy /ˈveɪkənsi/ ●○○ noun (plural vacancies)
1 [countable] a job that is available for someone to start doing
There are still two vacancies on the school board.
vacancy for
We have no vacancies for photographers at the moment.
The council is making every effort to fill the vacancies.
information about job vacancies
► see thesaurus at job
2 [countable] a room in a hotel or building that is not being used and is available for someone to stay in
Let me see if we have a vacancy for tonight.
‘No vacancies’, the sign read.
3 [uncountable] written lack of interest or thought
His mouth fell open and the look of vacancy returned.
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + VACANCY
a job vacancy
He searched the newspapers regularly for job vacancies.
a suitable vacancy
We will keep your CV on file in case other suitable vacancies arise.
an unfilled vacancy (=a job for which no one has been hired)
The teaching unions estimate there are some 10,000 unfilled vacancies.
a staff vacancy
Other officers are working overtime because of staff vacancies.
VERBS
have a vacancy
We have no vacancies for cleaners at present.
advertise a vacancy
Where did you see the vacancy advertised?
fill a vacancy (=find or be a new person for a job)
We are making every effort to fill the vacancies.
create/leave a vacancy
the vacancy which was created by White’s resignation
there is a vacancy
She asked if there were any vacancies for salespeople.
a vacancy comes up (also a vacancy arises/occurs formal) (=there is a vacancy)
A vacancy has arisen on the committee.
endure
en‧dure /ɪnˈdjʊə $ ɪnˈdjʊr/ ●○○ verb
1 [transitive] to be in a difficult or painful situation for a long time without complaining
It seemed impossible that anyone could endure such pain.
endure doing something
He can’t endure being apart from me.
Register
In everyday English, people usually say stand rather than endure:
I couldn’t stand the pain.
2 [intransitive] to remain alive or continue to exist for a long time
friendships which endure over many years
axis
ax‧is /ˈæksɪs/ ●○○ noun (plural axes /-siːz/) [countable]
1 the imaginary line around which a large round object, such as the Earth, turns
The Earth rotates on an axis between the north and south poles.
2 a line drawn across the middle of a regular shape that divides it into two equal parts
3 either of the two lines of a graph, by which the positions of points are measured
the vertical/horizontal axis
tripe
tripe /traɪp/ noun [uncountable]
1 the stomach of a cow or pig, used as food
tripe and onions
2 especially British English informal something someone says or writes that is stupid or untrue
What Charles was saying was utter tripe.
samp
Samp
South African corn kernel dish
Samp is a food made from dried corn kernels that have been pounded and chopped until broken, but not as finely ground as mealie-meal or mielie rice. The coating around the kernel loosens and is removed during the pounding and stamping process.
chronology
chro‧nol‧o‧gy /krəˈnɒlədʒi $ -ˈnɑː-/ noun (plural chronologies)
1 [uncountable] the order in which events happened in the past
chronology of
It is important to establish the chronology of the events.
2 [countable] an account of events in the order in which they happened
The book includes a chronology of his life and works.
chronological
chron‧o‧log‧i‧cal /ˌkrɒnəˈlɒdʒɪkəl◂ $ ˌkrɑːnəˈlɑː-/ adjective
1 arranged according to when things happened or were made
We arranged the documents in chronological order.
2 → chronological age
—chronologically /-kli/ adverb
The paintings are displayed chronologically.
amen
a‧men /ɑːˈmen, eɪ-/ interjection, noun [countable]
1 a word used to end a prayer
Blessed be the Lord, Amen!
McAllister murmured a fervent amen.
2 → amen to that
steadfast
stead‧fast /ˈstedfɑːst $ -fæst/ adjective literary
1 faithful and very loyal
her father’s steadfast love for her
2 being certain that you are right about something and refusing to change your opinion in any way
steadfast in
Dr Faraday remained steadfast in his plea of innocence.
—steadfastly adverb
—steadfastness noun [uncountable]
veil
veil1 /veɪl/ ●○○ noun [countable]
1 a thin piece of material that women wear to cover their faces at formal occasions or for religious reasons
She lifted her veil with both hands.
a bridal veil
2 → the veil
3 → draw a veil over something
4 → veil of secrecy/deceit/silence etc
5 → veil of mist/cloud/smoke etc
6 → take the veil
vale
vale /veɪl/ noun [countable] literary
1 a broad low valley
2 → a/the/this vale of tears: a/the/this vale of tears literary
an expression used to mean the difficulties of life
celestial
ce‧les‧ti‧al /səˈlestiəl $ -tʃəl/ adjective [usually before noun]
1 relating to the sky or heaven
celestial bodies (=the Sun, Moon, stars etc)
2 literary very beautiful
levitate
lev‧i‧tate /ˈlevɪteɪt/ verb [intransitive, transitive]
to rise and float in the air by magic, or to make someone or something do this
—levitation /ˌlevɪˈteɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
depot
dep‧ot /ˈdepəʊ $ ˈdiːpoʊ/ ●○○ noun [countable]
1 a place where goods are stored until they are needed
the company’s distribution depot
a fuel storage depot
2 → bus/tram etc depot
3 American English a railway station or bus station, especially a small one
sarcophagus
sar‧coph‧a‧gus /sɑːˈkɒfəɡəs $ sɑːrˈkɑː-/ noun (plural sarcophagi /-ɡaɪ/) [countable]
a decorated stone box for a dead body, used in ancient times
Examples from the Corpus
sarcophagus
* Stylianos Alexiou describes pictures on a sarcophagus that show music being played at a bull sacrifice.
* In the centre stood a sarcophagus.
exorbitant
ex‧or‧bi‧tant /ɪɡˈzɔːbətənt $ -ɔːr-/ ●○○ adjective
an exorbitant price, amount of money etc is much higher than it should be SYN astronomical
exorbitant rent/prices etc
exorbitant rates of interest
► see thesaurus at expensive
—exorbitantly adverb
raise / rise
/reɪz/ ●●● S1 W1
/raɪz/ ●●● S2 W1
raised / rose
(past tense rose /rəʊz $ roʊz/, past participle risen /ˈrɪzən/)
ride
(past tense rode /rəʊd $ roʊd/, past participle ridden /ˈrɪdn/)
socialite
so‧cial‧ite /ˈsəʊʃəl-aɪt $ ˈsoʊ-/ noun [countable]
someone who is well known for going to many fashionable parties, and who is often rich
a Washington socialite
so‧cial1 /ˈsəʊʃəl $ ˈsoʊ-/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective
robust
ro‧bust /rəˈbʌst, ˈrəʊbʌst $ rəˈbʌst, ˈroʊ-/ ●○○ adjective
1 a robust person is strong and healthy
a robust man of six feet four
► see thesaurus at healthy
2 a robust system, organization etc is strong and not likely to have problems
The formerly robust economy has begun to weaken.
3 a robust object is strong and not likely to break SYN sturdy
a robust metal cabinet
► see thesaurus at strong
4 showing determination or strong opinions
a typically robust performance by the prime minister
5 robust food or flavours have a good strong taste
a robust cheese
—robustly adverb
—robustness noun [uncountable]
abomination
a‧bom‧i‧na‧tion /əˌbɒməˈneɪʃən $ əˌbɑː-/ noun
[countable] someone or something that is extremely offensive or unacceptable
Slavery was an abomination.
disgusting?
Examples from the Corpus
abomination
* His ruling may have been an abomination, but it was neither a high crime nor a misdemeanor.
perseverance
per‧se‧ver‧ance /ˌpɜːrsəˈvɪrəns / noun [uncountable]
determination to keep trying to achieve something in spite of difficulties – use this to show approval
It took perseverance to overcome his reading problems.
Examples from the Corpus
perseverance
* Captain Benson praised his men’s courage and perseverance in dealing with a very dangerous situation.
* All of them continue to enhance the role of the church musician by their devotion and perseverance.
devotion
de‧vo‧tion /dɪˈvəʊʃən $ -ˈvoʊ-/ ●○○ AWL noun
1 [uncountable] the strong love that you show when you pay a lot of attention to someone or something
devotion to
Alanna has always shown intense devotion to her children.
2 [uncountable] the loyalty that you show towards a person, job etc, especially by working hard → dedication
devotion to
the soldier’s courage and devotion to duty
his integrity and devotion to his patients
3 [uncountable] strong religious feeling
vaudeville
vau‧de‧ville /ˈvɒːdvɪl/ noun [uncountable] American English
a type of theatre entertainment, popular from the 1880s to the 1950s, in which there were many short performances of different kinds, including singing, dancing, jokes etc → music hall
mind-boggling
mind-ˌboggling adjective informal
difficult to imagine and very big, strange, or complicated
a problem of mind-boggling complexity
mind-bending
mind-ˌbending adjective [usually before noun] informal
1 mind-bending drugs have a strong effect on your mind and make you have very strange feelings and experiences
2 difficult to understand
Infinity in space is a mind-bending concept.
Examples from the Corpus
mind-bending
* The forms have a page of mind-bending charts to help you figure out your tax.
* Perhaps it all has something to do with those mind-bending drugs.
grandeur
gran‧deur /ˈɡrændʒjər / noun [uncountable]
impressive beauty, power, or size
the grandeur of the mountains
→ delusions of grandeur = the belief that you are much more important or powerful than you really are
Examples from the Corpus
grandeur
* It is foreign domesticity and local grandeur.
* The classical progression is then to delusions of grandeur with absurd claims of past and present achievements.
* Delusions of grandeur, of course.
tinker
tin‧ker1 /ˈtɪŋkə $ -ər/ verb [intransitive]
to make small changes to something in order to repair it or make it work better
tinker with
Congress has been tinkering with the legislation.
tinker around with something
Dad was always tinkering around with engines.
parlor
parlor American English, par‧lour British English /ˈpɑːlə $ ˈpɑːrlər/ noun [countable]
1 → ice-cream/funeral/tattoo parlour
2 old-fashioned a room in a house which has comfortable chairs and is used for meeting guests
brothel
broth‧el /ˈbrɒθəl $ ˈbrɑː-, ˈbrɒː-/ noun [countable]
a house where men pay to have sex with prostitutes
malleable
mal‧le‧a‧ble /ˈmæliəbəl/ adjective
1 technical something that is malleable is easy to press or pull into a new shape
malleable steel
2 formal someone who is malleable can be easily influenced or changed by other people
a malleable child
—malleability /ˌmæliəˈbɪləti/ noun [uncountable]
gullible
gul‧li‧ble /ˈɡʌləbəl/ adjective
too ready to believe what other people tell you, so that you are easily tricked
Plastic replicas of the Greek pottery are sold to gullible tourists.
—gullibility /ˌɡʌləˈbɪləti/ noun [uncountable]
venereal disease
ve‧ne‧re‧al dis‧ease /vəˈnɪəriəl dɪˌziːz $ -ˈnɪr-/ noun [countable, uncountable] old-fashioned VD
STD
ingenious
in‧ge‧ni‧ous /ɪnˈdʒiːniəs/ ●○○ adjective
1 an ingenious plan, idea, or object works well and is the result of clever thinking and new ideas
Many fish have ingenious ways of protecting their eggs from predators.
an ingenious device
2 someone who is ingenious is very good at inventing things or at thinking of new ideas
—ingeniously adverb
Examples from the Corpus
ingenious
* A scanner is an ingenious device which enables you to feed pictures, photos or documents into a computer system.
* The catalogue is full of ingenious ideas for transforming your house into a dream home.
indigenous
in‧di‧ge‧nous /ɪnˈdɪdʒənəs/ adjective formal
indigenous people or things have always been in the place where they are, rather than being brought there from somewhere else SYN native
indigenous to
Blueberries are indigenous to America.
the many indigenous cultures which existed in Siberia
indecent
in‧de‧cent /ɪnˈdiːsənt/ adjective
1 something that is indecent is shocking and offensive, usually because it involves sex or shows parts of the body that are usually covered
indecent exposure
He was found guilty of possessing indecent photographs.
You can’t go out in that dress – it’s positively indecent!
2 completely unacceptable
The funeral formalities were performed with almost indecent haste.
—indecently adverb
an indecently short skirt
misfire
mis‧fire /ˌmɪsˈfaɪə $ -ˈfaɪr/ verb [intransitive]
1 if a plan or joke misfires, it goes wrong and does not have the result that you intended → backfire
His attempt at a joke misfired.
I was worried that the plan might misfire.
2 if an engine misfires, the petrol mixture does not burn at the right time
3 if a gun misfires, the bullet does not come out
plummet
plum‧met /ˈplʌmɪt/ (also plummet down) verb [intransitive]
1 to suddenly and quickly decrease in value or amount SYN plunge
plummet from something to something
Profits plummeted from £49 million to £11 million.
House prices have plummeted down.
