Yds Flashcards
Insurgent
1 : a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government; especially : a rebel not recognized as a belligerent
2 : one who acts contrary to the policies and decisions of one’s own political party
Examples
Insurgents are trying to gain control of the country’s transportation system.
the government subjected the insurgents to the most inhuman torture imaginable
İsyan, isyancı
Elate
to fill with joy or pride
The discovery has elated researchers.
the winning of the state basketball championship elated the whole town
Sevindirmek, coşturmak.
Vanquish
to defeat (someone) completely in a war, battle, etc.
Examples
They were vanquished in battle.
vanquished nation after nation in his relentless conquest of Europe
Yenmek, mağlup etmek
Take charge
to assume care, custody, command, or control
İdareyi ele geçirmek, hükmetmeye başlamak.
Throng
a large group of people
Examples
grabbed a megaphone and addressed the vast throng
Kalabalık, güruh
Clamour
a loud continuous noise (such as the noise made when many people are talking or shouting)
a loud or strong demand forsomething by many people
Examples
A clamor outside woke them in the night.
city streets filled with clamor
a public clamor for an arrest in the case
Spur
: to encourage (someone) to do or achieve something
: to cause (something) to happen or to happen more quickly
Teşvik etmek, kışkırtmak
Roil
: to upset (someone or something) very much : to cause (someone or something) to become very agitated or disturbed
: to move in a violent and confused way
Examples
Financial markets have been roiled by the banking crisis.
the waters of the gulf tossed and roiled as the hurricane surged toward the shore
Bulandırmak, sinirlendirmek.
Aspire
: to want to have or achieve something (such as a particular career or level of success)
Example
aspire to great deeds, and you have a better chance of doing good deeds
a tower aspiring towards the heavens
Heveslenmek, arzulamak
Merely
—used to say that something or someone is small, unimportant, etc.
—used to say that something small is important or has a big effect or influence
Examples
the mere idea of your traveling alone to Europe is ridiculous
Sadece, yalnızca
Deride
: to subject to usually bitter or contemptuous ridicule or criticism
//politicians deriding their opponents
: to express a lack of respect or approval of
//were derided as the weaker sex
Alay etmek, alaya almak.
Stooge
: one who plays a subordinate or compliant role to a principal
Muhbir, alet olan kimse
Sectarian
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a sect or sectarian
2 : limited in character or scope
Examples
Adjective
//The country was split along sectarian lines.
//there are people on both the left and the right who have staked out unyielding sectarian positions in this debate
Tutucu bağnaz.
Infidel
: not holding the faith of a given religion
//Either they must come to terms with surrounding infidel tribes or they must conquer the hinterland.
Kafir, imansız kimse
Tap into
: to make a strong or advantageous connection with
//trying to tap into a new market
Faydalanmak, istifade etmek
Persecution
: the act or practice of persecuting especially those who differ in origin, religion, or social outlook
2 : the condition of being persecuted, harassed, or annoyed
specifically : to cause to suffer because of belief
Zulmetme, eziyet etme
Unjust
: characterized by injustice : UNFAIR
Adaletsiz, vicdansız
Plunder.
: to make extensive use of as if by plundering : use or use up wrongfully
//plunder the land
Yağmalama, talan etme
Detest.
: to feel intense and often violent antipathy toward : LOATHE
//detests politics
//They seem to truly detest each other.
Nefret etmek, iğrenmek
Pious
firm in one’s allegiance to someone or something
//a pious supporter of his school’s athletic teams, during winning and losing seasons alike
Dindar, saygılı
Ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
//an office supervisor with a ruthless disregard for others’ feelings
Gaddar, acımasız
Compromise
the act or practice of each side giving up something in order to reach an agreement
//eventually we reached a compromise on the number of hours per week that would be devoted to piano practice
Anlaşmaya varmak
Alienate
to cause to change from friendly or loving to unfriendly or uncaring
//her changed position on the issue surprised and alienated many of her supporters
Uzaklaştırmak, aralarını açmak.
Foster
to help the growth or development of
//the head librarian firmly declared that it is indeed the duty of local government to foster learning and a love of reading
Bakmak, beslemek.
Despise
to dislike strongly
//I despise anchovies on pizza, and I refuse to eat them!
Hor görmek, küçümsemek
Soar
to rise abruptly and rapidly
//gas prices soared overnight because of the shortage
Hızla yükselmek
Inept
He made some particularly inept remarks.
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
//a well-meaning but inept secretary who can’t seem to keep the boss’s appointments straight
Yeteneksiz, hünersin
Resilient
able to recover quickly after something unpleasant such as shock, injury, etc.
•He’ll get over it—young people are amazingly resilient.
•These plants are very resilient to rough handling.
•a pretty resilient plant
•a remarkably resilient woman
Benign
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
//around campus he’s known as a real character, but one whose eccentricities are entirely benign
: having no significant effect : HARMLESS
//environmentally benign
Sevecen, merhametli
Pasture
: plants (such as grass) grown for the feeding especially of grazing animals
2 : land or a plot of land used for grazing
//horses grazing in a fenced pasture
Otlatmak, gütmek
Seductive
having an often mysterious or magical power to attract
//people always remarked on the cult leader’s seductive personality
Baştan çıkarıcı, tahrik edici
Revise
to make different in some way
//with the snow, we’ll need to revise our travel plans
Düzeltme yapmak.
Inquiry.
an official process to find out the cause of something or to find out information about something
•a murder inquiry
•inquiry into something a public inquiry into the environmental effects of the proposed new road
•to hold/conduct/launch an inquiry into the affair
Araştırma, soruşturma
Implication
a possible effect or result of an action or a decision
•They failed to consider the wider implications of their actions.
•implication (of something) for something The development of the site will have implications for the surrounding countryside.
•Now they realized the full implications of the new system.
•The broader implications of the plan were discussed.
•The research has far-reaching implications for medicine as a whole.
•These results have important practical implications.
•You need to consider the legal implications before you publish anything.
•the constitutional implications of a royal divorce
Çıkarım, (bir kimseyi olumsuz bir şeye) karıştırma/bulaştırma
Convincing
: satisfying or assuring by argument or proof
//a convincing test of a new product
İkna edici bir şekilde
on behalf of or in behalf of
in order to help somebody
•We collected money in behalf of the homeless.
I wrote the letter on behalf of my client.
Adına, namına
Therefore
for this or that reason
//it’s snowing hard; therefore I think we should stay home
Bu sebeple
Accommodate
: to give consideration to : to allow for
//trying to accommodate the special interests of various groups
Uzlaştırmak, uyum sağlamak
Forensic.
: relating to or dealing with the application of scientific knowledge to legal problems
//forensic medicine
Adli, münazaraya ait
Come up with
: to come to attention or consideration
//the question never came us
Bulmak, üretmek
In case of
: a set of circumstances or conditions
//is the statement true in all three cases
Olduğu takdirde
Heritability
: the proportion of observed variation in a particular trait (such as height) that can be attributed to inherited genetic factors in contrast to environmental ones
Mirasçı olma
Hiss
to make a sound like that of stretching out the speech sound \s\
//the frightened kitten hissed at us when we tried to pick it up
Alaylı şekilde tıslamak, beğenmeyerek tıslamak
Dissuade
: to advise (a person) against something
//… dissuading us from base thoughts, low ends, ignoble gains …
Caydırmak, aklını çelmek
Run over
to do over and over so as to become skilled
//let’s run over this dance number one more time
Tekrarlamak, gözden geçirmek
Tactile
formal relating to the sense of touch
//The thick brushstrokes give the painting a t
dokunma duyusuyla algılanabilen
Omit
to not include something/somebody, either deliberately or because you have forgotten it/them
SYNONYM leave somebody/something out
•omit something/somebody If you are a student, you can omit questions 16–18.
•omit something/somebody from something People were surprised that Smith was omitted from the team.
•Some important details were deliberately omitted from the report.
•This fact had been conveniently omitted from his account of events.
•This scene is usually cut down or omitted altogether.
Koymayı unutmak, dahil etmemek
Blend
to mix two or more substances together
•blend A with B Blend the flour with the milk to make a smooth paste.
•blend A and B (together) Blend together the eggs, sugar and flour.
Karışmak, kaynaşmak
Scoff
: to show contempt by derisive acts or language
//scoffed at the idea
Alay etmek
Ebb and flow
Alçalıp yükselmek
Shrink
to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter
//the sweater will shrink a little when washed
Küçülmek
Balmy
marked by temperatures that are neither too high nor too low
//a balmy spring day
Ilık, sıcacık
Succumb
to give up and cease resistance (as to a liking, temptation, or habit)
//refused to succumb to her fears and defiantly walked through the dark cemetery
Karşı koyamamak, direnememek
Emerge
: to become manifest : become known
//new problems emerged
Ortaya çıkmak
Lush
: growing vigorously especially with luxuriant foliage
//lush grass
Cafcaflı
Vivid
: producing a strong or clear impression on the senses : SHARP, INTENSE
specifically : producing distinct mental images
//a vivid description
Parlak, canlı
Exorbitant
: exceeding the customary or appropriate limits in intensity, quality, amount, or size
Fahiş fiyat, aşırı yüksek
Verdant
: green in tint or color
Yemyeşil
Scintillate
to emit sparks : SPARK
Işıldamak
Evocate
evoking or tending to evoke an especially emotional response
//settings … so evocative that they bring tears to the eyes
Çağırmak, ortaya koymak
Dispute
to question whether something is true or legally or officially acceptable
•dispute something These figures have been disputed.
•to dispute a decision/claim
•The family wanted to dispute the will.
•dispute that… No one is disputing that there is a problem.
•dispute whether, how, etc… | it is disputed whether, how, etc… It is disputed whether the law applies in this case.
Tartışmak
Assertion
a statement saying that you strongly believe something to be true
SYNONYM claim
•He was correct in his assertion that the minister had been lying.
•Do you have any evidence to support your assertions?
•Your assertion is not supported by the facts.
•Researchers have recently challenged these assertions.
•The argument needs to progress beyond the simple assertion that criminals are made not born.
•They made sweeping assertions about the role of women in society.
İddia, bildiri
Beneficiary
someone who inherits something when someone dies
//He named his only child as the beneficiary on his life insurance policy.
Hak sahibi, yararlanan
Enrich
: to add beauty to : ADORN
Zenginleştirmek, değerini arttırmak
Inscribe
to write, engrave, or print as a lasting record
İçine çizmek, yazmak(yazıt)
Shed
: to rid oneself of temporarily or permanently as superfluous or unwanted
//shed her inhibitions
Dökmek(gözyaşı, yaprak), ışık tutmak
Hail
to declare enthusiastic approval of
//the museum director hailed the artist’s new installation as a groundbreaking work of genius
Selamlamak, takdir etmek
Undulate
: to present a wavy appearance
İnişli çıkışlı olmak, dalgalanarak gitmek
Sprawl
: to lie or sit with arms and legs spread out
2 : to spread or develop irregularly or without restraint
//bushes sprawling along the road
Çok geniş bir alana yayılmak
Convulse
to shake or agitate violently
especially : to shake with or as if with irregular spasms
//was convulsed with laughter
Şiddetle sarsmak
Instigate
to cause something bad to happen
•They were accused of instigating racial violence.
•Those found guilty of instigating the unrest will be punished.
PROVOKE
Teşvik etmek, kışkırtmak
Overturn
: to cause to turn over : UPSET
//overturned the vase
Tersini çevirmek, altüst etmek
Disuse
lack of use
//since the car has experienced years of disuse, starting it up won’t be easy
Kullanmamak, terketmek
Revive
to bring back to life, practice, or activity
//an effort to revive the once-common custom of celebrating May 1 as a springtime festival of games and dances
Canlandırmak, ihya etmek
Preservation
the act or activity of keeping something in an existing and usually satisfactory condition
//each curator is responsible for the preservation of the works of art within his or her department
Koruma, muhafaza
Trove
: a valuable collection : TREASURE
also : HAUL, COLLECTION
Hzine, buluntu
Notoriety
a person who is widely known and usually much talked about
//a television show featuring a rogues’ gallery of notorieties from 20 years of overhyped scandals
Kötü şöhrert, dile düşme
Cut down
: to reduce or curtail volume or activity
//cut down on smoking
Kısıntı yapmak, azalmak
Call off
to draw the attention or mind to something else
//she was about to tell me the big news when her attention was called off by the arrival of another guest
Son vermek, durdurmak
Take in
: to receive into the mind : PERCEIVE
//took in the view
: ATTEND
//take in a movie
Anlamak, küçültmek, içeri almak
Haphazard
with no particular order or plan; not organized well
•The books had been piled on the shelves in a haphazard fashion.
•The government’s approach to the problem was haphazard.
•The town had grown in a somewhat haphazard way.
•In the early years training was haphazard.
•It was the result of rather haphazard planning.
Raslantı, tesadüf
Culinary
: of or relating to the kitchen or cookery
//culinary arts
Yemek pişirme ile ilgili
Exemplify
: to show or illustrate by example
//anecdotes exemplifying those virtues
Örneklemek
Comprehensive
covering everything or all important points
//a comprehensive overview of European history since the French Revolution😂
Etraflı, kapsamlı
Garnish
to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming
//a chef who never served any dish without first garnishing it
Süslemek
Despite
without being prevented by
//we went to the party despite the bad weather outside
E rağmen
Elaborate
made or done with great care or with much detail
//elaborate festivities for the 200th anniversary of the town’s founding
Detaylandırmak, özen göstermek
Embroil
: to throw into disorder or confusion
2 : to involve in conflict or difficulties
//embroiled in controversy
Bozmak, karıştırmak
İnsatiable
: incapable of being satisfied : QUENCHLESS
//had an insatiable desire for wealth
Açgözlü, doyumsuz
Cater
to provide a supply of food
//cater for a large party
2 : to supply what is required or desired
//catering to middle-class tastes
Temin etmek, ihtiyacını karşılamak
Admitted
to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly
//the host of the talk show eventually admitted that she hadn’t actually read the book
//you can’t bring yourself to admit your mistakes
Kabul edilen, herkesçe bilinen
Defer
to assign to a later time
//we agreed to defer a discussion of the issue until we had more information
Sonraya bırakmak
Accomplice
one associated with another in wrongdoing
//the thief and his accomplices were eventually caught and brought to justice
Suç ortağı
Perseverance
the quality that allows someone to continue trying to do something even though it is difficult
//His perseverance was rewarded: after many rejections, he finally found a job.
//Perseverance is required to perfect just about any skill.
Sebat,azim
Culminate
to end with a particular result, or at a particular point
•a gun battle which culminated in the death of two police officers
•Months of hard work culminated in success.
•Their summer tour will culminate at a spectacular concert in London.
En son noktaya erişmek, sonuçlanmak
Deplorable
arousing or deserving of one’s loathing and disgust
//we will not tolerate such deplorable behavior in a house of worship
Acınacak, müessif
Warrant
the approval by someone in authority for the doing of something
//some employees suspected that the supervisor had no warrant from the CEO for instituting the draconian work rules
Garanti etmek, izin vermek
Confiscate
to take ownership or control of (something) by right of one’s authority
//anything that might be used as a weapon will be confiscated by the security guards
El koymak, haciz koymak
Deciduous
lasting only for a short time
//he chose not to fret about the deciduous discomforts of his existence
Geçici
Dissipate
to gradually become or make something become weaker until it disappears
•Eventually, his anger dissipated.
•dissipate something Her laughter soon dissipated the tension in the air.
2[transitive] dissipate something to waste something, such as time or money, especially by not planning the best way of using it
SYNONYMsquander
•She was determined to achieve results and not to dissipate her energies.
Boşa harcamak
Awning
a raised covering over something for decoration or protection
//stayed under the awning outside the shop during the rainstorm
Tente,branda
İnsulation
the state of being alone or kept apart from others
//she had grown up in such rural insulation that she’d never met anyone of a different race
Tecrit, yalıtım
Attic
a room or unfinished space directly beneath the roof of a building
//rented the attic out to a college student
Tavan arası
Sear
to burn on the surface
//lightly sear the steaks, but don’t cook them all the way through
Kavurtmak, yakmak
Prevaile
to achieve victory (as in a contest)
//we shall prevail despite the overwhelming odds
Üstün gelmek, yenmek
Sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
//her sarcastic comments that my singing reminded her of the time her dog was sick
Kinayeli, alaylı
Sceptical
Kuşkucu
Splurge
informal to spend more money than usual on something for yourself
//You should let yourself splurge once in a while.
Savurganlık yapmak
JANITOR
a person who takes care of a property sometimes for an absent owner
//got a job as the night janitor at the elementary school
Warden, custody
OPT
to come to a judgment about after discussion or consideration
after that near catastrophe, they opted to reinstate the telephone service
Conclude, determine
Ornery
having or showing a habitually bad temper
//an ornery old man who always yells at the neighborhood kids to keep off his lawn
Acid, bearish
Amass
to bring together in one body or place
//amassed a truckload of donations in the course of their canned food drive
Accumulate, assemble
Excerpt
a part taken from a longer work
//he’ll read an excerpt from the novel at the book signing
extract, passage
Procure
the act of obtaining (something)
//The museum is touting the procurement of several recently discovered artifacts.
accession, acquisition, obtainment
Swivel
to turn or move your body, eyes or head around quickly to face another direction
SYNONYM swing
•He swivelled around to look at her.
The man’s eyes swivelled away towards the window.
giggle
to laugh in a silly way because you are embarrassed or nervous or you think that something is funny
•They giggled about their teacher’s accident.
•We were giggling over some old photos.
Mock
that is a copy of something; not real
•a mock election
Stutter
to have difficulty speaking because you cannot stop yourself from repeating the first sound of some words several times
I managed to stutter a reply
Stammer syn
Plunge into
to start doing something in an enthusiastic way, especially without thinking carefully about what you are doing
•She was about to plunge into her story when the phone rang.
•He’s always plunging in at the deep end (= becoming involved in difficult situations without being well enough prepared).
Spout
to speak a lot about something; to repeat something in a boring or annoying way
She could do nothing but spout insults.
•The article was full of the usual clichés spouted by fashion editors.
Flaunt
flaunt something to show something you are proud of to other people, in order to impress them
She openly flaunted her affair with the senator.
•openly flaunting their wealth
Rein
to start to control somebody/something more strictly
SYNONYMcheck
•We need to rein back public spending.
•She kept her emotions tightly reined in.
Bolster
to improve something or make it stronger
•bolster something to bolster somebody’s confidence/courage/morale
Reinstate
to return something to its previous position or status
SYNONYMrestore
•There have been repeated calls to reinstate the death penalty.
•Tennis has now been reinstated as an Olympic sport.
Stroll
to walk somewhere in a slow relaxed way
•People were strolling along the beach.
He hummed to himself as he strolled leisurely through the streets.
•They strolled down to the canal.
Cynic
a person who believes that people only do things to help themselves, rather than for good or sincere reasons
•Don’t be such a cynic!
Atrophy
if a part of the body atrophies, it becomes weak because it is not used or because it does not have enough blood
•patients whose muscles have atrophied
•(figurative) Memory can atrophy through lack of use.
Delve sth
to try hard to find out more information about something
•She had started to delve into her father’s distant past.
•We must delve back into history to find the reason.
İndictment
a sign that a system, society, etc. is very bad or very wrong
•The poverty in our cities is a damning indictment of modern society.
•This research is a terrible indictment on the medical profession.
Riposte
a course of action that takes place in response to something that has happened
•The US delivered an early riposte to the air attack.
Misdeed
a bad or evil act
SYNONYMwrongdoing
•He will have to answer for his misdeeds in a court of law.
Acolyte
a person who follows and helps a leader
•the Emperor’s faithful acolytes
Dupe
to trick or cheat somebody
•dupe somebody They soon realized they had been duped.
•dupe somebody into doing something He was duped into giving them his credit card.
Resent
to feel bitter or angry about something, especially because you feel it is unfair
•resent something/somebody I deeply resented her criticism.
•The children resented the new woman in their father’s life.
I resent the implication that I don’t care about my father.
•I resent the insinuation that I’m only interested in the money.
Afterglow
the light that is left in the sky after the sun has set
•the lingering sunset which left a distinctive purple afterglow
Exult
to feel and show that you are very excited and happy because of something that has happened
•exult (at/in something) He leaned back, exulting at the success of his plan.
•+ speech ‘We won!’ she exulted.
Dissenter
a person who does not agree with opinions that are officially or generally accepted
•The dissenters at the meeting were shouted down.
Dismay
dismay somebody to make somebody feel shocked and disappointed
•Their reaction dismayed him.
Misdemeanour
(formal) an action that is bad or unacceptable, but not very serious
•youthful misdemeanours
Decipher
decipher something to succeed in finding the meaning of something that is difficult to read or understand
•Can anyone decipher his handwriting?
•She watched the girl’s expression closely, trying to decipher her meaning.
Hint
to suggest something in an indirect way
•hint at something What are you hinting at?
•hint (that)… They hinted (that) there might be more job losses.
He hinted strongly that he would be resigning soon.
•She even hinted that she might resign.
Controversial
causing a lot of angry public discussion and disagreement
•a highly controversial topic
•one of the most controversial of London’s new office blocks
•A controversial plan to build a new road has met with protests.
Tumultuous
involving many difficulties and a lot of change and often violence
SYNONYMtempestuous
•the tumultuous years of the English Civil War
•It was a tumultuous time in her life.
Disparage
disparage somebody/something to suggest that somebody/something is not important or valuable
SYNONYMbelittle
•I don’t mean to disparage your achievements.
Broadly
generally, without considering details
•Broadly speaking, I agree with you.
•broadly similar/comparable/equivalent/consistent
Uptick
a small increase in the level or value of something
•The futures market is showing an uptick.
OPPOSITEdowntick
Plea
a serious emotional request, especially for something needing action now
•plea for something She made an impassioned plea for help.
•plea (to somebody) (to do something) a plea to industries to stop pollution
•He refused to listen to her tearful pleas.
Hamper
hamper somebody/something to prevent somebody from easily doing or achieving something
SYNONYMhinder
•High winds hampered the rescue attempt.
•Our efforts were severely hampered by a lack of money.
•This has hampered the growth of the export market.
•Indecision on local taxation is hampering councils from planning their budgets.
•Millions of mothers are hampered in their careers by lack of adequate childcare.
Dovish
preferring to use peaceful discussion rather than military action in order to solve a political problem
OPPOSITEhawkish
(On your) conscience
making you feel guilty for doing or failing to do something
•I’ll write and apologize. I’ve had it on my conscience for weeks.
•It’s still on my conscience that I didn’t warn him in time.
Predicament
a difficult or an unpleasant situation, especially one where it is difficult to know what to do
SYNONYMquandary
•the club’s financial predicament
•I’m in a terrible predicament.
•Many young people find themselves in this predicament.
•Now I really was in a dire predicament.
•Other companies are in an even worse predicament than ourselves.
•She was searching for the right words to explain her predicament.
•When I was your age, I was in a similar predicament.
•He explained his predicament to the librarian.
•They are not to blame for their current predicament.
Unravel
I had to unravel one of the sleeves because I realized I’d knitted it too small.
(of a system, plan, relationship, etc.) to start to fail or no longer stay together as a whole
Başarısızlığa uğramak, sökmek
Devolve into
to give a duty, responsibility, power, etc. to somebody who has less authority than you
•The central government devolved most tax-raising powers to the regional authorities.
Rosy
likely to be good or successful
SYNONYMhopeful
•The future is looking very rosy for our company.
•She painted a rosy picture of their life together in Italy (= made it appear to be very good and perhaps better than it really was).
•You make everything sound very rosy.
Undermine
to make something, especially somebody’s confidence or authority, gradually weaker or less effective
•Our confidence in the team has been seriously undermined by their recent defeats.
•This crisis has undermined his position.
•Recent changes have undermined teachers’ morale.
•The director saw this move as an attempt to undermine his authority.
•It’s all a plot to undermine me.
Admissibility
how much something can be allowed or accepted, especially in court
•His lawyers plan to challenge the admissibility of this evidence.
Warily
carefully, because you think there may be a danger or problem or you do not trust somebody/something
SYNONYMcautiously
•The cat eyed him warily.
Eschew
eschew something to deliberately avoid or keep away from something
•He had eschewed politics in favour of a life practising law.
Unprecedented
that has never happened, been done or been known before
•The situation is unprecedented in modern times.
•There were unprecedented scenes of violence in the city’s main square.
Quash
quash something to take action to stop something from continuing
SYNONYMsuppress
•The rumours were quickly quashed.
•The government moved quickly to quash the revolt.
Inherit
inherit something (from somebody) if you inherit a particular situation from somebody, you are now responsible for dealing with it, especially because you have replaced that person in their job
•policies inherited from the previous administration
•I inherited a number of problems from my predecessor.
Cozy
warm, comfortable and safe, especially in a small space
SYNONYMsnug
•a cozy little room
•a cozy feeling
•I felt warm and cozy sitting by the fire.
Guise
a way in which somebody/something appears, often in a way that is different from usual or that hides the truth about them/it
•in a… guise The story appears in different guises in different cultures.
•in somebody’s guise as something She had been invited to the conference in her guise as a professional counsellor.
•under the guise of something His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism.
Intractable
(of a problem or a person) very difficult to deal with
•Unemployment was proving to be an intractable problem.
•There was no pleasing this intractable man.
OPPOSITEtractable
Debt
[countable] a sum of money that somebody owes
•to pay/repay a debt
•I need to pay off all my debts.
•I’ve finally cleared all my debts.
•After settling his debts he was left with just £2000.
•an outstanding debt of £300
•He had run up huge credit card debts.
•They had incurred debts of over $1 million.
Indebtedness
indebtedness (to somebody) (formal) the feeling of being grateful to somebody/something for their help, advice, influence, etc.
•His deep indebtedness to Karen Burton is acknowledged in this book.
Stagger
[intransitive, transitive] to walk with weak unsteady steps, as if you are about to fall
SYNONYMtotter
•(+ adv./prep.) The injured woman staggered to her feet.
•He staggered home, drunk.
•We seem to stagger from one crisis to the next.
•(figurative) The company is staggering under the weight of a £10m debt.
•stagger something I managed to stagger the last few steps.
•She staggered blindly off into the darkness.
•She staggered to her feet and tottered unsteadily across the room.
•He was staggering, as if he was drunk.
•I managed to stagger to my feet.
•She staggered over to him, swaying slightly.
•The injured woman staggered to the side of the road.
•The man staggered around the square before collapsing.
Discord
[uncountable] (formal) disagreement; arguing
•marital/family discord
•A note of discord surfaced during the proceedings.
•The contrasts between rich and poor nations are a source of discord.
OPPOSITEconcord
Cadre
a small group of people who are specially chosen and trained for a particular purpose
•a cadre of scientific experts
Surreptitious
done secretly or quickly, in the hope that other people will not notice
SYNONYMfurtive
•She sneaked a surreptitious glance at her watch.
•They were seen leaving the premises in a surreptitious manner.
Distort
distort something to change facts, ideas, etc. so that they are no longer correct or true
•Newspapers are often guilty of distorting the truth.
Brush
o remove or try to remove something from a place or surface with a brush or with your hand
•brush something + adv./prep. He brushed the dirt off his jacket.
