1.0 A

1.1 abandon...
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abandon v. 1 give up or over, yield, surrender, leave, cede, let go,
deliver (up), turn over, relinquish: I can see no reason why we
should abandon the house to thieves and vandals. 2 depart from,
leave, desert, quit, go away from: The order was given to
abandon ship. 3 desert, forsake, jilt, walk out on: He even
abandoned his fianc‚e. 4 give up, renounce; discontinue, forgo,
drop, desist, abstain from: She abandoned cigarettes and whisky
after the doctor's warning.


--n. 5 recklessness, intemperance, wantonness, lack of
restraint, unrestraint: He behaved with wild abandon after he
received the inheritance.


abandoned adj. 1 left alone, forlorn, forsaken, deserted, neglected;
rejected, shunned, cast off or aside, jilted, dropped, outcast:
An abandoned infant was found on the church steps. Totally
alone, she felt abandoned by her friends. 2 bad, immoral,

amoral, wicked, sinful, evil, corrupt, unprincipled,
unrestrained, uninhibited, reprobate; loose, wanton, debauched,
wild, dissolute, dissipated, profligate; depraved, lewd,
lascivious, flagitious: His abandoned behaviour soon landed him
in jail.

abbreviate
v. 1 shorten, compress, contract, truncate, trim, reduce,
curtail: We abbreviated some of the longer words to save space.
2 shorten, cut, condense, abridge, abstract, digest, epitomize,
summarize, US synopsize: The school presented an abbreviated
version of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

abbreviated
adj. skimpy, brief, revealing: The dancers' abbreviated
costumes shocked some members of the audience.

abbreviation
n. initialism; acronym; shortening, contraction: UK is one
kind of abbreviation, or initialism; NATO, which is pronounced
as a word, is another, usually called an acronym.

abdicate v. give up, renounce, disclaim, waive, disown, surrender,
yield, relinquish, abandon, resign, quit: He abdicated all
responsibility for care of the children. She abdicated the
throne to marry a commoner.

abduct v. kidnap, carry off, make away or off with, seize, Slang US
snatch, grab: The child that was abducted is safe.


abet v. 1 encourage, urge, instigate, incite, provoke, egg on, prod,
goad; aid, help, assist: The jury found that his wife had
abetted him in the murder. 2 countenance, approve (of),
support, endorse, second, sanction, condone; further, advance,
promote, uphold: By failing to inform on the terrorists, the
neighbours abetted the bombing.

abeyance n. in abeyance. pending, abeyant, reserved, in reserve,
shelved, pushed or shoved or shunted aside, postponed, put off,
suspended, US tabled; temporarily inactive, dormant; latent;
Colloq in a holding pattern, on the back burner; Slang on hold,
in the deep-freeze, on the shelf, on ice, hanging fire: Legal
proceedings were held in abeyance so that talks could take place

to reach an out-of-court settlement.

abhor v. hate, loathe, detest, abominate, execrate; regard or view
with horror or dread or fright or repugnance or loathing or
disgust, shudder at, recoil or shrink from; be or stand aghast
at: He said that he abhorred any violation of human rights.

abhorrent adj. hateful, detestable, abhorred, abominable, contemptible,
odious, loathsome, horrid, heinous, execrable, repugnant;
repulsive, repellent, revolting, offensive, disgusting,
horrifying, obnoxious: The idea of war was totally abhorrent to
her.

abide v. 1 stand, endure, suffer, submit to, bear, put up with,
accept, tolerate, brook: How can you abide the company of such
a fool? 2 live, stay, reside, dwell, sojourn: Local people
believe that the rain god abides in these mountains. 3 remain,
stay, continue, tarry; linger, rest: He'll abide in my care
till he can walk again. 4 abide by. consent to, agree to,
comply with, observe, acknowledge, obey, follow, submit to,
conform to, keep to, remain true to, stand firm by, adhere to,
hold to: You must abide by the rules of the club if you become
a member.


abiding adj. lasting, permanent, constant, steadfast, everlasting,
unending, eternal, enduring, indestructible; unchanging, fast,
hard and fast, fixed, firm, immutable, changeless: Her abiding
love is a solace to him.


ability n. 1 adeptness, aptitude, facility, faculty, capacity, power,
knack, proficiency, Colloq know-how: I have perceived your
ability to manipulate situations to your own advantage. 2
talent, skill, cleverness, capacity, wit, gift, genius,
capability: He has such extraordinary ability it is difficult
to see why he doesn't accomplish more. 3 abilities. faculty,
faculties, talent(s), gift(s), skill(s): Her abilities have
made her one of the finest cellists of our time.

ablaze adj. 1 aflame, afire, burning, on fire, alight, blazing: By
the time the firemen arrived, the roof was ablaze. 2 lit up,
alight, brilliantly or brightly-lit, sparkling, gleaming, aglow,
bright, brilliant, luminous, illuminated, radiant: The ballroom
was ablaze with the light from thousands of candles.


able adj. 1 capable, qualified, competent, proficient: I feel quite
able to take care of myself, thank you. He is an able tennis
player. 2 talented, clever, skilled, masterful, masterly; adept,
skilful, gifted, superior, expert, accomplished: There is no
doubt that Wellington was a very able general.

abnormal adj. 1 deviant, deviating, irregular, unusual, unconventional,
aberrant, Psych jargon exceptional: The wing of a bat is an
abnormal structure. 2 peculiar, unusual, odd, strange, queer,
freakish, unnatural, extraordinary, weird, eccentric, bizarre,
anomalous, aberrant, perverse, deviant, irregular, Colloq
offbeat, Slang oddball, kinky, weirdo: They certainly make the
contestants on that TV show do some very abnormal things.


abnormality
n. 1 irregularity, unconformity, unusualness, singularity,
eccentricity, unconventionality, uncommonness, deviation,
aberration, idiosyncrasy: The desire in a man to wear women's
clothing is viewed as an abnormality. 2 distortion, anomaly,
malformation, deformity: The child was born with an abnormality
of the right foot.

abode n. residence, dwelling, dwelling-place, house, home, domicile,
habitation, quarters, lodging, accommodation Military billet;
Colloq Brit digs, diggings: He was described as being of no
fixed abode.

abolish v. eliminate, end, put an end to, terminate, destroy,
annihilate, annul, void, make void, demolish, do away with,
nullify, repeal, cancel, obliterate, liquidate, destroy, stamp
out, quash, extinguish, erase, delete, expunge; eradicate,
extirpate, deracinate, uproot: The best way to abolish folly is
to spread wisdom. Prohibition in the US was abolished in 1933.


abolition n. elimination, end, termination, annulment, nullification,
repudiation, cancellation; destruction, annihilation: 1837
marks the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.


abominable
adj. 1 offensive, repugnant, repulsive, vile, monstrous,
loathsome, odious, execrable, detestable, despicable, base,
disgusting, nauseous, nauseating, foul, abhorrent, horrid,

deplorable: He was accused of crimes too abominable to detail
in open court. 2 terrible, unpleasant, disagreeable; awful,
distasteful, in bad taste, horrible, frightful , Colloq Brit
beastly: No one wants to go out in this abominable weather. The
d‚cor in this hotel is simply abominable.

aboriginal
n. native, indigene, autochthon; Colloq Australian Abo,
Offensive Australian aborigine , Slang Australian contemptuous
boong: Many aboriginals are not assimilated to modern life.

abound v. 1 prevail, thrive, flourish: Disease abounds among the
undernourished peoples of Africa. 2 abound in. be crowded or
packed or jammed with, be abundant or rich in, proliferate (in
or with): The ship abounds in conveniences. 3 abound with.
teem or swarm or throng with, be filled or infested with,
overflow with: The ship abounds with rats.

about adv. 1 round, around, close by, nearby, on every side: Gather
about, for I have something to tell you. 2 approximately,
around, nearly, roughly, more or less, almost, close to or upon;
give or take: In 1685 London had been, for about half a
century, the most populous capital in Europe. Light travels at
about 186,000 miles a second. 3 to and fro, up and down, back
and forth, here and there, hither and yon, far and wide, hither
and thither: He wandered about aimlessly for several days. 4
here and there, far and wide, hither and yon, hither and
thither, helter-skelter: My papers were scattered about as if a
tornado had struck. 5 around, prevalent, in the air: There is
a lot of flu about this year. 6 approximately, nearly, close
to, not far from, almost, just about, around: It is about time
you telephoned your mother.

--prep. 7 around, surrounding, encircling: There is a railing
about the monument. 8 round, around, all round, everywhere, in
all directions, all over: Please look about the room for my
hat. 9 near, nearby, adjacent to, beside, alongside, close by,
nigh: There were a lot of trees about the garden. 10 with, at
hand, Colloq on: I am sorry, but I haven't my cheque-book about
me. 11 touching, concerning, connected with, involving, in or
with reference to, in or with regard to, regarding, in the
matter of, with respect to, respecting, relative to, relating
to, apropos, Formal anent: He wrote a book about the Spanish

Armada.

about-turn
n. reversal, reverse, turn-about, turn-round, U-turn,
volte-face, US about-face: There has been a complete about-turn
in the policy concerning immigration.

above adv. 1 overhead, on high, aloft, in the sky or heavens: Far
above, the clouds scudded swiftly by. 2 upstairs: They lived
on the ground floor and the landlady lived above.

--prep. 3 on, on (the) top of, upon, over, atop: The plume of
smoke remained fixed above the volcano. He hasn't got a roof
above his head for the night. 4 over, more than, exceeding, in
excess of, beyond, greater than, surpassing: The operations are
controlled by gears, of which there are above fifty in number. 5
insusceptible to, unaffected by, out of reach of, not
susceptible or vulnerable or exposed to, superior to: The judge
is above bribery or other influence. 6 above all. before or
beyond everything, first of all, chiefly, primarily, in the
first place, mainly, essentially, at bottom: Above all, serve
God and country before you serve yourself.

above-board
adv. 1 openly, candidly, freely, publicly, frankly,
straightforwardly, plainly, for all to see, out in the open, in
the open: Donald has always dealt completely above-board with
everyone.


--adj. 2 open, candid, frank, straight, direct, honourable,
straightforward, forthright, guileless, undeceiving, artless,
ingenuous, undeceptive, undeceitful, straight from the shoulder;
honest, genuine: The company's dealings have always been
above-board.


abridge v. shorten, reduce, condense, cut, abbreviate, cut back, trim,
curtail, pare down, contract, compress, digest, summarize,
epitomize, abstract, US synopsize: We abridged the original
edition of 1000 pages to 480 pages.


abridgement
n. 1 shortening, reduction, abbreviation, condensation,
contraction, truncation, trimming: The abridgement took ten

years. 2 curtailment: We protested against the abridgement of
our right to picket. 3 digest, condensation, epitome,
compendium, concise edition or version, cut edition or version;
synopsis, abstract, summary, pr‚cis, outline, r‚sum‚: The
one-volume abridgement of the dictionary is easier to use.

abroad adv. 1 overseas, in foreign lands or parts: We were abroad on
assignment for a few years. 2 broadly, widely, at large, near
and far, far and wide, everywhere, extensively, publicly: Don't
spread rumours abroad. 3 outside, out of doors, away, out and
about: There are few people abroad this early in the morning.

abrupt adj. 1 sudden, hasty, quick, precipitate, snappy; unexpected,
unannounced, unplanned, unforeseen, unanticipated: The
general's abrupt departure has been linked with the
disappearance of a great deal of money. 2 precipitous, steep,
sheer, sudden: From the ridge there is an abrupt drop of 1000
metres into the valley. 3 curt, short, brusque, blunt, bluff,
gruff, uncivil, rude, discourteous, impolite, unceremonious,
snappish: My bank manager gave me an abrupt reply when I asked
for an increased overdraft.

absence n. 1 non-attendance, non-presence, non-appearance, truancy:
This is Jason's third absence from class in a week. She runs the
place in my absence. 2 lack, want, deficiency, non-existence;
insufficiency, scantiness, paucity, scarcity, dearth: In the
absence of new evidence, the matter must remain undecided.

absent adj. 1 away, out, off, elsewhere, not present, missing, gone:
Twenty people attended, but Harold was conspicuously absent. 2
missing, lacking, wanting, deficient: All warmth is absent from
her singing.

--v. 3 absent (oneself) from. keep or stay away from; withdraw
or retire from: He absented himself from the court during his
father's trial for murder. Absent thee from felicity awhile.

absent-minded
adj. preoccupied, inattentive, unattentive, absorbed,
unmindful, absent, off, withdrawn, unheeding, heedless,
unheedful, inadvertent; distracted, abstracted, day-dreaming, in
a brown study, in the clouds, unaware, oblivious, in a trance,
distrait(e), mooning, (far) away (somewhere), star-gazing,

wool-gathering: The absent-minded professor delivered his
lecture to an empty lecture hall.

absolute adj. 1 perfect, complete, total, finished, thorough,
through-and-through, consummate, flawless, faultless,
unadulterated, pure, unmixed, unalloyed, undiluted; rank: Alan
behaved like an absolute gentleman. 2 complete, outright,
downright, genuine, real, pure, out-and-out, transparent,
unmitigated, categorical, unqualified, unconditional, utter,
veritable, unconditioned: Peace is an absolute requirement for
prosperity. 3 unrestricted, unrestrained, unconstrained,
unlimited, unmitigated, arbitrary, despotic, dictatorial,
totalitarian, supreme, almighty, arbitrary, autocratic,
tyrannical: The days of absolute monarchy are numbered. 4
positive, certain, sure, unambiguous, unquestionable,
authoritative, verifiable, uncompromised: Few intelligent
people would claim absolute knowledge of anything.

absolutely
adv. 1 unqualifiedly, unconditionally, unreservedly,
unexceptionally, unequivocally, unquestionably, positively,
definitely, really, genuinely, decidedly, surely, truly,
certainly, categorically: She is absolutely the best dancer I
have ever seen. I absolutely refuse to go. 2 totally, utterly,
completely, entirely, fully, quite, altogether, wholly: It is
absolutely necessary that you undergo surgery.

--interj. 3 certainly, assuredly, positively, definitely, of
course, naturally, indubitably, yes, to be sure: 'Are you sure
you want to go?' 'Absolutely!'

absorbed adj. engrossed, lost, wrapped up, occupied, engaged, immersed,
buried, preoccupied, concentrating, rapt: He was absorbed in
his reading.


absorbing adj. engrossing, engaging, riveting, captivating, fascinating,
spellbinding, gripping: Maria was watching an absorbing
thriller on television.


abstract adj. 1 theoretical, unapplied, notional, ideational,
conceptual, metaphysical, unpractical, intellectual: It is
difficult to capture abstract ideas on paper. 2
non-representational, symbolic, non-realistic: Museums began

buying abstract art in the 1930s.

--n. 3 summary, epitome, synopsis, essence, digest,
condensation, survey, conspectus, extract; outline, pr‚cis,
r‚sum‚: By reading the abstracts, you can determine which
articles merit reading in full.

--v. 4 epitomize, abbreviate, digest, summarize, condense,
shorten, abridge, cut, cut down, US synopsize: The service
abstracts articles that appear in scientific journals.

absurd adj. 1 ridiculous, silly, nonsensical, senseless, outlandish,
preposterous, farcical, mad, stupid, foolish, idiotic, imbecilic
or imbecile, moronic, childish; laughable, ludicrous, risible,
inane, Colloq crazy, nutty, nuts , Chiefly Brit daft: The
notion that the moon is made of green cheese is absurd. 2
asinine, senseless, illogical, irrational, unreasoned,
unreasonable, incongruous, paradoxical, unsound, meaningless:
Today, most people view it absurd to believe that the earth is
flat.

absurdity n. 1 folly, silliness, ridiculousness, foolishness,
ludicrousness, nonsense, senselessness, meaninglessness,
illogicality, irrationality, unreasonableness, incongruity,
stupidity, Colloq craziness, nuttiness , Chiefly Brit daftness:
Many comics rely on absurdity rather than cleverness for humour.
2 paradox, self-contradiction, error, fallacy: No one can abide
the man's pretentiousness and other absurdities.


abundance n. overflow, superfluity, over-abundance, superabundance,
excess, surplus, oversupply, glut, satiety, over-sufficiency;
plenty, plenteousness, plentifulness, plenitude, copiousness,
profusion, Formal nimiety: The days when there was an abundance
of fresh drinking-water have come to an end.


abundant adj. 1 plentiful, overflowing, ample, copious, over-sufficient,
superabundant, plenteous, profuse, inexhaustible, replete,
bountiful, bounteous: The abundant rainfall fills the
reservoirs every day. 2 abounding (in), full (of), rich (in),
luxuriant, lavish: We know a stream that is abundant in trout.
The abundant vegetation of the rain forest is an ecological
wonder.

abuse v. 1 misuse, misemploy, pervert, misapply, exploit: The
officer abused his authority in ordering the forced march at
midnight. 2 maltreat, ill-use, injure, wrong, hurt, mistreat,
manhandle, ill-treat; damage: I cannot stand by and watch that
drunk abuse his wife and family. 3 malign, revile, censure,
upbraid, assail, objurgate, lambaste, berate, rebuke, scold,
reproach, disparage, traduce, defame, insult, swear at, curse
(at), calumniate, slander, libel, decry, deprecate, vilify, rail
against: In the report the director was abused in the most
virulent terms.

--n. 4 misuse, misusage, misemployment, perversion,
misapplication, misappropriation, Rhetoric catachresis: Beware
of imitating his abuse of the language. 5 addiction,
dependence: They are being treated for drug abuse at the local
clinic. 6 maltreatment, ill-treatment, ill use, fault: It
seemed perfectly natural that he should defend abuses by which
he profited. 7 self-abuse, self-pollution, masturbation,
violation, defilement; corruption: The schoolmasters
consistently lectured the boys against any abuse of themselves.
8 revilement, reviling, execration, vituperation, malediction,
imprecation, tongue-lashing, calumny, calumniation,
vilification, obloquy, scurrility, invective, maligning,
upbraiding, berating, objurgation, scolding; billingsgate: The
two parties, after exchanging a good deal of abuse, came to
blows.

abused adj. 1 misused: Permission to use the office copying machine
has become an abused privilege. 2 maltreated, ill-treated,
mistreated, hurt: It was explained that he had been an abused
child.

abusive adj. 1 insulting, scurrilous, vituperative, calumnious,
offensive, slanderous, libellous, defamatory, censorious,
opprobrious, disparaging, deprecatory, depreciatory, derogatory,
derisory, derisive, reviling, vilifying, vituperative,
reproachful; profane; rude, filthy, dirty, foul, vulgar,
obscene, smutty, vile, thersitical: The Crown refuses to
tolerate abusive satire directed at the king. If I hear another
word of abusive language out of you, I'll wash out your mouth
with soap! 2 perverted, misapplied, improper, wrong, incorrect;
exploitive, exploitative, exploitatory; brutal, cruel,
injurious, hurtful, harmful, destructive: Despite the abusive

treatment of wives, married women commanded much respect. 3
corrupt, venal, dishonest, crooked: The politicians exercised
abusive power over the townspeople.


abysmal adj. 1 awful, appalling, dreadful, terrible, profound: The
government of Nero presented a spectacle of abysmal degradation.
2 abyssal, bottomless, profound, unfathomable, unfathomed: The
abysmal depths have been plumbed in the diving bell.


abyss n. deep, abysm, bottomless gulf, yawning chasm, gaping void,
unfathomable cavity, impenetrable depth(s): The path led
straight down into the abyss. In the scandal the MP was plunged
into the abyss of disgrace.


