barron
Terms
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- abase
- v. ~ oneself/sb lower oneself/sb in dignity; degrade oneself/sb ;
- abash
- to destroy the self-possession or self-confidence of:disconcert
- abate
- v. make or become less
- abbreviate
- v. ~ sth shorten (a word, phrase, etc), esp by omitting letters
- abdicate
- v. resign from or formally renounce the throne
- aberrant
- adj. not following the normal or correct way
- aberration
- n. deviation from what is accepted as normal or right
- abet
- v. ~ sb (in sth) help or encourage sb to commit an offence or do sth wrong
- abeyance
- n. be in abeyance; fall/go into abeyance (of a right, rule, problem, etc) be suspended temporarily; not be in force or use for a time
- abhor
- v. feel hatred and disgust for (sb/sth); detest
- abide
- v. (esp with can/could, in negative sentences or questions can/could) tolerate (sb/sth); endure; bear
- abject
- adj. wretched; hopeless
- abjure
- v. promise or swear to give up (a claim, an opinion, a belief, etc); renounce formally
- ablution
- n. (fml or joc ) ceremonial washing of the body, hands, sacred vessels, etc
- abnegation
- n. denial or renunciation (of a doctrine)
- abode
- n. house; home
- abolish
- v. end the existence of
- abominable
- adj. ~(fml ) causing disgust; detestable
- abominate
- v. feel hatred or disgust for (sth/sb); detest; loathe
- aboriginal
- adj. inhabiting a land from a very early period, esp before the arrival of colonists
- abortive
- adj. coming to nothing; unsuccessful
- abrasive
- adj. that scrapes or rubs sth away; rough
- abridge
- v. make shorter, esp by using fewer words; condense
- abrogate
- v. cancel, repeal or annul (sth)
- abscission
- The act of cutting off, as in a surgical operation.
- abscond
- v. ~go away suddenly and secretly, esp in order to avoid arrest
- absolute
- adj. complete; total
- absolve
- v. ~ sb (fml esp law , ) clear sb (of guilt); declare sb free (from blame, a promise, a duty, etc)
- abstain
- v. ~ keep oneself from doing or enjoying sth, esp from taking alcoholic drinks; refrain ;
- abstemious
- adj. not taking much food or drink; not self-indulgent; moderate
- abstinence
- n. ~ abstaining, esp from food or alcoholic drinks
- abstract
- adj. existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or practical existence
- abstruse
- adj. difficult to understand
- abusive
- adj. criticizing harshly and rudely; insulting
- abut
- v. ~ on/against sth (of land or a building) have a common boundary or side with sth; adjoin sth
- abysmal
- adj. extremely bad
- abyss
- n. hole so deep that it seems to have no bottom
- academic
- adj. of schools, colleges, etc
- accede
- v. ~ (fml ) take office
- accelerate
- v. make move faster or happen earlier; increase the speed of
- accessible
- adj. ~ that can be reached, used, etc
- accessory
- n. thing that is a useful or decorative extra but that is not essential; minor fitting or attachment
- acclaim
- v. welcome (sb/sth) with shouts of approval; applaud loudly
- acclimate
- to adapt to a new temperature, altitude, climate, environment, or situation
- acclivity
- n. upward slope
- accolade
- n. praise; approval
- accommodate
- v. provide lodging or room for
- accomplice
- n. person who helps another to do sth wicked or illegal
- accord
- n. peace treaty; agreement
- accost
- v. approach and speak to (sb) boldly
- accoutre
- equip
- accretion
- n. growth or increase by means of gradual additions
- accrue
- v. ~ (from sth) come as a natural increase or advantage, esp financial; accumulate
- acerbity
- Sourness of taste, character, or tone.