• He pulled out a handkerchief and brushed away the tears.
•Gail brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.
•She brushed the fly away.
•brush + adv./prep. Lucille brushed at the blood on his jacket.
to clean, polish or make something smooth with a brush
•brush something to brush your hair/teeth
•to brush your shoes
•brush something + adj. A tiled floor is easy to brush clean.
Inordinate
far more than is usual or expected
SYNONYMexcessive
•They spent an inordinate amount of time and money on the production.
•The strike has led to inordinate delays.
Predecessor
a person who did a job before somebody else
•The new president reversed many of the policies of his predecessor.
•his immediate predecessor in the post
•my predecessor at the Ministry of Defence
Unlike
different from a particular person or thing
•Music is quite unlike any other art form.
•The sound was not unlike that of birds singing.
Intensify
to increase in degree or strength; to make something increase in degree or strength
SYNONYMheighten
•Violence intensified during the night.
•The fighting in the area has intensified sharply.
Hardliner
a person who has very fixed beliefs and who is unlikely or unwilling to change them
•a Republican hardliner
Beligerent
aggressive and unfriendly
SYNONYMhostile
•a belligerent attitude
•He is always very belligerent towards me.
Empower
to give somebody the power or authority to do something
SYNONYMauthorize
•be empowered (to do something) The courts were empowered to impose the death sentence for certain crimes.
Bicker
bicker (about/over something) to argue about things that are not important
SYNONYMsquabble
•The children are always bickering about something or other.
•They bicker over whose fault it was.
Internecine
happening between members of the same group, country or organization
•internecine struggles/warfare/feuds
her iki taraf için de öldürücü olan
Pervasive
existing in all parts of a place or thing; spreading gradually to affect all parts of a place or thing
•a pervasive smell of damp
•Her influence is all-pervasive (= it affects everyone and everything).
•A sense of social change is pervasive in her novels.
•the increasingly pervasive subculture in modern society
Unwitting
not aware of what you are doing or of the situation you are involved in
•He became an unwitting accomplice in the crime.
•She was the unwitting cause of the argument.
•They had been made unwitting tools of the regime.
Pawn
a person or group whose actions are controlled by more powerful people
•The hostages are being used as political pawns.
•The prince became a pawn in the game of power politics.
Vagueness
the fact of not having or giving enough information or details about something
•the unhelpful vagueness of the definition
Murky
(of people’s actions or character) not clearly known and suspected of not being honest
•He had a somewhat murky past.
•He was involved in the murky world of arms dealing.
He had an extremely murky past.
•What are you talking about? Some dark secret from your murky past?
Scarcity
if there is a scarcity of something, there is not enough of it and it is difficult to obtain it
SYNONYMshortage
•a time of scarcity
•a scarcity of resources
•In times of scarcity, lions will travel great distances in search of food.
•Old properties in the town have acquired a scarcity value.
•There is a great scarcity of food in the drought-stricken areas.
•The job was made more difficult because of a scarcity of data.
Preponderance
if there is a preponderance of one type of people or things in a group, there are more of them than others
SYNONYMpredominance
•There is still a preponderance of male managers in the profession.
Çoğunluk
Thy
a word meaning ‘your’, used when talking to only one person
•Honour thy father and thy mother.
Overcome
overcome something to succeed in dealing with or controlling a problem that has been preventing you from achieving something
•She overcame injury to win the Olympic gold medal.
•The two parties managed to overcome their differences on the issue.
•He finally managed to overcome his fear of flying
•He overcame a strong temptation to run away.
Painstaking
done with a lot of care, effort and attention to detail
SYNONYMthorough
•painstaking research
•The event had been planned with painstaking attention to detail.
Gratify
to please or satisfy somebody
•it gratifies somebody to do something It gratified him to think that it was all his work.
•gratify somebody I was gratified by their invitation.
İmpasse
a difficult situation in which no progress can be made because the people involved cannot agree what to do
SYNONYMdeadlock
•to break/end the impasse
•Negotiations have reached an impasse.
•The Governor attempted to resolve Minnesota’s current budget impasse.
•The proposal offered both sides a way out of the diplomatic impasse.
Tedious
lasting or taking too long and not interesting
SYNONYMboring
•The journey soon became tedious.
•We had to listen to the tedious details of his operation.
Poignant
having a strong effect on your feelings, especially in a way that makes you feel sad
SYNONYMmoving
•a poignant image/moment/memory, etc.
•Her face was a poignant reminder of the passing of time.
•It was the city’s street children who provided some of the most poignant images.
•The performances are by turns uproarious and oddly poignant.
•The presence of the rest of the family made John’s absence even more poignant.
•Alan’s return to the city of his childhood was particularly poignant.
Lambast
lambast somebody/something to attack or criticize somebody/something very severely, especially in public
SYNONYMlay into somebody/something
Pervade
pervade something to spread through and be easy to notice in every part of something
SYNONYMpermeate
•a pervading mood of fear
•the sadness that pervades most of her novels
•The entire house was pervaded by a sour smell.
Rabid
(of a type of person) having very strong feelings about something and acting in an unacceptable way
•rabid right-wing fanatics
•the rabid tabloid press
Vocal
telling people your opinions or protesting about something loudly and with confidence
•He has been very vocal in his criticism of the government’s policy.
•The protesters are a small but vocal minority.
−Extra Examples
•a highly vocal opposition group
•criticized by a small but increasingly vocal minority
•women who are very vocal about men’s failings
Antagonize
antagonize somebody to do something to make somebody angry with you
•Not wishing to antagonize her further, he said no more.
Muster
muster something (up) to find as much support, courage, etc. as you can
SYNONYMsummon
•We mustered what support we could for the plan.
•She left the room with all the dignity she could muster.
•He could muster only 154 votes at the election.
Cultivate
cultivate something to grow plants or crops
SYNONYMgrow
•The people cultivate mainly rice and beans.
•Olives have been cultivated successfully in southern Australia.
3cultivate somebody/something (sometimes disapproving) to try to get somebody’s friendship or support
•He purposely tried to cultivate good relations with the press.
•It helps if you go out of your way to cultivate the local people.
4cultivate something to develop an attitude, a way of talking or behaving, etc.
•She cultivated an air of sophistication.
•This modern image is actively cultivated by the company.
Decry
decry somebody/something (as something) to strongly criticize somebody/something, especially publicly
SYNONYMcondemn
•The measures were decried as useless.
Expletive
a word, especially a rude word, that you use when you are angry, or in pain
SYNONYMswear word
•He dropped the book on his foot and muttered several expletives under his breath.
•‘Why don’t you just [expletive deleted] (= used when you edit out a rude word when reporting what somebody has said)?’
Blithely
in a way that shows you do not care or are not anxious about what you are doing
•He was blithely unaware of the trouble he’d caused.
•‘It’ll be easy,’ she said blithely.
Silicate
any compound containing silicon and oxygen
•aluminium silicate
Debunk
The writer’s aim was to debunk the myth that had grown up around the actress.
debunk something to show that an idea, a belief, etc. is false; to show that something is not as good as people think it is
•His theories have been debunked by recent research.
•Let’s start by debunking a few myths.
•She attempts to debunk unrealistic expectations about marriage.
Gerçeği göstermek
Brim with
to be full of something; to fill something
•Tears brimmed in her eyes.
•brim with something Her eyes brimmed with tears.
•The team were brimming with confidence before the game.
•a young man brimming with confidence
Scant
hardly any; not very much and not as much as there should be
•I paid scant attention to what she was saying.
•The firefighters went back into the house with scant regard for their own safety.
•There is scant evidence for this view.
Unfathomable
too strange or difficult to be understood
•an unfathomable mystery
•We are confronted with the unfathomable nature of human motivation.
Coerce
to force somebody to do something by using threats
•coerce somebody She hadn’t coerced him in any way.
•coerce somebody into (doing) something They were coerced into negotiating a settlement.
•coerce somebody to do something They tried to coerce him to sign away his rights.
Nonetheless
despite this fact
SYNONYMnevertheless
•The book is too long but, nonetheless, informative and entertaining.
•The problems are not serious. Nonetheless, we shall need to tackle them soon.
Subvert
subvert something to challenge somebody’s ideas or expectations and make them consider the opposite
SYNONYMundermine
•The film subverts notions of male and female identity.
Bravado
a confident way of behaving that is intended to impress people, sometimes as a way of hiding a lack of confidence
•an act of sheer bravado
•‘Don’t threaten me,’ she whispered with false bravado.
•He behaved aggressively out of bravado.
Garner
garner something to obtain or collect something such as information, support, etc.
SYNONYMgather, acquire
•All the information that we garnered has been kept on file.
Grovelling
showing too much respect to somebody who is more important than you or who can give you something you want
•a grovelling letter of apology
Unfurl
when something that is curled or rolled tightly unfurls, or you unfurl it, it opens
•The leaves slowly unfurled.
•unfurl something to unfurl a flag
•The protesters tried to unfurl a banner.
Divvy up
to divide something, especially money into two or more parts
Stubble
the short, stiff hairs that grow on a man’s face when he has not shaved recently
•He had a two-day growth of dark stubble on his chin.
Stubble
the short, stiff hairs that grow on a man’s face when he has not shaved recently
•He had a two-day growth of dark stubble on his chin.
İffy
not certain
•The weather looks slightly iffy
Suss
I’ll visit the college and suss it out before I decide whether to apply or not.
to realize something; to understand the important things about somebody/something
•suss (somebody/something) I think I’ve got him sussed (= now I understand him).
•He cheated on her for years, but she never sussed.
•suss somebody/something out If you want to succeed in business you have to suss out the competition.
•suss that… She quickly sussed that it was my first time at the club.
•suss what, how, etc… They have sussed what the situation is.
İncelemek, keşfetmek
Rumple
rumple something to make something untidy or not smooth and neat
•She rumpled his hair playfully.
•The bed was rumpled where he had slept.
•a rumpled linen suit
Avail
to little/no aˈvail
(formal) with little or no success
•The doctors tried everything to keep him alive but to no avail.
•They worked hard to win the project but all to no avail.
Ignominious
that makes, or should make, you feel ashamed
SYNONYMdisgraceful, humiliating
•an ignominious defeat
•He made one mistake and his career came to an ignominious end
Disconcert
disconcert somebody to make somebody feel anxious, confused or embarrassed
SYNONYMdisturb
•His answer rather disconcerted her.
Strew
to cover a surface with things
SYNONYMscatter
•strew A on, over, across, etc. B Clothes were strewn across the floor.
•He put the bag on the ground and strewed some dead leaves over it.
•strew B with A The floor was strewn with clothes.
•The streets were strewn with corpses.
•(figurative) The way ahead is strewn with difficulties.
Undertake
Students are required to undertake simple experiments.
undertake something to make yourself responsible for something and start doing it
•to undertake a task/project
•University professors both teach and undertake research.
•The company has announced that it will undertake a full investigation into the accident.
to agree or promise that you will do something
•He undertook to finish the job by Friday.
Glean
glean something (from somebody/something) to obtain information, knowledge, etc., sometimes with difficulty and often from various different places
•These figures have been gleaned from a number of studies.
Fete
a special occasion held to celebrate something
•a charity fete
Petrified
petrified trees, insects, etc. have died and been changed into stone over a very long period of time
•a petrified forest
Sideline
to prevent somebody from playing in a team, especially because of an injury
•be sidelined (by something) The player has been sidelined by a knee injury.
Bog
to prevent somebody from making progress in an activity
•We mustn’t get bogged down in details.
Outlying
far away from the cities of a country or from the main part of a place
•outlying areas
Outlying
far away from the cities of a country or from the main part of a place
•outlying areas
Unaminity
complete agreement about something among a group of people
•There is no unanimity of opinion among the medical profession on this subject.
•We won’t all agree, but we need to achieve a degree of unanimity.
Shimmer
to shine with a soft light that seems to move slightly
•The sea was shimmering in the sunlight.
•The surface of the road shimmered in the midday heat.
•She was wearing a shimmering white gown.
Skywards
also sky·ward
towards the sky; up into the sky
•She pointed skywards.
•The rocket soared skywards.
Plausible
(of an excuse or explanation) reasonable and likely to be true
•Her story sounded perfectly plausible.
•The only plausible explanation is that he forgot.
OPPOSITEimplausible
Harbinger
harbinger (of something) a sign that shows that something is going to happen soon, often something
Irrevocable
that cannot be changed
SYNONYMfinal
•an irrevocable decision/step
Worthwhile
important, pleasant, interesting, etc.; worth spending time, money or effort on
•It was in aid of a worthwhile cause (= a charity, etc.)
•a worthwhile discussion/job
•The smile on her face made it all worthwhile.
•We all felt we had done something worthwhile for the local community.
•worthwhile for somebody to do something High prices in the UK make it worthwhile for buyers to look abroad.
•worthwhile to do something It is worthwhile to include really high-quality illustrations.
•worthwhile doing something It didn’t seem worthwhile writing it all out again.
Proprietary
(of goods) made and sold by a particular company and protected by a registered trademark
•a proprietary medicine
•proprietary brands
•a proprietary name
OPPOSITEnon-proprietary
Juxtaposition
the fact of putting people or things together, especially in order to show a contrast or a new relationship between them
•the juxtaposition of realistic and surreal situations in the novel
Swelter
to be very hot in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable
•Passengers sweltered in temperatures of over 90°F.
Perspiration
During the break between games, she had a drink of water and wiped the perspiration off her face and arms with a towel.
drops of liquid that form on your skin when you are hot
SYNONYMsweat
•Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead.
•Her skin was damp with perspiration.
in the throes of something/of doing something
in the middle of an activity, especially a difficult or complicated one
•The country was in the throes of revolutionary change.
•We’re in the throes of moving to a new office, so the place is in chaos at the moment.
Wobble
to move from side to side in an unsteady way; to make something do this
•This chair wobbles.
•(figurative) Her voice wobbled with emotion.
•wobble something Don’t wobble the table—I’m trying to write.
−Extra Examples
•His legs began to wobble under him.
•The vase wobbled and then crashed to the ground.
Perspire
to produce sweat on your body
SYNONYMsweat
•The game of squash left me perspiring profusely.
•He mopped his perspiring face with a handkerchief.
•She was perspiring a little with the heat.
Strenuous
needing great effort and energy
SYNONYM arduous
•a strenuous climb
•Avoid strenuous exercise immediately after a meal.
•How about a stroll in the park? Nothing too strenuous.
•Avoid tasks which require strenuous physical activity.
Opaque
difficult to understand; not clear
SYNONYMimpenetrable
•The jargon in his talk was opaque to me.
•Both question and answer are rather opaque.
•The complex administrative arrangements mean that the decision-making process remains somewhat opaque.
•The system is completely opaque to non-specialists.
Curriculum
the subjects that are included in a course of study or taught in a school, college, etc.
•The school curriculum should be as broad as possible.
•on the curriculum (British English) Spanish is on the curriculum.
•in the curriculum (North American English) Spanish is in the curriculum.
Focal
central; very important; connected with or providing a focus
•The Student Liaison Officer acts as a focal point for student political activity.
•The focal symbol of sovereignty is, of course, the crown.
Entrepreneur
a person who makes money by starting or running businesses, especially when this involves taking financial risks
•A creative entrepreneur, he was continually dreaming up new projects.
•a recent MBA graduate and budding entrepreneur
Slink
to move somewhere very quietly and slowly, especially because you are ashamed or do not want to be seen
SYNONYMcreep
•John was trying to slink into the house by the back door.
•The dog howled and slunk away.
•She slunk out of the room, feeling like a criminal.
Traipse
to walk somewhere slowly when you are tired and unwilling
•We spent the afternoon traipsing around the town.
•I’m not traipsing all that way just to see your sister.
Remediate
to improve something or correct something that is wrong, especially to change or stop damage to the environment
•The problems need to be detected and remediated quickly.
•Plants can remediate contaminated soil.
•a course designed to remediate English and math skills
Pile
a number of things that have been placed on top of each other
•pile of something a pile of clothes/paper
•I found it in a pile of documents on his desk.
•in/into a pile The hats were stacked in neat piles.
•I’ve sorted the books into three separate piles.
Subtle
not very obvious or easy to notice
•subtle colours/flavours/smells, etc.
•There are subtle differences between the two versions.
•The fragrance is a subtle blend of jasmine and sandalwood.
•She’s been dropping subtle hints about what she’d like as a present.
−Extra Examples
•For a natural glow to your skin mix a subtle shade of blusher with loose powder.
•Her paintings are characterized by sweeping brush strokes and subtle colours.
•making infinitely subtle distinctions
Adjacent
next to something
•The planes landed on adjacent runways.
•numbers that are adjacent in the sequence
•adjacent to something Our farm land was adjacent to the river.
•The vineyards of Verzy lie adjacent to those of Verzenay.
•There is a row of houses immediately adjacent to the factory.
Abut
to be next to something or to have one side touching the side of something
•His land abuts onto a road.
Permeate
to spread to every part of an object or a place
•permeate something The smell of leather permeated the room.
•The air was permeated with the odour of burning rubber.
•+ adv./prep. rainwater permeating through the ground
Whisk
whisk something to mix liquids, eggs, etc. into a stiff, light mass, using a fork or special tool
SYNONYMbeat
•Whisk the egg whites until stiff.
•Lightly whisk the eggs and then add them to the mixture.
•Whisk all the ingredients together
whisk somebody/something + adv./prep. to take somebody/something somewhere very quickly and suddenly
•Jamie whisked her off to Paris for the weekend.
•The waiter whisked away the plates before we had finished.
Oppressor
a person or group of people that treats somebody in a cruel and unfair way, especially by not giving them the same rights, etc. as other people
•They cannot forget the humiliation they suffered at the hands of their oppressors.
Trample
to ignore somebody’s feelings or rights and treat them as if they are not important
•The government is trampling on the views of ordinary people.
•She would not let him trample over her any longer.
Despite
used to show that something happened or is true although something else might have happened to prevent it
SYNONYMin spite of
•Her voice was shaking despite all her efforts to control it.
•Despite applying for hundreds of jobs, he is still out of work.
•She was good at physics despite the fact that she found it boring.
Peddler
a person who in the past travelled from place to place trying to sell small objects
Captivate
to keep somebody’s attention by being interesting, attractive, etc.
SYNONYMenchant
•be captivated (by something) The children were captivated by her stories.
•Men were captivated by her charm.
Equivalent
a thing, amount, word, etc. that is equal in value, meaning or purpose to something else
•Send €20 or the equivalent in your own currency.
•equivalent of something the modern equivalent of the Roman baths
•Is there a French word that is the exact equivalent of the English word ‘home’?
•equivalent of doing something Breathing such polluted air is the equivalent of (= has the same effect as) smoking ten cigarettes a day.
•equivalent to something The German ‘Gymnasium’ is the closest equivalent to the grammar school in England.
Distinguish
[transitive] (not used in the progressive tenses) distinguish A (from B) to be a characteristic that makes two people, animals or things different
•What was it that distinguished her from her classmates?
•The male bird is distinguished from the female by its red beak.
•The adult bird can be readily distinguished by its orange bill.
•Does your cat have any distinguishing marks?
•The power of speech distinguishes human beings from animals.
[transitive] (not used in the progressive tenses) distinguish something to be able to see or hear something
SYNONYMdifferentiate, make out
•I could not distinguish her words, but she sounded agitated.
•She could not distinguish the make and colour of the car in the fading light.
4[transitive] distinguish yourself (as something) to do something so well that people notice and admire you
•She has already distinguished herself as an athlete.
Rural
connected with or like the countryside
•rural areas
•Belarus is predominantly rural.
•the rural community/population
•a rural economy
•rural America
•a rural way of life
•a small, quiet, rural village
•a rural development program
Bereave
if somebody is bereaved, a relative or close friend has just died
•The ceremony was an ordeal for those who had been recently bereaved.
Revitalize
revitalize something to make something stronger, more active or more healthy
•measures to revitalize the inner cities
•The local economy has been revitalized.
•Gentle massage will revitalize your skin.
Canlandırmak, diriltmek
Intermediary
helping other people or organizations to make an agreement by being a means of communication between them
•to play an intermediary role in the dispute
Tap
tap (something) if you tap your fingers, feet, etc. or they tap, you hit them gently against a table, the floor, etc., for example to the rhythm of music
•He kept tapping his fingers on the table.
•The music set everyone’s feet tapping.
[transitive, intransitive] to make use of a source of energy, knowledge, etc. that already exists
•tap something We need to tap the expertise of the people we already have.
•tap into something The movie seems to tap into a general sentimentality about animals.
Debunk
debunk something to show that an idea, a belief, etc. is false; to show that something is not as good as people think it is
•His theories have been debunked by recent research.
•Let’s start by debunking a few myths.
•She attempts to debunk unrealistic expectations about marriage.
Amend
amend something to change a law, document, statement, etc. slightly in order to correct a mistake or to improve it
•He asked to see the amended version.
•The law has been amended to read as follows:…
•Parliament will vote to amend the constitution.
Insist
to demand that something happen or that somebody agree to do something
•I didn’t really want to go but he insisted.
•Stay and have lunch. I insist!
•‘Please come with us.’ ‘Very well then, if you insist.’
•insist on somebody/something doing something She insisted on him wearing a suit
•insist on somebody’s/something’s doing something (formal) She insisted on his wearing a suit
•insist that… He insists that she come.
•(British English also) He insists that she should come.
Synonyms demand
Get into
to arrive at a place
•The train got in late.
•What time do you get into Heathrow?
Litterally
in a literal way
SYNONYMexactly
•The word ‘planet’ literally means ‘wandering body’.
•When I told you to ‘get lost’ I didn’t expect to be taken literally.
•Idioms usually cannot be translated literally into another language.
2used to emphasize the truth of something that may seem surprising
•There are literally hundreds of prizes to win.
3(informal) used to emphasize a word or phrase, even if it is not actually true in a literal sense
•I literally jumped out of my skin.
Unilateral
(of an action or decision) done by or affecting only one person, group or country involved in a situation without the agreement of the others
•a unilateral decision
•a unilateral declaration of independence
•They were forced to take unilateral action.
•They had campaigned vigorously for unilateral nuclear disarmament (= when one country gets rid of its nuclear weapons without waiting for other countries to do the same).
Denial
a statement that something is not true or does not exist; the action of denying something
•denial (of something) the prisoner’s repeated denials of the charges against him
•The terrorists issued a denial of responsibility for the attack.
•denial that… There was an official denial that there would be an election before the end of the year.
•in denial She shook her head in denial.
•His question was greeted with a chorus of denials.
•Jefferson made no denial of his actions on that night.
•The chairman of the company issued a denial of the allegations.
•The document contains an explicit denial that the company ever sold arms.
•When I asked if she had cheated in the exam, she answered with a vehement denial.
•a denial from senior officials
Death row
the cells in a prison for prisoners who are waiting to be killed as punishment for a serious crime
•prisoners on death row
Discernible
that can be recognized or understood
SYNONYMperceptible
•There is often no discernible difference between rival brands.
Callously
in a way that shows no care for other people’s feelings, pain or problems
SYNONYMcruelly
•They callously disregarded the concerns of ordinary people.
Discretion
the freedom or power to decide what should be done in a particular situation
•I’ll leave it up to you to use your discretion.
•How much to tell terminally ill patients is left to the discretion of the doctor.
•‘Do you want me to do the job myself or hire a photographer?’ ‘I’ll leave it to your discretion.’
•Judges should be given more discretion over sentencing.
•She has considerable discretion as to how the money is spent.
•The courts exercise discretion in the area of minor traffic violations.
•The president used his executive discretion to pardon the two men.
•The school governors have absolute discretion over which pupils they admit.
•They give themselves complete discretion as to what information they will hand out.
•They would like local authorities to be given greater discretion as to how the money is spent.
•We have discretion about how much to charge.
Jurisprdence
the scientific study of law
•a professor of jurisprudence
Tout
to try to persuade people that somebody/something is important or valuable by praising them/it
•be touted (as something) She’s being touted as the next leader of the party.
•Their much-touted expansion plans have come to nothing.
Övmek
Forfeiture
the act of giving something up as a consequence of something that you have done
•the forfeiture of property
•Failure to meet repayments leads automatically to forfeiture of the lease.
Flaunt
He’s got a lot of money but he doesn’t flaunt it.
to show something you are proud of to other people, in order to impress them
•He did not believe in flaunting his wealth.
•She openly flaunted her affair with the senator.
•openly flaunting their wealth
Gösteriş yapmak
Lurid
presented in a way that is intended to shock
•lurid headlines
•The paper gave all the lurid details of the murder.
Assail
to attack somebody/something violently, either physically or with words
•His attacker assailed him with fierce blows to the head.
•The proposal was assailed by the opposition party.
•(figurative) A vile smell assailed my nostrils.
Heinous
morally very bad
•a heinous crime
Gnash
gnash your ˈteeth
to press or hit your teeth together because you feel angry; to feel very angry and upset about something, especially because you cannot get what you want
•He’ll be gnashing his teeth when he hears that we lost the contract.
•The news caused great wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Snarl
to speak in a rough, low, angry voice
•+ speech (at somebody) ‘Get out of here!’ he snarled.
•snarl something (at somebody) She snarled abuse at anyone who happened to walk past.
•snarl (at somebody) He snarled savagely at her.
Prolifically
in a way that produces many works of art, literature, etc.
•to write prolifically
Literature
pieces of writing or printed information on a particular subject
•sales literature
•literature on something a review of the scientific literature on the topic
•I’ve read all the available literature on keeping rabbits.
•literature about something I picked up some literature about pensions.
•Chapter 1 reviews the literature and discusses the main types of sources available.
Collaborate
to work together with somebody in order to produce or achieve something
•Researchers around the world are collaborating to develop a new vaccine.
•collaborate (with somebody) (on something) We have collaborated on many projects over the years.
•collaborate (with somebody) (in something/in doing something) She agreed to collaborate with him in writing her biography.
Bluster
talk that is aggressive and threatening , but has little effect
•I wasn’t frightened by what he said—it was all bluster.
Propose
to suggest a plan, an idea, etc. for people to think about and decide on
•propose something The government proposed changes to the voting system.
•The Board of Directors is proposing an amendment to Article I.
•The three countries had proposed a plan for him to hand over power to a chosen successor.
•What would you propose?
•Other services will not be affected by the proposed legislation.
•It is one of several proposed hospital developments around town.
•Since the idea was first proposed, no action has been taken.
•a proposed reform/rule/law/project
•This year we propose a tax increase of 3.9 percent.
Lament
to have or express very sad feelings about somebody/something
SYNONYMbemoan, bewail
•In the poem he laments the destruction of the countryside.
•She sat alone weeping, lamenting her fate.
Reluctant
hesitating before doing something because you do not want to do it or because you are not sure that it is the right thing to do
•He finally gave a reluctant smile.
•They nodded in reluctant agreement.
•reluctant to do something She was reluctant to admit she was wrong.
•a reluctant hero (= a person who does not want to be called a hero)
OPPOSITEeager
•For a moment, he felt almost reluctant to leave.
•She was curiously reluctant to talk about the experience.
•Students may feel reluctant to ask questions.