1.2 academic...
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academic adj. 1 scholastic, collegiate; scholarly, learned, lettered,
erudite: Green's academic background qualifies him for the
professorship. The university began publishing academic
journals in the 19th century. 2 theoretical, hypothetical,
conjectural, speculative, abstract; ivory-tower, visionary,
idealistic; impractical, unrealistic, unpractical: The car
doesn't run, so the question of miles per gallon is purely
academic.

accent n. 1 emphasis, stress, force, prominence, accentuation;
intensity, inflection; cadence, beat: The accent is on the
second syllable in 'reward'. 2 diacritic, diacritical mark,
mark, accent mark: There is an acute accent on the 'e' in
'clich‚'. 3 pronunciation, articulation, intonation, speech
pattern, inflection: Even after forty years in the country, he
still speaks English with an Italian accent.


--v. 4 accentuate, emphasize, stress, give prominence to, mark,
underline, underscore, distinguish, highlight, set off or apart:
In her speech, the psychologist accented the 'id' in 'idiot'.
Why must he always accent the negative aspect of everything?


accept v. 1 receive, take, allow, permit: Sorry, but we cannot accept
any more applications. 2 accede (to), agree (to), assent (to),
consent (to), acknowledge, admit, allow, recognize: We accept

your request for a hearing. 3 assume, undertake, take on or up,
agree to bear: I'll accept the responsibility for replying. 4
reconcile oneself to, suffer, undergo, experience, stand,
withstand, stomach, endure, bear, resign oneself to, brook,
allow, tolerate, take: I think I have accepted enough criticism
for one day.

acceptable
adj. 1 satisfactory, adequate, tolerable, all right,
sufficient, admissible, passable, Colloq OK, okay: The bread
and meat were acceptable, but the beer was awful. 2 agreeable,
pleasing, welcome, satisfying, delightful, pleasant, pleasing:
Most people find her compliments quite acceptable.


accessible
adj. approachable, open, available, attainable, obtainable,
reachable, ready, at hand, Colloq get-at-able: The president is
always accessible to those seeking help. The mechanism is
accessible if the cover is removed.


accessory n. 1 extra, addition, adjunct, attachment, component, frill,
Slang bells and whistles, doodah, US and Canadian doodad: My
food processor has more accessories than I could ever need. 2
accessary, accomplice, helper, assistant, confederate,
colleague, abettor, aide, collaborator, co-conspirator,
conspirator, fellow-criminal, associate or partner in crime:
Although he did not rob the bank, he drove the getaway car,
which legally makes him an accessory before the fact. A seller
of stolen goods is an accessory after the fact.


--adj. 3 extra, subordinate, auxiliary, additional, ancillary,
supplemental, supplementary, secondary, adventitious, Formal
adscititious: For no apparent reason, the salamander grew an
accessory limb near its hind leg.


accident n. 1 mishap, misfortune, mischance, misadventure, blunder,
mistake; casualty, disaster, catastrophe, calamity: A high
percentage of the road accidents were caused by drunken drivers.
2 chance, fortune, luck, fortuity, fluke; serendipity: I came
across the gold ring by accident, when cleaning out a disused
cupboard. 3 non-essential, accessory or accessary, extra,
addition: Melancholy is an almost inseparable accident of old
age.


accidental
adj. chance, fortuitous, lucky, unlucky, serendipitous;
undesigned, unpremeditated, uncalculated, unintended,
unintentional, unwitting, inadvertent; unexpected, unplanned,
unforeseen, unanticipated, adventitious; casual, random: Our
meeting was entirely accidental.

accommodate
v. 1 fit, suit, adapt, adjust, modify; customize: I shall do
my best to accommodate the equipment to your needs. 2
harmonize, make consistent, reconcile, adapt: It is uncertain
whether his version of the incident can be accommodated to ours.
3 equip, supply, provide, furnish: Can you accommodate me with
five pounds till tomorrow? 4 put up, house, lodge, shelter,
quarter, Military billet: The innkeeper is unable to
accommodate us tonight. 5 suit, oblige, convenience, serve: I
was willing to accommodate you by selling your old car.


accommodating
adj. 1 obliging, cooperative, helpful, hospitable; considerate,
conciliatory, easy to deal with, pliant, yielding, compliant,
polite, friendly, complaisant, kind, kindly: The lady at the
complaints desk in the store was most accommodating. 2 pliable,
accessible, corruptible, subornable, get-at-able; bribable: If
you want to get off scot-free, we'll have to find an
accommodating judge.

accommodation
n. 1 adaptation, adjustment, modification, change, alteration,
conformation, conformity: Her skilful accommodation to her
boss's demands kept the peace in the office. 2 settlement,
treaty, compromise: Negotiations were now opened for an
accommodation between the belligerents. 3 convenience, favour:
Would you take the mail to the post office as an accommodation
to me? 4 lodging(s), room(s), quarters, shelter, housing;
facility, premises, Brit digs, US accommodations: We were able
to arrange for accommodation at the hotel. Have you seen our new
office accommodation? 5 loan, (financial) assistance or aid;
grant, grant-in-aid: The man was able to obtain an
accommodation from his brother-in-law.

accompany v. 1 convoy, escort, chaperon or chaperone, go along with;

attend; usher, squire: Allow me to accompany you to your taxi.
2 go (along) with, come with, be associated with, belong with,
go together with, be linked with: The roast was accompanied by
a bottle of claret.


accomplice
n. accessory or accessary, partner in crime, confederate, ally,
associate, colleague, fellow, henchman, collaborator,
conspirator, co-conspirator, abettor, assistant,
fellow-criminal, Colloq US cohort: The police arrested the
safe-cracker and three accomplices within hours of the robbery.

accomplish
v. fulfil, perform, achieve, carry out, execute, carry off, do,
complete, carry through, finish, effect, bring to an end,
conclude, wind up, end; attain, reach, gain; Colloq bring off,
knock off, polish off, Slang pull off, US swing, hack, cut: I
don't know how she accomplished it, but she sailed around the
world single-handed. Has he accomplished his goal yet?


accomplished
adj. consummate, perfect, expert, adept, skilful, proficient,
practised, gifted, talented, skilled, professional: Did you
know that she is also an accomplished flautist?


accomplishment
n. 1 fulfilment, consummation, completion, realization,
attainment, achievement, conclusion, culmination, realization:
After the accomplishment of the task they were all taken out to
celebrate. 2 coup, feat, exploit, triumph, tour de force: Among
her many accomplishments was climbing Mount Everest. 3 skill,
skilfulness, talent, gift, ability: Playing the violin is
another of his accomplishments.


accord v. 1 agree, harmonize, concur, be at one, correspond, agree, be
in harmony, be consistent, go (together), coincide, conform:
His principles and practices do not accord with one another.

--n. 2 agreement, unanimity, concord, reconciliation, harmony,
mutual understanding, conformity, accordance, rapport, concert:
The countries are in accord on a beneficial trade balance. 3
agreement, treaty, pact, contract: The accords will be signed
at the summit meeting in May. 4 agreement, harmony, congruence;

correspondence: The colours of the curtains are in perfect
accord with those of the carpet.

accordingly
adv. 1 hence, therefore, consequently, thus, in consequence
(where)of, (and) so: Smoking was forbidden; accordingly, we put
out our cigars. 2 suitably, in conformity, in compliance;
conformably, appropriately, compliantly: Dinner-jackets were
required, and the men dressed accordingly.


according to
adv.phr. 1 on the authority of, consistent with, in conformity
or agreement with, as said or believed or maintained etc. by:
We are going to play this game according to Hoyle. According to
his lawyer, he should never have been acquitted. 2 conformable
to, consistent with, in conformity with, commensurate with: The
queen greeted them in order, according to rank.

account v. 1 account for. explain, give a reason for, give or render a
reckoning for, answer for, justify, reckon for: The treasurer
has been able to account for every penny of expense. His desire
to conceal his background accounts for his secrecy.

--n. 2 calculation, accounting, reckoning, computation,
(financial) statement; enumeration: The accounts show that the
company has ample funds in reserve. Williams hasn't submitted
his expense account for the trip. 3 interest, profit, advantage,
benefit, favour; sake: Nigel turned his convalescence to good
account by writing a best seller. Don't read the book on my
account. 4 explanation, statement, description, report, recital,
narrative, history, chronicle: The defendant gave a credible
account of his whereabouts at the time of the crime. 5
consideration, use, worth, importance, consequence, note, value,
merit; standing, significance, estimation, esteem: The
committee decided that length of service is of some account in
determining retirement pensions. 6 story, narration, narrative,
report, tale, relation, description: Alice's account of the
rabbit wearing a waistcoat is unbelievable. 7 take into account
or take account of. notice, take note of, consider, take into
consideration, allow for: In passing sentence, the judge took
into account the child's poverty and the fact that it was
Christmas time.

accountability
n. answerability, responsibility, liability, culpability,
accountableness: In a democracy, there can be no reducing the
accountability of the government to the citizens.


accountable
adj. answerable, responsible, liable, obliged, obligated: I am
accountable to no man, but the greatest man in England is
accountable to me.


accumulate
v. collect, gather, amass, mass, pile or heap up, aggregate,
cumulate; assemble, store, stock, hoard, stockpile, put or lay
away: Overnight, the snow accumulated in six-foot drifts about
the house. Ill fares the land, to hast'ning ills a prey,/Where
wealth accumulates, and men decay.

accumulation
n. 1 collecting, amassing, gathering, piling or aggregation,
heaping up: One effect of the strike was the accumulation of
rubbish in the streets. 2 growth, increase, build-up: The
accumulation of wealth has never proved a valid purpose in life.
3 heap, pile, mass, collection, hoard, store, stockpile, stock,
aggregation; assemblage: Our gardener made sure that there was
an ample accumulation of compost.

accuracy n. exactness, correctness, Loosely precision, preciseness: The
translation from the Greek has been accomplished with great
accuracy. Rifling the inside of the barrel of a firearm
increases its accuracy.

accurate adj. 1 exact, correct, error-free, precise: She gave an
accurate description of the events. There is a nice distinction
between 'accurate' and 'precise'. 2 careful, meticulous, nice,
with an eye to or for detail, scrupulous, conscientious: Marvin
is a very accurate typist. 3 unerring, on target, Colloq on the
mark, spot on (target): This rifle is accurate if you allow for
the wind.


accusation
n. charge, allegation, indictment, charge, citation,
arraignment, complaint; imputation, incrimination, denunciation,
impeachment: The politician denied the accusation of having

accepted a bribe.

accuse v. 1 accuse (of or with). blame, censure, hold responsible
(for), charge (with), denounce (for), point the finger (at),
cite, call to account: She accused the Knave of Hearts of
lying. 2 accuse (of or with). charge, indict, impeach, arraign,
incriminate; attribute, impute: The prisoner is accused of
assault, criminal damage, and disorderly conduct.


accustom v. familiarize, acquaint, habituate, train, season; acclimatize
or acclimate: Start off by wearing your contact lenses for an
hour at a time in order to accustom your eyes to them. She soon
accustomed herself to the new surroundings.


accustomed
adj. 1 customary, habitual, usual, traditional, normal,
regular, set, routine, ordinary, familiar, wonted, common,
habituated: The old man took his accustomed place near the
fire. 2 used: I've grown accustomed to her face.


ache v. 1 pain, hurt, smart, throb, pound; sting: My jaw has been
aching since that tooth was extracted. 2 yearn, long, hunger,
hanker, pine; crave: A hostage for a year, he was aching to see
his wife and children.


--n. 3 pain, pang, throbbing, pounding, smarting, soreness: I
have had this ache in my back, Doctor, and I can't stand up
straight. 4 pang, pain; distress; longing: There's been an ache
in my heart, my darling, ever since you went away.


achieve v. 1 accomplish, carry out, execute, succeed in, complete,
fulfil, bring off or about; realize, effect: When the fund
reaches its goal, we shall have achieved our purpose. 2
accomplish, attain, reach, gain, get, acquire, win, obtain: She
achieved her ends by cheating and conniving.

achievement
n. 1 attainment, accomplishment, acquisition, acquirement: As
he was still in his thirties, the achievement of great fame
still lay ahead for him. 2 accomplishment, attainment, feat,
deed, exploit, victory: The winning of the Nobel prize was her
greatest achievement. 3 fulfilment, realization,
accomplishment, attainment, completion: What virtue lies more

in achievement than in the desire for it?

acknowledge
v. 1 admit, confess, allow, concede, own, recognize, accept,
accede, acquiesce; own up to: We acknowledge that we might have
been mistaken. She finally acknowledged my presence by looking
up. 2 answer, reply to, respond to, react to: She couldn't
possibly acknowledge personally every letter she receives.


acknowledgement
n. 1 acknowledging, confessing, admitting, owning, admission,
confession, avowal, affirmation: His acknowledgement of his
involvement in the crime saved the police a great deal of time.
2 approval, acceptance, recognition, allowance: By
acknowledgement of the parliament, the king was the commander of
the army and navy. 3 reply, response, answer, recognition: Our
acknowledgement will be in tomorrow's post.

acme n. peak, apex, top, summit, pinnacle, zenith; climax,
culmination: Roger has reached the acme of perfection as a
diamond-cutter.

acquaint n. acquaint with. familiarize with, inform of or about, make
aware of, apprise of, advise of: The management requires
employees to acquaint themselves with the safety rules.

acquaintance
n. 1 familiarity, knowledge, acquaintanceship, understanding,
awareness; experience: His acquaintance with the works of
Coleridge is sparse at best. 2 associate, fellow, colleague:
She's not a friend of mine, only an acquaintance.

acquainted
adj. 1 known to each other or one another, familiar with each
other or one another, on speaking terms: I have known Rory for
years, but his wife and I are not acquainted. 2 acquainted
with. familiar with, known to, aware of, informed of,
knowledgeable of, conversant with: I have studied trigonometry,
but I am not acquainted with calculus.


acquire v. get, obtain, gain, win, earn, procure, secure, come by or
into; receive, come into possession of; buy, purchase: He
acquired great wealth by marrying rich old dying widows.


acquisition
n. 1 obtaining, getting, acquiring, acquirement, gain,
procurement: The acquisition of property entails many
obligations. 2 possession(s), property, purchase; object: This
first edition is a recent acquisition.

act n. 1 deed, action, undertaking, operation, step, move; feat,
exploit; accomplishment, achievement: The first act of the new
commission was to ban smoking in public places. 2 performance,
show, bit, skit, stand, routine, turn, sketch, Colloq thing,
Slang US shtick: Stand-up comedians do their acts in
nightclubs. 3 performance, pretence, posture, stance, feigning,
front, fake, dissimulation, show, deception, hoax, affectation:
She didn't mean what she said - it was just an act. 4 bill,
law, decree, edict, statute, order, ordinance, command, mandate,
resolution, measure, enactment: Are the opening hours of public
houses in England regulated by act of Parliament?


--v. 5 behave (oneself), carry on, deport oneself, comport
oneself, conduct oneself: I don't know how she'll act when
we're in public. 6 perform, play, do: She is acting in the
West End. 7 portray, represent, impersonate, act out,
personify, take or play the part or role of, personate:
Reginald acts the fool whenever he has had too much to drink. 8
feign, pretend, counterfeit, fake, dissemble, make believe,
sham, simulate, dissimulate, posture: You may think him
sincere, but I know he is just acting. 9 take effect, work,
operate, function, perform: This drug will act only if taken
with meals.

action n. 1 activity, performance, movement, motion, energy,
liveliness, vim, vigour, spirit, vitality; enterprise,
initiative: Being a man of action, he hates just sitting and
reading. 2 influence, effect, power, force, strength: The
action of the moon's gravitational pull causes tides on earth.
3 deed, act, undertaking, exertion, exercise: The very action
of breathing caused me pain. 4 remedy, proceeding, process: If
they don't stop beating their dog we shall take action against
them. 5 fighting, combat: We saw action in the Far East. 6
fight, battle, engagement, encounter, clash, fray, sortie,
skirmish, affray: How many men were lost in last night's
action? 7 effect, effectiveness, activity, function,

performance, functioning, reaction: What is the action of
steroids on the lymph system? 8 actions. behaviour, conduct,
deportment, demeanour, ways, manner, manners: She must be held
responsible for her actions.


activate v. move, actuate, set in motion, get started, energize, get or
set going, start, initiate, switch or turn on, trigger;
motivate, rouse, arouse, prompt, stimulate, stir, mobilize,
animate, impel, galvanize, Colloq US light a fire under: The
sensor in the pavement activates the traffic signal. Her
enthusiasm activated him to go into business for himself.

active adj. 1 strenuous, vigorous, full, dynamic, physical; energetic,
lively, busy, brisk, bustling, occupied, on the move, Colloq on
the go, running: She is healthier for having led a very active
life. He always seems to be active. 2 acting, effective,
efficacious, effectual, working, functioning, operative, potent,
influential; powerful: The active ingredient in her medicine is
an antihistamine. 3 energetic, lively, hyperactive, animated,
spry, nimble, quick, agile, sprightly: There is no keeping up
with an active child.

activity n. 1 action, movement, motion, vigour, vim, energy, liveliness,
bustle: Last week there wasn't much activity in the stock
market. 2 pursuit, occupation, vocation, work, function,
operation, job, labour, endeavour, enterprise, project,
undertaking, venture, interest: What sort of business activity
are you engaged in?


actual adj. 1 existing, existent, real, genuine, factual, true,
authentic, verified, verifiable, true to life, manifest,
realized, realistic, Colloq solid: The actual cost of the
project turned out to be double the estimate. 2 present,
current, existent, real, genuine, physical, tangible: No
telescope has detected any actual volcanic eruption on the moon.

actually adv. really, in reality, in fact, in actuality, in point of
fact, in truth, absolutely, as a matter of fact, indeed, truly,
literally: The interest rates actually charged by banks may
vary from those quoted publicly.

acute adj. 1 sharp, pointed, narrow: The two roads meet at an acute
angle. 2 severe, intense, critical, crucial, dangerous, grave,

serious, severe: This is the ward for patients with acute
illnesses. 3 sharp, cutting, intense, severe, violent,
penetrating, exquisite, excruciating, fierce, shooting,
stabbing, piercing, sudden: The onset of the disease is marked
by acute pains in the abdomen. 4 keen, sharp, sensitive: The
bloodhound is known for its acute sense of smell. 5 keen,
sharp-witted, shrewd, clever, ingenious, astute, sharp, canny,
incisive, discerning, perceptive, perspicacious, intelligent,
penetrating, insightful, percipient, wise, sensitive,
discriminating; alert, aware, on the qui vive: Such a
circumstance could not be lost upon so acute an observer.

