15.0 O

15.1 oar...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



oar n. 1 paddle, scull: The ancient galleys sometimes had six men
on each oar. 2 oarsman, oarswoman, bencher, sculler, rower,
paddler: With Hanson out because of his back, we'll need a new
oar for tomorrow's race.

oasis n. 1 fertile patch, watering-hole: In the desert, you cannot
always be sure whether you are looking at an oasis or a mirage.
2 haven, refuge, (safe) harbour, sanctuary, retreat, asylum,
resort, sanctum: We escaped to the cottage, a tiny oasis away
from the city's frenetic activity.

oath n. 1 vow, avowal, pledge, promise, word (of honour), promise,
plight, guarantee or guaranty, warrant or warranty, (sworn)
statement, Archaic troth: She has taken an oath to tell the
whole truth. 2 curse, profanity, blasphemous language or
expression or word, imprecation, malediction, swear-word,
expletive, four-letter word, obscenity, dirty word: The door
slammed on his finger and he muttered a foul oath.


15.2 obedience...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



obedience n. compliance, dutifulness, observance, respect,
respectfulness, tractability, conformity or conformance,
yielding, conformability, adaptability, agreement, agreeability,
agreeableness, acquiescence, submissiveness, submission,
subservience, docility, passiveness, passivity: The abbot
demanded unquestioning obedience with regard to every rule of
the monastic order.

obedient adj. compliant, dutiful, duteous, observant, respectful,

tractable, yielding, conformable, adaptable, agreeable,
amenable, acquiescent, submissive, subservient, docile, passive,
timid, biddable, pliant: Prunella was always an obedient child.
All matter and energy is obedient to the laws of physics.


obeisance n. deference, respect, respectfulness, homage, submission,
reverence, honour: As she entered the chamber, she made
obeisance to the king.


obese adj. fat, overweight, stout, fleshy, gross, corpulent, heavy,
plump, portly, tubby, pudgy, chubby, paunchy, rotund,
pot-bellied, Rare abdominous: I sat down next to an obese
person who occupied nearly two chairs.


obesity n. corpulence, plumpness, tubbiness, chubbiness, grossness,
embonpoint, rotundity, portliness, paunchiness, size, bulk,
weight, avoirdupois: Risk factors with respect to heart disease
include smoking, bad diet, obesity, and family history of heart
disease.


obey v. 1 comply (with), agree (to), consent (to), submit (to),
abide (by), observe, respect, adhere to, follow, conform (to or
with), acquiesce (to or in), mind, accept, heed, defer to, yield
(to), knuckle under (to), give way (to), surrender (to), succumb
(to), give in (to), truckle to, bow to, bend to, take or accept
orders from: Unfortunately, Ogilvy has obeyed his baser
instincts in making the punishment fit the crime. Everything
must obey the laws of nature. Harold obeys Millie's slightest
whim. 2 discharge, execute, effect, carry out, fulfil, meet,
satisfy, do, perform; serve, act: We obeyed the colonel's
orders to the letter. It is your function to command, mine to
obey.

obituary n. necrology, death notice, eulogy, necrologue, Colloq obit:
Mark Twain is one of the few people ever to have read his own
obituary.

object n. 1 thing, tangible, item; reality, entity, fact, phenomenon:
A number of objects lay on the table. Thoughts may be considered
as objects of the imagination. 2 focus, target, butt, aim,
destination, quarry, goal: The object of my affection has
married someone else. 3 purpose, end, intention, objective,
reason, intent, idea, goal: The object of our visit is to ask

you a few questions.

--v. 4 protest (to or against), interfere (with), raise
objections (to), argue (against), oppose, be against, take
exception (to), disapprove (of), draw the line (at), complain
(about), remonstrate (over or about), take a stand (against),
refuse: I won't object if you want to bring the wine. Would you
object to rereading that passage? If they ask me, I cannot
object.


objection n. protest, opposition, exception, argument, challenge,
interference, demur or demurral or demurrer, question, doubt,
disapproval, interference, complaint, remonstration,
remonstrance, stand, refusal, dislike, antipathy: The meeting
proceeded without further objection from the audience. If you
have no objection, I'd like to leave now. The secretary has
raised an objection to the method of procedure.

objective adj. 1 fair, impartial, just, judicious, equitable, neutral,
disinterested, dispassionate, open-handed, open-minded,
detached, unbiased, unprejudiced, unbigoted, even-handed,
uncoloured, unjaundiced: How can you be objective about the
guilt or innocence of your own child?


--n. 2 target, goal, object, aim, purpose, end (in view),
intent, intention, design, aspiration, ambition, hope: If we
capture the flag, we shall have gained our objective. My
objective is to win the pentathlon.


objectivity
n. impartiality, fairness, fair-mindedness, equitableness,
equitability, even-handedness, neutrality, disinterest,
detachment, indifference, dispassion: The jury's objectivity
was never in doubt.


obligate n. oblige, pledge, commit, bind; require, compel, constrain,
force: I feel deeply obligated to her for her kindness to our
children. We are obligated to do what we are told.


obligation
n. 1 responsibility, duty, charge, burden, onus;
accountability, liability, trust; demand, requirement,
compulsion, Literary devoir: It was Frank's obligation to get

the children home safely. Civil servants have an obligation to
serve the people. I could never fulfil all my obligations. 2
constraint, requirement, contract, promise, pledge, bond,
agreement, covenant: The company is under no obligation to
replace a product because the customer dislikes its colour. I am
under an obligation to her for introducing us. 3 debt,
liability: Denby may be unable to meet all his obligations.

obligatory
adj. required, demanded, necessary, requisite, compulsory,
mandatory; incumbent; indispensable, essential: Has she been
able to meet all the obligatory qualifications?

oblige v. 1 accommodate, indulge, favour, serve, please, cater to,
gratify: The hotelier obliged us with every luxury he had to
offer. Please oblige us by keeping your dog on a lead. 2 make,
require, demand, force, compel, coerce, bind, obligate: What
hold has she over you that obliges you to do her housework?


obliged adj. 1 thankful, grateful, appreciative, beholden, indebted,
obligated: We are deeply obliged to you for lending us your
car. 2 bound, required, compelled, forced, made, obligated:
Under the terms of the agreement, I am obliged to repay the debt
by May.


obliging adj. accommodating, willing, indulgent, gracious, courteous,
civil, considerate, polite, agreeable, amenable, kind, kindly,
helpful, friendly, amiable, neighbourly, supportive: It was
very obliging of you to look after my cat while I was gone.


oblique adj. 1 slanting, slanted, sloping, aslant, inclined, diagonal,
inclining, angled, angling, canted, canting, banked, banking,
cambered, crooked, askew, divergent, diverging, tilted, atilt,
tilting: The roof joins the wall at an oblique angle. 2 awry,
devious, roundabout, indirect, circuitous, circumlocutionary,
evasive, sly, sidelong, offhand, surreptitious, furtive,
implied, clandestine, underhand(ed), deceitful, devious,
deceptive, false: She made some oblique comments about the
candidate's wife.


obliterate
v. 1 erase, expunge, rub out, efface, eradicate, wipe out,
delete, dele, strike off or out, strike from, rule out,

eliminate, write off: After the scandal, that name was
obliterated from the roll of honour. 2 annihilate, destroy,
kill, exterminate, wipe out, eliminate, blot out, eradicate,
extirpate: The entrance to the cave was completely obliterated
by the explosion.

oblivion n. 1 blankness, blackness, darkness, obscurity, nothingness,
nihility, anonymity, extinction, non-existence, void, limbo:
The rock band enjoyed brief fame, then sank into oblivion. 2
unawareness, obliviousness, forgetfulness, heedlessness,
disregard, unconsciousness, insensibility: I sank back into the
sweet oblivion of deep sleep.

oblivious adj. unaware, unconscious, unmindful, disregardful, insensible,
insensitive, distant, unconcerned, detached, removed, unfeeling,
abstracted, absent-minded, forgetful, Lethean: Many are
completely oblivious to the plight of the starving millions in
Africa.


obnoxious adj. revolting, repulsive, repugnant, disgusting, offensive,
objectionable, fulsome, noisome, vile, repellent, nauseous,
nauseating, sickening, foul, noxious, mephitic, unsavoury,
execrable, abominable, abhorrent, loathsome, detestable,
hateful, odious, scurvy, base, obscene, despicable, awful,
terrible, unpalatable, distasteful, unlikeable, unpleasant,
nasty, Colloq chiefly Brit beastly: Mary's obnoxious sister
even has obnoxious table manners.

obscene adj. 1 inelegant, improper, rude, impure, unchaste, shameless,
shameful, indecent, immodest, off colour, indecorous,
indelicate, risqu‚, vulgar, immoral, degenerate, amoral,
dissolute, broad, suggestive, erotic, sensual, ribald,
debauched, wanton, loose, libertine, bawdy, blue, scabrous,
coarse, dirty, filthy, smutty, pornographic, libidinous, lewd,
licentious, lecherous, lustful, goatish, carnal, ruttish,
lascivious, filthy, salacious, prurient, disgusting, offensive,
repulsive, foul, abominable, vile, loathsome, gross,
foul-mouthed, scurrilous, scatological, vile, Literary Cyprian,
Paphian, Fescennine, thersitical: In the cinema business,
'adult' and 'obscene' seem to be synonyms. 2 evil, wicked,
heinous, atrocious, awful, outrageous, repulsive, shocking,
repellent, obnoxious, off-putting, objectionable, beastly,
intolerable, insufferable, unpalatable, distasteful, nauseous,

nauseating, sickening, execrable, despicable, nasty: The
obscene monster dashed the brave warriors to the rocks far
below.


obscure adj. 1 dark, unlit, gloomy, sombre, dismal, murky, dusky,
black, Cimmerian, tenebrous, dim, faint, blurred, veiled,
shadowy, subfusc, subfuscous, umbral, shady, hazy, foggy,
befogged, clouded, nebulous, overcast, cloudy: The traveller's
lantern was barely seen in the obscure reaches of the wood. 2
unclear, uncertain, ambiguous, vague, hazy, doubtful, dubious,
equivocal, indefinite, indistinct, fuzzy, blurred, confused,
confusing, Delphic, puzzling, enigmatic, perplexing, baffling,
mystifying, mysterious, cryptic, incomprehensible, unfamiliar,
foreign, strange: The sorcerer muttered some obscure words, and
a golden horse stood prancing before them. 3 secret, concealed,
hidden, remote, out-of-the-way, inconspicuous, unnoticeable,
secluded, unnoticed: The caped figure scurried down the alley
and disappeared into some obscure doorway. 4 unknown,
unheard-of, anonymous, unnamed, insignificant, unimportant,
inconsequential, humble, lowly, mean, inglorious, inconspicuous,
undistinguished, unnoticed, unsung, minor, little-known: Though
extremely popular, the song was written by an obscure composer.
5 abstruse, arcane, recondite, esoteric, intricate, complex,
occult, out of the ordinary, unfamiliar, Colloq far-out: He is
an authority on some obscure subject like Coptic calligraphy.

--v. 6 cover, conceal, hide, veil, shroud, cloak, mask, screen,
disguise, keep from: Her link with military intelligence was
obscured from her family. 7 dim, bedim, cloud, becloud, dull,
shroud, shade, adumbrate, overshadow, darken, obfuscate, block,
eclipse: The street lamp was obscured by trees.

obscurity n. 1 dimness, darkness, gloom, murk, murkiness, duskiness,
dusk, blackness, faintness, blurriness, shade, shadow, haze,
fog, cloudiness, nebulousness: The two of them vanished into
the obscurity of the night. 2 abstruseness, ambiguousness,
intricacy, complexity, unintelligibility; mystery, arcanum,
secret, esoterica (pl.): Can he truly believe that he has
fathomed all the obscurities of Scripture? 3 insignificance,
unimportance, ingloriousness, inconspicuousness, anonymity,
namelessness, limbo: After a fleeting surge of popularity, punk
rock sank into obscurity.

obsequious
adj. low, cringing, toadying, toadyish, sycophantic(al),
sycophantish, unctuous, truckling, grovelling, crawling,
fawning, deferential, ingratiating, menial, flattering, servile,
slavish, subservient, submissive, abject, mealy-mouthed, slimy,
Colloq boot-licking, Chiefly Brit smarmy, Taboo slang
brown-nosing, Brit arse-kissing, arse-licking, US ass-licking,
ass-kissing: He is surrounded with obsequious followers who
cater to his every whim.


observable
adj. perceptible, perceivable, noticeable, discernible,
recognizable, detectable, visible, apparent, distinct, evident,
manifest, plain, obvious, clear, explicit, transparent, patent,
tangible, unmistakable or unmistakeable: A marked change in
public sentiment became at once observable.

observance
n. 1 observation, observing, obedience, obeying, compliance,
complying, conformity, conforming, adherence, adhering, keeping,
accordance, regard, recognition, recognizing, respect,
respecting, heed, heeding, attention: Observance of the rules
by everyone makes for a happier community. 2 ceremony,
celebration, ceremonial, practice, rite, ritual, service,
performance, form, custom, convention, tradition, formality,
usage, habit, wont, institution: Almost all the fine arts
derived their origin from religious observances. 3 observation,
examination, inspection, scrutiny, looking, watching: His
observance of the passing scene was chronicled in his diary.


observant adj. 1 watchful, alert, attentive, vigilant, on the lookout, on
the qui vive, on guard, wide awake, regardful, mindful, aware,
keen, keen-eyed, sharp-eyed, eagle-eyed, perceptive, sharp,
shrewd: Hannay was observant of all who passed him on the way
to the train. How very observant of you to spot the man in the
crowd! 2 Usually, observant of. obedient (to), compliant (with),
respectful (of), heedful(of), attentive (to or of), conformist
(to), adherent (to): One must be always be observant of the
rules of the road.


observation
n. 1 watching, examination, scrutiny, inspection, viewing,
survey, surveillance; notice, discovery, attention, awareness:

The police put the house under 24-hour observation. The smuggled
weapon escaped the guard's observation. 2 comment, remark, note,
reflection, opinion, sentiment, point of view, impression,
feeling, commentary, criticism; utterance, word, announcement,
pronouncement, proclamation, declaration: She made a number of
trenchant observations concerning life in Britain today.