► see thesaurus at decrease
2 to fall suddenly and quickly from a very high place SYN plunge
The plane plummeted towards the Earth.
mirage
mi‧rage /ˈmɪrɑːʒ $ məˈrɑːʒ/ noun [countable]
1 an effect caused by hot air in a desert, which makes you think that you can see objects when they are not actually there
2 a dream, hope, or wish that cannot come true SYN illusion
Perhaps we are just chasing a mirage.
climactic
cli‧mac‧tic /klaɪˈmæktɪk/ adjective
forming a very exciting or important part of an event or story, especially near the end of it → climax
a climactic moment
Examples from the Corpus
climactic
* They moved together to the edge of fulfilment - and beyond, crying out as the climactic explosion burst upon them.
rowdy
row‧dy1 /ˈraʊdi/ adjective
behaving in a noisy rough way that is likely to cause arguments and fighting
gangs of rowdy youths
► see thesaurus at loud
—rowdily adverb
—rowdiness noun [uncountable]
—rowdyism noun [uncountable]
niusance
nui‧sance /ˈnjuːsəns $ ˈnuː-/ ●●○ S3 noun
1 [countable usually singular] a person, thing, or situation that annoys you or causes problems
a real/awful/terrible etc nuisance
The dogs next door are a real nuisance.
What a nuisance! British English
What a nuisance! I’ve forgotten my ticket.
I hate to be a nuisance …/Sorry to be a nuisance …
I hate to be a nuisance, but could you move your car to the other side of the street?
Stop making a nuisance of yourself (=annoying other people with your behaviour)!
It’s a nuisance having to get up that early on a Sunday morning.
2 [countable, uncountable] law the use of a place or property in a way that causes public annoyance
The nightclub has been declared a public nuisance.
heyday
hey‧day /ˈheɪdeɪ/ noun [countable usually singular]
the time when someone or something was most popular, successful, or powerful
in somebody’s heyday
Greta Garbo in her heyday
apologize
apology
spelling
inquire / enquire
enquire = mostly British English
cost
conjugation: cost / cost / cost
antelope
an‧te‧lope /ˈæntələʊp $ ˈæntəl-oʊp/ noun [countable]
an animal with long horns that can run very fast and is very graceful
springbok
/ˈsprɪŋbɒk $ -bɑːk/ noun [countable]
a small deer that can run fast and lives in South Africa
ostrich
/ˈɒstrɪtʃ $ ˈɒː-, ˈɑː-/ noun [countable]
1 Image of ostricha large African bird with long legs, that runs very quickly but cannot fly
2 informal someone who does not deal with difficult problems but tries to pretend that they do not exist
Do ostriches bury their head in the sand? Nope, it’s a myth.
medallion
a piece of metal shaped like a large coin, worn as jewellery on a chain around the neck
a silver medallion
stoep
porch /pɔːtʃ $ pɔːrtʃ/ ●●● S3 noun [countable]
1 British English an entrance covered by a roof outside the front door of a house or church
2 American English a structure built onto the front or back entrance of a house, with a floor and a roof but no walls
tripe
tripe /traɪp/ noun [uncountable]
1 the stomach of a cow or pig, used as food
tripe and onions
2 especially British English informal something someone says or writes that is stupid or untrue
What Charles was saying was utter tripe.
kudu
küdü
greater kudu
a large African antelope
antidote
/ˈæntɪdəʊt $ -doʊt/ ●○○ noun [countable]
1 a substance that stops the effects of a poison
antidote to
There is no known antidote to a bite from this snake.
2 something that makes an unpleasant situation better
laughter, the antidote to stress
lunisolar
reminder
chapel
ˈtʃæpəl/ ●●○ noun
1 [countable] a small church, or a room in a hospital, prison, big church etc in which Christians pray and have religious services
2 [countable] a building where Christians who are Nonconformists have religious services
3 [uncountable] British English the religious services held in a chapel
Bethan goes to chapel every Sunday.
4 [countable] British English the members of a union in the newspaper or printing industry
Chaplin
spelling
up in arms
protesting vigorously against sth
Gemini
spelling / Pron.
magpie
mag‧pie /ˈmæɡpaɪ/ noun [countable]
1 a bird with black and white feathers and a long tail
2 informal someone who likes collecting things
raven
/ˈreɪvən/ noun [countable]
a large shiny black bird
raven2 adjective [only before noun] literary
raven hair is black and shiny
crow
crow1 /krəʊ $ kroʊ/ noun
1 [countable] a large shiny black bird with a loud cry
2 [singular] the loud sound a cock makes
scarecrow
scare‧crow /ˈskeəkrəʊ $ ˈskerkroʊ/ noun [countable]
an object in the shape of a person that a farmer puts in a field to frighten birds away
American English a weak opponent or imaginary argument that can easily be defeated
parole
/pəˈrəʊl $ -ˈroʊl/ noun [uncountable]
permission for someone to leave prison, on the condition that they promise to behave well
on parole
He was released on parole after serving two years.
She will become eligible for parole in 19 months.
dreary
/ˈdrɪəri $ ˈdrɪri/ (also drear /drɪə $ drɪr/ literary) adjective
dull and making you feel sad or bored
the same dreary routine
a dreary winter’s day
—dreariness noun [uncountable]
axis
/ˈæksɪs/ ●○○ noun (plural axes /-siːz/) [countable]
1 the imaginary line around which a large round object, such as the Earth, turns
The Earth rotates on an axis between the north and south poles.
2 a line drawn across the middle of a regular shape that divides it into two equal parts
3 either of the two lines of a graph, by which the positions of points are measured
the vertical/horizontal axis
Axis, the (also the Axis powers, the Axis countries) noun
the countries, including Germany, Italy, and Japan, who fought together during World War II against the Allies.
Axis of ˈEvil, the
a phrase used by US President George W. Bush in a speech in April 2002 to describe countries that he claimed supported terrorism (=use of violence to obtain political demands) and wanted to obtain chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons
superfluous
su‧per‧flu‧ous /suːˈpɜːfluəs $ -ˈpɜːr-/ adjective formal
more than is needed or wanted SYN unnecessary
a modern building with no superfluous decoration
—superfluously adverb
superficial
su‧per‧fi‧cial /ˌsuːpəˈfɪʃəl◂ $ -pər-/ ●○○ adjective
1 NOT LOOKING/STUDYING CAREFULLY not studying or looking at something carefully and only seeing the most noticeable things
superficial examination/study etc
Even a superficial inspection revealed serious flaws.
Naturally, such visits can allow only the most superficial understanding of prison life.
2 APPEARANCE seeming to have a particular quality, although this is not true or real
superficial resemblance/similarity
Despite their superficial similarities, the two novels are, in fact, very different.
Beneath his refined manners and superficial elegance lay something treacherous.
at/on a superficial level
At a superficial level, things seem to have remained the same.
3 WOUND/DAMAGE affecting only the surface of your skin or the outside part of something, and therefore not serious
She escaped with only superficial cuts and bruises.
superficial damage
4 PERSON someone who is superficial does not think about things that are serious or important – used to show disapproval SYN shallow
All the other girls seemed silly and superficial to Darlene.
5 NOT IMPORTANT superficial changes, difficulties etc are not important and do not have a big effect SYN minor
superficial changes in government policies
6 TOP LAYER existing in or relating to the top layer of something, especially soil, rock etc
—superficially adverb
—superficiality /ˌsuːpəfɪʃiˈæləti $ -pər-/ noun [uncountable]
counterintuitive
/ˌkaʊn.t̬ɚ.ɪnˈtuː.ɪ.t̬ɪv/
replicate
/ˈreplɪkeɪt/ ●○○ verb
1 [transitive] formal if you replicate someone’s work, a scientific study etc, you do it again, or try to get the same result again
There is a need for further research to replicate these findings.
2 [intransitive, transitive] technical if a virus or a molecule replicates, or if it replicates itself, it divides and produces exact copies of itself
the ability of DNA to replicate itself
—replication /ˌreplɪˈkeɪʃən/ noun [countable, uncountable]
replica
/ˈreplɪkə/ noun [countable]
an exact copy of something, especially a building, a gun, or a work of art
replica of
an exact replica of the Taj Mahal
replica guns
leap year
leap year noun [countable]
a year, which happens every fourth year, when February has 29 days instead of 28
29th of Feb = leap day
parody
/ˈpærədi/ ●○○ noun (plural parodies)
1 [countable, uncountable] a piece of writing, music etc or an action that copies someone or something in an amusing way
parody of
a brilliant parody of classical dance
in a parody of something
He swung the door wide open in a parody of welcome.
Her performance contains a strong element of self-parody (=when someone makes fun of their own style).
2 [countable] something that is not a correct or acceptable example of something
parody of
Although his comment was a parody of the truth, Diana was upset by it.
The trial was a parody of justice (=very unfair).
scapegoat
In the Bible, a scapegoat is one of a pair of kid goats that is released into the wilderness, taking with it all sins and impurities, while the other is sacrificed.
scape‧goat /ˈskeɪpɡəʊt $ -ɡoʊt/ noun [countable]
someone who is blamed for something bad that happens, even if it is not their fault
scapegoat for
She believed she had been made a scapegoat for what happened.
—scapegoat verb [transitive]
Book of Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Torah, where it is called Devarim and the fifth book of the Christian Old Testament. Chapters 1–30 of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to the Israelites by Moses on the Plains of Moab, shortly before they enter the Promised Land.
communal
com‧mu‧nal /ˈkɒmjənəl, kəˈmjuːnl $ ˈkɑː-/ ●○○ adjective
1 shared by a group of people or animals, especially a group who live together
a communal bathroom
2 involving people from many different races, religions, or language groups
the worst communal violence in two years
3 relating or belonging to all the people living in a particular community
crops grown on communal land
entirety
en‧tir‧e‧ty /ɪnˈtaɪrti/ noun formal
1 → in its/their entirety
2 → the entirety of something
diaspora
di‧as‧po‧ra /daɪˈæspərə/ noun [countable]
1 → the Diaspora
2 the spreading of people from a national group or culture to other areas
the African diaspora
Origin diaspora (1800-1900) Greek diaspeirein “to scatter”
oscillate
Related topics: Electrical, Electricity
os‧cil‧late /ˈɒsəleɪt $ ˈɑː-/ verb [intransitive]
1 formal to keep changing between two extreme amounts or limits
The stock market is oscillating wildly at the moment.
oscillate between
His income oscillated between £1,500 and £2,000 a month.
2 formal to keep changing between one feeling or attitude and another
oscillate between
Her attitude towards me oscillated between friendship and hostility.
3 to move backwards and forwards in a regular way
The needle on the dial began to oscillate.
4 technical if an electric current oscillates, it changes direction very regularly and very frequently
→ See Verb table
Pendulum
pen‧du‧lum /ˈpendʒələm/ noun [countable]
1 Image of penduluma long metal stick with a weight at the bottom that swings regularly from side to side to control the working of a clock
2 → the pendulum
Latin
Lat‧in1 /ˈlætɪn $ ˈlætn/ noun
1 [uncountable] the language used in ancient Rome
2 [countable] someone from Latin America
3 [countable] someone from a southern European country whose language developed from Latin, for example Spain, Portugal, or Italy
resonate
res‧o‧nate /ˈrezəneɪt/ verb [intransitive]
1 if something such as an event or a message resonates, it seems important or good to people, or continues to do this
resonate with
an idea that resonates with many voters
2 to make a deep loud clear sound that continues for a long time → resound
The music resonated through the streets.
3 to make a sound that is produced as a reaction to another sound
→ resonate with something
buzzing
EXCITEMENT [intransitive] if a group of people or a place is buzzing, there is a lot of activity or excitement
buzz with
a classroom buzzing with activity
quirky
quirk‧y /ˈkwɜːki $ -ɜːr-/ adjective
unusual, especially in an interesting way
I like his quirky sense of humour.
—quirkily adverb
—quirkiness noun [uncountable]
extraordinary
extravagant
ex‧trav‧a‧gant /ɪkˈstrævəɡənt/ ●●○ adjective
1 spending or costing a lot of money, especially more than is necessary or more than you can afford
Would it be too extravagant to buy both?
an extravagant lifestyle
2 doing or using something too much or more than is necessary
extravagant with
Don’t be too extravagant with the wine.
an extravagant display of loyalty
3 if someone makes extravagant claims, promises etc, they make big claims or promises that are not true or real
extravagant claims about the drug’s effectiveness
4 very impressive because of being very expensive, beautiful etc
extravagant celebrations
—extravagantly adverb
—extravagance noun [countable, uncountable]
the extravagance of the Royal Palace
His only extravagance (=the only expensive thing he bought) was fine wine.
necromancer
nec‧ro‧man‧cy /ˈnekrəmænsi/ noun [uncountable]
1 magic, especially evil magic
2 literary the practice of claiming to talk with the dead
—necromancer noun [countable]
burn
burned / burnt both are fine
defy
de‧fy /dɪˈfaɪ/ ●●○ verb (defied, defying, defies) [transitive]
1 to refuse to obey a law or rule, or refuse to do what someone in authority tells you to do → defiance
people who openly defy the law
► see thesaurus at disobey
2 → defy description/analysis/belief etc
3 → defy logic/the odds etc
4 → I defy somebody to do something
hallow
hallow /ˈhæl,oʊ/
transitive verb
To make or set apart as holy.
To respect or honor greatly; revere.
To make holy; to set apart for holy or religious use; to consecrate; to treat or keep as sacred; to reverence.
crestfallen
crest‧fal‧len /ˈkrestˌfɔːlən $ -ˌfɒːl-/ adjective
looking disappointed and upset SYN downcast
He came back looking crestfallen.