1.3 adapt...
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adapt v. 1 suit, fit, make suitable, qualify: The structure of the
outer ear is adapted to collect and concentrate the vibrations.
2 alter, modify, change, remodel, tailor, reshape, shape,
fashion; adjust, accommodate, accustom, acclimatize or
acclimate, habituate: He adapted the play from an old French
comedy. The whale adapts itself to great changes in pressure
when it dives thousands of feet.


adaptable adj. flexible, pliable, pliant, compliant, accommodative,
tractable, malleable, ductile, versatile; alterable, changeable:
Men, in general, are not as adaptable as women.

adaptation
n. 1 fitting, suiting, modifying, adjusting, conversion: In
1831 electricity was ripe for adaptation to practical purposes.
2 modification, change, adjustment, accommodation, reworking,
customization, alteration: She was responsible for the
adaptation of her short story to a television play.


add v. 1 join, unite, combine, annex: 5 + 3 denotes that 3 is to
be added to 5. 2 total, sum, sum up, combine, count up, reckon,
Brit tot (up), US tote (up): The computer can add all those
figures in a few seconds. 3 continue, go on: 'And I won't take
no for an answer', she added. 4 add to. increase, enlarge,
amplify, augment, supplement: His articles have added greatly
to his reputation as a financial analyst.

addict n. 1 (habitual) user, Slang junkie, dope-fiend, doper, head,
pot-head, acid-head, pill popper, tripper, Chiefly US hophead:
His contributions helped set up the halfway houses for addicts.
2 devotee, aficionado, fan, admirer, follower, adherent,
supporter, enthusiast, Colloq buff, hound, fiend, groupie, Slang
freak, bug, nut, teeny-bopper: She became a rock 'n' roll
addict in the '60s.

addition n. 1 adding, joining, putting together, uniting, combining:
The addition of this paragraph is uncalled for. 2 totalling,
adding up, summing-up, summation, counting up, reckoning,
totting up: You have made an error in addition. 3 addendum,
appendix, appendage, supplement, increment, augmentation,
extension: This addition contributes nothing to the manuscript.
4 extension, ell, Brit annexe, US annex, wing: We used our
lottery winnings to pay for an addition to the house.

--prep. 5 in addition to. as well as, besides, beyond, over and
above: In addition to books, the shop sold greetings cards.


---adv.phr. 6 in addition. moreover, furthermore, additionally,
besides, withal, to boot, in or into the bargain, too, also, as
well: We were compelled to exercise every morning and in
addition we went for a ten-mile run each Saturday.


address n. 1 speech, talk, discourse, oration, lecture; sermon: The
Prime Minister's address to the nation was broadcast last night.
2 location, whereabouts: She couldn't write to me because she
didn't have my address.


--v. 3 speak or talk to; deliver or give a speech to; lecture:
After the coup, the general addressed the crowd in the square.
4 greet, hail, accost, approach: She was addressing strangers
in the street to ask their views on women's rights. 5 address
oneself to. devote or direct or apply oneself to: After the
holidays, I again addressed myself to studying for examinations.

adept adj. 1 versed, proficient, skilled, well-skilled, expert,
accomplished, skilful or US skillful, adroit, dexterous or
dextrous, able, masterful, masterly, polished: She is an adept
pianist, and her husband is adept at carpentry.

--n. 2 expert, master, specialist, authority , Colloq dab hand,

old hand: He is an adept at anything that one does with one's
hands.

adequate adj. 1 sufficient, enough, ample; satisfactory, fitting, equal,
suitable: Is there language adequate to describe my feelings?
2 passable, fair, fair to middling, middling, average,
tolerable, (barely) acceptable, (barely) satisfactory, all
right, competent, not (at all) bad, so so , Colloq OK or okay,
up to snuff, not that or too bad, no great shakes: The music
was good, the band only adequate. 3 equal, suitable, suited,
fitted, up, proper, qualified, competent, good enough: Johnson
was unsure that he was adequate to the task at hand.

adjoining adj. neighbouring, contiguous (to), adjacent (to), abutting,
bordering, next (to): We have bought the adjoining house. The
land adjoining the supermarket is for sale.

adjust v. 1 set right, arrange, settle, harmonize, reconcile, resolve,
set or put to rights; arbitrate, mediate; redress, rectify,
correct, patch up: Four were named on each side to adjust their
differences. 2 change, alter, modify, regulate, set: After he
adjusted the pendulum, the clock kept good time. 3 adapt (to),
accommodate (oneself) (to), accustom (oneself) (to); get used
(to), acclimatize or acclimate (to), reconcile (oneself) (to):
If she travels a distance east or west, it takes her a few days
to adjust to the local time. Army life was very different, but I
was able to adjust quickly. 4 put in order, arrange, rearrange,
close or fasten or zip or button (up): She adjusted the
children's coats and did up their shoes.


adjustment
n. 1 adjusting, altering, alteration, setting, regulating,
regulation, setting or putting right or aright or to rights,
correcting, correction, calibrating, calibration; tuning: The
adjustment of the clocks is my responsibility. 2 arrangement,
balance, coordination, order, alignment, harmony, harmonization:
The inspector requires everything to be in perfect adjustment.

administer
v. 1 administrate, manage, control, run, direct, conduct,
superintend, supervise, oversee: The president said that she
had administered the department well during her year as its
head. 2 execute, carry on, carry out; apply, implement,

prosecute: It is the responsibility of the police to administer
the law, not to make it. 3 dispense, supply, furnish, give
(out), provide (with), mete out, distribute, deliver, deal, hand
out: Doctors sometimes administer drugs that have side effects.


administration
n. 1 management, direction, conduct, supervision, oversight,
superintendence, regulation, charge: Lord Hampden was given
administration of her affairs till she came of age. 2 authority,
management, US government: The current administration is in
favour of a better health programme. 3 dispensation,
administering, supplying, furnishing, provision, delivery,
distribution, application: The judge is charged with the
administration of justice.


admirable adj. wonderful, awe-inspiring, excellent, estimable, splendid,
marvellous, superior, first-rate, first-class, of the first
water, great, fine, Colloq top-drawer, ripsnorting, A-1, Brit
smashing, magic: His performance in Harper's new play is
admirable.

admiration
n. wonder, awe; delight, pleasure; esteem, regard,
appreciation, respect: She is lost in admiration of her
mother's latest painting. Randolph was presented with a gold
medal as a token of his colleagues' admiration.

admire v. 1 wonder or marvel (at), delight in: Typically, he most
admires people who are wealthy. 2 esteem, regard or respect
highly, look up to, revere, idolize, venerate, worship: The
queen is one of the most admired people in the country.

admirer n. 1 devotee, aficionado, fan, supporter, enthusiast, adherent,
follower Slang groupie: Rock stars always seem to be
accompanied by a retinue of admirers. 2 beau, suitor; lover,
sweetheart, darling: Scarlett was always surrounded by many
admirers.

admission n. 1 access, admittance, entr‚e, entry: The special card gives
me admission to the rare book room of the library. 2 reception,
acceptance, appointment, institution, induction, installation,
investiture: The committee has at last approved the admission
of women into the society. 3 acknowledging, acknowledgement or

acknowledgment, allowing, allowance, admitting, admittance,
conceding, concession: The court refuses to consider the
admission of testimony taken under duress. 4 acknowledgement,
confession, concession, profession, declaration, disclosure,
affirmation, concession, divulgence or divulgement, revelation:
The police were able to extract an admission of guilt from the
suspect. 5 ticket, (entry or entrance) fee, tariff: Admission
is free for senior citizens.


admit v. 1 let in, allow to enter, take or allow in; accept, receive:
I opened the window to admit some air. The harbour is too small
to admit even one more ship. 2 allow, permit, grant, brook,
tolerate: The governor will admit no delay in the execution of
the sentence, and the prisoner will be hanged at dawn. 3 accept,
concede, acquiesce, allow, grant, accept, recognize, take
cognizance of: Descartes' principle admitted nothing but what
his own consciousness obliged him to admit. 4 confess, own,
concede, divulge, reveal, acknowledge, declare: She readily
admitted to having incited the riot.


admittance
n. leave or permission to enter, entry, entering, entrance,
access, entr‚e: Admittance to the club is restricted to
members.


adolescent
n. 1 teenager, youth, juvenile, minor, stripling, youngster, US
teen, Colloq kid; Slang teeny-bopper: A group of adolescents
volunteered to work at the home for the elderly.


--adj. 2 teenaged, young, youthful, maturing, pubescent;
immature, puerile, juvenile: Adolescent growth is often
dramatic, a gain of two inches in height being not unusual.


adopt v. 1 take (in), accept, take or accept as one's own: Carol and
her husband have adopted two children. 2 take, take up or on or
over, embrace, espouse; arrogate, appropriate: All Hugh's ideas
are adopted from others - he's never had one of his own.


adorable adj. lovable, beloved, loved, darling, sweet, dear; delightful,
appealing, attractive, charming, captivating, fetching: To look
at him now, it is hard to imagine what an adorable child he once
was.


adore v. 1 esteem, honour, respect, admire; idolize, dote on: An
entire generation adored the Beatles. 2 worship, venerate,
reverence, revere, exalt; hallow: O! Come let us adore him -
Christ, the Lord! 3 love, be in love with, cherish, fancy,
revere, adulate, Colloq have a crush on, carry the or a torch
for: Katie just adores the captain of the football team at
school.


adult adj. 1 mature, grown (up), full-grown, matured, of age: Now
that you are adult, you come into a large inheritance.

--n. 2 grown-up: Tiger cubs are cute, but the adults are very
dangerous.


adulterate
v. falsify, corrupt, alloy, debase, water (down), weaken,
dilute, bastardize, contaminate, pollute, taint, Colloq doctor;
Slang US cut: Adulterated rape seed oil was found to have
caused the deaths of more than 600 people.

advance v. 1 move or put or push or go forward; approach: Man has
advanced the frontier of physical science. The battalion
advanced towards the fort with guns blazing. 2 further, promote,
forward, help, aid, abet, assist, benefit, improve; contribute
to: The terrorists' dynamiting of the school has done nothing
to advance their cause. 3 go or move forward, move (onward), go
on, proceed, get ahead: As people advance in life, they acquire
what is better than admiration - judgement. 4 hasten,
accelerate, speed: We have advanced the date of our departure
from December to October. 5 move up, promote: In less than a
year, Mrs Leland has been advanced from supervisor to manager of
the production department. 6 prepay, lend: Could you advance me
some money till pay-day?


--n. 7 progress, development, progress, forward movement;
improvement, betterment; headway: Who has done more for the
advance of knowledge? 8 rise, increase, appreciation: Any
advance in prices at this time would reduce our sales. 9
prepayment, deposit; loan: I cannot understand why George is
always asking for an advance on his allowance. 10 in advance. a
beforehand, ahead (of time), before: You will have to make
reservations well in advance. b before, in front (of), ahead

(of), beyond: The colonel rode in advance of the cavalry.

advantage n. 1 superiority, upper hand, dominance, edge, head start;
sway; Colloq US and New Zealand drop: After a year, the
advantage was with the Royalists. His height gives him an
advantage at basketball. 2 gain, profit, benefit, interest;
asset, betterment, improvement, advancement; use, usefulness,
utility, help, service: I have information that will be of
advantage to her. 3 to advantage. better, (more) favourably,
advantageously: The dress sets off her figure to advantage.

advantageous
adj. profitable, worthwhile, gainful, opportune, beneficial,
favourable, useful, valuable: The minister signed an
advantageous treaty of commerce with Russia.

adventure n. 1 exploit, escapade, danger, peril; affair, undertaking,
feat, deed; experience, incident, event, occurrence, happening,
episode: We shared many wartime adventures. 2 speculation,
hazard, chance, risk, venture, enterprise: I lost a fortune in
some of his financial adventures.

--v. 3 venture, hazard, risk, imperil, endanger, jeopardize,
threaten: Would you adventure your pension money in such a
scheme? 4 dare, wager, bet, gamble, stake, try one's luck, Brit
punt: She adventured a whole week's salary on the pools.

adventurer
n. 1 adventuress, soldier of fortune, swashbuckler, hero,
heroine, daredevil; mercenary: Errol Flynn often played the
role of the adventurer. 2 adventuress, cheat, swindler,
charlatan, trickster, rogue, scoundrel, knave; cad, bounder,
philanderer, fortune-hunter, opportunist: That adventuress is
just after Nelson's money.


adventurous
adj. daring, rash, brash, reckless, devil-may-care, bold,
foolhardy, hazardous, risky, daredevil, venturesome,
adventuresome, temerarious, audacious, bold, intrepid, brave,
courageous: She was adventurous enough to sail round the world
single-handed.

adversary n. 1 foe, enemy, opponent, antagonist, competitor, rival:

Before beginning to fight, each adversary sized up the other.

--adj. 2 opposed, hostile, antagonistic, competitive: Why does
she always take the adversary position in every argument?


advertisement
n. 1 notice, handbill, blurb, broadside, bill, circular,
brochure, poster, placard, classified, commercial, spot
(announcement), US car-card, Colloq ad, plug, Brit advert: The
company has placed advertisements in all major media. 2
advertising, promotion; publicity; propaganda, ballyhoo,
hoop-la, Colloq hype, beating the drum, US puffery:
Advertisement on TV may be very effective, but it is very
expensive.


advice n. 1 counsel, guidance, recommendation, suggestion, opinion,
view; warning, admonition, Technical par‘nesis: His solicitor's
advice is to say nothing. 2 information, news, intelligence,
notice, notification; communication: Advice has reached the
police that a shipment of arms will leave Dover tonight.

advisable adj. recommendable, expedient, prudent, practical, sensible,
sound, seemly, judicious, wise, intelligent, smart, proper,
politic: It would be advisable for you to keep out of sight for
a few days.

advise v. 1 counsel, guide, recommend, suggest, commend; caution,
admonish, warn; urge, encourage: I advised him to be careful
driving at night in that area. 2 tell, announce (to), inform,
apprise, register, make known (to), intimate (to), notify: We
advised her of our disapproval. The police have advised the
defendants of their rights.

adviser n. counsellor, mentor, guide, cicerone, counsel, consultant,
confidant(e): The chairman always consults his advisers before
making a decision.

advisory adj. 1 consultive, consultative, counselling, hortatory,
monitory, admonitory, Technical par‘netic(al): Our firm has
been engaged in an advisory capacity on the privatization of the
utility companies.

--n. 2 bulletin, notice, warning, admonition, prediction: The

Weather Office has issued a storm advisory for the weekend.

advocate v. 1 support, champion, back, endorse, uphold, recommend, stand
behind, second, favour, speak or plead or argue for or in favour
of: Don't you advocate the policies of the Party?

--n. 2 supporter, champion, backer, upholder, second, exponent,
proponent, patron, defender, apologist: She is an enthusiastic
advocate of free speech. 3 lawyer, counsel; intercessor; Brit
barrister, solicitor, US attorney, counselor-at-law: The
advocate for the opposition is not in court.

1.4 aesthete...
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aesthete n. connoisseur, art-lover, lover of beauty, aesthetician or
esthetician, US tastemaker: It was the aesthetes who set the
standard for the art purchased by the museum.


aesthetic adj. 1 artistic, tasteful, beautiful; in good, excellent, etc.
taste: Daphne always does such aesthetic flower arrangements.
2 sensitive, artistic, refined, discriminating, cultivated:
These paintings might be realistic, but they are an aesthetic
disaster.

1.5 affair...
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affair n. 1 matter, topic, issue; business, concern, interest,
undertaking, activity: These are affairs of state and require
the approval of a minister. 2 concern, business, Slang US
beeswax: Who wiped the fingerprints off the weapon is none of
your affair. 3 event, business, occurrence, happening,
proceeding, incident, operation: Last night's farewell party
was truly a dull affair. 4 Also, affaire. love affair, amour,
romance, intrigue, fling, liaison, relationship, affaire
d'amour, affaire de coeur: Lady Constance is having an affair
with the gamekeeper.

affectฐ v. 1 attack, act upon, lay hold of, strike: Arthritis has
affected his hands and he can no longer play the piano. 2 move,

stir, impress, touch, strike; perturb, upset, trouble, agitate:
The sportsman was not affected by all the taunts and jeers. 3
influence, sway, change, transform, modify, alter: Her sudden
fame has affected her view of herself.


affect v. 1 assume, adopt, put on, pretend (to), feign, sham, fake,
counterfeit: Charles affects a knowledge of high finance. 2
choose, select; use, wear, adopt: He affected a striped blazer
and a boater which he wore at a jaunty angle.


affectation
n. 1 affectedness, pretentiousness, artificiality, insincerity,
posturing: She behaves with so much affectation that I never
can be sure of her real feelings. 2 pretence, simulation, false
display, show, front, pose, pretension, fa‡ade; act, airs: Some
people's charitable concern for others is mere affectation.
Using a long cigarette-holder is one of her many affectations.

affected adj. 1 unnatural, artificial, specious, stilted, stiff,
studied, awkward, non-natural, contrived, mannered: Dryden
found Shakespeare's style stiff and affected. 2 pretended,
simulated, hollow, assumed, feigned, fake, faked, false,
counterfeit, insincere, spurious, sham, bogus, Colloq phoney or
US also phony: The heir's affected grief concealed his secret
exultation. 3 pretentious, pompous, high-sounding, mincing,
niminy-piminy, Colloq la-di-da orlah-di-dah or la-de-da:
Oliver's affected airs were enough to make his classmates detest
him. 4 attacked, seized, afflicted, stricken, gripped, touched;
diseased, laid hold of: Her affected lungs never quite
recovered. 5 afflicted, moved, touched, stirred, distressed,
troubled, upset, hurt; influenced, swayed, impressed, struck,
played or worked or acted upon: Many affected theatre-goers
enjoyed her performances.


affection n. goodwill, (high) regard, liking, fondness, attachment,
loving attachment, tenderness, warmth, love: The affection she
felt towards her stepchildren was returned many times over.

affectionate
adj. fond, loving, tender, caring, devoted, doting, warm: She
gave her mother an affectionate embrace and boarded the train.

affiliated

adj. associated; attached, connected, combined, united, joined:
For our members' convenience, the club is now affiliated with
one that serves meals.


affinity n. 1 relationship, kinship, closeness, alliance, connection or
Brit connexion; sympathy, rapport: He felt an affinity with
other redheaded people. 2 friendliness, fondness, liking,
leaning, bent, inclination, taste, partiality, attractiveness,
attraction: I have an affinity for the sea.


afflict v. affect, bother, distress, oppress, trouble, torment: Last
winter's intense cold afflicted everyone, but those in the north
especially.


affliction
n. 1 hardship, misery, misfortune, distress, ordeal, trial,
tribulation, adversity, suffering, woe, pain, grief, distress,
torment, wretchedness: Moses saw the affliction of his people
in Egypt. 2 curse, disease, calamity, catastrophe, disaster,
plague, scourge, tribulation, trouble: He often observed that
greed was the affliction of the middle class.

afford v. 1 have the means, be able or rich enough, manage, bear the
expense, pay, provide: We cannot afford to send the children to
better schools. 2 give, spare, give up, contribute, donate;
sacrifice: The loss of a single day's work was more than I
could afford. 3 yield, give, supply, produce, provide, furnish,
grant, offer; give forth: May kind heaven afford him
everlasting rest. The poems afford no explanation.


afoul adv. afoul of. entangled with, in trouble with, in conflict
with, at odds with: Barbara fell afoul of the new tax
regulations.


afraid adj. 1 fearful, frightened, scared, intimidated, apprehensive,
lily-livered, white-livered, terrified, panic-stricken,
faint-hearted, weak-kneed, timid, timorous, nervous, anxious,
jittery, on edge, edgy, jumpy; cowardly, pusillanimous, craven,
Colloq yellow: Don't be afraid, the dog won't bite you. 2
sorry, unhappy, regretful, apologetic, rueful: I'm afraid I
cannot help you find a cheap flat in London.

1.6 age...

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age n. 1 lifetime, duration, length of existence; life-span: The
age of a stag is judged chiefly by its antlers. She was sixteen
years of age. 2 maturity, discretion; majority, adulthood,
seniority: When he comes of age he will inherit millions. 3
period, stage, time: Among these people, both boys and girls
undergo rites of passage at the age of puberty. He is a man of
middle age. 4 long time, aeon or esp. US eon; years: I haven't
seen you for an age! The noise went on for ages. 5 era, epoch,
period, time: The 18th century was known as the Augustan Age in
England.