observe v. 1 obey, abide by, comply with, be heedful of, attend to,
conform to, regard, keep, follow, adhere to, respect, pay
attention to: We observed the prohibition against swimming. 2
watch, look at, examine, monitor, scrutinize, study, regard,
view, inspect, pore over, contemplate, consider , Colloq check
(out or up on), check over, size up, Slang case: The
naturalists went to the Arctic to observe the polar bears. 3
see, mark, notice, look, perceive: Observe how swiftly the skin
forms pustules when this substance is applied. 4 Sometimes,
observe on or upon. comment (on or upon), remark (on or upon),
mention, say, note, refer (to), make reference to, animadvert on
or upon or to; state, declare: It is impolite to observe on
others' manners. He couldn't help observing to his cell-mate how
easy it would be to escape. 5 celebrate, keep, solemnize,
respect, keep holy, mark, commemorate, memorialize, remember,
recognize: We always observe the sabbath.


observer n. witness, eyewitness, spectator, viewer, onlooker, beholder,
watcher, looker-on; non-participant: UN observers reported that
the battle was over.

obsess v. haunt, harass, plague, bedevil, torment, take over,
preoccupy, dominate, control, grip, possess, hold: He was
obsessed by the conviction that he could design a successful
flying machine.

obsession n. fixed idea, id‚e fixe, fixation, conviction, preoccupation,
prepossession, passion, mania, phobia, Colloq hang-up, thing:
Thoughts of death became his constant obsession.

obsessive adj. haunting, harassing, tormenting, dominating, controlling,
possessing, all-encompassing, passionate, unshakeable or
unshakable: She has an obsessive fear of heights.

obsolescent
adj. fading, waning, on the wane, declining, dying, on the way

out, on the decline, going or passing out of use or fashion or
style: Much of yesterday's newest slang is obsolescent today.

obsolete adj. out of date, out of fashion, out-dated, pass‚, out, dead,
outmoded, old, antiquated, antediluvian, ancient, superannuated,
dated, archaic, old-fashioned, d‚mod‚; unused, disused,
discarded, superseded, extinct, Colloq old hat: The expression
'tickety-boo' is obsolete. He plays his 78-rpm records on an
obsolete gramophone.


obstacle n. impediment, hindrance, obstruction, hurdle, hitch, catch,
snag, stumbling-block, barrier, bar, check: The obstacles in
the road prevented our proceeding further. One must often
overcome many obstacles before achieving success.


obstinacy n. obstinateness, stubbornness, doggedness, tenacity,
persistence or persistency, mulishness, pigheadedness,
wilfulness, contrariness, perverseness, perversity,
cantankerousness, recalcitrance, uncooperativeness,
rebelliousness, contumacy, contumaciousness, refractoriness,
intractability, intransigence, pertinacity, pertinaciousness,
obduracy, fixedness, stolidity, inflexibility, firmness, Archaic
frowardness, Colloq Brit bloody-mindedness: His obstinacy and
narrow-mindedness made it impossible to work in any cooperative
way with him.

obstinate adj. stubborn, dogged, tenacious, persistent, mulish, perverse,
headstrong, pigheaded, single-minded, wilful, strong-willed,
self-willed, contrary, recalcitrant, uncooperative, rebellious,
contumacious, refractory, intransigent, pertinacious, obdurate,
fixed, inflexible, stony, adamant, set, unmoving, immovable,
inexorable, intractable, unchangeable, resolute, steadfast,
unyielding, persevering, stiff, rigid, hard, Archaic froward,
Colloq Brit bloody-minded: The obstinate man does not hold
opinions - they hold him.

obstreperous
adj. vociferous, clamorous, noisy, loud, raucous, riotous,
uproarious, tumultuous, boisterous, rowdy, rumbustious,
tempestuous, unruly, disorderly, unmanageable, uncontrollable,
uncontrolled, unrestrained, irrepressible, out of control,
undisciplined, roisterous, wild, turbulent, Colloq rambunctious,
Brit mafficking: The party was getting rough and some of the

guests a bit too obstreperous.

obstruct v. 1 block, bar, check, prevent, stop (up), arrest, halt, clog,
make impassable; bring to a standstill: The vein is obstructed
by a large blood clot. A clogged drain is obstructing the water.
2 hamper, slow, impede, interfere with, retard, hinder,
interrupt, delay, stay, stall: An overturned truck obstructed
traffic on the motorway. 3 preclude, prevent, debar, block,
prohibit, forbid, stop, stand in the way of: They are
manoeuvring to obstruct her from taking over the company.

obstruction
n. 1 obstacle, barrier, bar, check, stumbling-block, hindrance,
impediment, hurdle, hitch, snag, catch, bottleneck, limitation,
constraint, restriction: The fallen trees created an almost
impassable obstruction. 2 checking, stopping, cessation,
proscription, forbidding, forbiddance; hindering, impeding,
limiting, halting, slowing: The obstruction of the bill's
passage can be blamed on the Tories.


obtain v. 1 get, procure, acquire, come by, come into (the) possession
of, secure, get hold of or one's hands on, grasp, capture, take
possession of, seize; buy, purchase: She has been unable to
obtain the job she wants. You can obtain that kind of soap at
the supermarket. 2 earn, gain: We talked to the manager about
obtaining an increase in wages. 3 prevail, be in force, be in
vogue, exist, subsist, have (a) place, be prevalent, be
established, be customary, apply, be relevant, relate: A
different set of regulations obtains here.


obtrude v. thrust (oneself) forward or forth, intrude, impose
(oneself), force (oneself): The best writers never obtrude
between the reader and the story.


obtrusive adj. interfering, intrusive, meddling, officious, meddlesome,
importunate, forward, presumptuous, forceful, Colloq pushy: She
found him somewhat obtrusive - always giving advice when she
least needed it.


obtuse adj. 1 rounded, unpointed, blunt: When mature, the leaves
become more obtuse. 2 dull, insensitive, unfeeling,
imperceptive, thick-skinned, stolid, thick, dense, doltish,
cloddish, thickheaded, dull-witted, dim-witted, slow-witted,

(mentally) retarded, boneheaded, lumpish, loutish, oafish,
simple, simple-minded: Luke is a bit too obtuse to get the
point of the story.


obvious adj. clear, plain, apparent, patent, perceptible, evident,
self-evident, clear-cut, manifest, palpable, (much) in evidence,
conspicuous, open, visible, overt, ostensible, pronounced,
prominent, glaring, undeniable, unconcealed, unhidden, unsubtle,
distinct, simple, bald, bald-faced, straightforward, direct,
self-explanatory, indisputable, unmistakable or unmistakeable:
There are obvious flaws in the fabric. The reason you were
refused seemed obvious to me.

obviously adv. clearly, plainly, apparently, patently, evidently, simply,
certainly, of course, undeniable, unmistakably or unmistakeably,
indubitably, doubtless(ly): You are obviously the right person
for the assignment.

15.3 occasion...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



occasion n. 1 time, moment, circumstance, incident, occurrence,
opportunity, chance, opening, advantage: I took the occasion of
the inquiry to leave town. 2 reason, cause, call,
justification, ground(s), warrant, provocation, prompting,
impulse, stimulus, incitement, inducement: Tom gave David no
occasion to doubt his honesty. 3 event, function, happening,
affair, observance, commemoration, ceremony, celebration, gala,
party,: Grandpapa's ninetieth birthday was a great occasion.
This hall is saved for important occasions. 4 on occasion. See
occasionally, below.

--v. 5 give rise to, bring about, cause, bring on, effect,
prompt, provoke, evoke, call forth, elicit, call up, induce,
impel, create, generate, engender, produce, make (for): An
increase in the inflation rate occasions a decrease in the value
of money.


occasional
adj. 1 intermittent, irregular, periodic, random, sporadic,
infrequent, casual, incidental: They staged occasional raids on
the arsenal. He works as an occasional farm hand. 2 additional,

extra, spare, supplementary, incidental, auxiliary, accessory:
We bought a few occasional chairs in case we have company. 3
special, particular, ceremonial, ritual: She writes occasional
verses for memorial services.


occasionally
adv. sometimes, on occasion, (every) now and then, from time to
time, at times, (every) now and again, once in a while, every so
often, periodically, intermittently, sporadically, irregularly,
off and on: We go up the Lake District for a weekend
occasionally. Trevor occasionally drops in at the local pub for
a beer.

occult adj. 1 secret, dark, concealed, private, privy, hidden,
obscure, veiled, obscured, shrouded, vague, abstruse, shadowy,
mystical, mysterious, cabbalistic, esoteric, recondite, arcane:
Printing was kept an occult art for generations. 2 magical,
mystical, alchemic(al), unexplained, unexplainable,
inexplicable, puzzling, baffling, perplexing, mystifying,
mysterious, incomprehensible, inscrutable, indecipherable,
impenetrable, unfathomable, transcendental, supernatural,
preternatural, mystic: They dress in odd clothes and
participate in occult rituals at peculiar times of the day and
night.


--n. 3 Usually, the occult. the supernatural, the unknown, the
black arts; arcana, cabbala or cabala or kabbala; cabbalism or
cabalism or kabbalism, occultism, sorcery, witchcraft, black
magic: Keith has studied the occult for many years.


occupant n. resident, inhabitant, occupier, tenant, lessee, leaseholder,
renter, owner, householder, indweller, dweller, denizen, lodger,
roomer, boarder; addressee; incumbent: The occupant of the flat
upstairs is rarely home.


occupation
n. 1 job, position, post, situation, appointment, employment,
vocation, line (of work), career, field, calling, trade, m‚tier,
craft, skill, profession, business, work: Claverton pursued his
occupation as a miniaturist for some fifty years. 2 possession,
tenure, occupancy, rule, control, suzerainty, subjugation,
subjection, oppression, bondage: Terrible atrocities were
committed while the land was under the occupation of the

Mongols. 3 conquest, seizure, appropriation, take-over:
Francisco Pizarro was responsible for the occupation of Peru.

occupy v. 1 capture, seize, take possession of, conquer, invade, take
over, overrun, garrison, dominate, hold: Rebel forces had
occupied the capital and toppled the governor. 2 live or reside
or dwell in, tenant, be established or ensconced or situated in,
establish or ensconce or situate oneself in, inhabit, be settled
in or into, settle in or into, take up residence in, make one's
home in, move in or into; be located in: She occupies a
luxurious flat in Belgravia. 3 engage, busy, absorb,
monopolize, hold, take up or over, catch, grab, seize, grip;
divert, amuse, entertain, distract, beguile, preoccupy, hold
(someone's) attention, interest, engross, involve: Other
matters occupied my attention last Sunday. While one man was
keeping the shopkeeper occupied, the other man was robbing the
till. 4 fill (in or up), take up, cover, extend over, consume,
use (up), Colloq eat up: The car occupies more garage space
than I thought it would. Housework occupies very little of my
time.

occur v. 1 happen, take place, arise, come about, befall, come to
pass, chance, appear, surface, materialize, develop, become
manifest, manifest itself, Colloq transpire, crop up, come off,
turn up: We reported to the police all that had occurred. What
occurred to make you late this time? 2 occur to. dawn on,
strike, hit, come to, suggest itself to, cross (someone's) mind,
enter (someone's) head, be brought to (someone's) attention:
Has it occurred to you that she might not like opera?


occurrence
n. 1 happening, event, incident, phenomenon, affair, matter,
experience: Earthquakes are frequent occurrences in California.
2 existence, instance, manifestation, materialization,
appearance, development: The occurrence of mutations
diversifies the species. 3 frequency, incidence, rate;
likelihood, chance: What is the recorded occurrence of typhoons
in the South China Sea?


ocean n. 1 (deep blue) sea, (bounding) main, high seas, the deep,
Davy Jones's locker, the depths, Colloq the briny, the drink:
The sails filled, and our tiny craft was swept out into the open
ocean. 2 Often, oceans. flood, abundance, multitude, profusion,

plethora, Colloq scads, loads, tons, lots, oodles, gobs,
zillions: The direct mail campaign yielded oceans of responses.

oceanic adj. marine, pelagic, thalassic; salt-water, deep-water,
aquatic, maritime, sea, ocean: These creatures are chiefly
oceanic, coming ashore only to breed.

15.4 odd...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



odd adj. 1 strange, peculiar, unusual, uncommon, different,
unexpected, unfamiliar, extraordinary, remarkable, atypical,
untypical, exotic, out of the ordinary, unparalleled,
unconventional, exceptional, unique, singular, individual,
anomalous, idiosyncratic, rare, deviant, outlandish, uncanny,
queer, curious, bizarre, weird, eccentric, funny, quaint,
fantastic, freak, abnormal, freakish, Colloq offbeat, screwy,
kinky, freaky, Slang Brit barmy, bent, rum, US and Canadian
kooky or kookie: Ebenezer is an odd name for a dog. Where did
you get that odd hat? I cannot account for his odd behaviour. 2
occasional, casual, part-time, irregular, random, sporadic,
discontinuous, disconnected, various, varied, miscellaneous,
sundry, incidental: After being made redundant, he worked at
odd jobs for a year or so. The odd shower can be expected during
the afternoon. 3 leftover, surplus, remaining, unused, spare,
superfluous, extra: After the patterns were cut, we were
allowed to take the odd scraps of fabric. 4 uneven, unmatched,
unpaired: This gallery has an odd number of columns.


oddity n. 1 peculiarity, strangeness, unnaturalness, curiousness,
incongruity, incongruousness, eccentricity, outlandishness,
extraordinariness, unconventionality, bizarreness, weirdness,
queerness, oddness, unusualness, individuality, singularity,
distinctiveness, anomalousness, anomaly, Colloq kinkiness, US
and Canadian kookiness: What caught my attention was the oddity
of the clothes worn by the students. 2 peculiarity, curiosity,
rarity, freak, original, phenomenon, character, eccentric,
nonconformist, fish out of water, odd bird, rara avis, misfit,
square peg in a round hole, maverick, Colloq card, crank,
weirdie or weirdo, oner, Brit odd fish, US and Canadian kook,
oddball, screwball: The townspeople thought Albert an oddity,
but we knew he was a genius. 3 peculiarity, irregularity,

anomaly, idiosyncrasy, eccentricity, deviation, quirk,
mannerism, twist, kink, crotchet: I suppose people all have
their own oddities when it comes to food.


odds n.pl. 1 chances, likelihood, probability: The odds are that
Janet will finish the job in time. 2 edge, advantage, lead,
superiority: We have won before against greater odds. 3
difference, inequality, disparity, unevenness, discrepancy,
dissimilarity, distinction: It makes no odds who you are, you
may not go in there. 4 at odds. at variance, at loggerheads, at
daggers drawn, at sixes and sevens, at cross purposes, at each
other's throats, in disagreement, in opposition, on bad terms,
not in keeping, out of line, inharmonious, conflicting,
clashing, disagreeing, differing: Teenagers have been at odds
with their parents since time immemorial. 5 odds and ends.
oddments, fragments, debris, leftovers, leavings, remnants, bits
(and pieces), particles, shreds, snippets, scraps, rubbish,
litter, Colloq Brit odds and sods: We managed to pack
everything into boxes except for a few odds and ends.


odour n. 1 smell, scent, aroma, bouquet, fragrance, perfume,
redolence; stench, stink, fetor or foetor: The air was filled
with the odour of orange blossoms. The odour of rotting
vegetation assailed our noses. 2 air, breath, hint, suggestion,
atmosphere, spirit, quality, flavour, savour, aura, tone: She
would never allow the odour of scandal to touch her family.