► see thesaurus at disappointed
nutritionist vs dietician
nu‧tri‧tion‧ist /nuːˈtrɪʃənɪst/ noun [countable]
someone who has a special knowledge of nutrition
di‧e‧ti‧cian, dietitian /ˌdaɪəˈtɪʃən/ noun [countable]
someone who is trained to give people advice about what it is healthy for them to eat and drink
forfeit
for‧feit1 /ˈfɔːfɪt $ ˈfɔːr-/ verb [transitive]
to lose a right, position, possession etc or have it taken away from you because you have broken a law or rule
By being absent from the trial, he forfeited the right to appeal.
She was fined £3,000 and ordered to forfeit her car.
resurrection
res‧ur‧rec‧tion /ˌrezəˈrekʃən/ noun [singular]
formal a situation in which something old or forgotten returns or becomes important again
a resurrection of old jealousies
Examples from the Corpus
resurrection
* His death and resurrection as shaman lies in his future.
* the city’s economic resurrection
Resurrection, the
1 the return of Christ to life after his death as described in the Bible, which is remembered with ceremonies at Easter, and is one of the main beliefs on which Christianity is based
2 the return of all dead people to life at the end of the world. Christians believe that, as a result of Christ’s resurrection, the souls of people who believe in him will be united with their bodies on Judgment Day, in a form that will last for ever.
farce
farce /fɑːs $ fɑːrs/ noun
1 [singular] an event or a situation that is very badly organized or does not happen properly, in a way that is silly and unreasonable
She admitted that the interview had been a complete farce from start to finish.
2 [countable, uncountable] a humorous play or film in which the characters are involved in complicated and silly situations, or the style of writing or acting that is used
telegraphic
adjective
Of, relating to, or transmitted by telegraph.
Brief or concise.
“a telegraphic style of writing.”
dibble
/dĭb′əl/
A pointed gardening implement used to make holes in soil, especially for planting bulbs or seedlings.
flint
flint /flɪnt/ noun
1 [uncountable] a type of smooth hard stone that makes a small flame when you hit it with steel
2 [countable] a piece of this stone or a small piece of metal that makes a small flame when you hit it with steel
devoid
de‧void /dɪˈvɔɪd/ adjective formal
→ be devoid of something
Examples from the Corpus
devoid
* The place is small, starkly lit and devoid of decorative embellishments.
hemorrhoids
hem‧or‧rhoids /ˈhemərɔɪdz/ noun [plural]
the American spelling of haemorrhoids
happenstance
hap‧pen‧stance /ˈhæpənstæns/ noun [countable, uncountable] literary
chance, or something that happens by chance
pique someone’s curiosity, interest, etc.
idiom
pique your interest/curiosity
especially American English to make you feel interested in something or someone
She was hostile to him, which piqued his curiosity.
The noise continued, piquing her curiosity.
pique1 /piːk/ noun [uncountable]
1 a feeling of being annoyed or upset, especially because someone has ignored you or insulted you
He stormed out in a fit of pique.
2 (also piqué) a type of material made of cotton, silk, or rayon
pique2 verb
1 [transitive] to make someone feel annoyed or upset, especially by ignoring them or making them look stupid
Privately, Zarich was piqued that his offer was rejected.
Grammar
Pique is usually passive in this meaning.
equestrian
e‧ques‧tri‧an /ɪˈkwestriən/ adjective
relating to horse-riding
equestrian sports
Dutch = paardensport
curiosity killed the cat
curiosity killed the cat
used to tell someone not to ask too many questions about something
elicit
e‧li‧cit /ɪˈlɪsɪt/ ●○○ verb [transitive]
to succeed in getting information or a reaction from someone, especially when this is difficult
When her knock elicited no response, she opened the door and peeped in.
elicit something from somebody
The test uses pictures to elicit words from the child.
—elicitation /ɪˌlɪsɪˈteɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
curiosity
cu‧ri‧os‧i‧ty /ˌkjʊəriˈɒsəti $ ˌkjʊriˈɑːs-/ ●●○ noun (plural curiosities)
1 [singular, uncountable] the desire to know about something
I opened the packet just to satisfy my curiosity.
The news aroused a lot of curiosity among local people.
She decided to follow him out of curiosity.
Margaret looked at him with curiosity.
curiosity about
Children have a natural curiosity about the world around them.
a man of immense intellectual curiosity
It was idle curiosity that made me ask.
2 [countable] someone or something that is interesting because they are unusual or strange
a house full of old maps and other curiosities
In the past, men who wanted to work with children were regarded as something of a curiosity.
It’s not worth much, but I kept it for its curiosity value.
myriad
myr‧i‧ad1 /ˈmɪriəd/ adjective [usually before noun] written
very many
the myriad causes of homelessness
a myriad
We were plagued by a myriad tiny flies.
- Likewise, the myriad consumer products we savor and benefit from, if poorly made and haphazardly serviced, can present hazards.
- Mr Wahid has tried to compensate for his economic shortcomings by surrounding himself with myriad layers of advisers.
- The Bruins committed myriad mistakes and the Avalanche grabbed their 3-0 lead on only nine shots.
- Health care and myriad other services that people in most countries have to pay for are free.
- Also featured daily is a savory filled pastry, an option with myriad possibilities.
- There were myriad purple finches, goldfinches, red polls, and pine siskins.
- Experiments like this opened geophysicists’ eyes to the myriad ways this boundary layer could look.
- Both offer myriad ways to configure automatic searches.
- There are myriad ways to help children learn to read.
myriad2 noun
→ a myriad of something/myriads of something
reporter
/rɪˈpɔːtə $ -ˈpɔːrtər/ ●●● S3 noun [countable]
= correspondent, journalist
a news reporter
treason
spelling
illegitimate
spelling
gastropods
gastropod
noun [ C ] BIOLOGY specialized
UK /ˈɡæs.trəʊ.pɒd/ US /ˈɡæs.trə.pɑːd/
Add to word list
a type of animal with no spine, a soft body with a flat base used for moving, and often a shell, for example a snail or a slug
paw
paw1 /pɔː $ pɒː/ ●●○ noun [countable]
1 Image of pawan animal’s foot that has nails or claws
a lion’s paw
rhomboid
rhom‧boid1 /ˈrɒmbɔɪd $ ˈrɑːm-/ noun [countable] technical
a shape with four sides whose opposite sides are equal in length SYN parallelogram
rhomboid major muscle
devastating
/ˈdevəsteɪtɪŋ/ ●○○ adjective
1 badly damaging or destroying something
devastating effect/impact
Acid rain has a devastating effect on the forest.
devastating results/consequences
The oil spill had devastating consequences for wildlife.
It will be a devastating blow for the town if the factory closes.
2 making someone feel extremely sad or shocked
He was in Nice when he heard the devastating news.
Long-term unemployment can be devastating.
3 very impressive or effective
In a devastating display of military muscle, soldiers seized the town.
4 literary extremely attractive
a devastating smile
—devastatingly adverb
a devastatingly attractive man
devastating collocations
a devastating effect/impact
The recession has had a devastating impact on employment in this area.
devastating consequences/results
a terrible disease with devastating results
a devastating flood/fire/earthquake etc
The country is still recovering from last year’s devastating floods.
a devastating disease/illness
Cheaper medicines are needed to fight Aids and other devastating diseases.
a devastating war
It will take a long time for the region to recover from such a devastating war.
a devastating blow (=a devastating action or event )
When a huge car bomb exploded, it was a devastating blow to the peace plan.
a devastating defeat
The party suffered a devastating defeat in the local election.
scorch
scorch1 /skɔːtʃ $ skɔːrtʃ/ ●○○ verb
1 [intransitive, transitive] if you scorch something, or if it scorches, its surface burns slightly and changes colour
The walls had been blackened and scorched by fire.
► see thesaurus at burn
2 [transitive] if strong heat or wind scorches plants, it dries and damages them
Direct sunlight will scorch the plant’s leaves.
3 [transitive] if strong heat scorches you, it burns you
The hot sand scorched our feet.
4 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] British English informal to travel extremely fast
scorch along/down/across etc
He scorched out of the gate, almost crashing his new sports car.
—scorched adjective
burden
bur‧den1 /ˈbɜːdn $ ˈbɜːrdn/ ●○○ noun
1 [countable] something difficult or worrying that you are responsible for
His family responsibilities had started to become a burden.
burden of
The burden of taxation has risen considerably.
burden on
I don’t like being a burden on other people.
bear/carry the burden
If things go wrong he will bear the burden of guilt.
the tax/financial/debt burden
2 → the burden of proof = [law] the duty to prove that something is true
3 [countable] something that is carried SYN load
burden collocations
COLLOCATIONS
VERBS
bear/carry/shoulder the burden (=be responsible for something)
At the age of 16, Suzy bore the burden of providing for her family.
place/put a burden on somebody
This situation places the main burden of family care on women.
share the burden
I was glad my brother was there to share the burden.
ease/reduce/lighten the burden
Smaller classes would ease the burden for teachers.
shift the burden (=change who carries it)
The tax shifts the burden towards the rich.
a burden falls on somebody
The tax burden falls most heavily upon the poorest people.
lift the burden from somebody’s shoulders
If I deal with the all the practical problems, that will lift the burden from your shoulders.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + BURDEN
a heavy/great burden
Caring for elderly relatives can be a heavy burden.
a financial burden
the financial burden of a large mortgage
a tax burden
These changes will ease the tax burden for small businesses.
a debt burden
He made a serious attempt ease the country’s debt burden.
an intolerable burden (=very hard to bear)
Too many exams can place an intolerable burden on young people.
an unfair/undue burden
The new legislation put an unfair burden on employers.
PHRASES
the burden of responsibility
He felt unable to cope with the burden of responsibility.
the burden of taxation
The burden of taxation falls more heavily on the poor.
console
con‧sole2 /ˈkɒnsəʊl $ ˈkɑːnsoʊl/ noun [countable]
1 a flat board that contains the controls for a machine, piece of electrical equipment, computer etc
2 a special cupboard for a television, computer etc
a games console
council
coun‧cil /ˈkaʊnsəl/ ●●○ S3 W3 noun [countable]
1 a group of people that are chosen to make rules, laws, or decisions, or to give advice
the council for civil liberties
the UN Security Council
2 the organization that is responsible for local government in a particular area in Britain
local council elections
He sent a letter to the council to complain about the noise.
County/District/City etc Council
Northampton Borough Council
council leader/officer/worker etc
council chamber/offices
3 a group of people elected to the government of a city in the US
the Los Angeles city council
council collocations
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + COUNCIL
an advisory council (=for giving advice)
The report was issued by the Advisory Council on Science and Technology.
a research council
the Medical Research Council
a funding council (=for giving money to projects, organizations etc)
a further education funding council
the arts/sports council
The exhibition has been funded by the Arts Council.
the UN Security Council (=for protecting a country or group of countries)
the Security Council’s peace plan
VERBS
establish/form/set up a council
A National Radio and Television Council was established to regulate the market.
head a council
Brzezinski headed the National Security Council at that time.
a council awards something (=gives someone something, especially money)
The Scottish Arts Council has awarded grants totalling over £30,000.
COUNCIL + NOUN
a council meeting
She had to attend a council meeting.
a council member
School council members are elected by their fellow students.
a council resolution (=decision)
Council resolutions need a two thirds majority.
a council grant (=amount of money that a council gives to a person, organization, project etc)
The community centre has had its council grant cut by 50%.
counsel
coun‧sel1 /ˈkaʊnsəl/ noun [uncountable]
1 a type of lawyer who represents you in court
counsel for
The judge asked counsel for the defence to explain.
2 → keep your own counsel
3 literary advice
counselor
coun‧sel‧lor British English, counselor American English /ˈkaʊnsələ $ -ər/ ●○○ noun [countable]
someone whose job is to help and support people with problems
Are you seeing a counsellor?
student/marriage guidance/stress etc counsellor
counselor collocations
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + COUNSELLOR
a student/family counsellor (=helping students or families with problems)
Student counsellors say there’s a lot of pressure at college these days.
a debt/stress etc counsellor (=helping with debt, stress etc problems)
A debt counsellor has been helping the family.
a marriage (guidance) counsellor (=helping with marriage problems)
You should talk to a marriage counsellor about your problem.
a school counsellor (=working with the students at a school)
I worked for three years as a school counsellor.
a professional/trained counsellor
Seek help from a professional counsellor if things go wrong.