--v. 6 grow old(er), mature, ripen: O, Matilda, I age too fast
for my years! You must first age the whisky in the barrel, then
bottle it.

aged adj. old, elderly, superannuated, ancient, age-old, grey,
venerable: The three aged women crouched in their chairs, each
with her own memories.

agency n. means, medium, instrumentality; intervention, intercession,
action, intermediation; operation, mechanism, force, power,
activity, working(s), energy: Pollen is carried from flower to
flower by the agency of certain insects.

agent n. 1 representative, intermediary, go-between, proxy, emissary,
delegate, spokesman, spokeswoman, spokesperson, deputy,
substitute, surrogate, advocate, emissary, legate, envoy,
factor: Our agent in Tokyo will look after the matter for you.
2 factor, agency, cause, means, force, instrument, power,
vehicle, ingredient: The active agent in this cleaner is
ammonia.


aggravate v. 1 worsen, intensify, exacerbate, heighten, magnify,
increase; inflame: They introduce new problems and aggravate
the old ones. 2 exasperate, frustrate; anger, incense,
infuriate; provoke, irritate, nettle, rile, vex, annoy, harass,
hector, bother; embitter, rankle, Colloq peeve, needle, get on
one's nerves; Slang Brit give (someone) aggro: Threats only
serve to aggravate people.

aggression
n. 1 aggressiveness, hostility, belligerence, combativeness,
Slang Brit aggro: The mere crossing of the river is an act of
aggression. 2 attack, assault, onslaught, invasion,
encroachment: The conflict had become a war of aggression.

aggressive
adj. 1 combative, warlike, martial, belligerent, bellicose,
pugnacious, quarrelsome, disputatious, litigious; hostile,
unfriendly: The Germanic tribes were known to the Romans as
aggressive and hardened warriors. 2 forward, assertive,
forceful, bold, Colloq pushy: Dennis's aggressive nature may
yet make him a good salesman.


aggressor n. assailant, attacker, instigator, initiator, provoker;
belligerent: You will find that the Nazis were the aggressors
in Poland in 1939.

agile adj. 1 nimble, quick, brisk, swift, active, lively, lithe,
limber, spry, sprightly: Sofia is an agile dancer. 2 keen,
sharp, alert, dexterous or dextrous, resourceful, acute: With
his agile mind Richard was able to solve the problems in no time
at all.


agitate v. 1 excite, arouse, rouse, move, perturb, stir up, disquiet,
fluster, ruffle, rattle, disconcert, discomfit, unsettle, upset,
rock, unnerve, shake (up), Colloq discombobulate: Rachel was
agitated to learn of the bank's threat to foreclose on the
mortgage. 2 push, press, campaign; promote: The miners have
been agitating for better safety measures. 3 stir (up), churn,
disturb, shake, roil: The calm lake was agitated by the motor
boats.

agitated adj. moved, stirred (up), shaken (up), rattled, disturbed,
upset, nervous, perturbed, jittery, jumpy, uneasy, ill at ease,
fidgety, disquieted, discomfited, ruffled, flustered, unsettled,
unnerved, wrought up, discomposed, disconcerted, aroused,
roused, excited, Colloq discombobulated: The sheriff was in a
very agitated state about the mob forming outside the jail.


agitation n. 1 shaking, disturbance, churning, stirring, turbulence: The
agitation made the solution become cloudy. 2 excitement,
arousal, rabble-rousing, provocation, stirring up, incitement,

ferment, stimulation, over-stimulation, commotion: The
organized agitation of the crowds continued for weeks after the
coup.


agitator n. activist, rabble-rouser, incendiary, agent provocateur,
insurrectionist, troublemaker, demagogue, firebrand: The
opposition party hires professional agitators to incite the
people to riot.


agog adj. eager, avid, keen, enthusiastic, expectant, impatient,
breathless: The children were all agog waiting for Santa Claus
to come.

agonizing adj. painful, distressful, distressing, harrowing, torturous,
racking, excruciating, tortured, tormented: We went through an
agonizing reappraisal of our policy on immigration.

agony n. anguish, trouble, distress, suffering, misery, wretchedness,
pain, pangs, woe, torment, throes, torture, affliction: For two
days his parents experienced the agony of not knowing whether he
was dead or alive.

agree v. 1 concur, conform, come or go together, coincide,
correspond, harmonize, reconcile; accord, tally, Colloq jibe:
At last my cheque-book agrees with my bank statement! 2 Often,
agree to. consent to, favour, acquiesce in or to, approve of,
accede to, assent to: They finally agreed to our offer. We
agreed terms with respect to the contract. 3 concede, grant,
consent, admit, approve, allow, accept, concur; accede (to),
acquiesce (in or to), assent (to), see eye to eye: The
committee agreed that she should be given time to comply with
the request. I objected and they agreed with me. 4 agree with.
suit: The climate in England agrees with me, strange to say.


agreeable adj. 1 pleasing, pleasant, enjoyable, pleasurable, favourable,
delightful, satisfying, satisfactory, good, nice, acceptable; to
one's liking or taste: He found the Caribbean an agreeable
place for a holiday. 2 in favour, approving, willing,
consenting, acquiescent, complying, compliant, in agreement or
accord, concurring, amenable, sympathetic, well-disposed;
accommodating, accommodative: If Anne's agreeable, we can leave
tomorrow.

agreement n. 1 understanding, covenant, treaty, pact, accord, compact,
settlement, concordat; contract, bargain, Colloq deal: They
drew up a ten-year agreement to be signed at the summit in
Geneva. 2 concord, harmony, compatibility, unity, concurrence,
unanimity: Agreement in error is far worse than division for
the sake of truth.

1.7 ahead
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ahead adv. 1 at the or in front, in advance, in the lead or vanguard,
up ahead, before, to the fore: The general rode ahead. 2
winning: At half time, our team was ahead by two points. 3
onward(s), forward(s), on: Please move ahead if you can.

1.8 aid...
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aid v. 1 help, support, assist, facilitate, back, abet, uphold,
promote; succour, relieve, subsidize: The invasion was aided by
Richard's subjects. He salved his conscience by aiding a local
charity.


--n. 2 help, support, assistance, backing, relief, benefit,
service, succour, comfort: He was convicted of giving aid to
the enemy in time of war. 3 funding, subsidy, subvention;
grant-money, grant, grant-in-aid, scholarship: He could never
have gone to university without aid from the endowment.

aide n. aide-de-camp, assistant, helper, coadjutor; good or strong
right arm, right hand, right-hand man; colleague, partner, ally,
comrade, comrade-in-arms, US cohort , Colloq man Friday, girl
Friday, US gal Friday: The general's aides are always at his
side.

ail v. 1 trouble, afflict, affect, bother, distress, upset, worry,
make ill or sick, pain, hurt: I cannot imagine what ails him,
and the doctor can find nothing wrong. 2 suffer, be or feel ill
or poorly or unwell or indisposed, US be sick: Granny has been
ailing lately.

ailment n. illness, sickness, affliction, disease, disorder,
indisposition, malady; disability, infirmity; malaise,
queasiness: Granny's ailment has been diagnosed as influenza.


aim v. 1 direct, point, focus, train, level: The guns of the fort
are aimed at the narrow pass. 2 aim at. focus on, have designs
on, aspire to, plan for or on, set one's sights on, seek, strive
for, try for, wish, want: Edward aimed at absolute dominion
over that kingdom. 3 seek, intend, plan: I aim to retire at
fifty, if not before.

--n. 4 direction, pointing, focus, focusing or focussing,
sighting: His aim is so bad that he can't hit the side of a
barn with a shotgun. 5 purpose, goal, ambition, desire,
aspiration, object, end, objective, target, intent, intention,
plan: It was never her aim in life to be rich. The aim of the
book is set forth in the Foreword.

aimless adj. 1 purposeless, pointless, frivolous: After receiving the
inheritance she led an aimless life of ease and luxury. 2
undirected, erratic, chance, haphazard, random, vagrant,
wayward; wanton: We were annoyed by the tourists' aimless
meandering round the village.


air n. 1 atmosphere, ambience, aura, climate, feeling, sense, mood,
quality: This restaurant has a delightful air about it. 2
breeze, zephyr, current, draught; breath, puff, wind: Light
airs sprang up from the south. 3 manner, style, appearance,
aura, feeling, bearing, quality, flavour: Louis has a
lugubrious air about him. 4 melody, tune, song, music: She was
humming airs from some Italian opera. 5 airs. pretension,
pretence, show, affectedness; haughtiness, hauteur, arrogance,
superiority, superciliousness: He puts on such airs since he
got his knighthood.


--v. 6 ventilate, freshen, refresh, aerate: The chambermaid is
airing the room, so you can't go in now. 7 show off, parade,
display, exhibit; publish, broadcast, circulate, publicize, make
public or known, reveal, expose, disclose, divulge, tell,
express, declare: Once again Andrew is airing his views on
modern art.

1.9 akin

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akin adj. Usually, akin to. related (to), allied or connected or
affiliated (to or with), associated (with), germane (to), like,
alike, similar (to): Desultoriness is akin to indolence. Their
decision not to show the film smacks of something akin to
censorship.


1.10 alarm...
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alarm n. 1 warning, alert, danger- or distress-signal; tocsin, bell,
gong, siren, whistle, horn: At the approach of the storm, the
lookouts gave the alarm. The alarm is set to wake me at four
o'clock. 2 fear, fright, apprehension, dismay, trepidation,
terror, dread, anxiety, excitement, panic, consternation,
distress, nervousness, uneasiness, discomfort: He viewed with
alarm the arrest of his next-door neighbours.

--v. 3 frighten, scare, daunt, startle, terrify, panic;
unnerve, dismay, disturb, upset: She was alarmed at the news of
the car crash. Don't be alarmed - such delays are quite normal.


alcohol n. spirits, liquor, the bottle, the cup that cheers, demon rum,
John Barleycorn, Colloq booze, hard stuff, juice, moonshine,
fire-water, Slang rot-gut, US and Canadian hooch: Alcohol and
driving do not mix.


alcoholic adj. 1 intoxicating, inebriating: His doctor has forbidden him
any alcoholic beverage.

--n. 2 drunkard, drunk, dipsomaniac, sot, toper, drinker,
winebibber, serious or problem drinker, tippler, Colloq barfly,
soak, Slang boozer, alchy or alkie or alky, dipso, stew, rummy,
US and Canadian lush, booze-hound, wino: The community runs a
centre for rehabilitating alcoholics.


alert adj. 1 awake, wide awake, watchful, vigilant, attentive,
heedful, wary, cautious, on the qui vive, aware, on guard, on
the lookout, observant, Colloq on the ball, on one's toes: The
sentinels must remain alert throughout the night. Kenneth is

alert to the perils of smoking cigarettes. 2 active, nimble,
lively, agile, active, quick, spry, sprightly, vivacious: He is
an alert and joyous old soul.


--n. 3 lookout: She is always on the alert for new ways of
saving money. 4 alarm, warning, signal, siren: Sound the
air-raid alert!

--v. 5 warn, caution, advise, alarm, forewarn, signal, notify:
We must alert him to the fact that the man is a vicious killer.

alibi n. 1 excuse, explanation: Your alibi places you very close to
the scene of the crime.


--v. 2 excuse, explain: Caught red-handed, she couldn't alibi
her way out of it.

alien adj. 1 foreign, strange, exotic, outlandish, unfamiliar: The
customs of the country were alien to me.


--n. 2 foreigner, stranger, outlander, outsider, non-native,
immigrant, newcomer: Aliens are required to register during
January.


alienate v. Usually, alienate from. disabuse (of or from), wean away
(from), detach (from), distance (from): Gradually the villagers
were alienated from their old animistic beliefs.

alike adj. 1 similar, akin, resembling or like one another, akin to
or similar to one another, showing or exhibiting a resemblance:
They began to think all religions were alike.

--adv. 2 in like manner, in the same manner or way, similarly,
equally, uniformly, identically: She believes that all people
should be treated alike.

alive adj. 1 living, live, breathing, among the living, in the land
of the living: My great-grandfather is still alive, in spite of
years of defying medical advice. 2 alive to. sensitive or alert
to, aware or conscious of, aware or cognizant of: She is alive
to every slight nuance in the poem. 3 alert, active, lively,
vivacious, quick, spirited, animated, brisk, spry, sprightly,
vigorous, energetic: Look alive, my lads, and hoist away! 4

astir, teeming, swarming, thronging, crowded, packed, buzzing,
crawling, jumping, bustling, humming, Colloq lousy: In a few
minutes the water around the corpse was alive with deadly
piranha.


allegation
n. charge, accusation, complaint; assertion, avowal,
asseveration, claim, declaration, statement, deposition: I
resent the allegation that I don't bath often enough.


allege v. declare, aver, state, assert, charge, affirm, avow,
asseverate, depose, say: The guard alleged that he had caught
the boy climbing in a basement window.


alleged adj. described, designated; claimed, avowed, stated; purported,
so-called, suspected, supposed, assumed, presumed; hypothetical,
conjectural: The press reported that the alleged assailant had
confessed. He is awaiting trial for his alleged involvement in
the bombing.


alliance n. 1 union, confederation, combination, federation, pact,
league, association, coalition, affiliation, connection, bond;
unity, affinity: The alliance between the two empires has been
faithfully maintained. 2 marriage, affinity: The alliance
between the two families was welded by the children born of it.

allot v. distribute, apportion, allocate, earmark, assign, parcel or
dole out, deal (out), divide, share (out), dispense: The
millionaire allotted an equal share of his fortune to each of
his children.

allotment n. 1 share, apportionment, ration, portion, quota, allowance,
measure: Each prisoner was given a daily allotment of four
ounces of black bread and a cup of water. 2 garden plot, kitchen
garden, patch, tract, plot, Brit market garden, US truck garden:
If I don't answer the phone, it's because I am digging my
allotment.

allow v. 1 acknowledge, admit, grant, concede, own: He allowed that
he had not been completely truthful about his movements that
night. 2 agree to, concede, cede to, admit, permit, authorize,
entertain, consent to: The judge said that he would allow a
plea of 'guilty with an explanation'. 3 permit, let, suffer:

Please allow the children to select their own friends. 4
tolerate, stand (for), brook, sanction, countenance, permit,
consider, put up with: The headmaster refuses to allow such
goings-on at his school. 5 give, let (someone) have,
appropriate, grant, budget, earmark, assign, allocate, assign,
approve: The company allowed him œ100 a day for expenses. 6
make allowance or concession for, set apart or aside, put aside,
take into account or consideration; add; deduct: You must allow
at least an extra hour for the traffic during rush hour. The
shipper allows ten kilos for the weight of the container.

allowance n. 1 permission, toleration, tolerance, sufferance, admission,
concession, sanction; allowing, permitting, tolerating,
suffering, sanctioning, brooking, countenancing: There were
many causes of difference between them, the chief being the
allowance of slavery in the south. 2 payment, recompense,
remuneration, reimbursement, remittance: Allowance will be made
for all reasonable expenses. 3 stipend, dole, pin or pocket
money, quota, ration; pension, annuity, allocation: Bill gets a
liberal weekly allowance for expenses. 4 deduction, discount,
reduction, rebate; credit; tret; tare: You must make allowance
for the weight of the crate. 5 excuse(s), concession,
consideration: Allowance must be made for his poor eyesight.


alloy n. 1 mixture, mix, combination, compound, composite, blend,
amalgam, admixture; aggregate: Brass is an alloy of copper and
zinc.

--v. 2 contaminate, pollute, adulterate, debase, diminish,
impair, vitiate: Their external prosperity was not alloyed by
troubles from within. 3 change, modify, temper, alter,
moderate, allay: Gentle persons might by their true patience
alloy the hardness of the common crowd.


ally n. 1 comrade, confederate, collaborator, coadjutor; accessory,
accomplice; associate, partner, friend: I had hoped to have you
as an ally in my proposal for reorganization. The Allies
finally defeated the Nazi war machine in 1945.


--v. 2 league, combine, unite, join (up), team (up), side, band
together, associate, affiliate, collaborate, confederate: In
their attempt at a take-over of our company, the raiders have
allied themselves with two banks. We shall ally the Romans to us

and conquer the territory.

almost adv. nearly, about, approximately, practically, virtually,
wellnigh, bordering on, on the brink of, verging on, on the
verge of, little short of; not quite, all but; barely, scarcely,
hardly; Colloq damn near: We are almost ready to go. You almost
broke the window!

aloft adv. above, overhead, (up) in the air, in flight, up (above);
on high; heavenwards, skyward: The plane was overloaded, but we
finally made it aloft. Five women held the banner aloft.

alone adj. 1 unaccompanied, unescorted, solitary, by oneself, tout(e)
seule, solo, unattended, unassisted; abandoned, desolate,
deserted: I am alone in the world. Leave me alone. 2
unequalled, unparalleled, unique, singular, unexcelled,
unsurpassed, without equal, peerless, matchless: As a poet, Don
stands alone.


--adv. 3 solitarily, by oneself, solo: I'll walk alone. 4
only, solely, exclusively, simply, just, merely: You alone can
help me.

aloof adv. 1 apart, away, at a distance, separate; at arm's length:
We invited Martha to join us but she preferred to remain aloof.

--adj. 2 private, reticent, reserved, withdrawn, haughty,
supercilious, standoffish, formal, unsociable, unsocial;
distant, remote: Deirdre is quite an aloof sort of person - not
what you would call a 'mixer'. 3 standoffish, distant, remote,
cool, chilly, unresponsive, unfriendly, antisocial,
unapproachable; unsympathetic, apathetic, indifferent,
undemonstrative: Roger keeps himself aloof from the needs of
those less fortunate than he is.


alter v. change, revise, modify, vary, transform; adjust, adapt,
convert, remodel: After the attack, we altered our opinion of
the rebels. The dress fits better since being altered.


alteration
n. change, modification, revision, transformation; adjustment,
adaptation, conversion, remodelling: We found places where
alterations had been made in the original document. My new suit

needs alteration to fit properly.

alternate v. 1 rotate, exchange, change, interchange, take turns, go or
take, etc. in turn, US change off, interexchange: To help out,
we could alternate our days off. 2 succeed, be in succession or
rotation: The wallpaper had alternating stripes of pink, grey,
and maroon.

--adj. 3 in rotation, successive; every other, every second:
The embankment revealed alternate layers of clay and gravel. The
nurse visited our district on alternate days. 4 alternative,
second, other: The alternate selection contains only milk
chocolate.


--n. 5 variant, alternative, (second) choice, US and Canadian
substitute, deputy, stand-in, backup, understudy; pinch-hitter,
Baseball designated hitter: I prefer the alternate to the
featured model. My alternate takes over if I am ill.


alternation
n. rotation, succession; exchange, interchange: In a temperate
climate there is the advantage of the alternation of the
seasons.


alternative
adj. 1 alternate, variant, (an)other, different, additional;
substitute, surrogate: Alternative models are available.

--n. 2 alternate, variant, choice, option, selection;
possibility; substitute, surrogate: The alternative was to
remain at home and do nothing. You leave me no alternative.
'Esthetic' is an American spelling alternative.

altogether
adv. entirely, utterly, completely, wholly, totally, fully, in
all respects, absolutely, perfectly, quite; all in all, in all:
I don't altogether agree with you. Altogether, you may be right.

altruism n. selflessness, self-sacrifice, unselfishness, philanthropy,
generosity, charity, charitableness, humanitarianism,
humaneness, benevolence, humanity, public-spiritedness: Nick
does things for others out of altruism, expecting nothing in
return.


always adv. 1 at all times, again and again, on all occasions, every
or each time, each and every time, without exception,
unexceptionally; often, many times, usually: He that indulges
hope will always be disappointed. I have always made coffee this
way and see no reason for changing. 2 forever, continually,
ever, perpetually; unceasingly, unendingly, eternally, evermore,
ever after, everlastingly, till the end of time, in perpetuity:
You are a fool, Mike, and you will always be a fool. 3 in any
case, as a last resort: You could always refuse to pay.