15.5 off...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



off adv. 1 away, out, elsewhere: His secretary said that he'd gone
off for the weekend. 2 distant, away, afar, far-off: The
U-boat was a mile off. Christmas is only a month off.


--adj. 3 incorrect, wrong, inaccurate, in error, mistaken,
misguided, misled, off the mark: I'm afraid you're off on the
question of the best way to approach him. 4 mad, insane, crazy,
eccentric, touched (in the head), Colloq dotty, dippy, nutty,
potty: Underwood's aunt is slightly off. 5 remote, distant,
improbable, unlikely: He went to the station on the off chance
that she would be on the midday train. 6 off work, at leisure,
idle, free, open; on holiday: Can you get the day off tomorrow

to go on a picnic with me? 7 sour, mouldy, bad, rotten, rancid,
turned, high: The cream smells a bit off. 8 bad, unpropitious,
disappointing, unsatisfactory, disheartening, displeasing,
slack, slow, substandard, below par, below average, quiet: It
has been an off year for the local football team. 9 cancelled,
postponed: The meeting is off till next week. 10 situated,
fixed, supplied: Is he really that well off? She was much worse
off when they were married.


offbeat adj. strange, eccentric, bizarre, weird, peculiar, odd, queer,
unconventional, unorthodox, Bohemian, idiosyncratic, unusual,
unexpected, outr‚, outlandish, deviant, novel, innovative,
Colloq kinky, way-out, far-out, off-the-wall, freaky, weirdo:
Jasper's offbeat, satirical humour has made him a popular
comedian.

off colour
adj. 1 unwell, ill, off form, out of sorts, queasy, sick, run
down, awful, seedy, Colloq under the weather, poorly, Slang
lousy, rotten: I have been feeling off colour since eating that
fish. 2 indelicate, risqu‚, ribald, bawdy, indecent,
suggestive, broad, indelicate, inelegant, improper,
inappropriate, unseemly, blue: My mother does not tolerate
off-colour remarks at the dinner table.


offence n. 1 violation, breach, crime, felony, misdemeanour,
infraction, transgression, trespass, wrong, wrongdoing, sin,
peccadillo, misdeed, fault, infringement, malefaction;
dereliction, lapse, slip, error: He was accused of offences
against the rights of others. Some regard the splitting of an
infinitive an offence against the Queen's English. 2 give
offence. incur displeasure, create annoyance or irritation or
resentment or pique, evoke indignation or anger; slight, injure,
hurt, harm, offend, insult, outrage, Colloq put (someone) down:
He denied that he meant to give offence in his criticism of the
play. 3 take offence. take umbrage, feel displeasure or
annoyance or resentment or pique or indignation, be angered or
enraged: Why should you take offence at what a fool says?


offend v. 1 hurt (someone's) feelings, affront, insult, slight, snub,
give offence, hurt, pain, displease, disgruntle, chagrin,
humiliate, embarrass; pique, fret, gall, vex, annoy, irritate,
nettle, needle, rankle, provoke, ruffle, outrage, rile, anger ,

Colloq miff, put (someone's) back up, put (someone's) nose out
of joint, tread or step on (someone's) toes, put (someone) out,
rattle: I hope you weren't offended by my saying that you could
do with losing some weight. 2 disgust, sicken, turn (someone's)
stomach, nauseate, repel, repulse, revolt, Colloq turn (someone)
off: I, for one, am offended by seeing explicit sex on
television.

offender n. criminal, malefactor, lawbreaker, outlaw, wrongdoer,
culprit, miscreant, transgressor, sinner, evil-doer, Slang
crook: I don't know if they apprehended the offender.

offensive adj. 1 antagonistic, hostile, contentious, quarrelsome,
attacking, aggressive, threatening, provocative, combative,
martial, belligerent, warlike, bellicose: The minute the enemy
made an offensive move, we attacked. 2 insulting, rude,
disrespectful, uncivil, insolent, discourteous, impolite,
unmannerly, impertinent, impudent, objectionable, displeasing:
Nigel has been asked to leave because of his offensive
behaviour. 3 disgusting, unsavoury, unpalatable, nauseating,
nauseous, noisome, noxious, obnoxious, repugnant, repulsive,
repellent, revolting, abominable, foul, loathsome, vile,
sickening, fetid or foetid, rank, malodorous, mephitic, putrid,
putrescent, putrefying, rancid, rotten: An offensive stench
emanated from the stagnant pond.

--n. 4 attack, offence: At last, our team was on the
offensive. 5 attack, onslaught, drive, assault, offence, push:
The offensive to capture the arsenal will be launched at dawn
tomorrow.

offer v. 1 proffer, propose, tender, bid: They offered twice what I
had paid for it. She offered to buy my old car. 2 make
available, present, tender, put on the market, sell, put up for
sale, put up, furnish: The supermarket is offering lettuce at
half price. 3 proffer, provide, submit, put forward or forth,
advance, tender, extend, make; suggest: Can you offer a
suggestion for improving office efficiency? He offered to forget
the whole thing if I paid him œ1000. 4 volunteer, present
oneself, step or come forward: I offered to help with her
luggage.

--n. 5 proposal, bid, tender, offering: She said she would

double any offer we have already had for the painting. 6
proposal, presentation, proffer, proposition: The company said
they could entertain no offers past the deadline. My offer to
lend the money was contingent on being repaid.


offering n. sacrifice, oblation, contribution, donation, gift, present:
They made offerings to the gods in order to propitiate them.

offhand adj. 1 offhanded, casual, informal, nonchalant, cool, distant,
aloof, easygoing, blas‚, unceremonious, relaxed, easy, smooth,
unconcerned, insouciant, light-hearted, uninterested,
superficial, cursory, cavalier, careless: His offhand reaction
shows that he doesn't care as much about her as we thought. 2
curt, brusque, abrupt, perfunctory, ungracious, glib, smooth:
When asked when he expected to pay, he gave an offhand reply. 3
extempore, impromptu, unpremeditated, unstudied, extemporaneous,
informal, off the cuff, ad lib: She rose to make some offhand
comments about the accomplishments of the guest of honour.


--adv. 4 extempore, impromptu, extemporaneously, informally,
off the cuff, ad lib, on the spur of the moment, at the drop of
a hat: That was a pretty good speech considering it was made
offhand. 5 casually, informally, incidentally, by the way,
offhandedly, by the by, parenthetically, in passing, en passant,
cursorily, superficially: Offhand, I'd say that the two of them
deserve each other.

office n. 1 business, organization, department, firm, house,
establishment, company, corporation: Whenever I'm travelling, I
always try to phone the office once a day. 2 commission,
department, branch; section, division: He was with the overseas
office for years. 3 workplace, offices; room, area: Our new
office is completely air-conditioned. My office is next to the
board room. 4 duty, obligation, responsibility, charge,
commission, service, employment, occupation, position, post,
appointment, assignment, chore, task, job, place, berth, work,
role, function, purpose, part, bit, Colloq thing, Slang shtick:
He was appointed to the office of Minister of Health. In her
office as Minister of Finance, she wields great power. 5
offices. indulgence, intermediation, auspices, support,
advocacy, aegis, help, aid, intercession, mediation, patronage,
favour, backing, backup: She appealed to the police chief's
good offices to allow her to visit her son.


officer n. 1 (public) official, dignitary, office-holder, public
servant, office-bearer, (political) appointee, (government)
agent, bureaucrat, functionary, commissioner, administrator,
manager, director; apparatchik: He was stopped by customs
officers who demanded to search his baggage. The bailiff is an
officer of the court. 2 policeman, policewoman, police officer,
officer of the law, constable, Old-fashioned catchpole, US
lawman, peace officer, G-man, T-Man, Colloq gendarme, Slang cop,
copper, fuzz, US dick, narc, Brit Old Bill, tec: The officer
standing at the door was there to serve a writ.

official adj. 1 authorized, legitimate, lawful, legal, authentic, bona
fide, proper, true, accredited, valid, documented, licensed,
sanctioned, endorsed, certified, verified, recognized, accepted:
I won't believe I've won till I hold the official notification
in my own hands. 2 ceremonial, formal, solemn, ritualistic,
ceremonious, pompous, stiff, proper, seemly, decorous: She has
to make an acceptance speech at the official dinner.


--n. 3 See officer, 1, above.

officiate v. preside, direct, manage, chair, conduct, oversee, head (up),
run, lead, supervise, superintend; umpire, referee, judge,
adjudicate, moderate, mediate: Who will officiate at the annual
meeting? Dennis has been invited to officiate at the football
match on Saturday.

officious adj. dictatorial, intrusive, intruding, meddlesome, meddling,
obtrusive, forward, bold, interfering, aggressive, insistent,
persistent, demanding, importunate: Hamish is one of those
officious little men who are always ready to give unasked-for
advice.


offset v. 1 compensate, counterbalance, countervail, counterpoise,
counteract, balance (out), equalize, even (out or up), square,
cancel (out), neutralize, nullify, make up (for), atone (for),
redress; recompense, repay, make amends or restitution, make
good, reimburse, indemnify: The votes from the Centre offset
those lost to the Far Left. How are you going to offset losses
resulting from pilferage by shop assistants?

--n. 2 compensation, counterbalance, counteraction, check,

equalizer, neutralizer: The bank manager considered the money
owed to the company as sufficient offset for the money owed by
it.


offshoot n. 1 branch, spur; shoot, limb, bough, twig, stem, appendage,
sucker, sprout, sprig, tendril, scion: There is an offshoot of
this road that goes up the hill. The offshoots are trained to
grow along the arms of the espalier. 2 descendant, relation,
relative, kin, kindred, offspring, scion, heir: One offshoot of
the family later emigrated to the United States. 3 outgrowth,
development, branch, spin-off; by-product, derivative: An
offshoot of the company manufactures optical instruments. The
sale of gravel for concrete is an offshoot of our mining
operations.


offspring n. (Often used as plural) child, progeny, issue, seed,
youngster, brood, young, successor, heir: None of the earl's
offspring ever amounted to much.


often adv. frequently, regularly, much, many times, usually,
habitually, commonly; ordinarily, again and again, over and over
again, time after time, repeatedly, time and (time) again, in
many cases or instances, on numerous occasions, day in (and) day
out, continually, Literary oftentimes, oft: How often do you
visit your mother? We often went to the seaside for our summer
holiday. She was often warned not to go too near the edge.

15.6 ogle...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



ogle v. 1 leer, eye, make eyes at, Colloq give (someone) the glad
eye, give (someone) the once-over, make sheep's eyes at: The
old lecher is always ogling the pretty young secretaries. 2
gape, gaze, goggle, gawk, stare, Slang Brit gawp or gaup: We
took turns ogling the rings of Saturn through the telescope.

--n. 3 leer, stare, gape, goggle, oeillade, Colloq once-over,
glad eye: They all crowded round the paper for an ogle at the
pin-ups.

ogre n. ogress, monster, giant, fiend, demon, troll, man-eater,
bogey, bogeyman, bugbear, spectre, Minotaur, Cyclops, Gorgon,

Caliban; brute, sadist, villain, cad, scoundrel: The ogre
chased Jack to the beanstalk. The persistent ogre of poverty
threatened him all his life.


15.7 oil...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



oil n. 1 lubricant, grease, lubricator, unguent: A little oil will
stop that squeak. 2 fuel: Miraculously, the lamp burned for
eight days with only one day's supply of oil.

--v. 3 lubricate, grease: Oil the bearings or they will burn
out.


oily adj. 1 greasy, oleaginous, fat, fatty, adipose, pinguid,
sebaceous, soapy, saponaceous, buttery, butyraceous, lardaceous;
slippery, slimy, slithery, smooth, unctuous: The cars slid
about as the tyres failed to grip the oily surface. 2 glib,
smooth, unctuous, servile, obsequious, sycophantic,
ingratiating, flattering, hypocritical; suave, urbane,
sophisticated, Colloq smarmy: Sarah found Curtis's approach
sickeningly oily.


ointment n. unguent, balm, salve, emollient, embrocation, demulcent,
pomade, pomatum, petrolatum; lotion, cream: A little ointment
will keep the sore moist till it heals.

15.8 OK
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



OK interj. 1 O.K.!, Okay!, Fine!, Yes!, Definitely!, Agreed!, Very
well!, All right!: 'Would you have dinner with me?' 'OK!' 'I
think you ought to leave.' 'OK!'

--adj. 2 satisfactory, acceptable, correct, suitable, all
right, fine, good, in order: Is it OK if I go the cinema
tonight? That dress is OK to wear to the dance. 3 adequate,
mediocre, fair, middling, passable, tolerable, Colloq so so,
pretty good, not bad, not great: The film was OK, I suppose. 4
well, healthy; sound, in good condition, in fine fettle, fine,
all right: Now that he's on the proper medication, Sam is OK.

The mechanic assured me that my car would be OK.

--v. 5 approve, sanction, ratify, authorize, endorse, support,
agree to, allow, consent to, agree to, Colloq give the go-ahead
or green light to, give the thumbs up or the nod to,
rubber-stamp: A department head must OK your expense account
before you can be reimbursed.

--n. 6 approval, sanction, ratification, authorization,
endorsement, agreement, support, permission, consent: You need
an OK from the security guard to enter the restricted area.

--adv. 7 all right, satisfactorily, well (enough), adequately:
She can get along OK without me.


