Set 7

itinerant |ɪˈtɪn(əә)r(əә)nt, ʌɪ-|
adjective
traveling from place to place: itinerant traders.
noun
a person who travels from place to place.
DERIVATIVES
itineracy noun,
itinerancy noun
ORIGIN late 16th cent. (used to describe a judge travelling
on a circuit): from late Latin itinerant- ‘travelling’, from
the verb itinerari, from Latin iter, itiner- ‘journey, road’.
immanent |ˈɪməәnəәnt|
adjective
existing or operating within; inherent: the protection of liberties is
immanent in constitutional arrangements.
• (of God) permanently pervading and sustaining the
universe. Often contrasted with transcendent.
DERIVATIVES
immanence noun,
immanency noun,
immanentism noun,immanentist noun
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from late Latin immanent-
‘remaining within’, from in- ‘in’ + manere ‘remain’.
eminent |ˈɛmɪnəәnt|
adjective
1 (of a person) famous and respected within a particular
sphere: one of the world's most eminent statisticians.
2 [ attrib. ] (of a positive quality) present to a notable degree:
the book's scholarship and eminent readability.
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin eminent-
‘jutting, projecting’, from the verb eminere .
imminent |ˈɪmɪnəәnt|
adjective
1 about to happen: they were in imminent danger of being swept
away.
2 archaic overhanging.
DERIVATIVES
imminence noun,
imminently adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin imminent-
‘overhanging, impending’, from the verb imminere, fromin- ‘upon, towards’ + minere ‘to project’.
sensitive |ˈsɛnsɪtɪv|
adjective
1 quick to detect or respond to slight changes, signals, or
influences: the new method of protein detection was more sensitive than
earlier ones | spiders are sensitive to vibrations on their web.
• easily damaged, injured, or distressed by slight changes: the
committee called for improved protection of wildlife in environmentally
sensitive areas.
• (of photographic materials) prepared so as to respond
rapidly to the action of light.
• (of a market) unstable and liable to quick changes of price
because of outside influences. the Japanese were successfully
entering many of the most sensitive markets.
2 having or displaying a quick and delicate appreciation of
others' feelings: I pay tribute to the Minister for his sensitive handling
of the bill.
• easily offended or upset: I suppose I shouldn't be so sensitive.
3 kept secret or with restrictions on disclosure to avoid
endangering security: he was suspected of passing sensitive
information to other countries.noun
a person who is believed to respond to paranormal
influences.
DERIVATIVES
sensitively adverb,
sensitiveness noun
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘sensory’): from
Old French sensitif, -ive or medieval Latin sensitivus,
formed irregularly from Latin sentire ‘feel’. The current
senses date from the early 19th cent.
sensitive
adjective
1 as people get older, their bodies often grow less sensitive to changes
in external temperature: responsive to, quick to respond to,
sensitized to, reactive to, sentient of; aware of, conscious of,
alive to; susceptible to, easily affected by, vulnerable to;
attuned to, tuned in to; rare susceptive of. ANTONYMS
unresponsive, impervious, insensitive.
2 don't use facial scrubs if your skin is sensitive | his innocent words
touched sensitive spots within her own heart: delicate, easily
damaged, fragile; tender, sore, painful, raw. ANTONYMSresilient, tough.
3 these matters will need sensitive handling by the social services | a
poignant, sensitive movie: tactful, careful, thoughtful, diplomatic,
delicate, subtle, finely tuned, kid-glove; sympathetic,
compassionate, understanding, empathetic, intuitive, feeling,
responsive, receptive; perceptive, discerning, acute, insightful.
ANTONYMS insensitive, clumsy, like bull in a china shop.
4 I didn't realize he was so sensitive | her father was sensitive about his
bald patch: easily offended, easily upset, easily hurt, thin-
skinned, touchy, oversensitive, hypersensitive, defensive;
emotional, volatile, temperamental; paranoid, neurotic;
informal twitchy, uptight; rare umbrageous. ANTONYMS
thick-skinned.
5 a politically sensitive issue: difficult, delicate, tricky, awkward,
problematic, ticklish, precarious; controversial, emotive;
informal sticky. ANTONYMS uncontroversial.
sensuous |ˈsɛnsjʊəәs, ˈsɛnʃʊəәs|
adjective
1 relating to or affecting the senses rather than the intellect:
the work showed a deliberate disregard of the more sensuous andimmediately appealing aspects of painting.
2 attractive or gratifying physically, especially sexually: her
voice was rather deep but very sensuous.
DERIVATIVES
sensuously adverb,
sensuousness noun
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin sensus ‘sense’ + -ous.
usage: On the use of the words sensuous and sensual, see
usage at sensual.
sensuous
adjective
1 big, richly coloured, sensuous canvases | his sensuous love of music:
aesthetically pleasing, aesthetic, pleasurable, gratifying, rich,
sumptuous, luxurious; affective; sensory, sensorial.
2 her full, sensuous lips: sexually attractive, sexy, seductive,
voluptuous, luscious, lush.
EASILY CONFUSED WORDS
sensuous or sensual?
See sensual.
These notes clear up confusion between similar-
looking pairs.sensible |ˈsɛnsɪb(əә)l|
adjective
1 done or chosen in accordance with wisdom or prudence;
likely to be of benefit: I cannot believe that it is sensible to spend so
much | a sensible diet.
• (of a person) possessing or displaying prudence: he was a
sensible and capable boy.
2 (of an object) practical and functional rather than
decorative: Mum always made me have sensible shoes.
3 archaic readily perceived; appreciable: it will effect a sensible
reduction in these figures.
• (sensible of/to) able to notice or appreciate; not unaware
of: we are sensible of the difficulties he faces.
DERIVATIVES
sensibleness noun,
sensibly adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English (also in the sense ‘perceptible
by the senses’): from Old French, or from Latin sensibilis,
from sensus (see sense) .sensible
adjective
isn't this the sensible thing to do? | she's a very sensible person:
practical, realistic, responsible, full of common sense,
reasonable, rational, logical, sound, circumspect, balanced,
sober, no-nonsense, pragmatic, level-headed, serious-minded,
thoughtful, commonsensical, down-to-earth, wise, prudent,
mature; judicious, sagacious, sharp, shrewd, far-sighted,
intelligent, clever. ANTONYMS foolish.
sensual |ˈsɛnsjʊəәl, -ʃʊəәl|
adjective
of or arousing gratification of the senses and physical,
especially sexual, pleasure: the production of the ballet is sensual
and passionate.
DERIVATIVES
sensualism noun,
sensualize (also sensualise)verb,
sensually adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘sensory’): from
late Latin sensualis, from sensus (see sense) .
usage: The words sensual and sensuous are frequentlyused interchangeably to mean ‘gratifying the senses’,
especially in a sexual sense. Strictly speaking, this goes against
a traditional distinction, by which sensuous is a more
neutral term, meaning ‘relating to the senses rather than the
intellect’, as in swimming is a beautiful, sensuous experience,
while sensual relates to gratification of the senses, especially
sexually, as in a sensual massage. In fact the word sensuous
is thought to have been invented by Milton (1641) in a
deliberate attempt to avoid the sexual overtones of sensual.
In practice, the connotations are such that it is difficult to use
sensuous in this sense. While traditionalists struggle to
maintain a distinction, the evidence from the Oxford English
Corpus and elsewhere suggests that the ‘neutral’ use of
sensuous is rare in modern English. If a neutral use is
intended it is advisable to use alternative wording.
disturbed |dɪˈstəәːbd|
adjective
1 having had the normal pattern or functioning disrupted:
disturbed sleep.
2 having or resulting from emotional and mental problems:
the treatment of disturbed children | disturbed behaviour.disturb |dɪˈstəәːb|
verb [ with obj. ]
1 interfere with the normal arrangement or functioning of:
take the rollers out carefully so as not to disturb the curls too much.
2 interrupt the sleep, relaxation, or privacy of: I'll see my
patient now and we are not to be disturbed.
3 make (someone) anxious: I am disturbed by the document I have
just read.
DERIVATIVES
disturber noun
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French destourber,
from Latin disturbare, from dis- ‘utterly’ + turbare
‘disturb’ (from turba ‘tumult’).
disturbed
adjective
1 he woke early after a disturbed sleep: disrupted, interrupted,
fitful, disconnected, discontinuous, intermittent, fragmentary,
broken. ANTONYMS undisturbed.
2 a home for disturbed children: troubled, distressed, unsettled,
upset, distraught; unbalanced, unstable, disordered,
dysfunctional, maladjusted, ill-adjusted; neurotic, emotionallyconfused, unhinged; informal screwed up, mixed up, messed
up, hung up. ANTONYMS well adjusted.
disturb
verb
1 we need somewhere where we won't be disturbed while we have our
chat: interrupt, intrude on, butt in on, barge in on; distract,
interfere with, disrupt, bother, trouble, pester, plague, harass,
molest; informal horn in on, hassle.
2 he does not want his books and papers disturbed: disarrange,
muddle, rearrange, disorganize, disorder, mix up, interfere
with; confuse, throw into disorder/confusion, derange, get
into a tangle; unsettle, convulse, turn upside down, make a
mess of.
3 the surface waters are constantly disturbed by winds: agitate, churn
up, stir up, whisk, beat, convulse, ruffle; literary roil.
4 he wasn't disturbed by all the allegations: perturb, trouble,
concern, worry, upset; agitate, fluster, discomfit, disconcert,
dismay, distress, discompose, unsettle, ruffle, stir up; alarm,
frighten, startle, shake; confuse, bewilder, perplex, confound,
daze, excite.
5 his mother had told him not to disturb himself: inconvenience, put
out, put to trouble, discommode.dislocate |ˈdɪsləәkeɪt|
verb [ with obj. ]
disturb the normal position of (a bone in a joint): he dislocated
his shoulder in training.
• disturb the organization of; disrupt: trade was dislocated by a
famine.
• move from its proper place or position: the symbol is dislocated
from its political context.
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: probably a back-formation from
dislocation, but perhaps from medieval Latin dislocatus
‘moved from a former position’, from the verb
dislocare .
dislocate
verb
1 Georgina dislocated her hip: put out of joint, put out of place,
displace, disjoint, disconnect, disengage; informal put out;
Medicine luxate, subluxate; dated slip; rare unjoint.
2 trade was dislocated by a famine: disrupt, disturb, throw into
disorder, throw into disarray, throw into confusion, confuse,
disorganize, disorder, disarrange, derange, turn upside-down;informal mess up.
distort |dɪˈstɔːt|
verb [ with obj. ]
1 pull or twist out of shape: a grimace distorted her fine mouth.
• [ no obj. ] become twisted out of shape: the pipe will distort as
you bend it.
2 give a misleading or false account or impression of: many
factors can distort the results.
3 change the form of (an electrical signal or sound wave)
during transmission, amplification, or other processing: you're
distorting the sound by overdriving the amp.
ORIGIN late 15th cent. (in the sense ‘twist to one side’):
from Latin distort- ‘twisted apart’, from the verb
distorquere, from dis- ‘apart’ + torquere ‘to twist’.
distort
verb
1 his face was distorted with anger: twist, warp, contort, bend,
buckle, deform, malform, misshape, disfigure; mangle,
wrench, wring, wrest.
2 he oversimplified and distorted the truth: misrepresent, pervert,twist, falsify, misreport, misstate, prejudice, manipulate,
garble, take/quote out of context; slant, bias, skew, colour,
put a spin on, spin; tamper with, tinker with, doctor, alter,
change.
disrupt |dɪsˈrʌpt|
verb [ with obj. ]
interrupt (an event, activity, or process) by causing a
disturbance or problem: flooding disrupted rail services.
• drastically alter or destroy the structure of: alcohol can disrupt
the chromosomes of an unfertilized egg.
DERIVATIVES
disrupter (also disruptor)noun
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin disrupt- ‘broken
apart’, from the verb disrumpere .
disrupt
verb
1 a 24-hour strike disrupted public transport: throw into confusion,
throw into disorder, throw into disarray, cause confusion/
turmoil in, play havoc with, derange, turn upside-down,
make a mess of; disturb, disorder, disorganize, disarrange,interfere with, upset, unsettle, convulse; interrupt, suspend,
discontinue; obstruct, impede, hamper; hold up, delay, retard,
slow (down); Brit. informal throw a spanner in the works of;
N. Amer. informal throw a monkey wrench in the works of.
2 the explosion would disrupt the walls of the crater: distort, damage,
buckle, warp; break open/apart, shatter, split, sever, cleave,
split asunder; literary rend; archaic sunder, rive.
ANTONYMS organize; arrange.
narcissism |ˈnɑːsɪsɪz(əә)m, nɑːˈsɪs-|
noun [ mass noun ]
excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one's
physical appearance.
• Psychology extreme selfishness, with a grandiose view of
one's own talents and a craving for admiration, as
characterizing a personality type.
• Psychoanalysis self-centredness arising from failure to
distinguish the self from external objects, either in very
young babies or as a feature of mental disorder.
DERIVATIVES
narcissist noun
ORIGIN early 19th cent.: via Latin from the Greek nameNarkissos (see Narcissus) + -ism.
vanity
noun
1 she had none of the vanity so often associated with beautiful women:
conceit, conceitedness, self-conceit, narcissism, self-love, self-
admiration, self-regard, self-absorption, self-obsession, self-
centredness, egotism, egoism, egocentrism, egomania; pride,
haughtiness, arrogance, boastfulness, swagger, imperiousness,
cockiness, pretension, affectation, airs, show, ostentation;
literary vainglory, braggadocio. ANTONYMS modesty.
2 the vanity of all desires of the will: futility, uselessness,
pointlessness, worthlessness, purposelessness, idleness,
fruitlessness, profitlessness.
condemnation |ˌkɒndəәmˈneɪʃn|
noun [ mass noun ]
1 the expression of very strong disapproval; censure: there was
strong international condemnation of the attack.
2 the action of condemning someone to a punishment;
sentencing.
condemnationnoun
a comment which provoked widespread condemnation: censure,
criticism, castigation, stricture, denunciation, damnation,
vilification, opprobrium; reproof, disapproval,
disapprobation; informal flak, a bad press; rare reprobation,
arraignment, excoriation, objurgation. ANTONYMS praise,
plaudits.
camouflage |ˈkaməәflɑːʒ|
noun [ mass noun ]
the disguising of military personnel, equipment, and
installations by painting or covering them to make them
blend in with their surroundings: on the trenches were pieces of
turf which served for camouflage.
• clothing or materials used as camouflage: figures dressed in
army camouflage.
• the natural colouring or form of an animal which enables it
to blend in with its surroundings: the whiteness of polar bears
provides camouflage.
• actions or devices intended to disguise or mislead: much of
my apparent indifference was merely protective camouflage.
verb [ with obj. ]hide or disguise the presence of (a person, animal, or object)
by means of camouflage: the caravan was camouflaged with netting
and branches from trees.
• conceal the existence of (something undesirable): grievances
should be discussed, not camouflaged.
ORIGIN First World War: from French, from camoufler ‘to
disguise’ (originally thieves' slang), from Italian camuffare
‘disguise, deceive’, perhaps by association with French
camouflet ‘whiff of smoke in the face’.
camouflage
noun
1 on the trenches were pieces of turf which served for camouflage:
disguise, concealment.
2 an animal may adapt its camouflage to fit into a new environment:
protective colouring; technical cryptic colouring, cryptic
coloration, mimicry.
3 much of my apparent indifference was merely protective camouflage:
facade, front, false front, smokescreen, cover-up, disguise,
mask, cloak, blind, screen, masquerade, concealment,
dissimulation, pretence; subterfuge.
verbthe caravan was camouflaged with netting and branches: disguise,
hide, conceal, keep hidden, mask, screen, veil, cloak, cover,
cover up, obscure, shroud.
disguise
verb
she tried to disguise the bruises with make-up | Stephen's controlled
voice disguised his true feelings: camouflage, conceal, hide, cover
up, make inconspicuous, mask, screen, shroud, veil, cloak;
dissemble, dissimulate, gloss over, varnish over, paper over;
put up a smokescreen, misrepresent, falsify, give a false
picture of. ANTONYMS reveal, expose.
PHRASES
disguise oneself as Eleanor disguised herself as a man: dress
oneself up as, pass oneself of as, pretend to be, impersonate,
pose as; rare personate.
noun
1 his bizarre disguise drew stares from fellow shoppers: false
appearance, camouflage, concealment; outfit, costume;
informal get-up.
2 a counsellor hopes gradually to strip away the disguises and helppartners to understand each other: facade, front, false front, cover-
up, masquerade, veneer, mask, veil; smokescreen,
dissimulation, pretence, deception.
disguise |dɪsˈgʌɪz|
verb [ with obj. ]
give (someone or oneself) a different appearance in order to
conceal one's identity: he disguised himself as a girl | Bryn
was disguised as a priest | (as adj.disguised) : a disguised reporter.
• make (something) unrecognizable by altering its
appearance, sound, taste, or smell: does holding a handkerchief
over the mouthpiece really disguise your voice?
• conceal the nature or existence of (a feeling or situation): he
made no effort to disguise his contempt | (as adj.disguised) : his
voice was heavy with barely disguised emotion.
noun
a means of altering one's appearance to conceal one's
identity: I put on dark glasses as a disguise.
• [ mass noun ] the state of having altered one's appearance
in order to conceal one's identity: I told them you were a
policewoman in disguise.
• [ mass noun ] the concealing of one's true intentions orfeelings: the children looked at her without disguise.