•The monarchy was notoriously reluctant to embrace change.
•He was understandably reluctant to act as a witness.
Bid
(used especially in newspapers) an effort to do something or to obtain something
•bid for something a bid for power
•bid to do something a desperate bid to escape from his attackers
−Extra Examples
•He attacked his guards in a desperate bid for freedom.
•This play was her last bid for recognition.
•It was a bid by the president to boost his popularity.
•They failed in their bid to buy the company.
Impasse
a difficult situation in which no progress can be made because the people involved cannot agree what to do
SYNONYMdeadlock
•to break/end the impasse
•Negotiations have reached an impasse.
•The Governor attempted to resolve Minnesota’s current budget impasse.
•The proposal offered both sides a way out of the diplomatic impasse.
Impasse
a difficult situation in which no progress can be made because the people involved cannot agree what to do
SYNONYMdeadlock
•to break/end the impasse
•Negotiations have reached an impasse.
•The Governor attempted to resolve Minnesota’s current budget impasse.
•The proposal offered both sides a way out of the diplomatic impasse.
Pummel
to keep hitting somebody/something hard, especially with your fists (= tightly closed hands)
•pummel somebody/something (with something) He pummelled the pillow with his fists.
•(figurative) She pummelled (= strongly criticized) her opponents.
•He saw the other man being pummelled by the crowd.
•pummel (at something) Her fists pummelled at his chest.
Extraction
the act or process of removing or obtaining something from something else
•oil/mineral/coal, etc. extraction
•the extraction of salt from the sea
•Commercial peat extraction is destroying many threatened habitats.
•Methods of extraction vary from mine to mine.
2[uncountable] of… extraction (formal) having a particular family origin
•an American of Hungarian extraction
•a young American lawyer of Irish extraction
Resign
to officially tell somebody that you are leaving your job, an organization, etc.
•She was forced to resign due to ill health.
•resign as something He resigned as manager after eight years.
•resign from something Two members resigned from the board in protest.
•resign over something Some judges have threatened to resign over this issue.
•resign something My father resigned his directorship last year.
Pacifism
the belief that war and violence are always wrong
Dismemberment
the act of cutting or tearing the dead body of a person or an animal into pieces
•He was found guilty of the murder and dismemberment of two men.
(formal) the act or process of dividing a country, an organization, etc. into smaller parts
•This conflict led to the permanent dismemberment of the kingdom.
Decapitation
the action of cutting off somebody’s head; the fact of somebody’s head being cut off
SYNONYMbeheading
•The child narrowly escaped decapitation by the propellers.
Dread
to be very afraid of something; to fear that something bad is going to happen
•dread something This was the moment he had been dreading.
•dread doing something I dread being sick.
•dread somebody doing something She dreads her husband finding out.
•dread to do something I dread to think what would happen if there really was a fire here.
•dread that… I both hoped and dreaded that he would come.
•He had always dreaded being singled out.
•I have to go to the dentist tomorrow and I’m absolutely dreading it!
Snub
snub somebody to show a lack of respect for somebody, especially by ignoring them when you meet
SYNONYMcold-shoulder
•I tried to be friendly, but she snubbed me completely.
•He was not invited to the party, and felt snubbed.
Overturn
if something overturns, or if somebody overturns it, it turns into a position in which the top of it is where the bottom of it normally is or on its side
•The car skidded and overturned.
•overturn something He stood up quickly, overturning his chair.
overturn something to officially decide that a legal decision, etc. is not correct, and to make it no longer legally recognized
•to overturn a decision/conviction/verdict
•His sentence was overturned by the appeal court.
•He hopes that councillors will overturn the decision.
Allude
alˈlude to somebody/something
(formal) to mention something in an indirect way
•The problem had been alluded to briefly in earlier discussions.
SEE ALSOallusion
Depreciation
a decrease in value over a period of time
•currency depreciation
•The currency suffered steep depreciations in the exchange rate.
OPPOSITEappreciation
Rake in
to earn a lot of money, especially when it is done easily
•The movie raked in more than $300 million.
•She’s been raking it in since she started her new job.
Restraint
a rule, a fact, an idea, etc. that limits or controls what people can do
•The government has imposed export restraints on some products.
•social restraints on drinking alcohol
•The government imposed restraints on spending.
•They balked at the notion of prior restraints on research.
•We did the best we could within the limited time restraints.
•What happens when the conventional restraints on human cruelty are removed?
•agreements on voluntary export restraints
•There are certain social restraints on drinking alcohol.
Seclusion
the state of being private or of having little contact with other people
•the seclusion and peace of the island
•He spends much of his time in seclusion in the mountains.
•She fled to a life of quiet seclusion, living on a farm in rural Virginia.
•She liked to sunbathe in the seclusion of her own garden.
•seclusion from the outside world
•For the long summer vacation, I prefer the relative seclusion of the countryside.
•They could hardly wait to get back to the seclusion of their own house.
Divest
divest somebody/something of something to take something away from somebody/something
•After her illness she was divested of much of her responsibility.
Grassroots
ordinary people in society or in an organization, rather than the leaders or people who make decisions
•the grassroots of the party
•We need support at grassroots level.
Endorse
to say publicly that you support a person, statement or course of action
•I wholeheartedly endorse his remarks.
•Members of all parties endorsed a ban on land mines.
Ally
a person who helps and supports somebody who is in a difficult situation, especially a politician
•a close ally and friend of the prime minister
•her most powerful political ally
•His sister was his ally against their grandparents.
Punitive
intended as punishment
•There are calls for more punitive measures against people who drink and drive.
•Punitive action will be taken against the hooligans.
Restorative
making you feel strong and healthy again
•the restorative power of fresh air
Disparity
a difference, especially one connected with unfair treatment
•disparity between A and B The wide disparity between rich and poor was highlighted.
•disparity (in something) There are growing regional disparities in economic prosperity.
•the glaring economic disparities between different groups in our society
•The great disparity between the teams did not make for an entertaining game.
•America should address the racial disparities in its criminal justice system.
•the disparity in their salaries
•the issue of gender disparity in the student population
•a disparity of resources
Dire
very serious
•They were living in dire poverty.
•dire warnings/threats
•Such action may have dire consequences.
•We’re in dire need of your help.
•The firm is in dire straits (= in a very difficult situation) and may go bankrupt.
Lunge
to make a powerful forward movement, especially in order to attack somebody or take hold of something
•lunge at somebody/something He took out a knife and lunged at her.
•lunge forward She lunged forward and snatched the letter from me.
•lunge towards somebody/something He sprang from his seat and lunged towards her.
•lunge for somebody/something She lunged for the door, but it was locked.
İncite
to encourage somebody to do something violent, illegal or unpleasant, especially by making them angry or excited
•incite something to incite crime/racial hatred/violence
•incite somebody (to something) They were accused of inciting the crowd to violence.
•incite somebody to do something He incited the workforce to come out on strike.
•The governor blamed foreign groups for inciting the violence.
•There is legislation to ban material that incites racial hatred.
Aid and abet
(law) to help somebody to do something illegal or wrong
•She stands accused of aiding and abetting the crime.
•He was charged with aiding and abetting the robbers.
İndict
to officially charge somebody with a crime
•be indicted (for something) The senator was indicted for murder.
•be indicted on charges/on a charge of something She was indicted on charges of corruption.
•They were indicted on a number of corruption charges.
Travesty
something that does not have the qualities or values that it should have, and as a result is often considered wrong or offensive
SYNONYMparody
•The trial was a travesty of justice.
•His claim is a travesty of the facts.
•a travesty of a marriage
Pundit
a person who knows a lot about a particular subject and who often talks about it in public
•Political pundits agree that the government has scored a major victory.
•Football pundit Ron Atkinson has resigned from his TV job.
•I’d rather watch the soccer than listen to a bunch of TV pundits arguing about it.
•The financial gains to be made fell far short of what many pundits had predicted.
Subservience
the fact of being too willing to obey other people
•his subservience to his brother
Poignant
having a strong effect on your feelings, especially in a way that makes you feel sad
SYNONYMmoving
•a poignant image/moment/memory, etc.
•Her face was a poignant reminder of the passing of time.
•It was the city’s street children who provided some of the most poignant images.
•The performances are by turns uproarious and oddly poignant.
•The presence of the rest of the family made John’s absence even more poignant.
•Alan’s return to the city of his childhood was particularly poignant.
Üzücü
Wary
careful when dealing with somebody/something because you think that there may be a danger or problem
SYNONYMcautious
•wary (of somebody/something) Be wary of strangers who offer you a ride.
•wary (of doing something) She was wary of getting involved with him.
•He gave her a wary look.
•The police will need to keep a wary eye on this area of town (= watch it carefully, in case there is trouble).
•Paula frowned, suddenly wary.
•The Venetians knew to keep a wary eye on Spanish imperial ambitions.
•The chip manufacturers are keeping a wary eye on the market.
•The strange look in his eyes made me wary of accepting his offer.
•You should be very wary of people offering cheap tickets.
Sue
to make a claim against a person or an organization in court about something that they have said or done to harm you
•They threatened to sue if the work was not completed.
•sue (somebody/something) for something to sue somebody for breach of contract
•to sue somebody for $10 million (= in order to get money from somebody)
•to sue somebody for damages
•He threatened to sue the company for negligence.
•sue somebody/something The water authority was successfully sued over his illness.
Burn out
to stop working or to make something stop working because it gets too hot or is used too much
•The clutch has burnt out.
Outreach
the activity of an organization that provides a service or advice to people in the community, especially those who cannot or are unlikely to come to an office, a hospital, etc. for help
•an outreach and education programme
•outreach workers
•efforts to expand the outreach to black voters
Galore
in large quantities
•There will be games and prizes galore.
Celibate
not married and not having sex, especially for religious reasons
•celibate priests
not having sex
•I’ve been celibate for the past six months.
Perplex
if something perplexes you, it makes you confused or worried because you do not understand it
SYNONYMpuzzle
•They were perplexed by her response.
Guile
the use of clever but dishonest behaviour in order to trick people
SYNONYMdeceit
•George was a man completely lacking in guile.
Middling
of average size, quality, status, etc.
SYNONYMmoderate, unremarkable
•a golfer of middling talent
•‘Do you like your coffee weak or strong?’ ‘Oh, middling, please.’
−Extra Examples
•The tax affects 40 million people on middling incomes.
•There was a transfer of wealth from the very rich to the middling rich.
Though
used especially at the end of a sentence or clause to add a fact or an opinion that makes the previous statement less strong or less important
•Our team lost. It was a good game though.
•‘Have you ever been to Australia?’ ‘No. I’d like to, though.’
•At first, it can all be a bit confusing. Don’t worry though, my instructions page is here to help!
•She wanted to talk to him. First, though, she had to talk to Clayton.
Forestall
forestall something/somebody to prevent something from happening or somebody from doing something by doing something first
•Try to anticipate what your child will do and forestall problems.
•Any plans for a peaceful settlement were forestalled by the intervention of the army.
−Extra Examples
•They have tried to forestall criticism by keeping people fully informed of what they are doing.
•He opened his mouth to speak but Richard forestalled him.
•Let me start with a couple of explanations to forestall any possible misunderstandings.
Extravagant
spending a lot more money or using a lot more of something than you can afford or than is necessary
•I felt very extravagant spending £200 on a dress.
•She’s got very extravagant tastes.
•extravagant with something Residents were warned not to be extravagant with water, in view of the low rainfall this year.
•I go to that restaurant for lunch if I’m feeling extravagant.
•You mustn’t be so extravagant with other people’s money
Exert
to use power or influence to affect somebody/something
•He exerted all his authority to make them accept the plan.
•The moon exerts a force on the earth that causes the tides.
Impetus
something that encourages a process or activity to develop more quickly
SYNONYMstimulus
•The debate seems to have lost much of its initial impetus.
•impetus to something/to do something to give (a) new/fresh impetus to something
•The Prime Minister’s support will give (an) added impetus to the campaign against crime.
•impetus for something His articles provided the main impetus for change.
•Each new rumour added fresh impetus to the smear campaign.
•His disappointment in the World Championships provided the necessary impetus to give everything for this final race.
•The movement is steadily gaining impetus.
•The riots lent impetus to attempts to improve conditions for prisoners.
Nurture
to have a feeling, an idea, a plan, etc. for a long time and encourage it to develop
•She secretly nurtured a hope of becoming famous.
•He had long nurtured a deep hatred of his brother.
Lay
to put somebody/something in a particular position, especially when it is done gently or carefully
•lay somebody/something + adv./prep. He laid a hand on my arm.
•Relatives laid wreaths on the grave.
•She laid the baby down gently on the bed.
•Red roses were laid at the memorial.
•She noticed some paintings laid against the far wall.
•The horse laid back its ears.
•lay something His mother visited the murder scene yesterday to lay flowers.
•lay somebody/something + adj. The cloth should be laid flat.
Articulate
to express or explain your thoughts or feelings clearly in words
•She struggled to articulate her thoughts.
•It is the school’s duty to articulate its practices to parents.
−Extra Examples
•She cannot articulate her feelings very well.
•You need to articulate clearly what you are trying to achieve.
Retread
a book, film, song, etc. that contains ideas that have been used before
•It was just a retread of other recent movies with a dance theme.
Admonish
to tell somebody strongly and clearly that you do not approve of something that they have done
SYNONYMreprove
•She was admonished for chewing gum in class.
Stark
unpleasant; real, and impossible to avoid
SYNONYMbleak
•The author paints a stark picture of life in a prison camp.
•The government faced a stark choice between civil war and martial law.
•The remains of the building stand as a stark reminder of the fire.
•He now faces the stark reality of life in prison.
•The stark truth is that there is not enough money left.
•The stark fact is that even with more time, we still couldn’t raise enough money.
Disrupt
to make it difficult for something to continue in the normal way
•Demonstrators succeeded in disrupting the meeting.
•Bus services will be disrupted tomorrow because of the bridge closure.
•The bad weather has seriously disrupted supplies of food.
•They warned that climate change could potentially disrupt economic activity.
•I’m not going to let him disrupt my life any longer.
•Public transport services are likely to be severely disrupted tomorrow.
•The award ceremony was completely disrupted by a technicians’ strike.
•The refusal of the US to participate threatened to disrupt the negotiations.
Institution
a large important organization that has a particular purpose, for example a university or bank
•The deal is backed by one of the country’s largest financial institutions.
•He has worked as a visiting lecturer for various educational institutions.
•The system is targeted mainly at academic and research institutions.
•the Smithsonian Institution
•institution of something The region boasts several institutions of higher education.
•The College is one of the most prestigious medical institutions in the country.
•We need to create institutions that benefit our community.
•a course at an institution of higher education
•cultural institutions such as the Danish Institute
•examination procedures within educational institutions
•young people who attend higher-education institutions
Civic
connected with the people who live in a town or city
•a sense of civic pride (= pride that people feel for their town or city)
•civic duties/responsibilities
•The competition would be an opportunity to foster civic pride.
•Voting should be a matter of civic duty.
Cede
to give somebody control of something or give them power, a right, etc., especially unwillingly
•Cuba was ceded by Spain to the US in 1898.
Insist
to demand that something happen or that somebody agree to do something
•I didn’t really want to go but he insisted.
•Stay and have lunch. I insist!
•‘Please come with us.’ ‘Very well then, if you insist.’
•insist on somebody/something doing something She insisted on him wearing a suit
•insist on somebody’s/something’s doing something (formal) She insisted on his wearing a suit
•insist that… He insists that she come.
Grapple
to take a strong hold of somebody/something and struggle with them
•grapple (with somebody/something) Passers-by grappled with the man after the attack.
•grapple somebody/something (+ adv./prep.) They managed to grapple him to the ground.
Pariah
a person who is not acceptable to society and is avoided by everyone
SYNONYMoutcast
Grisly
extremely unpleasant and frightening and usually connected with death and violence
•a grisly crime
Thus
in this way; like this
•Many scholars have argued thus.
•The universities have expanded, thus allowing many more people the chance of higher education.
•She rarely gave interviews and thus avoided being asked questions she would rather not answer.
As a result of something just mentioned
SYNONYMhence, therefore
•He is the eldest son and thus heir to the title.
•We do not own the building. Thus, it would be impossible for us to make any major changes to it.
Gusher
a person who expresses too much praise or emotion about somebody/something and does not seem sincere
Controversy
public discussion and argument about something that many people strongly disagree about, think is bad, or are shocked by
•to arouse/cause controversy
•a bitter controversy over/about the site of the new airport
•The controversy surrounding his latest movie continues.
•The President resigned amid considerable controversy.
•Controversy exists as to how safe these drugs are.
•Controversy is raging over the route of the new motorway.
•He has resigned amid continuing controversy over his expense claims.
•His views have excited a lively controversy among fellow scientists.
•Ms Benjamin, who is no stranger to controversy herself, said the scandal could have serious repercussions.
•Much controversy surrounds the new exam.
•Public funding could resolve the controversy surrounding campaign finance.
•The book raised a storm of controversy.
•The controversy centred on the issue of compensation for the victims.
•The minister has resigned amid continuing controversy over his education proposals.
•The network ran into controversy over claims of faked documentary footage.
•The president seemed anxious to avoid controversy about these appointments.
•The singer deliberately courts controversy with his racist and sexist lyrics.
•There has been a lot of controversy over the use of these drugs.
•This year’s championships have been dogged by controversy.
•Today, the controversy continues over whether Shakespeare wrote all his plays.
•What they are doing is bound to stir up controversy.
•controversy among historians
•controversy between the two leaders
•her long-running controversy with fellow academics
•the bitter controversy surrounding the introduction of the new regulations
•This is a subject that always causes controversy.
Berate
to criticize or speak angrily to somebody because you do not approve of something they have done
•She berated herself for being a bad mother.
•The minister was berated by angry demonstrators as he left the meeting.
Azarlamak
Rappochement
a situation in which the relationship between two countries or groups of people becomes more friendly after a period during which they were enemies
•rapprochement (with somebody) policies aimed at bringing about a rapprochement with China
•rapprochement (between A and B) There now seems little chance of rapprochement between the warring factions.
Rappochement
a situation in which the relationship between two countries or groups of people becomes more friendly after a period during which they were enemies
•rapprochement (with somebody) policies aimed at bringing about a rapprochement with China
•rapprochement (between A and B) There now seems little chance of rapprochement between the warring factions.
Grope
to try and find something that you cannot see, by feeling with your hands
•He groped around in the dark for his other sock.
•She groped for the railing to steady her as she fell.
•(figurative) ‘It’s so…, so…’ I was groping for the right word to describe it.
−Extra Examples
•She groped blindly for the door handle.
•I groped for the light switch.
Embroil
to involve somebody/yourself in an argument or a difficult situation
•be/become embroiled (in something) He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours.
•embroil somebody/yourself (in something) I was reluctant to embroil myself in his problems.
Undoing
the reason why somebody fails at something or is unsuccessful in life
SYNONYM downfall
•That one mistake was his undoing.
Prompt
to make somebody decide to do something; to cause something to happen
SYNONYM provoke
•prompt something The discovery of the bomb prompted an increase in security.
•His speech prompted an angry outburst from a man in the crowd.
•prompt somebody to do something The thought of her daughter’s wedding day prompted her to lose some weight.
Deceit
dishonest behaviour that is intended to make somebody believe something that is not true; an example of this behaviour
SYNONYM deception
•He was accused of lies and deceit.
•Everyone was involved in this web of deceit.
•Their marriage was an illusion and a deceit.
•She realized that their whole relationship had been based on lies and deceit.
Mendacity
the act of not telling the truth
SYNONYM lying
•politicians accused of hypocrisy and mendacity
Woo
to try to get the support of somebody
•Voters are being wooed with promises of lower taxes.
•Selected items are being sold at half price to woo customers into the store.
Reinvent
o present yourself/something in a new form or with a new image
•The former wild man of rock has reinvented himself as a respectable family man.
Disdain
to think that somebody/something is not good enough to deserve your respect
•She disdained his offer of help.
•Immigrants accept the jobs disdained by the local workforce.
•He disdained all people less well educated than himself.
Tromp
to walk with heavy or noisy steps, especially for a long time
•(+ adv./prep.) We tramped across the wet grass to look at the statue.
•the sound of tramping feet
•tramp something She’s been tramping the streets looking for a job.
−Extra Examples
•He used to tramp miles across the mountains.
•I’m fed up with all these reporters tramping in and out.
•Miners tramped up the hill to the pithead.
Engulf
engulf somebody/something to surround or to cover somebody/something completely
•He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters.
•The vehicle was engulfed in flames.
engulf somebody/something to affect somebody/something very strongly
•Fear engulfed her.
Nag
to keep complaining to somebody about their behaviour or keep asking them to do something
SYNONYMpester
•Stop nagging—I’ll do it as soon as I can.
•nag at somebody You’re always nagging at me.
•nag somebody (to do something) She had been nagging him to paint the fence.
•nag on about something I do wish you’d stop nagging on about the garden.
•nag (away) at somebody (to do something) For weeks his father had been nagging away at him to get a job.
•nag somebody about something She constantly nagged her daughter about getting married.
−Extra Examples
•She had been nagging at him to have his hair cut.
•The children kept nagging her to take them to the zoo.
•He nagged me until I wrote the letter and posted it off.
•He’s always nagging at her for wearing too much make-up.
•Mum’s always nagging me about studying.
Banter
to joke with somebody
•He bantered with reporters and posed for photographers.
Scarce
if something is scarce, there is not enough of it and it is only available in small quantities
•scarce resources
•Details of the accident are scarce.
•Food was becoming scarce.
•Money was extremely scarce after the war.
•Skilled workers were becoming increasingly scarce.
•Butterflies are getting scarcer and scarcer in industrialized areas.
•Land suitable for building on is scarce.
Wane
to become gradually weaker or less important
SYNONYMdecrease, fade
•Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly.
•Their popularity waned during that period.
•Demand for the product shows no signs of waning.
Apt
suitable or appropriate in the circumstances
•a particularly apt description/name/comment
•The song would have been more apt for a bass voice.
•It was a particularly apt name for someone with his skills.
•That question seemed quite apt in the circumstances.
Wilt
to become weak or tired or less confident
SYNONYMflag
•The spectators were wilting visibly in the hot sun.
•He was wilting under the pressure of work.
•By half-time, the team was wilting under the pressure.
•The passengers were visibly wilting with the heat and movement of the bus.
Somber
sad and serious
SYNONYMmelancholy
•Paul was in a sombre mood.
•The year ended on a sombre note.
•His eyes grew sombre.
•The funeral cortège passed, to suitably sombre music.
•The mood in Parliament remained sombre.
•Her expression was sombre.
Implausible
not seeming reasonable or likely to be true
•an implausible claim/idea/theory
•It was all highly implausible.
•Her explanation is not implausible.
OPPOSITEplausible
Shrewd
clever at understanding and making judgements about a situation
SYNONYMastute
•a shrewd businessman
•She is a shrewd judge of character.
•Paul was too shrewd to be taken in by this argument.
Shaky
not seeming very successful; likely to fail
SYNONYMuncertain
•Business is looking shaky at the moment.
•After a shaky start, they fought back to win 3–2.
•The future looks shaky for the present government.
Shaky
not seeming very successful; likely to fail
SYNONYMuncertain
•Business is looking shaky at the moment.
•After a shaky start, they fought back to win 3–2.
•The future looks shaky for the present government.
Relinquish
to stop having something, especially when this happens unwillingly
SYNONYMgive something ↔ up
•relinquish something He was forced to relinquish control of the company.
•They had relinquished all hope that she was alive.
•I relinquished her hand (= stopped holding it) and stood up.
•relinquish something to somebody She relinquished possession of the house to her sister.
•Adrian finally relinquished Eva’s hand from his grip.
•She has relinquished the post to her cousin, Sir Edward.
•They will never voluntarily relinquish their independence.
Vazgeçmek
Dismal
causing or showing the feeling of being sad
SYNONYMgloomy, miserable
•dismal conditions/surroundings/weather
•Christmas will be dismal without the children.
•He watched the dismal faces of the players as they trudged back to the dressing room.
•The place mirrored his own dismal mood.
Privation
a lack of the basic things that people need for living
SYNONYMhardship
•the privations of poverty
•They endured years of suffering and privation.
Drab
without interest or colour; boring
•She longed to be out of the cold, drab little office.
•drab women, dressed in browns and greys
•She looked drab and ordinary today.
•The costumes were pretty drab.
•several depressingly drab paintings
•the drab grey walls of the prison
•their drab little lives
•She was led through the drab corridors of the administration block.
•They found the world drab and depressing.
Drab
without interest or colour; boring
•She longed to be out of the cold, drab little office.
•drab women, dressed in browns and greys
•She looked drab and ordinary today.
•The costumes were pretty drab.
•several depressingly drab paintings
•the drab grey walls of the prison
•their drab little lives
•She was led through the drab corridors of the administration block.
•They found the world drab and depressing.
Flimsy
badly made and not strong enough for the purpose for which it is used
SYNONYMrickety
•a flimsy table
Improbable
not likely to be true or to happen
SYNONYMunlikely
•an improbable story
•It all sounded highly improbable.
•improbable that… It seems improbable that the current situation will continue.
OPPOSITEprobable
•These new facts make the theory improbable.
•a wildly improbable idea
Bleak
(of a situation) not giving any reason to have hope or expect anything good
•a bleak outlook/prospect
•The future looks bleak for the fishing industry.
•The medical prognosis was bleak.
•They faced a financially bleak Christmas.
•Prospects for the industry are extremely bleak.
Likely
having a good chance of happening or being something; probable or expected
•the most likely explanation/outcome/scenario
•the likely cause/consequence
•a likely nominee/contender/winner
•A threat level of ‘Severe’ means a terrorist attack is highly likely.
•They might ask for help or, more likely, just give up.
•likely to do something Tickets are likely to be expensive.
•The beetles are likely to cause damage.
•There is likely to be heavy snowfall.
•likely (that)… It’s hardly likely (that) they’ll refuse.
•It is quite likely the discussion may never take place.
•What is the most likely cause of the infection?
•It’s very likely they already have their own website.
•Workplaces that scored highest for employee satisfaction were 38% more likely to have above-average productivity.
•Severe storms are most likely to occur in October and November.
•Older people are more likely to die of the disease.
•Women are more likely to suffer from the condition than men.
•You are less likely to have problems if you plan ahead.
•It is likely to remain cold all weekend.
•This is one of the strangest art galleries you’re ever likely to see.
•This is likely to cause problems further down the line.
•Economists warn that this willingness to lend is not likely to continue.
•The most likely explanation for these changes is a decline in insect numbers.
•I think there’s a more likely explanation.
•We need to talk honestly about the likely outcomes of these different choices.
•We’d be fine if someone gave us $200,000 but that, unfortunately, is not a likely scenario.
•The rising cost of housing is the most likely culprit.
•We discussed the likely consequences of the vote.
•The retiring Chairman was photographed having lunch with his likely successor.
•a list of likely Oscar nominees
•His movie is still the most likely winner of this year’s Best Picture.
•a development they believed would make nuclear war more likely
•Juries became increasingly likely to acquit.
•Violence may appeal to some viewers, but it’s equally likely to put people off.