15.9 old...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



old adj. 1 elderly, ageing, aged, advanced in years or age,
long-lived, past one's prime, grey, full of years, getting on
(in years), hoary, superannuated, Colloq over the hill, past it:
Bill is too old to continue working in the mine. 2 ancient,
antiquated, antediluvian, fossil, prehistoric, Noachian,
obsolete, antique, outdated, out of date, old-time, dated,
archaic, stale, out-moded, pass‚, Literary Ogygian: The
archaeological dig has turned up some interesting old artefacts.
3 time-worn, decayed, dilapidated, ramshackle, disintegrated,
crumbling, shabby, worn out, dusty, broken-down, tumbledown,
disused, unused, cast off, cast aside: They have torn down the
old mill near the river. 4 long-standing, well-established,
enduring, lasting, age-old, time-honoured: It is hard to see an
old friendship die. 5 former, olden, bygone, early, primordial,
primitive: In the old days, it took a week to travel from
London to Edinburgh. 6 previous, preceding, prior, former,
quondam, erstwhile, one-time, ex-: The West End was my old
stamping-ground when I lived in London. 7 experienced, veteran,
practised, (well-)versed, knowledgeable, proficient,
accomplished, adept, skilled, expert, old-time: Charles is an
old hand at steam engines. 8 dear, beloved, loved, esteemed,
valued, precious, well-known, intimate, close, familiar:
Penelope is an old friend of the family's.

old-fashioned
adj. antiquated, antique, pass‚, out-moded, out-dated,
unfashionable, stale, out-dated, dated, out of date, tired,
old-time, obsolete, obsolescent, dead, superseded, replaced,
disused, out, old-fangled, old hat: Whoever thought we would
see the day when miniskirts were old-fashioned?

15.10 omen...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



omen n. portent, augury, sign, token, foretoken, indication,
harbinger, forewarning, premonition, foreshadowing, writing on
the wall, prognostic, presage: Solar eclipses were once
regarded as omens, sometimes good, sometimes bad.

ominous adj. 1 foreboding, threatening, fateful, dark, black, gloomy,
lowering or louring, menacing, sinister; unpropitious,
unfavourable, ill-omened, ill-starred, unpromising,
star-crossed, inauspicious: With ominous solemnity, the judge
placed a black cloth square on his head before passing the death
sentence. 2 minatory, warning, admonitory, cautionary: The
whispering had taken on ominous overtones. 3 portentous,
prophetic, oracular, vaticinal, predictive, prognostic, augural,
mantic, sibyllic, meaningful, premonitory, foreshadowing,
foretelling, foretokening, indicative: Virtually everything was
regarded as ominous in ancient times.

omission n. 1 non-inclusion, omitting, leaving out or off, excluding,
eliminating, dropping, skipping; exclusion, exception, deletion,
elimination, excision: The omission of your name from the list
was a mistake. Allowing for inadvertent omissions, the inventory
is complete. 2 failure, default, neglect, dereliction,
oversight, shortcoming, negligence: She is being punished for
her innocent omission in failing to notify the police while he
is at liberty despite his deliberate commission of a crime.

omit v. 1 leave out, exclude, skip, except, pass over; delete,
erase, cancel, eradicate, edit out, strike (out), dele, cut
(out), cross out, obliterate: She was offended because he
omitted any mention of all that she had contributed. 2 neglect,
disregard, fail, forget, overlook, let slide, ignore: I omitted
to tell you that your sister telephoned yesterday.


15.11 once...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



once adv. 1 once upon a time, formerly, (at) one time, on a former
occasion, previously, before, in days gone by, in olden days, in
the (good) old days, long ago, some time ago, years or ages or
aeons ago, in days of yore: Your hair is as long as mine once
was. He was once a famous film star. That once revered leader
has fallen. 2 one time, on one occasion, a single time: He has
visited his family only once in all these years. 3 once and for
all. finally, positively, definitely, decidedly, conclusively,
for good: We must settle the itinerary once and for all before
we can make the bookings. 4 once in a while. occasionally,
(every) now and then, now and again, at times, sometimes,
periodically, from time to time, at intervals, sporadically: We
go to the theatre once in a while.


--conj. 5 (if) ever, as soon as, at any time: Once the bus
comes, you'd best get on it straight away.

--n. 6 at once. a immediately, straight away, right away,
directly, without delay, promptly, instantly, post-haste; in a
wink, in the twinkling of an eye, in a minute or moment or
second or split second, in no time (at all), before you can turn
around, before you can say 'Jack Robinson', in a trice, Colloq
in a jiffy, in two shakes of a lamb's tail: Watson, come here
at once. I'll be there at once. b together, at the same time,
simultaneously, at a stroke, in the same instant, in the same
breath, Colloq at one go, at a go, in one go: You cannot be in
two places at once.

oncoming adj. 1 advancing, arriving, coming, nearing, approaching,
onrushing, imminent: He swerved and just managed to avoid the
oncoming lorry.

--n. 2 onset, beginning, nearing, arrival, advance, approach:
With the oncoming of spring, the birds returned.


one adj. 1 single, lone, solitary, individual, sole, only: The one
time I kissed Margie it was heaven. 2 unified, united,
inseparable, joined, undivided, one and the same, identical,

equal, at one, harmonious, in unison, whole, entire, complete:
When he went into a trance, he felt one with his God. 3 a
particular, a certain, a given, a specific: I recall one
occasion when she brought all her dogs into work.


--pron. 4 a person, an individual, a man or a woman, everybody,
everyone, anybody, anyone; people; Possibly offensive man: One
ought to treat others as one would like to be treated. One
cannot be too careful these days.


--n. 5 joke, story, anecdote, chestnut, one-liner; limerick,
rhyme, ditty, song; bromide: Have you heard the one that
begins, 'There was a young man from Loch Ness'?


one-sided adj. 1 partial, biased, partisan, prejudiced, bigoted, unfair,
unjust, inequitable, close-minded, narrow-minded, intolerant:
His is a one-sided view of the problem. 2 lopsided, unbalanced,
unequal, unequalized, uneven, disproportionate, Slang cock-eyed:
The swelling on his left cheek made Tom's face look very
one-sided. 3 unilateral, independent, exclusionary, exclusive:
They made a one-sided decision to halt production of nuclear
weapons.

ongoing adj. 1 continuing, continued, continuous, continual, ceaseless,
unbroken, uninterrupted, constant, perpetual, non-stop,
relentless, persistent, unending, endless, interminable,
running: There has been an ongoing dispute with the museum over
the authenticity of the sculpture. 2 developing, evolving,
growing, successive, unfolding, progressing, progressive:
Rather than come to a hasty decision, we decided to monitor
ongoing developments.

onlooker n. spectator, observer, looker-on, eyewitness, witness,
watcher, viewer; bystander, passer-by: She was merely an
onlooker, not a participant. Onlookers reported that the driver
had run away from the accident.

only adj. 1 sole, single, solitary, lone, one and only, exclusive:
He is the only one who can identify the murderer.


--adv. 2 solely, just, exclusively, alone: He has a face that
only a mother could love. They have been here only twice. She
gets her own way only because she has a tantrum if anyone

crosses her. Harry was correct in one respect only. 3 merely,
simply, barely, at best, at worst, at most, just, purely, not or
no more than, not or no greater than: She is only seventeen. I
received your note only today. Don't get excited, it's only a
small present.

--conj. 4 but, however, on the other hand, on the contrary,
contrariwise: The flowers are lovely, only they have no scent.


onset n. 1 attack, assault, onrush, onslaught, charge, strike, hit,
raid, storming, sally, sortie: These troops had to bear the
brunt of the onset. 2 beginning, start, outset, initiation,
inauguration, commencement, inception, dawn, birth, origin,
genesis, appearance, debut: We must leave before the onset of
the monsoon season. The sudden onset of a new policy will throw
the ministers into a panic.

onward adj. forward, advancing, progressive, progressing, moving
onward or forward: They resumed their onward march, laying
waste to the countryside as they went.

onwards adv. onward, forwards or forward, ahead, in front, on, forth:
They marched onwards through the dismal valley. From this day
onwards afternoon visiting hours will be from two to four
o'clock.

15.12 ooze
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



ooze n. 1 slime, muck, mud, mire, silt, sludge, sediment, slush,
Colloq goo, gunk, guck, Slang US glop, goop: I stepped into the
bog and the ooze rose over the tops of my shoes.


--v. 2 exude, weep, seep, secrete, bleed, leak, drain, trickle;
emit, discharge: Sap continues to ooze from the gash in the
tree.

15.13 opacity...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



opacity n. 1 opaqueness, darkness, murkiness, dimness, obscurity,

impermeability, impenetrability: The opacity of the lens
increases automatically in the presence of sunlight. 2
obscurity, density, impenetrability, unintelligibility,
indefiniteness, vagueness, reconditeness, abstruseness,
ambiguity, equivocation, mystification: For centuries
scientists were unable to penetrate the opacity of the question
of what occurred when substances burned. 3 stupidity, dullness,
denseness, thickness, obtuseness: A light finally dawned
through the thick opacity of his brain.


opalescent
adj. opaline, iridescent, nacreous, pearly, lustrous: The sea
was opalescent in the moonlight.


opaque adj. 1 dark, murky, dim, turbid, muddy, cloudy, obscure,
obscured, obfuscated, black, impermeable, impenetrable, clouded,
non-transparent, untransparent, non-translucent, hazy, blurred,
blurry, smoky: Solar eclipses should be viewed directly only
through special opaque glass. 2 unclear, vague, indefinite,
obscure, unfathomable, unplumbable, baffling, mystifying,
ambiguous, equivocal, impenetrable, cryptic, enigmatic,
puzzling, perplexing, mysterious, elusive, abstruse, arcane,
recondite: Despite years of study, the inscriptions on the tomb
have remained opaque to scholars. 3 unintelligent, dense, thick,
dull, obtuse, stupid, dull-witted, stolid, thickheaded,
dunderheaded, dunderpated, slow, doltish, backward, cloddish:
He was too opaque to notice the jeers of his colleagues.

open adj. 1 ajar, gaping, agape, unfastened, unlocked, unbarred,
unbolted, unlatched, unclosed: Come on in - the door is open.
2 yawning, agape, uncovered, revealed, unsealed, exposed, bare:
Her uncle escaped by hiding for three nights in an open grave.
3 unwrapped, unsealed, unfastened: The package was open and the
contents gone. 4 free, accessible, public, available;
obtainable; unrestricted, unobstructed, unencumbered or
unincumbered, unimpeded, unhindered, unhampered, unregulated,
unconditional, unqualified: The parks are open to all. We were
allowed open access to the library stacks. 5 unprotected,
unenclosed, unsheltered, bare; uncovered, exposed: They spent a
week in an open boat before being rescued. The roof can be
retracted, leaving the interior completely open to the sky. 6
unsettled, unagreed, unsigned, unsealed, unclinched,
unestablished, unconcluded, undecided, pending: As far as I am

concerned, the deal is open till the contract is signed. 7
undecided, unsettled, unresolved, debatable, arguable,
problematic, moot, US up in the air: Whether they should get
married is a question that will remain open until he returns
from abroad. 8 unscheduled, unbooked, unspoken for, unreserved,
uncommitted, free, unpromised: The doctor has an hour open at
noon on Friday. 9 clear, unobstructed, wide open, uncluttered,
roomy, spacious, extensive, expansive; treeless, uncrowded,
unfenced, unenclosed; ice-free, navigable, unblocked, passable:
We travelled through open country for days. In the spring the
shipping lanes will again be open. 10 available, unfilled,
vacant, untaken: There are not many jobs open in this part of
the country. 11 receptive, open-minded, flexible, amenable,
persuasible or persuadable, pliant, willing, responsive: The
management is open to suggestions for improving its products and
services. 12 exposed, public, well-known, widely known,
unconcealed: That they are living together is an open secret.
13 evident, obvious, conspicuous, manifest, clear, unconcealed,
unequivocal, plain, palpable, apparent, patent, downright, out
and out, blatant, flagrant, glaring, brazen: He operates with
open disregard for the law. 14 generous, liberal, charitable,
unreserved, open-handed, liberal, munificent, magnanimous,
big-hearted, beneficent, bounteous, unselfish, unstinting,
humanitarian, altruistic: They are quite open when it comes to
giving to charity. 15 unreserved, candid, frank, outspoken,
straightforward, forthright, direct, honest, sincere, guileless,
artless, fair: He found it difficult to be open with his wife.
16 free, unrestrained, unconstrained, uninhibited, unreserved,
unrestricted: They have an open marriage, each aware of the
other's affairs. 17 unfolded, extended, spread (out),
outstretched, outspread: She ran into my open arms. 18 liable,
subject, susceptible, exposed, inclined, predisposed, disposed:
These fraudulent shipping documents may well leave the captain
open to prosecution for barratry. 19 unprotected, undefended,
unfortified, exposed: With the invaders at the gates, Paris was
declared an open city.

--v. 20 begin, start, initiate, commence, get under way,
inaugurate, launch, put in or into operation, activate, get
going, set in motion; establish, set up; Colloq get or start the
ball rolling, get or put the show on the road, kick off: The
minister opened the proceedings with an interminable speech.
Jeremy is planning to open a restaurant in Pebble Lane. The show

opens in Manchester next week. 21 unlock, unbar, unlatch,
unbolt, unfasten; uncover; uncork, unseal; undo, untie, unwrap;
pull out: Open the door. Open the box. Open the bottle. Open
your present. He opened the drawer. 22 unblock, clear,
unobstruct, unclog, unstop: They had to dig up the yard to open
the drain. The new law has opened the way for increased exports.
23 disclose, unveil, uncover, expose, display, show, exhibit,
reveal, divulge, bring to light, communicate, bring out,
unbosom, explain, present, announce, release, publish, air, make
known, advertise: The wonders of the language were opened to me
by my first dictionary. 24 expand, spread (out), stretch out,
open up or out, unfurl, extend: The flag opened to the breeze.
25 present, offer, furnish, provide, afford, yield, reveal,
uncover, raise, contribute, introduce: Expansion of technology
opens new business opportunities every day.

opening n. 1 break, breach, rent, rift, cleft, crack, crevice, fissure,
cranny, chink, pit, gap, split, slit, slot, aperture, hole,
orifice, separation: Flowers grew from openings in the wall. 2
opportunity, chance, occasion, toe-hold, foothold, Colloq break,
toe or foot in the door, Brit look-in: I was waiting for an
appropriate opening to make my presentation. 3 job, position,
opportunity, vacancy: Is there likely to be an opening in the
art department of your company? 4 beginning, commencement,
start, birth, origin, outset, onset, inauguration, launch,
send-off, initiation, presentation, debut; vernissage, US
start-off, start-up: The opening of the autumn social season
was marked by Malcolm's birthday party. Aren't you going to the
opening at the museum tonight?


openly adv. 1 brazenly, brashly, flagrantly, unabashedly, unashamedly,
unreservedly, boldly, audaciously, flauntingly: She has openly
defied the direct orders of her employer. 2 frankly,
unreservedly, plainly, forthrightly, candidly, directly,
outright, freely, outspokenly: The man admitted openly that he
had stolen the plans for the missile.

operable adj. workable, practicable, serviceable, usable, functional,
fit, operational, in working order or condition: Aircraft
engines that rely on oxygen for burning fuel are not operable
where the air is too thin.

operate v. 1 go, run, perform; work, function, serve, act: This watch

operates even under water. The drug operates to reduce blood
pressure. 2 manage, run, direct, conduct, control, carry on,
ply, manipulate, handle; US drive: Katherine has been operating
as an antiques dealer for years. It is unsafe to operate this
machinery without goggles.

operation n. 1 function, functioning, working, running, performance,
action, motion, movement: The operation of the internal
combustion engine is very simple. 2 manipulation, handling,
direction, running, control, management, managing; manoeuvring:
The operation of the aircraft is under the control of the
captain. 3 undertaking, enterprise, venture, project, affair,
deal, procedure, proceeding, (day-to-day) business, transaction:
Who will be in charge of the operation while the president is
abroad? 4 Often, operations. action, manoeuvre, mission, task,
campaign, exercise: The generals directed military operations
from positions close to enemy lines. 5 in or into operation.
functioning, operative, in effect, in force, operating,
operational, functional, effective, efficacious: Is the factory
in operation yet? The new regulations went into operation last
week.

operative adj. 1 See operation, 5, above.