DERIVATIVES
disguisement noun( archaic)
ORIGIN Middle English (meaning ‘change one's usual style
of dress’, with no implication of concealing one's identity):
from Old French desguisier .
yearn |jəәːn|
verb [ no obj. ]
have an intense feeling of longing for something, typically
something that one has lost or been separated from: she
yearned for a glimpse of him | [ with infinitive ] : they yearned to
go home.
• archaic be filled with compassion or warm feeling: no fellow
spirit yearned towards her.
DERIVATIVES
yearner noun
ORIGIN Old English giernan, from a Germanic base
meaning ‘eager’.
yearnverb
she yearned to be with him: long, pine, crave, desire, want, want
badly, wish, have/feel a longing, covet, lust, pant, hunger,
thirst, ache, be aching, itch, be itching; hanker after, dream
of, fancy, have one's heart set on, be bent on, eat one's heart
out over; informal have a yen, yen, be dying; archaic be
athirst for, be desirous; rare suspire for.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD
yearn, long, pine, hanker
■ To yearn for something is to desire it intensely, even
though it is difficult or impossible to obtain; recognition
of this means that the desire tends to be mixed with
sorrow or melancholy (she yearned for her missing
father | his ambition was always yearning after the
impossible | I yearned to live a semi-bohemian
lifestyle).
■ To long is also to feel a deep desire (she'd longed to
hear him whisper that he loved her), but it may also be
used more trivially to say that one very much wants
something, especially food or drink, that one is quite
likely to get soon (I'm longing for a cup of tea).■ To pine is to long for someone or something that one
has lost (even though he had a new girlfriend she still
pined for him), and is often used of animals who lose
their owners. When used without for, it means to
decline mentally or physically as a result of such
longing (she was the Major's gundog and had pined
badly when her master died).
■ Hanker is a less formal word than yearn and,
compared with long, implies a vaguer, more wistful, or
more forlorn desire (it may be that you hanker after
some lost love | she had always hankered for a job in
uniform | I've been hankering to play country music
again).
These notes show fine distinctions in meaning
between closely related synonyms to help you find the
best word.
confront |kəәnˈfrʌnt|
verb [ with obj. ]
come face to face with (someone) with hostile or
argumentative intent: 300 policemen confronted an equal number ofunion supporters.
• (of a problem or difficulty) present itself to (someone) so
that action must be taken: the new government was confronted
with many profound difficulties.
• face up to and deal with (a problem or difficulty): we knew we
couldn't ignore the race issue and decided we'd confront it head on.
• compel (someone) to face or consider something, especially
by way of accusation: Merrill confronted him with her
suspicions.
• appear or be placed in front of (someone) so as to unsettle
or threaten them: we were confronted with pictures of moving
skeletons.
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from French confronter, from
medieval Latin confrontare, from Latin con- ‘with’ +
frons, front- ‘face’.
confront
verb
1 Jones confronted the alleged burglar: challenge, square up to,
oppose, resist, defy, beard, tackle, attack, assault; approach,
face up to, face, meet, come face to face with, stand up to,brave, detain, accost, waylay, take aside, stop, halt; informal
collar; Brit. informal nobble. ANTONYMS avoid.
2 the real problems that confront ordinary citizens: trouble, bother, be
in someone's way, burden, distress, cause trouble to, cause
suffering to, face, beset, harass, worry, oppress, annoy, vex,
irritate, exasperate, strain, stress, tax; torment, plague, blight,
bedevil, rack, smite, curse, harrow; rare discommode.
3 they've got to learn to confront their own problems: tackle, get to
grips with, apply oneself to, address oneself to, address, face,
set about, go about, get to work at, busy oneself with, set
one's hand to, grapple with, approach, take on, attend to, see
to, throw oneself into, try to solve, try to deal with, try to
cope with, learn to live with, try to sort out; deal with, take
measures about, take care of, pursue, handle, manage;
informal have a crack at, have a go at, have a shot at, get
stuck into. ANTONYMS avoid.
4 she confronted him with the evidence she had unearthed: present,
bring face to face, face. ANTONYMS spare.
crave |kreɪv|
verb [ with obj. ]
feel a powerful desire for (something): if only she had shown herdaughter the love she craved | [ no obj. ] : Will craved for family
life.
• archaic ask for: I must crave your indulgence.
DERIVATIVES
craver noun
ORIGIN Old English crafian (in the sense ‘demand, claim as
a right’), of Germanic origin; related to Swedish
kräva,Danish kræve ‘demand’. The current sense dates
from late Middle English.
crave
verb
he craved professional recognition: long for, yearn for, hunger for,
thirst for, dream of, aspire to, set one's heart on, have as one's
aim, have as one's goal, seek, be bent on; desire, want, hope
for, hanker after, wish for; sigh for, pant for, pine for; lust
after, covet; informal have a yen for, itch for, be dying for;
archaic be athirst for, be desirous of; rare desiderate, suspire
for.
deny |dɪˈnʌɪ|
verb (denies, denying, denied)1 [ with obj. ] state that one refuses to admit the truth or
existence of: both firms deny any responsibility for the tragedy.
• refuse to admit the truth of (a concept or proposition that is
supported by the majority of scientific or historical evidence):
an anti-environmentalist campaign group that denies climate change.
2 [ with two objs ] refuse to give (something requested or
desired) to (someone): the inquiry was denied access to intelligence
sources.
• (deny oneself) refuse to let oneself have something that
one desires: he had denied himself sexually for years.
• [ with obj. ] archaic refuse access to (someone). the servants
are ordered to deny him.
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French deni-, stressed
stem of deneier, from Latin denegare, from de- ‘formally’
+ negare ‘say no’.
deny
verb
1 the report was denied by several witnesses: contradict, repudiate,
gainsay, declare untrue, dissent from, disagree with,
challenge, contest, oppose; retract, take back, back-pedal;
disprove, debunk, explode, discredit, refute, rebut, invalidate,negate, nullify, quash; informal shoot full of holes, shoot
down (in flames); Law disaffirm; rare controvert, confute,
negative. ANTONYMS confirm.
2 he found it difficult to deny the request: refuse, turn down, reject,
rebuff, repulse, decline, veto, dismiss; informal knock back,
give the thumbs down to, give the red light to, give the brush-
off to. ANTONYMS accept.
3 she was told that she must deny her father and mother: renounce,
turn one's back on, forswear, eschew, repudiate, disavow,
disown, wash one's hands of, reject, discard, cast aside, cast
off, abandon, surrender, give up, relinquish; archaic forsake;
rare abjure, abnegate. ANTONYMS embrace.
EASILY CONFUSED WORDS
deny or refute?
See refute.
These notes clear up confusion between similar-
looking pairs.
pensive |ˈpɛnsɪv|
adjective
engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought: apensive mood.
DERIVATIVES
pensively adverb,
pensiveness noun
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French pensif, -ive,
from penser ‘think’, from Latin pensare ‘ponder’,
frequentative of pendere ‘weigh’.
pensive
adjective
thoughtful, thinking, reflective, contemplative, musing,
meditative, introspective, prayerful, philosophical, cogitative,
ruminative, absorbed, engrossed, rapt, preoccupied, deep/
immersed/lost in thought, in a brown study, broody, serious,
studious, solemn, dreamy, dreaming; wistful, brooding,
melancholy, sad; rare ruminant.
WORD TOOLKIT
pensive
See wistful.
Word Toolkits illustrate the difference between close
synonyms by means of words typically used with
them.reluctant |rɪˈlʌkt(əә)nt|
adjective
unwilling and hesitant; disinclined: [ with infinitive ] : she
seemed reluctant to answer.
DERIVATIVES
reluctantly adverb
ORIGIN mid 17th cent. (in the sense ‘writhing, offering
opposition’): from Latin reluctant- ‘struggling against’,
from the verb reluctari, from re- (expressing intensive force)
+ luctari ‘to struggle’.
reluctant
adjective
1 she persuaded her reluctant parents to buy her a cat: unwilling,
disinclined, unenthusiastic, grudging, resistant, resisting,
opposed, antipathetic; hesitant. ANTONYMS willing, eager.
2 Hilary gave a reluctant smile: shy, bashful, coy, retiring,
diffident, reserved, restrained, withdrawn, shrinking, timid,
timorous, sheepish, unconfident, insecure, unsure, suspicious,
unassertive; apprehensive, fearful; rare costive. ANTONYMS
eager, ready.3 the man was reluctant to leave: loath, unwilling, disinclined,
not in the mood, indisposed, sorry, averse, slow; chary of, not
in favour of, against, opposed to; hesitant about, diffident
about, bashful about, shy about, coy about; ashamed to,
afraid to. ANTONYMS willing, eager, ready.
contemplative |kəәnˈtɛmpləәtɪv|
adjective
expressing or involving prolonged thought: she regarded me with
a contemplative eye.
• involving or given to deep silent prayer or religious
meditation: contemplative knowledge of God.
noun
a person whose life is devoted primarily to prayer, especially
in a monastery or convent.
DERIVATIVES
contemplatively adverb
contemplative
adjective
a peaceful, contemplative mood: thoughtful, pensive, reflective,
meditative, musing, ruminative, introspective, brooding,intent, rapt, preoccupied, studious, deep/lost in thought;
dreamy, daydreaming, with one's head in the clouds; informal
in a brown study. ANTONYMS active.
impeccable |ɪmˈpɛkəәb(əә)l|
adjective
in accordance with the highest standards; faultless: he had
impeccable manners.
• Theology, rare not liable to sin.
DERIVATIVES
impeccability |-ˈbɪlɪti| noun,
impeccably adverb
ORIGIN mid 16th cent. (in the theological sense): from Latin
impeccabilis, from in- ‘not’ + peccare ‘to sin’.
impeccable
adjective
a youth of impeccable character: flawless, faultless, unblemished,
spotless, stainless, untarnished, perfect, exemplary, ideal,
model; virtuous, pure, moral, sinless, upright, irreproachable,
unimpeachable, blameless, guiltless, above suspicion, beyondreproach, beyond criticism, incorrupt, uncorrupted; informal
squeaky clean, whiter than white, lily-white, as pure as the
driven snow. ANTONYMS imperfect; sinful.
WORD TOOLKITimpeccable flawless pristine
timing
taste
credentials
manners
character
integrity
style wilderness
beaches
environment
nature
forest
lakes
landscape
skin
execution
technique
game
beauty
diamond
craftsmanshi
p
Word Toolkits illustrate the difference between close
synonyms by means of words typically used with them.upright |ˈʌprʌɪt|
adjective
1 (of a person) sitting or standing with the back straight. an
upright posture.
• placed in a vertical position: upright stone slabs.
• denoting a device designed to be used in a vertical position:
an upright vacuum cleaner.
• (of a piano) having vertical strings.
• denoting a chair with a straight back and typically no arms.
2 greater in height than breadth: an upright freezer.
3 strictly honourable or honest: an upright member of the
community.
adverb
in or into an upright position: she was sitting upright in bed.
noun
1 a post or rod fixed vertically, especially as a structural
support: the stone uprights of the parapet.
2 an upright piano. a first-class upright that would satisfy an
amateur pianist.
DERIVATIVES
uprightly adverb
ORIGIN Old English upriht, of Germanic origin; related toDutch oprecht and German aufrecht (see up,right) .
upright
adjective
1 check that the posts are upright: vertical, perpendicular, plumb,
straight (up), straight up and down, bolt upright, erect, on
end, standing up, rearing, rampant; on one's feet.
ANTONYMS horizontal.
2 an upright member of the community: honest, honourable,
upstanding, respectable, reputable, high-minded, law-
abiding, right-minded, worthy, moral, ethical, righteous,
decent, good, virtuous, principled, high-principled, of
principle, proper, correct, just, noble, incorruptible, anti-
corruption, conscientious. ANTONYMS dishonourable,
crooked.
noun
he peered between the uprights of the gate: column, standard,
stanchion, post, pole.
harmless |ˈhɑːmlɪs|
adjective
not able or likely to cause harm: the venom of most spiders isharmless to humans.
• inoffensive: as an entertainer, he's pretty harmless.
DERIVATIVES
harmlessly adverb,
harmlessness noun
harmless
adjective
1 a harmless substance: safe, innocuous, benign, gentle, mild,
wholesome, non-dangerous, non-toxic, non-poisonous, non-
irritant, non-addictive; rare innoxious. ANTONYMS
dangerous; harmful.
2 he seems harmless enough: inoffensive, innocuous,
unobjectionable, unexceptionable, unoffending, tame, gentle.
ANTONYMS objectionable.
WORD TOOLKITharmless benign
fun
drug neglect
lesion
bacteria
flirting
creature
prank
non-toxic
paint
cleaning
products
tumour
compound
disease
ingredients
growth
concentration
dictatorship chemicals
Word Toolkits illustrate the difference between close
synonyms by means of words typically used with them.inoffensive |ɪnəәˈfɛnsɪv|
adjective
not objectionable or harmful: a shy, inoffensive, and sensitive girl.
DERIVATIVES
inoffensively adverb,
inoffensiveness noun
inoffensive
adjective
the victim was an inoffensive law-abiding citizen: harmless,
innocuous, unobjectionable, unexceptionable, unoffending,
non-aggressive, non-violent, non-combative; mild, peaceful,
peaceable, gentle, tame, innocent; unremarkable.
flawless |ˈflɔːləәs|
adjective
without any imperfections or defects; perfect: her smooth
flawless skin | a British accent that was almost flawless.
DERIVATIVES
flawlessly adverb,flawlessness noun
flawless
adjective
her smooth, flawless skin: perfect, without blemish, unblemished,
unmarked, unimpaired; whole, intact, sound, unbroken,
undamaged, as sound as a bell, mint, as good as new,
pristine; stainless, spotless, pure, impeccable, immaculate,
consummate, superb, superlative, masterly, accurate, correct,
faultless, without fault, error-free, unerring; exemplary,
model, ideal, copybook, just so; Brit. informal tip-top, A1.
ANTONYMS flawed.
WORD TOOLKIT
flawless
See impeccable.
Word Toolkits illustrate the difference between close
synonyms by means of words typically used with
them.
disparage |dɪˈsparɪdʒ|
verb [ with obj. ]
regard or represent as being of little worth: he never missed anopportunity to disparage his competitors.
DERIVATIVES
disparagement noun
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘marry someone
of unequal rank’, also ‘bring discredit on’): from Old French
desparagier ‘marry someone of unequal rank’, based on
Latin par ‘equal’.
disparage
verb
it has become fashionable to disparage Lawrence and his achievements:
belittle, denigrate, deprecate, depreciate, downgrade, play
down, deflate, trivialize, minimize, make light of, treat lightly,
undervalue, underrate, underestimate; disdain, dismiss,
ridicule, deride, mock, scorn, pour scorn on, scoff at, sneer
at, laugh at, laugh off; run down, defame, decry, discredit,
slander, libel, malign, speak ill of, speak badly of, cast
aspersions on, impugn, vilify, traduce, revile, criticize,
condemn; N. Amer. slur; informal do down, do a hatchet job
on, take to pieces, pull apart, pull to pieces, pick holes in,
drag through the mud, hit out at, knock, slam, pan, bash,
bad-mouth, pooh-pooh, look down one's nose at; Brit.informal rubbish, slate, slag off, have a go at; dated cry
down; archaic hold cheap; rare misprize, minify, asperse,
derogate, calumniate, vilipend, vituperate. ANTONYMS
praise; overrate.
comfort |ˈkʌmfəәt|
noun [ mass noun ]
1 a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or
constraint: there is room for four people to travel in comfort.
• (comforts) things that contribute to physical ease and well-
being: the low upholstered chair was one of the room's few comforts.
• prosperity and the pleasant lifestyle secured by it: my father
left us enough to live in comfort.
2 consolation for grief or anxiety: a few words of comfort | they
should take comfort that help is available.
• [ in sing. ] a person or thing that gives consolation or
alleviates a difficult situation: his friendship was a great comfort.
3 US dialect a warm quilt.
verb [ with obj. ]
make (someone) feel less unhappy or anxious: her friend tried to
comfort her.
• help (someone) feel at ease; reassure: her strength comforted andprotected me.
ORIGIN Middle English (as a noun, in the senses
‘strengthening, support, consolation’; as a verb, in the senses
‘strengthen, give support, console’): from Old French confort
(noun), conforter (verb), from late Latin confortare
‘strengthen’, from com- (expressing intensive force) + Latin
fortis ‘strong’. The sense ‘something producing physical
ease’ arose in the mid 17th cent.
comfort
noun
1 they travel in comfort: ease, freedom from hardship, repose,
relaxation, serenity, tranquillity, contentment, content, well-
being, cosiness, enjoyment; luxury, affluence, prosperity,
prosperousness, wealth, opulence; plenty, sufficiency, welfare;
bed of roses; rare easefulness. ANTONYMS discomfort;
hardship.
2 a few words of comfort: consolation, solace, condolence,
sympathy, fellow feeling, commiseration; help, support,
succour, relief, easement, alleviation; reassurance, cheer,
gladdening. ANTONYMS grief.
verba friend tried to comfort her: console, solace, bring comfort to,
give solace to, condole with, give condolences to,
commiserate with, give sympathy to, sympathize with; help,
support, succour, ease; reassure, soothe, assuage, calm,
relieve, cheer, hearten, gladden, uplift, give a lift to,
encourage; informal buck up. ANTONYMS distress; depress.
connect |kəәˈnɛkt|
verb [ with obj. ]
1 bring together or into contact so that a real or notional link
is established: the electrodes were connected to a recording device |
(as adj.connected) : a connected series of cargo holds.