VERBS
see a counsellor (=go to a counsellor for help)
Her doctor recommended that she should see a counsellor.
counseling
coun‧sel‧ling British English, counseling American English /ˈkaʊnsəlɪŋ/ ●○○ noun [uncountable]
advice and support given by a counsellor to someone with problems, usually after talking to them
group/bereavement/debt etc counselling
a debt counselling service
counselling for
She’s been undergoing counseling for depression.
fowl
fowl /faʊl/ noun (plural fowl or fowls) [countable, uncountable]
1 a bird, such as a chicken, that is kept for its meat and eggs, or the meat of this type of bird
2 old use any bird
handle
handled
spelling
deck
dick
/dek/
/dɪk/
excellence
excel
ex‧cel‧lence /ˈeksələns/ ●●○ noun [uncountable]
ex‧cel /ɪkˈsel/ verb (excelled, excelling)
1 [intransitive, not in progressive] to do something very well, or much better than most people
excel at/in
Rick has always excelled at foreign languages.
striking contrast
-
arbitrary
arbitrarily
ar‧bi‧tra‧ry /ˈɑːbətrəri, -tri $ ˈɑːrbətreri/ ●○○ AWL adjective
decided or arranged without any reason or plan, often unfairly
an arbitrary decision
the arbitrary arrests of political opponents
—arbitrariness noun [uncountable]
—arbitrarily /ˈɑːbətrərəli $ ˌɑːrbəˈtrerəli/ adverb
an arbitrarily chosen number
popsicle
Pop‧si‧cle /ˈpɒpsɪkəl $ ˈpɑːp-/ noun [countable] trademark American English
a food made of juice that is frozen onto sticks SYN ice lolly British English
plateau
plat‧eau1 /ˈplætəʊ $ plæˈtoʊ/ ●○○ noun (plural plateaus or plateaux /-təʊz $ -ˈtoʊz/) [countable]
1 a large area of flat land that is higher than the land around it
2 a period during which the level of something does not change, especially after a period when it was increasing
Inflation rates have reached a plateau.
plateau2 verb [intransitive]
if something plateaus, it reaches and then stays at a particular level
The athletic footwear market has not yet plateaued.
condescending
con‧de‧scend‧ing /ˌkɒndɪˈsendɪŋ◂ $ ˌkɑːn-/ adjective
behaving as though you think you are better, more intelligent, or more important than other people – used to show disapproval SYN patronizing
Professor Hutter’s manner is extremely condescending.
—condescendingly adverb
boast
boast1 /bəʊst $ boʊst/ ●●○ verb
1 [intransitive, transitive] to talk too proudly about your abilities, achievements, or possessions
‘I wouldn’t be afraid, ’ she boasted.
boast that
Amy boasted that her son was a genius.
boast about
He’s boasting about how much money he has made.
boast of
The company is inclined to boast of its success.
2 [transitive not in progressive] if a place, object, or organization boasts something, it has something that is very good
The city boasts two excellent museums.
The Society boasts 3,000 members worldwide.
—boaster noun [countable]
boast - thesaurus
THESAURUS
boast to talk too proudly about your abilities, achievements, or possessions because you want other people to admire you
She’s always boasting about how good she is at languages.
brag to boast in a way that annoys other people. Brag is more informal than boast
He was bragging about how many girlfriends he had had.
I don’t think they have anything to brag about.
The rebels have repeatedly bragged that their fighters have been responsible for the mounting attacks on policemen, 226 of whom were killed last year.
blow your own trumpet British English, blow your own horn American English spoken to talk a lot about your achievements – used especially when you want to mention your achievements but do not want to sound as if you are boasting
I don’t want to blow my own trumpet, but it was me who came up with the idea for the project in the first place.
crow to boast about something you have achieved, when other people have been less lucky or successful
Nordstrom and his supporters are still crowing about winning the lawsuit.
gloat to behave in a way that shows that you are proud of your own success and happy about someone else’s failure
The Australians are still gloating over their victory over England.
The liberals are gloating and celebrating all over town.
I haven’t come to gloat! We all have to lose sometimes.
be full of yourself informal to show by your words and behaviour that you are very proud of your abilities and achievements – used when you dislike someone because of this
‘He’s so full of himself, ’ Constance complained. ‘He thinks he can get away with anything.’
After the game she was really full of herself.
sweep
sweep1 /swiːp/ ●●● W3 verb (past tense and past participle swept /swept/)
1 CLEAN SOMETHING [transitive] to clean the dust, dirt etc from the floor or ground, using a brush with a long handle SYN brush
Bert swept the path in front of the house.
sweep something off/out/up etc
Will you sweep the leaves off the patio?
2 PUSH SOMETHING SOMEWHERE [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to move things from a surface with a brushing movement
I swept the papers quickly into the drawer.
3 PUSH SOMEBODY/SOMETHING WITH FORCE [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to force someone or something to move in a particular direction
The windsurfer was swept out to sea.
Jessie was swept along by the angry crowd.
4 GROUP MOVES [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if a group of people or animals sweep somewhere, they quickly move there together
sweep through/along etc
The crowd swept through the gates of the stadium.
5 WIND/WAVES ETC [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] if winds, waves, fire etc sweep a place or sweep through, across etc a place, they move quickly and with a lot of force
Thunderstorms swept the country.
sweep across/through etc
Ninety-mile per hour winds swept across the plains.
6 BECOME POPULAR [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] written if an idea, feeling, or activity sweeps a group of people or a place, it quickly becomes very popular or common
sweep the country/nation/state etc
a wave of nationalism sweeping the country
sweep across/through etc
the latest craze sweeping through the teenage population
7 FEELING [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if a feeling sweeps over you, you are suddenly affected by it
sweep over
A feeling of isolation swept over me.
8 PERSON [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if someone sweeps somewhere, they move quickly and confidently, especially because they are impatient or like to seem important
sweep into/through etc
Eva swept into the meeting and demanded to know what was going on.
9 POLITICS [intransitive, transitive] to win an election easily and in an impressive way
sweep to power/victory
Nixon and Agnew swept to victory with 47 million votes.
Herrera was swept into office on the promise of major reforms.
10 SPORTS [transitive] American English to win all of the games in a series of games against a particular team
Houston swept Orlando to become NBA champions.
11 → sweep the board
12 FORM A CURVE [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to form a long curved shape
sweep down/along etc
The hills swept down to the sea.
13 LOOK [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] to look quickly at all of something
The general’s eyes swept the horizon.
sweep over/across/around etc
the beam from the lighthouse sweeping across the sea
14 → sweep somebody off their feet
15 → sweep/brush something under the carpet
16 HAIR [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to pull your hair back from your face
sweep something back/up
Kerry swept her hair back into a ponytail.
→ sweep somebody along
→ sweep something ↔ aside
→ sweep somebody/something away
→ sweep up
concurrently
simultaneously (spelling)
expertise
ex‧per‧tise /ˌekspɜːˈtiːz $ -ɜːr-/ ●●○ AWL noun [uncountable]
touch base
touch base
idiom
Add to word list
to talk to someone for a short time to find out how they are or what they think about something:
touch base with I just wanted to quickly touch base with you: did you get an email from my secretary about the meeting?
touch-base meeting
What is a touch-base meeting?
A touch-base meeting is time that you dedicate to catching up with an employee. This meeting should be brief and informal and allow your team members to openly ask questions, raise concerns, and share how they’ve been feeling recently.
appropriate
ap‧pro‧pri‧ate1 /əˈprəʊpri-ət $ əˈproʊ-/ ●●● S2 W1 AWL adjective
ap‧pro‧pri‧ate2 /əˈprəʊprieɪt $ əˈproʊ-/ verb [transitive] formal
1 to take something for yourself when you do not have the right to do this SYN steal
He is suspected of appropriating government funds.
2 to take something, especially money, to use for a particular purpose
appropriate something for something
Congress appropriated $5 million for International Women’s Year.
coffee pot / teapot
spelling / usage
assimilate
assimilate
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
as‧sim‧i‧late /əˈsɪməleɪt/ verb
1 [transitive] to completely understand and begin to use new ideas, information etc SYN absorb
It will take time to assimilate all these facts.
2 [intransitive, transitive] if people assimilate, or are assimilated into a country or group, they become part of that group and are accepted by the people in that group
assimilate into
Refugees find it difficult to become assimilated into the community.
assimilation
as‧sim‧i‧la‧tion /əˌsɪməˈleɪʃən/ noun
1 [uncountable + of] the process of understanding and using new ideas
2 [uncountable + into] the process of becoming an accepted part of a country or group
[phonetics usage]
thrive
thrive /θraɪv/ ●○○ verb (past tense thrived or throve /θrəʊv $ θroʊv/, past participle thrived) [intransitive] formal
to become very successful or very strong and healthy
plants that thrive in tropical rain forests
a business which managed to thrive during a recession
Register
In everyday English, people usually say do well rather than thrive:
The whole family seems to be doing well.
→ thrive on something
downside
downside / the downside
the downside
the negative part or disadvantage of something OPP upside
Digital cell phones offer more security, but the downside is that they have less power.
the downside of
The downside of the book is that it is written in a rather boring style.
bookish
book‧ish /ˈbʊkɪʃ/ adjective
someone who is bookish is more interested in reading and studying than in sports or other activities
a shy bookish man
evince
e‧vince /ɪˈvɪns/ verb [transitive]
formal to show a feeling or have a quality in a way that people can easily notice
She evinced no surprise at seeing them together.
In her work training catechists she had evinced a talent for drawing volunteers more deeply into Church ministries.
* To respect the evidence is only to evince an unsubtle mind.
* Theologians evince, if anything, even less enthusiasm for the subject than art historians.
theology
the‧ol‧o‧gy /θiˈɒlədʒi $ θiˈɑː-/ noun (plural theologies)
1 [uncountable] the study of religion and religious ideas and beliefs
He studied theology at college.
2 [countable, uncountable] a particular system of religious beliefs and ideas
According to Muslim theology there is only one God.
a comparison of Eastern and Western theologies
—theological /ˌθiːəˈlɒdʒɪkəl◂ $ -ˈlɑː-/ adjective
theological debate
—theologically /-kli/ adverb
theologian
the‧o‧lo‧gian /ˌθiːəˈləʊdʒən $ -ˈloʊ-/ noun [countable]
someone who has studied theology
strenuous
stren‧u‧ous /ˈstrenjuəs/ adjective
1 needing a lot of effort or strength
a strenuous climb
The doctor advised Ken to avoid strenuous exercise.
2 active and determined
Sherry’s been making a strenuous effort to lose weight.
—strenuously adverb
Barrett strenuously denied rumors that he would resign.
irrigate
ir‧ri‧gate /ˈɪrɪɡeɪt/ verb [transitive]
1 to supply land or crops with water
The water in Lake Powell is used to irrigate the area.
irrigated land/farms/crops
2 technical to wash a wound with a flow of liquid
—irrigation /ˌɪrəˈɡeɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
major irrigation projects
author
au‧thor1 /ˈɔːθə $ ˈɒːθər/ ●●● W2 AWL noun [countable]
1 someone who has written a book SYN writer
Nothomb is a Belgian author.
authoritative word family
authoritative
Word family (noun) authority authorization authoritarian authoritarianism (adjective) authoritarian authoritative authorized ≠ unauthorized (verb) authorize (adverb) authoritatively
authoritative
au‧thor‧i‧ta‧tive /ɔːˈθɒrətətɪv, ə- $ ɒːˈθɑːrəteɪtɪv, əˈθɔː-/ ●○○ AWL adjective
1 an authoritative book, account etc is respected because the person who wrote it knows a lot about the subject
the most authoritative work on English surnames
2 behaving or speaking in a confident determined way that makes people respect and obey you
He has a commanding presence and an authoritative voice.
—authoritatively adverb
authoritative vs. authoritarian
au‧thor‧i‧tar‧i‧an /ɔːˌθɒrəˈteəriən◂ $ ɒːˌθɑːrəˈter-, əˌθɔː-/ ●○○ adjective
strictly forcing people to obey a set of rules or laws, especially ones that are wrong or unfair
an authoritarian government
Critics claim his management has become too authoritarian.
► see thesaurus at strict
—authoritarian noun [countable]
—authoritarianism noun [uncountable]
negate
ne‧gate /nɪˈɡeɪt/ AWL verb [transitive] formal
1 to prevent something from having any effect
Efforts to expand the tourist industry could be negated by reports that the sea is highly polluted.
2 to state that something does not exist or is untrue SYN deny
strive
irregular verb
strive /straɪv/ ●○○ verb (past tense strove /strəʊv $ stroʊv/, past participle striven /ˈstrɪvən/) [intransitive] formal
to make a great effort to achieve something
strive to do something
I was still striving to be successful.
strive for/after
We must continue to strive for greater efficiency.
expectant
ex‧pec‧tant /ɪkˈspektənt/ adjective [usually before noun]
1 hopeful that something good or exciting will happen, or showing this
a row of expectant faces
2 → expectant mother/father
—expectantly adverb
He looked expectantly at Sarah, but she didn’t speak.
recuperate
re‧cu‧pe‧rate /rɪˈkjuːpəreɪt, -ˈkuː-/ verb
1 [intransitive] to get better again after an illness or injury SYN recover
recuperate from
Coles is recuperating from a sprained ankle.
► see thesaurus at recover
2 [transitive] especially British English to get back money that you have spent or lost in business SYN recoup, recover
We’ve recuperated our losses.
3 [intransitive] to return to a more normal condition after a difficult time SYN recover
Winston proposed several ways for the industry to recuperate.