--n. 2 worker, hand, employee; craftsman, craftswoman, artisan,
mechanic, machinist: We hired two more lathe operatives today.
3 private detective, (private) investigator, Colloq private eye,
sleuth, Brit sleuth-hound, US P.I., gumshoe, Slang (private)
dick, US shamus, eye: Our operatives reported that Jones had
been seen in the company of a known enemy agent. 4 espionage or
intelligence agent, counter-espionage or counter-intelligence
agent, spy, counter-spy, undercover agent or man, (FBI or CIA)
agent, US G-man, Colloq US company man, member of the firm: We
had an operative at the top level of the NKVD.


operator n. 1 (bus or taxi or train) driver; worker, operative,
manipulator, practitioner: These operators are required to take
safety courses. 2 director, administrator, manager, supervisor,
superintendent: Shaughnessey is the operator of a roofing
business in Tring. 3 machinator, faker, fraud, manipulator,
manoeuvrer, Colloq finagler, wise guy, Slang smooth or slick
operator, smoothie, wheeler-dealer, big-shot, big-time operator,
Chiefly US and Canadian big wheel: Claude is a cunning operator

who always gets what he goes after.

opinion n. 1 belief, judgement, thought, sentiment, (point of) view,
viewpoint, conviction, way of thinking, perception, idea,
impression, notion, conception, theory, id‚e re‡u; mind: It is
my opinion that sickness benefits ought to be increased. In her
opinion all men are chauvinists. 2 evaluation, estimation,
estimate, appraisal, appreciation, impression: Myra has a very
low opinion of Ray's taste in architecture.


opinionated
adj. 1 stubborn, pigheaded, obstinate, doctrinaire, inflexible,
dogmatic, single-minded, cocksure, obdurate, dictatorial,
dogged, mulish, bull-headed, overbearing: Felix is too
opinionated to change his mind even if he knows he is wrong. 2
prejudiced, biased, bigoted, one-sided, jaundiced, coloured,
partial, partisan: You can count on Joan for an opinionated
view of social values.


opponent n. antagonist, adversary, disputant, contestant, competitor,
contender, rival, foe, enemy; the opposition: He may be my
opponent in the chess competition, but we are the best of
friends.


opportune adj. 1 favourable, advantageous, auspicious, good, felicitous,
happy, propitious, beneficial, helpful, fortunate, lucky,
profitable: As I need money, and you have it to invest, our
meeting is most opportune. 2 timely, well-timed, seasonable,
apt, appropriate, germane, pertinent, convenient, fitting,
suitable, becoming: If this is not an opportune time to bring
up the matter of the money you owe me, just say so.

opportunistic
adj. expedient, selfish, taking advantage, exploitive or
exploitative, unprincipled, Machiavellian, opportunist: Don't
you agree that it was opportunistic of him to inform on his own
brother for a reward?

opportunity
n. chance, occasion, opening, possibility, moment, time, Slang
break: She has taken advantage of every opportunity to vilify
her ex-employers.

oppose v. 1 resist, counter, object (to), defy, take a stand against,
withstand, resist, combat, contest, attack, counter-attack,
fight, grapple with, contend with or against: If it comes to
that, we must oppose force with force. 2 check, bar, obstruct,
block, hinder, impede, stop, slow, curb, restrain, inhibit,
interfere with, restrict, prevent, obviate, preclude, thwart,
foil, frustrate: Labour seeks to oppose the privatization of
industry. 3 match, offset, counterbalance, contrast, pit or set
against, play off (against), set off: What can they call upon
to oppose the power of the Devil?

opposed adj. Often, opposed to. against, in opposition (to), opposing,
in conflict (with), antipathetic, conflicting, contrary (to), at
variance (with), antithetical (to), hostile (to), inimical (to),
opposite (to), contrasting: Harvey is among those opposed to
abortion. All those who are opposed to the motion raise your
hands.

opposing adj. opposite, conflicting, contrary, antithetical,
antagonistic, antipathetic, hostile, inimical, contrasting,
rival, contradictory, incompatible, irreconcilable, dissident,
discrepant: Those with opposing views will be heard from later.

opposite adj. 1 facing, vis-…-vis, en face: The sniper was on the roof
of the building opposite. 2 opposing, conflicting, contrary,
contrasting, contradictory, antithetical, differing, different,
divergent, diverse, antagonistic, inconsistent, irreconcilable:
William and his wife hold diametrically opposite political
views.


--n. 3 reverse, converse, contrary, antithesis: Whatever you
tell teenagers to do, their first reaction is to do the
opposite.


opposition
n. 1 hostility, antagonism, unfriendliness, resistance,
counteraction, disapproval, objection, conflict, defiance,
contrast, antipathy, adversity, Colloq flak: There is strong
opposition to plans for an amusement arcade. 2 competition,
opponent, adversary, competitor, antagonist, enemy, foe, rival,
other side: We must overcome the opposition in order to win. 3
in opposition. competing, competitive, antagonistic, hostile,
conflicting, in conflict, antithetic(al), opposed, at daggers

drawn, in deadly embrace: Although they agree on some points,
the parties are in opposition on others.

oppress v. 1 burden, afflict, trouble, weigh down, overload, encumber,
wear (down), press, weary, overburden, overwhelm, Brit
pressurize, US pressure: He was oppressed by the heavy burden
of responsibility. 2 crush, repress, put down, suppress,
subjugate, tyrannize (over), subdue, overpower, enslave,
persecute, maltreat, abuse, harry, harass, trample underfoot,
ride roughshod over: The Russian serfs had been oppressed for
centuries before they finally rose up against tyranny.

oppression
n. repression, suppression, subjugation, subjection, tyranny,
despotism, enslavement, persecution, maltreatment, abuse,
torment, torture, hardship, injury, pain, anguish, injustice:
People who have not known oppression cannot imagine the agonies
suffered by the oppressed who once were free.


oppressive
adj. 1 burdensome, overpowering, overwhelming, onerous, heavy,
cumbersome, exhausting, racking, unbearable, intolerable,
agonizing, unendurable, harsh, brutal, severe, tyrannical,
repressive; dispiriting, depressing, disheartening,
discouraging, grievous, distressing, dolorous, miserable,
harrowing, wretched: The conquerors resorted to oppressive
measures to keep the people subjugated. 2 suffocating, stifling,
stuffy, close, airless, unventilated, uncomfortable: The
atmosphere in the tiny cell quickly became oppressive, and a
couple of people fainted.

oppressor n. bully, tyrant, taskmaster, taskmistress, despot, autocrat,
persecutor, slave-driver, dictator, overlord, iron hand,
scourge, tormentor, torturer, intimidator: The citizens finally
banded together and overthrew their oppressors.

optimistic
adj. sanguine, positive, cheerful, buoyant, bright, hopeful,
expectant, confident, bullish, idealistic, Pollyannaish: We
have every reason to be optimistic that the venture will
succeed.

optimum n. 1 best, finest, most favourable, ideal, perfection, model,

paragon, exemplar: In all work, the optimum is difficult to
achieve.

--adj. 2 best, finest, most favourable, ideal, perfect,
choicest, optimal, first-rate, first-class, sterling, prime,
capital, excellent, exceptional, superlative, extraordinary,
unique, peerless, unequalled, unexcelled, unsurpassed: These
instruments keep the chamber at the optimum temperature. After
months of training, Guy is in optimum condition to win the
marathon.

option n. 1 choice, selection, alternative, recourse, opportunity, way
out: There are fewer employment options open to the uneducated.
2 choice, privilege, election, opportunity, chance: Investors
pay for the option to buy at a fixed figure if the price of the
shares goes up.

optional adj. voluntary, discretionary or discretional, elective,
facultative, free, spontaneous, uncoerced, unforced,
non-compulsory, uncompulsory, non-mandatory, unmandatory,
non-requisite, unrequisite: Life insurance is optional for
those who have our hospitalization policy.

opulent adj. 1 wealthy, affluent, rich, prosperous, well-to-do, well
off, comfortable, Colloq flush, well-heeled, loaded, rolling in
it, made of money, in clover, on Easy Street, Brit on velvet, US
in velvet, in the chips: Timothy was fortunate in having met
and wed an opulent widow. 2 luxurious, lavish, sumptuous: That
poor little rich girl was raised in the most opulent of
surroundings. 3 abundant, copious, bountiful, plentiful,
prolific, profuse, plenteous: We enjoyed a most opulent harvest
this year.

opus n. work, composition, production, oeuvre, creation; magnum
opus: Her most important opus will be performed at the Albert
Hall next week.

15.14 oracle...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



oracle n. 1 prophet, sibyl, seer, soothsayer, augur, fortune-teller,
diviner, prognosticator, US reader (and adviser or advisor),

Cassandra, Nostradamus; authority, guru, mastermind, mentor,
wizard: He insists on consulting his oracle before making any
final decision. 2 prophecy, augury, prediction, divination,
advice, prognostication, answer, message, divine utterance:
According to the oracle, the travellers would survive the perils
of the journey.

oral adj. spoken, said, verbal, uttered, voiced, vocal, vocalized,
enunciated, pronounced, articulated, word-of-mouth, viva voce:
Tomorrow James must make an oral presentation of his plan to the
entire staff.

oration n. speech, declaration, address, lecture, recitation,
discourse, monologue, declamation; valedictory, eulogy, homily,
panegyric; Colloq spiel: Bentley delivered a long oration on
the future of the economy.

oratory n. public speaking, speech-making, eloquence, rhetoric, way
with words, command of the language, fluency, glibness,
grandiloquence, magniloquence, declamation; elocution, diction,
enunciation, articulation, address; Colloq gift of the gab: The
crowds who thronged to hear Churchill's oratory were seldom
disappointed.


orb n. sphere, ball, globe: The golden orb of the sun sank into
the sea.

orbit n. 1 circuit, course, path, track, revolution, circle, round,
cycle: The earth's orbit round the sun is elliptical.


--v. 2 revolve, go round, circle, encircle, turn: The earth
orbits the sun in a year. Electrons orbit the nucleus of an
atom.


ordeal n. trial, test, tribulation(s), hardship, affliction,
trouble(s), suffering, distress, anguish, nightmare, misery,
grief, misfortune, adversity, tragedy, disaster: She never
fully recovered from her ordeal at the hands of the kidnappers.


order n. 1 organization, arrangement, grouping, disposition, form,
structure, categorization, systematization or systemization,
classification, codification, disposal, layout, array, sequence,
Colloq set-up: The order of the library is of crucial

importance if we are to find anything. 2 organization,
uniformity, regularity, system, pattern, symmetry, harmony,
tidiness, orderliness, neatness: Some believe that there is an
order of things in the universe, others that the universe tends
to chaos. 3 category, class, caste, level, kind, sort, rank,
group, scale, importance, hierarchy, position, status, degree,
Colloq pecking order: Gregory's musical talents are of a very
high order. 4 command, direction, directive, instruction,
commandment, dictate, mandate, edict, behest, request, demand,
ukase, decree, fiat, proclamation, pronouncement,
pronunciamento; rule, regulation, law, ordinance, statute,
requirement: The police have issued an order to surrender all
hand guns. 5 procedure, proceeding(s), discipline, conduct:
The order of the meeting was breached by some rowdies. 6
condition, state (of affairs): Please leave everything in the
order in which you found it. 7 purchase order, request,
requisition, commitment, commission, instruction: We received a
large order for office furniture. 8 calm, peace, peacefulness,
tranquillity, quiet, serenity, law and order, discipline,
lawfulness: After a brief commotion, order was restored. 9
brotherhood, fraternity, sisterhood, sorority, fellowship,
sodality, association, organization, society, guild, sect,
company, community, lodge, body, knighthood: One of her
ancestors was a Knight of the Teutonic Order. 10 in order. a
neat, clean, tidy, shipshape, orderly, (well-)organized, ready,
prepared, arranged: Is everything in order for the wedding
tomorrow? b fitting, suitable, appropriate, correct, right,
apt, called-for; required, demanded, needed: I think that an
apology is in order for the way you behaved. 11 in order that.
so (that), with the aim or purpose that, to the end that: We
invited him in order that you might meet him. 12 in order to.
to, for the purpose of: In order to get there, you have to
drive up the hill. 13 out of order. a disordered,
non-sequential, out of sequence, non-alphabetical, disorganized,
unorganized, in disorder: The cards in this catalogue are out
of order and I cannot find anything. b unseemly, out of place,
improper, uncalled-for, unsuitable, indecorous, Colloq chiefly
Brit not cricket: Your remark about her religion was completely
out of order. c out of commission, broken, in disrepair,
non-functioning, non-functional, not working, broken-down,
inoperative, out of kilter or Brit also kelter, Colloq (gone)
haywire, kaput, bust(ed), US out of whack, on the fritz, shot;
Slang on the blink, Brit wonky, gone phut: The telly is out of

order again.

--v. 14 direct, command, instruct, charge, tell, bid, require,
enjoin; demand, ordain; force, make: The sergeant ordered the
men to run around the drill field with full packs. The council
ordered that garden rubbish should be packed in special bags. 15
requisition, ask for, send (away) for, call for, apply for,
reserve, engage, commission, contract for; purchase, buy: Have
you ordered breakfast for tomorrow? Let's order a take-away from
the Chinese restaurant. 16 organize, systematize, arrange,
classify, categorize, codify, lay out, sort (out), straighten
(out or up): The bottles were ordered in neat rows along the
wall.


orderly adj. 1 in (good) order, (well-)organized, neat, shipshape,
tidy, arranged, methodical, systematic, systematized or
systemized, harmonious, symmetrical, regular, uniform: Before
you leave, make sure that your room is orderly. 2 well-behaved,
disciplined, decorous, law-abiding, well-mannered, peaceable,
tranquil, mannerly, polite, courteous, civil, civilized,
non-violent: Everyone left the burning theatre in an orderly
fashion.