- acetic
- adj. of, containing, producing, or derived from acetic acid or vinegar
- acidulous
- adj. rather sharp or bitter in taste or manner
- acknowledge
- v. accept the truth of admit (sth)
- acme
- n. highest stage of development; point of perfection
- acne
- n. inflammation of the oil-glands of the skin, producing red pimples on the face and neck
- acoustics
- n. qualities of a room, hall, etc that make it good or bad for carrying sound
- acquiesce
- v. ~ (fml ) accept sth without protest; offer no opposition (to a plan, conclusion, etc)
- acquittal
- n. judgement that a person is not guilty of the crime with which he has been charged
- acrid
- adj. having a strongly bitter smell or taste
- acrimonious
- adj. bitter
- acrophobia
- "acro'phobic adjectiv
- actuarial
- calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics
- actuary
- n. expert who calculates insurance risks and premiums
- actuate
- v. make (a machine, an electrical device, etc) move or work; make (a process) begin , ;
- acuity
- n. (esp of thought or the senses) sharpness; acuteness
- acumen
- n. ability to understand and judge things quickly and clearly; shrewdness
- acute
- adj. very great; severe
- adage
- n. traditional saying; proverb ;
- adamant
- adj. firmly or stubbornly determined; unwilling to be persuaded
- adapt
- v. ~ sth (for sth) make sth suitable for a new use, situation, etc; modify sth
- addendum
- n. thing that is to be added
- addiction
- n. ~ condition of taking drugs, etc habitually and being unable to stop doing so without suffering adverse effects
- addle
- v. confuse (sth/sb); muddle
- address
- n. details of where a person lives, works or can be found, and where letters, etc may be delivered
- adept
- adj. ~ ~ (at/in doing sth) expert or skilful in (doing) sth
- adhere
- v. ~ (to sth) remain attached (to sth); stick (as if) by means of glue or suction
- adherent
- n. supporter of a party or doctrine
- adjacent
- having a common endpoint or border also immediately preceding or following
- adjoin
- v. be next or nearest to and joined with
- adjourn
- v. stop (a meeting, etc) for a time; postpone
- adjunct
- n. ~ thing that is added or attached to sth else but is less important and not essential
- adjuration
- solemn urging
- adjutant
- n. army officer responsible for administrative work in a battalion
- admonish
- to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner
- adore
- v. love deeply and respect (sb) highly
- adorn
- v. ~ sth/sb/oneself add beauty or ornament to sth/sb/oneself
- adroit
- adj. ~ skilful; clever
- adulation
- n. excessive admiration or praise; flattery
- adulterate
- v. make poorer in quality by adding another substance
- Advent
- n. the ~ of sth/sb the approach or arrival of
- adventitious
- adj. not planned; accidental
- adversary
- n. opponent in a contest; enemy
- adverse
- adj. not favourable; contrary
- adversity
- n. unfavourable conditions; trouble
- advert
- n. = advertisement
- advocacy
- n. ~ giving of support (to a cause, etc)
- advocate
- v. speak publicly in favour of (sth); recommend; support
- aegis
- n. under the aegis of sb/sth with the protection or support of sb/sth, esp a public institution
- aerie
- = eyrie
- aesthetic
- adj. concerned with beauty and the appreciation of beauty
- affable
- adj. polite and friendly
- affected
- adj. not natural or genuine; pretended; artificial
- affidavit
- n. written statement that can be used as evidence in court, made by sb who swears that it is true
- affiliation
- n. affiliating or being affiliated
- affinity
- n. ~ ~ (between A and B) structural resemblance or similarity of character; relationship
- affirmation
- n. affirming
- affix
- v. ~ sth (fml ) stick, fasten or attach sth
- affliction
- n. pain; suffering; distress
- affluence
- n. abundance of money, goods or property; wealth
- affront
- n. ~ (to sb/sth) deliberately insulting or disrespectful remark, action, etc, esp in public
- afterlife
- n. existence that is thought by some to follow death
- agape
- adj. ~ (of the mouth) wide open, esp with wonder
- agenda
- n. matters of business to be discussed at a meeting, etc
- agglomeration
- n. action of agglomerating
- aggrandize
- to make appear great or greater:praise highly
- aggregate