•They’re hardly likely to get home before ten.
•This match was never likely to be a classic.
•It is entirely likely that the company will make another offer.
•It’s more than likely that the thieves don’t know how much it is worth.
•It is highly likely that the factory will have to close.
•The doctors didn’t think it likely that she would ever heal completely.
Realize
to understand or become aware of a particular fact or situation
•realize (that)… I didn’t realize (that) you were so unhappy.
•The moment I saw her, I realized something was wrong.
•I finally came to realize that he would never change.
•It is important to realize that there are still potential problems.
•realize how, what, etc… I don’t think you realize how important this is to her.
•They hadn’t realized just how much time it would take.
•realize something Many families fail to realize the importance of a well-balanced diet
•Only later did she realize her mistake.
•I hope you realize the seriousness of this crime.
•The situation was more complicated than they had at first realized.
•They managed to leave without any of us realizing.
•it is realized that… There was a cheer when it was realized that everyone was safely back.
−Extra Examples
•I never realized how much it meant to you.
•I realized for the first time how difficult this would be.
•She dimly realized that she was trembling.
•The experience made me realize that people did care.
•They are constantly learning, without even realizing it.
•We are constantly using historic buildings, without even realizing it.
•You don’t seem to realize the seriousness of the situation.
•I began to realize why the people seemed wary of us.
•to soon/quickly/gradually/slowly realize
•She soon realized her mistake.
•Suddenly I realized what he meant.
•We make assumptions all the time without realizing it.
achieve something
2[transitive] realize something to achieve something important that you very much want to do
•to realize your dream
•We try to help all students realize their full potential (= be as successful as they are able to be).
•She never realized her ambition of becoming a professional singer.
•He has fully realized the promise which he showed.
•He finally realized a life long ambition.
Realize
to understand or become aware of a particular fact or situation
•realize (that)… I didn’t realize (that) you were so unhappy.
•The moment I saw her, I realized something was wrong.
•I finally came to realize that he would never change.
•It is important to realize that there are still potential problems.
•realize how, what, etc… I don’t think you realize how important this is to her.
•They hadn’t realized just how much time it would take.
•realize something Many families fail to realize the importance of a well-balanced diet
•Only later did she realize her mistake.
•I hope you realize the seriousness of this crime.
•The situation was more complicated than they had at first realized.
•They managed to leave without any of us realizing.
•it is realized that… There was a cheer when it was realized that everyone was safely back.
−Extra Examples
•I never realized how much it meant to you.
•I realized for the first time how difficult this would be.
•She dimly realized that she was trembling.
•The experience made me realize that people did care.
•They are constantly learning, without even realizing it.
•We are constantly using historic buildings, without even realizing it.
•You don’t seem to realize the seriousness of the situation.
•I began to realize why the people seemed wary of us.
•to soon/quickly/gradually/slowly realize
•She soon realized her mistake.
•Suddenly I realized what he meant.
•We make assumptions all the time without realizing it.
achieve something
2[transitive] realize something to achieve something important that you very much want to do
•to realize your dream
•We try to help all students realize their full potential (= be as successful as they are able to be).
•She never realized her ambition of becoming a professional singer.
•He has fully realized the promise which he showed.
•He finally realized a life long ambition.
Brim
to be full of something; to fill something
•Tears brimmed in her eyes.
•brim with something Her eyes brimmed with tears.
•The team were brimming with confidence before the game.
•a young man brimming with confidence
Brim
to be full of something; to fill something
•Tears brimmed in her eyes.
•brim with something Her eyes brimmed with tears.
•The team were brimming with confidence before the game.
•a young man brimming with confidence
Repose
to be or be kept in a particular place
•She stared at the empty cabinet where once the vase had reposed.
Survey
to look carefully at the whole of something, especially in order to get a general impression of it
SYNONYMinspect
•The next morning we surveyed the damage caused by the fire.
•He surveyed himself in the mirror before going out.
•She opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings.
Insist on
to demand something and refuse to be persuaded to accept anything else
•We insisted on a refund of the full amount.
•Charles was determined to insist on his rights.
•insist on/upon doing something They insisted upon being given every detail of the case.
Dip
to put something quickly into a liquid and take it out again
•dip something (into something) He dipped the brush into the paint.
•dip something (in) Dip your hand in to see how hot the water is.
•The fruit had been dipped in chocolate.
Avert
to prevent something bad or dangerous from happening
•A disaster was narrowly averted.
•He did his best to avert suspicion.
•Talks are taking place in an attempt to avert a strike.
•He managed to avert the closure of the factory.
Alleviate
to make something less severe
SYNONYMease
•to alleviate suffering
•A number of measures were taken to alleviate the problem.
−Extra Examples
•These problems have been greatly alleviated by the passing of the new Act.
•Are we doing enough to alleviate poverty in these countries?
Implement
to make something that has been officially decided start to happen or be used
SYNONYMcarry out
•to implement changes/decisions/policies/reforms
•A new work programme for young people will be implemented.
•It’s a simple, easily implemented system.
•The decision was hard to implement.
•The decision will be difficult to implement.
•The government failed to implement the plan.
•The proposed changes were never actually implemented.
•These reforms have now been widely implemented in schools.
•We are implementing a new system of stock control.
Accord
a formal agreement between two organizations, countries, etc.
•The two sides signed a peace accord last July.
•A peace accord was reached on 26 March.
•They signed a trade accord with the Americans.
•a trade accord between Europe and the United States
•an accord on environmental protection
•The US-Canada free trade accord has come under political scrutiny.
•The countries drew up accords on economic and technical cooperation.
Vital
necessary or essential in order for something to succeed or exist
•vital for somebody/something the vitamins that are vital for health
•Patience and a cool head are vital for investors.
•vital to something Good financial accounts are vital to the success of any enterprise.
•Reading is of vital importance in language learning.
•The police play a vital role in our society.
•Small chemist shops are a vital part of many local communities.
•’We are prepared to use force to protect our vital interests in the region,’ he said
•The website provides vital information for tourists.
•it is vital that… It is vital that you keep accurate records when you are self-employed
•it is vital to do something It was vital to show that he was not afraid.
•it is vital for somebody/something to do something It is absolutely vital for people with a mental illness to see their loved ones.
+Synonyms essential
•These nutrients are absolutely vital to good health.
•fostering team spirit, which is vital for success
•the strategically vital industrial zone
•Bean sprouts contain many of the vitamins that are vital for health.
Protracted
lasting longer than expected or longer than usual
SYNONYMprolonged
•protracted delays/disputes/negotiations
•A protracted strike carries a high risk of violence.
•There followed a protracted series of legal wrangles.
Inexorably
(of a process) that cannot be stopped or changed
SYNONYMrelentless
•the inexorable rise of crime
•This is where the inexorable logic of the theory breaks down.
Tentative
not behaving or done with confidence
SYNONYMhesitant
•a tentative greeting
•Her English is correct but tentative.
•I’m taking the first tentative steps towards fitness.
Constitution
the system of laws and basic principles that a state, a country or an organization is governed by
•your right to vote under the constitution
•According to the constitution…
•to propose a new amendment to the Constitution
•the South African Constitution
•A two-thirds majority is needed to amend the club’s constitution.
Shove
to put something somewhere roughly or carelessly
•She shoved the book into her bag and hurried off.
•He came over and shoved a piece of paper into my hand.
•Shove your suitcase under the bed.
•(figurative) Could he be lying? She shoved the thought to the back of her mind.
•A leaflet was shoved through my letter box.
•She shoved the letter in a drawer.
Conclave
a meeting to discuss something in private; the people at this meeting
Weld
to make people or things join together into a strong and effective group
•weld somebody/something into something They had welded a bunch of untrained recruits into an efficient fighting force.
•weld something together The crisis helped to weld the party together.
Proliferate
to increase rapidly in number or amount
SYNONYMmultiply
•Books and articles on the subject have proliferated over the last year.
•Time passed and animal life proliferated.
Existential
connected with human existence
Vituperation
cruel and angry criticism
SYNONYMabuse
•She was unprepared for the flood of vituperation which descended on her from her critics.
Alacrity
great happiness or enthusiasm
•They accepted the offer with alacrity.
Intricate
having a lot of different parts and small details that fit together
•intricate patterns
•an intricate network of loyalties and relationships
•an amazingly intricate structure
•The building has intricate geometric designs on several of the walls.
Scribe
a person who made copies of written documents before printing was invented
•Before paper was common, medieval scribes used parchment or vellum.
Eschew
to deliberately avoid or keep away from something
•He had eschewed politics in favour of a life practising law.
Covenant
to promise or legally agree to do something or give somebody something, especially to pay a regular amount of money to somebody/something
•All profits are covenanted to medical charities.
Conundrum
a question, usually involving a trick with words, that you ask for fun
SYNONYMriddle
Ail
to cause problems for somebody/something
•They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry.
Attest
to show or prove that something is true
SYNONYMbear/give witness
•attest to something Contemporary accounts attest to his courage and determination.
•attest (that…) Documents attest that there was a school attached to the abbey from 1125.
•She is, as countless stories about her attest, deeply religious.
•attest something Both public documents and private testimonies attest this fact.
Ensue
to happen after or as a result of another event
SYNONYMfollow
•An argument ensued.
•The riot police swooped in and chaos ensued.
Perpetuate
to make something such as a bad situation, a belief, etc. continue for a long time
•perpetuate something to perpetuate injustice
•Comics tend to perpetuate the myth that ‘boys don’t cry’.
•perpetuate itself This system perpetuated itself for several centuries.
−Extra Examples
•Schools tend to perpetuate the myth that boys are better at science than girls.
•This new law just serves to perpetuate inequality.
Aspirant
a person with a strong desire to achieve a position of importance or to win a competition
•They were asked to select the party candidate from 20 aspirants.
•aspirant for something aspirants for the title of world champion
•aspirant to something There are a handful of other leading aspirants to the title.
Thwart
to prevent somebody from doing what they want to do
SYNONYMfrustrate
•thwart something to thwart somebody’s plans
•His ambition to be a painter was thwarted by poor eyesight.
•be thwarted in something She was thwarted in her attempt to take control of the party.
Naive
not having enough knowledge, good judgement or experience of life and too willing to believe that people always tell you the truth
•to be politically naive
•I can’t believe you were so naive as to trust him!
•a naive question
•He regarded the move as politically naive.
•He made some particularly naive remarks.
•It would be naive of us to think that football is only a game.
Intimate
having a close and friendly relationship
•intimate friends
•We’re not on intimate terms with our neighbours
Relative
a thing that belongs to the same group as something else
•The ibex is a distant relative of the mountain goat.
•He believes that interior design is the poor relative of architecture.
Bow to someone
To obey, pledge allegiance, or submit one’s will to someone or something, especially in a reverential or servile manner.
My allegiance is to my own country; I’ll never bow to another government!
The autocratic CEO all but makes his employees bow to him.
Budge
to change your opinion about something; to make somebody change their opinion
•budge (on something) He won’t budge an inch on the issue.
•budge from something Company executives refused to budge from their position.
•be budged (on something) He was not to be budged on the issue.
•be budged from something They would not be budged from their initial asking price.
•The union won’t budge on its demand.
•She absolutely refused to budge.
Confront
to deal with a problem or difficult situation
SYNONYMface up to
•She knew that she had to confront her fears.
Wordly
having a lot of experience of life and therefore not easily shocked
•At 15, he was more worldly than his older cousins who lived in the country.
OPPOSITEunworldly
Turn a blind eye
To knowingly ignore some wrongdoing.
Can’t you just turn a blind eye to this little incident, instead of telling Mom and Dad?
If regulators hadn’t kept turning a blind eye for so many years, thousands of consumers might not have suffered from the company’s infractions.
Get past
To become less focused on one’s own personal emotions, desires, ego, issues, etc., so as to improve one’s ability to succeed or move forward in life.
You’re never going to get on with your life if you keep holding on to all that bitterness and regret. You’ve just got to get past yourself and leave that negativity behind you.
He’s got to learn to get past himself and work with other people, or he’s never going to get very far in this industry.
To be able to move ahead of someone or something.
Ugh, this guy is walking so slowly—let’s try to get past him.
Make sure you get past this truck soon, or we’ll be stuck behind it the whole way home.
Uneasy
feeling worried or unhappy about a particular situation, especially because you think that something bad or unpleasant may happen or because you are not sure that what you are doing is right
SYNONYManxious
•an uneasy laugh
•His presence made her feel uneasy.
•She had an uneasy feeling that something terrible was going to happen.
•uneasy about something He was beginning to feel distinctly uneasy about their visit.
•uneasy about doing something She felt uneasy about leaving the children with them.
+Synonyms worried
•She always felt uneasy with her body shape.
•We were starting to grow slightly uneasy.
Hit off
To form an immediate, positive connection (with someone).
I just knew you and Haley would hit it off—you two have so much in common.
I’m so glad that you hit it off with my father. He isn’t always the easiest person to get to know.
Fool around with
- To play or tinker with something, often in an aimless manner.
Hey, don’t fool around with the thermostat—it needs to stay at 68 degrees.
Grandpa’s still fooling around with that old radio, but I doubt he’ll get it to work again.
- To engage in aimless recreation or frivolous time-wasting with someone or something.
Quit fooling around with the dog and work on your book report already!
Commit
to stay with and completely support one person, organization, etc. or give all your time and effort to your work, an activity, etc.
•Why are so many men scared to commit? (= say they will stay with one person)
Figure
to think or decide that something will happen or is true
•figure (that)… I figured (that) if I took the night train, I could be in Scotland by morning.
•We figured the sensible thing to do was to wait.
•figure something That’s what I figured.
•figure why, whether, etc… He tried to figure why she had come.
•figure somebody/something for something Gary had figured Pete for a carpenter or some other construction worker.
•If we can figure roughly how much it will cost, we can decide what to do.
•She tried to figure who might have made the call.
•That’s exactly what I figured.
•There was only one thing to do, he figured.
•I figured him to be well over 40.
Issue
a problem or worry that somebody has with something
•If you have any issues, please call this number.
•The community is working together to address social issues and problems.
•All technical issues have now been resolved.
•Miller decided to tackle the issue head on.
•Serious issues arose during the development of the new product.
•Money is not an issue.
•I’m not bothered about the cost—you’re the one who’s making it an issue.
•issue about/around somebody/something She’s always on a diet—she has issues about food.
•Young people sometimes struggle with issues around body image.
•issue with somebody/something He still has some issues with women (= has some problems dealing with them).
•I don’t think my private life is the issue here.
•Because I grew up in a dysfunctional family, anger is a big issue for me.
•A number of issues are affecting the dairy industry.
•Security has become a real issue.
•Don’t hesitate to contact us about any issues and concerns that you may have.
Nonsense
ideas, statements or beliefs that you think are silly or not true
SYNONYMrubbish
•Reports that he has resigned are nonsense.
•You’re talking nonsense!
•‘I won’t go.’ ‘Nonsense! You must go!’
•It’s nonsense to say they don’t care.
•The idea is an economic nonsense.
•Ministers have dismissed the rumours of a bribery scandal as nonsense.
Deal with
to take appropriate action in a particular situation or according to who you are talking to, managing, etc.
SYNONYMhandle
•She is used to dealing with all kinds of people in her job.
•You have not dealt fairly with me.
ˈdeal with somebody/something
to do business with a person, a company or an organization
•Our factory deals directly with its customers.
My gut tell me
According to my instincts or intuition.
I don’t know, Tom—my gut tells me it was the path to the right that will lead us back to camp.
My gut told me that he was the one to arrest, and I was right.
Get over
- To accept, feel better about, move on from, or come to terms with something, especially that which has already been established or has happened in the past.
John is still getting over his divorce, so he’s been a little distant at work.
I don’t think I’ll ever get over losing my job like that.
You need to get over the fact that I’m moving to Indonesia next month.
- To overcome or find the solution to a problem, obstacle, or difficulty.
We’ve had to get over a lot of technical setbacks, but our new website is finally up and running.
- To no longer feel heartbroken over or lovesick for someone.
It’s been nearly a year since Janet dumped me, but I still haven’t gotten over her.
Oh, Sarah, it’s just a crush. You’ll get over Tommy soon enough.
Stand up for
To defend or show one’s support for someone or something.
We’ll never make any progress if we don’t have anyone in Congress standing up for our cause.
Thank you for standing up for me back there. It just felt like everyone was against me.
Bottom line
In a discussion or argument, the bottom line is the most important and basic fact about what you are discussing.
The bottom line is that the great majority of our kids are physically unfit.
The bottom line is he’s a real nice guy and I don’t want to hurt him. Note: You can use bottom-line before a noun.
This is a very good story, and that is the bottom-line criterion for any novel. Note: This expression refers to the last line in a set of accounts, which states how much money has been made.
Have cake and eat it too
To have or do two things that one desires that are normally contradictory or impossible to have or do simultaneously. Because “have” can also mean “eat,” this expression may seem redundant. However, it is based on the meaning of “have” as “to possess,” i.e., to maintain possession of one’s cake while still eating it, an obvious impossibility.
You’re never going to save enough money to buy a house if you keep buying expensive appliances and cars. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.
Too many people want to have their cake and eat it, demanding all sorts of social benefits from the government but being unwilling to pay any taxes to fund them.
Animosity
a strong feeling of opposition, anger or hate
SYNONYMhostility
•animosity (toward(s) somebody/something) He felt no animosity towards his critics.
•animosity (between A and B) personal animosities between members of the two groups
−Extra Examples
•They managed to discuss their past disagreements without animosity.
•The two rivals for party leadership insist that there is no animosity between them.
•the animosity of some locals towards asylum seekers
Dire
very serious
•They were living in dire poverty.
•dire warnings/threats
•Such action may have dire consequences.
•We’re in dire need of your help.
•The firm is in dire straits (= in a very difficult situation) and may go bankrupt.
Hook up with
- slang To meet with or join someone.
I’m running late, so I’ll just hook up with you guys there.
- slang To work together with someone.
Yeah, but if you hooked up with Joe, you guys could pool your resources and really get some stuff done in this town.
- slang To have a casual sexual encounter with someone.
I can’t believe you hooked up with my ex-boyfriend!
The straw that breaks the camel’s back
If you say that something is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, you mean it is the latest in a series of bad events, and it makes you unable to deal with a situation any longer.
Last week, I broke my wrist skateboarding and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back as far as my dad was concerned. He has ordered me to stay away from anything that could get me into an accident.
Fit in
- To become assimilated into and accepted by a group.
I just don’t fit in with any of the kids at my new school.
- To be suitable to or work harmoniously with something.
Working in a research lab really fits in with my shy personality.
- To be able to be placed within something because there is sufficient space.
Do these papers fit into that file? I know it’s practically bulging at the seams.
Basically
in the most important ways, without considering things that are less important
SYNONYMessentially
•I think we are basically saying the same thing.
•There have been some problems but basically it’s a good system.
•The growth in productivity basically means companies are getting more work out of fewer people.
•Yes, that’s basically correct.
•The two approaches are basically very similar.
2used when you are giving your opinion or stating what is important about a situation
•Basically, there’s not a lot we can do about it.
•He basically just sits there and does nothing all day.
•Well, basically I did not believe anything he told me.
•And that’s it, basically.
Zeal
great energy or enthusiasm connected with something that you feel strongly about
•her missionary/reforming/religious/political zeal
•He burned with a reforming zeal.
•She had a true zeal for journalism.
•She went about the task with the zeal of an enthusiast.
•a crusading zeal to eradicate drug abuse
•their zeal in the promotion of education
Unfold
to be gradually made known; to gradually make something known to other people
•The audience watched as the story unfolded before their eyes.
•Dramatic events were about to unfold.
•unfold something (to somebody) She unfolded her tale to us.
Attest
to show or prove that something is true
SYNONYMbear/give witness
•attest to something Contemporary accounts attest to his courage and determination.
•attest (that…) Documents attest that there was a school attached to the abbey from 1125.
•She is, as countless stories about her attest, deeply religious.
•attest something Both public documents and private testimonies attest this fact.
Erudition
great academic knowledge
•a scholar of undoubted erudition
•a work of great erudition and originality
•He is a journalist of rare erudition.
Disciple
a person who believes in and follows the teachings of a religious or political leader
SYNONYMfollower
•a disciple of the economist John Maynard Keynes
Dig in
to deal with a difficult situation or wait patiently
•There is nothing we can do except dig in and wait.
Dig in
to deal with a difficult situation or wait patiently
•There is nothing we can do except dig in and wait.
İnat etmek
Distinctive
having a quality or characteristic that makes something different and easily noticed
SYNONYMcharacteristic
•clothes with a distinctive style
•The male bird has distinctive white markings on its head.
•Each district of the city has its own distinctive character.
•Good diagrams are the book’s most distinctive feature.
•She heard the distinctive sounds of a Siamese cat.
•The car was silver with distinctive red stripes.
•The herb has a strong, distinctive, celery-like flavour.
•The kidnapper had a fairly distinctive voice with a Scottish accent.
•There was nothing distinctive about the envelope in which the letter came.
Contradict
to say that something that somebody else has said is wrong, and that the opposite is true
•contradict something All evening her husband contradicted everything she said.
•contradict somebody/yourself You’ve just contradicted yourself (= said the opposite of what you said before).
•contradict (somebody) + speech ‘No, it’s not,’ she contradicted (him).
Itinerary
a plan of a journey, including the route and the places that you visit
•He drew up a detailed itinerary.
•Visits to four different countries are included in your itinerary.
•The National Gallery is on most tourists’ itinerary.
•Your itinerary includes a visit to Stonehenge.
Detour
to take a longer route in order to avoid a problem or to visit a place; to make somebody/something take a longer route
•detour + adv./prep. The President detoured to Chicago for a special meeting.
•detour something I would detour the endless stream of motor homes.
•detour somebody/something + adv./prep. State troopers were detouring southbound trucks off Route 1 onto Route 16.
Farce
a situation or an event that is so unfair or badly organized that it becomes silly
•The trial was a complete farce.
•The debate degenerated into farce when opposing speakers started shouting at each other.
•The whole procedure has become a complete farce.
Precarious
not safe or certain; dangerous
•He earned a precarious living as an artist.
•The museum is in a financially precarious position.
•The world is a precarious and unstable place.
•They have a somewhat precarious existence.
Crave
to have a very strong desire for something
SYNONYMlong for
•crave (for) something She has always craved excitement.
•to crave alcohol/drugs/sweet food/carbohydrates/cigarettes/coffee
•crave to do something They craved to return to their homeland.
Conjure up
to make something appear as a picture in your mind
SYNONYMevoke
•That smell always conjures up memories of holidays in France.
•He strained to conjure up her face and voice, but they had vanished.
Subtle
not very obvious or easy to notice
•subtle colours/flavours/smells, etc.
•There are subtle differences between the two versions.
•The fragrance is a subtle blend of jasmine and sandalwood.
•She’s been dropping subtle hints about what she’d like as a present.
−Extra Examples
•For a natural glow to your skin mix a subtle shade of blusher with loose powder.
•Her paintings are characterized by sweeping brush strokes and subtle colours.
•making infinitely subtle distinctions
Hue
a colour; a particular shade of a colour
•His face took on an unhealthy whitish hue.
•Her paintings capture the subtle hues of the countryside in autumn.
+Synonyms colour
Immense
extremely large or great
SYNONYMenormous
•There is still an immense amount of work to be done.
•The benefits are immense.
•a project of immense importance
•To my immense relief, he didn’t notice my mistake.
Revere
to admire and respect somebody/something very much
SYNONYMidolize
•Her name is revered in Spain.
•He is now revered as a national hero.
Swathe
to wrap or cover somebody/something in something
•(be) swathed in something He was lying on the hospital bed, swathed in bandages.
•The village was swathed in early morning mist.
Distinctive
having a quality or characteristic that makes something different and easily noticed
SYNONYMcharacteristic
•clothes with a distinctive style
•The male bird has distinctive white markings on its head.
−Extra Examples
•Each district of the city has its own distinctive character.
•Good diagrams are the book’s most distinctive feature.
•She heard the distinctive sounds of a Siamese cat.
•The car was silver with distinctive red stripes.
•The herb has a strong, distinctive, celery-like flavour.
•The kidnapper had a fairly distinctive voice with a Scottish accent.
•There was nothing distinctive about the envelope in which the letter came.
far/farther/further aˈfield
far away from home; to or in places that are not near
•You can hire a car if you want to explore further afield.
•Journalists came from as far afield as China.
Mingle
to combine or make one thing combine with another
•The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air.
•mingle (A) (with B) Her tears mingled with the blood on her face.
•He felt a kind of happiness mingled with regret.
•mingle (A and B) (together) The flowers mingle together to form a blaze of colour.
•a lot of emotions all mingled together
Treatise
a long and serious piece of writing on a particular subject
•‘A Treatise on Probability’ by John Maynard Keynes
•Any of these questions would deserve a lengthy treatise, perhaps even a small book.
Acute
very serious or severe
•There is an acute shortage of water.
•acute pain
•the world’s acute environmental problems
•Competition for jobs is acute.
•The scandal was an acute embarrassment for the President.
•He was suffering from acute chest pains.
Dwindle
to become gradually less or smaller
•dwindling audiences
•a dwindling band of supporters
•dwindle (away) (to something) Support for the party has dwindled away to nothing.
•dwindle (from something) (to something) Membership of the club has dwindled from 70 to 20.
−Extra Examples
•Supplies of coal are dwindling fast.
•The group’s support dwindled into insignificance.
Woe
the troubles and problems that somebody has
•financial woes
•Thanks for listening to my woes.
Imploion
the sudden or complete failure of something
•the country’s economic implosion
Bail out
to escape from a situation that you no longer want to be involved in
•I’d understand if you wanted to bail out of this relationship.
Stave off
to prevent something bad from affecting you for a period of time; to delay something
•to stave off hunger
•The company managed to stave off bankruptcy for another few months.
Accompany
to happen or appear with something else
•accompany something Shouts of protest accompanied this announcement.
•accompanied by something strong winds accompanied by heavy rain
•The text is accompanied by a series of stunning photographs.
•Tax cuts have been accompanied by massive increases in public expenditure.
Wary
careful when dealing with somebody/something because you think that there may be a danger or problem
SYNONYMcautious
•wary (of somebody/something) Be wary of strangers who offer you a ride.
•wary (of doing something) She was wary of getting involved with him.
•He gave her a wary look.
•The police will need to keep a wary eye on this area of town (= watch it carefully, in case there is trouble).
COMPAREunwary
•Paula frowned, suddenly wary.
•The Venetians knew to keep a wary eye on Spanish imperial ambitions.
•The chip manufacturers are keeping a wary eye on the market.
•The strange look in his eyes made me wary of accepting his offer.
•You should be very wary of people offering cheap tickets.
Remittance
the act of sending money to somebody in order to pay for something
SYNONYMpayment
•Remittance can be made by cheque or credit card.
•Many countries place restrictions on the remittance of currency abroad.
•The goods will be dispatched on remittance of (= when you have sent) the full amount.
Default
to fail to do something that you legally have to do, especially by not paying a debt
•to default on a loan/debt
•defaulting borrowers/tenants
Recede
to become gradually weaker or smaller
The prospect of bankruptcy has now receded (= it is less likely).