1.11 amalgam...
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amalgam n. mixture, blend, combination, alloy, mix, composite,
admixture, amalgamation; compound: The population was an
amalgam of original settlers and new immigrants.


amalgamate
v. blend, combine, unite, mix, join, consolidate, compound,
integrate, merge: The four sentences of the original are
amalgamated into two.


amalgamation
n. blend, fusion, combination, mixture, mingling, admixture,
composite, compound, blending, joining, consolidating,
consolidation, compounding, commingling, fusing, coalescing,
coalescence, union, uniting, unification, integration, merger,
association, composition: The directors voted for an
amalgamation of the two companies that would benefit both.

amass v. accumulate, mass, pile or heap or rack up, collect, gather
(together), assemble, aggregate, cumulate, stock or store up,
hoard, set aside: How many points have you amassed? Owing to
the bountiful harvest, the farmers amassed huge amounts of
grain.

amateur n. 1 layman, non-professional, tiro or tyro; dabbler,
dilettante, bungler; Colloq US bush-leaguer: When it comes to
repairing cars, I'm a mere amateur.

--adj. 2 lay, non-professional, untrained; unpaid; dilettante,

amateurish, unprofessional, unskilled, inexpert, unskilful,
clumsy, mediocre, inferior, crude, bungling, second-rate; Colloq
US bush-league: The amateur theatre group's performance
received excellent reviews. These paintings are strictly
amateur and totally without merit.

amaze v. astound, astonish, surprise, awe, stun, stagger, take aback,
floor, dumbfound or dumfound, confound, nonplus, stupefy, Colloq
flabbergast, dazzle: Annie Oakley amazed audiences with her
fancy shooting. I was amazed that she still cared for me.

amazement n. astonishment, surprise, awe, wonder, stupefaction: He
stared at her in amazement, sure that he had misunderstood what
she was saying.


amazing adj. astonishing, astounding, surprising, wonderful,
remarkable, extraordinary, marvellous, fabulous, stunning,
dazzling, staggering, awesome: The Cossacks put on an amazing
display of horsemanship.


ambassador
n. envoy, delegate, legate, emissary, minister,
plenipotentiary, diplomat; agent, deputy, representative,
(papal) nuncio, messenger: The ambassador must present his
credentials to the queen.

ambiguity n. 1 equivocalness, equivocacy, amphibology or amphiboly;
vagueness, indistinctness, uncertainty, indefiniteness,
imprecision, inconclusiveness: Ambiguity of language must be
avoided in legal documents. 2 equivocation, double-talk,
double-speak, equivoque; pun, double entendre, amphibologism:
The minister's speech was full of ambiguities.

ambiguous adj. 1 equivocal, amphibological, amphibolic or amphibolous;
misleading: If one says 'Taylor saw Tyler drunk', which one was
drunk is ambiguous. 2 doubtful, dubious, questionable, obscure,
indistinct, unclear, indefinite, indeterminate, uncertain,
undefined, inconclusive, uncertain, vague, misty, foggy,
unclear; cryptic, Delphic, enigmatic(al), oracular, mysterious,
puzzling; confusable: The soothsayer's prophecies were
sufficiently ambiguous to allow for several conflicting
interpretations. 3 unreliable, undependable: How can the doctor
decide on a correct diagnosis when the symptoms are ambiguous?


ambition n. 1 hunger, thirst, craving, appetite, arrivisme: John's
relentless ambition may yet be his undoing. 2 drive,
enterprise, energy, initiative, vigour, enthusiasm, zeal,
avidity, Colloq get-up-and-go: The company is seeking young men
of ambition. You'll never get anywhere, Stewart, since you are
totally lacking in ambition. 3 goal, object, aim, aspiration,
hope, desire, dream, objective, wish, purpose: It is Olivia's
ambition to marry someone with a title.


ambitious adj. 1 aspiring, hopeful; enthusiastic: My son, I am just as
ambitious for you as you are for yourself. 2 energetic,
enterprising, vigorous, zealous, enthusiastic, eager: We prefer
ambitious young people to those who are seeking a sinecure. 3
greedy, avaricious, overzealous, overambitious, Colloq pushy,
yuppy: Howard is a trifle too ambitious, expecting to be
department head after only one year.

ambush n. 1 trap, ambuscade or Archaic ambuscado: The company set up
an ambush near the crossroads.

--v. 2 lie in wait, trap, waylay, ensnare, entrap, lurk,
ambuscade, intercept, Colloq lay in wait, US bushwhack: The
guerrillas were ready to ambush the soldiers.


amend v. 1 reform, change for the better, improve, better,
ameliorate: The prisoner believes he could amend his ways if
given the chance. 2 correct, emend, emendate, rectify, set to
rights, repair, fix, revise: Take whatever time you need to
amend the text.

amendment n. 1 correction, emendation, reformation, change, alteration,
rectification, repair, reform, improvement, amelioration,
betterment, enhancement: The committee approved the amendment
of the constitution by the addition of the suggested paragraphs.
2 attachment, addition, addendum; clause, paragraph; alteration:
A two-thirds majority in the Congress is needed to pass the
amendment.


amends n. make amends. compensate, pay, repay, make reparation or
restitution, recompense, redress, remedy, requite: How can the
bus-driver ever make amends for the loss of a beloved kitten?

amiable adj. friendly, well-disposed, kindly, kind, amicable,
agreeable, congenial, genial, warm, winsome, winning, affable,
agreeable, pleasant, obliging, tractable, approachable, benign,
good-natured, good-hearted, kind-hearted; affectionate: Melissa
is well named for her sweet and amiable disposition.

amicable adj. friendly, amiable, congenial, harmonious, brotherly,
kind-hearted; warm, courteous, cordial, polite, civil, pleasant;
peaceful, peaceable: Our countries have always enjoyed the most
amicable relations.

amid prep. mid, in or into the middle or midst or centre of,
amongst, among, surrounded by, in the thick of, Literary amidst:
She is sitting in her cottage, Amid the flowers of May. Without
further ado, she plunged amid the waves.

amiss adj. 1 wrong, at fault, awry, out of order, faulty, defective,
improper, untoward; astray, erroneous, fallacious, confused,
incorrect, off: Something is amiss with the ignition. If I am
amiss in my thinking, let me know.

--adv. 2 wrong, awry, badly, poorly, imperfectly;
inopportunely, unfavourably, unpropitiously: Everything
possible has already gone amiss with the rocket launch. 3
wrongly, improperly, badly; incorrectly, inappropriately: A
word of advice might not come amiss here. 4 take or think (it)
amiss. mistake, misinterpret, misunderstand, take offence (at):
I trust that you will not take amiss what I intended as
constructive criticism.


among prep. 1 amongst, amid, amidst, mid, in the midst or middle or
centre of, surrounded by: Please take a seat among the people
over there. We lay down among the flowers. 2 among, to each or
all (of): The examination booklets were passed out among the
students.

amount v. 1 amount to. a add up to, total, aggregate, come (up) to:
Waiter, what does my bill amount to, please? b become, develop
into: That son of his will never amount to much.


--n. 2 quantity, volume, mass, expanse, bulk, supply, lot;
number; magnitude: What amount of water is needed to fill the
container? She eats a huge amount of chocolates every day. 3

(sum) total, aggregate, extent, entirety: What is the amount of
the invoice without the tax?

ample adj. 1 broad, wide, spacious, extensive, expansive, great: Her
ample bosom heaved with sobs. 2 wide-ranging, extensive, broad:
In one ample swoop they snatched up all the land. 3 abundant,
extensive, fruitful: The event proved a very ample subject for
history. 4 abundant, full, complete, plentiful, copious,
generous, substantial; sufficient, adequate, enough: He had
stored ample provision of food for the winter. 5 liberal,
unsparing, unstinted, unstinting, generous, substantial, large,
lavish: Steve's contributions have always been ample,
especially at Christmas time. 6 copious, full, broad, detailed,
extensive, extended, thorough: The subject deserves more ample
treatment.

amplify v. 1 broaden, widen, extend, increase, expand (on), enlarge
(on), expatiate on, detail; add to, augment, supplement: Let no
man comfort him But amplify his grief with bitter words. 2
exaggerate, overstate, magnify, stretch: The reports have
amplified the number of horsemen slain in the encounter. 3
enlarge (on), elaborate (on), stretch, lengthen, detail,
embellish, embroider: He amplifies every point in microscopic
detail.


amply adv. 1 widely, broadly, extensively, greatly, expansively:
This fabric stretches amply enough to fit over the couch. 2 to
a great extent, largely, fully, abundantly: My confidence in
her was amply recompensed by her success. 3 abundantly, fully,
copiously: The prophecy was amply fulfilled. 4 fully, well,
liberally, unstintingly, generously, richly, substantially,
lavishly; sufficiently: He has been amply paid for his work.

amulet n. charm, talisman, good-luck piece; fetish: Whenever the man
rubbed the silver amulet, his number would win.

amuse v. 1 divert, entertain, please, beguile, interest, occupy:
Perhaps the crossword puzzle will amuse her while she is
waiting. 2 make laugh, delight, cheer, Colloq tickle: That
form of rowdy slapstick doesn't amuse me.

amusement n. 1 entertainment, diversion, recreation, pleasure,
relaxation, distraction, enjoyment, fun, sport, joke, lark,

beguilement: The boys in my class used to pull the wings off
flies for amusement. They spent their afternoons in the
amusement arcade. 2 entertainment, diversion, divertissement,
recreation, distraction, pastime; game, sport: During the
festival there are concerts, plays, and other amusements.

1.12 anachronism...
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anachronism
n. misdate, misdating, misapplication; antedate, antedating,
prochronism; postdate, postdating, parachronism: The poster
showing Cleopatra smoking a cigarette is an anachronism - a
prochronism, to be specific.

analyse v. 1 take apart or to pieces, separate, dissect, break down,
anatomize: If we analyse these statistics for England and
Wales, we find no pattern. The scientists are analysing the
internal constitution of a glacier. 2 examine, investigate,
study, scrutinize, interpret; assess, evaluate, critique,
criticize, review; estimate, assay, test: We must first
explicitly define and analyse the nature of the sample we found.


analysis n. 1 examination, investigation, study, scrutiny, enquiry or
inquiry, dissection, assay, breakdown, division: The analysis
has shown the presence of arsenic in her soup. 2
interpretation, opinion, judgement, criticism, critique; review:
She disagrees with our analysis of the poem.


ancestor n. forebear, forefather; forerunner, precursor, antecedent,
Formal progenitor, primogenitor: His ancestors were transported
to Australia in a prison ship, and he's proud of it. The
eohippus, only a foot high, was the ancestor of the horse.


anchor n. 1 mooring: The ship rode at anchor in the harbour. 2
stability, security, mainstay, support, stabilizer, holdfast,
sheet anchor: Marie is an anchor to windward for George, who
tends to be a bit irresponsible.


--v. 3 attach, affix, secure, moor, fix, fasten; pin, rivet,
glue: You must anchor the foundation before adding the walls.
She remained anchored to the spot, refusing to move.


ancient adj. 1 old, bygone, past, former, earlier, Literary olden: In
ancient times there were very few books. 2 old, antique,
antediluvian, primitive, prehistoric, primeval, primordial,
Noachian, Literary Ogygian: In those ancient days man had only
just come down from the trees. 3 old, old-fashioned, archaic,
time-worn, aged, ageing, obsolescent, antiquated, elderly,
venerable, grey, hoary, superannuated, obsolete, fossil,
fossilized: We were accosted by an ancient crone at the mouth
of the cave.

anger n. 1 rage, wrath, ire, fury, pique, spleen, choler; antagonism,
irritation, vexation, indignation, displeasure, annoyance,
irritability, resentment, outrage: Her anger got the better of
her, so she simply punched him.

--v. 2 enrage, infuriate, madden, pique, incense, raise one's
hackles, make one's blood boil, rile, gall; annoy, irritate,
vex, nettle, displease, exasperate, provoke: Father was so
angered by the insult that he refused to pay.

angleฐ n. 1 slant, oblique, corner, edge, intersection; bend, cusp,
point, apex, projection: The two walls meet at an angle. 2
slant, point of view, aspect, viewpoint, standpoint, approach,
position, side, perspective: The managing editor told me he's
looking for a new angle on the kidnapping story.

angle v. angle for. fish for; look for, seek, be after, try for, hunt
for: On holiday we went angling for perch. Fran is angling for
compliments on her new dress.

angry adj. 1 enraged, furious, irate, resentful, ireful, wrathful,
piqued, incensed, infuriated, fuming; irritated, irritable,
annoyed, vexed, irascible, provoked, indignant, exasperated,
splenetic, Literary wroth, Colloq livid, hot under the collar,
on the warpath, (all) steamed up, up in arms, mad, Slang browned
off, Brit cheesed off: Father was angry with me for letting the
cat out. 2 inflamed, irritated, sore, smarting: He has an
angry lesion where the fetters rubbed against his ankles.


anguish n. 1 suffering, pain, agony, torment, torture, misery: She
endured the anguish of toothache rather than go to the dentist.
2 suffering, grief, distress, woe, anxiety: He underwent

terrible anguish in the waiting-room till the surgeon arrived.

--v. 3 disturb, upset, distress, afflict, trouble; torment,
torture: The anguished cries of prisoners could be heard.


animal n. 1 creature, being, mammal, organism: Scientists are
unlikely to employ the popular division of all things into
animal, vegetable, or mineral. 2 beast, brute, savage, monster:
Think of the poor girl married to that animal!


--adj. 3 zoological, zooid, animalistic: The sponge is a
member of the animal kingdom. 4 physical, fleshly, sensual,
gross, coarse, unrefined, uncultured, uncultivated, rude,
carnal, crude, bestial, beastlike, subhuman: His animal
appetites occasionally got the better of him.

animate v. 1 activate, enliven, invigorate, stimulate, inspirit,
excite, stir, vitalize, spark, vivify, revitalize, breathe life
into, innervate: A little enthusiasm would have animated their
dull relationship. 2 inspire, inspirit, stimulate, actuate,
move, motivate, incite, rouse, arouse, excite, fire (up),
encourage, energize, vitalize, spur (on or onwards): He spent
the few minutes before the battle in animating his soldiers.


--adj. 3 lively, spirited, vivacious, animated, quick: A
courser more animate of eye, Of form more faultless never had
been seen. 4 alive, moving, breathing, Archaic quick: Although
they move, plants are not considered to be animate.


animated adj. 1 lively, quick, spirited, active, vivacious, energetic,
vigorous, excited, ebullient, enthusiastic, dynamic, vibrant,
ardent, enlivened, passionate, impassioned, fervent: In the
corner, Terence was engaged in an animated conversation with
Mary. 2 mechanical, automated, lifelike, moving: Each
Christmas, the shop has an animated window display.

animation n. 1 spirit, spiritedness, vitality, dash, ‚lan, zest, fervour,
verve, liveliness, fire, ardour, ardency, exhilaration,
intensity, energy, pep, dynamism, enthusiasm, excitement,
vigour, vivacity: Johnson was in high spirits, talking with
great animation. 2 enlivenment, liveliness, energizing,
invigoration, enlivening, innervation: The scout leader was
credited with the animation of the youths in his care.


animosity n. hostility, antagonism, antipathy, ill will, malevolence,
enmity, hatred, animus, loathing, detestation, contempt; bad
blood, malice, bitterness, acrimony, resentment, rancour: The
animosity he felt for his brother soon disappeared.

announce v. 1 proclaim, make public, make known, set or put forth, put
out, publish, advertise, publicize, promulgate, broadcast,
herald; circulate; tell, reveal, disclose, divulge, declare,
propound: The appointment of a new prime minister has been
announced. 2 intimate, suggest, hint at, signal: The sight of
a top hat announced Gordon's presence in the club. 3 declare,
tell, state, aver, assert, asseverate; notify; confirm: The
president announced that he was resigning because of the
scandal. 4 foretell, betoken, augur, portend, presage,
harbinger, herald, signal; precede: The sighting of the first
crocus announces spring.

announcement
n. 1 declaration, pronouncement, proclamation, statement:
Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to make an announcement. 2
notification, notice, word: We received an announcement of the
wedding but no invitation. 3 commercial, advertisement, advert,
ad, spot: The window was filled with announcements of houses
for sale. 4 report, bulletin, communiqu‚, disclosure: An
announcement has just been received from the fire-fighters at
the scene.

announcer n. presenter, master of ceremonies, master of the revels, MC,
emcee, reporter, anchorman, anchorwoman, anchor; newsreader,
newscaster, sportscaster, weatherman, weathergirl: The
announcer didn't get my name right.

annoy v. 1 irritate, bother, irk, vex, nettle, get on (someone's)
nerves, exasperate, provoke, incense, rile, madden, Colloq get
at: The anonymous telephone calls were beginning to annoy us.
2 pester, harass, harry, badger, nag, plague, molest, bedevil,
Colloq bug, needle, hassle, Slang get up someone's nose: Stop
annoying me with your persistent requests for money.


annoyance n. 1 irritation, bother, vexation, exasperation, pique,
aggravation, Colloq botheration: Must I put up with the
annoyance of that constant bickering? 2 nuisance, pest,

irritant, bore, Colloq pain, pain in the neck or arse or US ass:
He's such an annoyance, I wish he'd leave.

answer n. 1 reply, response; rejoinder, retort, riposte, Colloq
comeback: The boy's answer is unprintable. 2 Law defence,
counter-statement, plea, explanation; Technical declaration,
plea, replication, rejoinder, surrejoinder, rebutter or
rebuttal, surrebutter or surrebuttal: Her answer to the charge
was 'Not Guilty'. 3 solution, explanation: Ten points were
taken off because I had the wrong answer to question three.

--v. 4 reply, respond; retort, rejoin, riposte: When I ask you
a question, I expect you to answer. 5 satisfy, fulfil, suffice
for, meet, suit, serve, fit, fill, conform to, correlate with:
The bequest answered my needs for the moment. 6 answer back.
talk back (to): How dare you answer your father back! 7 answer
for. a be accountable or responsible or answerable for, be to
blame for; take or undertake responsibility for; sponsor,
support, guarantee: I answer alone to Allah for my motives. So
shall my righteousness answer for me. b make amends for, atone
for, suffer the consequences of: Caesar was ambitious and he
answered for it with his life. c take or accept the blame for:
Andy shouldn't have to answer for his brother's shortcomings.


antagonism
n. 1 opposition, animosity, enmity, rancour, hostility,
antipathy: It is difficult to understand your antagonism
towards classical music. 2 conflict, rivalry, discord,
dissension, friction, strife; contention: Giving jobs only to
personal friends has engendered antagonism.

antagonist
n. adversary, opponent, enemy, foe; contender, competitor,
competition, opposition: The antagonists prepared to fight.


anticipate
v. 1 forestall, intercept, preclude, obviate, prevent; nullify:
She anticipated her opponent's manoeuvre by moving the queen's
bishop one square. 2 foretell, forecast, predict, prophesy,
foretaste, foresee: He anticipated that flying would be a
future mode of locomotion. 3 expect, look forward to, prepare
for; count or reckon on: We eagerly anticipated the arrival of
Uncle Robert.


anticipation
n. 1 expectation, expectancy; hope: In anticipation of the
arrival of Father Christmas, we hung up our stockings. 2
foreknowledge, precognition; intuition, presentiment, feeling;
foreboding, apprehension: His anticipation of the solar eclipse
by a week established him as the foremost scientist of his day.

antidote n. antitoxin, antiserum, antivenin; counteractant,
counterirritant; cure, remedy, specific; medication, medicine,
drug, medicament, Technical alexipharmic: The old prospector
says that the best antidote against snakebite is whisky.

antiquated
adj. old, old-fashioned, outmoded, pass‚, out of date, dated,
archaic, obsolescent, antique, obsolete, quaint, ancient,
antediluvian, medieval or mediaeval, primitive; extinct; Colloq
old hat: Antiquated laws list penalties for practising
witchcraft.


antique adj. 1 old, old-fashioned; antiquated, outmoded, pass‚, out of
date, obsolete: She wore the antique clothing she had found in
the trunk.