—recuperation /rɪˌkjuːpəˈreɪʃən, -ˌkuː-/ noun [uncountable]
alter
al‧ter /ˈɔːltə $ ˈɒːltər/ ●●● S3 W3 AWL verb 1 [intransitive, transitive] to change, or to make someone or something change
associate
two possible pronunciations
as‧so‧ci‧ate1 /əˈsəʊʃieɪt, əˈsəʊsi- $ əˈsoʊ-/ ●●○ S3 W2 verb 1 [transitive] to make a connection in your mind between one thing or person and anotherassociate somebody/something with something I don’t associate him with energetic sports.2 → be associated (with somebody/something)3 → associate with somebody
accuse
accuse
Word family (noun) accusation the accused accuser (adjective) accusing (verb) accuse (adverb) accusingly
ac‧cuse /əˈkjuːz/ ●●○ W3 verb [transitive] to say that you believe someone is guilty of a crime or of doing something bad
usher
ush‧er1 /ˈʌʃə $ -ər/ ●○○ verb [transitive always + adverb/preposition]
to help someone to get from one place to another, especially by showing them the way
usher somebody into/to something
He ushered her into the room.
usher somebody in
She stood back and ushered him in.
= lead
usher2 noun [countable]
1 someone who shows people to their seats at a theatre, cinema, wedding etc
2 British English someone who works in a law court whose job is to guide people in and out of the courtrooms
menstruate
men‧stru‧ate /ˈmenstrueɪt/ verb [intransitive]
when a woman menstruates, usually every month, blood flows from her body
—menstruation /ˌmenstruˈeɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
municipal
mu‧ni‧ci‧pal /mjuːˈnɪsəpəl $ mjʊ-/ ●○○ adjective
relating to or belonging to the government of a town or city
the municipal waste dump
municipal elections
—municipally adverb
municipality
mu‧ni‧ci‧pal‧i‧ty /mjuːˌnɪsəˈpæləti $ mjʊ-/ noun (plural municipalities) [countable]
filial
filial /ˈfɪliəl/ adjective formal
relating to the relationship of a son or daughter to their parents → parental
her filial duty
relieve
re‧lieve /rɪˈliːv/ ●●○ S3 verb [transitive]
1 PAIN to reduce someone’s pain or unpleasant feelings → relief
on all fronts
disenrollment
flawed
flawed
/flɔːd/
adjective
having or characterized by a fundamental weakness or imperfection.
“a fatally flawed strategy”
dismay
dis‧may1 /dɪsˈmeɪ/ ●○○ noun [uncountable]
the worry, disappointment, or unhappiness you feel when something unpleasant happens
with/in dismay
They stared at each other in dismay.
to somebody’s dismay
I found to my dismay that I had left my notes behind.
emerge
e‧merge /ɪˈmɜːdʒ $ -ɜːrdʒ/ ●●○ W2 AWL verb [intransitive]
1 to appear or come out from somewhere
The flowers emerge in the spring.
emerge from
(noun) emergence (adjective) emergent emerging (verb) emerge
vindicate
vin‧di‧cate /ˈvɪndɪkeɪt/ verb [transitive] formal
1 to prove that someone who was blamed for something is in fact not guilty
The charges are false, and we are sure we will be vindicated in court.
2 to prove that someone or something is right or true SYN justify
The decision to advertise has been vindicated by the fact that sales have grown.
—vindication /ˌvɪndɪˈkeɪʃən/ noun [singular, uncountable]
Pharisee
Phar‧i‧see /ˈfærɪsiː/ noun
1 → the Pharisees
2 [countable] someone who pretends to be religious or morally good, but who is not sincere
—Pharisaic /ˌfærɪˈseɪ-ɪk◂/ adjective
dandelion
dan‧de‧li‧on /ˈdændəlaɪən/ noun [countable]
Image of dandeliona wild plant with a bright yellow flower which later becomes a white ball of seeds that are blown away in the wind
pretzel
pret‧zel /ˈpretsəl/ noun [countable]
Image of pretzela hard salty type of bread baked in the shape of a stick or a loose knot
cicada
ci‧ca‧da /səˈkɑːdə $ səˈkeɪdə, -ˈkɑː-/ noun [countable]
autopsy
au‧top‧sy /ˈɔːtɒpsi $ ˈɒːtɑːp-/ noun (plural autopsies) [countable] especially American English
an examination of a dead body to discover the cause of death SYN post mortem British English
ancient
an‧cient1 /ˈeɪnʃənt/ ●●● W2 adjectiv
addendum
ad‧den‧dum /əˈdendəm/ noun (plural addenda /-də/ or addendums) [countable]
something you add to the end of a speech or book to change it or give more information
addendum to
an addendum to section 4
being down for something
It means “I would agree to do it.” This is slang. Interestingly, to be down for doing something means exactly the same thing as to be up for doing something. “I would like to do it.”
licentious
li‧cen‧tious /laɪˈsenʃəs/ adjective formal
behaving in a sexually immoral or uncontrolled way
—licentiously adverb
—licentiousness noun [uncountable]
Though I myself led a licentious life, the licentiousness of the women nevertheless shocked me.
sensuous
sen‧su‧ous /ˈsenʃuəs/ adjective
1 pleasing to your senses
the sensuous feeling of silk on her skin
sensuous music
2 literary attractive in a sexual way
full sensuous lips
a beautiful and sensuous young woman
—sensuously adverb
—sensuousness noun [uncountable]
With its sensuous silver curves and irresistible navigation button, lovers of gadgets will find this the ultimate object of desire.
sorcery
sor‧cer‧y /ˈsɔːsəri $ ˈsɔːr-/ noun [uncountable]
magic that uses the power of evil forces → black magic
necromancy
nec‧ro‧man‧cy /ˈnekrəmænsi/ noun [uncountable]
1 magic, especially evil magic
2 literary the practice of claiming to talk with the dead
—necromancer noun [countable]
enmity
en‧mi‧ty /ˈenməti/ noun (plural enmities) [countable, uncountable]
formal a feeling of hatred towards someone → enemy
enmity between/towards
the enmity between the two communities
strife
strife /straɪf/ noun [uncountable] formal
trouble between two or more people or groups SYN conflict
ethnic/religious/civil etc strife
a time of political strife
eight years of ethnic strife
dissension
dis‧sen‧sion /dɪˈsenʃən/ noun [countable, uncountable]
disagreement among a group of people
dissension in/within/between/among
This move sowed dissension within the party ranks.
The Labour Party was torn by internal dissensions.
carouse
ca‧rouse /kəˈraʊz/ verb [intransitive]
literary to drink a lot, be noisy, and have fun
—carousal noun [countable, uncountable]
→ See Verb table
He says he will have time enough to relax and carouse when he’s had a smash hit with his first novel.
phenomenon
phe‧nom‧e‧non /fɪˈnɒmənən $ fɪˈnɑːmənɑːn, -nən/ ●●○ W3 AWL noun (plural phenomena /-nə/) [countable]
1 something that happens or exists in society, science, or nature, especially something that is studied because it is difficult to understand
phenomenon of
the growing phenomenon of telecommuting
Homelessness is not a new phenomenon.
natural/historical/social etc phenomenon
Language is a social and cultural phenomenon.
► see thesaurus at event
2 something or someone that is very unusual because of a rare quality or ability that they have
phenomenon collocation
a new phenomenon
The idea that we may be able to live forever is is not a new phenomenon.
a recent phenomenon
Detailed food labelling is a fairly recent phenomenon.
a common phenomenon
Cloudy water is a common phenomenon in new aquariums.
a rare phenomenon
Planes have occasionally disappeared in midair, but this is a rare phenomenon.
a strange phenomenon
What could explain this strange phenomenon?
a natural phenomenon (=one that happens in nature)
Natural phenomena such as the appearance of comets intrigued him.
a social/cultural etc phenomenon
Crime is a complex social phenomenon.
supernatural/paranormal phenomena (=ones that appear to be against the laws of nature)
Ghosts are one example of paranormal phenomena.
psychic phenomena (=relating to the power of the human mind to do strange things)
psychic phenomena such as telepathy
phenomenal
phe‧nom‧e‧nal /fɪˈnɒmɪnəl $ -ˈnɑː-/ ●○○ AWL adjective
very great or impressive
the phenomenal success of computer games in recent years
phenomenal growth/rise/increase
California had experienced a phenomenal growth in population.
He has learned a phenomenal amount in the last two years.
The results have been phenomenal.
—phenomenally adverb
The group have been phenomenally successful in Europe.
decapitate
de‧cap‧i‧tate /dɪˈkæpɪteɪt/ verb [transitive]
to cut off someone’s head → behead
a decapitated body
—decapitation /dɪˌkæpɪˈteɪʃən/ noun [countable, uncountable]
greengrocer
green‧gro‧cer /ˈɡriːnˌɡrəʊsə $ -ˌɡroʊsər/ noun [countable] especially British English
1 someone who owns or works in a shop selling fruit and vegetables
2 → greengrocer’s
fishmonger
fish‧mon‧ger /ˈfɪʃmʌŋɡə $ -mɑːŋɡər, -mʌŋ-/ noun [countable] British English
1 someone who sells fish
2 (also fishmonger’s) a shop that sells fish
warmonger
war‧mon‧ger /ˈwɔːˌmʌŋɡə $ ˈwɔːrˌmɑːŋɡər, -ˌmʌŋ-/ noun [countable]
someone, especially a politician, who wants people to start fighting or start a war – used to show disapproval
—warmongering adjective, noun [uncountable]
florist
flor‧ist /ˈflɒrɪst $ ˈflɔː-/ noun [countable]
1 someone who owns or works in a shop that sells flowers and indoor plants for the home
2 (also florist’s) a shop that sells flowers and indoor plants for the home
repellent
re‧pel‧lent1 /rɪˈpelənt/ adjective
very unpleasant → repulsive
She found him physically repellent.
repellent to
The sight of blood is repellent to some people.
Prose
Literature
prose /prəʊz $ proʊz/ ●○○ noun [uncountable]
written language in its usual form, as opposed to poetry
caesura
Literature
cae‧su‧ra /sɪˈzjʊərə $ sɪˈʒʊrə, sɪˈzʊrə/ noun [countable]
technical a pause in the middle of a line of poetry
Origin caesura (1500-1600) Latin “act of cutting”, from caedere “to cut”
emancipate
e‧man‧ci‧pate /ɪˈmænsəpeɪt/ verb [transitive]
formal to give someone the political or legal rights that they did not have before
Slaves were emancipated in 1834.
—emancipation /ɪˌmænsəˈpeɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
emancipate
* The justices were no more able to emancipate Dred Scott than they were able to emancipate themselves.
* The country had been emancipated from thirteen years of middle-level Conservative rule of reasonable efficiency, modest dynamism but small-power idealism.
* During the Civil War, he aided newly emancipated slaves.
tact
tact /tækt/ ●○○ noun [uncountable]
the ability to be careful about what you say or do, so that you do not upset or embarrass other people → tactful, tactless
With great tact, Clive persuaded her to apologize.
sharp as a tack
sharp as a tack
phrase of sharp
North American
extremely clever or astute.
astute
as‧tute /əˈstjuːt $ əˈstuːt/ ●○○ adjective
able to understand situations or behaviour very well and very quickly, especially so that you can get an advantage for yourself SYN clever
an astute politician
astute investments
—astutely adverb
—astuteness noun [uncountable]
layer
lay‧er1 /ˈleɪə $ -ər/ ●●● S3 W3 AWL noun [countable]
1 an amount or piece of a material or substance that covers a surface or that is between two other things
layer of
A thick layer of dust lay on the furniture.
The moon was shining through a thin layer of cloud.
He pulled off layer upon layer of clothing (=many layers of clothing).
in layers
Arrange the peppers, garlic and tomatoes in layers.
→ ozone layer
liar
li‧ar /ˈlaɪə $ -ər/ ●●○ noun [countable]
someone who deliberately says things which are not true
Are you calling me a liar?
culprit
cul‧prit /ˈkʌlprɪt/ noun [countable]
1 the person who is guilty of a crime or doing something wrong → victim
Police finally managed to catch the culprit.
2 informal the reason for a particular problem or difficulty
High production costs are the main culprit.
empirical
empirical
Word family (noun) empiricism empiricist (adjective) empirical (adverb) empirically
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
em‧pir‧i‧cal /ɪmˈpɪrɪkəl/ ●○○ AWL adjective [only before noun]
based on scientific testing or practical experience, not on ideas OPP theoretical, hypothetical
empirical evidence
—empirically /-kli/ adverb
ontology
on‧tol‧o‧gy /ɒnˈtɒlədʒi $ ɑːnˈtɑː-/ noun [uncountable]
a subject of study in philosophy that is concerned with the nature of existence
—ontological /ˌɒntəˈlɒdʒɪkəl◂ $ ˌɑːntəˈlɑː-/ adjective
epistemology
e‧pis‧te‧mol‧o‧gy /ɪˌpɪstəˈmɒlədʒi $ -ˈmɑː-/ noun [uncountable]
the part of philosophy that deals with how we know things, how firmly we can know things etc
—epistemological /ɪˌpɪstəməˈlɒdʒɪkəl $ -ˈlɑː-/ adjective
ethnography
eth‧nog‧ra‧phy /eθˈnɒɡrəfi $ eθˈnɑː-/ noun [uncountable]
the scientific description of different races of people
—ethnographer noun [countable]
—ethnographic /ˌeθnəˈɡræfɪk◂/ adjective
—ethnographically /-kli/ adverb
Ornithology
or‧ni‧thol‧o‧gy /ˌɔːnəˈθɒlədʒi $ ˌɔːrnəˈθɑː-/ noun [uncountable]
the scientific study of birds
—ornithological /ˌɔːnəθəˈlɒdʒɪkəl◂ $ ˌɔːrnəθəˈlɑː-/ adjective
stratified
strat‧i‧fied /ˈstrætɪfaɪd/ adjective
1 having different social classes
a stratified society
2 having several layers of earth, rock etc
stratified rock
hegemony
he‧gem‧o‧ny /hɪˈɡeməni, ˈhedʒəməni $ hɪˈdʒeməni, ˈhedʒəmoʊni/ noun [uncountable] formal
a situation in which one state or country controls others
related: imperialism / colonialism
salient
sa‧li‧ent /ˈseɪliənt/ adjective formal
the salient points or features of something are the most important or most noticeable parts of it
the salient points of the report
—salience noun [uncountable]
postulate
pos‧tu‧late1 /ˈpɒstjəleɪt $ ˈpɑːstʃə-/ verb [transitive]
formal to suggest that something might have happened or be true → hypothesize
postulate that
It has been postulated that the condition is inherited.