•The pain was receding slightly.
−Extra Examples
•The pain was gradually receding.
•These worries now receded from his mind.
Denigrate
to criticize somebody/something unfairly; to say somebody/something does not have any value or is not important
SYNONYMbelittle
•I didn’t intend to denigrate her achievements.
Staunch
always loyal in supporting a person, organization, or set of beliefs or opinions:
a staunch friend and ally
He gained a reputation as being a staunch defender/supporter of civil rights.
★ SMART thesaurus
Loyal, faithful and dependable
Benevolent
kind and helpful:
He was a benevolent old man and wouldn’t hurt a fly.
★ SMART thesaurus
Kind and thoughtful
Imbue
to fill somebody/something with strong feelings, opinions or values
SYNONYMinfuse
•be imbued with something Her voice was imbued with an unusual seriousness.
•He was imbued with a desire for social justice.
Freight
to send or carry goods by air, sea or train
[usually passive] (literary) to fill something with a particular mood or tone
•be freighted with something Each word was freighted with anger.
Mainstay
a person or thing that is the most important part of something and enables it to exist or be successful
•He is the mainstay of our theatre group.
•Cocoa is the country’s economic mainstay.
•Love songs form the mainstay of his act.
Clad
wearing a particular type of clothing
SYNONYMdressed
•She was clad in blue velvet.
•warmly/scantily clad
•leather-clad motorcyclists
−Extra Examples
•He returned fully clad.
•She went home and returned more suitably clad.
•a scantily clad young woman
Laud
to praise somebody/something
•He was lauded for his courage.
Undaunted
still enthusiastic and determined, despite difficulties, danger, etc.
SYNONYMundeterred
•He seemed undaunted by all the opposition to his idea.
•Undaunted, she persevered.
Beatific
showing great joy and peace
•a beatific smile/expression
Insistince
an act of demanding or saying something clearly and refusing to accept any opposition or excuses
•at somebody’s insistence At her insistence, the matter was dropped.
•insistence on/upon (doing) something their insistence on strict standards of behaviour
•insistence that… No one was convinced by his insistence that he was not to blame.
Deprive
to prevent somebody from having or doing something, especially something important
•They were imprisoned and deprived of their basic rights.
•Why should you deprive yourself of such simple pleasures?
Covet
to want something very much, especially something that belongs to somebody else
•He had long coveted the chance to work with a famous musician.
•They are this year’s winners of the coveted trophy (= that everyone would like to win).
Fictitious
invented by somebody rather than true
•All the places and characters in my novel are fictitious (= they do not exist in real life).
•The account he gives of his childhood is fictitious.
•Police said the name John Haydon was fictitious, but the address given was genuine.
Wrangle
to argue angrily and usually for a long time about something
•wrangle over/about something They’re still wrangling over the financial details.
•wrangle with somebody Police officers wrangled with the youths and then fired tear gas to force them back.
•wrangle with somebody over/about something Britain was still wrangling with Brussels about the terms of its departure from the EU.
Vanguard
the leaders of a movement in society, for example in politics, art, industry, etc.
•The party claimed to be the vanguard of the world revolutionary movement.
•in the vanguard of something The company is proud to be in the vanguard of scientific progress.
Myriad
an extremely large number of something
•Designs are available in a myriad of colours.
Beleaguered
experiencing a lot of criticism and difficulties
•The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign.
2surrounded by an enemy
•supplies for the beleaguered city
Replete
filled with something; with a full supply of something
•literature replete with drama and excitement
Docile
quiet and easy to control
•a docile child/horse/temperament
•The animal looked remarkably docile.
•It is a cheap and docile workforce.
•They stood in the queue, docile and long-faced.
•They’re a pretty docile type of dog.
Curiculum
the subjects that are included in a course of study or taught in a school, college, etc.
•The school curriculum should be as broad as possible.
•on the curriculum (British English) Spanish is on the curriculum.
•in the curriculum (North American English) Spanish is in the curriculum.
•Chinese has been introduced into the curriculum as an option.
•His disability does not prevent him from following the mainstream curriculum.
•More room should be given to foreign languages in the curriculum.
•Pupils use computers across the curriculum.
•Student choose from optional subjects in addition to the core curriculum.
•Students use computers across the curriculum (= in all or most subjects).
•Teachers feel that the present curriculum is too narrow.
•They all have to study French because it’s on the curriculum.
•We cover all areas of the curriculum.
•the balance of subjects within the curriculum
•All children should have access to the mainstream curriculum.
•Classroom teachers need to be involved in curriculum planning and development.
•Educational inspectors said that the college had failed to deliver the curriculum adequately.
•In those days the curriculum was pretty narrow.
•Many teachers follow the curriculum to the letter.
•Nutrition education is now in the curriculum.
•The government is introducing a national curriculum for schools.
•These subjects are not part of the core curriculum.
Scuttle
to deliberately cause something to fail
SYNONYMfoil
•Shareholders successfully scuttled the deal.
Foment
to create trouble or violence or make it worse
SYNONYMincite
•They accused him of fomenting political unrest.
Bar
to ban or prevent somebody from doing something
•bar somebody from doing something Prisoners are barred by law from voting in general elections.
•The players are barred from drinking alcohol the night before a match.
•bar somebody from something The curfew has effectively barred migrant workers from their jobs.
•bar something The new law bars smoking in all public places.
•be barred to somebody Certain activities are still barred to women.
Excerpt
to take a short piece of writing, music, film, etc. from a longer whole
•The document was excerpted from an unidentified FBI file.
Abstinence
the practice of not allowing yourself something, especially food, alcoholic drinks or sex, for moral, religious or health reasons
•total abstinence from strong drink
SEE ALSOabstain
Comprehensive
including all, or almost all, the items, details, facts, information, etc., that may be involved
SYNONYMcomplete, full
•a comprehensive list of addresses
•a comprehensive study
•comprehensive insurance (= covering all risks)
•The list is fairly comprehensive.
•fully comprehensive insurance
•You are advised to take out comprehensive insurance.
Unabate
without becoming any less strong
•The rain continued unabated.
•They danced all night with unabated energy.
Engulf
to surround or to cover somebody/something completely
•He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters.
•The vehicle was engulfed in flames.
Disruption
a situation in which it is difficult for something to continue in the normal way; the act of stopping something from continuing in the normal way
•We aim to help you move house with minimum disruption to yourself.
•disruptions to rail services
•The strike caused serious disruptions.
Toil
to work very hard and/or for a long time, usually doing hard physical work
SYNONYMslave
•Hundreds of men toiled for years at building the pyramid.
•She toils tirelessly for various charities.
Botch
to do something badly
•He completely botched up the interview.
•The work they did on the house was a botched job.
Guise
a way in which somebody/something appears, often in a way that is different from usual or that hides the truth about them/it
•in a… guise The story appears in different guises in different cultures.
•in somebody’s guise as something She had been invited to the conference in her guise as a professional counsellor.
•under the guise of something His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism.
Steel
to prepare yourself to deal with something unpleasant
•steel yourself (for/against something) As she waited, she steeled herself for disappointment.
•steel yourself to do something He steeled himself to tell them the truth.
Verge
very near to the moment when somebody does something or something happens
•He was on the verge of tears.
•They are on the verge of signing a new contract.
•These measures brought the republic to the verge of economic collapse.
•She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown when she finally sought help.
•The company is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy.
Topless
(of a woman) not wearing any clothes on the upper part of the body so that her breasts are not covered
•a topless model
•a topless bar (= where the female staff are topless)
Weary
[transitive] weary somebody (formal) to make somebody feel tired
SYNONYMtire
2[intransitive] weary of something/of
doing something to lose your interest in or enthusiasm for something
SYNONYMtire
•She soon wearied of his stories.
Furor
great anger or excitement shown by a number of people, usually caused by a public event
SYNONYMuproar
•Her choice of words created quite a furore.
•furore among somebody His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians.
•furore about/over something the recent furore over the tax increases
•His resignation passed almost unnoticed amid the furore of the elections.
•The sale of the two best players caused a furore among the fans.
•the furore which surrounded her appointment as chairman
•You may have read about some of the furore surrounding the film.
Hint
to suggest something in an indirect way
•hint at something What are you hinting at?
•hint (that)… They hinted (that) there might be more job losses.
•+ speech ‘I might know something about it,’ he hinted.
•He hinted strongly that he would be resigning soon.
•She even hinted that she might resign.
•She hinted darkly that all was not well.
•The problems are only hinted at in the report.
Immensity
the large size of something
•the immensity of the universe
•We were overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of the task.
Penultimate
immediately before the last one
SYNONYMnext/second to last
•the penultimate chapter/day/
Obsolete
no longer used because something new has been invented
SYNONYMout of date
•obsolete technology
•With technological changes many traditional skills have become obsolete.
Explicable
that can be explained or understood
•His behaviour is only explicable in terms of (= because of) his recent illness.
OPPOSITEinexplicable
•The delay is partly explicable on account of the roadworks.
•The sudden increase in sales is easily explicable.
•These atrocities are not readily explicable by any of the usual analyses of politics.
Merit
a good feature that deserves praise or reward
SYNONYMstrength
•We will consider each case on its (own) merits (= without considering any other issues, feelings, etc.).
•They weighed up the relative merits of the four candidates.
•I began to question the merits of these new technologies.
•We need to assess the merits of both proposals before making our decision.
•Whatever the artist’s individual merits, he really can’t compete with the great painters.
Afterthought
a thing that is thought of, said or added later, and is often not carefully planned
•They only invited Jack and Sarah as an afterthought.
•He said, ‘I won’t tell anyone,’ adding as an afterthought, ‘at least, not if you do me a favour.
Expatriate
living in a country that is not your own
•expatriate Britons in Spain
•expatriate workers
Brittle
hard but easily broken
•brittle bones/nails
•The paint was brittle with age.
•She had thin, brittle, permed
Concession
something that you allow or do, or allow somebody to have, in order to end an argument or to make a situation less difficult
•The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike.
•to win a concession from somebody
•a major/an important concession
•She made no concession to his age; she expected him to work as hard as she did.
SEE ALSOconcede
•The company will be forced to make concessions to the union.
•The pressure group has won a number of concessions on environmental policy.
•They made no concessions to his disability.
•They remained unwilling to make any substantial concessions.
Pejorative
a word or remark that is pejorative expresses disapproval or criticism
SYNONYMderogatory
•I’m using the word ‘academic’ here in a pejorative sense.
Tenacious
that does not stop holding something or give up something easily; determined
•a tenacious grip
•She’s a tenacious woman. She never gives up.
•The party has kept its tenacious hold on power for more than twenty years.
2continuing to exist, have influence, etc. for longer than you might expect
SYNONYMpersistent
•a tenacious illness
Repercussion
an indirect and usually bad result of an action or event that may happen some time afterwards
SYNONYMconsequence
•The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry.
+Synonyms result
•Anne felt the repercussions of the earlier incident.
•Changes in the industry had major repercussions for the local community.
•The international repercussions are still being felt today.
•The pay cuts are likely to have serious repercussions on productivity.
•The repercussions of the change in policy will be felt throughout Europe.
•These actions have potential repercussions.
•a resident who did not want to be named for fear of repercussions
Bemoan
to complain or say that you are not happy about something
•They sat bemoaning the fact that no one would give them a chance.
Ensue
to happen after or as a result of another event
SYNONYMfollow
•An argument ensued.
•The riot police swooped in and chaos ensued.
Acclaim
to praise or welcome somebody/something publicly
•be acclaimed (as something) The work was acclaimed as a masterpiece.
•This book has been widely acclaimed as a modern classic.
•a highly/widely acclaimed performance
•Mario Vargas Llosa, the internationally acclaimed novelist
Unalloyed
not mixed with anything else, such as negative feelings
SYNONYMpure
•unalloyed joy
Jaundiced
not expecting somebody/something to be good or useful, especially because of experiences that you have had in the past
•He had a jaundiced view of life.
•She looked on politicians with a jaundiced eye.
Sterling
of excellent quality
•He has done sterling work on the finance committee.
•My old watch has given me 15 years of sterling service.
•She has sterling qualities.
•Thanks to all your sterling efforts, we’ve raised over £12 000.
Scour
to search a place or thing carefully and completely in order to find somebody/something
SYNONYMcomb
•scour something for somebody/something We scoured the area for somewhere to pitch our tent.
•scour something He had been scouring the papers for weeks, looking for a job.
Vie
to compete strongly with somebody in order to obtain or achieve something
SYNONYMcompete
•vie (with somebody) (for something) She was surrounded by men all vying for her attention.
•The boys would vie with each other to impress her.
•They are all vying for a place in the team.
•a row of restaurants vying with each other for business
•vie (to do something) Screaming fans vied to get closer to their idol.
Rein in
to start to control somebody/something more strictly
SYNONYMcheck
•We need to rein back public spending.
•She kept her emotions tightly reined in.
Liken
to compare one thing or person to another and say they are similar
•Life is often likened to a journey.
Blustery
with strong winds
•blustery winds/conditions
•The day was cold and blustery.
Disburse
disburse something to pay money to somebody from a large amount that has been collected for a purpose
•The funds were to be disbursed in two instalments.
•The regional council disburses grants to local writers.
Withhold
to refuse to give something to somebody
SYNONYMkeep back
•She was accused of withholding information from the police.
•Payment was withheld until the work was completed.
•The government was threatening to withhold future financial aid.
Conscience
the part of your mind that tells you whether your actions are right or wrong
•to have a clear/guilty conscience (= to feel that you have done right/wrong)
•This is a matter of individual conscience (= everyone must make their own judgement about it).
•He won’t let it trouble his conscience.
•After the meal she spent a week dieting to salve her conscience.
•At the end of each day, examine your conscience.
•He felt his conscience telling him to apologize.
•He wrestled with his conscience all night long.
•Her conscience pricked her every time she thought of how cruel she had been to Kirby.
•Her conscience was bothering her a little.
•How can you do your job with a clean conscience?
•I have a clear conscience.
•I have only ever followed my conscience.
•I never knew a more tender conscience on every point of duty.
•It should be a matter of individual conscience.
•It’s important to let your conscience guide your decisions.
•My conscience dictates that I resign.
•She refused to listen to the voice of conscience.
•To clear my conscience and make it up to you, I’d like to take you out to dinner.
•a bill which has shocked the conscience of every middle-class community
•a dying man with a guilty conscience
•a government with no social conscience
•a seminal conference on religious conscience and poverty
•consumers with an environmental conscience
•the collective conscience of American business
•His decision appears to have been an act of conscience.
Plummet
to fall suddenly and quickly from a high level or position
SYNONYMplunge
•Share prices plummeted to an all-time low.
•Her spirits plummeted at the thought of meeting him again.
•The jet plummeted into a row of houses.
Fare
successful/unsuccessful in a particular situation
SYNONYMget on
•The party fared very badly in the last election.
•The North, by and large, has fared better than most regions in avoiding high unemployment figures.
•He fared well against his main rival.
•She should fare better in this competition.
•This movie fared poorly at the British box office.
Obligated
having a moral or legal duty to do something
SYNONYMobliged
•He felt obligated to help.
Pilfer
o steal things of little value or in small quantities, especially from the place where you work
•pilfer (from somebody/something) He was caught pilfering.
•pilfer something (from somebody/something) She regularly pilfered stamps from work.
Cog
one of a series of teeth on the edge of a wheel that fit between the teeth on the next wheel and cause it to move
Disguise
to hide something or change it, so that it cannot be recognized
SYNONYMconceal
•She made no attempt to disguise her surprise.
•It was a thinly disguised attack on the president.
•She couldn’t disguise the fact that she felt uncomfortable.
•He tried to disguise his accent.
Languish
to become weaker or fail to make progress
•The share price languished at 102p.
Shambles
a situation in which there is a great lack of order or understanding
SYNONYMmess
•The press conference was a complete shambles.
•What a shambles!
•He’s made an absolute shambles of his career.
•in a shambles The government is in a shambles over Europe.
•Our defending was a complete shambles.
•The economy was in a shambles last year
Perfunctory
done as a duty or habit, without real interest, attention or feeling
•a perfunctory nod/smile
•They only made a perfunctory effort.
Incumbent
a person who has an official position
•the present incumbent of the White House
Eke out
to make a small supply of something such as food or money last longer by using only small amounts of it
•She managed to eke out her student loan till the end of the year.
Fend (yourself)
to take care of yourself without help from anyone else
•His parents agreed to pay the rent for his apartment but otherwise left him to fend for himself.
•The fox was released into the wild when it was old enough to fend for itself.
•The children were left to fend for themselves.
•We can let our guests fend for themselves.
Hue
a colour; a particular shade of a colour
•His face took on an unhealthy whitish hue.
•Her paintings capture the subtle hues of the countryside in autumn.
Tinge
a small amount of a colour, feeling or quality
•to feel a tinge of envy
•There was a faint pink tinge to the sky.
+Synonyms colour
•a slight reddish tinge
•blue with a slight tinge of purple
•a tinge of regret
•He felt a tinge of sadness as the train began to pull away.
Toddler
a child who has only recently learnt to walk
•We run a mother and toddler group in the mornings.
•She was left at home with a toddler and a four-month-old baby to care for.
Youngster
a young person or a child
•The camp is for youngsters aged 8 to 14.
Last
to continue for a particular period of time
•Each game lasts about an hour.
•How long does the play last?
•Nothing lasts forever.
•last for something The meeting only lasted for a few minutes.
•last until something The trial is expected to last until the end of the week.
•The flight seemed to last forever.
•The war lasted for three years.
•The effort began in November and lasted through February.
•The storm could last quite a long time.
•a bruise that was sure to last for days
•The celebrations lasted well into the next week.
Intimate
a close personal friend
•He was a wartime minister and intimate of Churchill.
Weird
very strange or unusual and difficult to explain
SYNONYMstrange
•I had a really weird dream last night.
•She’s a really weird girl.
•He’s got some weird ideas.
•It’s really weird seeing yourself on television.
•the weird and wonderful creatures that live beneath the
Confront
problems or a difficult situation) to appear and need to be dealt with by somebody
•What is to be done about the economic problems confronting the country?
•I was suddenly confronted by the task of rewriting the entire book.
•The government found itself confronted by massive opposition.
Get past
to get someone or a group to approve something; to work something through a bureaucracy.
Do you think we can get this past the censors?
I will never get this size increase past the board.
Naive
not having enough knowledge, good judgement or experience of life and too willing to believe that people always tell you the truth
•to be politically naive
•I can’t believe you were so naive as to trust him!
•a naive question
Straw that broke the camel’s back
the final difficulty in a series; the last little burden or problem that causes everything to collapse. (From the image of a camel being loaded down with much weight. Finally, at some point, one more straw will be too much and the camel’s back will break.)
When our best player came down sick, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
We hoped to make the playoffs, but lost all the rest of our games. When she showed up late a third time, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. We had to fire her.
no matter how thin you slice it
It does not matter how finely you try to articulate or argue this point, it is still false, nonsense, or foolishness.
Jim: “But you see, redistributing the wealth of the country by introducing scaled tax increases will benefit everyone!” Susan: “Jim, no matter how thin you slice it, it’s still baloney. Tax hikes will hurt everyone, period.”
Perceive
to understand or think of somebody/something in a particular way
SYNONYMsee
•perceive somebody/something/yourself (as something) This discovery was perceived as a major breakthrough.
•She did not perceive herself as disabled.
•A science degree and artistic interests are often perceived as incompatible.
•perceive somebody/something to be/have something They were widely perceived to have been unlucky.
This pattern is usually used in the passive.
•It is widely perceived as a women’s health problem, but it does also affect men.
•The General’s words were perceived as a threat by countries in the region.
•The remedy for the problem was only dimly perceived by scientists until recently.
•Risks are perceived differently by different people.
Break away
- Literally, to escape from physical restraints.
The robber had tied me to a chair, but I was able to break away and flee the house.
I had to chase my dog down the street after he broke away during our walk. - By extension, to move away or separate from someone or something.
I’m starting to break away from the religious tradition I was raised in.
That 10-game win streak really helped them to break away from the other teams in the conference.
Ultimately, she had to break away from her family and their dysfunctional ways in order to be healthy.
Disarray
a lack of order or organization in a situation or a place
•in/into disarray The peace talks broke up in disarray.
•Our plans were thrown into disarray by her arrival.
•We’re decorating, so everything’s in complete disarray at home.
•The meeting broke up in disarray.
•a period of disarray within the National Party
•She ran down the stairs, her hair in disarray.
•The Inca empire fell into disarray
•The flat was in some disarray.
•The party’s election campaign is in total disarray.
Pariah
a person who is not acceptable to society and is avoided by everyone
SYNONYMoutcast
Wobble
to move from side to side in an unsteady way; to make something do this
•This chair wobbles.
•(figurative) Her voice wobbled with emotion.
•wobble something Don’t wobble the table—I’m trying to write.
Subtle
not very obvious or easy to notice
•subtle colours/flavours/smells, etc.
•There are subtle differences between the two versions.
•The fragrance is a subtle blend of jasmine and sandalwood.
•She’s been dropping subtle hints about what she’d like as a present
Hone
to develop and improve something, especially a skill, over a period of time
•hone something She honed her debating skills at college.
•It was a finely honed piece of writing.
•hone something to something His body was honed to perfection.
Somehow
in a way that is not known or certain
•We must stop him from seeing her somehow.
•Somehow or other I must get a new job.
For a reason that you do not know or understand
•Somehow, I don’t feel I can trust him.
•She looked different somehow.
Conundrum
a confusing problem or question that is very difficult to solve
•The role of clouds is one of the big conundrums of climatology.
2a question, usually involving a trick with words, that you ask for fun
SYNONYMriddle
Quirk
an aspect of somebody’s personality or behaviour that is a little strange
SYNONYMpeculiarity
•Everyone has their own little quirks and mannerisms.
•It was a remarkable quirk in his otherwise orderly character.
•Perhaps it’s some quirk in your nature that makes you behave like that.
Cram
to learn a lot of things in a short time, in preparation for an exam
SYNONYMswot
•He’s been cramming for his exams all week.
Innate
that you have when you are born
SYNONYMinborn
•the innate ability to learn
•He never lost his innate sense of fun.
•Is a tendency towards violence an innate characteristic?
•Many children seem to have an innate sense of justice.
Pervade
to spread through and be easy to notice in every part of something
SYNONYMpermeate
•a pervading mood of fear
•the sadness that pervades most of her novels
•The entire house was pervaded by a sour smell.
Convulse
. to be laughing so much, so angry, etc. that you cannot control your movements
•She was convulsed by a bout of sneezing.
Come up with
To devise or produce something.
Who came up with the idea for this marketing campaign?
Good luck coming up with the money for a new car!
Contentious
likely to cause people to disagree
•a contentious issue/topic/subject
•Both views are highly contentious.
•Try to avoid any contentious wording.
•The government’s treatment of refugees remains a highly contentious issue.
OPPOSITEuncontentious
Tumult
a confused situation in which there is usually a lot of noise and excitement, often involving large numbers of people
•the tumult of war
•A tumult of shouting and screaming came from within the house.
•They waited for the tumult to die down.
•in tumult Soon all was in tumult.
Prudence
a sensible and careful attitude when you make judgements and decisions; behaviour that avoids unnecessary risks
•Maybe you’ll exercise a little more financial prudence next time.
OPPOSITEimprudence
Corroborate
to provide evidence or information that supports a statement, theory, etc.
SYNONYMconfirm
•The evidence was corroborated by two independent witnesses.
•corroborating evidence
Corroborate
to provide evidence or information that supports a statement, theory, etc.
SYNONYMconfirm
•The evidence was corroborated by two independent witnesses.
•corroborating evidence
In situ
in the original or correct place
•The frescoes have been left in situ.
•The steep terrain would have made in situ photography very difficult.
Under the auspices
with the help, support or protection of somebody/something
•The community centre was set up under the auspices of a government initiative.
•a peacekeeping force under United Nations auspices
Bolster
to improve something or make it stronger
•bolster something to bolster somebody’s confidence/courage/morale
•I needed to stress the bus driver’s evidence in order to bolster my case.
Vicinity
the area around a particular place
•in the vicinity (of something) Crowds gathered in the vicinity of Trafalgar Square.
•There is no hospital in the immediate vicinity.
•The police suggested that he leave the vicinity of the property.
•He usually objected strongly to anyone smoking in his vicinity (= near him).
Fiscal
connected with government or public money, especially taxes
•fiscal policies/reforms
•the country’s fiscal system
Exacerbate
to make something worse, especially a disease or problem
SYNONYMaggravate
•His aggressive reaction only exacerbated the situation.
•The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs.
Tenure
the period of time when somebody holds an important job, especially a political one; the act of holding an important job
•his four-year tenure as president
•She had a long tenure of office.
Ostensible
seeming or stated to be real or true, when this is perhaps not the case
SYNONYMapparent
•The ostensible reason for his absence was illness.
Simmer
to be filled with a strong feeling, especially anger, which you have difficulty controlling
SYNONYMseethe
•She was still simmering with resentment.
•Anger simmered inside him.
•She was still quietly simmering from her argument with Nathan.
Nimble
able to move quickly and easily
SYNONYMagile
•You need nimble fingers for that job.
•She was extremely nimble on her feet.
Impetus
something that encourages a process or activity to develop more quickly
SYNONYMstimulus
•The debate seems to have lost much of its initial impetus.
•impetus to something/to do something to give (a) new/fresh impetus to something
•The Prime Minister’s support will give (an) added impetus to the campaign against crime.
•impetus for something His articles provided the main impetus for change.
•Each new rumour added fresh impetus to the smear campaign.
•His disappointment in the World Championships provided the necessary impetus to give everything for this final race.
•The movement is steadily gaining impetus.
•The riots lent impetus to attempts to improve conditions for prisoners.
Profound
very great; felt or experienced very strongly
•profound changes in the earth’s climate
•My father’s death had a profound effect on us all.
•The news came as a profound shock.
•The report has profound implications for schools.
•Her sense of disappointment was profound.
Arraign
to bring somebody to court in order to formally accuse them of a crime
•be arraigned for something He was arraigned for murder.
•be arraigned He was arraigned on a charge of murder.
Coherent
(of a person) able to talk and express yourself clearly
•She only became coherent again two hours after the attack.
•You’re not being very coherent.
OPPOSITEincoherent
Subpoena
to order somebody to attend court and give evidence as a witness
•The court subpoenaed her to appear as a witness.
Pursue
to do something or try to achieve something over a period of time
•to pursue a goal
•to pursue an aim/objective
•How can we most effectively pursue these aims?
•We intend to pursue this policy with determination.
•She wishes to pursue a medical career.
•I was determined to pursue my dream of becoming an actor.
•Many communities are aggressively pursuing plans to preserve open spaces.
•I wasn’t sure I wanted to pursue dance as a career.
•He continues to pursue a soft policy on crime
Tuck
to cover somebody with something so that they are warm and comfortable
•She tucked a blanket around his legs
Wrought
caused something to happen, especially a change
•This century wrought major changes in our society.
•The storm wrought havoc in the south
Ensue
to happen after or as a result of another event
SYNONYMfollow
•An argument ensued.