- v. ~ sb (fml ) be formed or bring sb into an assembled group or amount
- aghast
- adj. ~ filled with horror or amazement
- agility
- nimbleness
- agitate
- v. cause anxiety to (a person, his feelings, etc); disturb; excite
- agnostic
- n. person who believes that nothing can be known about the existence of God or of anything except material things
- agog
- adj. eager; excited
- agrarian
- adj. of land
- airy
- adj. having plenty of fresh air moving about; well-ventilated
- alacrity
- n. prompt and eager readiness
- alchemy
- n. medieval form of chemistry, the chief aim of which was to discover how to turn ordinary metals into gold ,
- alcove
- n. small space in a room, etc formed by part of the wall being set back; recess
- alias
- n. name by which a person is called at other times or in other places; false name
- alienate
- v. ~ sb cause sb to become unfriendly or indifferent; estrange sb
- alimentary
- adj. of food and digestion
- alimony
- n. allowance that a court may order a man to pay to his wife or former wife before or after a legal separation or divorce
- allay
- v. make (sth) less; relieve
- allege
- v. state (sth) as a fact but without proof; give as an argument or excuse
- allegiance
- n. ~ (to sb/sth) support of or loyalty to a government, ruler, cause, etc
- allegory
- n. story, painting or description in which the characters and events are meant as symbols of purity, truth, patience, etc ,
- alleviate
- v. make less severe; ease
- alliteration
- n. occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of two or more words in succession, as in sing a song of sixpence or as thick as thieves , sing a song of sixpence as thick as thieves
- allocate
- v. ~ sth allot or assign sth (to sb/sth) for a special purpose
- alloy
- n. metal formed of a mixture of metals or of metal and another substance
- allude
- v. ~ to sb/sth (fml ) mention sb/sth briefly or indirectly
- allure
- v. tempt or attract (sb) by the expectation of gaining sth
- allusion
- n. ~ indirect reference
- alluvial
- adj. made of sand, earth, etc left by rivers or floods, esp in a delta
- alms
- n. money, clothes, food, etc given to poor people
- aloft
- adv. up in the air; overhead
- aloof
- adj. ~ cool and remote in character; unconcerned
- altercation
- n. (act of) quarrelling or arguing noisily
- altruistic
- (adj.) unselfish
- amalgam
- n. alloy of mercury with another metal
- amalgamate
- v. ~ (with sb/sth) (cause people or things to) combine or unite
- amass
- v. gather together or collect (sth), esp in large quantities
- amazon
- n. tall strong athletic woman
- ambidextrous
- adj. able to use the left hand or the right hand equally well
- ambience
- n. environment; atmosphere of a place
- ambiguous
- adj. having more than one possible meaning
- ambivalence
- the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes
- amble
- v. ride or walk at a slow, leisurely pace
- ambrosia
- n. food of the gods
- ambulatory
- walking
- ambush
- n. waiting in a hidden position to make a surprise attack
- ameliorate
- v. (cause sth to) become better
- amenable
- adj. ~ (of people) willing to be influenced or controlled (by sth)
- amend
- v. correct an error in (sth); make minor improvements in; change slightly
- amenities
- [ amenity: ] [often pl] a useful or pleasant facility or service
- amiable
- adj. showing and inspiring friendliness; pleasant and good-tempered
- amicable
- adj. showing friendliness; without hostility
- amiss
- adj. , adv wrong(ly); inappropriate(ly)
- amity
- n. friendly relationship between people or countries
- amnesia
- n. partial or total loss of memory
- amnesty
- n. general pardon, esp for offences against the State
- amok
- adv. run amok rush about in a wild and angry frenzy
- amoral
- adj. not based on moral standards; not following any moral rules ;
- amorous
- adj. readily showing or feeling love; relating to love
- amorphous
- adj. having no definite shape or form; not organized
- amphibian
- n. animal able to live both on land and in water
- amphitheater
- oval building with tiers of seats
- ample
- adj. enough
- amplify
- v. increase (sth) in size or strength
- amputate
- v. cut off by surgical operation
- amulet
- n. piece of jewellery, etc worn as a charm1(
- anachronism
- n. mistake of placing sth in the wrong historical period