—postulation /ˌpɒstjəˈleɪʃən $ ˌpɑːstʃə-/ noun [countable, uncountable]
listless
list‧less /ˈlɪstləs/ adjective
feeling tired and not interested in things
The heat was making me listless.
—listlessly adverb
—listlessness noun [uncountable]
indolent
in‧do‧lent /ˈɪndələnt/ adjective formal
lazy
—indolence noun [uncountable]
Origin indolent (1600-1700) Late Latin indolens “not feeling pain”, from Latin dolere “to feel pain”
innuendo
in‧nu‧en‧do /ˌɪnjuˈendəʊ $ -doʊ/ noun (plural innuendoes or innuendos) [countable, uncountable]
a remark that suggests something sexual or unpleasant without saying it directly, or these remarks in general → double entendre
His writing is full of sexual innuendoes.
a campaign based on rumour, innuendo, and gossip
innuendo
* The programme consists of an hour of sexist banter and innuendo.
* The family is being torn apart by rumor and innuendo.
Origin innuendo (1500-1600) Latin “by speaking indirectly”, from innuere “to say indirectly”, from nuere “to nod”
phenotypically
/ˌfiː.noʊˈtɪp.ɪ.kəl.i/ in a way that relates to the physical characteristics of something living, especially those characteristics that can be seen: These cells are indistinguishable phenotypically and functionally from the others.
disposition
Law
dis‧po‧si‧tion /ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃən/ ●○○ noun formal
1 [countable usually singular] a particular type of character which makes someone likely to behave or react in a certain way SYN temperament
of a nervous/sociable/sensitive etc disposition (=having a nervous etc character)
The film is not suitable for people of a nervous disposition.
have a cheerful/sunny etc disposition (=have a happy character)
2 [singular] a tendency or willingness to behave in a particular way SYN inclination
have/show a disposition to do something
Neither side shows the slightest disposition to compromise.
disposition towards
Most children have a disposition towards obedience.
3 [countable usually singular] the position or arrangement of something in a particular place
disposition of
a map showing the disposition of American forces
4 [uncountable] formal the way in which something is dealt with or used
disposition of
A solicitor advised him as to the disposition of the money.
perennial
pe‧ren‧ni‧al1 /pəˈreniəl/ adjective
1 continuing or existing for a long time, or happening again and again
Lack of resources has been a perennial problem since the beginning.
Teddy bears are a perennial favorite with children.
2 a plant that is perennial lives for more than two years → annual
—perennially adverb
parameter
pa‧ram‧e‧ter /pəˈræmɪtə $ -ər/ ●○○ AWL noun [countable usually plural]
a set of fixed limits that control the way that something should be done
The inquiry has to stay within the parameters laid down by Congress.
pre-eminent
pre-em‧i‧nent, preeminent /priˈemɪnənt/ adjective
much more important, more powerful, or better than any others of its kind
his pre-eminent position in society
—pre-eminently adverb
—pre-eminence noun [uncountable]
pre-emptive
pre-emp‧tive, preemptive /priˈemptɪv/ adjective
a pre-emptive action is done to prevent something from happening, especially something that will harm you
pre-emptive strike/attack
a series of pre-emptive strikes on guerrilla bases
primitive
prim‧i‧tive1 /ˈprɪmətɪv/ ●●○ adjective
1 way of life belonging to a simple way of life that existed in the past and does not have modern industries and machines OPP advanced, modern
a primitive society
a primitive nomadic tribe
the tools used by primitive man
primitive art
2 not modern something that is primitive is very simple and does not have the extra modern parts that would make it faster, better, more comfortable etc OPP advanced, modern
The first station buildings were quite primitive.
The local hospital care is primitive and unreliable.
Conditions at the camp are very primitive.
a primitive steam engine
3 animals/plants a primitive animal or plant has a simple structure or body
primitive life-forms that live deep in the ocean
a primitive single-celled creature
4 feelings primitive feelings are not based on reason, and seem to come from a part of people’s character that is ancient and animal-like
the primitive instinct of survival
primitive desires
forestall
fore‧stall /fɔːˈstɔːl $ fɔːrˈstɒːl/ verb [transitive] formal
to prevent something from happening or prevent someone from doing something by doing something first
a measure intended to forestall further attacks
coercion
co‧er‧cion /kəʊˈɜːʃən $ koʊˈɜːrʒən/ noun [uncountable]
the use of threats or orders to make someone do something they do not want to do
The defendant explained that he had been acting under coercion.
surveilled
surveil / surveilled
/səˈveɪl/
verb
past tense: surveilled; past participle: surveilled
keep (a person or place) under surveillance; closely monitor or observe.
“he deployed FBI agents to surveil the offices of those companies”
psychopathology
psychopathology
/ˌsʌɪkəʊpəˈθɒlədʒi/
noun
1.
the scientific study of mental illness or disorders.
“Wharton’s autobiography ranks high in the annals of psychopathology”
2.
features of people’s mental health considered collectively.
“ageism, family discord, and psychopathology all play their part in abuse”
laboratory
la‧bor‧a‧tory /ləˈbɒrətri $ ˈlæbrətɔːri/ ●●● W3 noun (plural laboratories) [countable]
a special room or building in which a scientist does tests or prepares substances
a research laboratory
laboratory tests/experiments/studies
tests on laboratory animals
→ language laboratory
Library
li‧bra‧ry /ˈlaɪbrəri, -bri $ -breri/ ●●● S2 W1 noun (plural libraries) [countable]
1 a room or building containing books that can be looked at or borrowed → bookshop
a public library
school/college/university library
a library book
library staff
2 a group of books, CDs etc, collected by one person
3 a room in a large house where books are kept
locus
lo‧cus /ˈləʊkəs $ ˈloʊ-/ noun (plural loci /ˈləʊsaɪ $ ˈloʊ-, -ki/) [countable] formal
the place where something is particularly known to exist, or which is the centre of something
locus of
The Politburo was the locus of all power in the Soviet Union.
causality
cau‧sal‧i‧ty /kɔːˈzæləti $ kɒː-/ noun [uncountable]
formal the relationship between a cause and the effect that it has
causation vs correlation
A correlation between variables, however, does not automatically mean that the change in one variable is the cause of the change in the values of the other variable. Causation indicates that one event is the result of the occurrence of the other event; i.e. there is a causal relationship between the two events.
casualty
cas‧u‧al‧ty /ˈkæʒuəlti/ ●●○ noun (plural casualties)
1 [countable] someone who is hurt or killed in an accident or war
Our aim is to reduce road casualties.
civilian casualties (=people who are not soldiers who are injured or killed)
cause/inflict casualties
The rebels have inflicted heavy casualties.
2 [singular] someone or something that suffers as a result of a particular event or situation
casualty of
The Safer City Project is the latest casualty of financial cutbacks.
contingent
con‧tin‧gent1 /kənˈtɪndʒənt/ ●○○ adjective formal
depending on something that may happen in the future SYN dependent
contingent on/upon
Further investment is contingent upon the company’s profit performance.
plow / plough
plough1 (also plow American English) /plaʊ/ noun [countable]
1 a piece of farm equipment used to turn over the earth so that seeds can be planted
2 → under the plough
→ snow plough(1)
snow plough British English, snow plow American English noun [countable]
1 a vehicle, or piece of equipment on the front of a vehicle, that is used to push snow off roads, railways etc
2 British English a position in skiing in which you have the fronts of your skis together and the backs of your skis apart. It is used to slow down and to turn
a snow plough turn
sovereignty
sove‧reign‧ty /ˈsɒvrənti $ ˈsɑːv-/ noun [uncountable]
1 complete freedom and power to govern
the sovereignty of Parliament
sovereignty over
Spain’s claim of sovereignty over the territory
2 the power that an independent country has to govern itself
the defence of our national sovereignty
- When it comes to interest rates, we would in some ways get more sovereignty.
- It should not be seen as a restriction on parliamentary sovereignty.
- People talk about the great sanctity of the sovereignty of Parliament.
- the sovereignty of God
- The latter is not an open invitation to intervention or a threat to sovereignty.
unbashed
un‧a‧bashed /ˌʌnəˈbæʃt◂/ adjective written
not ashamed or embarrassed, especially when doing something unusual or rude
She stared at him with unabashed curiosity.
amoral
a‧mor‧al /eɪˈmɒrəl, æ- $ eɪˈmɔː-, -ˈmɑː-/ adjective
having no moral standards at all OPP moral → immoral
a completely amoral person
—amorality /ˌeɪmɒˈræləti, ˌæ- $ ˌeɪmə-/ noun [uncountable]
Word family (noun) moral morals morality ≠ immorality moralist amorality (adjective) moral ≠ immoral amoral moralistic (verb) moralize (adverb) morally ≠ immorally
simmer
sim‧mer1 /ˈsɪmə $ -ər/ verb
1 [intransitive, transitive] to boil gently, or to cook something slowly by boiling it gently
Bring the soup to the boil and allow it to simmer gently for about half an hour.
2 [intransitive] if you are simmering with anger, or if anger is simmering in you, you feel very angry but do not show your feelings
simmer with
He was left simmering with rage.
3 [intransitive] if an argument is simmering, people feel angry with each other but only show it slightly
The row has been simmering for some time.
Violent revolt was simmering in the country.
perfunctorily
/pɚˈfʌŋk.tɚ. əl.i/ quickly, without care or interest: The two heads of state shook hands perfunctorily for the photographers. The officer read perfunctorily from a written text.
repent
re‧pent /rɪˈpent/ verb [intransitive, transitive] formal
to be sorry for something and wish you had not done it – used especially when considering your actions in a religious way
repent of
He repented of his sins before he died.
raise
raise1 /reɪz/ ●●● S1 W1 verb [transitive]
In everyday British English, people usually say lift something up rather than raise something:
Can you lift up the lamp a bit?
British English speakers usually say put up your hand rather than raise your hand:
Put your hand up if you know the right answer.
readerly
readerly
/ˈriːdəli/
adjective
relating to a reader.
“he tries one’s readerly patience to breaking point”
pang
pang /pæŋ/ noun [countable]
a sudden feeling of pain, sadness etc
pang of jealousy/guilt/remorse/regret
She felt a sudden pang of guilt.
hunger pangs
retrospective
retrospective2 noun [countable]
a show of the work of an artist, actor, film-maker etc that includes examples of all the kinds of work they have done
a Hitchcock retrospective
retrospective of
a retrospective of painter Hans Hofmann
heroine
her‧o‧ine /ˈherəʊɪn $ -roʊ-/ ●○○ noun [countable]
1 a woman who is admired for doing something extremely brave → hero
heroine of
a heroine of the French Resistance
2 the woman or girl who is the main character in a book, film, play etc → hero
heroine of
Mira, the fictional heroine of ‘The Women’s Room’
3 a woman who is admired very much for a particular skill or quality → hero, idol
somebody’s heroine
Oprah is my heroine.
heroin
heroin
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Related topics: Drug culture
her‧o‧in /ˈherəʊɪn $ -roʊ-/ noun [uncountable]
a powerful and illegal drug made from morphine
be on/use/take heroin
a heroin addict
hero
he‧ro /ˈhɪərəʊ $ ˈhɪroʊ/ ●●● W3 noun (plural heroes) [countable]
incongruous
in‧con‧gru‧ous /ɪnˈkɒŋɡruəs $ -ˈkɑːŋ-/ adjective
strange, unexpected, or unsuitable in a particular situation
The new theatre looks utterly incongruous in its setting.
—incongruously adverb
insatiable
in‧sa‧tia‧ble /ɪnˈseɪʃəbəl/ adjective
always wanting more and more of something
insatiable appetite/desire/demand etc (for something)
his insatiable appetite for power
our insatiable thirst for knowledge
—insatiably adverb
arbitrary
ar‧bi‧tra‧ry /ˈɑːbətrəri, -tri $ ˈɑːrbətreri/ ●○○ AWL adjective
decided or arranged without any reason or plan, often unfairly
an arbitrary decision
the arbitrary arrests of political opponents
—arbitrariness noun [uncountable]
—arbitrarily /ˈɑːbətrərəli $ ˌɑːrbəˈtrerəli/ adverb
an arbitrarily chosen number
pliable
pli‧a‧ble /ˈplaɪəbəl/ adjective
1 able to bend without breaking or cracking
a shoe made of soft pliable leather
2 easily influenced and controlled by other people
Senior officials would have preferred a more pliable government.