•The riot police swooped in and chaos ensued.
Gloom
a feeling of being sad and without hope
SYNONYMdepression
•The gloom deepened as the election results came in.
•He remained sunk in gloom for several days.
•An air of gloom and despondency settled over the household.
Ambivelance
the fact of having or showing both positive and negative feelings about somebody/something
•There was ambivalence among church members about women becoming priests.
•Many people feel some ambivalence towards television and its effect on our lives.
Rigidity
the attitude of somebody who refuses to change their ideas or behaviour
SYNONYMinflexibility (2)
•His rigidity in negotiation contributed to a disastrous split in the Labour Party.
Renounce
to state officially that you are no longer going to keep a title, position, etc.
SYNONYMgive something ↔ up
•to renounce a claim/title/privilege/right
•Will Charles renounce the throne in favour of his son?
•The Prince has refused to renounce his right to the throne.
•She formally renounced her citizenship.
Premise
a statement or an idea that forms the basis for a reasonable line of argument
•the basic premise of her argument
•The argument rests on a false premise.
•His reasoning is based on the premise that all people are equally capable of good and evil.
•The premise on which they worked was that there would always be enough natural resources to support them.
Precipitious
sudden and great
SYNONYMabrupt
•a precipitous decline in exports
Rehearse
to prepare in your mind or practise privately what you are going to do or say to somebody
•rehearse something She walked along rehearsing her excuse for being late.
•He had his speech well rehearsed.
•rehearse what, how, etc… She mentally rehearsed what she would say to Jeff.
Conducive
making it easy, possible or likely for something to happen
•Chairs in rows are not as conducive to discussion as chairs arranged in a circle.
•The soft lights and music were conducive to a relaxed atmosphere.
•The noise was hardly conducive to a good night’s sleep.
•an environment conducive to learning
Skew
to change or influence something with the result that it is not accurate, fair, normal, etc.
•to skew the statistics
Affluent
having a lot of money and a good standard of living
SYNONYMprosperous, wealthy
•affluent Western countries
•a very affluent neighbourhood
Batter
to hit somebody/something hard many times, especially in a way that causes serious damage
•batter at/on something She battered at the door with her fists.
•batter against something The waves battered against the ship.
•batter somebody He had been badly battered around the head and face.
•Her killer had battered her to death.
•batter something Severe winds have been battering the north coast.
+Synonyms beat
•She battered on the door.
•He started furiously battering the door with a piece of wood.
•An intruder attacked him and battered him to death.
•Heavy rains battered what remained of the crop.
Impropriety
behaviour or actions that are dishonest, morally wrong or not appropriate for a person in a position of responsibility
•There was no evidence of impropriety.
•accusations of financial impropriety
•He said that he would resign his post if the public felt he had engaged in improprieties.
Allay
to make something, especially a feeling, less strong
•to allay fears/concern/suspicion
•The government is keen to allay the public’s fears.
•The inquiry has done little to allay suspicion.
belligerent
aggressive and unfriendly
SYNONYMhostile
•a belligerent attitude
•He is always very belligerent towards me.
Single out
to choose somebody/something from a group for special attention
•She was singled out for criticism.
•He was singled out as the outstanding performer of the games.
•It would be wrong to single out individuals when so many people contributed.
irreconcilable
if differences or disagreements are irreconcilable, they are so great that it is not possible to settle them
•a seemingly irreconcilable conflict
•The break-up was due to ‘irreconcilable differences’.
Concoct
to invent a story, an excuse, etc. or create a plan, especially for a dishonest purpose
SYNONYMcook up, make up
•She concocted some elaborate story to explain her absence.
Bid
to offer to pay a particular price for something, especially at an auction
•bid (something) (for something) I bid £2 000 for the painting.
•bid (against somebody) (for something) We wanted to buy the chairs but another couple were bidding against us.
•Two dealers bid against each other for the antique table.
Ostensible
seeming or stated to be real or true, when this is perhaps not the case
SYNONYMapparent
•The ostensible reason for his absence was illness.
Provost
a senior official who manages the affairs of some colleges and universities
Depict
to show an image of somebody/something in a picture
•depict somebody/something (as somebody/something) a painting depicting the Virgin and Child
•depict somebody/something doing something The artist had depicted her lying on a bed.
•The carving clearly depicts a dragon inside a circle.
•paintings depicting scenes from mythology
•The panels depict scenes from the life of St Ursula.
Incongruity
the fact of being strange and not suitable in a situation
SYNONYMinappropriateness
•She was struck by the incongruity of the situation.
Sentiment
a feeling or an opinion, especially one based on emotions
•the spread of nationalist sentiments
•This is a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with.
•Public sentiment is against any change to the law.
•My sentiments exactly! (= I agree)
•All these noble sentiments have little chance of being put into practice.
•He agrees with the sentiments expressed in the editorial.
•I think his view reflects the sentiment of a lot of fans.
•In the 19th century, anti-Catholic sentiment ran high.
•It would be a mistake to ignore their strong sentiments on the issue.
•The killings helped arouse popular sentiment against the organization.
•The people are renowned for their deep religious sentiment.
•These actions are likely to inflame anti-Western sentiment.
•He was not afraid to put financial exigency before personal sentiment.
•The president has distanced himself from the sentiments expressed by the vice-president.
•The sentiments of young people about the matter are often ignored.
Sinecure
a job that you are paid for even though it involves little or no work
Haggle
to argue with somebody in order to reach an agreement, especially about the price of something
•haggle over/about something I left him in the market haggling over the price of a shirt.
•haggle with somebody over/about something We spent a long time haggling with the authorities over our visas.
•haggle something You can sometimes haggle a good discount.
•haggle something down (to something) I managed to haggle the price down to something more reasonable.
Recede
to move gradually away from somebody or away from a previous position
•The sound of the truck receded into the distance.
•She watched his receding figure.
•His footsteps receded into the distance.
•The January flood waters receded as fast as they had risen.
•The water receded back to its mysterious depths.
Petulant
behaving in an angry or sulky way, especially because you cannot do or have what you want
SYNONYMpettish
•He behaved like a petulant child and refused to cooperate.
•Her tone of voice became abrupt and petulant.
Plucky
having a lot of courage; being very determined
SYNONYMbrave
•The plucky youngster had four operations during her long battle against the illness.
Insurrection
a situation in which a large group of people try to take political control of their own country with violence
SYNONYMuprising
•He led an armed insurrection against the regime.
•In 1822 he planned a slave insurrection in South Carolina.
•There was a popular insurrection against the police.
•They were accused of plotting insurrection against the government.
•Years of discontent turned into armed insurrection.
•insurrection against the monarchy
Insurrection
a situation in which a large group of people try to take political control of their own country with violence
SYNONYMuprising
•He led an armed insurrection against the regime.
•In 1822 he planned a slave insurrection in South Carolina.
•There was a popular insurrection against the police.
•They were accused of plotting insurrection against the government.
•Years of discontent turned into armed insurrection.
•insurrection against the monarchy
Insurrection
a situation in which a large group of people try to take political control of their own country with violence
SYNONYMuprising
•He led an armed insurrection against the regime.
•In 1822 he planned a slave insurrection in South Carolina.
•There was a popular insurrection against the police.
•They were accused of plotting insurrection against the government.
•Years of discontent turned into armed insurrection.
•insurrection against the monarchy
Foment
to create trouble or violence or make it worse
SYNONYMincite
•They accused him of fomenting political unrest.
Frank
honest and direct in what you say, sometimes in a way that other people might not like
•a full and frank discussion
•a frank admission of guilt
•He was very frank about his relationship with the actress.
•To be frank with you, I think your son has little chance of passing the exam.
+Synonyms honest
Elongate
to become longer; to make something longer
SYNONYMlengthen
•Hold that stretch as you breathe out, elongating the spine from the base.
•The acid causes the cells to elongate by increasing the uptake of water.
Impinge
to have a clear and definite effect on something/somebody, especially a bad one
SYNONYMencroach
•He never allowed his work to impinge on his private life.
•The preparations for war were beginning to impinge.
•Libel laws can impinge upon the freedom of the press.
•Environmental stimuli are constantly impinging upon our sensory systems.
•It is difficult to separate the factors that impinge upon market efficiency.
Spate
a large number of things, which are usually unpleasant, that happen suddenly within a short period of time
•The bombing was the latest in a spate of terrorist attacks.
•a recent spate of killings/thefts
Layer
to arrange something in layers
•Layer the potatoes and onions in a dish.
•The meat an
Incongruous
strange, and not suitable in a particular situation
SYNONYMinappropriate
•Such traditional methods seem incongruous in our technical age.
•The two of them made an incongruous couple.
•a collage of seemingly incongruous images
Erode
to gradually destroy the surface of something through the action of wind, rain, etc.; to be gradually destroyed in this way
SYNONYMwear away
•be eroded (away) The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea.
•erode (away) The rocks have eroded away over time.
Recipient
a person who receives something
•recipients of awards
•Dad was always the grateful recipient of her snobbery.
•He was a worthy recipient of the Nobel Prize.
•He was the recipient of a distinguished service award.
•Our 1 000th member will be the lucky recipient of a mystery gift.
•She was not the intended recipient of the reward.
•We are passive recipients of information from the world around us.
•matching a donor kidney with the most suitable recipient
•the ultimate recipient of the money
Robust
strong and healthy
•She was almost 90, but still very robust.
•He seems to be in robust (good) health.
2strong; able to survive being used a lot and not likely to break
SYNONYMsturdy
•a robust piece of equipment
Preeminent
more important, more successful or of a higher standard than other
SYNONYMpre-eminently
•a pre-eminent example of the artist’s work
•Dickens was pre-eminent among English writers of his day.
Articulate
to express or explain your thoughts or feelings clearly in words
•She struggled to articulate her thoughts.
•It is the school’s duty to articulate its practices to parents.
•She cannot articulate her feelings very well.
•You need to articulate clearly what you are trying to achieve.
Complacent
too satisfied with yourself or with a situation, so that you do not feel that any change is necessary; showing or feeling complacency
•a dangerously complacent attitude to the increase in unemployment
•complacent about somebody/something We must not become complacent about progress.
•Teachers are far from complacent about this problem.
•This view seems alarmingly complacent.
•Don’t go getting too complacent before the exams.
•Nobody can afford to be complacent about security.
•The council was criticized for its complacent attitude to child protection.
•The government is in danger of becoming complacent now inflation has dropped.
•Then you realize you are tired and getting complacent.
Ubiquitous
seeming to be everywhere or in several places at the same time; very common
•the ubiquitous bicycles of university towns
•the ubiquitous movie star, Tom Hanks
•Blue is derived from the ubiquitous indigo plant.
•He is as recognizable and as ubiquitous as the celebrities he photographs.
•The ubiquitous portraits of the president usually showed him in military uniform.
Glance
a quick look
•to take/have a glance at the newspaper headlines
•a cursory/brief/casual/furtive glance
•The sisters exchanged glances (= looked at each other).
•She shot him a sideways glance.
•He walked away without a backward glance.
•She stole a glance (= looked secretly) at her watch.
+Synonyms look
•He stole a sidelong glance at the young woman sitting next to him on the train.
•After a cursory glance at the report he frowned.
•He gave her a mocking glance.
•He ignored my glance of disapproval.
•He kept throwing nervous glances over his shoulder.
•Her glance flickered briefly across to the group standing at the other side of the street.
•His glance fell on a pile of papers at one side of the desk.
•I caught the teacher’s glance and nearly burst into nervous laughter.
•I had a quick glance at the article, but I haven’t read it yet.
•Meena threw him an angry glance.
•She cast a sidelong glance at Fern.
•She took one last glance in the mirror and then left.
•The couple exchanged meaningful glances but said nothing.
•The man walked slowly along, casting furtive glances behind him.
•Their car attracted admiring glances wherever they went.
•Their glances met, then they both looked away.
•They exchanged knowing glances.
•With a quick glance at the time, she stood up and prepared to leave.
•I caught his glance and nearly burst into laughter.
•I had a glance at the newspaper headlines as I waited at the counter.
•The boss gave the figures a cursory glance and nodded.
Presage
to be a warning or sign that something will happen, usually something unpleasant
•Nothing had presaged the dreadful fate about to befall him.
•Heavy clouds were forming, presaging rain.
Goad
to keep annoying somebody/something until they react
•goad somebody/something Goaded beyond endurance, she turned on him and hit out.
•goad somebody/something into (doing) something He finally goaded her into answering his question.
•goad somebody/something to do something She felt a needle of annoyance goading her to hit back.
Intrinsically
in a way that belongs to or is part of the real nature of somebody/something
•intrinsically good/evil
•There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the idea (= it is good in itself but there may be outside circumstances which mean it is not suitable).
•Salary increase is intrinsically linked to performance.
Inimical
harmful to something; not helping something
•These policies are inimical to the interests of society.
Resuscitate
to make somebody start breathing again or become conscious again after they have almost died
SYNONYMrevive
•He had a heart attack and all attempts to resuscitate him failed.
•(figurative) efforts to resuscitate the economy
Firefight
a battle where guns are used, involving soldiers or the police
Take umbrage
to feel offended, hurt or upset by something, often without a good reason
SYNONYMoffence (2)
•He took umbrage at her remarks.
Wend
to move or travel slowly somewhere
•Leo wended his way home through the wet streets.
Bob
to move or make something move quickly up and down, especially in water
•an old cigarette packet bobbing along in the current
•bob up and down Tiny boats bobbed up and down in the harbour.
•bob something (up and down) She bobbed her head nervously.
•The maid bobbed a curtsy.
Trundle
to move or roll somewhere slowly and noisily; to move something with wheels slowly and noisily, especially something heavy
•A train trundled across the bridge.
Truncate
to make something shorter, especially by cutting off the top or end
•My article was published in truncated form.
•a truncated pyramid
•Further discussion was truncated by the arrival of tea.
Extravagance
the act or habit of spending more money than you can afford or than is necessary
•Such extravagance is shameful when there are people starving in the world.
•the sheer extravagance of buying such expensive clothes
Impostor
a person who pretends to be somebody else in order to trick people
Overhaul
to come from behind a person you are competing against in a race and go past them
SYNONYMovertake
•He managed to overhaul the leader on the final lap.
Deficit
the amount by which money spent or owed is greater than money earned in a particular period of time
•a budget/trade deficit
•in deficit The trade balance has been in deficit for the past five years.
Proportionate
increasing or decreasing in size, amount or degree according to changes in something else
SYNONYMproportional
•Increasing costs resulted in proportionate increases in prices.
•The number of accidents is proportionate to the increased volume of traffic.
•Inner cities have more than a proportionate share of social problems.
•Penalties should be proportionate to the gravity of the offence.
Buoy
to make somebody feel cheerful or confident
•Buoyed by their win yesterday the team feel confident of further success.
•Knowing that all her fr
Soapbox
a small temporary platform that somebody stands on to make a speech in a public place, usually outdoors
Eschew
to deliberately avoid or keep away from something
•He had eschewed politics in favour of a life practising law.
Condone
to accept behaviour that is morally wrong or to treat it as if it were not serious
•Terrorism can never be condoned.
•The college cannot condone any behaviour that involves illicit drugs.
Intimidate
to frighten or threaten somebody so that they will do what you want
•They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them.
•She refused to be intimidated by their threats.
•He was not a man to be easily intimidated.
•She did not feel intimidated by him.
•The police had tried to intimidate him into signing a confession.
•Buildings were set on fire in an attempt to intimidate our members.
Mill about
(especially of a large group of people) to move around an area without seeming to be going anywhere in particular
•Fans were milling around outside the hotel.
Premise
a statement or an idea that forms the basis for a reasonable line of argument
•the basic premise of her argument
•The argument rests on a false premise.
•His reasoning is based on the premise that all people are equally capable of good and evil.
•The premise on which they worked was that there would always be enough natural resources to support them.
Reminiscent
reminding you of somebody/something
•The way he laughed was strongly reminiscent of his father.
•She writes in a style reminiscent of both Proust and Faulkner.
Around the clock
Nonstop.
We have been working round the clock to solve this issue with your security system, but it’s going to take us another 24 hours to get it back online.
Doctors have been working on him around the clock, but his condition is still critical.
Even if you started your paper now and worked around the clock, you still wouldn’t be done in time.
Revenue
the money that a government receives from taxes or that an organization, etc. receives from its business
SYNONYMreceipt
•The government is currently facing a shortfall in tax revenue.
•Advertising revenue finances the commercial television channels.
•a slump in oil revenues
•The company’s annual revenues rose by 30%.
Cap
an upper limit on an amount of money that can be spent or borrowed by a particular institution or in a particular situation
•The government has placed a cap on local council spending.
SEE ALSOrate cap
Ostensible
seeming or stated to be real or true, when this is perhaps not the case
SYNONYMapparent
•The ostensible reason for his absence was illness
File
to present something so that it can be officially recorded and dealt with
•file for something to file for divorce/bankruptcy
•file something to file a lawsuit/complaint/petition
•file something against somebody/something No criminal charges were filed against him.
•file to do something He filed to divorce his wife.
•A copy of the notice must be filed with the court.
•He filed a lawsuit against the company for $100 000 in damages.
•He has now formally filed a complaint against the police.
Shrug off
to treat something as if it is not important
SYNONYMdismiss
•Shrugging off her injury, she played on.
•He shrugged aside suggestions that he resign.
Remodel
remodel something to change the structure or shape of something
•The interior of the building has been completely remodelled.
•They put forward plans to remodel the education system.
Wallop
to hit somebody/something very hard
SYNONYMthump
•My father used to wallop me if I told lies.
Consistent
always behaving in the same way, or having the same opinions, standards, etc.
•a consistent approach to the problem
•a consistent pattern of behaviour
•He has been Milan’s most consistent player (= who plays well most often) this season.
Outright
complete and total
•an outright ban/rejection/victory
•She was the outright winner.
•No one party is expected to gain an outright majority.
2open and direct
•There was outright opposition to the plan
Furtive
behaving in a way that shows that you want to keep something secret and do not want to be noticed
SYNONYMstealthy
•She cast a furtive glance over her shoulder.
•He looked sly and furtive.
•The look in his eyes became furtive.
•The secretary looked almost furtive when I walked in.
Intertwine
[intransitive, transitive, usually passive] if two or more things intertwine or are intertwined, they are twisted together so that they are very difficult to separate
•intertwining branches
•(be) intertwined (with something) a necklace of rubies intertwined with pearls
2[transitive, usually passive, intransitive] to be or become very closely connected with something/somebody else
•be intertwined Their political careers had become closely intertwined.
Break off
to end a relationship abruptly.
I knew she was getting ready to break it off, but Tom didn’t. After a few long and bitter arguments, they broke off their relationship.
Unconditional
without any conditions or limits
•the unconditional surrender of military forces
•She gave her children unconditional love.
•They appealed for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners.
•They demanded the unconditional withdrawal of military forces.
OPPOSITEconditional
Belittle
to make somebody, or the things that somebody does, seem unimportant
•She felt her husband constantly belittled her achievements.
•By saying this, I do not mean to belittle the importance of his role.
Custody
the legal right or duty to take care of or keep somebody/something; the act of taking care of something/somebody
•Who will have custody of the children?
•The parents were given joint custody of the two children.
•The divorce court awarded custody to the child’s mother.
•The parents were locked in a bitter battle for custody.
•The bank provides safe custody for valuables.
•in the custody of somebody/something The castle is now in the custody of the state.
+Collocations Marriage and divorce
•If valuables are placed in the safe, the hotel is responsible for their safe custody.
•The children were under protective custody.
•a bitter child custody dispute
Unfit
not of an acceptable standard; not suitable
•unfit (for something) The housing was unfit for human habitation.
•The food on offer was unfit for human consumption.
•The prison service was declared ‘ unfit for purpose ’.
•unfit to eat, drink, live in, etc. This water is unfit to drink.
•Most of the buildings are unfit to live in.
•unfit to do something They described him as unfit to govern.
•(specialist) Many of the houses were condemned as unfit.
•(specialist) The court claims she is an unfit mother.
Be better off
- To be in a preferable position or situation.
Oh, honey, you’re better off without him.
As a computer programmer, you’re better off moving to a city that’s home to a lot of tech companies.
- To be in a more favorable financial situation (than someone else).
With that big raise, you’re now better off than most of your neighbors.
Stick it out
To endure, tolerate, or last through to the end of something.
I know you’re unhappy with the job, but just stick it out to the end of this project before you start looking for new work.
We’ve had problems in our marriage for years, but we’ve been sticking it out for the kids’ sake.
Bewitch
to attract or impress somebody so much that they cannot think in a sensible way
•He was completely bewitched by her beauty.
Bewilder
to confuse somebody
•She was totally bewildered by his sudden change of mood.
•His complete lack of interest in money bewilders his family.
•He was rather bewildered at seeing her there.
Wash someone hands off
- To refuse to accept responsibility for: He washed his hands of the matter.
- To abandon; renounce: They have washed their hands of him.
The director famously hated the final cut of the movie and has washed his hands of it, even going so far as to remove his name from the project.
I’m afraid that if I tell my parents what I’ve done, they will wash their hands of me.
Meddling
the activity of involving yourself in something that should not really involve you
SYNONYMinterference (1)
•The government is completely opposed to outside meddling in domestic affairs.
•bureaucratic meddling
Be over
- To no longer have strong emotions about someone or something; to be unenthusiastic about someone or something.
I was really looking forward to learning about the inner workings of a computer, but it’s actually so boring that I am really over it at this point!
Everyone thinks Jack’s boyfriend is so hilarious, but I’m so over him and his annoying jokes.
- To accept, feel better about, move on from, or come to terms with something or some romantic relationship that has failed or turned out badly.
John and Amy broke up nearly a month ago, but I don’t think he’s over her yet.
It really bummed me out failing my driving test like that, but I’m over it now.
Take upon oneself
- To decide to do something even though it was not one’s responsibility. Typically followed by “to do something.”
I took it upon myself to print out some informational packets for the meeting since I knew it might be confusing for some people.
We don’t have enough time to cover all of this in class, so you’ll need to take it upon yourselves if you want to learn more.
- To bear some burden, difficulty, or responsibility on one’s own or for oneself.
I feel like Tom is taking too many financial responsibilities upon himself.
You really shouldn’t take other people’s emotional baggage upon yourself. It can be really damaging if you’re not careful.
Picky
liking only particular things and difficult to please
SYNONYMfussy
•a picky eater
•She’s very picky about her clothes.
Strong willed
determined to do what you want to do, even if other people advise you not to
•She was a fiercely independent and strong-willed woman.
Parent
to care for your child or children
•They’d never parented a toddler and a newborn at the same time before.
•We have an intuitive ability to parent.
Take wrong
To misunderstand one; to infer something incorrectly from what one says or how one behaves.
Don’t take me wrong, I appreciate everything your mother has done for us—but it’s time for her to move into her own place.
I think you’ve taken him all wrong—I know he seems gruff, but he’s a total sweetheart.
Construe
to understand the meaning of a word, a sentence or an action in a particular way
SYNONYMinterpret
•be construed He considered how the remark was to be construed.
•be construed as something Her words could hardly be construed as an apology.
Beseech
to ask somebody for something in an anxious way because you want or need it very much
SYNONYMimplore, beg
•Let him go, I beseech you!
Tranquil
quiet and peaceful
SYNONYMserene
•a tranquil scene
•the tranquil waters of the lake
•The town looked tranquil in the evening sunlight.
•She led a tranquil life in the country.
•It is a tranquil place of quiet beauty.
•The island is a haven for the tourist who wants sun and sea in a tranquil setting
Gird up your loins
to get ready to do something difficult
•The company is girding its loins for a plunge into the overseas market.
Trifle
slightly
•She seemed a trifle anxious.
•He was just a trifle too friendly for my liking.
Disconcert
to make somebody feel anxious, confused or embarrassed
SYNONYMdisturb
•His answer rather disconcerted her.
Grope
to try and find something that you cannot see, by feeling with your hands
•He groped around in the dark for his other sock.
•She groped for the railing to steady her as she fell.
•(figurative) ‘It’s so…, so…’ I was groping for the right word to describe it.
Exceedingly
extremely; very; very much
SYNONYMexceptionally
Edifice
a large impressive building
•an imposing edifice
•(figurative) The whole edifice of our civilization is built on hard work, trust and decency.
•(figurative) an edifice of lies
Oration
a formal speech made on a public occasion, especially as part of a ceremony
•a funeral oration
Brook
to not allow something
•The tone in his voice brooked no argument.
•She would brook no criticism of her son.
Exaltation
a feeling of very great joy or happiness
•a moment of extreme joy and exaltation
Show off
to try to impress others by talking about your abilities, possessions, etc.
•He’s just showing off because that girl he likes is here.
Permeate
(of an idea, an influence, a feeling, etc.) to affect every part of something
•permeate something a belief that permeates all levels of society
•A feeling of unease permeates the novel.
•+ adv./prep. Dissatisfaction among the managers soon permeated down to members of the workforce.
Inscribe
to write or cut words, your name, etc. onto something
•inscribe A (on/in B) His name was inscribed on the trophy.
•The names of the king and queen were inscribed above the door.
•inscribe B (with A) The trophy was inscribed with his name.
•She signed the book and inscribed the words ‘with grateful thanks’ on it.
•She was presented with an inscribed gold watch
In toto
completely; including all parts
•The proposal was accepted in toto.
Lapse into
to gradually pass into a worse or less active state or condition
•to lapse into unconsciousness/a coma
•She lapsed into silence again.
Weary
very tired, especially after you have been working hard or doing something for a long time
•Any chance of a drink? This weary traveller is about to collapse from thirst.
•She suddenly felt old and weary.
•He gave a long, weary sigh.
Caveat
a warning that particular things need to be considered before something can be done
•Any discussion of legal action must be preceded by a caveat on costs.
Odious
extremely unpleasant
SYNONYMhorrible
•What an odious man!
Snore
to breathe noisily through your nose and mouth while you are asleep
•I could hear Paul snoring in the next room.
•Grandma was snoring away in her bed.
•Lily began to snore loudly.
•She was asleep in a chair and snoring gently.
By and by
After a while, soon, as in
She’ll be along by and by. The expression probably relies on the meaning of by as a succession of quantities (as in “two by two”). This adverbial phrase came to be used as a noun, denoting either procrastination or the future. William Camden so used it for the former ( Remains, 1605): “Two anons and a by and by is an hour and a half.” And W.S. Gilbert used it in the latter sense when Lady Jane sings plaintively that little will be left of her “in the coming by and by,” that is, as she grows old ( Patience, 1881). [Early 1500s]
Groan
to make a long deep sound because you are annoyed, upset or in pain, or with pleasure
SYNONYMmoan
•He lay on the floor groaning.
•groan with something to groan with pain/pleasure
•groan at something We all groaned at his terrible jokes.
•+ speech ‘It’s a complete mess!’ she groaned.
•‘Don’t move me,’ he groaned.
Stride
to walk with long steps in a particular direction
•We strode across the snowy fields.
•She came striding along to meet me.
•He strode off in search of a taxi.
•She strode purposefully towards the door.
•Andrew strode out briskly along the rocky track.
•He strode past her into the hall.