--n. 3 assistant, adjutant, attendant, messenger; menial,
servant; nurse's aide; Brit military batman; US candystriper;
Slang US and Canadian gofer: An orderly arrived with dispatches
from the general. She has a job as a hospital orderly.

ordinarily
adv. usually, normally, as a rule, commonly, generally, in
general, customarily, routinely, typically, habitually, by and
large, for the most part: Ellie is ordinarily at her desk by
nine o'clock.


ordinary adj. 1 usual, normal, expected, common, general, customary,
routine, typical, habitual, accustomed, traditional, regular,
everyday, familiar, set, humdrum: This wine is quite good for
ordinary drinking. Just display ordinary good manners when you
meet the queen. 2 common, conventional, modest, plain, simple,
prosaic, homespun, commonplace, run-of-the-mill, everyday,
average, unpretentious, workaday, mediocre, fair, passable, so
so, undistinguished, unexceptional, unremarkable, uninspired,
pedestrian, bourgeois, peasant, provincial, unrefined, Colloq

Brit common or garden, US common-or-garden variety,
garden-variety: They bought a rather ordinary house in an
inferior neighbourhood.


--n. 3 standard, norm, average, status quo, convention,
expected: Saint-Gaudens' architectural designs are far from the
ordinary. 4 out of the ordinary. extraordinary, unusual,
uncommon, strange, unfamiliar, different, unexpected,
unconventional, curious, eccentric, peculiar, rare, exceptional,
original, singular, unique, odd, bizarre, weird, offbeat,
outlandish, striking, quaint, picturesque: She was looking for
a gift that was a little out of the ordinary, so I suggested a
pet tarantula.


organ n. 1 device, instrument, implement, tool; member, part,
element, unit, component, structure, Technical process: The
eye, come to think of it, is a truly miraculous organ. 2
medium, vehicle, voice, mouthpiece, forum, publication, paper,
magazine, newsletter, house organ, newspaper, annual,
semi-annual, quarterly, monthly, fortnightly, weekly,
hebdomadal, daily, journal, periodical: The official organ of
the Society is published in Abergavenny.

organic adj. 1 living, natural, biological, biotic, animate, breathing:
Though coal may seem to be a mineral, it is organic, for it was
formed from plants. 2 basic, elementary, essential, innate,
inborn, natural, native, ingrained, primary, fundamental,
visceral, constitutional, inherent, structural, integral: The
organic differences between the styles of writing are obvious.
3 organized, systematic, coherent, coordinated, integrated,
structured, methodical, orderly, consistent: The various
elements of the painting blend into an organic whole.

organism n. living thing, structure, body; being, creature: It is the
work of natural scientists to classify all kinds of organisms.

organization
n. 1 organizing, structuring, assembling, assembly, putting
together, coordination, systematizing, systematization,
classifying, classification, categorizing, categorization,
codifying, codification: The organization of the school
timetable took hours to complete. 2 structure, pattern,
configuration, design, plan, scheme, order, system, organism,

composition, arrangement, constitution, make-up, grouping,
framework, format, form, shape: One must consider the
organization as a whole, not merely its constituent elements. 3
body, system, institution, federation, confederacy,
confederation, society, group, league, coalition, conglomerate,
combine, consortium, syndicate, organism: The organization is a
coherent structure made up of an enormous number of disparate
elements.


organize v. 1 structure, coordinate, systematize, systemize, order,
arrange, sort (out), classify, categorize, codify, catalogue,
group, tabulate, pigeon-hole, standardize: These files ought to
be organized so that you can find something when you need it. 2
form, found, set up, establish, institute, start, begin, create,
originate, initiate, put together, build, develop, US pull
together: In 1969, we organized a company to publish reference
books.

orgy n. 1 bacchanalia, bacchanal, Saturnalia, Dionysia, debauch,
carousal, carouse, spree, revel, party, Colloq binge, bender,
drunk, bust, Slang jag, US and Canadian toot, tear: The
journalist represented the earl's party as a wild orgy. 2
overindulgence, splurge, spree, fling, Slang US bender: Trying
to lift himself out of depression, Roger went on a spending
orgy.

orient n. 1 east: Harriet is in the orient on business.

--adj. 2 Literary oriental, eastern: The grass was sown with
orient pearls.

--v. 3 adjust, adapt, acclimatize or acclimate, habituate,
accommodate, condition, accustom, familiarize, feel one's way,
assess, get one's bearings, Colloq orientate: It is a new job
and she needs a few days to orient herself.

orientation
n. 1 placement, bearings, attitude, alignment, lie, placing,
situation, layout, location, position, positioning, arrangement,
set-up: The orientation of the buildings is such that the
windows face south. 2 introduction, training, initiation,
briefing, familiarization, assimilation, acclimatization,
preparation, instruction: The orientation of the new employees

is scheduled for next week. We were given orientation lectures.

origin n. 1 source, derivation, rise, fountain-head, foundation,
basis, base, well-spring, fount, provenance, Chiefly US
provenience: The origins of many English words are unknown. 2
creation, genesis, birth, birthplace, cradle, dawning, dawn,
origination, start, beginning, commencement, outset, launch,
launching, inception, inauguration: The origin of the notion of
democracy can be traced to ancient Greece. 3 Often, origins.
parentage, ancestry, extraction, descent, lineage, pedigree,
genealogy, stock, heritage: We have traced our family's origins
back to the Middle Ages.

original adj. 1 initial, first, earliest, primary, beginning, starting,
basic: The original report made no mention of any missing
jewellery. 2 native, indigenous, autochthonous, aboriginal,
primordial, primeval, primitive: At first, we could find only
slight traces of the original inhabitants. 3 master, actual,
primary, authentic, true, genuine, real, basic; prototypic(al),
archetypal, source: I have the original document and my lawyer
has a copy. 4 creative, novel, innovative, unique, imaginative,
unusual, inventive, ingenious; firsthand, fresh, underived,
unprecedented: The film is based on a highly original story by
Daphne du Maurier. The author has some original insights into
Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia.

--n. 5 prototype, archetype, source, model, pattern; master:
The original hangs in the National Gallery. 6 eccentric,
nonconformist, individualist, Colloq case, card, character, Brit
queer fish: True to his reputation as an original, Wilde
sauntered down the Strand with a lily in his hand.

originality
n. creativeness, creativity, inventiveness, ingenuity,
innovativeness, innovation, novelty, newness, unorthodoxy,
unconventionality, cleverness, daring, resourcefulness,
independence, individuality, uniqueness, nonconformity: One
must admire Dali for his originality.


originally
adv. in or at or from the beginning, (at ) first, from the
first, initially, to begin with, at or from the outset, at or
from the start, in the first place or instance, Colloq from the

word go, from day one: Originally, we were to have gone in
Patrick's car.

originate v. 1 create, bring about, engender, give birth to, beget,
conceive, initiate, inaugurate, start, begin, introduce, launch,
found, set up, institute, establish, invent, coin, devise,
pioneer, design, contrive, concoct, mastermind, compose,
organize, formulate, form, generate, produce, develop, evolve:
Wasn't it the Chinese who originated free public health schemes?
2 arise, rise, begin, start, come, spring, stem, flow, issue,
emerge, emanate, proceed, grow, develop, evolve, derive, result:
Where did the idea of the democratic form of government
originate?


ornament n. 1 enhancement, embellishment, adornment, decoration,
ornamentation, gingerbread, trimming, garnish, garnishment,
frill, embroidery, beautification, accessory; frippery;
knick-knack, furbelow, bauble, gewgaw, Slang US tchotchke: We
spent a pleasant afternoon putting ornaments on the Christmas
tree. The ornaments on the mantelpiece needed dusting.

--v. 2 decorate, embellish, enhance, adorn, trim, garnish,
embroider, elaborate, beautify, accessorize, deck (out), dress
up: The cabinet is ornamented with ormolu fittings in the
Empire style.

ornamental
adj. decorative, beautifying, adorning, garnishing,
embellishing: Nothing in the house is ornamental, everything is
functional.

ornate adj. elaborate, florid, overdone, laboured, rococo, baroque,
gingerbread, arabesque, fancy, lavish, rich, flowery, busy,
fussy, frilly, intricate; high-flown, euphuistic, Ossianic,
bombastic, pompous, pretentious, affected, grandiose, fulsome,
highfalutin or hifalutin, grandiloquent, flamboyant: Louis
Quinze style is far too ornate for my tastes. We find his
writing, with its contorted artificialities, far too ornate to
appeal to the modern reader.


orthodox adj. conformist, accepted, authoritative, authorized,
recognized, received, official, standard, prevailing, prevalent,
common, regular, popular, ordinary, doctrinal, established,

traditional, traditionalist, accustomed, conventional,
customary, conservative: The orthodox view is that he was
killed by an assassin acting on his own.


15.15 oscillate...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



oscillate v. fluctuate, vibrate, waver, see-saw, swing, sway; vacillate,
equivocate, shilly-shally, hem and haw, tergiversate: The
needle is oscillating between the 'Safe' and 'Danger' marks. I
wish he'd stop oscillating and make up his mind.

ostensibly
adv. outwardly, externally, superficially, patently,
ostensively, demonstrably, apparently, evidently, seemingly;
clearly, plainly, manifestly, conspicuously, obviously,
patently, noticeably, prominently: Ostensibly, he was visiting
his aunt, but we all know he went to see Stella.


ostentation
n. show, display, exhibition, exhibitionism, showing off,
pretension, pretentiousness, flaunting, flashiness, flourish,
flamboyance, parade, window-dressing: His clothes are elegant
without ostentation.

ostentatious
adj. showy, boastful, braggart, vaunting, vain, vainglorious,
flaunting, pretentious, flamboyant, theatrical, Colloq flash:
It's terribly ostentatious of Lady Penny to wear her diamond
tiara to the disco.

ostracize v. blackball, blacklist, banish, exile, boycott, isolate,
segregate, exclude, excommunicate, snub, shun, avoid, Chiefly
Brit send to Coventry, Colloq cut, cold-shoulder, give (someone)
the cold shoulder: Marcus has been ostracized at the club ever
since the court case.

15.16 otherwise
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



otherwise adv. 1 if not, or else, under other circumstances, in another

situation, on the other hand: I learned something about you
tonight that otherwise I should never have guessed. 2
differently, in another manner or way: You may travel unless
the doctor advises otherwise.


15.17 out...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



out adv. 1 outside, outdoors, in or into the open air: If you go
out take an umbrella. 2 away (from), abroad, elsewhere, not
(at) home, gone (from), gone away (from), absent (from): She
was out of the house when I phoned. 3 in or into the open, to
or into public notice, for all to see, out of the closet:
Everything will be brought out at the trial. 4 revealed,
exposed, visible, discernible, manifest, in sight, in view: Are
the stars out tonight? 5 short, minus, missing, in default, out
of pocket: He is out the œ2000 he invested in a Welsh diamond
mine. 6 free, at liberty, at large, loose, unconfined: They
let Matilda out after she served her sentence. 7 completely,
thoroughly, effectively, entirely: I was tired out after that
long swim.

--adj. 8 unconscious, senseless, insensible, Colloq out cold,
out like a light: He has been out for almost an hour. 9 dated,
out-dated, out-moded, pass‚, old-fashioned, antiquated, old hat,
d‚mod‚, obsolete, unfashionable: Longer skirts were out in the
mid-1960s. 10 outlying, distant, far-off, peripheral: He was
planning to travel to the outer reaches of his empire. Let's
sail to some of the out islands. 11 exhausted, gone, finished,
ended; over, completed: Our food was out. Rescue came before
the day was out. 12 inaccurate, incorrect, wrong, at fault,
faulty, off, wide of the mark: Your figures are out by a factor
of four. 13 unacceptable, forbidden, prohibited, not allowed,
Colloq not on: Smoking is out in the dining room. 14
extinguished, unlit; off, doused; inoperative, non-functioning,
out of order or commission, unserviceable, broken: Make certain
that all camp-fires are completely out. The light is out in the
corridor.


--n. 15 alibi, excuse, escape, loophole, evasion: She used
your visit as an out to avoid calling on her mother.

out-and-out
adj. complete, unmitigated, unalloyed, undiluted, pure, utter,
perfect, consummate, outright, total, downright, unqualified,
thorough, thoroughgoing, through-and-through, dyed in the wool:
She was an out-and-out fool to turn down his marriage proposal.

outburst n. outbreak, eruption, explosion, blow-up, flare-up,
fulmination; upsurge, surge, outpouring, welling (forth),
upwelling, outflow(ing), rush, flood, effusion, effluence or
efflux; fit, access, attack, spasm, paroxysm, seizure, tantrum:
Another outburst like that, young man, and you'll be sent home.

outcast n. pariah, exile, reject, persona non grata, leper,
untouchable, expatriate, refugee, displaced person, DP, evacuee:
In 1946, Europe swarmed with outcasts, the detritus of the war.

outcome n. result, consequence, end (result or product), after-effect,
effect, upshot, sequel, development, outgrowth, aftermath, wake,
follow-up, Medicine sequela (usually pl. sequelae), Colloq
pay-off, bottom line: One outcome of the new safety regulations
will be higher fares. We eagerly awaited the outcome of the
race.

outcry n. protest, protestation, decrial, complaint, indignation,
uproar, vociferation, clamour, clamouring, commotion, outburst,
noise, hullabaloo, howl, howling, hoot, hooting, boo, booing,
hiss, hissing: The public outcry against terrorism was heard
round the world.


outdo v. exceed, surpass, excel, transcend, beat, outstrip, outshine,
top, cap, trump, overcome, defeat, outweigh: Their prices are
lower because they outdo us in cheapness of labour.

outdoor adj. outside, out of doors, alfresco, open-air: Both of them
enjoy outdoor activities like hiking and bicycling.

outfit n. 1 gear, rig, equipment, equipage, apparatus, accoutrements
or US also accouterments, paraphernalia, trappings, tackle,
tack, utensils: His mountain-climbing outfit turned out to be
extremely expensive. 2 clothes, costume, ensemble; attire,
garb, clothing, dress; Colloq get-up, togs: She was wearing a
very weird outfit that attracted a lot of stares. 3 firm,
concern, business, organization, company, (military) unit,

corporation; party, set, group; Colloq set-up: I joined the
outfit when it consisted of only a hundred people.