• join together so as to provide access and communication: all
the buildings are connected by underground passages | [ no obj. ] : the
motorway connects with major routes from all parts of the country.
• link to a power or water supply: by 1892 most of the village had
been connected to the mains.
• put (someone) into contact by telephone: I was quickly
connected to the police.
• [ no obj. ] (of a train, bus, aircraft, etc.) be timed to arrive
at its destination just before another train, bus, etc., departsso that passengers can transfer: the bus connects with trains
from Windermere station | (as adj.connecting) : we missed the
connecting flight to the USA.
2 associate or relate (something) in some respect: employees are
rewarded with bonuses connected to their firm's performance | jobs
connected with the environment.
• provide or have a link or relationship with: there was no
evidence to connect Jefferson with the theft | [ no obj. ] : the desire
for religious faith connects up with profound needs at the core of
our existence.
• [ no obj. ] form a relationship or feel an affinity: he can't
connect with anyone any more.
3 [ no obj. ] informal (of a blow) hit the intended target: the
blow connected and he felt a burst of pain.
DERIVATIVES
connectable adjective,
connectedly adverb,
connectedness noun
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘be united
physically’; rare before the 18th cent.): from Latin
connectere, from con- ‘together’ + nectere ‘bind’.connect
verb
1 the electrodes were connected to a recording device: attach, join,
fasten, fix, affix, couple, link, bridge, secure, make fast, tie, tie
up, bind, fetter, strap, rope, tether, truss, lash, hitch, moor,
anchor, yoke, chain; stick, tape, adhere, glue, bond, cement,
fuse, weld, solder; pin, peg, screw, bolt, rivet, batten, pinion,
clamp, clip, hook (up); add, append, annex, subjoin;
technical concatenate. ANTONYMS disconnect.
2 there are lots of customs connected with Twelfth Night:
associate, link, couple; identify, equate, bracket, compare;
think of something together with, think of something in
connection with; relate to, mention in the same breath as, set
side by side with; draw a parallel with. ANTONYMS
dissociate.
compliment
noun |ˈkɒmplɪm(əә)nt|
a polite expression of praise or admiration: she paid me an
enormous compliment.
• an act or circumstance that implies praise or respect: it's a
compliment to the bride to dress up on her special day.• (compliments) congratulations or praise expressed to
someone: my compliments on your cooking.
• (compliments) formal greetings, especially when sent as a
message: carry my compliments to your kinsmen.
verb |ˈkɒmplɪmɛnt| [ with obj. ]
politely congratulate or praise (someone) for something: he
complimented Erika on her appearance.
• praise (something) politely: the manager was heard to compliment
the other team's good play.
• (compliment someone with) archaic present someone
with (something) as a mark of courtesy: Prince George expected to
be complimented with a seat in the royal coach.
PHRASES
compliments of the season used as a seasonal greeting at
Christmas or the New Year.
pay one's compliments send or express formal greetings.
a gentleman stopped, eager to pay his compliments.
return the compliment give a compliment in return for
another. • retaliate or respond in kind. she eyed me warily, and I
returned the compliment.
with one's compliments used to express the fact that what
one is giving is free: all drinks will be supplied with our compliments.ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from French compliment (noun),
complimenter (verb), from Italian complimento
‘fulfilment of the requirements of courtesy’, from Latin
complementum ‘completion, fulfilment’ (reflected in the
earlier English spelling complement, gradually replaced by the
French form between 1655 and 1715).
usage: Compliment (together with complimentary) is
quite different in meaning from complement (and
complementary). See usage at complement.
compliment
noun
1 she blushed at the unexpected compliment: flattering remark,
tribute, accolade, commendation, bouquet, pat on the back,
encomium; (compliments) praise, acclaim, acclamation,
plaudits, admiration, approbation, homage, eulogy; flattery,
blandishments, blarney, honeyed words; N. Amer. informal,
dated trade last; rare laudation, eulogium. ANTONYMS
insult; criticism.
2 (compliments) my compliments on your cooking:
congratulations, praise, commendations; N. Amer. informal
kudos.3 (compliments) Lady Margaret sent her compliments to him:
greetings, good wishes, best wishes, regards, respects,
salutations, felicitations; archaic remembrances; French
archaic devoirs.
verb
critics fell over themselves to compliment his performance: praise, sing
the praises of, heap praise on, pay tribute to, speak highly/
well of, flatter, say nice things about, express admiration for,
wax lyrical about, make much of, congratulate, commend,
acclaim, pat on the back, take one's hat off to, throw
bouquets at, applaud, salute, honour, eulogize, extol; N.
Amer. informal ballyhoo; black English big someone/
something up; dated cry someone/something up, crack
someone/something up; archaic emblazon; rare laud,
panegyrize, felicitate. ANTONYMS criticize; condemn.
EASILY CONFUSED WORDS
compliment or complement?
See complement.
These notes clear up confusion between similar-
looking pairs.convince |kəәnˈvɪns|
verb [ with obj. ]
cause (someone) to believe firmly in the truth of something:
Robert's expression had obviously convinced her of his innocence |
[ with obj. and clause ] : we had to convince politicians that they
needed to do something.
• [ with obj. and infinitive ] persuade (someone) to do
something: she convinced my father to branch out on his own.
DERIVATIVES
convincer noun,
convincible adjective
ORIGIN mid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘overcome, defeat in
argument’): from Latin convincere, from con- ‘with’ +
vincere ‘conquer’. Compare with convict.
usage: Convince used (with an infinitive) as a synonym for
persuade first became common in the 1950s in the US, as
in she convinced my father to branch out on his own. Some
traditionalists deplore the blurring of distinction between
convince and persuade, maintaining that convince
should be reserved for situations in which someone's belief is
changed but no action is taken as a result ( he convinced me
that he was right) while persuade should be used for situationsin which action results ( he persuaded me rather than he
convinced me to seek more advice). In practice the newer use is
well established.
convince
verb
1 Wilson convinced me that I was wrong: persuade, satisfy, prove
to, cause to feel certain; assure, reassure; put/set someone's
mind at rest, dispel someone's doubts.
2 eventually, I convinced her to marry me: induce, prevail on, get,
talk round, bring around, win over, sway; persuade, cajole,
inveigle.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD
convince, persuade, induce
All these words refer to causing someone to do
something that you wish them to do.
■ Convince refers primarily to getting someone to
believe something by presenting them with arguments
or evidence (he managed to convince the police that
his story was true). The word can also mean
‘persuade’ (she convinced my father to branch out onhis own), but this use is disapproved of by some
people.
■ Persuade refers primarily to getting someone to do
something through reasoning or argument, possibly
against their better judgement or personal preference
(he persuaded Tom to accompany him | she was
persuaded to return to work). Persuade can also be
used of causing someone to accept a belief, but
persuading someone that something is the case may
take considerable argument (he persuaded her that
nothing was going on | we need to be persuaded of the
case).
■ Induce is used only of getting someone to do
something. It is a forceful word, suggesting a good
deal of effort or sacrifice on the part of the inducer, and
often the use of bribes or threats rather than argument
(we had to give the driver a huge tip to induce him to
carry the luggage).
These notes show fine distinctions in meaning
between closely related synonyms to help you find the
best word.garrulous |ˈgar(j)ʊləәs|
adjective
excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters: a garrulous
cab driver.
DERIVATIVES
garrulously adverb,
garrulousness noun
ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from Latin garrulus (from
garrire ‘to chatter, prattle’) + -ous.
garrulous
adjective
1 a garrulous old man who chattered like a magpie: talkative,
loquacious, voluble, verbose, long-winded, chatty, chattery,
chattering, gossipy, gossiping, babbling, blathering, prattling,
prating, jabbering, gushing, effusive, expansive, forthcoming,
conversational, communicative; informal mouthy, gabby,
gassy, windy, talky, yacking, big-mouthed, with the gift of the
gab, having kissed the Blarney Stone; Brit. informal wittering,
able to talk the hind legs off a donkey, gobby; rare
multiloquent, multiloquous. ANTONYMS taciturn; reticent.2 his garrulous and unreliable reminiscences: long-winded, wordy,
verbose, prolix, lengthy, prolonged; rambling, wandering,
maundering, meandering, digressive, diffuse, discursive,
periphrastic; gossipy, chatty; informal windy, gassy.
ANTONYMS concise.
WORD TOOLKIT
garrulous
See talkative.
Word Toolkits illustrate the difference between close
synonyms by means of words typically used with
them.
gruesome |ˈgruːs(əә)m|
adjective
causing repulsion or horror; grisly: the most gruesome murder.
• informal extremely unpleasant: gruesome catering.
DERIVATIVES
gruesomely adverb,
gruesomeness noun
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from Scots grue‘to feel horror,
shudder’ (of Scandinavian origin) + -some 1 . Rare before thelate 18th cent., the word was popularized by Sir Walter Scott.
creative |kriːˈeɪtɪv|
adjective
relating to or involving the use of the imagination or original
ideas to create something: change unleashes people's creative energy
| creative writing.
• having good imagination or original ideas: a creative team of
designers.
noun informal
a person whose job involves creative work. the most important
people in the mix will be creatives and direct marketing specialists.
DERIVATIVES
creatively adverb,
creativeness noun
creative
adjective
our pupils are encouraged to be creative | the creative manipulation of
language: inventive, imaginative, innovative, innovatory,
innovational, experimental, original; artistic, expressive,
inspired, visionary; productive, prolific, fertile; talented,gifted, resourceful, quick-witted, ingenious, clever, smart;
unconventional, unorthodox, unusual, out of the ordinary;
informal blue-sky, genius. ANTONYMS unimaginative,
conservative.
augment
verb |ɔːgˈmɛnt| [ with obj. ]
make (something) greater by adding to it; increase: her
secretarial work helped to augment her husband's income.
noun |ˈɔːgm(əә)nt| Linguistics
a vowel prefixed to past tenses of verbs in Greek and certain
other Indo-European languages.
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French augmenter
(verb), augment (noun), or late Latin augmentare, from
Latin augere ‘to increase’.
augment
verb
he augmented his meagre income by plying for hire as a ferryman |
Aubrey's arrival had augmented their difficulties: increase, make
larger, make bigger, make greater, add to, supplement, top
up, build up, enlarge, expand, extend, raise, multiply, elevate,swell, inflate; magnify, intensify, amplify, heighten, escalate;
worsen, make worse, exacerbate, aggravate, inflame,
compound, reinforce; improve, make better, boost,
ameliorate, enhance, upgrade; informal up, jack up, hike up,
hike, bump up, crank up, step up. ANTONYMS decrease.
defend |dɪˈfɛnd|
verb [ with obj. ]
1 resist an attack made on (someone or something); protect
from harm or danger: we shall defend our island, whatever the cost.
• speak or write in favour of (an action or person); attempt to
justify: he defended his policy of imposing high rates.
• compete to retain (a title or seat) in a contest or election: he
won the party's nomination to defend the Welsh seat | (as
adj.defending) : the defending champion.
2 conduct the case for (the party being accused or sued) in a
lawsuit: he is a lawyer who specializes in defending political prisoners.
3 [ no obj. ] (in sport) protect one's goal or wicket rather than
attempt to score against one's opponents. they were forced to
defend for long periods.
DERIVATIVES
defendable adjectiveORIGIN Middle English: from Old French defendre, from
Latin defendere, from de- ‘off’ + -fendere ‘to strike’.
Compare with offend.
defend
verb
1 a tower built to defend Ireland from Napoleon's threatened invasion |
we will defend freedom of speech: protect, guard, safeguard, keep
from harm, preserve, secure, shield, shelter, screen; fortify,
garrison, barricade; fight for, uphold, support, be on the side
of, take up cudgels for; watch over, be the defender of.
ANTONYMS attack.
2 he defended his policy of charging high interest rates: justify,
vindicate, argue/speak for, speak on behalf of, support, speak
in support of, give an apologia for, make a case for, plead for,
make excuses for, excuse, exonerate, palliate; explain, give
reasons for, give the rationale behind. ANTONYMS attack,
criticize.
3 the manager defended his players: support, speak in support of,
back, stand by, stick up for, stand up for, argue for, champion,
endorse, uphold, come to the defence of, sustain, bolster;
informal throw one's weight behind. ANTONYMS criticize.amateurish |ˈaməәtəәrɪʃ|
adjective
done in an unskilful or inept way: her amateurish interviewing
technique.
DERIVATIVES
amateurishly adverb,
amateurishness noun
amateurish
adjective
he dismissed the tape as an amateurish hoax: incompetent, inept,
useless, unskilful, inexpert, amateur, clumsy, maladroit,
gauche, blundering, bungling, bumbling, botched, crude;
Brit. informal bodged. ANTONYMS professional.
professional |prəәˈfɛʃ(əә)n(əә)l|
adjective
1 relating to or belonging to a profession: young professional
people.
• worthy of or appropriate to a professional person;
competent, skilful, or assured: his professional expertise | theirmusic is both memorable and professional.
2 engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid
occupation rather than as an amateur: a professional boxer.
• informal, derogatory habitually making a feature of a
particular activity or attribute: a professional gloom-monger.
noun
a person engaged or qualified in a profession: professionals such
as lawyers and surveyors.
• a person engaged in a specified activity, especially a sport,
as a main paid occupation rather than as a pastime. his first
season as a professional.
• a person competent or skilled in a particular activity: she was
a real professional on stage.
DERIVATIVES
professionally adverb
professional
adjective
1 people in professional occupations: white-collar, executive, non-
manual. ANTONYMS manual.
2 a professional tennis player: paid, salaried, non-amateur, full-
time. ANTONYMS amateur.3 I think we gave a thoroughly professional performance: expert,
accomplished, skilful, adept, masterly, masterful, excellent,
fine, polished, finished, skilled, proficient, competent,
capable, able, efficient, experienced, practised, trained,
seasoned, slick, businesslike, deft, dexterous; informal ace,
crack, stellar, top-notch. ANTONYMS amateurish,
incompetent, inept.
4 it's really not professional of me to comment on these things:
appropriate, ethical, fitting, in order, correct; Frenchcomme il
faut.
noun
1 affluent young professionals: white-collar worker, professional
worker, office worker.
2 it's his first season as a professional: professional player, non-
amateur, paid player; informal pro.
3 she was a real professional on stage: expert, master, maestro, past
master, trooper, adept, virtuoso, old hand, skilled person,
authority; informal pro, ace, whizz, hotshot; Brit. informal
dab hand, wizard; N. Amer. informal maven, crackerjack;
rare proficient. ANTONYMS amateur.
seasoned |ˈsiːznd|adjective
1 (of food) having had salt, pepper, herbs, or spices added:
seasoned flour.
2 (of wood) made suitable for use as timber by adjusting its
moisture content: it was made from seasoned, untreated oak.
3 accustomed to particular conditions; experienced: she is a
seasoned traveller.
season |ˈsiːz(əә)n|
noun
1 each of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer,
autumn, and winter) marked by particular weather patterns
and daylight hours, resulting from the earth's changing
position with regard to the sun.
• a period of the year characterized by a particular climatic
feature or marked by a particular activity, event, or festivity:
the rainy season | the season for gathering pine needles.
• a fixed time in the year when a particular sporting activity is
pursued: the English cricket season is almost upon us.
• the time of year when a particular fruit, vegetable, or other
food is plentiful and in good condition: the pies are made with
fruit that is in season | new season's lamb.
• (the season) a time of year traditionally adopted by theEnglish upper classes for a series of fashionable social events.
• archaic a proper or suitable time: to everything there is a season.
• archaic an indefinite or unspecified period of time; a while:
this most beautiful soul; who walked with me for a season in this world.
2 a period when a female mammal is ready to mate: this
system of communication works very well, especially when a female is
in season.
verb [ with obj. ]
1 add salt, herbs, pepper, or other spices to (food): season the
soup to taste with salt and pepper.
• add a quality or feature to (something), especially so as to
make it more lively or exciting: his conversation is seasoned
liberally with exclamation points and punch lines.
2 make (wood) suitable for use as timber by adjusting its
moisture content to that of the environment in which it will
be used: I collect and season most of my wood.
PHRASES
for all seasons suitable in or appropriate for every kind of
weather: a coat for all seasons. • adaptable to any circumstance:
a singer for all seasons.
season's greetings used as an expression of goodwill at
Christmas or the New Year.ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French seson, from
Latin satio(n-)‘sowing’, later ‘time of sowing’, from the
root of serere ‘to sow’.
seasoned
adjective
seasoned travellers: experienced, practised, well versed, expert,
knowledgeable, sophisticated, established, habituated, long-
serving, time-served, veteran, hardened, battle-scarred,
consummate, well trained. ANTONYMS inexperienced,
callow, green.
season
noun
the rainy season | the opera season: period, active period, time,
time of year, spell, term, phase, stage.
PHRASES
in season strawberries are in season: available, obtainable,
readily available/obtainable, to be had, on offer, on the
market, growing, common, plentiful, abundant.
ANTONYMS out of season.
verb
1 remove the bay leaves and season the casserole to taste: flavour, addflavouring to, add salt/pepper to, spice, add spices/herbs to;
informal pep up, add zing to.
2 his albums include standard numbers seasoned with a few of his own
tunes: enliven, leaven, add spice to, enrich, liven up, animate,
augment; informal pep up, add zest/zing to.
3 oak should be well seasoned: mature, age, mellow, condition,
acclimatize, temper, prepare, prime, ripen.
amateurish |ˈaməәtəәrɪʃ|
adjective
done in an unskilful or inept way: her amateurish interviewing
technique.