•She strode angrily into his office.
•The man strode confidently onto the stage.
•We could see her striding across the grass towards the house.
On a whim
Based on a sudden, impulsive urge, desire, or idea; without careful planning or because of a capricious inclination.
On a whim, we drove to the beach for the weekend.
Major governmental policies cannot be decided on a whim; they have to be carefully and rationally thought through.
Hobble
to walk with difficulty, especially because your feet or legs hurt
SYNONYMlimp
•The old man hobbled across the road.
•She was hobbling around on crutches.
•He was still hobbling around with a stick.
•She hobbled painfully home.
•an old lady hobbling down the road
•He used to hobble around the yard on crutches.
•I hobbled off to find my missing shoe.
•She hobbled painfully back to the
Poise
a calm and confident manner with control of your feelings or behaviour
•His performance was full of maturity and poise.
•She seemed embarrassed for a moment but quickly recovered her poise.
•She never lost her social poise, however awkward the situation.
•He struggled to retain his poise.
Substantive
dealing with real, important or serious matters
•substantive issues
•The report concluded that no substantive changes were necessary.
Implode
to collapse into the centre
•The windows on both sides of the room had imploded.
(of an organization, a system, etc.) to fail suddenly and completely
•They lost money when the market imploded.
Resilience
the ability of people or things to recover quickly after something unpleasant, such as shock, injury, etc.
•He showed great courage and resilience in fighting back from a losing position to win the game.
−Extra Examples
•She has shown the ability of people or things to recover quickly after something unpleasant, such as shock, injury, etc.
•He showed great courage and resilience in fighting back from a losing position to win the game.
•She has shown great resilience to stress.
•The employees showed remarkable resilience and loyalty despite all the difficulties.
•The industry has developed a resilience to the dips the national economy may take.
•The job needs a self-confident person with a resilience to stress.
•This comeback says much for the resilience of the team. resilience to stress.
•The employees showed remarkable resilience and loyalty despite all the difficulties.
•The industry has developed a resilience to the dips the national economy may take.
•The job needs a self-confident person with a resilience to stress.
•This comeback says much for the resilience of the team.
Array
a group or collection of things or people, often one that is large or impressive
•a vast array of bottles of different shapes and sizes
•a dazzling array of talent
•Her writing covers a wide array of topics.
•It is difficult to choose from the huge array of wines on offer.
•The city has the usual array of social problems.
•The customer is faced with a formidable array of products.
•The store offers a bewildering array of garden tools.
•a seemingly endless array of options
Broad
including a great variety of people or things
•a broad range of products
•The course caters for a broad spectrum of interests.
•There is broad support for the government’s policies.
•She took a broad view of the duties of being a teacher (= she believed her duties included a wide range of things).
•a broad and balanced curriculum
•We must ensure the project is of advantage to the broader community and does not just benefit a few individuals.
•The promotion helped the company reach a much broader audience.
OPPOSITEnarrow
Superstition
the belief that particular events happen in a way that cannot be explained by reason or science; the belief that particular events bring good or bad luck
•According to superstition, breaking a mirror brings bad luck.
•Most cultures have their superstitions.
Doze
to sleep lightly for a short time
•I dozed fitfully until dawn.
•We were dozing lazily in the sun when a loud noise woke us.
+Synonyms sleep
Lean
to bend or move from a straight position to a sloping position
•I leaned back in my chair.
•She leaned forward and whispered something in his ear.
•He leaned over and kissed her.
•My wife leaned in to listen.
•A man was leaning out of the window.
•The tower is leaning dangerously.
•The youth leaned down and lifted the child onto his shoulders.
•I leaned across the table for the cereal packet.
•She leaned casually over the railings.
•He leaned closer, lowering his voice.
•He leaned into the open doorway.
•He leaned towards her.
•She leaned forward eagerly to listen to him.
•She leaned precariously out of the window.
•She leaned to one side.
•She was leaning confidentially across the table.
•The taxi driver leaned through his window.
•Women and children leaned from the windows of the surrounding tenements.
•Their heads were forward, their bodies leaning, tilted into the strong wind.
2[intransitive] to rest on or against something for support
•lean against something A shovel was leaning against the wall.
•lean on something The old man was leaning heavily on a stick.
•Kate leaned comfortably against the wall.
•She walked slowly, leaning on her son’s arm.
Pervade
to spread through and be easy to notice in every part of something
SYNONYMpermeate
•a pervading mood of fear
•the sadness that pervades most of her novels
•The entire house was pervaded by a sour smell.
Firm
a business or company
•a law/consulting/research firm
•an accounting/investment firm
•They hired an engineering firm to produce a model of their device.
•a firm of something a firm of solicitors/accountants/architects
•She works for a firm of management consultants based in London.
Hinder
to make it difficult for somebody to do something or for something to happen
SYNONYMhamper
•hinder somebody/something a political situation that hinders economic growth
•Some teachers felt hindered by a lack of resources.
•hinder somebody/something from something/from doing something An injury was hindering him from playing his best.
SEE ALSOhindrance
−Extra Examples
•These killings have seriously hindered progress towards peace.
•These laws will hinder rather than help progress.
•factors which might help or hinder a child’s progress at school
Extrovert
a lively and confident person who enjoys being with other people
OPPOSITEintrovert
•She’s a real extrovert and loves to socialize and meet new people.
Rile
to annoy somebody or make them angry
SYNONYManger
•Nothing ever seemed to rile him.
•She regretted at once that she had let herself become riled.
Akin
similar to something
•What he felt was more akin to pity than love.
•She was wearing something akin to a pineapple on her head.
•This game is closely akin to hockey.
Improvise
to make or do something using whatever is available, usually because you do not have what you really need
•There isn’t much equipment. We’re going to have to improvise.
•improvise something We improvised some shelves out of planks of wood and bricks.
•We hastily improvised a screen out of an old blanket.
•You can quickly improvise a shield to protect your arm.
Stake
to risk money or something important on the result of something
SYNONYMbet
•He staked £25 on the favourite (= for example, in horse racing).
•She staked her political career on tax reform, and lost.
•That’s him over there—I’d stake my life on it (= I am completely confident).
Keep mum
to say nothing about something; to stay quiet
•He kept mum about what he’d seen.
Betake
to go somewhere
•He betook himself to his room.
Moot
to suggest an idea for people to discuss
SYNONYMpropose, put forward
•be mooted The plan was first mooted at last week’s meeting.
•It had been mooted that there should be a study period after school.
Shiver
to shake slightly because you are cold, frightened, excited, etc.
•Don’t stand outside shivering—come inside and get warm!
•He shivered at the thought of the cold, dark sea.
•shiver with something to shiver with cold/fear/excitement/pleasure
−Extra Examples
•His cruel and callous comments made me shiver.
•I was shivering with cold.
•She
Propel
to force somebody to move in a particular direction or to get into a particular situation
•He was grabbed from behind and propelled through the door.
•Fury propelled her into action.
•This picture propelled her to international stardom.
•to be propelled into the limelight/spotlight
Dais
a stage, especially at one end of a room, on which people stand to make speeches to an audience
•He was seated atop a raised dais with a double set of stairs leading up to the throne.
•The chamber has a raised dais, which lends itself perfectly to either ceremonies or musical entertainment.
Ovation
enthusiastic clapping by an audience as a sign of their approval
•to give somebody a huge/rapturous/rousing ovation
•The soloist got a ten-minute standing ovation (= in which people stand up from their seats).
•He received the longest ovation of the evening.
•The final piece won her a rapturous ovation from the audience.
Prode
somebody/something with your finger or with a pointed object
SYNONYMpoke
•prod somebody/something (+ adv./prep.) She prodded him in the ribs to wake him up.
•She prodded the dry ground with a stick.
•prod at somebody/something He prodded at his breakfast with a fork.
•prod somebody/something + adj Martha prodded him awake.
Diversify
(especially of a business or company) to develop a wider range of products, interests, skills, etc. in order to be more successful or reduce risk
SYNONYMbranch out
•Farmers are being encouraged to diversify into new crops.
•The company has been trying to diversify its business.
Ostetatious
showing your wealth or status in a way that is intended to impress people
SYNONYMshowy
•ostentatious gold jewellery
•an ostentatious display of wealth
Intuit
to know that something is true based on your feelings rather than on facts, what somebody tells you, etc.
•She intuited that something was badly wrong.
Vial
a small glass container, for medicine or perfume
•a vial of pills/perfume/toilet water
Devoid
completely without something
•The letter was devoid of warmth and feeling.
•The land is almost devoid of vegetation.
Bundle
to push or send somebody somewhere quickly and not carefully
•They bundled her into the back of a car.
•He was bundled off to boarding school.
Sentiment
a feeling or an opinion, especially one based on emotions
•the spread of nationalist sentiments
•This is a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with.
•Public sentiment is against any change to the law.
•My sentiments exactly! (= I agree)
Recreate
to make something that existed in the past exist or seem to exist again
•The movie recreates the glamour of 1940s Hollywood.
•They have managed to recreate the feeling of the original theatre.
Revamp
to make changes to the form of something, usually to improve its appearance
•The company is attempting to revamp its image.
Vacate
to leave a building, seat, etc., especially so that somebody else can use it
•Guests are requested to vacate their rooms by noon on the day of departure.
•He sat down in the seat Steve had just vacated.
Seethe
to be extremely angry about something but to try not to show other people how angry you are
SYNONYMfume
•She seethed silently in the corner.
•seethe with something He marched off, seething with frustration.
•seethe at something Inwardly he was seething at this challenge to his authority.
•She was seething at the insult.
Hardship
a situation that is difficult and unpleasant because you do not have enough money, food, clothes, etc.
•economic/financial, etc. hardship
•People suffered many hardships during that long winter.
•The two men endured great hardship during their trek across Antarctica.
•It was no hardship to walk home on such a lovely evening.
Retrieve
to bring or get something back, especially from a place where it should not be
SYNONYMrecover
•retrieve something from somebody/something She bent to retrieve her comb from the floor.
•The dog retrieved the ball from the water.
•retrieve something The police have managed to retrieve some of the stolen money.
In the buff
slang Naked
I keep having the dream where I walk into my high school in the buff!
Unsettle
to make somebody feel upset or worried, especially because a situation has changed
•Changing schools might unsettle the kids.
Startle
to surprise somebody suddenly in a way that slightly shocks or frightens them
•startle somebody/something I didn’t mean to startle you.
•The explosion startled the horse.
•I was startled by her question.
•She was startled into a little cry of surprise.
•it startles somebody to do something It startled me to find her sitting in my office.
+Synonyms surprise
Flash
Slang To expose one’s nudity indecently.
There have been reports of a man in Central Park flashing tourists as they walk by.
Chafe
if skin chafes, or if something chafes it, it becomes painful because the thing is rubbing against it
•Her wrists chafed where the rope had been.
•chafe something The collar was far too tight and chafed her neck.
Reprimand
to tell somebody officially that you do not approve of them or their actions
SYNONYMrebuke
•reprimand somebody for something The officers were severely reprimanded for their unprofessional behaviour.
•reprimand somebody for doing something The judge reprimanded him for using such language in court.
•+ speech ‘Don’t be so childish,’ she reprimanded.
•She was severely reprimanded for accepting the money.
•reprimanded by the judge
Nix
to prevent something from happening by saying ‘no’ to it
•We quickly nixed the idea of going to the museum.
Stand up to
To confront someone or something in defiant opposition, especially in defense of oneself or someone else.
Wow, I can’t believe you stood up to the boss like that. He’s such a bully to everyone else.
We need to stand up to these big companies that try to pollute our waters.
Stereotype
to form a fixed idea about a person or thing which may not really be true
•stereotype somebody Children from certain backgrounds tend to be stereotyped by their teachers.
•stereotype somebody as something Why are professors stereotyped as absent-minded?
Burden
to give somebody a duty, responsibility, etc. that causes worry, difficulty or hard work
•They have burdened themselves with a high mortgage.
•I don’t want to burden you with my worries.
•to be burdened by high taxation
OPPOSITEunburden
Conscript
to order somebody by law to join the armed forces
SYNONYMcall up
•be conscripted (into something) He was conscripted into the army in 1939.
•be conscripted for something to be conscripted for military service
Stalemale
a disagreement or a situation in a competition in which neither side is able to win or make any progress
SYNONYMimpasse
•The talks ended in (a) stalemate.
•proposals aimed at breaking (= ending) the political stalemate
•The strike has once again reached stalemate.
•Efforts to break the stalemate in the peace talks continue.
•The stalemate in the trade talks continues.
•The talks reached (a) stalemate.
•a stalemate between management and unions
•a stalemate over economic issues
Focal
central; very important; connected with or providing a focus
•The Student Liaison Officer acts as a focal point for student political activity.
•The focal symbol of sovereignty is, of course, the crown.
Animated
full of interest and energy
SYNONYMlively
•an animated discussion/conversation
•Her face suddenly became animated.
•Mark was beginning to sound animated.
•Sounds of animated conversation and laughter came from the next room.
Just
that most people consider to be morally fair and reasonable
SYNONYMfair
•a just decision/law/society
•I think it was a just decision.
•Of course we all strive for a just and humane society.
•The law must be seen to be just.
By means of
Due to something.
I only wake up in time for work by means of an alarm clock.
I was able to get an A in my math class this semester by means of hard work.
Undue
more than you think is reasonable or necessary
SYNONYMexcessive
•They are taking undue advantage of the situation.
•The work should be carried out without undue delay.
•We did not want to put any undue pressure on them.
•Repayments can be made over a long period, without putting undue strain on your finances.
COMPAREdue
Against will
Without one’s permission or consent. Typically used to describe an action or activity that one has been forced to do.
The attacker forced the woman into his car against her will.
Because he was armed, the assailant was able to empty the cash register against the store clerk’s will.
After screaming at me through the door, he forced his way into the house against my will.
Common sense
the ability to think about things in a practical way and make sensible decisions
•For goodness’ sake, just use your common sense!
•It’s common sense to keep medicines away from children.
•a common-sense approach to a problem
Damnable
bad or annoying
Inclined
wanting to do something
•She was inclined to trust him.
•He writes only when he feels inclined to.
•There’ll be time for a swim if you feel so inclined.
Unscrupulous
without moral principles; not honest or fair
SYNONYMunprincipled
•unscrupulous methods
•In his desire for power, he has become completely unscrupulous.
•The new law will give unscrupulous landlords an easy way of getting rid of people.
OPPOSITEscrupulous
Lump
a piece of something hard or solid, usually without a particular shape
•a lump of coal/cheese/wood
•This sauce has lumps in it.
Abominable
extremely unpleasant and causing horror
SYNONYMappalling, disgusting
•The judge described the attack as an abominable crime.
•We were served the most abominable coffee.
•I think you are utterly selfish and your behaviour has been abominable.
Moan
Moan
to make a long deep sound, usually because you are unhappy or suffering or are experiencing sexual pleasure
SYNONYMgroan
•The injured man was lying on the ground, moaning.
•moan in/with something to moan in/with pain
•+ speech ‘I might never see you again,’ she moaned.
Particular
used to emphasize that you are referring to one individual person, thing or type of thing and not others
SYNONYMspecific
•There is one particular patient I’d like you to see.
•Is there a particular type of book he enjoys?
•Each village has its own particular charm.
•In this particular case, the owners were not local but Indian.
•specialized advice tailored to your particular circumstances
Discarge
to fire a gun, etc.; (of a gun, etc.) to be fired
•The police officer accidentally discharged a firearm while unloading it.
•They gave a cheer and charged, discharging a volley of arrows as they came.
•He knocked her hand down and the gun discharged into the floor.
Harsh
Harsh
cruel, severe and unkind
•The punishment was harsh and unfair.
•The minister received some harsh criticism.
•the harsh treatment of slaves
•He regretted his harsh words.
•We had to face up to the harsh realities of life sooner or later.
•It may seem harsh to criticize him after his death.
•‘She’s just totally useless!’ ‘That’s a bit harsh.’
Vilify
to say or write unpleasant things about somebody/something so that other people will have a low opinion of them
•vilify somebody/something A campaign was mounted to vilify the leaders of the organization.
•She has been vilified and misunderstood by her community.
•vilify somebody/something as something They were vilified by the press as ‘international terrorists’.
•vilify somebody/something for (doing) something We shouldn’t vilify people for being successful.
SYNONYMmalign, revile
Imprisone
to put somebody in a prison or another place from which they cannot escape
SYNONYMjail
•be imprisoned (for something) They were imprisoned for possession of drugs.
•be imprisoned (+ adv./prep.) (figurative) Some young mothers feel imprisoned in their own homes.
Newlywed
a person who has recently got married
•The newly-weds spent their honeymoon in Venice.
Emote
to show emotion in a very obvious way
Upbringing
the way in which a child is cared for and taught how to behave while it is growing up
•She had had a very sheltered upbringing.
•by upbringing He was a Catholic by upbringing.
•Her upbringing had given her the social skills to cope with such situations.
•Mine was a conventional family upbringing.
•My upbringing prepared me for anything.
•Part of his upbringing had been not to question his elders.
•They gave their children a strict Catholic upbringing.
•I’m still grateful for my religious upbringing
Moral fiber
Strength or courage derived from moral principles or ethical values.
Unfortunately, villains will flourish as long as there are people in the world who lack the moral fiber to stand up to them.
We need business leaders with a lot more moral fiber than is being displayed here today.
Convey
to make ideas, feelings, etc. known to somebody
SYNONYMcommunicate
•convey something Colours like red convey a sense of energy and strength.
•convey something to somebody (formal) Please convey my apologies to your wife.
•convey how, what, etc… He tried desperately to convey how urgent the situation was.
•convey that… She did not wish to convey that they were all at fault.
Keep in touch
- To maintain contact with another person, especially at intervals so as to remain up to date with each other’s lives.
My old high school friends and I tried keeping in touch once we graduated, but we all started drifting apart once college got underway.
Now, make sure you keep in touch. I want to hear all about your time in Paris!
- An informal parting phrase, especially with someone one isn’t likely to see again anytime soon.
OK, Deborah, thank you for your audition. Keep in touch!
It was so good to see you again, cousin Jeb—keep in touch!
Fondness
a feeling of love or liking for somebody, especially somebody you have known for a long time
•He will be remembered by the staff with great fondness.
Lead
to have a particular type of life
•We lead a very quiet life.
•to lead a life of luxury/a miserable existence
•I tried to lead as normal a life as possible.
Delighted
very pleased
•a delighted smile
•delighted to do something I’d be absolutely delighted to come.
•‘Can you stay for dinner?’ ‘I’d be delighted (to)!’
•delighted that… I was delighted that you could stay.
•delighted by something She was delighted by the news of the wedding.
•delighted at something They were highly delighted at the court’s decision.
•delighted with something I was delighted with my presents.
•delighted about something We are delighted about the decision.
•delighted for somebody I was so pleased and delighted for him when he started losing weight.
+Synonyms glad
Mourn
to feel and show that you are sad because somebody has died; to feel sad because something no longer exists or is no longer the same
SYNONYMgrieve
•Please, leave us to mourn in peace.
•mourn something He was still mourning his brother’s death.
•They mourn the passing of a simpler way of life.
•The city was mourning the victims of the bombings.
•mourn (for somebody/something) Today we mourn for all those who died in two world wars.
•She mourned for her lost childhood.
Entitlement
the official right to have or do something
•This may affect your entitlement to compensation.
•They will have to prove their entitlement to the property.
Withdraw into shell
- To retreat into one’s mind or otherwise isolate oneself so as to avoid undesirable thoughts, situations, or interactions with people.
After getting mugged I withdrew into my shell and didn’t speak to anyone for nearly a week.
I’m not good around large groups of people. I usually just withdraw into my shell and wait until I can be alone.
Don’t withdraw into your shell because you don’t want an argument—talk to me and let’s discuss the problem!
- To act in a reserved or defensive manner.
The team withdrew into their shells after halftime, trying to protect a slim lead.
The senator withdrew into his shell when reporters tried to question him about allegations of tax fraud.
Represent
to be the result of something, or to be something:
This book represents ten years of thought and research.
The new offer represented an increase of ten percent on the previous one.
The course represents excellent value for money.
This huge, unfinished building represents the last hurrah of the former regime.
The new price represents a saving of more than 40 percent.
This new policy represents a change of direction for the government.
Her father’s blessing represented a bestowal of consent upon her marriage.
tenuous
so weak or uncertain that it hardly exists
•a tenuous hold on life
•His links with the organization turned out to be, at best, tenuous.
Trepidation
great worry or fear about something unpleasant that may happen
•He knocked on the door with some trepidation.
Trepidation
great worry or fear about something unpleasant that may happen
•He knocked on the door with some trepidation.
Indictment
a sign that a system, society, etc. is very bad or very wrong
•The poverty in our cities is a damning indictment of modern society.
•This research is a terrible indictment on the medical profession.
•Her speech was a scathing indictment of the government’s record on crime.
•This is a rather too sweeping indictment of the field of evolutionary psychology.
Embezzle
to steal money that you are responsible for or that belongs to your employer
•He was found guilty of embezzling $150 000 of public funds.
Compile
to produce a book, list, report, etc. by bringing together different items, articles, songs, etc.; to collect information in order to produce a book, list, etc.
•We are trying to compile a list of suitable people for the job.
•The album was compiled from live recordings from last year’s tour.
•The figures were compiled from a survey of 2 000 schoolchildren.
Impunity
the fact of not getting punished for something
•with impunity They continue to break the law with impunity.
•Those involved in such attacks often enjoy complete impunity.
Idyllic
peaceful and beautiful; perfect, without problems
•a house set in idyllic surroundings
•to lead an idyllic existence
•The cottage sounds idyllic.
Stymie
to prevent somebody from doing something that they have planned or want to do; to prevent something from happening
SYNONYMfoil
•He found himself stymied by an old opponent.
•Financial difficulties have stymied the company’s growth.
Littoral
near the coast; connected with the coast
•littoral states
Hapless
not lucky; experiencing extreme bad luck
•the hapless victims of exploitation
•Often the hapless victims have no warning that the flood is on its way.
Glean
to obtain information, knowledge, etc., sometimes with difficulty and often from various different places
•These figures have been gleaned from a number of studies.
Dissent
to have or express opinions that are different from those that are officially accepted
•Only two ministers dissented from the official view.
•There were a few dissenting voices, but the vast majority supported the plan.
strident
having a loud, rough and unpleasant sound
•a strident voice
•strident music
•the strident ringing of the phone
2aggressive and determined
•He is a strident advocate of nuclear power.
•strident criticism
Unassailable
that cannot be destroyed, defeated or questioned
•The party now has an unassailable lead.
•Their ten-point lead puts the team in an almost unassailable position.
•She replied with what she thought was unassailable logic.
Defiant
openly refusing to obey somebody/something, sometimes in an aggressive way
•She had suddenly turned into a defiant teenager.
•The terrorists sent a defiant message to the government.
•He had a slightly defiant air.
•Sylvia tossed back her dark hair in a gesture that was openly defiant.
•He was in a defiant mood, unwilling to give way to anyone.
Defiant
openly refusing to obey somebody/something, sometimes in an aggressive way
•She had suddenly turned into a defiant teenager.
•The terrorists sent a defiant message to the government.
•He had a slightly defiant air.
•Sylvia tossed back her dark hair in a gesture that was openly defiant.
•He was in a defiant mood, unwilling to give way to anyone.
Coincide
to take place at the same time
•It’s a pity our trips to New York don’t coincide.
•coincide with something The strike was timed to coincide with the party conference.
•The singer’s arrival was timed to coincide with the opening of the festival.
Bear
to be able to accept and deal with something unpleasant
SYNONYMstand
•bear something The pain was almost more than he could bear.
•She bore it all with her usual patience.
•She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.
•bear doing something I can’t bear having cats in the house.
•He can’t bear being laughed at.
•bear to do something He can’t bear to be laughed at.
•I can hardly bear to think about it.
•How can you bear to eat that stuff?
•bear somebody doing something I can’t bear you doing that.
Various
several different
SYNONYMdiverse
•various types/forms/kinds of somebody/something
•We talked about jobs, family, football and various other things.
•documentaries that explored various aspects of life in Germany
•Tents come in various shapes and sizes.
•She took the job for various reasons.
•There are various ways of doing this.
•He spent his childhood in various parts of Italy.
•Various groups use the centre.
•Data will be collected at various stages.
•My films involve various different points of view.
•Members of the various political parties were calling for something to be done.
•(formal) His complaints were many and various.
Challenge
to question whether a statement or an action is right, legal, etc.; to refuse to accept something
SYNONYMdispute
•challenge something His legal team immediately sought to challenge the decision.
•The story was completely untrue and was successfully challenged in court.
•She does not like anyone challenging her authority.
•This discovery challenges traditional beliefs.
•The new study challenges fundamental assumptions about the virus.
•challenge somebody on something She challenged him on his old-fashioned views.
•challenge somebody He repeated the claim but the interviewer did not challenge him.
+Language Bank argue
−Extra Examples
•Harley sought to challenge the jurisdiction of the court.
•She was effectively challenging the whole basis on which society was run.
•The newspaper was directly challenging the government’s legitimacy.
Particular
used to emphasize that you are referring to one individual person, thing or type of thing and not others
SYNONYMspecific
•There is one particular patient I’d like you to see.
•Is there a particular type of book he enjoys?
•Each village has its own particular charm.
•In this particular case, the owners were not local but Indian.
•specialized advice tailored to your particular circumstances
•She didn’t appreciate his particular brand of humour.
•The motives influencing a particular individual may change from time to time.
•The policy seems to discriminate against particular groups of people.
Focal
central; very important; connected with or providing a focus
•The Student Liaison Officer acts as a focal point for student political activity.
•The foc
Mainstream
considered normal because it reflects what is done or accepted by most people
•mainstream culture/politics
•mainstream economists/journalists
•the mainstream press/media
Composer
a person who writes music, especially classical music
•Verdi was a prolific composer of operas.
Mind
to be upset, annoyed or worried by something
•mind (something) I don’t mind the cold—it’s the rain I don’t like.
•I hope you don’t mind the noise.
•He wouldn’t have minded so much if she’d told him the truth.
•mind about something Did she mind about not getting the job?
•mind doing something Did she mind not getting the job?
•mind somebody/something doing something Do your parents mind you leaving home?
•(formal) Do your parents mind your leaving home?
•mind how, what, etc… She never minded how hot it was.
•mind that… He minded that he hadn’t been asked.
−Extra Examples
•His parents didn’t seem to mind that he dropped out of college.
•I didn’t mind about the money.
•I don’t mind at all telling people my age.
•I hope you don’t mind the noise.
•I wouldn’t have minded so much if you hadn’t lied about it.
Outdo
to do more or better than somebody else
SYNONYMbeat
•Sometimes small firms can outdo big business when it comes to customer care.
•Not to be outdone (= not wanting to let somebody else do better), she tried again.
•The brothers tried to outdo each other in everything.
Reinvigorate
to give new energy or strength to something/somebody
•We need to reinvigorate the economy of the area.
•I felt reinvigorated after a rest and a shower.
Formidable
if people, things or situations are formidable, you feel fear and/or respect for them, because they are impressive or powerful, or because they seem very difficult
•In debate he was a formidable opponent.