—pliability /ˌplaɪəˈbɪləti/ noun [uncountable]
protean
pro‧te‧an /ˈprəʊtiən, prəʊˈtiːən $ ˈproʊtiən, proʊ-/ adjective literary
able to keep changing or to do many things
protein
pro‧tein /ˈprəʊtiːn $ ˈproʊ-/ ●●○ noun [countable, uncountable]
one of several natural substances that exist in food such as meat, eggs, and beans, and which your body needs in order to grow and remain strong and healthy
canny
can‧ny /ˈkæni/ adjective
1 clever, careful, and not easily deceived, especially in business or politics
a canny political advisor
2 nice, good – used in Scotland
a canny lass
—cannily adverb
prudence
pru‧dence /ˈpruːdəns/ noun [uncountable]
a sensible and careful attitude that makes you avoid unnecessary risks
financial prudence
altruism
al‧tru‧is‧m /ˈæltru-ɪzəm/ noun [uncountable]
when you care about or help other people, even though this brings no advantage to yourself
Many choose to work in developing countries out of altruism.
—altruist noun [countable]
brooding
brood‧ing /ˈbruːdɪŋ/ adjective literary
1 mysterious and threatening
the brooding silence of the forest
2 looking thoughtful and sad
brooding eyes
—broodingly adverb
unruffled
un‧ruf‧fled /ʌnˈrʌfəld/ adjective
calm and not upset by a difficult situation – use this to show approval
Emily remained completely unruffled by the chaos.
Providence
Prov‧i‧dence, providence /ˈprɒvɪdəns $ ˈprɑː-/ noun [uncountable] literary
a force which is believed by some people to control what happens in our lives and to protect us → fate
divine providence
prolepsis
prolepsis
/prə(ʊ)ˈlɛpsɪs/
noun Rhetoric
1.
the anticipation and answering of possible objections in rhetorical speech.
2.
the representation of a thing as existing before it actually does or did so, as in he was a dead man when he entered.
“the destruction of the Vendôme Column and his part in it are foreshadowed in moments of haunting prolepsis”
prolapse
pro‧lapse /ˈprəʊlæps, prəʊˈlæps $ proʊˈlæps, ˈproʊlæps/ noun [countable]
medical the slipping of an inner part of your body, such as the womb, from its usual position
Professor
pro‧fes‧sor /prəˈfesə $ -ər/ ●●● S3 W3 noun [countable]
1 British English a teacher of the highest rank in a university department
Professor Barclay
professor of Chinese/economics/religion etc
She’s been named the professor of English.
► see thesaurus at teacher
2 American English a teacher at a university or college
Ted’s a college professor.
biology/history/French etc professor
Who’s your chemistry professor?
annotate
an‧no‧tate /ˈænəteɪt/ verb [transitive]
to add short notes to a book or piece of writing to explain parts of it
an annotated edition of ‘Othello’
Grammar
Annotate is usually passive.
—annotation /ˌænəˈteɪʃən/ noun [countable, uncountable]
→ See Verb table
font
font /fɒnt $ fɑːnt/ ●○○ noun [countable]
1 technical a set of letters of a particular size and style, used for printing books, newspapers etc or on a computer screen
2 a large stone container in a church, that holds the water used for the ceremony of baptism
probability
spelling
shit
past tense: shit or shat
contingency
con‧tin‧gen‧cy /kənˈtɪndʒənsi/ ●○○ noun (plural contingencies) [countable]
1 an event or situation that might happen in the future, especially one that could cause problems
a contingency plan
Add up your outgoings, putting on a bit more for contingencies.
inhospitable
in‧hos‧pi‧ta‧ble /ˌɪnhɒˈspɪtəbəl $ -hɑː-/ adjective
1 an inhospitable place is difficult to live or stay in because the weather conditions are unpleasant or there is no shelter
an inhospitable climate
He trekked across some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world.
2 an inhospitable person does not welcome visitors in a friendly way
inhospitable to
Some governments are inhospitable to aid workers
by and large
by and large
used when making a general statement
By and large, the new arrangements have worked well.
plight
plight1 /plaɪt/ ●○○ noun [usually singular]
a very bad situation that someone is in
plight of
the desperate plight of the flood victims
the country’s economic plight
conquistador
con‧quis‧ta‧dor /kɒnˈkwɪstədɔː $ kɑːnˈkiːstədɔːr/ noun [countable]
one of the Spanish conquerors of Mexico and Peru in the 18th century
precarious
pre‧car‧i‧ous /prɪˈkeəriəs $ -ˈker-/ adjective
1 a precarious situation or state is one which may very easily or quickly become worse
Her health remained precarious, despite the treatment.
the company’s precarious financial position
2 likely to fall, or likely to cause someone to fall
a precarious mountain trail
—precariously adverb
a cup of tea balanced precariously on her knee
—precariousness noun [uncountable]
bourgeois
bour‧geois /ˈbʊəʒwɑː $ bʊrˈʒwɑː/ adjective
1 belonging to the middle class
She came from a bourgeois family.
bourgeois morality
2 too interested in having a lot of possessions and a high position in society
the backlash against bourgeois materialism
3 belonging to or typical of the part of society that is rich, educated, owns land etc, according to Marxism
bourgeoisie
the bourgeoisie
the people in a society who are rich, educated, own land etc, according to Marxism → the proletariat
enthralling
en‧thrall‧ing /ɪnˈθrɔːlɪŋ $ -ˈθrɒːl-/ adjective
extremely interesting
an enthralling experience
► see thesaurus at interesting
epoch
e‧poch /ˈiːpɒk $ ˈepək/ noun [countable]
a period of history SYN era
the Victorian epoch
The king’s death marked the end of an epoch.
the beginning of a new epoch
era
e‧ra /ˈɪərə $ ˈɪrə/ ●●○ W3 noun [countable]
a period of time in history that is known for a particular event, or for particular qualities
era of
We live in an era of instant communication.
a new era of world peace
His death marked the end of an era.
the Victorian era
► see thesaurus at period
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + era
a new era
The talks signalled a new era of cooperation between the two countries.
the present era
People feel much less secure in the present era of international terrorism.
the modern/post-war/Victorian etc era
a collection of romantic paintings from the Victorian era
the Blair/Bush etc era (=the time when a particular political leaders was in power, used especially in journalism)
The end of the Bush era was defined, at least in part, by the war in Iraq.
a bygone era (=a time in the past, usually when something was good)
The buildings have the elegance of a bygone era.
a golden era (=a time when something is at its most successful)
a collection of songs from the golden era of rock ‘n’ roll
verbs
enter an era
We have entered an era of instant global communication.
usher in an era (=to be the start of a new era)
His death ushered in an era of political instability.
an era begins
A new era began for Northern Ireland with the signing of the peace agreement.
an era ends
The era of cheap oil has ended.
phrases
the beginning/end of an era
The closure of the last coal mine marked the end of an era in Wales.
the dawn/dawning of a new era (=the time when something important first begins)
The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the dawn of a new era in Europe.
cultural relativism
Cultural relativism is the view that concepts and moral values must be understood in their own cultural context and not judged according to the standards of a different culture.
gentry
gen‧try /ˈdʒentri/ noun [plural] old-fashioned
people who belong to a high social class
a member of the landed gentry (=gentry who own land)
aristocratic
ar‧is‧to‧crat‧ic /ˌærəstəˈkrætɪk◂, əˌrɪs- $ əˌrɪs-/ adjective
belonging to or typical of the aristocracy SYN noble
an aristocratic family
oligarchy
ol‧i‧gar‧chy /ˈɒləɡɑːki $ ˈɑːləɡɑːrki/ noun (plural oligarchies)
1 [countable usually singular] a small group of people who run a country or organization, or a country that is run by a small group of people
2 [uncountable] when a country or organization is run by a small group of people
Eventually oligarchy took over from democracy.
aristocracy
ar‧is‧toc‧ra‧cy /ˌærəˈstɒkrəsi $ -ˈstɑː-/ noun (plural aristocracies)
[countable usually singular] the people in the highest social class, who traditionally have a lot of land, money, and power
dukes, earls, and other members of the aristocracy
the landed aristocracy (=who own a lot of land)
→ upper class
autocracy
au‧toc‧ra‧cy /ɔːˈtɒkrəsi $ ɒːˈtɑː-/ noun (plural autocracies)
1 [uncountable] a system of government in which one person or group has unlimited power SYN dictatorship
2 [countable] a country or organization that is completely controlled by one powerful person or group SYN dictatorship
authoritarian
au‧thor‧i‧tar‧i‧an /ɔːˌθɒrəˈteəriən◂ $ ɒːˌθɑːrəˈter-, əˌθɔː-/ ●○○ adjective
strictly forcing people to obey a set of rules or laws, especially ones that are wrong or unfair
an authoritarian government
Critics claim his management has become too authoritarian.
► see thesaurus at strict
—authoritarian noun [countable]
—authoritarianism noun [uncountable]
opaque
o‧paque /əʊˈpeɪk $ oʊ-/ ●○○ adjective [usually before noun]
1 opaque glass or liquid is difficult to see through and often thick OPP transparent
a shower with an opaque glass door
2 formal difficult to understand SYN obscure
an opaque style of writing
—opaqueness noun [uncountable]
flyfishing
fly‧fish‧ing /ˈflaɪˌfɪʃɪŋ/ noun [uncountable]
the sport of fishing in a river or lake with special hooks that are made to look like flies
streak
streak1 /striːk/ ●●○ noun [countable]
1 a coloured line, especially one that is not straight or has been made accidentally
Sue has blonde streaks in her hair.
2 a part of someone’s character that is different from the rest of their character
a mean streak
streak of
His serious nature was lightened by a streak of mischief.
3 a period of time during which you continue to be successful or to fail
be on a winning/losing streak
Celtic are on a six-game winning streak.
4 → streak of lightning/fire/light etc
glean
glean /ɡliːn/ verb
1 [transitive] to find out information slowly and with difficulty
glean something from somebody/something
Additional information was gleaned from other sources.
2 [intransitive, transitive] to collect grain that has been left behind after the crops have been cut
salient
sa‧li‧ent /ˈseɪliənt/ adjective formal
the salient points or features of something are the most important or most noticeable parts of it
the salient points of the report
—salience noun [uncountable]
laboratory
la‧bor‧a‧tory /ləˈbɒrətri $ ˈlæbrətɔːri/ ●●● W3 noun (plural laboratories) [countable]
a special room or building in which a scientist does tests or prepares substances
a research laboratory
laboratory tests/experiments/studies
tests on laboratory animals
lavatory
lav‧a‧to‧ry /ˈlævətəri $ -tɔːri/ ●○○ noun (plural lavatories) [countable]
formal a toilet or the room a toilet is in
academic
calendar
spellings
oesophagus
oe‧soph‧a‧gus British English, esophagus American English /ɪˈsɒfəɡəs $ ɪˈsɑː-/ noun (plural oesophaguses or oesophagi /-ɡaɪ/) [countable]
the tube which food passes down from your mouth to your stomac
sarcophagus
sar‧coph‧a‧gus /sɑːˈkɒfəɡəs $ sɑːrˈkɑː-/ noun (plural sarcophagi /-ɡaɪ/) [countable]
a decorated stone box for a dead body, used in ancient times
asparagus
as‧par‧a‧gus /əˈspærəɡəs/ noun [uncountable]
Image of asparagusa long thin green vegetable with a point at one end
disposition
dis‧po‧si‧tion /ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃən/ ●○○ noun formal
1 [countable usually singular] a particular type of character which makes someone likely to behave or react in a certain way SYN temperament
of a nervous/sociable/sensitive etc disposition (=having a nervous etc character)
The film is not suitable for people of a nervous disposition.
have a cheerful/sunny etc disposition (=have a happy character)
2 [singular] a tendency or willingness to behave in a particular way SYN inclination
have/show a disposition to do something
Neither side shows the slightest disposition to compromise.
disposition towards
Most children have a disposition towards obedience.
3 [countable usually singular] the position or arrangement of something in a particular place
disposition of
a map showing the disposition of American forces
4 [uncountable] formal the way in which something is dealt with or used
disposition of
A solicitor advised him as to the disposition of the money.
inclination
in‧cli‧na‧tion /ˌɪŋkləˈneɪʃən/ ●○○ AWL noun
1 [countable, uncountable] a feeling that makes you want to do something
My natural inclination was to say no.
inclination to do something
Neither of my children showed the slightest inclination to follow me into journalism.
Teachers simply do not have the time or the inclination to investigate these matters.
2 [countable, uncountable] a tendency to think or behave in a particular way
inclination to do something
an inclination to see everything in political terms
inclination to/towards
She’s troubled by her son’s inclination toward atheism.
by inclination
Bart was a romantic by inclination.