DERIVATIVES
amateurishly adverb,
amateurishness noun
amateurish
adjective
he dismissed the tape as an amateurish hoax: incompetent, inept,
useless, unskilful, inexpert, amateur, clumsy, maladroit,
gauche, blundering, bungling, bumbling, botched, crude;
Brit. informal bodged. ANTONYMS professional.ignominious |ˌɪgnəәˈmɪnɪəәs|
adjective
deserving or causing public disgrace or shame: no other party
risked ignominious defeat.
DERIVATIVES
ignominiously adverb,
ignominiousness noun
ORIGIN late Middle English: from French ignominieux, or
Latin ignominiosus, from ignominia (see ignominy) .
ignominious
adjective
1 the leader's ignominious defeat: humiliating, undignified,
embarrassing, mortifying, shameful, disgraceful,
dishonourable, discreditable, ignoble, inglorious, abject, sorry,
wretched, miserable, pitiful; rare humiliatory. ANTONYMS
glorious.
2 the regime's most ignominious crimes: heinous, infamous,
scandalous, disgraceful, shameful, contemptible, despicable,
shabby, wicked, vile, villainous, base, low, ignoble, wretched.
ANTONYMS admirable.stimulant |ˈstɪmjʊl(əә)nt|
noun
a substance that raises levels of physiological or nervous
activity in the body. it is a stimulant that has a direct effect on the
nervous system. a scalp stimulant.
• something that increases activity, interest, or enthusiasm in
a specified field: population growth is a major stimulant to industrial
development.
adjective
raising levels of physiological or nervous activity in the body:
caffeine has stimulant effects on the heart.
ORIGIN early 18th cent.: from Latin stimulant- ‘urging,
goading’, from the verb stimulare .
stimulant
noun
1 a stimulant that has a direct effect on the nervous system: tonic,
restorative, reviver, energizer, refresher; antidepressant;
informal pep pill, upper, pick-me-up, bracer; technical
excitant, analeptic. ANTONYMS sedative, downer.2 population growth is a major stimulant to industrial development:
stimulus, incentive, encouragement, impetus, inducement,
fillip, boost, spur, prompt, prod, jog; provocation, goad,
incitement; informal shot in the arm, kick up the backside.
ANTONYMS deterrent.
EASILY CONFUSED WORDS
stimulant or stimulus?
While both these words have meanings relating to
something's effect on activity, they are distinct. A
stimulant is a substance that increases or speeds up
bodily activity (tisanes may appeal to people who find
ordinary tea too much of a stimulant | a heart and
respiratory stimulant). Stimulus, on the other hand,
denotes something that causes a particular physical
response (the syndrome causes bizarre responses to
any stimulus to the hemiplegic side), or something that
acts as an incentive to activity or development (the
authorities are convinced of the value of investment as
a stimulus to growth).
These notes clear up confusion between similar-
looking pairs.steroid |ˈstɪəәrɔɪd, ˈstɛrɔɪd|
nounBiochemistry
any of a large class of organic compounds with a
characteristic molecular structure containing four rings of
carbon atoms (three six-membered and one five). They
include many hormones, alkaloids, and vitamins.
• short for anabolic steroid.
DERIVATIVES
steroidal |-ˈrɔɪd(əә)l| adjective
ORIGIN 1930s: from sterol + -oid.
drug |drʌg|
noun
a medicine or other substance which has a physiological
effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body: a
new drug aimed at sufferers from Parkinson's disease.
• a substance taken for its narcotic or stimulant effects, often
illegally. a cocaine-based drug. figurative : mass adoration is a highly
addictive drug.
verb (drugs, drugging, drugged) [ with obj. ]
administer a drug to (someone) in order to induce stupor orinsensibility: they were drugged to keep them quiet.
• add a drug to (food or drink).
• [ no obj. ] informal take illegally obtained drugs: she was
convinced he was out drinking and drugging.
PHRASES
do drugs informal take illegal drugs. people who don't drink or
smoke or do drugs.
on drugs taking medically prescribed drugs: on drugs for high
blood pressure. • under the influence of or habitually taking
illegal drugs. all the criminals were on drugs.
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French drogue, possibly
from Middle Dutch droge vate, literally ‘dry vats’, referring
to the contents (i.e. dry goods).
drug
noun
1 drugs prescribed by doctors can be extremely hazardous if misused:
medicine, medical drug, medication, medicament; remedy,
cure, antidote; cure-all, panacea; nostrum; potion, elixir;
informal magic bullet; archaic physic.
2 she was obviously under the influence of drugs or booze: narcotic,
stimulant, hallucinogen, addictive drug, recreational drug,illegal drug, substance; informal dope, junk, gear, stuff,
downer, upper; vulgar slang shit.
verb
1 he was drugged and bundled into the boot of a car: anaesthetize,
give an anaesthetic to, narcotize, give drugs to, give narcotics
to, give opiates to, poison; knock out, make/render
unconscious, make/render insensible, stupefy, befuddle;
informal dope.
2 she had drugged his coffee: add drugs to, tamper with,
adulterate, contaminate, poison; informal dope, spike, lace,
slip a Mickey Finn into, doctor.
WORD LINKS
narco-, pharmaco- related prefixes, as in
narcoterrorism
pharmaceutical relating to drugs
pharmacology branch of medicine to do with drugs
pharmacophobia fear of drugs
pharmacy (Brit.), chemist's (Brit.), drugstore (N.
Amer.) shop selling drugs
pharmacist (Brit.), chemist (Brit.), druggist (N.
Amer.) seller of drugsWord Links sections supply words that are related to
the headword but do not normally appear in a
thesaurus because they are not actual synonyms.
depression |dɪˈprɛʃ(əә)n|
noun
1 [ mass noun ] severe, typically prolonged, feelings of
despondency and dejection. self-doubt creeps in and that swiftly
turns to depression.
• Medicine a mental condition characterized by severe
feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy, typically
accompanied by a lack of energy and interest in life: she
suffered from clinical depression.
2 a long and severe recession in an economy or market: the
depression in the housing market.
• (the Depression or the Great Depression)the financial
and industrial slump of 1929 and subsequent years.
3 [ mass noun ] the action of lowering something or pressing
something down: depression of the plunger delivers two units of
insulin.
• [ count noun ] a sunken place or hollow on a surface: the
original shallow depressions were slowly converted to creeks.4 Meteorology a region of lower atmospheric pressure,
especially a cyclonic weather system. hurricanes start off as loose
regions of bad weather known as tropical depressions.
5 Astronomy & Geography the angular distance of an
object below the horizon or a horizontal plane.
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin depressio(n-),
from deprimere ‘press down’ (see depress) .
depression
noun
1 she ate to ease her depression: melancholy, misery, sadness,
unhappiness, sorrow, woe, gloom, gloominess, dejection,
downheartedness, despondency, dispiritedness, low spirits,
heavy-heartedness, moroseness, discouragement, despair,
desolation, dolefulness, moodiness, pessimism, hopelessness;
the slough of despond; upset, tearfulness; informal the
dumps, the doldrums, the blues, one's black dog, a low; N.
Amer. informal the blahs, a funk, a blue funk; informal,
dated the mopes; technical clinical depression, endogenous
depression, reactive depression, postnatal depression,
dysthymia, melancholia; literary dolour; archaic themegrims; rare mopery, disconsolateness, disconsolation.
ANTONYMS cheerfulness.
2 the country was in the grip of an economic depression: recession,
slump, decline, downturn, slowdown, standstill; paralysis,
inactivity, stagnation, credit crunch, credit squeeze; hard
times, bad times; technical stagflation. ANTONYMS boom.
3 the car slid into a depression in the ground: hollow, indentation,
dent, dint, cavity, concavity, dip, pit, hole, pothole, sink,
sinkhole, excavation, trough, crater; valley, basin, bowl;
Anatomy fossa, lacuna. ANTONYMS protuberance.
classic |ˈklasɪk|
adjective
1 judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality
and outstanding of its kind: a classic novel | a classic car.
• (of a garment or design) of a simple, elegant style not
greatly subject to changes in fashion: this classic navy blazer.
2 very typical of its kind: Hamlet is the classic example of a tragedy
| I had all the classic symptoms of flu.
noun
1 a work of art of recognized and established value: his books
have become classics.• a garment of a simple, elegant, and long-lasting style.
• a thing which is memorable and a very good example of its
kind: he's hoping that tomorrow's game will be a classic.
2 (Classics)a subject at school or university which involves
the study of ancient Greek and Latin literature, philosophy,
and history. an honours degree in Classics.
• (the classics) the works of ancient Greek and Latin
writers and philosophers.
• dated a scholar of ancient Greek and Latin.
3 (Classic)a major sports tournament or competition,
especially in golf or tennis. the Australian Classic.
• (in the UK) each of the five main flat races of the horse-
racing season.
ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from French classique or Latin
classicus ‘belonging to a class or division’, later ‘of the
highest class’, from classis (see class) .
usage: Note that classic means ‘typical, excellent as an
example, timeless,’ as in John Ford directed many classic Westerns,
and classical means ‘relating to Greek or Roman
antiquity’ ( the museum was built in the classical style). Great art is
considered classic, not classical, unless it is created in the
forms of antiquity. Classical music is the exception to thisrule, being formal music adhering to certain stylistic
principles of the late 18th century .
classic
adjective
1 the classic work on the subject: definitive, authoritative;
outstanding, of the highest quality, first-rate, first-class, best,
finest, excellent, superior, masterly, exemplary, consummate;
ideal.
2 a classic example of Norman design: typical, archetypal,
quintessential, vintage; model, representative, prototypical,
paradigmatic; perfect, prime, copybook, textbook; standard,
characteristic, stock, true to form. ANTONYMS atypical,
anomalous.
3 a classic style which never dates: simple, elegant, understated,
uncluttered, restrained; traditional, time-honoured, timeless,
ageless, abiding, enduring, immortal.
noun
a classic of the genre: definitive example, model, epitome,
paradigm, exemplar, prototype; outstanding example,
paragon, great work, masterpiece, masterwork; established
work, standard; Frenchpièce de résistance.imaginary |ɪˈmadʒɪn(əә)ri|
adjective
1 existing only in the imagination: Chris had imaginary
conversations with her.
2 Mathematics (of a number or quantity) expressed in terms
of the square root of a negative number (usually the square
root of −1, represented by i or j). See also complex.
DERIVATIVES
imaginarily adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin imaginarius,
from imago, imagin- ‘image’.
imaginary
adjective
the imaginary world of the novel: unreal, non-existent, fictional,
fictitious, pretend, make-believe, mythical, mythological,
legendary, storybook, fanciful, fantastic; made-up, dreamed-
up, invented, concocted, fabricated, fancied, the product of
someone's imagination; illusory, illusive, figmental,
hallucinatory, phantasmal, phantasmic, a figment of
someone's imagination; dreamy, dreamlike, shadowy,unsubstantial, chimerical, ethereal; virtual, notional,
hypothetical, theoretical; assumed, supposed, suppositious;
archaic visionary. ANTONYMS real, actual.
important |ɪmˈpɔːt(əә)nt|
adjective
of great significance or value: important habitats for wildlife | it is
important to avoid monosyllabic answers | [ sentence adverb ] : the
speech had passion and, more important, compassion.
• (of a person) having high rank or status. an important senator.
• (of an artist or artistic work) significantly original and
influential. writers as important as Hopkins.
ORIGIN late Middle English: from medieval Latin
important- ‘being of consequence’, from the verb
importare (see import) .
important
adjective
1 an important meeting: significant, consequential, momentous,
of great moment, of import, of great import, of great
consequence, far-reaching, major; critical, crucial, vital,
pivotal, decisive, urgent, epoch-making, historic, seminal;serious, grave, substantial, weighty, signal, material.
ANTONYMS unimportant, trivial.
2 the important thing is that you do well in your A levels: main, chief,
principal, key, major, salient, prime, dominant, foremost,
supreme, predominant, paramount, overriding, cardinal,
crucial, vital, indispensable, critical, essential, significant,
urgent; central, fundamental, basic; informal number-one.
ANTONYMS unimportant, inessential.
3 the school was important to the community: of value, valuable,
valued, useful, of use, beneficial, necessary, essential,
indispensable, vital, of the essence; of concern, of interest,
relevant, pertinent, material, germane. ANTONYMS
unimportant, irrelevant.
4 he was an important man: powerful, influential, of influence,
well-connected, high-ranking, high-level, top-level,
controlling, dominant, formidable; prominent, eminent, pre-
eminent, notable, noteworthy, of note; distinguished,
esteemed, respected, prestigious, celebrated, famous, great,
grand; leading, foremost, outstanding; informal big, big time,
major league, big league. ANTONYMS unimportant,
insignificant.wearing |ˈwɛəәrɪŋ|
adjective
mentally or physically tiring. it would be a lot less wearing if we
could work together amicably. a plan of action will make the whole event
a less wearing experience.
DERIVATIVES
wearingly adverb
wear 1 |wɛː|
verb (pastwore |wɔː| ; past participleworn |wɔːn| )
1 [ with obj. ] have (something) on one's body as clothing,
decoration, or protection: he was wearing a dark suit | firemen
wearing breathing apparatus.
• habitually have on one's body or be dressed in: although she
was a widow, she didn't wear black.
• exhibit or present (a particular facial expression or
appearance): they wear a frozen smile on their faces.
• [ with obj. and complement or adverbial ] have (one's hair
or beard) at a specified length or arranged in a specified style:
the students wore their hair long.
• Nautical (of a ship) fly (a flag). any British registered boat may
wear the red ensign.
2 [ with obj. and adverbial or complement ] damage, erode,or destroy by friction or use: the track has been worn down in part
to bare rock | shells worn smooth by the sea.
• [ no obj., with adverbial or complement ] undergo such
damage, erosion, or destruction: mountains are wearing down
with each passing second.
• [ with obj. ] form (a hole, path, etc.) by constant friction or
use: the water was forced up through holes it had worn.
• [ no obj., with adverbial ] withstand continued use or life in
a specified way: a carpet that seems to wear well.
3 [ with obj. ] literary pass (a period of time) in some activity:
spinning long stories, wearing half the day.
4 [ with obj. ] [ usu. with negative ] Brit. informal tolerate;
accept: the environmental health people wouldn't wear it.
noun [ mass noun ]
1 [ with modifier or in combination ] clothing suitable for a
particular purpose or of a particular type: evening wear.
• the wearing of something or the state of being worn as
clothing: some new tops for wear in the evening.
2 damage or deterioration sustained from continuous use: you
need to make a deduction for wear and tear on all your belongings.
• the capacity for withstanding continuous use without such
damage: the suit has about another 10 years of normal wear left in it.PHRASES
wear one's heart on one's sleeve see heart.
wear oneself to a shadow see shadow.
wear thin be gradually used up or become less convincing
or acceptable: his patience was wearing thin | the joke had started to
wear thin.
wear the trousers see trousers.
PHRASAL VERBS
wear someone/thing down overcome someone or
something by persistence: initially, she protested, but he wore down
her resistance.
wear off lose effectiveness or intensity: the effects of the drug
were wearing off.
wear on (of a period of time) pass, especially slowly or
tediously: as the afternoon wore on he began to look unhappy.
wear something out (also wear out)use or be used until
no longer in good condition or working order: wearing out the
stair carpet | the type was used again and again until it wore out.
wear someone/thing out exhaust or tire someone or
something: an hour of this wandering wore him out.
DERIVATIVES
wearer nounORIGIN Old English werian, of Germanic origin, from an
Indo-European root shared by Latin vestis ‘clothing’.
wear 2 |wɛː|
verb (past and past participlewore |wɔː| ) [ with obj. ] Sailing
bring (a ship) about by turning its head away from the wind:
Shannon gives the order to wear ship. Compare with tack 1
( sense 3 of the verb).
ORIGIN early 17th cent.: of unknown origin.
wearing
adjective
it had been a rather wearing day: tiring, exhausting, wearying,
fatiguing, enervating, draining, sapping, stressful, weary,
crushing; demanding, exacting, taxing, trying, challenging,
burdensome, arduous, gruelling, punishing, grinding,
onerous, difficult, hard, tough, heavy, laborious, back-
breaking, crippling, strenuous, rigorous, uphill.
ANTONYMS refreshing, relaxing.
wear
verb
1 he was wearing a dark green suit: be dressed in, be clothed in,
have on, sport; dress in, clothe oneself in, put on, don.2 Barbara wore a sweet smile: have (on one's face), present, show,
display, exhibit, bear; give, put on, assume, form one's face
into, make one's face into, compose one's face into, rearrange
one's face into, ease one's face into, smooth one's face into,
draw one's face into, twist one's face into, tug one's face into,
pull one's face into, pinch one's face into, crease one's face
into, crack one's face into, screw (up) one's face into.
3 the bricks have been worn down by centuries of knife-sharpening |
the waterproofing coating soon starts to wear away : erode, abrade,
scour, scratch, scrape, rasp, rub away, rub down, grind away,
fret, waste away, wash away, crumble (away), wear down;
corrode, eat away (at), gnaw away (at), dissolve, bite into.
4 the tyres are wearing well: last, endure, hold up, survive, bear
up, keep going, carry on, prove durable, stand/withstand/
resist wear, stand up to wear, do; informal hang in there.