- analgesia
- n. loss of ability to feel pain while still conscious
- analgesic
- adj. n substance that relieves pain
- analogous
- adj. ~ partially similar or parallel; offering an analogy
- analogy
- n. ~ partial similarity between two things that are compared
- anarchist
- n. person who believes in anarchism
- anarchy
- n. absence of government or control in society; lawlessness
- anathema
- n. detested person or thing
- anathematize
- declare to be evil or anathema
- ancestry
- n. line of ancestors
- anchor
- n. heavy metal device attached to a rope, chain, etc and used to moor a ship or boat to the sea-bottom or a balloon to the ground
- ancillary
- adj. ~ helping in a subsidiary way
- anecdote
- n. short, interesting or amusing story about a real person or event ,
- anemia
- condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles
- anesthetic
- = anaesthesia, anaesthetic
- anguish
- n. severe physical or mental pain
- angular
- adj. having angles or sharp corners
- animadversion
- n. criticism
- animated
- adj. lively
- animosity
- n. ~ ~ (between A and B) (instance of) strong dislike or of hostility
- animus
- n. animosity shown in speech or action
- annals
- n. story of events year by year; historical records
- anneal
- v. make tough by cooling slowly after heating
- annex
- v. take possession of
- annihilate
- v. destroy completely
- annotate
- v. add notes to giving explanation or comment
- annuity
- n. fixed sum of money paid to sb yearly, usu for the remaining part of his lifetime
- annul
- v. declare (sth) no longer valid; abolish; cancel
- anodyne
- n, adj that can relieve pain
- anoint
- v. ~ sb apply oil or ointment to sb (esp as a religious ceremony)
- anomalous
- adj. different from what is normal; irregular
- anomaly
- n. anomalous thing; irregularity
- anonymity
- n. state of being anonymous
- antagonism
- n~ ~ (between A and B) (instance of) active opposition or hostility, esp between two people
- antagonistic
- adj. ~ showing or feeling antagonism; hostile
- antecede
- be earlier in time; go back further
- antecedents
- ancestr
- antediluvian
- adj. of the time before Noah's Flood
- anthem
- n. short musical composition, usu for a choir and an organ, to be sung in religious services, often with words taken from the Bible ,
- anthology
- n. collection of poems or pieces of prose on the same subject or by the same writer
- anthropoid
- adj. man-like in form
- anthropologist
- n. student of or expert in anthropology
- anthropomorphic
- adj. treating gods, animals, etc as human in form and personality ,
- anticlimax
- n. disappointing end to a series of events which had seemed likely to become more interesting, exciting or impressive
- antidote
- n. ~ substance that acts against the effects of a poison or disease
- antipathy
- settled aversion or dislike:DISTASTE
- antiquated
- adj. (of things) out of date, obsolete ,
- antique
- adj. belonging to the distant past
- antiquity
- n. ancient times, esp before the Middle Ages
- antiseptic
- n. substance that prevents a wound, etc from becoming septic, esp by destroying bacteria
- antithesis
- n. ~ (of/to sth/sb) direct opposite
- antler
- n. branched horn of a stag or of some other deer
- anvil
- n. iron block on which a smith shapes heated metal by hammering it
- apathetic
- adj. showing or feeling apathy
- apathy
- n. ~ lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern; indifference
- ape
- n. any of the four primates (gorilla, chimpanzee, orang-utan, gibbon) most closely related to man .
- aperture
- n. narrow opening
- apex
- n. top or highest point
- aphasia
- n. partial or total loss of ability to speak or understand spoken language, caused by damage to the brain
- aphorism
- n. short wise saying; maxim ;
- apiarist
- n. person who keeps bees
- apiary
- n. place with a number of hives where bees are kept
- apiculture
- the cultivation of bees on a commercial scale for the production of honey
- aplomb
- n. confidence and self-control; poise
- apocalyptic
- adj. prophesying great and dramatic events like those in the Apocalypse
- apocryphal
- adj. not likely to be genuine; untrue or invented
- apogee
- n. position in the orbit of the moon, a planet or a satellite when it is at its greatest distance from the earth ,