--v. 4 fit (out or up), equip, kit out, provision, stock,
accoutre or US also accouter, rig (out or up), supply, furnish:
The shop is prepared to outfit anyone for anything from a walk
in the country to an African safari or an Arctic expedition.

outgoing adj. 1 departing, retiring, ex-, former, past, emeritus,
leaving, withdrawing: It is our custom to honour the outgoing
president with a banquet. 2 genial, friendly, amiable, cordial,
warm, expansive, approachable, affable, accessible, amenable,
easygoing, amicable, sociable, congenial, extrovert, familiar,
informal, communicative: Because of his outgoing attitude,
Keith gets along well with most people.

outing n. jaunt, junket, excursion, trip, expedition, tour, ride,
Colloq spin: This year, the annual church outing will again be
to Torquay.


outlandish
adj. unfamiliar, strange, odd, queer, offbeat, peculiar,
curious, exotic, foreign, alien, unknown, unheard-of, different,
exceptional, extraordinary, quaint, eccentric, bizarre, outr‚,
weird, fantastic, unusual, singular, unique; freakish,
grotesque, barbarous; Colloq far-out, camp(y), kinky: Those
youngsters wear the most outlandish hair-dos you have ever seen.

outlast v. survive, outlive; outwear; weather: Considering her
condition, it seems doubtful that she will outlast her husband.

outlaw n. 1 criminal, gangster, robber, desperado, bandit, highwayman,
brigand, footpad, picaroon, pirate, fugitive (from justice or
the law), renegade, US road-agent: In Westerns, the sheriff
always wins out over the outlaws.

--v. 2 forbid, disallow, ban, interdict, bar, exclude,
prohibit, proscribe: Some countries have outlawed prostitution,
but with little effect.


outlay n. expense, cost, expenditure, spending, disbursement, payment:
The city council refused to approve the outlay for a new
swimming-pool.


outlet n. 1 way out, exit, egress, loophole, relief, escape, escape
hatch, vent, opening, release, safety-valve, discharge: There
seemed to be no outlet for his anger but to throw the cushion at
her. The main outlet of the Great Lakes is the St Lawrence
river. 2 retailer, shop, store, market: The company is having
difficulty finding outlets that will stock its products.

outline n. 1 profile, silhouette, contour, periphery, boundary,
footprint: This outline is of the desk area occupied by the
keyboard and monitor. 2 pr‚cis, synopsis, r‚sum‚, summary,
digest, abstract, conspectus, survey, overview, run-down,
recapitulation, review, (thumbnail) sketch, skeleton, (overall)
plan, layout, framework, draft, scenario: O'Brien presented an
outline of what his company planned to do after the take-over.

--v. 3 trace, draft, sketch, rough out, profile, block (out),
plan (out), lay out, define, delineate: None of the divers was
particularly enthusiastic about the procedure outlined for
bringing up the wreckage.

outlook n. 1 view, position, point of view, viewpoint, prospect,
perspective, slant, angle, standpoint, attitude, opinion: His
outlook on the situation in the Middle East is bound to be
somewhat biased. 2 prospect, forecast, expectation(s): What is
the outlook for the value of the pound sterling over the next
year?

outlying adj. distant, far-off, far-flung, outer, outermost,
out-of-the-way, remote, far-away, peripheral, furthest or
farthest: In those days it took weeks for the news to reach the
outlying parts of the empire.

out-of-the-way
adj. 1 untravelled, unfrequented, isolated, lonely, outlying,
obscure, hidden, secluded, inaccessible: She now lives in some
out-of-the-way village in the Himalayas. 2 unusual, odd,
peculiar, extraordinary, far-fetched, remarkable, outr‚,
exceptional, outlandish, strange, rare, uncommon, exotic,
unheard-of, unconventional, queer, weird, bizarre: His latest
book is a treatise on some out-of-the-way subject.

outpouring

n. effusion, outflow, flow, outburst, flood, deluge, torrent,
spate, emanation, spouting, spurt, gushing, efflux, effluence,
outrush, tide, cascade, cataract, Niagara, Technical
debouchment: We scarcely expected such an outpouring of grief
at her death. This writing appears to reflect the outpourings
of his soul.

output n. 1 production, result, yield, crop, harvest: Nobody was
quite ready for such a massive output. 2 productivity,
achievement, efficiency: Job insecurity has diminished her
output.

--v. 3 put out, produce, generate, create, manufacture, yield,
achieve: Our new laser printer outputs about ten pages a
minute.

outrage n. 1 violence, atrocity, inhumanity, barbarism, enormity, evil,
barbarity, savagery, brutality, malignity, malefaction,
wrongdoing, evil-doing, maltreatment, abuse, cruelty, injury,
harm, damage: Wherever there is war there is misery and
outrage. 2 resentment, affront, bitterness, indignation, hurt,
shock, anger, wrath, ire: The minister felt outrage at being
given a parking ticket. 3 insult, indignity, slight:
Contributors to the charity considered it an outrage that the
fund-raisers should keep so much of the money.

--v. 4 offend, insult, affront, vex, displease, distress,
nettle, chafe, infuriate, anger, enrage, madden, make one's
blood boil, raise (someone's) hackles, rile: He was outraged to
discover that the wretch had proposed to his daughter. 5
violate, desecrate, defile, do violence to, injure, harm, abuse,
damage: Such deeds outrage human feelings. 6 rape, violate,
ravage, ravish, deflower, attack: He seized the unhappy girl
and outraged her.


outrageous
adj. 1 excessive, extravagant, immoderate, exorbitant,
enormous, unreasonable, preposterous, shocking, extreme,
unwarranted, exaggerated, unconscionable, inordinate,
intolerable, disgraceful, shameful, scandalous: The prices at
that restaurant are absolutely outrageous. 2 vicious, cruel,
heinous, atrocious, barbaric, inhuman, abusive, beastly,
horrible, horrid, horrendous, iniquitous, villainous, wicked,

evil, egregious, flagrant, grievous, infamous, execrable,
abominable, grisly, hideous, monstrous, vile, unthinkable, foul,
awful, unspeakable, appalling, offensive, indecent: The
captives suffered the most outrageous treatment at the hands of
their conquerors. 3 indecent, offensive, immoral, rude,
indelicate, obnoxious, profane, obscene, dirty, filthy, lewd,
salacious, foul, smutty, scatological, pornographic,
objectionable, repellent, repulsive, nauseating, nauseous,
nasty, gross, revolting, shocking, repugnant, disgusting,
fulsome, perverted, depraved, dissolute, degenerate, dissipated,
debauched, profligate; explicit, unrestrained; foul-mouthed,
thersitical, insulting; unseemly, inappropriate, indecorous,
improper, naughty, appalling, embarrassing; Literary Fescennine,
US shy-making: The sermon denounced the outrageous films,
books, magazines, and television programmes to which children
are exposed. Warren sometimes says the most outrageous things.

outr‚ adj. unconventional, unusual, extravagant, bizarre, weird,
strange, odd, peculiar, grotesque, outlandish, freakish,
out-of-the-way: The attention of the media was turned upon the
singer's outr‚ behaviour on stage.

outright adj. 1 unqualified, total, unreserved, unrestricted, full,
complete, unconditional, unequivocal, clear, direct, definite,
unmistakable or unmistakeable: The duke is the outright owner
of the property. 2 undisguised, unmitigated, utter, consummate,
pure, out-and-out, all-out, sheer, absolute, stark, bald,
thorough, arrant, thoroughgoing, through-and-through, downright,
direct, definite, unmistakable or unmistakeable: Her outright
refusal to provide further help was met with dismay.

--adv. 3 directly, at once, immediately, instantaneously,
instantly, then and there or there and then, straight or right
away, on the spot, right off: One passenger was killed
outright, the other died later in hospital. 4 completely,
entirely, exactly, precisely, totally, in toto, utterly, baldly,
starkly, consummately, purely, thoroughly, directly,
unhesitatingly, quite, absolutely, explicitly, categorically,
straightforwardly, plainly, openly, forthrightly, unequivocally,
unambiguously, candidly: I wish that Henry wasn't so reticent
and would say outright what he means. 5 unrestrictedly,
unqualifiedly, unreservedly, unconditionally: The duke owns the
property outright.


outset n. beginning, start, inauguration, inception, first, Colloq
kick-off: Had you let them know who you were at the outset,
this wouldn't have happened.


outside n. 1 exterior, face, facing, shell, skin, case, casing,
surface, front; fa‡ade: What is that on the outside of the box?
The outside of the house is painted white. 2 aspect, appearance,
look, demeanour, face, front, fa‡ade, mien, mask, disguise,
false front, pretence: One cannot tell what people are really
like from the outside they present to the world. 3 extreme,
limit, most, maximum, utmost, best, worst, longest: At the
outside, you shouldn't pay more than half your income for
housing. I'll wait for her for an hour at the outside. 4 the
world at large: We had to bring in someone from the outside to
complete the work.

--adj. 5 exterior, external, out of doors, outdoor: They have
added an outside swimming-pool to the house. 6 maximum,
maximal, highest, best, worst, greatest, most, largest, longest,
furthest or farthest: What was their outside estimate for
replacing the roof? The outside time for driving here from
London is about an hour. 7 private, home, cottage, secondary,
peripheral, independent, freelance: Her outside job pays more
than her regular work. 8 unlikely, remote, faint, Colloq slim:
He has an outside chance of beating the world record. 9
foreign, alien, outward; unconnected, excluded, uninvolved,
disinvolved, independent, separate, different: I'm worried that
Phil might be subject to outside influences. An outside
contractor is doing the work.

--adv. 10 outdoors, out of doors: Perhaps you'd like to step
outside to discuss the matter further?


outsider n. non-member, non-initiate, foreigner, alien, outlander,
stranger, newcomer, guest, visitor, trespasser, interloper,
intruder, squatter, invader, Colloq gatecrasher: The others
always treated Peter as an outsider. Why do I feel an outsider
in my own home?


outskirts n.pl. periphery, edge, environs, outer reaches, vicinity,
border(s), suburb(s), exurb(s), general area or neighbourhood,
purlieus, fringes, vicinage, faubourg(s): The university is on

the outskirts of the city.

outsmart v. outwit, outfox, out-think, outmanoeuvre, outmanipulate,
outplay, steal a march on, get the better or best of, trick,
dupe, hoodwink, fool, deceive, hoax, gull, make a fool of;
swindle, cheat, defraud, cozen, Colloq put one over on, pull a
fast one on, take in, make a monkey (out) of, bamboozle, con,
Brit nobble, Slang slip or put one or something over on
(someone): 'I have been outsmarted by bigger fools than you!',
Mr White shouted.

outspoken adj. candid, frank, open, free, direct, unreserved, unreticent,
straightforward, forthright, explicit, specific, plain-spoken,
plain-speaking, unequivocal, unceremonious, unambiguous,
unsubtle, uninhibited, unshrinking, blunt, bold, brusque, brash,
undiplomatic, tactless, crude: Linda was always quite outspoken
in her opinions of her neighbours. Her outspoken observations
are a fruitful source of gossip.


outstanding
adj. 1 prominent, eminent, renowned, famous, famed,
unforgettable, memorable, celebrated, distinguished, special,
choice, noteworthy, notable, noted, important, conspicuous,
exceptional, excellent, superior, first-class, first-rate,
superb, remarkable, extraordinary, marvellous, sensational,
Colloq smashing, super: Liszt was the outstanding
pianist-composer of his time. 2 unsettled, on-going,
unresolved, unpaid, due, owed or owing, receivable or payable;
remaining, leftover: The company has a few outstanding debts.


outstrip v. overcome, surpass, outdo, outperform, outshine, outclass,
better, beat, transcend, best, worst, exceed, excel,
outdistance, overtake, top, cap, put in the shade, eclipse:
Bannister again outstripped everyone in the race.


outward adj. external, exterior, outer, outside, outlying, manifest,
obvious, evident, apparent, visible, observable; superficial,
surface, extrinsic, skin-deep, shallow, pretended, false,
ostensible, formal, physical, bodily, fleshly, carnal, mundane,
worldly, secular, temporal, terrestrial, material,
non-spiritual: She gave every outward sign of being the
bereaved widow. Whatever outward trappings money may buy, A
man's true wealth lies deep inside.


outwardly adv. externally, apparently, visibly, superficially,
ostensibly, evidently, seemingly, on the surface, to all
appearances, to all intents and purposes: Though the town was
outwardly quiet, we had a feeling of ominous foreboding.

outwards adv. outward, outside, away, out, without: The towns of the
early twentieth century centred on the railway station and
radiated outwards.


outweigh v. overcome, outbalance, overbalance, overweigh, tip the
scales, preponderate (over), surpass, prevail (over), override,
take precedence (over), compensate (for), make up for: His
feeling for his wife outweighed all else in his life.


outwit v. See outsmart, above.

15.18 oval...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



oval adj. egg-shaped, ovoid, ovate, oviform, obovoid, obovate;
elliptical, ellipsoid(al): His mother's picture hung in an oval
frame over the mantel.


ovation n. applause, acclamation, acclaim, plaudits, cheers, cheering,
clapping, laudation, praise, kudos, Colloq (big) hand: At the
conclusion of the concerto, the pianist was given a standing
ovation.


over prep. 1 above, on, upon, on top of, atop (of): She spread a
tarpaulin over the boat to protect it. 2 more than, greater
than, upwards or upward of, in excess of, (over and) above,
(over and) beyond; exceeding: Of the 2000 people questioned in
our survey, over half said they think prunes are funny. The
thieves took over œ50,000-worth of paintings. 3 across, to or
from or on the other side of; beyond: The children crossed over
the river to play in the woods on the other side. 4 for, during,
in or over or during the course of, through, throughout: Over
the next week she will be working in the Paris office. 5 (all)
through, throughout, (all) about, all over: We travelled over
the entire country in the course of our holiday. Have you gone
over the manuscript I left with you?


--adj. 6 done (with), finished, terminated, concluded, ended,
past, settled, closed, at an end, over with: I'm afraid it's
all over between us, Carrie.