3 [countable] a movement made down towards the ground
She greeted Maggie with an inclination of the head.
4 [countable, uncountable] formal a slope, or the angle at which something slopes
suffice
suf‧fice /səˈfaɪs/ ●○○ verb [intransitive]
1 formal to be enough
A light lunch will suffice.
suffice for
A few brief observations will suffice for present purposes.
suffice to do something
A few more statistics will suffice to show the trends of the time.
2 → suffice (it) to say (that)
people
3 country/race [countable] the people who belong to a particular country, race, or area
the British/American etc people
He pledged that he would never lie to the American people.
people of
the Basques, a people of northwestern Spain
the peoples of Europe
fornicate
for‧ni‧cate /ˈfɔːnɪkeɪt $ ˈfɔːr-/ verb [intransitive]
a word meaning to have sex with someone who you are not married to – used to show strong disapproval
—fornication /ˌfɔːnɪˈkeɪʃən $ ˌfɔːr-/ noun [uncountable]
- Many were almost illiterate and spent much of their time drinking and fornicating, as did some of the nuns.
- Those who joined were forced to fornicate in the presence of others.
Origin fornicate (1500-1600) Late Latin fornicare, from Latin fornix “brothel (= place for buying sex)”
chauvinist
chau‧vin‧ist /ˈʃəʊvɪnɪst $ ˈʃoʊ-/ noun [countable]
1 someone, especially a man, who believes that their own sex is better or more important than the other sex
He’s a bit of a male chauvinist.
a male chauvinist pig (=an insulting name for a male chauvinist)
2 someone who believes that their own country or race is better or more important than any other
—chauvinist adjective
complacent
com‧pla‧cent /kəmˈpleɪsənt/ adjective
pleased with a situation, especially something you have achieved, so that you stop trying to improve or change things – used to show disapproval
There’s a danger of becoming complacent if you win a few games.
a complacent attitude towards the problem
complacent about
We simply cannot afford to be complacent about the future of our car industry.
—complacently adverb
umbrella
um‧brel‧la /ʌmˈbrelə/ ●●● S3 noun [countable]
1 Image of umbrellaan object that you use to protect yourself against rain or hot sun. It consists of a circular folding frame covered in cloth → parasol
pastoral
pas‧tor‧al /ˈpɑːstərəl $ ˈpæ-/ adjective
1 relating to the duties of a priest, minister etc towards the members of their religious group
his pastoral work among the congregation
2 literary typical of the simple peaceful life in the country
a charming pastoral scene
from Wikipedia:
The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd’s lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target audience is typically an urban one.
3 relating to the duties of a teacher in advising students about their personal needs rather than their schoolwork
pastoral care at the school
mosaic
mo‧sa‧ic /məʊˈzeɪ-ɪk $ moʊ-/ ●○○ noun
1 [countable, uncountable] a pattern or picture made by fitting together small pieces of coloured stone, glass etc
rooms decorated with wall paintings and mosaics
a 3rd-century Roman mosaic floor
2 [countable usually singular] a group of different things that exist next to each other or together
mosaic of
The forest floor was a mosaic of autumn colours.
the complex mosaic of world cultures
Mosaic adjective
relating to Moses, the great leader of the Jewish people in ancient times
the Mosaic law
epic
ep‧ic1 /ˈepɪk/ ●○○ noun [countable]
a book, poem, or film that tells a long story about brave actions and exciting events
a Hollywood epic
Story thesaurus
THESAURUS
story: a description of how something happened that is intended to entertain people, and may be true or imaginary
a ghost story
a love story
It’s a story about a man who loses his memory.
a book of short stories
Tale: a story about strange imaginary events, or exciting events that happened in the past
a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen
I loved hearing tales of his travels.
Myth [noun] [countable, uncountable] a very old imaginary story about gods and magical creatures
an ancient myth
Greek and Roman myths
Legend: noun [countable, uncountable] an old story about brave people or magical events that are probably not true
popular legends of the creation of the world
According to legend, King Arthur was buried there.
Fable /ˈfeɪbəl/ a traditional imaginary short story that teaches a moral lesson, especially a story about animals
the fable of the tortoise and the hare
a Chinese fable
Epic: a story told in a long book, film, or poem which is about great or exciting events, especially in history
an epic about 13th-century Scottish hero William Wallace
Saga: a story about a series of events that take place over a long period of time, especially events involving one family
a family saga beginning in the 1880s
Yarn: informal a long exciting story that is not completely true
The movie’s a rattling good yarn and full of action.
elegy
el‧e‧gy /ˈelɪdʒi/ noun (plural elegies) [countable]
a sad poem or song, especially about someone who has died → eulogy
picaresque
pic‧a‧resque /ˌpɪkəˈresk◂/ adjective
a picaresque story tells the amusing and unlikely adventures of a character who travels to a lot of different places
penitent
pen‧i‧tent1 /ˈpenɪtənt/ adjective formal
feeling sorry because you have done something wrong, and are intending not to do it again SYN repentant
a penitent expression
—penitently adverb
—penitence noun [uncountable]
imperialism
im‧pe‧ri‧al‧is‧m /ɪmˈpɪəriəlɪzəm $ -ˈpɪr-/ noun [uncountable]
1 a political system in which one country rules a lot of other countries → colonialism
a book on the history of British imperialism
2 the way in which a rich or powerful country’s way of life, culture, businesses etc influence and change a poorer country’s way of life etc
cultural/economic/social etc imperialism
Small nations resent Western cultural imperialism.
—imperialist noun [countable]
—imperialist, imperialistic adjective
mercenary
mer‧ce‧na‧ry1 /ˈmɜːsənəri $ ˈmɜːrsəneri/ noun (plural mercenaries) [countable]
a soldier who fights for any country or group that will pay him
an army of foreign mercenaries
a mercenary soldier
satirist
sat‧i‧rist /ˈsætɪrɪst/ noun [countable]
someone who writes satire
ballad
bal‧lad /ˈbæləd/ ●○○ noun [countable]
1 a slow love song
2 a short story in the form of a poem or song
sweeping
sweep‧ing /ˈswiːpɪŋ/ ●○○ adjective
1 affecting many things, or making an important difference to something
sweeping changes/cuts/reforms etc
They want to make sweeping changes to education policies.
2 [only before noun] including a lot of information about something
a sweeping look at European history
3 → sweeping statement/generalization
4 forming a curved shape
the sweeping curve of the driveway
a sweeping gesture
5 → sweeping victory
Likert scales
/ˈlɪkərt/
charade
cha‧rade /ʃəˈrɑːd $ ʃəˈreɪd/ noun
1 → charades
2 [countable] a situation in which people behave as though something is true or serious, when it is not really true
Unless more money is given to schools, all this talk of improving education is just a charade.
typhus
ty‧phus /ˈtaɪfəs/ noun [uncountable]
a serious infectious disease carried by insects that live on the bodies of people and animals
a typhus epidemic
pseudonym
pseu‧do‧nym /ˈsjuːdənɪm $ ˈsuː-/ noun [countable]
an invented name that a writer, artist etc uses instead of their real name SYN nom de plume
under a pseudonym
He wrote under the pseudonym ‘Silchester’.
—pseudonymous /sjuːˈdɒnɪməs $ suːˈdɑː-/ adjective
He was the pseudonymous author.
—pseudonymously adverb
permeate
per‧me‧ate /ˈpɜːmieɪt $ ˈpɜːr-/ verb
1 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] if liquid, gas etc permeates something, it enters it and spreads through every part of it
The smell of diesel oil permeated the air.
permeate through/into
Rain permeates through the ground to add to ground water levels.
2 [transitive] if ideas, beliefs, emotions etc permeate something, they are present in every part of it
Racism continues to permeate our society.
An emotional intensity permeates every one of O’Connor’s songs.
fetch
fetch1 /fetʃ/ ●●● S3 verb
elope
e‧lope /ɪˈləʊp $ ɪˈloʊp/ verb [intransitive]
to leave your home secretly in order to get married
My parents didn’t approve of the marriage, so we eloped.
—elopement noun [countable, uncountable]
∑
Sigma
abide
a‧bide /əˈbaɪd/ verb
1 → somebody can’t abide somebody/something
used to say that someone dislikes someone or something very much
I can’t abide that man – he’s so self-satisfied.
2 (past tense abode /əˈbəʊd $ əˈboʊd/) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] old use to live somewhere
prosody
pros‧o‧dy /ˈprɒsədi $ ˈprɑː-/ noun [uncountable] technical
the patterns of sound and rhythm in poetry and spoken language, or the rules for arranging these patterns
—prosodic /prəˈsɒdɪk $ -ˈsɑː-/ adjective
ignoble
ig‧no‧ble /ɪɡˈnəʊbəl $ -ˈnoʊ-/ adjective formal
ignoble thoughts, feelings, or actions are ones that you should feel ashamed or embarrassed about SYN base
ignoble feelings of intense jealousy
inhibition
in‧hi‧bi‧tion /ˌɪnhəˈbɪʃən/ ●○○ AWL noun
1 [countable, uncountable] a feeling of shyness or embarrassment that stops you doing or saying what you really want
She had no inhibitions about saying what she felt.
People tend to lose their inhibitions when they’ve drunk a lot of alcohol.
2 [uncountable] technical when something is restricted or prevented from happening or developing
a marked inhibition of cell growth
widget
wid‧get /ˈwɪdʒɪt/ noun [countable]
1 spoken a small piece of equipment that you do not know the name for
2 informal used to refer to an imaginary product that a company might produce
Company A produces 6,000 widgets a month at a unit price of $0.33.
3 technical a small piece of software used as part of a webpage, or on a mobile phone, that shows information or does other things in a way that is controlled by the user
institute
in‧sti‧tute1 /ˈɪnstɪtjuːt $ -tuːt/ ●●○ W3 AWL noun [countable]
swan
swan1 /swɒn $ swɑːn/ noun [countable]
a large white bird with a long neck that lives on rivers and lakes
swine
swine /swaɪn/ noun [countable]
1 (plural swine or swines) informal someone who behaves very rudely or unpleasantly
Leave her alone, you filthy swine!
2 (plural swine) old use a pig
grapple
grap‧ple /ˈɡræpəl/ verb [intransitive]
to fight or struggle with someone, holding them tightly SYN wrestle
grapple with
Two men grappled with a guard at the door.
→ grapple with something
sift
sift /sɪft/ verb [transitive]
1 to put flour, sugar etc through a sieve or similar container in order to remove large pieces
2 (also sift through) to examine information, documents etc carefully in order to find something out or decide what is important and what is not
Police are sifting through the evidence.
cue
cue1 /kjuː/ ●○○ noun [countable]
1 an action or event that is a signal for something else to happen
cue for
Our success was the cue for other companies to press ahead with new investment.
somebody’s cue to do something
I think that’s my cue to explain why I’m here.
2 a word, phrase, or action in a play that is a signal for the next person to speak or act
She stood nervously in the wings waiting for her cue.
miss your cue (=not speak or act when you are supposed to)
3 → (right/as if) on cue
4 → take your cue from somebody
5 Image of cuea long straight wooden stick used for hitting the ball in games such as billiards and pool
inchoate
in‧cho‧ate /ɪnˈkəʊət $ -ˈkoʊ-/ adjective formal
inchoate ideas, plans, attitudes etc are only just starting to develop
satrical
satirical /səˈtɪrɪkəl/ adjective
a well-known satirical magazine
—satiric adjective
—satirically /-kli/ adverb
sat‧ire /ˈsætaɪə $ -taɪr/ ●○○ noun
1 [uncountable] a way of criticizing something such as a group of people or a system, in which you deliberately make them seem funny so that people will see their faults
garner
gar‧ner /ˈɡɑːnə $ ˈɡɑːrnər/ verb [transitive]
formal to take or collect something, especially information or support → glean
The party garnered 70 percent of the vote.
fling
fling1 /flɪŋ/ ●●○ verb (past tense and past participle flung /flʌŋ/) [transitive always + adverb/preposition]
1 throw something to throw something somewhere using a lot of force
fling something into something
He flung the box into the river.
People cheered and flung their hats into the air.
► see thesaurus at throw
2 move something to throw or move something roughly and carelessly
He flung his coat over the back of a chair.
She flung back the covers and got up.
He flung the books aside angrily.
3 push somebody to push someone roughly, especially so that they fall to the ground SYN throw
He grabbed her arm and flung her to the ground.
4 move your body to move yourself or part of your body quickly, using a lot of force SYN throw
He flung himself down on the bed.
She flung her arms round Louise.
5 say something to say something to someone in an angry way SYN throw
fling something at somebody
People were flinging all sorts of accusations at her.
His own words were flung back at him.
pole vault
pole vault noun
vault1 /vɔːlt $ vɒːlt/ ●○○ noun [countable]
→ the pole vault
—pole vaulter noun [countable]
—pole vaulting noun [uncountable]
remainder
re‧main‧der /rɪˈmeɪndə $ -ər/ ●○○ noun
1 → the remainder
2 [countable]
a) the number you get when you subtract one number from another number
b) the number that is left when you divide one number by another number
Fifteen divided by four gives you a remainder of 3.