5 Brit. informal I've asked him to keep the bar open an hour later, but
he won't wear it: allow, permit, authorize, sanction, condone,
indulge, agree to, accede to, approve of; endure, put up with,
bear, take, stand, support, submit to, undergo; accept,
swallow, tolerate, brook, countenance, admit of; Scottish
thole; informal stick, hack, abide, stomach; Brit. informal be
doing with; archaic suffer.PHRASES
wear something down she protested, but he wore down her
resistance: gradually overcome, slowly reduce/diminish/lessen,
drain, erode, wear away, exhaust, undermine, chip away at.
wear off the novelty soon wore off: fade, dwindle, diminish,
lessen, decrease, wane, ebb, subside, weaken, lose intensity,
lose strength, peter out, melt away, fizzle out, pall, taper off,
tail off, grow faint, grow dim, evaporate, disappear, vanish,
die, come to nothing, come to a halt, come to an end, run
out; lose its effectiveness/effect.
wear on as the afternoon wore on he began to look unhappy: pass,
elapse, proceed, progress, advance, move on, run its course,
go by/past/on, roll by/past/on, march on, glide by/past,
slide by/past, slip by/away/past, fly by/past, steal by/past,
tick by/past.
wear out a cheap bed will wear out faster than a quality one:
deteriorate, become worn, show signs of wear, come to the
end of its life, become useless, wear thin, fray, become
threadbare, go into holes, go through, wear through.
wear something out he wore out six pairs of walking boots: use
up, consume, go through, wear holes in, make threadbare,
make worn.wear someone out eventually her exertions wore her out: fatigue,
tire out, overtire, weary, exhaust, drain, sap, wash out, tax,
overtax, enervate, debilitate, enfeeble, jade, incapacitate,
devitalize, prostrate; informal whack, bush, shatter, frazzle,
wear to a frazzle, poop, take it out of, fag out, do in; Brit.
informal knacker.
noun
1 you won't get much wear out of something so cheap: use, wearing,
service, employment, utility, value; informal mileage.
2 the band were dressed in evening wear: clothes, dress, clothing,
attire, garb, finery, garments, outfits, wardrobe; Brit. kit, strip;
informal get-up, gear, togs, clobber; formal apparel; literary
array, raiment, habiliments.
3 choose a varnish which will withstand wear: damage, wear and
tear, battering, friction, erosion, attrition, corrosion, abrasion,
deterioration, degeneration; informal a few knocks; rare
detrition.
work |wəәːk|
noun [ mass noun ]
1 activity involving mental or physical effort done in order toachieve a result: he was tired after a day's work in the fields.
• work as a means of earning income; employment: I'm still
looking for work.
• the place where one is employed: I was returning home from
work on a packed subway.
• the period of time one spends in paid employment: he was
going to the theatre after work.
• [ count noun ] W. Indiana job: I decided to get a work.
2 a task or tasks to be undertaken: they made sure the work was
progressing smoothly.
• the materials for a task: she frequently took work home with her.
• (in combination or with modifierworks) chiefly Brit.activity
involving construction or repair: extra costs caused by additional
building works.
• informal cosmetic plastic surgery: between you and me, I think
he's had some work done.
• (works) Theology good or moral deeds: the Clapham sect was
concerned with works rather than with faith.
3 a thing or things done or made; the result of an action: her
work hangs in all the main American collections | the bombing had been
the work of a German-based cell.
• [ count noun ] a literary or musical composition or otherpiece of art: a work of fiction.
• (works) the artistic production of a particular author,
composer, or artist, regarded collectively: the works of Schubert
fill several feet of shelf space.
• a piece of embroidery, sewing, or knitting, typically made
using a specified stitch or method.
4 (works) [ treated as sing. ] chiefly Brit.a place or premises
in which industrial or manufacturing processes are carried
out: he found a job in the locomotive works.
5 (works) the operative part of a clock or other machine: she
could almost hear the tick of its works.
6 [ count noun ] (usu. works) Military a defensive structure.
just north of the fort were trenches and the freshly reconstructed patriot
siege works.
7 Physics the exertion of force overcoming resistance or
producing molecular change.
8 (the works) informal everything needed, desired, or
expected: the heavens put on a show: sheet lightning, hailstones, the
works.
verb (past and past participleworkedor archaic wrought)
[ no obj. ]
1 be engaged in physical or mental activity in order toachieve a result; do work: an engineer who was working on a
design for a more efficient wing | new contracts forcing employees to
work longer hours.
• be employed in a specified occupation or field: he worked
as a waiter in a rather shabby restaurant.
• [ with obj. ] set to or keep at work: Jane is working you too hard.
• [ with obj. ] practise one's occupation in or at (a particular
place): I worked a few clubs and so forth.
• [ with obj. ] W. Indianbe engaged in (a particular
occupation): I worked fireman on ships.
2 (of a machine or system) function, especially properly or
effectively: his phone doesn't work unless he goes to a high point.
• (with reference to a machine or machine part) be or cause
to be in operation: [ no obj. ] : the device is designed to go into a
special ‘rest’ state when it's not working | [ with obj. ] : teaching
customers how to work a VCR.
3 (of a plan or method) have the desired result or effect: the
desperate ploy had worked.
• [ with obj. ] produce as a result: with a dash of blusher here and
there, you can work miracles.
• make efforts to achieve something; campaign: an organization
working for a better life for people with mental illness.• (work on/upon) exert influence or persuasion on: she
worked upon the sympathy of her associates.
• [ with obj. ] use one's persuasive power to stir the emotions
of: the born politician's art of working a crowd.
4 [ with obj. and adverbial or complement ] bring (a material
or mixture) to a desired shape or consistency by hammering,
kneading, etc.: work the mixture into a paste with your hands.
• [ no obj. ] (work in) produce artistic pieces using (a
particular material or medium): he works in clay over a very strong
frame.
• [ with obj. ] produce (an article or design) using a specified
material or sewing stitch: the castle itself is worked in tent stitch.
• [ with obj. ] cultivate (land) or extract materials from (a
mine or quarry): contracts and leases to work the mines.
5 move or cause to move gradually or with difficulty into
another position: [ with obj. and adverbial or complement ] :
comb hair from tip to root, working out the knots at the end | [ no obj.,
with adverbial or complement ] : look for small parts that might
work loose.
• [ no obj. ] (of a person's features) move violently or
convulsively: hair wild, mouth working furiously.
• [ no obj., with adverbial ] Sailing make progress towindward, with repeated tacking: trying to work to windward in
light airs.
6 [ with obj. ] bring into a specified emotional state: Harold
had worked himself into a minor rage.
PHRASES
at work in action: researchers were convinced that one infectious
agent was at work.
give someone the works informal 1 tell someone
everything. 2 treat someone harshly or violently.
have one's work cut out be faced with a hard or lengthy
task. Shaw had his work cut out keeping fires at bay in London.
in the works being planned, worked on, or produced. a
major consolidation of companies was in the works.
out of work unemployed. any reduction in spending will close
shops and put people out of work.
set to work (or set someone to work)begin or cause to
begin work: the owners set to work itemizing what was wrong.
a spanner (or N. Amer.monkey wrench) in the works
a person or thing that prevents the successful implementation
of a plan. even the weakest parties can throw a spanner in the
works of the negotiations.
the work of —— a task occupying a specified amount oftime: it was the work of a moment to discover the tiny stab wound.
work one's ass (butt, etc.) off vulgar slang work
extremely hard.
work one's fingers to the bone see bone.
work to rule chiefly Brit.follow official working rules and
hours exactly in order to reduce output and efficiency,
especially as a form of industrial action. • (as nounwork-to-
rule) an instance or period of working to rule: management
urged cabin crew to call off their work-to-rule.
work one's passage see passage 1 .
work one's way through university (or college,
etc.)obtain the money for educational fees or maintenance as
a student by working.
work one's will on/upon accomplish one's purpose on: she
set a coiffeur to work his will on her hair.
work wonders see wonder.
PHRASAL VERBS
work something in try to include something, typically in a
text or speech.
work something off 1 discharge a debt by working.
indentured servants working off their parents' debts. 2 reduce or
eliminate something by work or other activity: one of thosegimmicks for working off aggression.
work out 1 (of an equation) be capable of being solved. •
(work out at) be calculated at: the losses work out at $2.94 a
share. 2 have a good or specified result: things don't always work
out that way. 3 engage in vigorous physical exercise. they
regularly walked, danced, ran and worked out at the gym.
work someone out understand someone's character.
work something out 1 solve a sum or determine an
amount by calculation. she worked out sums on her way to school. •
find the answer to something: I couldn't work out whether it was a
band playing or a record. 2 plan something in detail: work out a
seating plan. 3 literary accomplish something with difficulty:
malicious fates are bent on working out an ill intent. 4 work a mine
until it is exhausted of minerals. 5 another way of saying
work something off above.
work someone over informal beat someone severely: the
coppers had worked him over a little just for the fun of it.
work to follow or operate within the constraints of (a
schedule or system): working to tight deadlines.
work up to proceed gradually towards (something more
advanced or intense): the course starts with landing technique,
working up to jumps from an enclosed platform.work someone up (often get worked up) gradually bring
someone, especially oneself, to a state of intense excitement,
anger, or anxiety: he got all worked up and started shouting and
swearing.
work something up 1 bring something gradually to a more
complete or satisfactory state: painters were accustomed to working
up compositions from drawings. 2 develop or produce by activity
or effort: despite the cold, George had already worked up a fair sweat.
DERIVATIVES
workless adjective,
worklessness noun
ORIGIN Old English weorc (noun), wyrcan (verb), of
Germanic origin; related to Dutch werk and German Werk,
from an Indo-European root shared by Greek ergon .
-work
combining form
denoting things or parts made of a specified material or with
specified tools: silverwork | fretwork.
• denoting a mechanism or structure of a specified kind:
bridgework | clockwork.
•denoting ornamentation of a specified kind, or articles
having such ornamentation: knotwork.work
noun
1 he was tired after a day's work in the fields: labour, toil, exertion,
effort, slog, drudgery, the sweat of one's brow; industry;
service; informal grind, sweat, donkey work, spadework,
elbow grease; Brit. informal graft, fag; Austral./NZ informal
yakka; archaic travail, moil. ANTONYMS leisure, rest.
2 I'm still looking for work | his work takes him to France, Spain, and
Germany: employment, a job, a post, a position, a situation, a
means of earning one's living; occupation, profession, career,
business, trade, line; vocation, calling; archaic employ.
3 haven't you got any work to do? tasks, jobs, duties, assignments,
commissions, projects; chores.
4 one of the best works of modern English literature: composition,
piece, creation, achievement, accomplishment; work of art,
opus, oeuvre.
5 the shooting was the work of a radical left-wing group: handiwork,
doing, act, deed, feat, performance.
6 (works) a lifetime spent doing good works: deeds, acts, actions.
7 (works) the complete works of Shakespeare: writings, oeuvre,
canon, output.8 (works) the site of a former car works: factory, plant,
manufacturing complex, mill, foundry, yard, industrial unit,
business unit; workshop, shop.
9 (works) the works of a clock: mechanism, machinery,
workings, working parts, parts, movement, action; informal
innards, insides.
10 (the works) informal for only $60 you can get the works:
everything, the full treatment; informal everything but the
kitchen sink, the lot, the whole shooting match, the whole (kit
and) caboodle, the whole shebang, the whole nine yards; Brit.
informal the full monty; N. Amer. informal the whole ball of
wax.
verb
1 staff worked late into the night to make the necessary repairs: toil,
labour, exert oneself, slave (away), plod away; work one's
fingers to the bone, work like a Trojan/dog, work day and
night, keep at it, keep one's nose to the grindstone; informal
slog (away), beaver away, plug away, peg away, put one's back
into something, work one's guts out, work one's socks off,
knock oneself out, sweat blood, kill oneself; Brit. informal
graft, fag; Austral./NZ informal bullock; Brit. vulgar slangwork one's balls/arse off; N. Amer. vulgar slang work one's
ass/butt off; archaic drudge, travail, moil. ANTONYMS
rest, play.
2 Taylor has worked in education for 17 years: be employed, have a
job, earn one's living, hold down a job, do business, follow/
ply one's trade.
3 many farmers had given up working the land: cultivate, farm, till,
plough; exploit.
4 Dino's car was now working perfectly: function, go, run, operate,
perform; be in working order; informal behave.
5 she showed me how to work the ice-cream machine: operate, use,
handle, control, manipulate, manoeuvre, drive, run, direct;
ply, wield.
6 their desperate ploy had worked: succeed, be successful, work
out, turn out well, go as planned, have the desired result, get
results; be effective, take effect, be efficacious; informal come
off, pay off, do the trick, do the business; N. Amer. informal
turn the trick. ANTONYMS fail.
7 with a dash of blusher you can work miracles: bring about,
accomplish, achieve, produce, do, perform, carry out,
implement, execute, create, engender, contrive, effect.
8 informal the chairman was prepared to work it for Philip if he wasinterested: arrange, manipulate, manoeuvre, contrive; pull
strings; N. Amer. pull wires; informal fix, swing, wangle,
fiddle.
9 he worked the crowd into a frenzy: stir (up), excite, drive, move,
spur, rouse, fire, galvanize; whip up, inflame, incite, agitate.
10 work the mixture into a paste: knead, squeeze, form, shape,
fashion, mould, model; mix, stir, blend.
11 he worked the blade into the padlock: manoeuvre, manipulate,
negotiate, guide, edge.
12 Bella's mouth worked furiously for a few seconds: twitch, quiver,
twist, move spasmodically, convulse.
13 John had worked his way through the crowd: manoeuvre, make,
thread, wind, weave.
PHRASES
work on someone leave him to me—I'll work on him: persuade,
manipulate, influence, sway, put pressure on, lean on; coax,
cajole, wheedle, soften up; informal twist someone's arm, put
the squeeze on.
work out 1 the bill works out at £50: amount to, add up to,
come to, total; Brit. tot up to. 2 I'm glad my idea worked out:
succeed, be successful, work, turn out well, go as planned, get
results, be effective; informal come off, pay off, do the trick,do the business. ANTONYMS fail. 3 things didn't quite work out
the way she had planned: end up, turn out, go, come out,
develop, evolve, result; happen, occur; informal pan out. 4
Bob keeps in shape by working out at the local gym: exercise, do
exercises, train.
work something out 1 work out how much you can afford to
spend: calculate, compute, reckon up, determine. 2 I'm still
trying to work out what she meant: understand, comprehend,
puzzle out, sort out, reason out, make sense of, think out,
think through, get to the bottom of, make head or tail of,
solve, find an answer/solution to, unravel, untangle, decipher,
decode, find the key to, piece together; informal figure out,
crack; Brit. informal suss out. 3 they worked out a plan of action:
devise, formulate, draw up, put together, develop, prepare,
construct, arrange, organize, plan, think up, contrive,
concoct; hammer out, thrash out, reach an agreement on,
negotiate.
work someone over it looked like someone had worked him over to
get him to say what they wanted him to say: beat up, beat, attack,
assault, knock about/around, maltreat, mistreat, abuse,
batter, manhandle; informal do over, bash up, rough up, beat
the living daylights out of; Brit. informal duff up; N. Amer.informal beat up on.
work something up he couldn't seem to work up any enthusiasm:
stimulate, rouse, raise, arouse, awaken, excite, build up, whet;
develop, produce.
WORD LINKS
ergophobia fear of work
Word Links sections supply words that are related to
the headword but do not normally appear in a
thesaurus because they are not actual synonyms.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD
work, labour, toil
■ Work is the general term for things that one has to
do in order to earn a living or to achieve a particular
aim (she did clerical work before she married | work on
landscaping the disused railway line was started in
1980). When applied to the actual doing of these
things, work implies that effort is involved (thank you
for your hard work on the project). As a verb, the word
means simply to carry out any kind of such activity (a
man was working in the garden).
■ Labour typically denotes physical work, especiallywhen this is hard and exhausting (manual labour |
exhausted by labour in the fields). To labour is to work
hard (they laboured from dawn to dusk) or to have
difficulty in doing something in spite of working hard
(the media group is currently labouring to reduce its
debt mountain).
■ Toil, as a noun or a verb, refers to exhausting,
tedious, and seemingly unending hard work (most of
the poet's life was spent in toil on the farm | the clerks
sat toiling into the night over some urgent piece of
business). To toil in a stated direction means to
struggle to move somewhere (she toiled up the path
with her packages).
These notes show fine distinctions in meaning
between closely related synonyms to help you find the
best word.
spiritual |ˈspɪrɪtʃʊəәl, -tjʊəәl|
adjective
1 relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed
to material or physical things: I'm responsible for his spiritualwelfare.
• having a relationship based on a profound level of mental
or emotional communion: he never forgot his spiritual father.
• (of a person) not concerned with material values or
pursuits.
2 relating to religion or religious belief: the country's spiritual
leader.
noun
(also Negro spiritual)a religious song of a kind associated
with black Christians of the southern US, and thought to
derive from the combination of European hymns and
African musical elements by black slaves.
PHRASES
one's spiritual home a place in which one feels a strong
sense of belonging: I had always thought of Italy as my spiritual
home.
DERIVATIVES
spirituality |-ˈalɪti| noun,
spiritually adverb
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French spirituel, from
Latin spiritualis, from spiritus (see spirit) .spiritual
adjective
1 the spiritual dimension of human experience: non-material, inner,
psychic, psychical, psychological; incorporeal, intangible,
other-worldly, unworldly, ethereal; transcendent, mystic,
mystical, numinous, metaphysical; rare extramundane,
immaterial. ANTONYMS physical, material, corporeal,
mundane.
2 spiritual music: religious, sacred, divine, holy, non-secular,
church, churchly, ecclesiastic, devotional. ANTONYMS
secular.
gullible |ˈgʌlɪb(əә)l|
adjective
easily persuaded to believe something; credulous: an attempt to
persuade a gullible public to spend their money.