--adv. 7 to, onto, past, beyond, across: This room looks out
over the sea. 8 remaining, as a remainder, as surplus,
outstanding: When we finished eating, there wasn't much left
over. 9 (once) again, once more, one more time: This pot will
have to be cleaned over again. 10 down, to the ground or floor:
You almost knocked over the lamp.

overall adj. total, complete, comprehensive, all-inclusive, inclusive,
whole, entire, all-embracing, blanket: The overall cost,
including materials and labour, came to more than I had
expected.

overawe v. overwhelm, intimidate, cow, daunt, awe, bully, hector,
browbeat, dominate, domineer, frighten, scare, terrify,
disconcert, discomfit, upset, abash: The children were overawed
by their father's slightest sign of displeasure.

overbearing
adj. repressive, domineering, bullying, imperious, officious,
high and mighty, high-handed, overweening, magisterial, lordly,
authoritarian, wilful, despotic, dogmatic, autocratic,
tyrannical, dictatorial, peremptory, arbitrary, assertive,
arrogant, cavalier, haughty, superior, supercilious,
pretentious, Colloq bossy, pushy, hoity-toity, highfalutin or
hifalutin, snooty, Slang snotty: His temper was harsh and
severe, his manner haughty and overbearing.

overcast adj. cloudy, clouded, sunless, moonless, starless, murky, grey,
louring or lowering, dull, dark, darkened, dreary, sombre,
gloomy, dismal, threatening, menacing: The sky was overcast
this morning, but the sun is now beginning to shine through.

overcome v. 1 beat, defeat, conquer, overpower, subdue, worst, best,
triumph over, win (out) (over), prevail (over), overthrow,
overwhelm, vanquish, get the better or best of, whip, drub,
rout, break, subjugate, suppress, crush, master, Colloq lick:
If we do not overcome these temptations, they will overcome us.
The superior force easily overcame the tiny group of defenders.


--adj. 2 beaten, defeated, overwhelmed, subdued, worsted,
bested; affected, speechless, swept off one's feet, rendered
helpless, overpowered, moved, influenced, at a loss (for words),
Colloq bowled over: The victim's parents were overcome with
grief when the casualty list was published. Colin was too
overcome to speak at the award presentation.

overconfident
adj. 1 brash, arrogant, cocksure, cocky, brazen, hubristic,
swaggering, audacious, overbearing, vainglorious, Colloq pushy:
It is harmful for a sportsman's morale to be overconfident of
winning. 2 heedless, foolhardy, thoughtless, short-sighted,
hasty: Rock-climbers should not be overconfident and rely
entirely on their ropes.

overcritical
adj. supercritical, hypercritical, captious, carping, niggling,
cavilling, querulous, fault-finding, finicky, fussy,
hair-splitting, difficult, fastidious, harsh, severe, demanding,
exacting, small, small-minded, US and Canadian picayune, Colloq
picky, nit-picking, pernickety or US also persnickety: You
should not be overcritical of Maddy - she's only a child.


overcrowded
adj. jammed, packed, congested, populous, over-populous,
jam-packed, overpopulated; swarming, crawling, choked, packed to
the gunwales: The planet is becoming overcrowded. We squeezed
into an already overcrowded train.


overdo v. 1 carry to excess, overindulge, be intemperate, go or carry
to extremes, overact, exaggerate, carry or go too far,
overreach, not know when to stop, paint the lily, gild refined
gold, out-Herod Herod, Colloq go overboard, do to death, lay it
on thick, lay it on with a trowel; go off the deep end:
Exercise a little judgement and try not to overdo it. 2
overwork, do too much, overtax, exhaust, fatigue, overload,
overburden, Colloq bite off more than one can chew, burn the
candle at both ends: Don't overdo it or you'll feel the results
tomorrow.

overdue adj. late, tardy, behindhand, behind, unpunctual, belated, US
past due: As it is now December, payment is long overdue. I've

got an overdue library book to return.

overeat v. gorge, binge, gormandize, stuff oneself, overindulge,
guzzle, feast, wolf down, overfeed, do the gavage, Colloq pack
away, Brit pig, US pig out: People not only overeat but they
tend to eat the wrong foods.

overgrown adj. covered, overrun, overspread, luxuriant, weedy, abundant:
The walls are all overgrown with ivy.


overhang v. 1 jut (out), beetle, bulge (out), project (out), protrude,
stick out, loom (out), extend (out), hang (out) over: The
balcony overhangs the sea. 2 impend, threaten, menace, imperil,
loom: His life was overhung by the threat of blackmail.


--n. 3 ledge, projection, bulge, protrusion, extension: A
swallow nested under the overhang of the roof.

overhaul v. 1 overtake, pass, gain on or upon, draw ahead of, catch up
with, get ahead of, outstrip, outdistance, leave behind, lap:
We overhauled the ketch and were beginning to close on the yawl
when the squall hit us. 2 renovate, refurbish, recondition,
rebuild, restore, repair, service, adjust, patch (up), mend, fix
(up): The car engine needs to be thoroughly overhauled.


--n. 3 reconditioning, overhauling, refurbishing, rebuilding,
renovation, servicing, adjustment, mending, fixing (up): The
overhaul of the die-stamping machine will require two months to
complete.


overhead adv. 1 (up) above, (up) in the air or sky, high up, on high,
aloft, skyward: The aeroplanes passed overhead at dawn.

--adj. 2 elevated, raised, upper: The crane travels on an
overhead track.

--n. 3 Brit overheads, US overhead. (basic or fixed) costs,
operating cost(s), expense(s), outlay, disbursement(s), running
cost(s), expenditure(s), maintenance, cost(s) of doing business:
One way to increase profits is by reducing overheads.

overjoyed adj. delighted, ecstatic, elated, happy, rapturous, euphoric,
jubilant, thrilled, cock-a-hoop, transported, Colloq tickled

pink, in seventh heaven, on cloud nine, Brit over the moon: We
were overjoyed to hear your news and to receive the invitation
to your wedding.


overlap v. 1 lap (over), overlie, overlay, shingle, Technical
imbricate, strobilate: Note how the upper tiles overlap the
lower to keep the rain out. 2 coincide, correspond, intersect:
Our work shifts overlap by four hours.


--n. 3 lap, flap, overlay, fly (front) or Brit flies,
imbrication: The overlap conceals the buttons that close the
skirt on the side.

overload v. 1 weigh down, burden, overburden, load (up), overtax, saddle
with, tax, strain, impede, handicap, oppress, encumber, cumber,
overcharge: They overloaded me with so much work that I'll
never finish.

--n. 2 surcharge, overcharge, overburden, dead weight,
oppression, handicap, tax, load, encumbrance, impediment,
hindrance: We had to hire extra people at Christmas to help
deal with the overload.

overlook v. 1 miss, slip up on, omit, neglect, slight, disregard, fail
to notice, ignore, pass over, leave out, forget, Colloq pass up:
You overlooked an error on the first page. 2 blink at, wink at,
let go (by), let pass, let ride, turn a blind eye to, shut
(one's) eyes to, pretend not to notice, take no notice of,
ignore, disregard, forgive, pardon, excuse, permit, allow,
forget about, write off, condone, make allowances (for), let
bygones be bygones, gloss over: I shall overlook your slowness
if you will work late to compensate for it. 3 front on (to),
face, give upon, command or afford a view of, look out on or
over, have as a vista or view: My room overlooks the lake.


overly adv. excessively, too, exceedingly, immoderately,
disproportionately, unduly, inordinately, extraordinarily, very,
Colloq damned: She seemed overly anxious for us to leave.


overpower v. 1 overcome, overwhelm, beat, vanquish, conquer, defeat,
crush, put down, worst, best, prevail, master, quell, subdue,
subjugate: The thugs easily overpowered the elderly couple and
took their money. 2 overcome, overwhelm, dumbfound or dumfound,

daze, stagger, amaze, stun, stupefy, nonplus, strike, Colloq
floor: I was quite overpowered by the grandeur of the house.

overpowering
adj. overwhelming, irresistible, powerful, telling, compelling,
unendurable, unbearable, oppressive: They presented an
overpowering argument against the use of asbestos as an
insulator.


overrate v. overvalue, make too much of, exaggerate the worth or value
of, attach too much importance to, overprize, assess too highly:
They insist that his value to the company is overrated and that
he should be dismissed.


overreact v. exaggerate, make much ado about nothing, make too much of
(something), make a mountain out of a molehill, lose all or
one's sense of proportion, blow (up) out of (all) proportion:
I'd say that she overreacted by leaving him because he forgot
her birthday.


overriding
adj. dominant, dominating, predominant, predominating,
compelling, prevailing, primary, prime, most important,
overruling, overwhelming, paramount, preponderant, principal,
cardinal, main, chief: His overriding reason for buying the
larger dictionary was that it made a better doorstop.

overrun v. invade, defeat, attack, ravage, destroy, overwhelm, conquer,
harry, vandalize, plunder, maraud, scourge, despoil, sack,
strip, pillage, storm, Colloq blitz: Within a week the armies
had overrun the country and captured the capital city.

overseas adv. abroad: Did you serve overseas during the war?


oversee v. direct, manage, watch (over), keep an eye on, administer,
superintend, run, supervise, operate, manipulate, handle,
control: We employed Gertrude to oversee our offices in
Frankfurt.


overseer n. superintendent, supervisor, manager, foreman, forewoman,
superior, Colloq boss, chief, super, Brit gaffer, US straw boss,
(head or chief) honcho: Simon is too hard a taskmaster to be
overseer of that sensitive operation.


overshadow
v. 1 dominate, outshine, eclipse, dwarf, diminish, minimize,
put in or throw into or leave the shade, steal the limelight
from, tower over or above, excel: The Crown, overshadowed by
the great barons, turned for aid to the Church. 2 spoil, blight,
ruin, mar, take (all) the pleasure from, put a damper on, take
the edge off, impair, take the enjoyment out of: The news from
the east overshadowed everyone's spirits at the party.


oversight n. 1 omission, inadvertence, neglect, laxity, laxness, fault,
failure, dereliction, error, mistake, blunder, carelessness,
heedlessness: It was owing to an oversight by a clerk that the
flight booking was not made. 2 supervision, superintendence,
surveillance, management, direction, guidance, administration;
charge, care, custody, keeping, hands, protection, auspices:
The matter of expenses must be left to the oversight of the
committee established to deal with such things.


overstate v. exaggerate, magnify, hyperbolize, embroider, overstress,
colour, make (too) much of, overdraw, overemphasize, stretch,
enlarge, inflate, blow up: They might have overstated the
problem by asking for a 24-hour police guard.


overstep v. exceed, transcend, surpass, go beyond: Again Hortense has
overstepped the bounds of propriety by inviting herself to the
reception.

overt adj. apparent, evident, plain, clear, obvious, manifest,
clear-cut, unconcealed, patent, open, visible, observable,
public: Moving the troops to the border may be considered an
act of overt hostility.

overtake v. 1 catch (up with or to), reach, draw level or even with,
overhaul, gain on or upon, move by or past, pass, leave behind,
outstrip, outdistance: The express train overtakes the local
one at Amersham. 2 come upon, seize, catch (unprepared),
befall, strike, hit, overwhelm: The weaknesses of old age
overtook the actress before she could finish writing her
memoirs.

overthrow v. 1 defeat, beat, rout, conquer, overpower, master, bring
down, depose, oust, overwhelm, unseat, unhorse, topple,

overturn, dethrone, thrash, worst, best: The new leader was
overthrown by the partisans in two weeks. Cotswold Rangers
overthrew Kent United in last night's match at Hurley.


--n. 2 defeat, rout, conquest, deposing, ousting, unseating,
toppling, overturn, overturning, downfall, end, ruin, fall,
collapse, destruction, suppression, quashing, crushing,
subjugation, US ouster: The overthrow of the military regime
was followed by weeks of rioting and looting.


overtone n. undertone, connotation, hint, suggestion, innuendo,
insinuation, intimation, indication, implication: Do I detect
overtones of regret now that you are finally leaving?


overture n. Often, overtures. approach, advance, offer, proposal,
proposition, tender: While they were winning, they rejected all
peace overtures.

overturn v. 1 turn over, knock down or over, tip over, capsize, up-end,
upset, turn turtle, turn upside down, turn topsy-turvy, invert:
The tanks overturned when they tried to drive past the huge
concrete barriers. On his first day as a waiter, he overturned
the soup in a guest's lap. 2 bring down, overthrow, throw over,
upset, depose, unthrone, unseat, oust, eject: The dictatorship
was overturned and the country returned to being a democratic
republic.

--n. 3 overturning, overthrow, unseating, ousting, toppling,
fall, destruction, ruin, defeat, US ouster: Could the overturn
of the present regime be effected without force of arms?

overwhelm v. 1 overpower, overcome, overtax, devastate, stagger, crush,
defeat, destroy, subdue, suppress, quash, quell, conquer, beat,
bring down, prostrate, weigh down, oppress: Overwhelmed by
grief, she dissolved into tears. 2 inundate, overcome, engulf,
submerge, flood (over); deluge, swamp, bury, immerse: A feeling
of terror suddenly overwhelmed me as I watched my safety rope
fray and break. In only a few hours the rising waters had
completely overwhelmed the house. 3 overcome, stagger, astound,
astonish, dumbfound or dumfound, shock, stun, bewilder, confuse,
confound, nonplus, surprise, take aback, Colloq bowl over, knock
off one's feet or pins, blow one's mind, discombobulate, Brit
knock for six: We were overwhelmed by the friendly reception

that awaited our return.

overwhelming
adj. 1 overpowering, uncontrollable, irresistible, devastating,
unendurable, unbearable, crushing, burdensome, formidable: He
had an overwhelming sense of shame for what he had said. 2
awesome, awe-inspiring, stupefying, astounding, astonishing,
staggering, bewildering, mind-shattering, prodigious,
mind-boggling, Colloq mind-blowing: When I first went to live
in London, I found its sheer size totally overwhelming.

overwork v. 1 overexert, overstrain, overburden, oppress, overtax,
overload, overuse: We were so overworked that the quality had
to suffer. 2 slave (away), burn the midnight oil, lucubrate:
She insisted on overworking in order to get the project finished
on time.

--n. 3 overexertion, overstrain, strain: I was ready to drop
from overwork.


overwrought
adj. 1 tense, nervous, jittery, jumpy, fidgety, touchy, in a
dither or twitter, all a-twitter, overexcited, on edge,
over-stimulated, frantic, frenetic, distracted, Brit strung up,
US strung out, Colloq (all) worked up, edgy, in a tizzy, wound
up, uptight: They were quite overwrought worrying about the
children's safety. 2 overworked, ornate, elaborate, baroque,
rococo, florid, flowery, fussy, ostentatious, busy, gaudy,
garish: Some of the Victorian houses were characterized by
overwrought gingerbread decoration. A few of his poems are
overwrought and difficult to digest.

15.19 owe...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



owe v. 1 be in debt to, be indebted to, be beholden to: It must be
a good feeling not to owe anyone any money at all. 2 owing to.
because of, on account of, thanks to; through, as a result of,
resulting from, Colloq due to: Owing to my schedule, I cannot
stay the night. The higher tides are owing to the positions of
the sun and moon.

owner n. possessor, holder; proprietor, proprietress: The papers
have been returned to their rightful owner. Who is the owner of
the property?