--n. 2 collectable or collectible, collector's item, bibelot,
objet d'art, objet de vertu, object or article of virtu,
heirloom, curio, rarity: His hobby is collecting antiques.

anxiety n. 1 solicitude, concern, uneasiness, disquiet, nervousness,
worry, dread, angst, apprehension, foreboding: Philip began to
feel genuine anxiety over Tanya's safety. 2 appetite, hunger,
thirst, desire, eagerness, longing, ache, concern: It is every
person's anxiety to obtain for himself the inestimable pearl of
genuine knowledge.


anxious adj. 1 troubled, uneasy, disquieted, uncertain, apprehensive;
solicitous, concerned, worried, distressed, disturbed, nervous,
tense, fretful, on edge, restless, edgy, perturbed, upset; wary,
cautious, careful, watchful: She has been terribly anxious
about the diagnosis. We were anxious for her safety. 2 desirous,
eager, keen, enthusiastic, ardent, agog, avid, yearning,
longing, aching, impatient: I was anxious to visit the Pitti
Palace once again.


1.13 apart...
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apart adv. 1 aside, to one side, by oneself, at a distance, separate,
separately: He stood apart when the awards were given out. 2
separately, distinctly, individually, singly, alone,
independently: The provisions of the bill should be seen
together as a whole, not viewed apart. 3 to or into pieces,
asunder: At the touch of the button, the building blew apart.
4 apart from. except for, excepting, separately from, aside
from, besides, but for, not including, excluding, not counting:
Apart from the immediate family, no one knows of your
indiscretions.

aperture n. opening, space, gap, cleft, chink, crevice, crack, fissure,
hole, chasm: As much water ran through as the aperture could
accommodate.


apologetic
adj. regretful, sorry, contrite, remorseful, penitent, rueful,
repentant, conscience-stricken: The lad was most apologetic for
having broken the window.


apologize v. 1 beg or ask pardon, express regret(s), feel sorry or
regretful or remorse(ful): You needn't apologize for sneezing.
2 make or give excuses or explanation(s), defend, justify,
vindicate, espouse: You don't have to apologize for her.


appal v. dismay, shock, discomfit, unnerve, intimidate, terrify,
frighten, scare, horrify, alarm, startle, daunt: The council
were appalled to discover that the police superintendent was
accepting bribes.


apparatus n. equipment, requisites, tool, instrument, utensil, device,
implement, machine, machinery, gear, paraphernalia, tackle,
outfit; appliance, Colloq contraption, gadgetry, gadget: The
apparatus needed for the experiment is here.


apparel n. clothing, attire, clothes, dress, raiment, garments, Colloq
gear, rags, glad rags, duds, Slang US threads: The police found
various items of apparel strewn about the flat.


apparent adj. 1 evident, plain, clear, obvious, patent, unmistakable;
conspicuous, marked, manifest, visible, discernible: It was
apparent to all of us that she would become a successful opera
singer. 2 appearing, seeming, illusory, ostensible, superficial,
outward: In an apparent show of strength, he ordered his forces
to attack the capital.

apparently
adv. 1 evidently, plainly, clearly, obviously, patently,
manifestly: There is apparently no cure in sight for the
disease. 2 seemingly, ostensibly, superficially, outwardly: In
stop-action photography, the bullet apparently hangs in mid-air.


appeal v. 1 entreat, supplicate, solicit, plead, petition, apply, sue;
beseech, beg, implore, pray: She appealed to the king to
release her son from the dungeon. 2 attract, be attractive to,
allure, please; invite, tempt, beguile, fascinate, interest: He
seems to appeal to older women.


--n. 3 application, suit; entreaty, call, request,
supplication, solicitation, petition, plea; prayer: Her appeal
to the court has been dismissed. I don't know if God heard our
appeal. 4 attraction, lure, allurement, charm, fascination: It
is not hard to see why his type would have some appeal.

appear v. 1 come forth, become visible or manifest, put in an
appearance, materialize, surface, emerge, rise, arise, come up,
enter (into) the picture, show oneself, turn up, arrive, come,
Colloq crop or show up; Slang show: Suddenly, a vision appeared
before me. His wife appeared after an absence of ten years. 2
perform, act, play, take the role or part of: She has appeared
as Roxanne in dozens of productions of Cyrano de Bergerac . 3
occur, happen, come up, be included, figure, arrive: That
four-letter word does not appear in written form till the 20th
century. 4 seem, be clear or evident or plain or manifest; look:
It appears that the money was taken while the manager was at
lunch. 5 be published, come out, become available: The next
issue will appear in March.


appearance
n. 1 arrival, advent; presence; publication: I was awaiting
the appearance of the book in the shops. 2 aspect, look(s),

form; mien, air, demeanour; bearing, manner: The doorman would
not let him in because of his shabby appearance. 3 display,
show: Their fine horses with their rich trappings made a
splendid appearance. 4 semblance, show, hint, suggestion;
illusion: She gave no appearance of wanting to go.

appetite n. 1 desire, inclination, proclivity, tendency, disposition,
bent, preference, liking, predilection, zest, fondness, love,
zeal; enthusiasm; taste, relish; Formal appetency, appetence: I
have never lost my appetite for chocolate. They tried to
suppress their bodily appetites, such as hunger and lust. 2
craving, hunger, thirst, desire, keenness, hankering, yearning,
longing, passion, demand, Formal edacity: She developed an
insatiable appetite for reading.


applaud v. 1 approve, express approval, clap, cheer, give (someone) a
hand, Colloq root (for): The audience applauded when the
villain was caught. 2 express approval of, praise, laud, hail,
commend: Susan's parents applauded her decision to apply for
university.

applause n. clapping, acclamation, acclaim, ‚clat; cheering, cheers;
approval, commendation, approbation, praise, kudos, plaudit(s):
At the curtain there was applause from the audience.


applicable
adj. fit, suitable, suited, appropriate, proper, apropos,
fitting, befitting, pertinent, apt, germane, right, seemly,
relevant, apposite: Are the laws of the mainland applicable to
the islands?

application
n. 1 use, employment, utilization, practice, operation: The
committee wants to see a sterner application of the law with
respect to mail-order offers. 2 relevancy, relevance, reference,
pertinence, germaneness, appositeness; bearing: The application
of the regulation to present circumstances is somewhat vague. 3
attention; diligence, industriousness, effort, perseverance,
persistence, assiduity, devotion, dedication, commitment,
attentiveness Colloq stick-to-it-iveness; industry: Her
application to her studies leaves little time for recreation.
Without application, you will never develop much skill at the
piano. 4 request, solicitation; appeal, petition, claim: Gavin

made six job applications. The board will consider your
application.

apply v. 1 fasten, fix, affix, stick, cement, glue: The signs were
applied to the window with a special substance. 2 administer,
rub in or on, embrocate: The doctor said to apply this ointment
before retiring. 3 appropriate, assign, allot, credit; use,
utilize, employ, put to use: He had many skills, but failed to
apply them in his daily work. The money raised for food was
illegally applied to paying the administrators. 4 bear, have
bearing; be relevant, refer, pertain, appertain, relate, suit:
I am not sure that the law applies to this situation. 5 devote,
dedicate, commit, focus, concentrate, pay attention, address;
do, attend, tend, Colloq buckle down (to): He stubbornly
applies himself to the task at hand. 6 seek, go after;
register, bid, try out, put in; audition, interview, make
application: Are you qualified to apply for a job as a nanny?
7 petition, solicit; appeal, request: Geraldine applied to the
court for compensation.


appoint v. 1 fix, set, settle, determine, ordain, authorize, establish,
destine, arrange, assign, allot, prescribe, decree: The time
appointed for the execution has been delayed. 2 name,
designate, nominate, elect; assign, delegate, commission,
deputize; select, choose: I was delighted to have been
appointed as chairman. 3 equip, fit out, furnish, decorate:
They live comfortably in a well-appointed home in the suburbs.

appointment
n. 1 meeting, date, rendezvous, engagement; assignation, tryst:
You are again late for your appointment. 2 nomination,
election; assignment, designation; selection, choice: We fully
approve of his appointment as chairman. 3 job, position, post,
situation, office, place, assignment, Colloq berth, slot: He
got the appointment as manager.

appreciate
v. 1 value, find worthwhile or valuable; esteem, cherish,
enjoy, admire, rate or regard highly, prize, treasure, respect:
I appreciate all you have done for me. Delia's contribution is
not really appreciated. 2 increase or rise or gain in value or
worth: The property in this area has been appreciating at a
rate of about ten per cent a year. 3 understand, comprehend,

recognize, perceive, know, be aware or cognizant or conscious
of: Do you appreciate the implications of the new tax law?

appreciation
n. 1 gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, thanks;
acknowledgement; obligation: She is trying to think of an
appropriate way to express her appreciation for all he has done.
2 increase, rise, advance, growth, enhancement, gain;
aggrandizement: The appreciation in the value of the shares
made me very wealthy on paper - till the stock-market crash. 3
understanding, comprehension, perception, recognition,
knowledge, awareness; realization, enjoyment; admiration: It's
fortunate that Richard's appreciation of the finer things in
life is supported by his income.


apprentice
n. 1 novice, tiro or tyro, learner, starter, beginner,
greenhorn, Colloq US rookie: Lever served as an apprentice in
the soap factory.


--v. 2 indenture, contract, bind: Cartwright was apprenticed
to a carpenter before becoming a journeyman cabinet-maker.

approach v. 1 near, advance, draw or come near or nearer or close or
closer, Formal come nigh: Claude approached the table. As night
approached, the sky darkened. With approaching manhood, you
must take on more responsibilities. 2 approximate, nearly equal,
come close to, compare with: The total is beginning to approach
your estimate. 3 make advances or overtures to, proposition,
propose to, sound out, make (a) proposal to, solicit, Colloq
chat up: Theo makes mincemeat of any man who tries to approach
his daughter.

--n. 4 approaches. advances, overtures, proposals,
propositions: Michelle had no intention of discouraging
Pierre's approaches. 5 access, passage, way, path, course;
entry: The approach to the house was overgrown with brambles.
6 advance, movement: Our approach to the gates was being
watched very carefully. 7 method, procedure, modus operandi,
way, technique, style, manner, attitude, Slang US MO (= 'modus
operandi'): Our approach in dealing with the problem is
different.

appropriate
adj. 1 suitable, apt, fitting, fit, proper, right, meet,
becoming, befitting, seemly, suited, apropos, correct, germane,
pertinent, happy, felicitous: Will a dinner-jacket be
appropriate attire? She has written a poem appropriate to the
occasion.

--v. 2 take, take over, seize, expropriate, arrogate, annex,
impound; commandeer; steal, pilfer, filch, usurp, make away or
off with, Colloq pinch, lift, Brit nick, US boost: The police
appropriated the paintings. Somebody has appropriated my chair.
3 set aside or apart, devote, assign, earmark, allot, apportion:
Most of the money has been appropriated for back taxes.


appropriately
adv. fittingly, suitably, properly, correctly, aptly, rightly,
becomingly, meetly: She came down appropriately dressed for
dinner.


approval n. sanction, approbation, blessing, consent, agreement,
concurrence; endorsement, acceptance, imprimatur, affirmation,
‚clat, confirmation, mandate, authorization; licence, leave,
permission, rubber stamp, Colloq OK, okay, go-ahead, green
light: I don't think that the plan will meet with the
committee's approval. We gave our approval to proceed.

approve v. 1 Often, approve of. allow, countenance, condone, permit,
sanction, authorize, endorse, put one's imprimatur on, agree
(to), accept, assent (to), go along with, Colloq OK or okay,
give the green light or go-ahead or one's blessing (to),
rubber-stamp: The headmistress would never approve your leaving
the building during classes. 2 confirm, affirm, support, ratify,
uphold, subscribe to, second, give the stamp of approval to;
favour, commend, recommend: Sheila Jones's appointment to the
commission has been approved unanimously. 3 approve of.
sanction, consider fair or good or right, accept, favour,
respect, be partial to, like, have regard for, have a preference
for, tolerate, reconcile oneself to: I always had the feeling
that her father didn't quite approve of me.


approximate
adj. 1 rough, inexact, loose, imprecise, estimated, Colloq
guestimated, ballpark: The figures are only approximate, not

exact.

--v. 2 near, approach, come close to, verge on: Your estimates
approximate those of the budget committee. 3 resemble,
approach, look or seem like; simulate: The laboratory tests on
rats approximate the way the virus behaves in humans.

approximately
adv. approaching; nearly, almost, close to, about, around, give
or take, roughly, generally: I haven't seen Sally for
approximately three weeks. There are approximately fifty people
in the audience.

aptitude n. 1 fitness, suitability, appropriateness, relevance,
applicability, suitableness, aptness: One need only look at an
albatross in the air to appreciate its aptitude for flight. 2
tendency, propensity, disposition, predilection, bent,
proclivity; talent, gift, ability, capability, facility,
faculty, flair: Helen displays a natural aptitude for the
violin. 3 intelligence, quick-wittedness, intellect; capacity,
aptness: The aptitude of that new student sets her apart from
the others in the class.

1.14 arbitrary...
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arbitrary adj. 1 capricious, varying, erratic, uncertain, inconsistent,
doubtful, unpredictable, whimsical, irrational, chance, random,
inconsistent, subjective, unreasoned, irrational, Colloq chancy,
iffy: The choices are entirely arbitrary, totally at the whim
of the council and not based on research or knowledge. 2
absolute, tyrannical, despotic, authoritarian, magisterial,
summary, peremptory, autocratic, dogmatic, imperious,
uncompromising, inconsiderate, high-handed, dictatorial, Rare
thetic(al): The conduct of the archbishop appears to have been
arbitrary and harsh.

arch adj. 1 chief, principal, prime, primary, pre-eminent, foremost,
first, greatest, consummate, major: Moriarty was Holmes's
arch-enemy. 2 clever, cunning, crafty, roguish, tricky, shrewd,
artful, sly, designing: Brendan loves to play his arch pranks
on unsuspecting friends. 3 waggish, saucy, mischievous,

prankish: I could tell from the lad's arch expression that he
had thrown the snowball.

ardent adj. eager, intense, zealous, keen, fervent, fervid,
passionate, avid, fierce, impassioned, hot, warm; enthusiastic:
Diane was carrying on ardent love affairs with at least three
men.

ardour n. eagerness, desire, zeal, fervency, burning desire, keenness,
fervour, passion, heat, warmth; enthusiasm: Bernadette has
supported the cause with great ardour.

arduous adj. 1 laborious, difficult, hard, tough, strenuous, onerous,
burdensome, back-breaking, painful, Formal operose; tiring,
exhausting, wearisome, fatiguing, taxing, gruelling, trying,
formidable: The Sherpas were well equipped for the arduous
climb. What an arduous task it is to read the proofs of a
dictionary! 2 energetic, strenuous, vigorous: Montrose made
arduous efforts to reconstruct his army.


area n. 1 space, room: Is there enough floor area here for the
carpet? 2 extent, limit, compass, size, square footage,
acreage: The area of my greenhouse is thirty by fifteen feet.
3 space, field, region, tract, territory, district, zone,
stretch; section, quarter, precinct, arrondissement,
neighbourhood, locality, bailiwick, US block: An area was set
aside for a garden. There has been a lot of crime in that area
lately. 4 scope, range, extent, breadth, compass, section: His
studies cover only one area of Scottish history. 5 court,
courtyard, enclosure, close, yard; square, ground, arena, field,
parade-ground, parade: The soldiers drill in the area behind
the barracks.

argue v. 1 dispute, debate, disagree, bicker, wrangle, quarrel,
squabble, spar, fight, remonstrate, altercate, Colloq chiefly
Brit row, scrap: The couple next door are continually arguing
with each other at the tops of their voices. 2 discuss, reason,
debate, wrangle: He would argue by the hour, but never for
arguing's sake. 3 make a case, talk, plead, debate, contend: I
cannot tell whether she's arguing for or against the
proposition. 4 prove, evince, indicate, denote, demonstrate,
show, establish, suggest, signify, betoken: The increase in
street crime argues that the police are not visible enough. 5

say, assert, hold, maintain, reason, claim, contend: The
defendant argued that he had never met the witness. 6 argue
into or out of. persuade or dissuade, talk out of or into,
prevail upon; convince: I argued him out of sailing to Bermuda
alone. She succeeded in arguing me into going to the tea dance.

argument n. 1 debate, dispute, disagreement, quarrel, controversy,
polemic, wrangle, squabble, tiff, spat, altercation; conflict,
fight, fracas, affray, fray, Donnybrook, feud, Colloq row,
falling-out, scrap, barney: The argument was about who had
invented the wheel. The argument spilt out into the street. 2
point, position, (line of) reasoning, logic, plea, claim,
pleading, assertion, contention, case; defence: His argument
has merit. Arthur's argument falls apart when he brings in the
phlogiston theory.

argumentative
adj. quarrelsome, disputatious, belligerent, combative,
contentious, litigious, disagreeable, testy: Evelyn is
irritable and argumentative.

arise v. 1 rise, get up, stand up, get to one's feet; wake up, get
out of bed, awake: We arose when Lady Spencer entered the room.
I have arisen before dawn all my life. 2 rise, go up, come up,
ascend, climb; mount: The full moon arose in the eastern sky.
3 come up, be brought up, be mentioned, Colloq crop up: The
subject never would have arisen if the waiter hadn't spilt the
wine on me. 4 spring up, begin, start (up), originate, come up,
Colloq crop up: A very unpleasant situation has arisen
regarding the missing funds.

aroma n. 1 smell, odour, fragrance, scent, perfume, savour, bouquet;
redolence: Don't you just love to be awakened by the aroma of
fresh coffee? 2 smell, odour, character, aura, atmosphere,
flavour, hint, suggestion: There is an aroma of dishonesty
about them that I can't quite identify.

aromatic adj. fragrant, spicy, perfumed, savoury, pungent: A most
agreeable scent came from a bowl of aromatic herbs.


around adv. 1 about, approximately, nearly, almost, roughly; circa:
There were around a dozen of us in the place. 2 about,
everywhere, in every direction, on all sides, all over,

throughout: By this time the savages were all around and we
couldn't move. 3 round, about, for everyone or all, US also
'round: I don't think we have enough food to go around. 4
round, about, all about, everywhere, here and there, hither and
thither, hither and yon, far and wide: The tinker travelled
around selling his wares and repairing pots.