DERIVATIVES
gullibility |-ˈbɪlɪti| noun,
gullibly adverb,
gullibleness noun
ORIGIN early 19th cent.: from gull 2 + -ible.gullible
adjective
the swindler preyed upon gullible old women: credulous, over-
trusting, over-trustful, trustful, easily deceived/led, easily
taken in, exploitable, dupable, deceivable, impressionable,
unsuspecting, unsuspicious, unwary, unguarded, unsceptical,
ingenuous, naive, innocent, simple, inexperienced, unworldly,
green, as green as grass, childlike, ignorant; foolish, silly;
informal wet behind the ears, born yesterday. ANTONYMS
cynical; suspicious.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD
gullible, credulous
■ A gullible person is easy to deceive because they
are too ready to believe or trust someone (professional
manipulators intent on pulling the wool over the eyes of
a gullible public). They are particularly likely to believe
something that would be to their advantage or that
they want to be true. Gullible carries a note of scornful
pity at someone's foolish failure to examine the
evidence critically.■ Credulous also describes people who are too ready
to believe or accept what they are told (the very
incomprehensibility of the modern world has made us
even more credulous), but, unlike gullible, credulous
does not necessarily imply that anyone is deliberately
trying to take advantage of an easily-fooled person.
These notes show fine distinctions in meaning
between closely related synonyms to help you find the
best word.
octogenarian |ˌɒktəә(ʊ)dʒɪˈnɛːrɪəәn|
noun
a person who is between 80 and 89 years old.
ORIGIN early 19th cent.: from Latin octogenarius (based
on octoginta ‘eighty’) + -an.
diplomacy |dɪˈpləәʊməәsi|
noun [ mass noun ]
the profession, activity, or skill of managing international
relations, typically by a country's representatives abroad: an
extensive round of diplomacy in the Middle East.• the art of dealing with people in a sensitive and tactful way:
with perfect diplomacy, he divided his attention between Meryl and
Anthea.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: from French diplomatie, from
diplomatique ‘diplomatic’, on the pattern of aristocratie
‘aristocracy’.
diplomacy
noun
1 diplomacy has failed to win them independence: statesmanship,
statecraft; negotiation(s), discussion(s), talks, consultation,
conference, dialogue; international relations/politics, foreign
affairs, foreign policy.
2 she was uncertain of how to combine honesty and diplomacy in her
answer: tact, tactfulness, sensitivity, discretion, subtlety, finesse,
delicacy; judiciousness, discernment, prudence, cleverness,
skill; politeness, thoughtfulness, understanding, care, soft
skills; Frenchsavoir faire. ANTONYMS tactlessness.
autocracy |ɔːˈtɒkrəәsi|
noun (pl.autocracies) [ mass noun ]a system of government by one person with absolute power.
• [ count noun ] a state or society governed by one person
with absolute power. the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was an
autocracy.
• domineering rule or control: a boss who shifts between autocracy
and consultation.
ORIGIN mid 17th cent. (in the sense ‘autonomy’): from
Greek autokrateia, from autokratēs (see autocrat) .
autocracy
noun
absolutism, absolute power, totalitarianism, dictatorship,
despotism, tyranny, monocracy, autarchy; dystopia.
ANTONYMS democracy.
bureaucracy |ˌbjʊ(əә)ˈrɒkrəәsi|
noun (pl.bureaucracies) [ mass noun ]
1 a system of government in which most of the important
decisions are taken by state officials rather than by elected
representatives.
• [ count noun ] a state or organization governed or managed
as a bureaucracy.• [ count noun ] the officials in a bureaucracy, considered as a
group or hierarchy.
2 excessively complicated administrative procedure: the
unnecessary bureaucracy in local government.
ORIGIN early 19th cent.: from French bureaucratie, from
bureau (see bureau) .
bureaucracy
noun
1 the higher ranks of the bureaucracy: civil service, administration,
government, directorate, the establishment, the system, the
powers that be, corridors of power; ministries, authorities,
officials, officialdom; informal Big Brother.
2 the unnecessary bureaucracy in local government: red tape, rules
and regulations, etiquette, protocol, officialdom,
(unnecessary) paperwork; humorous bumbledom.
lair 1 |lɛː|
noun
a place where a wild animal lives. the badgers carried the food back
to their lair.
• a secret or private place in which a person seeksconcealment or seclusion. he led the police to the criminals' lair.
ORIGIN Old English leger‘resting place, bed’, of Germanic
origin; related to Dutch leger ‘bed, camp’ and German
Lager ‘storehouse’, also to lie 1 . Compare with
laager,lager, and leaguer 2 .
lair 2 |lɛː| Austral./NZ informal
noun
a flashily dressed man who enjoys showing off.
verb [ no obj. ]
dress or behave in a flashy manner: some of us laired up in
Assam silk suits.
ORIGIN 1930s: back-formation from lairy.
lair
noun
1 the lair of a large python: den, burrow, hole, lie, covert, tunnel,
dugout, hollow, cave, haunt.
2 the lair of a villain: hideaway, hiding place, hideout, refuge,
sanctuary, haven, cache, shelter, retreat; informal hidey-hole.
aviary |ˈeɪvɪəәri|
noun (pl.aviaries)
a large cage, building, or enclosure for keeping birds in.ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from Latin aviarium, from avis
‘bird’.
nest |nɛst|
noun
1 a structure or place made or chosen by a bird for laying
eggs and sheltering its young. two sparrows frantically building a
nest. [ as modifier ] : a nest site.
• a place where an animal or insect breeds or shelters: an ants'
nest.
• something in the form of a bowl or layer, used to hold,
protect, or support something: potato nests filled with okra.
• a person's snug or secluded retreat. I'm off to my cosy nest.
2 a place filled with undesirable people, activities, or things: a
nest of spies.
3 a set of similar objects of graduated sizes, made so that
each smaller one fits into the next in size for storage: a nest
of tables.
verb
1 [ no obj. ] (of a bird or other animal) use or build a nest: the
owls often nest in barns | (as adj.nesting) : do not disturb nesting
birds.2 [ with obj. ] fit (an object or objects) inside a larger one: the
town is nested inside a large crater on the flanks of a volcano.
• [ no obj. ] (of a set of objects) fit inside one another: Russian
dolls that nest inside one another.
• (especially in computing and linguistics) place (an object or
element) in a lower position in a hierarchy: (as adj.nested) :
organisms classified in a series of nested sets.
DERIVATIVES
nestful noun (pl.nestfuls) ,
nest-like adjective
ORIGIN Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Latin
nidus, from the Indo-European bases of nether (meaning
‘down’) and sit.
nest
noun
1 in May and June, the females build a nest and incubate their eggs:
roost, eyrie; nest box, nesting box; N. Amer. birdhouse.
2 usually the animals will awake and disperse rapidly from the nest if
disturbed: lair, den, drey, lodge, burrow, set, form.
3 a cosy little love nest: hideaway, hiding place, hideout, retreat,
shelter, refuge, snuggery, nook, den, haunt; informal hidey-hole.
4 the place was a perpetual nest of intrigue: hotbed, den, breeding
ground, cradle, seedbed, forcing house.
5 a nest of tables: cluster, set, group, assemblage.
intangible |ɪnˈtan(d)ʒɪb(əә)l|
adjective
unable to be touched; not having physical presence: the
moonlight made things seem intangible.
• difficult or impossible to define or understand; vague and
abstract: the rose symbolized something intangible about their
relationship.
• (of an asset or benefit) not constituting or represented by a
physical object and of a value not precisely measurable:
intangible business property like patents.
noun (usu. intangibles)
an intangible thing: intangibles like self-confidence and responsibility.
DERIVATIVES
intangibility |-ˈbɪlɪti| noun,
intangibly adverb
ORIGIN early 17th cent. (as an adjective): from French, or
from medieval Latin intangibilis, from in- ‘not’ + late Latintangibilis (see tangible) .
intangible
adjective
1 the moonlight made things seem intangible: impalpable,
untouchable, imperceptible to the touch, non-physical,
bodiless, incorporeal, unembodied, disembodied, abstract,
invisible; ethereal, insubstantial, airy, aerial; spiritual, ghostly,
spectral, phantom, wraithlike, transcendental, unearthly,
supernatural; rare immaterial, unbodied, discarnate,
disincarnate, phantasmal, phantasmic. ANTONYMS
tangible.
2 an intangible atmosphere of dread and doom: indefinable,
indescribable, inexpressible, nameless; vague, obscure,
unclear, hazy, dim, mysterious; indefinite, unanalysable,
subtle, elusive, fugitive. ANTONYMS clear.
inevitable |ɪnˈɛvɪtəәb(əә)l|
adjective
certain to happen; unavoidable: war was inevitable.
• informal so frequently experienced or seen that it is
completely predictable: the inevitable letter from the bank.noun (the inevitable)
a situation that is unavoidable. by the morning he had accepted the
inevitable.
DERIVATIVES
inevitability |-ˈbɪlɪti| noun
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin inevitabilis, from
in- ‘not’ + evitabilis ‘avoidable’ (from evitare ‘avoid’).
inevitable
adjective
his resignation was inevitable: unavoidable, inescapable, bound to
happen, sure to happen, inexorable, unpreventable, assured,
certain, for sure, sure, fated, predestined, predetermined,
preordained, ineluctable; necessary, compulsory, required,
obligatory, mandatory, prescribed; rare ineludible.
ANTONYMS avoidable; uncertain.
invincible |ɪnˈvɪnsɪb(əә)l|
adjective
too powerful to be defeated or overcome: an invincible warrior.
DERIVATIVESinvincibility |-ˈbɪlɪti| noun,
invincibly adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English (earlier than vincible): via Old
French from Latin invincibilis, from in- ‘not’ + vincibilis
(see vincible) .
invincible
adjective
an invincible warrior: invulnerable, indestructible,
unconquerable, unbeatable, indomitable, unassailable;
unyielding, unflinching, unbending, unshakeable,
indefatigable, dauntless; impregnable, inviolable, secure, safe.
ANTONYMS vulnerable, defenceless.
fastidious |faˈstɪdɪəәs|
adjective
very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail:
she dressed with fastidious care.
• very concerned about matters of cleanliness: the child seemed
fastidious about getting her fingers dirty.
DERIVATIVES
fastidiously adverb,fastidiousness noun
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin fastidiosus, from
fastidium ‘loathing’. The word originally meant
‘disagreeable’, later ‘disgusted’. Current senses date from the
17th cent.
fastidious
adjective
he was fastidious about personal hygiene: scrupulous, punctilious,
painstaking, meticulous, assiduous, sedulous, perfectionist,
fussy, finicky, dainty, over-particular; critical, overcritical,
hypercritical, hard/difficult/impossible to please; pedantic,
precise, exact, hair-splitting, exacting, demanding; informal
pernickety, nitpicking, choosy, picky; N. Amer. informal
persnickety; archaic nice, overnice. ANTONYMS easy-
going; sloppy.
WORD TOOLKIT
fastidious
See finicky.
Word Toolkits illustrate the difference between close
synonyms by means of words typically used withthem.
Epicurean |ˌɛpɪkjʊ(əә)ˈriːəәn|
noun
1 a disciple or student of the Greek philosopher Epicurus.
2 (epicurean)a person devoted to sensual enjoyment,
especially that derived from fine food and drink.
adjective
1 relating to Epicurus or his ideas: Epicurean philosophers.
2 (epicurean)relating to or suitable for an epicure: epicurean
feasts.
epicurean
noun
a generous, life-loving epicurean: hedonist, sensualist, pleasure
seeker, pleasure lover, sybarite, voluptuary; epicure, gourmet,
gastronome, connoisseur, gourmand, glutton; Frenchbon
viveur, bon vivant. ANTONYMS puritan.
adjective
1 their careers have been undone by epicurean excess: hedonistic,
sensualist, pleasure-seeking, self-indulgent, indulgent,
libertine, sybaritic, voluptuary, lotus-eating; dissolute,decadent, louche, licentious, sinful, shameless, depraved;
wanton, abandoned, unrestrained, profligate, extravagant,
intemperate, immoderate; sensual, carnal; Dionysiac,
bacchanalian, saturnalian; gluttonous, gourmandizing,
greedy. ANTONYMS puritanical.
2 an epicurean feast: gourmet, gastronomic.
loquacious |ləәˈkweɪʃəәs|
adjective
tending to talk a great deal; talkative. never loquacious, Sarah was
now totally lost for words.
DERIVATIVES
loquaciously adverb,
loquaciousness noun
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin loquax, loquac- (from
loqui ‘talk’) + -ious.
loquacious
adjective
he was a loquacious and precocious boy: talkative, garrulous,
voluble, over-talkative, long-winded, wordy, verbose, profuse,
prolix, effusive, gushing, rambling; communicative; chatty,gossipy, gossiping, chattering, chattery, babbling, blathering,
gibbering; informal with the gift of the gab, having kissed the
blarney stone, yakking, big-mouthed, gabby, gassy, talky; rare
multiloquent, multiloquous. ANTONYMS reticent, taciturn.
stubborn |ˈstʌbəәn|
adjective
having or showing dogged determination not to change one's
attitude or position on something, especially in spite of good
reasons to do so: you're a silly, stubborn old woman.
• difficult to move, remove, or cure: the removal of stubborn
screws.
PHRASES
(as) stubborn as a mule informal extremely stubborn.
DERIVATIVES
stubbornly adverb,
stubbornness |ˈstʌbəәnnɪs| noun
ORIGIN Middle English (originally in the sense
‘untameable, implacable’): of unknown origin.
stubborn
adjective1 you're too stubborn to admit it: obstinate, stubborn as a mule,
mulish, headstrong, wilful, strong-willed, self-willed, pig-
headed, bull-headed, obdurate, awkward, difficult, contrary,
perverse, recalcitrant, refractory; firm, adamant, resolute,
dogged, persistent, pertinacious, inflexible, iron-willed,
uncompromising, uncooperative, unaccommodating,
intractable, unbending, unyielding, unmalleable,
unadaptable; N. Amer. rock-ribbed; informal stiff-necked;
Brit. informal bolshie, bloody-minded; N. Amer. informal
balky; archaic contumacious, froward. ANTONYMS
compliant, docile.
2 stubborn stains: indelible, permanent, lingering, persistent,
tenacious, fast, resistant.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD
stubborn, obstinate, headstrong, wilful
See obstinate.
These notes show fine distinctions in meaning
between closely related synonyms to help you find the
best word.
spell correctionacquisition |ˌakwɪˈzɪʃ(əә)n|
noun
1 an asset or object bought or obtained, typically by a library
or museum. the legacy will be used for new acquisitions.
• a purchase of one company by another. there were many
acquisitions among travel agents. [ mass noun ] : the company intends
to grow within itself rather than by acquisition.
• [ mass noun ] the buying or obtaining of assets or objects:
western culture places a high value on material acquisition.
2 [ mass noun ] the learning or developing of a skill, habit, or
quality: the acquisition of management skills.
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘act of acquiring
something’): from Latin acquisitio(n-), from the verb
acquirere (see acquire) .
acquisition
noun
1 the gallery's Bronze Room will house a new acquisition: purchase,
accession, addition, asset; buy, investment, possession,
accretion; property, goods.
2 the acquisition of funds for the war effort: obtaining, acquiring,gaining, gain, procuring, procurement, collecting, collection,
attainment, appropriation, amassing.
demonstrative |dɪˈmɒnstrəәtɪv|
adjective
1 (of a person) unrestrained in showing feelings, especially
those of affection. we were a very physically demonstrative family.
2 serving as conclusive evidence of something. demonstrative
evidence.
• involving demonstration, especially by scientific means: the
possibility of a demonstrative science of ethics.
3 Grammar (of a determiner or pronoun) indicating the
person or thing referred to (e.g. this, that, those).
nounGrammar
a demonstrative determiner or pronoun.
DERIVATIVES
demonstratively adverb,
demonstrativeness noun
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the senses ‘serving as
conclusive evidence of ’ and ‘making manifest’): from Old
French demonstratif, -ive, from Latin demonstrativus,
from demonstrare ‘point out’ (see demonstrate) .demonstrative
adjective
1 we were a very demonstrative family: expressive, open,
forthcoming, emotional, communicative, responsive,
unreserved, unrestrained, effusive, expansive,
gushingaffectionate, cuddly, loving, warm, friendly,
approachable; informal touchy-feely, lovey-dovey.
ANTONYMS undemonstrative, reserved.
2 these military successes are demonstrative of their skill: indicative,
indicatory, suggestive, illustrative, evincive, expository.
3 he presented demonstrative evidence of his theorem: convincing,
definite, positive, telling, conclusive, certain, decisive,
material, airtight, watertight; incontrovertible, incontestable,
irrefutable, unquestionable, undeniable, indisputable,
unassailable. ANTONYMS inconclusive.
attractive |əәˈtraktɪv|
adjective
pleasing or appealing to the senses: an attractive village | foliage
can be as attractive as flowers.
• (of a person) appealing to look at; sexually alluring: astunningly attractive, charismatic man.
• having qualities or features which arouse interest: the site is
close to other prestige schemes which should make it attractive to
developers.
• relating to attraction between physical objects. the attractive
force between the magnets and the metal plate.
DERIVATIVES
attractively adverb,
attractiveness noun
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘absorbent’): from
French attractif, -ive, from late Latin attractivus, from the
verb attrahere (see attract) .
attractive
adjective
1 they wanted to make military service a more attractive career:
appealing, agreeable, pleasing, inviting, tempting, interesting,
fascinating, irresistible. ANTONYMS unattractive,
uninviting.