•Somehow the small but formidable woman fought her way through the crowd to reach her son.
•She has a formidable list of qualifications.
•The two players together make a formidable combination.
•The task was a formidable one.
•They had to overcome formidable obstacles.
incentivize
to encourage somebody to behave in a particular way by offering them a reward
•incentivize something ways to incentivize innovation
•incentivize somebody to do something You need to incentivize your existing customers to stay with you.
•The government wants to incentivize people to switch to greener cars.
Affiliate
to link a group, a company or an organization very closely with another, larger one
•be affiliated with somebody/something The hospital is affiliated with the local university.
•be affiliated to somebody/something The group is not affiliated to any political party.
Contrive
to manage to do something despite difficulties
•She contrived to spend a couple of hours with him every Sunday evening.
•Somehow they contrived to live on her tiny income.
Spate
a large number of things, which are usually unpleasant, that happen suddenly within a short period of time
•The bombing was the latest in a spate of terrorist attacks.
•a recent spate of killings/thefts
Spate
a large number of things, which are usually unpleasant, that happen suddenly within a short period of time
•The bombing was the latest in a spate of terrorist attacks.
•a recent spate of killings/thefts
Plunge
to move or make somebody/something move suddenly forwards and/or downwards
•+ adv./prep. She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death.
•The train left the track and plunged down the embankment.
•plunge somebody/something + adv./prep. The earthquake plunged entire towns over the edge of the cliffs.
•He plunged from a tenth floor window.
•The car plunged headlong into the river.
Concede
to admit that something is true, logical, etc. after first denying it or resisting it
•+ speech ‘Not bad,’ she conceded grudgingly.
•concede (that)… He was forced to concede (that) there might be difficulties.
•concede something I had to concede the logic of this.
•concede something to somebody He reluctantly conceded the point to me.
•concede somebody something He reluctantly conceded me the point.
•it is conceded that… It must be conceded that different judges have different approaches to these cases.
+Synonyms admit
•He reluctantly conceded that he was not fit enough to play in the match.
•He was not prepared to concede that he had acted illegally.
•She readily concedes that there is much work still to be done.
•The company seems to be implicitly conceding that sales have been poor.
Linger
to continue to exist for longer than expected
•The faint smell of her perfume lingered in the room.
•linger on The civil war lingered on well into the 1930s.
•It will linger forever in the minds of many people.
•The feelings of hurt and resentment lingered on for years.
Propensity
a natural desire or need that makes you tend to behave in a particular way
SYNONYMinclination
•propensity for something He showed a propensity for violence.
•propensity for doing something her propensity for accepting a challenge
•propensity to do something She has a propensity to exaggerate.
•propensity for something to do something There is an increased propensity for people to live alone.
Propensity
a natural desire or need that makes you tend to behave in a particular way
SYNONYMinclination
•propensity for something He showed a propensity for violence.
•propensity for doing something her propensity for accepting a challenge
•propensity to do something She has a propensity to exaggerate.
•propensity for something to do something There is an increased propensity for people to live alone.
Propensity
a natural desire or need that makes you tend to behave in a particular way
SYNONYMinclination
•propensity for something He showed a propensity for violence.
•propensity for doing something her propensity for accepting a challenge
•propensity to do something She has a propensity to exaggerate.
•propensity for something to do something There is an increased propensity for people to live alone.
Trawl
to search through a large amount of information or a large number of people, places, etc. looking for a particular thing or person
•trawl something (for something/somebody) She trawled the shops for bargains.
•Major companies trawl the universities for potential graduate trainees.
•trawl (through something) (for something/somebody) The police are trawling through their files for similar cases
Disseminate
to spread information, knowledge, etc. so that it reaches many people
•Their findings have been widely disseminated.
Compliant
too willing to agree with other people or to obey rules
•By then, Henry seemed less compliant with his wife’s wishes than he had six months before.
•We should not be producing compliant students who do not dare to criticize.
Preliminary
happening before a more important action or event
SYNONYMinitial
•After a few preliminary remarks he announced the winners.
•preliminary results/findings/enquiries
•the preliminary rounds of the contest
•preliminary to something pilot studies preliminary to a full-scale study
evasion
the act of avoiding somebody or of avoiding something that you are supposed to do
•His behaviour was an evasion of his responsibilities as a father.
•She’s been charged with tax evasion.
Constrict
to become tighter or narrower; to make something tighter or narrower
•Her throat constricted and she swallowed hard.
•constrict something a drug that constricts the blood vessels
propinquity
the state of being near in space or time
SYNONYMproximity
Ascribe
to consider or state that a book, etc. was written by a particular person
SYNONYMattribute
•This play is usually ascribed to Shakespeare.
Vagaries
changes in somebody/something that are difficult to predict or control
•All farmers are exposed to the vagaries of the weather.
•Their wealth fluctuates with the vagaries of the stock market.
Oblige
to force somebody to do something, by law, because it is a duty, etc.
•Parents are obliged by law to send their children to school.
•I felt obliged to ask them to dinner.
•He suffered a serious injury that obliged him to give up work.
•Libel plaintiffs are virtually obliged to go into the witness box.
•Employees should not feel obliged to work extra hours.
•In the UK, you are not obliged to carry any form of identification.
•Ministers are obliged to declare their personal interests.
•She was annoyed that she had felt obliged to explain.
•Suppliers aren’t legally obliged to provide a warranty.
•The landlord is obliged to give tenants 24 hours’ notice of a visit.
•We felt obliged to sit with them.
Oblige
to force somebody to do something, by law, because it is a duty, etc.
•Parents are obliged by law to send their children to school.
•I felt obliged to ask them to dinner.
•He suffered a serious injury that obliged him to give up work.
•Libel plaintiffs are virtually obliged to go into the witness box.
•Employees should not feel obliged to work extra hours.
•In the UK, you are not obliged to carry any form of identification.
•Ministers are obliged to declare their personal interests.
•She was annoyed that she had felt obliged to explain.
•Suppliers aren’t legally obliged to provide a warranty.
•The landlord is obliged to give tenants 24 hours’ notice of a visit.
•We felt obliged to sit with them.
Oblige
to force somebody to do something, by law, because it is a duty, etc.
•Parents are obliged by law to send their children to school.
•I felt obliged to ask them to dinner.
•He suffered a serious injury that obliged him to give up work.
•Libel plaintiffs are virtually obliged to go into the witness box.
•Employees should not feel obliged to work extra hours.
•In the UK, you are not obliged to carry any form of identification.
•Ministers are obliged to declare their personal interests.
•She was annoyed that she had felt obliged to explain.
•Suppliers aren’t legally obliged to provide a warranty.
•The landlord is obliged to give tenants 24 hours’ notice of a visit.
•We felt obliged to sit with them.
Revenue
the money that a government receives from taxes or that an organization, etc. receives from its business
SYNONYMreceipt
•The government is currently facing a shortfall in tax revenue.
•Advertising revenue finances the commercial television channels.
•a slump in oil revenues
•The company’s annual revenues rose by 30%.
Corporation
a large business company
•multinational corporations
•the Chrysler corporation
Propose
to suggest a plan, an idea, etc. for people to think about and decide on
•propose something The government proposed changes to the voting system.
•The Board of Directors is proposing an amendment to Article I.
•The three countries had proposed a plan for him to hand over power to a chosen successor.
•What would you propose?
•Other services will not be affected by the proposed legislation.
•It is one of several proposed hospital developments around town.
•Since the idea was first proposed, no action has been taken.
•a proposed reform/rule/law/project
•This year we propose a tax increase of 3.9 percent.
Froth
a mass of small bubbles appears on the surface
•a cup of frothing coffee
•The water gushed and frothed.
Suspension
the act of officially removing somebody from their job, school, team, etc. for a period of time, usually as a punishment
•suspension from school
•The two players are appealing against their suspensions.
•Another caution will result in his automatic suspension from the final.
•The athlete could face a lengthy period of suspension if found guilty.
•a detective under suspension from his job
•He incurred a suspension on reduced pay.
•He is serving a one-match suspension.
•He received a five-day suspension.
Remedy
a way of dealing with or improving an unpleasant or difficult situation
SYNONYMsolution
•When the reservoir becomes blocked, the only remedy lies in cleaning the entire system.
•remedy for something There is no simple remedy for unemployment.
•remedy to something There are a number of possible remedies to this problem.
Feud
an angry and bitter argument between two people or groups of people that continues over a long period of time
•feud between A and B a long-running feud between the two artists
•feud with somebody a feud with the neighbours
•a family feud (= within a family or between two families)
•feud over somebody/something a feud over money
•The incident started a family feud.
•They had a long-running feud over money.
•a long-standing family feud
•a time to settle old feuds
•his personal feud with the city authorities
•the feuds between rival companies
Take upon
- To decide to do something even though it was not one’s responsibility. Typically followed by “to do something.”
I took it upon myself to print out some informational packets for the meeting since I knew it might be confusing for some people.
We don’t have enough time to cover all of this in class, so you’ll need to take it upon yourselves if you want to learn more.
- To bear some burden, difficulty, or responsibility on one’s own or for oneself.
I feel like Tom is taking too many financial responsibilities upon himself.
You really shouldn’t take other people’s emotional baggage upon yourself. It can be really damaging if you’re not careful.
Efficacy
the ability of something to produce the results that are wanted
SYNONYMeffectiveness
•to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the treatment
Fraught
filled with something unpleasant
•a situation fraught with danger/difficulty/problems
Profess
to claim that something is true or correct, especially when it is not
•profess something She still professes her innocence.
•profess to be/have something I don’t profess to be an expert in this subject.
Laden
heavily loaded with something
•passengers laden with luggage
•The trees were laden with apples.
•a heavily/fully laden truck
•They arrived laden with gifts.
Treble
to become, or to make something, three times as much or as many
SYNONYMtriple
•Cases of food poisoning have trebled in the last two years.
•Some goods have almost trebled in price.
•The figure has more than trebled to 67 per cent.
•treble something He trebled his earnings in two years.
Stringent
very strict and that must be obeyed
•stringent air quality regulations
•Licences are only granted under the most stringent conditions.
−Extra Examples
•Safety standards were less stringent in those days.
•The board applies only the most stringent criteria for its decisions.
Omnious
suggesting that something bad is going to happen in the future
SYNONYMforeboding
•There were ominous dark clouds gathering overhead.
•She picked up the phone but there was an ominous silence at the other end.
•Things looked ominous for Susan.
Recluse
a person who lives alone and likes to avoid other people
•to lead the life of a recluse
Resusciate
to make somebody start breathing again or become conscious again after they have almost died
SYNONYMrevive
•He had a heart attack and all attempts to resuscitate him failed.
•(figurative) efforts to resuscitate the economy
Balk
to be unwilling to do something or become involved in something because it is difficult, dangerous, etc.
Delineate
to describe, draw or explain something in detail
•Our objectives need to be precisely delineated.
•The ship’s route is clearly delineated on the map.
Pseudonym
a name used by somebody, especially a writer, instead of their real name
•under a pseudonym She writes under a pseudonym.
•The rebel chief uses the pseudonym ‘Tigrillo’.
COMPAREpen name
•He adopted the pseudonym of George Banks.
•He has used a variety of pseudonyms.
Fend off
to protect yourself from difficult questions, criticisms, etc., especially by avoiding them
SYNONYMward off
•She managed to fend off questions about new tax increases.
•The Prime Minister fended off three challenges to her leadership.
Murky
not clearly known and suspected of not being honest
•He had a somewhat murky past.
•He was involved in the murky world of arms dealing.
Limp
to move slowly or with difficulty after being damaged
•The plane limped back to the airport.
•(figurative) The government was limping along in its usual way.
Persistent
continuing for a long period of time, or repeated frequently, especially in a way that is annoying and cannot be stopped
SYNONYMunrelenting
•Persistent heavy rain held up work on the bridge for more than a week.
•The most common symptom is a persistent cough.
•I can’t take much more of this persistent criticism.
•He resigned over persistent rumours of his affair with an actress.
•Famine is a persistent problem in many parts of the world.
•The weeds were very persistent.
•a stubbornly persistent unemployment problem
•Conflict is a common and persistent feature of society.
•Ear problems that are particularly painful or persistent should always be checked.
•He resigned over persistent rumours of his part in the scandal.
•Persistent pressure from the water authority forced the company to comply with the rules.
•Poor maths teaching was a persistent problem in schools.
•The problem of persistent shortages of food was turning into a crisis.
•There is a persistent tendency for wage costs to continue to rise.
•There were persistent reports of gross human rights abuses.
Criss cross
to make a pattern on something with many straight lines that cross each other
•criss-cross (something) Searchlights were criss-crossing the sky.
•The smaller streets criss-cross in a grid pattern.
•be criss-crossed with something The city is criss-crossed with canals.
Insolvency
the state of not having enough money to pay what you owe; an occasion when this happens
SYNONYMbankruptcy
•The company is close to insolvency.
•UK food suppliers said they expected more insolvencies in their sector this year.
Anticipate
to expect something
•anticipate something We don’t anticipate any major problems.
•Our anticipated arrival time is 8.30.
•The eagerly anticipated movie will be released next month.
•anticipate doing something They anticipate moving to bigger premises by the end of the year.
•anticipate something doing something I don’t anticipate it being a problem.
•anticipate that… We anticipate that sales will rise next year.
•it is anticipated that… It is anticipated that inflation will stabilize at 3 per cent.
COMPAREunanticipated
−Extra Examples
•The band today announced details of their widely anticipated third album.
•The dog sat up, anticipating a biscuit.
Fester
to become much worse because you do not deal with them successfully
•Instead of talking the matter over with him, she allowed her resentment to fester in her mind.
Fray
if somebody’s nerves or temper frays or something frays them, the person starts to get annoyed
•As the debate went on, tempers began to fray.
Stringent
very strict and that must be obeyed
•stringent air quality regulations
•Licences are only granted under the most stringent conditions.
−Extra Examples
•Safety standards were less stringent in those days.
•The board applies only the most stringent criteria for its decisions.
Blunt
to make something weaker or less effective
•Age hadn’t blunted his passion for adventure.
•Living alone in the country had blunted her wits.
Precipitate
to make something, especially something bad, happen suddenly or sooner than it should
SYNONYMbring on, spark (1)
•His resignation precipitated a leadership crisis.
Pension
an amount of money paid regularly by a government or company to somebody who has retired from work
•to receive a retirement pension
•The party promised to increase the basic state pension by £15 a week.
•a disability pension
•to take out a pension
•a workplace/an occupational pension
•on a pension She was struggling to live on a small pension.
•I’ve been paying into a private pension for years.
•a pension fund
•a pension scheme/plan
SEE ALSOold-age pension
Belligerent
aggressive and unfriendly
SYNONYMhostile
•a belligerent attitude
•He is always very belligerent towards
Quarrel
to have an angry argument or disagreement
•My sister and I used to quarrel all the time.
•quarrel with somebody He wished he hadn’t quarrelled with Tania.
•quarrel about something What did you two quarrel about?
•quarrel over something We tend to quarrel over money.
•quarrel with somebody about something I didn’t want to quarrel with Tyler about weekend plans.
•quarrel with somebody over something She quarrelled with her brother over their father’s will.
Fandom
the state of being a fan of somebody/something
•The book takes a fascinating look at sports fandom in the United States.
•my 17 years of football fandom
•Readers’ level of Harry Potter fandom was rated on a scale of one to five, based on a detailed questionnaire.
Wrap up
to complete something such as an agreement or a meeting in an acceptable way
•That just about wraps it up for today.
Infinite
very great; impossible to measure
SYNONYMboundless
•an infinite variety of plants
•a teacher with infinite patience
•(ironic) The company in its infinite wisdom decided to close the staff restaurant (= they thought it was a good thing to do, but nobody else agreed).
•an almost infinite variety of shades
2without limits; without end
•an infinite universe
OPPOSITEfinite
Forfeit
to lose something or have something taken away from you because you have done something wrong
•He has forfeited his right to be taken seriously.
Bereft
sad and lonely because you have lost something
•He was utterly bereft when his wife died.
•The shock of his departure had left her feeling alone and bereft.
Sift
to examine something very carefully in order to decide what is important or useful or to find something important
•sift something We will sift every scrap of evidence.
•Computers are being used to sift the information.
•sift through something Crash investigators have been sifting through the wreckage of the aircraft
Unkempt
not well cared for; not neat or tidy
SYNONYMdishevelled
•greasy, unkempt hair
•The children were unwashed and unkempt.
•a wild and unkempt garden
Bear fruit
bear ˈfruit
to have a successful result
Residual
left at the end of a process
SYNONYMoutstanding
•There are still a few residual problems with the computer program.
•residual income (= money that is left from your income after you have paid tax and other costs)
Residue
a small amount of something that remains at the end of a process
•pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables
−Extra Examples
•The meat contained residues of antibiotics.
•The sauce left a greasy residue on the pan.
•sawdust and other residues from the timber industry
•The chemical process leaves a greasy residue.
•There will be a residue of fine powder if it is not rinsed thoroughly.
Pleasantry
a friendly remark made in order to be polite
•After exchanging the usual pleasantries, they got down to serious discussion.
Ooze
to show a particular quality or feeling strongly; (of a particular quality or feeling) to be shown strongly
SYNONYMexude
•ooze something She walked into the party oozing confidence.
•ooze with something His voice oozed with sex appeal.
•He was oozing with contempt for us.
•ooze from something She shook her head, disgust oozing from every pore.
Emaciated
thin and weak, usually because of illness or lack of food
•He was thirty, but looked fifty, with pale skin, hopeless eyes and an emaciated body, covered in sores.
Obsolete
no longer used because something new has been invented
SYNONYMout of date
•obsolete technology
•With technological changes many traditional skills have become obsolete.
Obsolete
no longer used because something new has been invented
SYNONYMout of date
•obsolete technology
•With technological changes many traditional skills have become obsolete.
Obsolete
no longer used because something new has been invented
SYNONYMout of date
•obsolete technology
•With technological changes many traditional skills have become obsolete.
Clout
power and influence
•political/financial clout
•I knew his opinion carried a lot of clout with them.
Protracted
lasting longer than expected or longer than usual
SYNONYMprolonged
•protracted delays/disputes/negotiations
•A protracted strike carries a high risk of violence.
•There followed a protracted series of legal wrangles.
Bloc
a group of countries that work closely together because they have similar political interests
•Eastern bloc countries
•A solid bloc of members supported the decision.
•There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.
Vociferous
expressing your opinions or feelings in a loud and confident way
SYNONYMstrident
•vociferous protests
•a vociferous critic of the president’s stance
•Opposition from senior party members became increasingly vociferous.
Imposition
the act of introducing something such as a new law or rule, or a new tax
•the imposition of martial law
•the imposition of tax on domestic fuel
•the unilateral imposition of import quotas
Brink
if you are on the brink of something, you are almost in a very new, dangerous or exciting situation
•on the brink of collapse/war/death/disaster
•Scientists are on the brink of making a major new discovery.
•He’s pulled the company back from the brink (= he has saved it from disaster).
•teetering/poised/hovering on the brink
•animals hovering on the very brink of extinction
Ensnare
to make somebody/something unable to escape from a difficult situation or from a person who wants to control them
SYNONYMtrap
•young homeless people who become ensnared in a life of crime
•She refused to let him ensnare her with his charm.
•He became ensnared in the complexities of the legal system.
Reprisal
a violent or aggressive act towards somebody because of something bad that they have done towards you
SYNONYMretaliation
•They did not want to give evidence for fear of reprisals.
•in reprisal for something They shot ten hostages in reprisal for the assassination of their leader.
•She tried to persuade the soldiers that they would not suffer reprisals if they surrendered.
•The gang threatened to take reprisals against them.
•The government responded with harsh military reprisals.
•The people live in fear of political reprisals.
•Workers won’t face reprisals for their decisions.
•boycotts and economic reprisals
•reprisals against witnesses for the evidence they have given
•reprisals from angry fans
•Several people were killed in further reprisals against the villages.
•They were frightened to talk publicly for fear of reprisals.
Censure
to criticize somebody severely, and often publicly, because of something they have done
SYNONYMrebuke
•be censured (for doing something) He was censured for leaking information to the press.
•be censured (for something) The manager was severely censured for negligence.
Eradicate
to destroy or get rid of something completely, especially something bad
SYNONYMwipe out
•eradicate something Diphtheria has been virtually eradicated in the United States.
•eradicate something from something We are determined to eradicate racism from our sport.
•These insects are very difficult to eradicate.
•Effective action is needed to eradicate terrorism, drug-trafficking and corruption.
•Smallpox had been completely eradicated from the world.
Enclave
an area of a country or city where the people have a different religion, culture or nationality from those who live in the country or city that surrounds it
•The northern part of the city is a Christian enclave.
Discontent
discontent (at/over/with something) a feeling of being unhappy because you are not satisfied with a particular situation; something that makes you have this feeling
SYNONYMdissatisfaction
•There is widespread discontent among the staff at the proposed changes to pay and conditions.
•(formal) There are a wide variety of popular discontents which need discussing.
•Overcrowded conditions fuelled discontent and facilitated the spread of radical ideas.
•Overcrowded conditions will only fuel discontent among prisoners.
•Public discontent with the economy remained at a high level.
•The country was seething with discontent and the threat of revolution was real.
•The higher tax provoked widespread discontent among the poor.
•The peasants expressed their discontent.
•The reforms failed to stem social discontent.
•There were reports of growing discontent within the army.
•discontent among students about the lack of funding for education
•growing discontent with the government
•the discontent that many people felt
Curriculum
the subjects that are included in a course of study or taught in a school, college, etc.
•The school curriculum should be as broad as possible.
•on the curriculum (British English) Spanish is on the curriculum.
•in the curriculum (North American English) Spanish is in the curriculum.
•Chinese has been introduced into the curriculum as an option.
•His disability does not prevent him from following the mainstream curriculum.
•More room should be given to foreign languages in the curriculum.
•Pupils use computers across the curriculum.
•Student choose from optional subjects in addition to the core curriculum.
•Students use computers across the curriculum (= in all or most subjects).
•Teachers feel that the present curriculum is too narrow.
•They all have to study French because it’s on the curriculum.
•We cover all areas of the curriculum.
•the balance of subjects within the curriculum
•All children should have access to the mainstream curriculum.
•Classroom teachers need to be involved in curriculum planning and development.
•Educational inspectors said that the college had failed to deliver the curriculum adequately.
•In those days the curriculum was pretty narrow.
•Many teachers follow the curriculum to the letter.
•Nutrition education is now in the curriculum.
•The government is introducing a national curriculum for schools.
•These subjects are not part of the core curriculum.
Span
to last all through a period of time or to cover the whole of it
•His acting career spanned 55 years.
•Family photos spanning five generations were stolen.
Reproach
to blame or criticize somebody for something that they have done or not done, because you are disappointed in them
•reproach somebody Nobody has a right to reproach me.
•reproach somebody for (doing) something She was reproached by colleagues for leaking the story to the press.
•reproach somebody with (doing) something She reproached him with his cruelty.
•reproach (somebody) + speech ‘You know that isn’t true,’ he reproached her.
Resuscitate
to make somebody start breathing again or become conscious again after they have almost died
SYNONYMrevive
•He had a heart attack and all attempts to resuscitate him failed.
•(figurative) efforts to resuscitate the economy
Hollow
having a hole or empty space inside
•a hollow ball/centre/tube/tree
•a hollow metal cylinder
•The tree trunk was hollow inside.
•Her stomach felt hollow with fear.
Ensconce
somewhere, you are made or make yourself comfortable and safe in that place or position
•He ensconced himself in my bedroom as if he owned it.
•The teacher was ensconced in an elaborate wooden chair.
Dent
to make a hollow place in a hard surface, usually by hitting it
•The back of the car was badly dented in the collision.
•The car was quite badly dented on one side.
Rouse
to make somebody want to start doing something when they were not active or interested in doing it
•rouse somebody/yourself (to something) A lot of people were roused to action by the appeal.
•rouse somebody/yourself to do something Richard couldn’t rouse himself to say anything in reply.
•rouse somebody from something We finally managed to rouse her from her lethargy.
Eerie
strange, mysterious and frightening
SYNONYMuncanny
•an eerie yellow light
•I found the silence underwater really eerie.
•He had an eerie feeling that he was not alone.
impropriety
behaviour or actions that are dishonest, morally wrong or not appropriate for a person in a position of responsibility
•There was no evidence of impropriety.
•accusations of financial impropriety
•He said that he would resign his post if the public felt he had engaged in improprieties.
OPPOSITEpropriety
•Parliament was was accused of constitutional impropriety.
•There is no suggestion of impropriety by the minister.
Decry
to strongly criticize somebody/something, especially publicly
SYNONYMcondemn
•The measures were decried as useless.
Spar
to argue with somebody, usually in a friendly way
•political sparring
•verbal sparring
•spar with somebody He liked to spar with colleagues during weekly meetings.
Spar
to argue with somebody, usually in a friendly way
•political sparring
•verbal sparring
•spar with somebody He liked to spar with colleagues during weekly meetings.
Spar
to argue with somebody, usually in a friendly way
•political sparring
•verbal sparring
•spar with somebody He liked to spar with colleagues during weekly meetings.
Spar
to argue with somebody, usually in a friendly way
•political sparring
•verbal sparring
•spar with somebody He liked to spar with colleagues during weekly meetings.
Wobbly
not properly fixed in place so that it moves from side to side
•a chair with a wobbly leg
•a wobbly tooth
Wobbly
not properly fixed in place so that it moves from side to side
•a chair with a wobbly leg
•a wobbly tooth
Wobbly
not properly fixed in place so that it moves from side to side
•a chair with a wobbly leg
•a wobbly tooth
Disorder
an untidy state; a lack of order or organization
•The room was in a state of disorder.
•in (…) disorder His financial affairs were in complete disorder.
•Everyone began shouting at once and the meeting broke up in disorder.
OPPOSITEorder
Pander to
(disapproving) to do what somebody wants, or try to please them, especially when this is not acceptable or reasonable
•to pander to somebody’s wishes
•The speech was pandering to racial prejudice.
•He refuses to pander to the latest fashions.
Leeway
the amount of freedom that you have to change something or to do something in the way you want to
SYNONYMlatitude
•How much leeway should parents give their children?
Ineluctable
that you cannot avoid
SYNONYMunavoidable
•the ineluctable signs of ageing
Parlay into
to use or develop something such as money or a skill to make it more successful or worth more
•She hopes to parlay her success as a model into an acting career.
Unbeknown
without the person mentioned knowing
•Unbeknown to her they had organized a surprise party.
Cede
to give somebody control of something or give them power, a right, etc., especially unwillingly
•Cuba was ceded by Spain to the US in 1898.
SEE ALSOcession
Implore
to ask somebody to do something in an anxious way because you want or need it very much
SYNONYMbeseech, beg
•implore somebody to do something She implored him to stay.
•implore (somebody) + speech ‘Help me,’ he implored.
•implore somebody Tell me it’s true. I implore you.
Derision
the situation in which someone or something is laughed at and considered stupid or of no value
They treated his suggestion with derision.
Her speech was met with hoots/howls of derision.