--prep. 5 round, about, surrounding, encompassing, enveloping,
encircling, on all sides of, in all directions from, enclosing:
The fields around the castle were cultivated by tenant farmers.
6 about, approximately, roughly; circa: He was born around the
turn of the century.

arouse v. 1 awaken, raise (up), wake up, waken, rouse, revive, stir
(up): I was aroused by the noise and reached for my pistol. 2
excite, stir up, stimulate, awaken, summon up, spark, Colloq
turn on: My suspicions were aroused because she was carrying my
umbrella. 3 provoke, encourage, quicken, foster, call forth,
stir up, kindle, foment: The song aroused feelings of
patriotism among the recruits.

arrange v. 1 order, dispose, array, organize, sort (out), systematize,
group, set up, rank, line up, align, form, position: The
teachers arranged the children according to height. The flowers
were arranged in a vase so as to conceal the listening device. 2
settle, plan, set (up), organize, orchestrate, manipulate,
choreograph; predetermine, decide, prepare, determine,
prearrange, devise, bring about, contrive; fix it: Everything
has been arranged - you won't have to lift a finger. For a
small fee I can arrange for you to win the first prize. 3
orchestrate, score, adapt: Flemburgh has arranged music for
some of the best-known modern composers.

arrangement
n. 1 order, disposition, grouping, organization, array,
display, structure, structuring, ordering, alignment, line-up,
Colloq set-up: Don't you care for the arrangement of the
furniture, Milady? 2 structure, combination, construction,
contrivance, affair, set-up: An arrangement of bricks served as
a hearth. 3 settlement, agreement, terms, plan, contract,
covenant, compact: The arrangement called for Bosworth to get
ten per cent of the gross profits. 4 orchestration, score,
instrumentation, adaptation, interpretation, version: I prefer

Fats Waller's arrangement of 'Sugar Blues'. 5 arrangements.
preparations, plans; groundwork, planning: Arrangements have
been made for the limousine to pick you up at five.


arrest v. 1 stop, halt, check, stall, forestall, detain, delay,
hinder, restrain, obstruct, prevent, block, interrupt: The
progress of the train has been arrested. 2 catch, capture,
seize, apprehend, take, take in, take into custody, detain,
Colloq nab, pinch, collar, bust, run in, Brit nick: Foxworthy
was arrested crossing the border. 3 slow, retard, stop: I'm
afraid that we have here a case of arrested mental development.

--n. 4 seizure, capture, apprehension, detention; restraint,
Colloq bust, US collar: The police have made six arrests. 5
stop, stoppage, check, cessation: The doctor said it was a case
of cardiac arrest. 6 under arrest. in custody, under legal
restraint, in the hands of the law, imprisoned, arrested: You
are under arrest for the murder of one Hugh Brown, and anything
you say may be used in evidence against you.


arresting adj. striking, shocking, remarkable, impressive, electrifying,
stunning, extraordinary, surprising, dazzling: It is indeed an
experience to be in the presence of such an arresting beauty.


arrival n. 1 coming, advent, appearance: We have been awaiting your
arrival for weeks. 2 newcomer; immigrant; traveller, passenger;
tourist; Australian migrant, new chum: The arrivals on flight
422 were questioned about a bearded passenger on the plane.


arrive v. 1 come, make one's appearance, appear, turn up, Colloq show
up; Slang hit (town), blow in: She arrived only two minutes
before the plane was to take off. 2 succeed, prosper, get ahead
(in the world), reach the top, Colloq make it, make the grade,
get somewhere, get there: Yuppies believe that once they own a
fur coat and a Mercedes, they've arrived. 3 arrive at. come or
get to, reach; attain: I think that Crumley has arrived at the
stage in his career where he merits a promotion.

arrogance n. self-assertion, impertinence, insolence, presumption, nerve,
effrontery, gall, presumptuousness, self-importance, conceit,
egotism, hauteur, haughtiness, loftiness, pride, hubris,
pompousness, pomposity, pretension, pretentiousness, bluster,
snobbery, snobbishness, Colloq snottiness, Slang Brit side: He

has the arrogance to assume that I wish to see him again.

arrogant adj. 1 presumptuous, assuming, self-assertive, conceited,
egotistical, pompous, superior, brazen, bumptious, cavalier: It
would be most arrogant of me to take for myself the glory that
rightfully belongs to the whole team. 2 haughty, overbearing,
imperious, high-handed, overweening, disdainful, contemptuous,
scornful, snobbish, supercilious, lofty, swaggering , Brit
toffee-nosed; Colloq uppity, on one's high horse, high and
mighty, snotty: Since her husband was made a company director,
she's become unbearably arrogant.

art n. 1 skill, skilfulness, ingenuity, aptitude, talent, artistry,
craftsmanship; knowledge, expertise; craft, technique,
adroitness, dexterity, Colloq know-how: Little art is required
to plant turnips. 2 artistry, artisticness; taste,
tastefulness: High art differs from low art in possessing an
excess of beauty in addition to its truth. 3 craft, technique,
business, profession, skill: The fishermen can't employ their
art with much success in so troubled a sea. 4 knack, aptitude,
faculty, technique, mastery; dexterity, adroitness:
Conversation may be esteemed a gift, not an art. You have
acquired the art of insulting people without their realizing it.
5 trickery, craftiness, cunning, wiliness, slyness, guile,
deceit, duplicity, artfulness, cleverness, astuteness: You have
to admire the art with which she wraps him round her little
finger. 6 arts. wiles, schemes, stratagems, artifices,
subterfuges, tricks; manoeuvres,: She was expert in the arts
which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation.


artful adj. 1 scheming, wily, sly, cunning, foxy, tricky, crafty,
deceitful, underhand or underhanded, double-dealing, guileful,
disingenuous: That artful fellow managed to sell me a
completely useless gadget. 2 ingenious, clever, astute, shrewd,
dexterous: She has practised her artful deceptions so long that
nobody believes anything she says.

artifice n. 1 skill, cunning, trickery, craft, craftiness, artfulness,
guile, duplicity, deception, chicanery, underhandedness,
shrewdness, slyness, wiliness, trickiness: He used artifice to
get control of the firm. 2 stratagem, device, manoeuvre, trick,
contrivance, wile, ruse, subterfuge, expedient, contrivance,
Colloq dodge: They were deluded by artifices to cheat them out

of their money.

artificial
adj. 1 unnatural, synthetic, man-made, manufactured, simulated,
imitation, plastic: The museum has a strange collection of
artificial teeth on display. 2 made-up, concocted, bogus, fake,
sham, false, counterfeit, Colloq phoney or US also phony: The
figures used in the sample survey are entirely artificial. 3
affected, unnatural, forced, pretended, high-sounding, feigned,
assumed, contrived, factitious; meretricious, insincere, sham,
faked, Colloq phoney or US also phony: I tell you that Alan's
concern for you is entirely artificial.

artless adj. 1 innocent, sincere, guileless, ingenuous, true, natural,
open, unartificial, genuine, simple, direct, candid, frank,
honest, straightforward, above-board, uncomplicated, undevious,
undeceptive , Colloq upfront, on the level, on the up and up:
Imitation is a kind of artless flattery. 2 unpretentious,
unassuming, unaffected, natural, simple, na‹ve, unsophisticated,
plain, ordinary, humble: The remarks were those of an artless
young man who meant nothing sinister. 3 unskilled, untalented,
unskilful, unpractised, inexperienced, inexpert, primitive,
unproficient, incompetent, inept, clumsy, crude, awkward,
bungling: Clogs must be the most artless footwear ever made.


1.15 ashamed...
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ashamed adj. embarrassed, abashed, humiliated, chagrined, mortified,
blushing, shamefaced, sheepish, red-faced: I was ashamed to
have to admit that it was I who had written the nasty letter.

ask v. 1 question, interrogate, query, quiz; inquire or enquire
(of): Let's ask the policeman for information. Just ask
directions of any passer-by. I merely asked if you were going my
way. 2 demand, require, expect, request: Doing his laundry is a
lot to ask. 3 beg, apply (to), appeal (to), seek (from),
solicit (from), petition, plead (to), beg, beseech, pray,
entreat, implore: In the streets, thousands of beggars ask
passers-by for alms. 4 invite, bid, summon: Nellie asked me to
dinner. 5 ask after or about. inquire or enquire after or
about: My sister asked after you - wanted to know how you were

getting along. 6 ask for. a invite, attract, encourage,
provoke: You're asking for trouble if you walk alone through
that neighbourhood after dark. b request, seek: We asked for
more time to finish the project.


aspect n. 1 viewpoint, point of view, position, standpoint, side:
Looked at from a different aspect, the problem did not seem
insurmountable after all. 2 complexion, light, angle,
interpretation, mien, face: His conviction for robbery put a
different aspect on hiring him as a security guard. 3 exposure,
prospect, outlook, orientation: The western aspect of the room
made it sunny in the afternoons. 4 side, feature, attribute,
characteristic, quality, detail, angle, facet, manifestation,
element, circumstance: There are many aspects of Buddhism that
you do not understand.

aspersion n. slander, libel, false insinuation, calumny, imputation,
allegation, detraction, slur, obloquy, defamation,
disparagement: He resented my casting aspersions on the
legitimacy of his birth.

aspiration
n. desire, longing, yearning, craving, hankering, wish, dream,
hope; ambition, aim, goal, objective, purpose, intention, plan,
scheme, plot: It was his lifelong aspiration to marry someone
with money.

aspire v. aspire to. desire, hope, long, wish, aim, yearn; dream of:
I'd never aspire to anything higher. He still aspired to being a
full professor.

assailant n. attacker, assaulter, mugger: My assailant threatened me
with a knife.


assault n. 1 attack, onslaught, onset, charge, offensive, blitzkrieg,
blitz, strike, raid, incursion, sortie; aggression, invasion:
At dawn we launched the assault on the fort. 2 beating,
battering, hold-up, mugging; rape, violation, molestation; Law
battery: The defendant is accused of assault.


--v. 3 attack, assail, set or fall upon, pounce upon, storm,
beset, charge, rush, lay into: The elderly couple were
assaulted near their home. 4 rape, violate, molest: Three

women were assaulted in that neighbourhood last night. 5 beat
(up), batter, bruise, harm, hit, strike, punch, smite: She
complained that her husband continually assaulted the children.


assemble v. 1 convene, gather, call or bring or get together, convoke,
summon, muster, marshal, rally, levy, round up, collect,
congregate, forgather or foregather; meet: The forces were
assembled along the waterfront. A small crowd assembled at the
airport. 2 accumulate, gather, amass, collect, bring or group or
lump together, compile, unite, join or draw together: The
paintings were assembled from many sources. 3 construct, put
together, erect, set up, fit or join or piece together, connect,
fabricate, manufacture, make: The sculpture was assembled from
so-called objets trouv‚s , or 'found' objects.


assembly n. 1 gathering, group, meeting, assemblage, body, circle,
company, congregation, flock, crowd, throng, multitude, host;
horde: A huge assembly of well-wishers greeted the candidate.
2 convocation, council, convention, congress, association,
conclave; diet, synod: The assembly voted to re-elect the
incumbent officers. 3 construction, putting together, erection,
connection, setting up, set-up, fitting or joining or piecing
together, fabrication; manufacture, making: Assembly of the
bicycle can be completed in an hour.


assertion n. 1 statement, declaration, affirmation, contention,
asseveration, averment, avowal, pronouncement; Law affidavit,
deposition: He made the assertion that he had never seen the
defendant before. 2 insistence, proclamation, representation,
affirmation, confirmation: The kings exercised their
jurisdiction in the assertion of their regal power.

assertive adj. declaratory, affirmative, asseverative; definite, certain,
sure, positive, firm, emphatic, bold, aggressive, confident,
insistent; dogmatic, doctrinaire, domineering, opinionated,
peremptory, Colloq bossy, pushy: Harold won't obey unless his
mother adopts an assertive tone with him.

asset n. 1 Also, assets. property, resources, possessions, holdings,
effects, capital, means, valuables, money, wealth: We have to
pay a tax on the company's assets. Her only liquid asset was
some shares in the Suez Canal Company. 2 talent, strength,
advantage, resource, benefit: His main asset is that he speaks

fluent Japanese.

assign v. 1 allot, allocate, apportion, consign, appropriate,
distribute, give (out), grant: A water ration was assigned to
each person. 2 fix, set (apart or aside), settle (on),
determine, appoint, authorize, designate, ordain, prescribe,
specify: Have they really assigned Thursday as the day of
worship? Please sit in the seats assigned to you. 3 appoint,
designate, order; name, delegate, nominate, attach; choose,
select; Brit second: The men have been assigned to their posts.
I assigned David to look after the champagne. 4 attribute,
ascribe, accredit, put down; refer: To which century did the
curator assign this vase?


assignment
n. 1 allotment, allocation, apportionment, giving (out),
distribution: Assignment of posts in the Cabinet is the
responsibility of the Prime Minister. 2 task, obligation,
responsibility, chore, duty, position, post, charge, job,
mission, commission; lesson, homework: Every agent is expected
to carry out his assignment. The school assignment for tomorrow
is an essay on Alexander Pope. 3 appointment, designation,
naming, nomination: The assignment of Neil Mackay to the post
was a stroke of genius. 4 designation, specification,
ascription: In ancient medicine, the assignment of the
functions of the organs was often wrong.

assist v. 1 aid, help, second, support: He could walk only if
assisted by the nurse. 2 further, promote, abet, support,
benefit, facilitate: The rumours will not assist his election.
3 help, succour, serve, work for or with; relieve: She has
always assisted the poor.

assistance
n. help, aid, support, succour, backing, reinforcement, relief,
benefit: Can you get up without my assistance? The scholarship
fund offered financial assistance.

assistant n. 1 helper, helpmate or helpmeet, aid, aide; aide-de-camp,
second: These systems make use of rhymes as assistants to the
memory. 2 deputy, subordinate, subsidiary, auxiliary;
underling: He is now the assistant to the sales manager.

associate v. 1 associate (with). a ally with, link, join or unite
(with), combine or confederate (with), connect (with), conjoin
(with): In the 1930s Abe was associated with Dutch and Louis in
Murder, Incorporated. I always associate him with fast cars and
hard drinking. b see, be seen with, socialize or fraternize
(with), mix or mingle (with), go (out) with, consort with, have
to do with, Colloq hang out with, Brit pal with or about, pal up
(with), US pal around (with): Mother told me not to associate
with boys who use that kind of language.


--n. 2 colleague, partner; fellow, fellow-worker: I'd like you
to meet my associate, Ian Lindsay. 3 confederate, ally,
collaborator; accomplice, accessory: He and his associates have
been sent to prison for conspiracy. 4 comrade, companion,
friend, mate, buddy; confidant(e): We have been close
associates for many years.

--adj. 5 subsidiary, secondary: She is an associate professor
at an American university. 6 allied, affiliate, affiliated,
associated; accessory: Publication is under the direction of an
associate company.

association
n. 1 society, organization, confederation, confederacy,
federation, league, union, alliance, guild, coalition, group;
syndicate, combine, consortium, cooperative: The society later
became known as the British Association for the Advancement of
Science. 2 connection, link, affiliation, relationship, bond,
tie, linkage, linking, pairing, joining, conjunction, bonding:
The association between princes and frogs is probably lost on
anyone so literal-minded. 3 fellowship, intimacy, friendship,
camaraderie, comradeship, relationship: There has been a
long-standing association between Peter and Wendy.


assortment
n. 1 group, class, category, batch, set, lot, classification,
grouping: Which assortment contains only plain chocolates? 2
collection, pot-pourri, mixture, m‚lange, array, agglomeration,
conglomeration, medley, farrago, variety, miscellany, jumble,
salmagundi, gallimaufry, mishmash, Colloq mixed bag: That hat
looks like something from the assortment at a jumble sale. A
bizarre assortment of people attended the meeting.

assume v. 1 accept, adopt, take, use, employ; arrogate, appropriate,
take over or up, undertake: Who will assume the leadership of
the party? 2 take on (oneself), take upon (oneself), put or try
on, don, adopt; acquire: Whenever she delivered the
information, she assumed the disguise of an old man. That
trivial dispute has assumed gargantuan proportions. 3 presume,
suppose, believe, fancy, expect, think, presuppose, take, take
for granted, surmise, Chiefly US guess: When I saw the knife in
his hand, I assumed the chef was going to slice a lemon. The
king assumed he had the cooperation of Parliament. 4 pretend to,
feign, sham, counterfeit, simulate, sham, affect, fake: Though
she cared deeply, she assumed a devil-may-care attitude.

assumed adj. 1 appropriated, taken, usurped, expropriated, pre-empted,
usurped, seized: He functions in his assumed capacity as a
judge. 2 pretended, put on, sham, false, feigned, affected,
counterfeit, simulated, spurious, bogus, fake; pseudonymous,
made-up, Colloq phoney or US also phony: She morosely stared at
the floor in assumed contrition. He wrote poetry under an
assumed name. 3 taken, taken for granted, presumed, supposed,
accepted, expected, presupposed; hypothetical, theoretical,
suppositional: The payment depends materially on the assumed
rate of interest.


assurance n. 1 promise, pledge, guarantee or guaranty, warranty,
commitment, bond, surety; word, word of honour, oath, vow: You
have the bank's assurance that the money will be on deposit. 2
insurance, indemnity: His life assurance is barely enough to
cover the costs of his funeral. 3 certainty, confidence, trust,
faith, reassurance, surety, assuredness, certitude; security:
There is no assurance that Herr Kleister will get the job done.
4 audacity, impudence, presumption, boldness, brazenness, nerve,
effrontery, insolence , Colloq brass, gall, cheek, chutzpah:
With an air of assurance they quote authors they have never
read. 5 self-confidence, self-reliance, confidence, steadiness,
intrepidity, self-possession, poise, aplomb, coolness, control,
self-control, resolve, Colloq gumption, guts, gutsiness: He has
the assurance of one born to command.


assure v. 1 secure, stabilize, settle, establish, confirm, certify,
warrant, guarantee, ensure, be confident of, make or be sure or
certain: Force, fear, and the multitude of his guard do less to
assure the estate of a prince than the good will of his

subjects. 2 encourage, inspirit, reassure, hearten: Your
humanity assures us and gives us strength. 3 convince,
persuade, reassure, make (someone) certain; ensure: What can I
do to assure you of my love? 4 assert, state, asseverate,
promise: I assure you that we shall do everything possible to
find your dog.

astonish v. amaze, surprise, shock, astound, stun, stagger, dumbfound or
dumfound, bowl over, floor, stupefy, daze, Colloq flabbergast:
She astonished the audience with her gymnastic skill. I was
astonished when told my wife had given birth to quintuplets.

astonishment
n. amazement, surprise, shock, stupefaction, wonder,
wonderment: I'll never forget that look of astonishment on his
face when he learned he had won.

astound v. surprise, shock, astonish, stun, stagger, dumbfound or
dumfound, bowl over, floor, stupefy, bewilder, overwhelm, Colloq
flabbergast: We were astounded to learn that he had survived
all those years on a desert island. The Great MacTavish performs
astounding feats of magic and levitation!

astute adj. 1 shrewd, subtle, clever, ingenious, adroit, wily,
cunning, calculating, canny, crafty, artful, arch, sly, foxy,
guileful, underhand, underhanded; Rare astucious: He had the
reputation of being an astute businessman. 2 sharp, keen,
perceptive, observant, alert, quick, quick-witted, sage,
sagacious, wise, intelligent, insightful, perspicacious,
discerning, knowledgeable: That was a very astute comment,
Smedley.