2 I'm sure she has no idea how attractive she is: good-looking, nice-
looking, beautiful, pretty, as pretty as a picture, handsome,
lovely, stunning, striking, arresting, gorgeous, prepossessing,winning, fetching, captivating, bewitching, beguiling,
engaging, charming, charismatic, enchanting, appealing,
delightful, irresistible; sexy, sexually attractive, sexual,
seductive, alluring, tantalizing, ravishing, desirable, sultry,
sensuous, sensual, erotic, arousing, luscious, lush, nubile;
Scottish & N. English bonny; informal fanciable, beddable,
tasty, hot, smashing, knockout, drop-dead gorgeous, out of
this world, easy on the eye, come-hither, come-to-bed; Brit.
informal fit; N. Amer. informal cute, foxy, bootylicious;
Austral./NZ informal spunky; literary beauteous; dated
taking, well favoured; archaic comely, fair; rare sightly,
pulchritudinous. ANTONYMS unattractive, ugly.
monarch |ˈmɒnəәk|
noun
1 a sovereign head of state, especially a king, queen, or
emperor.monarch butterfly
the reigning monarch. this followed an attempt by the deposed monarch to
regain his throne.
2 (also monarch butterfly)a large migratory orange and
black butterfly that occurs mainly in North America. The
caterpillar feeds on milkweed, using the toxins in the plant to
render both itself and the adult unpalatable to predators. Also
called milkweed.
●Danaus plexippus, subfamily Danainae, family Nymphalidae.3 (also monarch flycatcher)a flycatcher found in Africa,
Asia, and Australasia, typically having boldly marked or
colourful plumage.
●Family Monarchidae (the monarch flycatcher family): many
genera and numerous species.
DERIVATIVES
monarchal |məәˈnɑːk(əә)l| adjective,
monarchial |məәˈnɑːkɪəәl| adjective,
monarchic |məәˈnɑːkɪk| adjective,
monarchical |məәˈnɑːkɪk(əә)l| adjective,
monarchically |məәˈnɑːkɪk(əә)li| adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English: from late Latin monarcha,
from Greek monarkhēs, from monos ‘alone’ + arkhein
‘to rule’.
monarch
noun
sovereign, ruler, Crown, crowned head, potentate; king,
queen, emperor, empress, prince, princess, tsar.
representative |rɛprɪˈzɛntəәtɪv|
adjective1 typical of a class, group, or body of opinion: Churchill was
not properly representative of influential opinion in Britain.
• containing typical examples of many or all types: a
representative sample of young people in Scotland.
2 (of a legislative assembly or deliberative body) consisting of
people chosen to act and speak on behalf of a wider group.
the new government lacked a representative assembly. there was no
representative body to fight for cricketers until 1968.
• (of a government or political system) based on elected or
chosen representatives: free elections and representative democracy.
3 serving as a portrayal or symbol of something: the show
would be more representative of how women really are.
• (of art) representational: the bust involves a high degree of
representative abstraction.
4 Philosophy relating to mental representation.
noun
1 a person chosen or appointed to act or speak for another or
others, in particular:
• an agent of a firm who travels to potential clients to sell its
products. a sales representative for Norwich Union.
• an employee of a travel company who lives in a resort and
looks after the needs of its holidaymakers. make your own way tothe Valley Inn, where you will be contacted by our tour representative.
• a person chosen or elected to speak and act on behalf of
others in a legislative assembly or deliberative body. the District
of Columbia's representative in Congress. the Cambodian representative
to the UN.
• a delegate who attends a conference, negotiations, etc., so as
to represent the interests of another person or group. a PLO
representative attending a meeting in Damascus.
• a person who takes the place of another on an official
occasion. the Duke of Gloucester would attend the coronation as the
representative of his father, King George V.
2 an example of a class or group: fossil representatives of lampreys
and hagfishes.
DERIVATIVES
representatively adverb,
representativeness noun
representative
adjective
1 a representative sample of British society: typical, prototypical,
characteristic, illustrative, indicative; archetypal,
paradigmatic, exemplary. ANTONYMS atypical,unrepresentative.
2 Britannia, a female figure allegorically representative of Britain:
symbolic, emblematic, evocative.
3 a system of representative government: elected, elective, chosen,
democratic, popular, nominated, appointed, commissioned;
delegated, authorized, accredited, official. ANTONYMS
totalitarian.
noun
1 a representative of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society: spokesperson,
spokesman, spokeswoman, agent; officer, official;
mouthpiece.
2 a sales representative: commercial traveller, travelling salesman,
salesman, saleswoman, agent, traveller; informal rep, knight
of the road; N. Amer. informal drummer; Brit. archaic
commercial.
3 the Cambodian representative at the UN: delegate, commissioner,
ambassador, attaché, envoy, emissary, chargé, chargé
d'affaires, commissary, deputy, aide; Scottish depute;
Canadian & Austral. agent general; Roman Catholic
Church nuncio; archaic legate, factor.
4 our representatives in parliament: Member of Parliament, MP,
Member; councillor; N. Amer. Member of Congress,congressman, congresswoman, senator.
5 he acted as his father's representative: deputy, substitute, stand-in,
proxy, surrogate.
6 fossil representatives of lampreys and hagfishes: example,
specimen; exemplar, exemplification, type, archetype,
illustration.
administrative |əәdˈmɪnɪstrəәtɪv|
adjective
relating to the running of a business, organization, etc.:
administrative problems | administrative staff.
DERIVATIVES
administratively adverb
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from Latin administrativus, from
administrat- ‘managed’, from the verb administrare (see
administrate) .
administrative
adjective
he demonstrated his excellent administrative skills: managerial,
management, directorial, directing, executive, organizational,
controlling, governmental, supervisory, regulatory; raregubernatorial.
discrepancy |dɪsˈkrɛp(əә)nsi|
noun (pl.discrepancies)
an illogical or surprising lack of compatibility or similarity
between two or more facts: there's a discrepancy between
your account and his.
DERIVATIVES
discrepant adjective
ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from Latin discrepantia, from
discrepare ‘be discordant’, from dis- ‘apart, away’ +
crepare ‘to creak’.
discrepancy
noun
the discrepancy between the two sets of figures: inconsistency,
difference, disparity, variance, variation, deviation,
divergence, disagreement, dissimilarity, dissimilitude,
mismatch, lack of similarity, contrariety, contradictoriness,
disaccord, discordance, incongruity, lack of congruence,
incompatibility, irreconcilability, conflict, opposition.
ANTONYMS similarity, correspondence.hierarchy |ˈhʌɪəәrɑːki|
noun (pl.hierarchies)
a system in which members of an organization or society are
ranked according to relative status or authority. the initiative
was with those lower down in the hierarchy. [ mass noun ] : the trend
is to get away from hierarchy and control.
• (the hierarchy) the clergy of the Catholic Church or of an
episcopal Church. the Roman Catholic hierarchy in Romania.
• (the hierarchy) the upper echelons of a hierarchical
system: the magazine was read quite widely even by some of the
hierarchy.
• an arrangement or classification of things according to
relative importance or inclusiveness: a taxonomic hierarchy of
phyla, classes, orders, families, genera, and species.
• Theology the traditional system of orders of angels and
other heavenly beings. the heavenly hierarchy.
DERIVATIVES
hierarchic |-ˈrɑːkɪk| adjective,
hierarchization noun,
hierarchize (also hierarchise)verb
ORIGIN late Middle English: via Old French and medievalLatin from Greek hierarkhia, from hierarkhēs ‘sacred
ruler’ (see hierarch). The earliest sense was ‘system of
orders of angels and heavenly beings’; the other senses date
from the 17th cent.
anarchy |ˈanəәki|
noun [ mass noun ]
1 a state of disorder due to absence or non-recognition of
authority or other controlling systems: he must ensure public order
in a country threatened with anarchy.
2 absence of government and absolute freedom of the
individual, regarded as a political ideal.
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: via medieval Latin from Greek
anarkhia, from anarkhos, from an- ‘without’ + arkhos
‘chief, ruler’.
anarchy
noun
the country is threatened with anarchy: lawlessness, absence of
government, nihilism, mobocracy, revolution, insurrection,
riot, rebellion, mutiny, disorder, disorganization, misrule,
chaos, tumult, turmoil, mayhem, pandemonium.ANTONYMS government; order.
reference |ˈrɛf(əә)r(əә)ns|
noun [ mass noun ]
1 the action of mentioning or alluding to something: he
made reference to the enormous power of the mass media |
[ count noun ] : references to Darwinism and evolution.
• [ count noun ] a mention or citation of a source of
information in a book or article. each chapter should have
references to books covering the subject in greater depth.
• [ count noun ] a source of information cited in a book or
article.
2 the use of a source of information in order to ascertain
something: popular works of reference | [ as modifier ] : a reference
work.
• the sending of a matter to an authority for decision or
consideration: the publishers reprinted and sold the work without
reference to the author.
3 [ count noun ] a letter from a previous employer testifying
to someone's ability or reliability, used when applying for a
new job. I was dismissed from the library, but with a good reference.
verb [ with obj. ]1 provide (a book or article) with citations of sources of
information: each chapter is referenced, citing literature up to 1990.
2 mention or refer to: the media referenced our association in almost
40 articles.
PHRASES
for future reference for use at a later date. she lodged this idea
in the back of her mind for future reference.
terms of reference the scope and limitations of an activity
or area of knowledge: the minister will present a plan outlining the
inquiry's terms of reference.
with (or in) reference to in relation to; as regards: war can
only be explained with reference to complex social factors.
reference
noun
1 his journal contains many references to railways: mention of,
allusion to, comment on, remark about; citation of, instance
of.
2 some references are given in the bibliography to this chapter: source,
information source, citation, authority, credit; note, footnote;
bibliographical data, bibliography.
3 this was an appropriate case for a reference to the European Court ofJustice: referral, transfer, passing on, handover, direction,
remission.
4 his employer gave him a glowing reference: testimonial, character
reference, recommendation, good word, backing; credentials;
dated character.
PHRASES
with reference to apropos, with regard to, regarding, as
regards, with respect to, on the subject of, in the matter of, re;
in relation to, relating to, in connection with.
reliance |rɪˈlʌɪəәns|
noun [ mass noun ]
dependence on or trust in someone or something: the farmer's
reliance on pesticides.
• [ count noun ] archaic a person or thing on which someone
depends.
DERIVATIVES
reliant adjective
reliancenoun
1 saving for a pension reduces reliance on the state: dependence,
dependency; seeking support from, leaning on.
2 he displayed a lack of reliance on his own judgement: trust in,
confidence in, faith in, credence in, belief in, conviction in;
credit.
occurrence |əәˈkʌr(əә)ns|
noun
an incident or event: vandalism used to be a rare occurrence.
• [ mass noun ] the fact or frequency of something
happening: the occurrence of cancer increases with age.
• [ mass noun ] the fact of something existing or being found
in a place or under a particular set of conditions: the occurrence
of natural gas fields.
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: probably from the plural of archaic
occurrent, in the same sense, via French from Latin
occurrent- ‘befalling’, from the verb occurrere (see
occur) .
occurrencenoun
1 vandalism used to be a rare occurrence: event, incident,
happening, phenomenon, affair, matter, experience,
circumstance, development, contingency, eventuality.
2 the occurrence of cancer increases with age: existence, instance,
appearance, manifestation, materialization, development,
springing up; frequency, incidence, rate, prevalence;
Statistics distribution.
recur |rɪˈkəәː|
verb (recurs, recurring, recurred) [ no obj. ]
occur again periodically or repeatedly: when the symptoms
recurred, the doctor diagnosed something different | (as
adj.recurring) : a recurring theme.
• (of a thought, image, or memory) come back to one's mind:
Oglethorpe's words kept recurring to him.
• (recur to) go back to (something) in thought or speech: the
book remained a favourite and she constantly recurred to it.
DERIVATIVES
recurrence noun,
recurringly adverb
ORIGIN Middle English (in the sense ‘return to’): fromLatin recurrere, from re- ‘again, back’ + currere ‘run’.
descriptive |dɪˈskrɪptɪv|
adjective
1 serving or seeking to describe: the text contains some good
descriptive passages.
• Grammar (of an adjective) assigning a quality rather than
restricting the application of the expression modified, e.g. blue
as distinct from few.
2 describing or classifying in an objective and non-
judgemental way.
• Linguistics denoting or relating to an approach to language
analysis that describes accents, forms, structures, and usage
without making value judgements. Often contrasted with
prescriptive.
DERIVATIVES
descriptively adverb,
descriptiveness noun
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from late Latin descriptivus, from
descript- ‘written down’, from the verb describere (see
describe) .descriptive
adjective
his style uses colourful descriptive language: illustrative, expressive,
pictorial, depictive, graphic, picturesque, vivid, striking;
explanatory, elucidatory, explicative, exegetic, expository;
detailed, lively, circumstantial.
receptive |rɪˈsɛptɪv|
adjective
willing to consider or accept new suggestions and ideas: a
receptive audience | the institution was receptive to new ideas.
• able to receive signals or stimuli. the goldfish's vision is
receptive to a wider band of light than almost any other animal.
• (of a female animal) ready to mate. only the dominant male
would have had access to the receptive female.
DERIVATIVES
receptively adverb,
receptiveness noun,
receptivity |riːsɛpˈtɪvɪti| nounreceptive
adjective
a receptive audience: open-minded, ready/willing to consider
new ideas, open to new ideas, open to suggestions, open,
responsive, amenable, sympathetic, well disposed, interested,
attuned, flexible, willing, favourable, approachable,
accessible, friendly, welcoming; susceptible, impressionable,
suggestible, pliable, pliant; rare susceptive, acceptive,
acceptant. ANTONYMS resistant, unresponsive.
cooperative |kəәʊˈɒp(əә)rəәtɪv| (also co-operative)
adjective
involving mutual assistance in working towards a common
goal: every member has clearly defined tasks in a cooperative enterprise.
• willing to be of assistance: they have been extremely considerate,
polite, and cooperative.
• (of a farm, business, etc.) owned and run jointly by its
members, with profits or benefits shared among them.
noun
a farm, business, or other organization which is owned and
run jointly by its members, who share the profits or benefits.
we run the agency as a workers' cooperative.DERIVATIVES
cooperatively adverb,
cooperativeness noun
ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from late Latin cooperativus,
from Latin cooperat- ‘worked together’, from the verb
cooperari (see cooperate) .
cooperative
adjective
1 effective organizations depend on cooperative effort: collaborative,
collective, communal, combined, common, joint, shared,
mutual, united, unified, allied, cross-party, pooled, mass,
concerted, coordinated, interactive, unanimous, harmonious;
rare coactive. ANTONYMS individual.
2 we have found the staff to be pleasant and cooperative: helpful,
eager to help, eager to please, glad to be of assistance,
obliging, accommodating, indulgent; compliant, complaisant,
willing, acquiescent, amenable, persuadable, biddable,
tractable, pliable, pliant, adaptable, responsive; informal easy,
game; rare persuasible, suasible. ANTONYMS
uncooperative.competitive |kəәmˈpɛtɪtɪv|
adjective
1 relating to or characterized by competition: a competitive sport
| the intensely competitive newspaper industry.
• having or displaying a strong desire to be more successful
than others: she had a competitive streak.
2 as good as or better than others of a comparable nature: a
car industry competitive with any in the world.
• (of prices) low enough to compare well with those of rival
traders: we offer prompt service at competitive rates.
DERIVATIVES
competitively adverb,
competitiveness noun
ORIGIN early 19th cent.: from Latin competit- ‘striven
for’, from the verb competere (see compete), + -ive.
competitive
adjective
1 a very competitive player: ambitious, drivenvying, combative,
contentious, aggressive; insistent, driving, pushing, zealous,
keen; informal pushy, go-ahead. ANTONYMS apathetic.
2 tourism is a highly sophisticated and competitive industry: ruthless,merciless, aggressive, fierce; informal dog-eat-dog, cut-throat.
ANTONYMS gentlemanly.
3 they produce quality merchandise at competitive prices: reasonable,
moderate, economical, keen; low, inexpensive, cheap, cheap
and cheerful, budget, economy, bargain, sale, cut-rate, cut,
reduced, marked down, discounted, discount, rock-bottom;
informal bargain-basement; Brit. informal bargainous.
ANTONYMS exorbitant; uncompetitive.
mass |mas|
noun
1 a large body of matter with no definite shape: the sun broke
out from behind a mass of clouds.
• any of the main portions in a painting or drawing that each
have some unity in colour, lighting, or some other quality. the
masterly distribution of masses.
2 a large number of people or objects crowded together: a
mass of cyclists.
• a large amount of material: a mass of conflicting evidence.
• (masses) informal a large quantity or amount of
something: we get masses of homework.
3 (the mass of) the majority of: the mass of the people think thatthe problems are caused by government inefficiency.
• (the masses) the ordinary people. seaside towns that catered for
the masses.
4 [ mass noun ] Physics the quantity of matter which a body
contains, as measured by its acceleration under a given force
or by the force exerted on it by a gravitational field. stellar
objects of intermediate mass.
• (in general use) weight. multiply the mass of the payload by the
distance travelled.
adjective [ attrib. ]
involving or affecting large numbers of people or things: the
film has mass appeal | a mass exodus of refugees.
verb
assemble or cause to assemble into a single body or mass:
[ with obj. ] : both countries began massing troops in the region | [ no
obj. ] : clouds massed heavily on the horizon.
PHRASES
be a mass of be completely covered with. his face was a mass
of bruises.
in mass as a body. men advancing in mass.
in the mass as a whole. her affection for humanity in the mass.
DERIVATIVESmassless adjective
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French masse,
from Latin massa, from Greek maza ‘barley cake’;
perhaps related to massein ‘knead’.
Mass |mas|
noun
the celebration of the Christian Eucharist, especially in the
Roman Catholic Church: we went to Mass.
• a particular celebration of the Eucharist: he pontificated at
three Christmas Masses.
• a musical setting of parts of the liturgy used in the Mass.
Bach's B minor Mass.
PHRASES
hear Mass attend a celebration of the Mass without taking
communion (especially as the former usual practice of lay
Catholics).
ORIGIN Old English mæsse, from ecclesiastical Latin missa,
from Latin miss- ‘dismissed’, from mittere, perhaps from
the last words of the service, Ite, missa est ‘Go, it is the
dismissal’.
massnoun
1 a thick soggy mass of fallen leaves: pile, heap, stack, clump,
cloud, bunch, bundle, lump; concentration, conglomeration,
accumulation, aggregation, concretion, accretion,
assemblage, collection, stockpile, build-up; rare amassment.
2 a mass of cyclists: large number, abundance, profusion,
multitude, group, crowd, mob, rabble, horde, barrage,
throng, huddle, host, troop, army, herd, flock, drove, swarm,
pack, press, crush, mountain, flood.
3 the mass of people voted against: majority, larger part/number,
greater part/number, best/better part, major part, most,
bulk, main body, preponderance, almost all, lion's share.
4 (the masses) the common people, the populace, the
public, the people, the multitude, the rank and file, the
crowd, the commonalty, the commonality, the third estate,
the plebeians; derogatory the hoi polloi, the mob, the
proletariat, the common herd, the rabble, the riff-raff, the
canaille, the great unwashed, the ragtag (and bobtail), the
proles, the plebs. ANTONYMS elite, oligarchy.
5 one tenth of the mass of the star: weight, size, magnitude, bulk,
dimensions, capacity, density, extent, scope, greatness,
bigness, hugeness, amount, matter.adjective
mass hysteria: wholesale, universal, widespread, general, large-
scale, extensive, pandemic.
verb
both countries began massing troops in the region: accumulate,
assemble, amass, collect, gather, gather together, draw
together, join together; marshal, muster, round up, mobilize,
rally. ANTONYMS disperse, disband.
Mass
noun
Eucharist, Holy Communion, Communion, the Lord's
Supper.
rational |ˈraʃ(əә)n(əә)l|
adjective
1 based on or in accordance with reason or logic: I'm sure
there's a perfectly rational explanation.
• able to think sensibly or logically: Ursula's upset—she's not
being very rational.
• endowed with the capacity to reason: man is a rational being.
2 Mathematics (of a number, quantity, or expression)expressible, or containing quantities which are expressible, as
a ratio of whole numbers.
DERIVATIVES
rationality |-ˈnalɪti| noun,
rationally adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘having the ability
to reason’): from Latin rationalis, from
ratio(n-)‘reckoning, reason’ (see ratio) .
interest |ˈɪnt(əә)rɪst|
noun
1 [ mass noun ] the feeling of wanting to know or learn
about something or someone: she looked about her with interest |
[ in sing. ] : he developed an interest in art.
• the quality of exciting curiosity or holding the attention: a
tale full of interest.
• [ count noun ] an activity or subject which one enjoys doing
or studying: their sole interests are soccer, drink, and cars.
2 [ mass noun ] money paid regularly at a particular rate for
the use of money lent, or for delaying the repayment of a
debt: the monthly rate of interest | [ as modifier ] : interestpayments.
3 the advantage or benefit of a person or group: the merger is
not contrary to the public interest | it is in your interest to keep your
insurance details to hand | we are acting in the best interests of our
customers.
• archaic the selfish pursuit of one's own welfare; self-
interest.
4 a stake or involvement in an undertaking, especially a
financial one: holders of voting rights must disclose their interests | he
must have no personal interest in the outcome of the case.
• a legal concern, title, or right in property. third parties having
an interest in a building.
5 (usu. interests) a group or organization having a common
concern, especially in politics or business: food interests in
Scotland must continue to invest.
verb [ with obj. ]
excite the curiosity or attention of (someone): I thought the book
might interest Eliot.
• (interest someone in) persuade someone to undertake or
acquire (something): efforts were made to interest her in a purchase.
PHRASES
at interest (of money borrowed) on the condition thatinterest is payable. the lending of money at interest.
declare an (or one's) interest make known one's financial
interests in an undertaking before it is discussed. failure to
register or declare an interest while lobbying ministers.
in the interests (or interest) of something for the
benefit of: in the interests of security we are keeping the information
confidential.
of interest interesting: his book should be of interest to historians.
with interest with interest charged or paid. loans that must be
paid back with interest. • (of an action) reciprocated with more
force or vigour than the original one: she returned his look with
interest.
ORIGIN late Middle English (originally as interess): from
Anglo-Norman French interesse, from Latin interesse
‘differ, be important’, from inter- ‘between’ + esse ‘be’.
The -t was added partly by association with Old French
interest ‘damage, loss’, apparently from Latin interest ‘it
is important’. The original sense was ‘the possession of a
share in or a right to something’; hence sense 4 of the
noun. Sense 1 of the noun and the verb arose in the 18th
cent. Sense 2 of the noun was influenced by medieval
Latin interesse ‘compensation for a debtor'sdefaulting’.
interest
noun
1 the children listened to the story with great interest: attentiveness,
undivided attention, absorption, engrossment, heed, regard,
notice, scrutiny; curiosity, inquisitiveness; enjoyment, delight.
ANTONYMS boredom.
2 the region has many places of interest to the tourist: attraction,
appeal, fascination, charm, beauty, allure, allurement,
temptation, tantalization.
3 this account may only be of interest to those involved: concern,
importance, import, consequence, moment, momentousness,
significance, substance, note, relevance, value, weight, gravity,
priority, urgency.
4 her interests include reading and music: hobby, pastime, leisure
activity, leisure pursuit, recreation, entertainment, diversion,
amusement, relaxation; passion, enthusiasm; informal thing,
bag, scene, cup of tea.
5 he has a financial interest in the firm: stake, share, portion, claim,
investment, stock, equity; involvement, participation,
concern.6 you must declare your interest in the case: involvement, partiality,
partisanship, preference, loyalty; one-sidedness, favouritism,
bias, prejudice.
7 his attorney zealously guarded his interests: concern, business,
business matter, matter, care; (interests) affairs.
8 put your cash in a savings account where it will earn interest:
dividends, profits, returns; a percentage, a gain.
PHRASES
in someone's interests the merger is in the interests of both
regiments: of benefit to, to the advantage of, for the sake of, for
the benefit of.
verb
1 write about a topic that interests you: be of interest to, appeal to,
attract, be attractive to, intrigue, fascinate; absorb, engross,
rivet, grip, hold, captivate; amuse, divert, entertain; arouse
one's curiosity, whet one's appetite, hold one's attention,
engage one's attention; informal float someone's boat, tickle
someone's fancy, light someone's fire. ANTONYMS bore.
2 can I interest you in an aerial photograph of your house? arouse
someone's interest in, persuade to buy, sell.
propaganda |prɒpəәˈgandəә|noun
1 [ mass noun ] information, especially of a biased or
misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point
of view: he was charged with distributing enemy propaganda.
• the dissemination of propaganda as a political strategy: the
party's leaders believed that a long period of education and propaganda
would be necessary.
2 (Propaganda)a committee of cardinals of the Roman
Catholic Church responsible for foreign missions, founded in
1622 by Pope Gregory XV.
ORIGIN Italian, from modern Latin congregatio de
propaganda fide ‘congregation for propagation of the
faith’ (see sense 2). Sense 1 dates from the early 20th cent.
propaganda
noun
regulations restricting political propaganda were relaxed: information,
promotion, advertising, advertisement, publicity, advocacy;
spin, newspeak, agitprop, disinformation, counter-
information, brainwashing, indoctrination, the big lie;
informal info, hype, plugging.demand |dɪˈmɑːnd|
noun
an insistent and peremptory request, made as of right: a series
of demands for far-reaching reforms.
• (usu. demands) pressing requirements: he's got enough
demands on his time already.
• [ mass noun ] the desire of consumers, clients, employers,
etc. for a particular commodity, service, or other item: a recent
slump in demand | [ count noun ] : a demand for specialists.
verb [ reporting verb ]
ask authoritatively or brusquely: [ with direct speech ] :
‘Where is she?’ he demanded | [ with clause ] : the police demanded
that he give them the names.
• [ with obj. ] insist on having: an outraged public demanded
retribution | too much was being demanded of the top players.
• require; need: a complex activity demanding detailed knowledge.
PHRASES
in demand sought after: all these skills are much in demand.
on demand as soon as or whenever required: a combination
boiler provides hot water on demand | [ as modifier ] : an on-demand
movie service on broadband.
DERIVATIVESdemander noun
ORIGIN Middle English (as a noun): from Old French
demande (noun), demander (verb), from Latin
demandare ‘hand over, entrust’ (in medieval
Latin‘demand’), from de- ‘formally’ + mandare ‘to
order’.
demand
noun
1 his demands for electoral reform | I finally gave in to her demands:
request, call; command, order, dictate, ultimatum,
stipulation; (demands) insistence, pressure, clamour,
importunity, urging; Austral./NZ informal a big ask; archaic
behest, hest.
2 a job that fits in with the demands of a young family: requirement,
need, desire, wish, want; claim, imposition, exigency.
3 the big demand for such toys: market, call, appetite, desire;
run on, rush on.
PHRASES
in demand his work is much in demand by magazines who like such
candid portraiture: sought-after, desired, coveted, wanted,requested, required; marketable, desirable, popular, in vogue,
fashionable, all the rage, at a premium, like gold dust;
informal big, trendy, hot, to die for; Brit. informal, dated all
the go. ANTONYMS unpopular.
verb
1 workers demanded wage increases: call for, ask for, request, press
for, push for, hold out for, clamour for, bay for; insist on, lay
claim to, claim, requisition.
2 Harvey demanded that I tell him the truth: order to,
command to, tell to, call on to, enjoin to, urge to; literary bid.
3 ‘Where is she?’ he demanded: ask, enquire, question,
interrogate; challenge.
4 a complex activity demanding detailed knowledge: require, need,
necessitate, call for, take, involve, entail; cry out for, want.
5 most of those who contacted us demanded complete anonymity: insist
on, stipulate, make a condition of, exact, impose; expect, look
for.
fallacy |ˈfaləәsi|
noun (pl.fallacies)
a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound
arguments: the notion that the camera never lies is a fallacy.• Logic a failure in reasoning which renders an argument
invalid. Kraft exposes three fallacies in this approach.
• [ mass noun ] faulty reasoning: the potential for fallacy which lies
behind the notion of self-esteem.
ORIGIN late 15th cent. (in the sense ‘deception, guile’;
gradually superseding Middle English fallace): from Latin
fallacia, from fallax, fallac- ‘deceiving’, from fallere
‘deceive’.
fallacy
noun
the fallacy that we all work from nine to five: misconception,
mistaken belief, misbelief, delusion, false notion, mistaken
impression, misapprehension, misjudgement, miscalculation,
misinterpretation, misconstruction, error, mistake, untruth,
inconsistency, illusion, myth, fantasy, deceit, deception,
sophism; sophistry, casuistry, faulty reasoning, unsound
argument.
evidence |ˈɛvɪd(əә)ns|noun [ mass noun ]
the available body of facts or information indicating whether
a belief or proposition is true or valid: the study finds little
evidence of overt discrimination.
• Law information drawn from personal testimony, a
document, or a material object, used to establish facts in a
legal investigation or admissible as testimony in a law court:
without evidence, they can't bring a charge.
• signs or indications of something: there was no obvious evidence
of a break-in.
verb [ with obj. ]
be or show evidence of: the quality of the bracelet, as evidenced by
the workmanship, is exceptional.
PHRASES
call someone in evidence Law summon someone as a
witness.
give evidence Law give information and answer questions
formally and in person in a law court or at an inquiry. the
person concerned may refuse to give evidence.
in evidence noticeable; conspicuous: his dramatic flair is still
very much in evidence.
turn King's (or Queen'sor USstate's) evidence Law (ofa criminal) give information in court against one's partners in
order to receive a less severe punishment. in exchange for not
being prosecuted he agreed to turn Queen's evidence.
ORIGIN Middle English: via Old French from Latin
evidentia, from evident- ‘obvious to the eye or
mind’ (see evident) .
evidence
noun
1 they found evidence of his participation in the burglary: proof,
confirmation, verification, substantiation, corroboration,
affirmation, authentication, attestation, documentation;
support for, backing for, reinforcement for, grounds for.
2 the court refused to accept Mr Scott's evidence: testimony,
statement, sworn statement, attestation, declaration, avowal,
plea, submission, claim, contention, charge, allegation; Law
deposition, representation, affidavit; rare asseveration,
averment.
3 the room showed evidence of a struggle: signs, indications,
pointers, marks, traces, suggestions, hints; manifestation.
PHRASES
in evidence team spirit was much in evidence: noticeable,conspicuous, obvious, perceptible, perceivable, visible, on
view, on display, easily seen, easily noticed, plain to see;
palpable, tangible, unmistakable, undisguised, unconcealed,
prominent, striking, glaring, writ large; informal as plain as
the nose on your face, as plain as a pikestaff, standing/
sticking out like a sore thumb, standing/sticking out a mile,
right under one's nose, staring someone in the face, written
all over someone; archaic sensible.
verb
the rise of racism is evidenced by the increase in racial attacks:
indicate, show, reveal, be evidence of, display, exhibit,
manifest, denote, evince, signify; testify to, attest to, verify,
confirm, prove, substantiate, endorse, back up, support, bear
out, give credence to. ANTONYMS disprove.
circumstance |ˈsəәːkəәmst(əә)ns|
noun
1 (usu. circumstances) a fact or condition connected with
or relevant to an event or action: we wanted to marry but
circumstances didn't permit.
• an event or fact that causes or helps to cause something tohappen, typically something undesirable: he was found dead but
there were no suspicious circumstances | [ mass noun ] : they were
thrown together by circumstance.
2 (circumstances) one's state of financial or material
welfare: the artists are living in reduced circumstances.
3 archaic ceremony and public display: pomp and circumstance.
PHRASES
circumstances alter cases proverb one's opinion or
treatment of someone or something may vary according to
the prevailing circumstances.
under (or in) the circumstances given the difficult nature
of the situation: she had every right to be cross under the
circumstances.
under (or in) no circumstances never, whatever the
situation is or might be. under no circumstances may the child be
identified.
DERIVATIVES
circumstanced adjective
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French circonstance or
Latin circumstantia, from circumstare ‘encircle,
encompass’, from circum ‘around’ + stare ‘stand’.circumstances
pluralnoun
1 a combination of favourable political and economic circumstances:
situation, conditions, set of conditions, state of affairs, things,
position; events, turn of events, incidents, occurrences,
happenings, episodes; factors, context, background,
environment; informal circs.
2 Jane explained the circumstances to him: the facts, the
details, the particulars, the picture, how things stand, the lie
of the land, how the land lies, the case; Brit. the state of play;
N. Amer. the lay of the land; informal what's what, the score,
the set-up.
3 a desire to improve their circumstances: financial/material
position, financial/material situation, financial/material
status, station in life, lot, lifestyle; resources, means, finances,
income; plight, predicament.
ever |ˈɛvəә|
adverb
1 [ usu. with negative or in questions ] at any time: nothing ever
seemed to ruffle her | don't you ever regret giving up all that money?• used in comparisons for emphasis: they felt better than ever before
| our biggest ever range.
2 at all times; always: ever the man of action, he was impatient with
intellectuals | caravan holidays remain as popular as ever | they
lived happily ever after | [ in combination ] : he toyed with his
ever-present cigar.
3 [ with comparative ] increasingly; constantly: having to
borrow ever larger sums.
4 used for emphasis in questions expressing astonishment or
outrage: who ever heard of a grown man being frightened of the dark?
| why ever did you do it?
PHRASES
ever again [ usu. with negative ] at any time in the future: I
never have to set foot inside a classroom ever again | I honestly cannot
imagine ever again working in an office for someone else.
ever and anon archaic occasionally: ever and anon the stillness
is rent by the scream of a gibbon.[from Shakespeare's Love's
Labour's Lost ( v. ii. 101).]
ever since throughout the period since: she had lived alone ever
since her husband died.
ever so/such Brit. informal very; very much: I am ever so
grateful | she's ever such a pretty cat | thanks ever so.for ever see forever.
yours ever (also ever yours)a formula used to end an
informal letter, before the signature.
ORIGIN Old English ǣfre, of unknown origin.
ever
adverb
1 it's the best thing I've ever done: at any time, at any point, on
any occasion, under any circumstances, on any account; up
till now, until now.
2 ever the optimist, he was intent on winning: always, forever, at all
times, eternally, until the end of time; informal until the
twelfth of never, until the cows come home, until hell freezes
over, until doomsday. ANTONYMS never.
3 the statistics show an ever increasing rate of crime: continually,
constantly, always, at all times, endlessly, perpetually,
incessantly, unceasingly, unremittingly, repeatedly, recurrently.
4 will she ever learn? at all, in any way, on earth.
PHRASES
ever so Brit. informal she's ever so happy. See extremely.