1.16 atmosphere...
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atmosphere
n. 1 air, heaven(s), sky, aerosphere: It is gravity that
prevents the earth's atmosphere from drifting off into outer
space. 2 air, ambience or ambiance, environment, climate, mood,
feeling, feel, spirit, tone: There's such a friendly atmosphere
in the bar of the Golden Cockerel. The atmosphere became very
chilly when she told him she was marrying someone else.


atone v. expiate, make amends, pay, repay, answer, compensate;
redress, remedy, propitiate, redeem: Nothing can atone for her
betrayal of him to the enemy. He has atoned for his sins many
times over.

atonement n. amends, propitiation, reparation, repayment, compensation,
payment, restitution, recompense, expiation, penance,
satisfaction: He sent her flowers in atonement, together with a
note apologizing profusely for his actions.

atrocious adj. 1 cruel, wicked, iniquitous, villainous, fiendish,
execrable, appalling, abominable, monstrous, inhuman, savage,
barbaric, brutal, barbarous, heinous, dreadful, flagrant,
flagitious, gruesome, grisly, ruthless, ghastly, unspeakable,
horrifying, horrible, awful, infamous, infernal, satanic,
hellish: They will never forget the atrocious crimes that took
place during the war. 2 awful, terrible, bad, rotten, horrid,
appalling, frightful, horrendous, Colloq lousy: That's the most
atrocious book it has ever been my misfortune to review.
Priscilla has atrocious taste.

atrocity n. 1 enormity, wickedness, flagitiousness, iniquity, infamy,
cruelty, heinousness, horror, evil, inhumanity, barbarity,
savagery: The atrocity of the 'Final Solution' was a well-kept
secret during the war. 2 evil, outrage, crime, villainy,
offence: She could not listen when the prosecutor read a list
of the atrocities perpetrated at the camp.


attach v. 1 fasten, join, connect, secure, fix, affix; tack or hook or
tie or stick on, pin, rivet, cement, glue, bond, solder, weld,
braze; unite; Nautical bend: The tag is still attached to your
dress. Attach this to the wall. How do I attach the sail to the
spar? 2 connect, associate, assign, affiliate, enlist, join,
add, subjoin, Brit second: Her brother-in-law has been attached
to my regiment. 3 endear, attract: I won't say that we were in
love, but I was very closely attached to her. 4 fix, affix, pin,
apply, ascribe, assign, attribute, put, place: Why do you
attach so much importance to what Dora says? 5 adhere, cleave,
stick: Many legends have attached themselves to Charlemagne. 6
seize, lay hold of, confiscate, appropriate: If he cannot meet
the mortgage payments the bank will attach his house.

attached adj. 1 connected, joined, Brit seconded: She has been attached
to the Foreign Office for many years. 2 united, fastened,
fixed: The knob attached to the outside of the door might come
off. 3 Often, attached to. devoted (to), partial (to), fond
(of), devoted (to): I feel closely attached to her. I became
attached to the painting and did not wish to sell it. 4 spoken
for, married, unavailable, engaged, betrothed: I would have
asked Suzanne out, but I gather she's attached.


attachment
n. 1 fastening; connection, tie, link, bond: The attachment of
this fitting is too flimsy. William cannot understand how an
attachment could have been formed between his wife and his
brother. 2 attaching, fastening, linking, joining, affixing,
fixing, connection: The mode of attachment to the wall is not
immediately apparent. 3 affection, regard, fidelity,
faithfulness, devotion, regard, liking, fondness, affinity,
friendliness, loyalty, admiration, tenderness, partiality,
friendship, love: We still feel a deep attachment, despite the
divorce. 4 adjunct, addition, accessory, device, appliance,
extra, accoutrement or US also accouterment, appendage, part;
ornament, decoration; Colloq gadget: With this attachment, the
film is advanced automatically. Attachments are available at
extra cost.


attack v. 1 assail, assault, fall or set or pounce upon; charge, rush,
raid, strike (at), storm; engage (in battle), fight; Colloq mug,
jump: They were attacked on their way home by a gang of boys.
Helicopter gunships were sent out to attack the bunker. 2
criticize, censure, berate; abuse, revile, inveigh against,
denounce, condemn, malign, denigrate, decry, disparage,
deprecate, vilify: His article attacked the minister for his
views on housing. 3 begin, start; approach, undertake: We
attacked the meal with gusto. 4 affect, seize; infect:
Rheumatism attacks young and old alike. 5 waste, devour,
destroy, eat; erode, corrode, decompose, dissolve: Termites
have attacked the beams of the house. Watch how the acid attacks
the areas on the plate that have not been protected.


--n. 6 assault, onset, offensive, onslaught, incursion, raid,
strike, inroad, invasion: The enemy responded to our attack
with a smokescreen. After capturing the pawn, Karpov launched an
attack on the queen. 7 criticism, censure; abuse, denunciation,

revilement, denigration, decrial, disparagement, deprecation,
vilification: The quarterly's attack is totally uncalled for.
8 seizure, spell, spasm, paroxysm; fit, bout: Preston has had
another attack of gout. How do you stop an attack of hiccups? 9
destruction, wasting; erosion, corrosion: Noting the attack on
the planks by shipworm, the surveyor declared the vessel
unseaworthy. Aluminium will not withstand the attack of the salt
air in this area.


attempt v. 1 try, essay, undertake, take on, venture; endeavour,
strive, Colloq have or take a crack at, try on, have a go or
shot at: It is too stormy to attempt the crossing tonight. Is
she going to attempt to dive off the cliff tomorrow?


--n. 2 endeavour, try, essay; effort, undertaking, bid, Colloq
crack, go, shot: The weather cleared sufficiently for another
attempt at the summit. He made a feeble attempt to wave. 3
attack, assault: An abortive attempt was made on the life of
the vice-president tonight.


attend v. 1 be present (at), go to, be at, appear (at), put in an
appearance (at), turn up (at), haunt, frequent; sit in (on), US
and Canadian audit: Are you attending the concert? She attends
Miss Fiennes's elocution class. 2 turn to, pay attention to,
serve, tend to, take care of, deal with, handle, heed, fulfil:
I shall attend to your request as soon as possible, Madam. 3
Also, attend to. watch over, wait on or upon, care for, take
care of, minister to, occupy oneself with, look after, look out
for, devote oneself to: Mrs Atterbury attends the patients in
the cancer ward on weekdays. The clergyman has his own flock to
attend to. 4 escort, accompany, conduct, convoy, squire, usher,
wait upon, follow; chaperon or chaperone: The actress arrived,
attended by her entourage of toadies. 5 be associated with,
accompany, result in or from, give rise to: A departure in the
midst of the battle would be attended by great peril, Milord.

attendance
n. 1 presence, appearance, being: Your attendance at chapel is
required. 2 audience, crowd, assembly, assemblage, gathering,
turnout, gate, house: The attendance at the fˆte was greater
than we expected. 3 in attendance. waiting upon, attending,
serving: The king always has at least four people in
attendance.


attendant adj. 1 waiting upon, accompanying, following; resultant,
resulting, related, consequent, concomitant, depending,
accessory: The circumstances attendant on your acceptance of
the post are immaterial.

--n. 2 escort, servant, menial, helper, usher or usherette,
chaperon or chaperone; aide, subordinate, underling, assistant;
follower, Derogatory lackey, flunkey, slave; Colloq US cohort:
He dismissed his attendants and entered the church alone.

attention n. 1 heed, regard, notice; concentration: Please give your
attention to the teacher. Pay attention! Don't let your
attention wander. 2 publicity, notice, distinction, acclaim,
prominence, r‚clame, notoriety; limelight: She seems to have
been getting a lot of attention lately.

attentive adj. 1 heedful, observant, awake, alert, intent, watchful,
concentrating, assiduous; mindful, considerate: James is very
attentive in class. You really must be more attentive to the
needs of others. 2 polite, courteous, courtly, gallant,
gracious, accommodating, considerate, thoughtful, solicitous,
civil, respectful, deferential: He is always very attentive to
the ladies.


attest v. bear witness (to), bear out, swear (to), vow, testify,
certify, vouchsafe, declare, assert, asseverate, aver, affirm,
confirm, verify, substantiate, vouch for, Law depose, depose and
say, depone: I attest to the fact that they left the restaurant
together. The merits of chƒteau-bottled Bordeaux are attested by
most epicures.

attitude n. 1 posture, position, disposition, stance, bearing, carriage,
aspect, demeanour: The attitude of the figures in the sculpture
was one of supplication. 2 posture, position, disposition,
opinion, feeling, view, point of view, viewpoint, approach,
leaning, thought, inclination, bent, tendency, orientation:
What is your attitude towards the situation in South Africa?


attract v. draw, invite; entice, lure, allure, appeal to, charm,
captivate, fascinate, Colloq pull: Our attention was attracted
by a slight noise in the cupboard. Melissa attracts men the way
flowers attract bees.


attraction
n. 1 draw, appeal; magnetism; gravitation, Colloq pull: David
confided to Joan that he felt a strong attraction to her. There
is an attraction between the north and south poles of these
magnets. 2 draw, lure, enticement, attractant, inducement; show,
entertainment, presentation, performance , Colloq come-on,
crowd-puller, crowd-pleaser: The presence of the movie stars
has been a powerful attraction. The producer has planned to
repeat the attraction every evening.

attractive
adj. attracting, drawing, pulling, captivating, taking,
fetching, appealing, luring, inviting, enticing, seductive,
inviting, engaging, charming, interesting, pleasing, winning,
alluring, good-looking, pretty, handsome: The person I'd like
to meet needn't be beautiful or stunning - attractive will do
nicely.


attribute n. 1 quality, character, characteristic, property, feature,
trait, virtue: It is surprising how soon historical personages
become invested with romantic attributes.

--v. 2 ascribe, impute, assign, put down to, trace to, charge,
credit: The shrivelled arm of Richard the Third was attributed
to witchcraft. To what do you attribute your interest in birds?

attribution
n. assignment, ascription, credit: The curator disagreed with
the expert's attribution of the painting to Canaletto.

1.17 audacious...
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audacious adj. 1 daring, bold, confident, intrepid, brave, courageous,
adventurous, venturesome, reckless, rash, foolhardy, daredevil,
devil-may-care, fearless, doughty, mettlesome: The troop
launched an audacious daylight attack. Cranshaw made an
audacious bid for the chairmanship. 2 presumptuous, shameless,
bold, impudent, pert, saucy, defiant, impertinent, insolent,
brazen, unabashed, rude, disrespectful, cheeky, forward:
Charlotte was so audacious as to assume that she could win.


aura n. air, atmosphere, feeling, ambience or ambiance, spirit,
character, quality, odour, aroma, emanation: There is an aura
of elegance about the woman that impresses everyone she meets.


auspices n. aegis, sponsorship, authority, protection, support, backing,
supervision, guidance, patronage, sanction, approval, control,
influence: The competition is under the auspices of the
astronomical society.


authentic adj. genuine, real, actual, bona fide, factual, accurate, true,
legitimate, authoritative, reliable, veritable, trustworthy,
faithful, undisputed: This is an authentic Chippendale chair.


authenticate
v. verify, validate, certify, substantiate, endorse, vouch for,
confirm, corroborate: You will have to go to the consul to have
your passport authenticated.


author n. creator, originator, inventor, father, founder, framer,
initiator, maker, prime mover, architect, designer; writer,
novelist, litt‚rateur: Adolfo was the author of the plot to
kill the governor.


authoritarian
adj. dictatorial, imperious, totalitarian, autocratic,
arbitrary, absolute, dogmatic, domineering, strict, severe,
unyielding, tyrannical, despotic, Colloq bossy: Why do people
ever elect an authoritarian government?


authoritative
adj. 1 official, valid, authentic, documented, certified,
validated, legitimate, sanctioned; conclusive: The second
edition is usually considered the authoritative one. 2
scholarly, learned, authentic, valid, sound, veritable,
verifiable, accurate, factual, faithful, dependable, reliable,
trustworthy, true, truthful: There is no more authoritative
source than Professor Fitzhugh on early Egyptian history.


authority n. 1 power, jurisdiction, dominion, right, control,
prerogative, authorization; hegemony: Who gave you the
authority to tell me what to do? By the authority vested in me,
I now pronounce you man and wife. 2 word, testimony, evidence,

Colloq say-so: Do not accept anything solely on the authority
of the Herald . 3 expert, specialist, scholar, sage, judge,
arbiter: Gardner is an authority on Scottish history. 4
authorities. government, establishment, officials, officialdom,
powers that be, police: The authorities lowered the speed
limit.

authorize v. empower, commission; sanction, approve, countenance, permit,
give leave, allow, license, entitle, consent or subscribe to,
endorse, Colloq OK or okay, give the green light or go-ahead to:
Who authorized you to speak for all of us?

automatic adj. 1 self-acting, self-governing, self-regulating,
mechanical, robot, automated: Many modern cars are equipped
with an automatic choke. 2 mechanical, involuntary,
unconscious, instinctive or instinctual, natural, spontaneous,
impulsive, conditioned, reflex, robot-like, Slang knee-jerk:
Flinching is an automatic reaction to a threatening gesture. 3
unavoidable, inevitable, inescapable, ineluctable: It is
automatic for the tax inspector to suspect people of hiding
something.

auxiliary adj. 1 helping, assisting, supportive, aiding, abetting;
helpful, accessory, supplementary: In a well-balanced mind,
imagination and understanding are auxiliary to each other. 2
subordinate, additional, subsidiary, secondary, ancillary,
extra, reserve; accessory: Larger sailing vessels have an
auxiliary motor in case the wind fails.


--n. 3 help, assistance, aid, support, accessory: Knowing
another language is a useful auxiliary in the study of your own.
4 helper, assistant, aide, alter ego, supporter, Colloq man
Friday, girl Friday: Let me introduce Pat, my auxiliary, who
will help you if I am not available.


1.18 available...
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available adj. at or to hand, at one's disposal, accessible, handy,
present, ready, (readily) obtainable, convenient, nearby, close
by, within reach, on tap, at one's fingertips or elbow: Running
water is available. If you need me for anything, I am available.


avant-garde
adj. innovative, advanced, progressive, experimental, original,
new, ground-breaking, pioneering, precedent-setting;
revolutionary, extreme, extremist, Colloq far-out, way-out: We
disapprove of your avant-garde notions of teaching. Some modern
art, avant-garde not very long ago, seems quite conventional
today.


avarice n. greed, acquisitiveness, cupidity, craving, covetousness,
desire, greediness, rapacity, selfishness; stinginess, meanness,
miserliness, parsimony, tight-fistedness, close-fistedness,
niggardliness, penuriousness: The classic tale of avarice is
that of King Midas, whose touch turned everything to gold.


avaricious
adj. greedy, acquisitive, grasping, covetous, mercenary,
selfish; penny-pinching, stingy, miserly, mean, parsimonious,
tight-fisted, close-fisted, niggardly, penurious, tight: She
fell into the clutches of an avaricious lawyer.

average n. 1 mean, norm, usual, standard: The Bell Inn is certainly
far above average in accommodation, food quality, and service. 2
on average. in the main, generally, normally, usually,
ordinarily, typically, customarily, as a rule, for the most
part: On average, I go abroad twice a year on business.

--adj. 3 normal, common, usual, customary, general, typical,
ordinary, regular: On an average day, the museum has about
2,000 visitors. 4 mediocre, middling, run-of-the-mill,
commonplace, common, ordinary, undistinguished, unexceptional,
Colloq so so: Boris is only an average violinist, but he's a
virtuoso on the harmonica.


averse adj. disinclined, unwilling, reluctant, resistant, loath,
opposed, anti, antipathetic, ill-disposed, indisposed: He does
not appear to be averse to your suggestion: in fact, he seems
quite keen on it.


aversion n. 1 dislike, abhorrence, repugnance, antipathy, antagonism,
animosity, hostility, loathing, hatred, odium, horror;
disinclination, unwillingness, reluctance, dislike, distaste:
Does Anne have an aversion to people who smoke? Your aversion to

the theatre might be explained as agoraphobia. 2 dislike,
hatred, hate, loathing: Turnips are a particular aversion of
mine.


avoid v. shun, keep (away) from, keep off, leave alone, keep or steer
clear of, refrain from, dodge, circumvent, sidestep, elude,
escape, evade: The doctor suggested that I avoid chocolate. Why
does Bennie avoid looking me straight in the eye?


1.19 awake...
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awake v. 1 wake (up), awaken, get up, rouse or bestir oneself: When
I awoke, she was standing over me with a pistol. 2 awaken,
animate, arouse, rouse, stimulate, revive, incite, excite,
activate, alert, stir up, fan, kindle, ignite, fire: Marches
awaken my sense of patriotism. 3 awake to. awaken to, wake up
to, realize, understand, become aware or conscious of: I
finally awoke to the fact that my tax return was overdue.

--adj. 4 up, aroused, roused, wide awake, up and about, alert,
on the alert, on the qui vive, watchful, on guard, attentive,
conscious; heedful, alive: I'm always awake a few minutes
before the alarm goes off.

awaken v. See awake, 1, 2, above.

award v. 1 grant, give, confer, bestow, present, accord, furnish,
endow with; assign, apportion: Her dog was awarded the blue
ribbon in the club show.

--n. 2 prize, trophy, reward: The award for the tidiest boats
has been won by the Bristol Yacht Club. 3 grant, bestowal,
presentation, endowment, awarding: Before the award of the
prizes, we listened to speeches. Profits were up last year
despite a large pay award.

aware adj. 1 informed, apprised, knowledgeable, knowing, posted, in
the know, enlightened, au fait, au courant, cognizant, Slang
hip, hep, wise: She is well aware of the consequences. 2
sensitive, sensible, conscious: I became aware that someone was
watching us.


awesome adj. awe-inspiring, awful, imposing, amazing, wonderful,
breathtaking, marvellous, wondrous, moving, stirring, affecting,
overwhelming, formidable, daunting, dreadful, fearsome, fearful,
frightening, horrifying, terrifying, terrible; unbelievable,
incredible; alarming, shocking, stunning, stupefying,
astounding, astonishing,: The eruption of Vesuvius in AD 67
must have been a truly awesome spectacle.


awful adj. 1 bad, terrible, inferior, base, abominable, rotten,
horrible, horrid; tasteless, unsightly, ugly, hideous,
grotesque, Slang lousy, Brit naff, Chiefly US hellacious: That
is an awful piece of sculpture. I feel awful this morning. 2
frightful, shocking, execrable, unpleasant, grotesque, nasty,
ghastly, gruesome, horrendous, horrifying, horrific, horrible,
unspeakable: That was an awful thing to do.

awfully adv. very (much), badly, terribly, extremely, greatly,
remarkably, in the worst way, dreadfully, extraordinarily,
exceedingly, excessively, really, fearfully, inordinately;
incomparably: I get awfully tired running in the marathon. I'm
awfully sorry I'm late. Doreen is an awfully good horsewoman.

awkward adj. 1 clumsy, ungainly, left-handed, ham-handed, ham-fisted,
blundering, bungling, maladroit, uncoordinated, undexterous,
inexpert, gauche, unhandy, inept, oafish, unskilled, unskilful,
Colloq all thumbs, butter-fingered, Brit cack-handed: In his
awkward attempt at putting the watch back together, Sam left out
a few parts. 2 ungraceful, ungainly, inelegant, wooden, gawky:
The ballerina made an awkward, flat-footed pirouette and
stumbled off stage. 3 embarrassed, shamefaced, uncomfortable,
ill at ease, uneasy, out of place, discomfited, confused: He
felt awkward being the only boy in the class. Terry made an
awkward excuse and left the room. 4 dangerous, hazardous, risky,
precarious, perilous: Be careful, there's an awkward step here.
5 difficult, touchy, sensitive, embarrassing, delicate,
unpleasant, uncomfortable, ticklish, tricky, trying,
troublesome, Colloq sticky: He's got himself into a very
awkward situation indeed.