18.0 R

18.1 rabble...
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rabble n. 1 mob, crowd, horde, throng, swarm, gang: We narrowly
escaped the wrath of the rabble fighting the police in the
square. 2 the rabble. Derogatory masses, proletariat, hoi
polloi, commoners, peasantry, ragtag and bobtail, vermin,
outcasts, riff-raff, scum, dregs (of society), lower classes,
canaille, commonalty, Colloq trash, the great unwashed: He
always refers to blue-collar workers as 'the rabble'.


rabble-rouser
n. agitator, demagogue, instigator, inciter, firebrand,
incendiary, radical, troublemaker, agent provocateur,
revolutionary, insurrectionist, Colloq hell-raiser: The crowd
was whipped into a frenzy by a rabble-rouser who was not
identified.

rabid adj. 1 unreasonable, unreasoning, extreme, fanatical; raging,
furious, violent, crazed, frenzied, maniacal, wild, mad,

infuriated, frenetic, berserk: Please don't mention politics to
Nigel - he gets rabid on the subject. 2 hydrophobic, mad:
Animals from abroad are kept in quarantine to make sure they are
not rabid.


raceฐ n. 1 foot-race, horse-race, marathon, rally or rallye;
competition, contest, rivalry, contention: How many will be
running in Saturday's race? Several countries had joined the
race to complete a workable anti-gravity device. 2 sluice,
flume, chute, watercourse, course, channel, bed, mill-race,
raceway, spillway; track: The water in the race enabled us to
wash the sand in order to extract the gold. The ball-bearings
don't fall out because they are retained in the race. 3 the
races. horse-races, dog-races, the dogs, the track, the turf,
Brit racecourse, race meeting, US racetrack: We're off to the
races at Newmarket.

--v. 4 speed, hurry, hasten, dash, sprint, fly, rush, scramble,
step lively, Colloq tear, rip, zip, step on the gas, step on it,
hop to it, get a move on, Brit hare, US get a wiggle on: You're
going to have to race to catch the last bus. 5 compete (with):
I'll race you to the gate and back.

race n. 1 stock, line, lineage, type, tribe, nation, people, folk,
clan, family: The citizens constitute a mix of all imaginable
races. 2 blood, descent, breed, kin, family, stock, line,
lineage: You say you are liberal, but how would you feel about
your daughter's marrying someone of a different race?


racial adj. ethnic, genetic, genealogical, ethnological, folk; tribal;
national: Bigots emphasize racial differences rather than
racial similarities.

rack n. 1 framework, frame, trestle, holder, support; stand,
scaffold, scaffolding, structure, hat-rack, hatstand, coat-rack,
Technical stretcher, tenter, US hat-tree: The fish are hung out
on long racks in the sun to dry. Please take your luggage off
the seat and put it on the overhead rack. 2 suffering, torment,
torture, agony, anguish, pain, misery, distress, affliction,
scourge, adversity: Only those who have experienced it can know
the severe rack of gout.

--v. 3 distress, torment, torture, agonize, oppress, pain,

persecute, anguish, beleaguer, plague, harass, harrow, hurt:
Gruber was racked by the feeling that he had been responsible
for the road accident. Quentin has been racked by the pain of
arthritis for ten years. 4 beat, strain, wrench, tear at, lash
(at), batter, shake, damage: Winds of hurricane force racked
villages along the coast last night.

racket n. 1 noise, din, uproar, disturbance, clamour, hubbub, row,
rumpus, hullabaloo, fuss, ado, commotion, to-do, hue and cry,
outcry, brouhaha, tumult, babel, pandemonium, Elizabethan
theatre alarums and excursions, Colloq ballyhoo: How can you
sleep through the racket from your neighbour's all-night
parties? 2 (organized) crime, criminal or illegal activity or
enterprise, trickery, trick, dodge, scheme, swindle, stratagem,
artifice, game, ruse, Slang caper, scam, gyp: Their racket is
selling 'protection' to shop-owners. 3 business, line,
profession, occupation, trade, vocation, calling, job,
employment, livelihood: I'm in commodities; what's your racket?


racketeer n. mobster, gangster, Mafioso: The Chicago racketeers of the
1930s seem tame compared with today's terrorists.

raconteur n. storyteller, anecdotalist or anecdotist, narrator, relater
or relator, Colloq spinner of yarns: The after-dinner speaker
was a marvellous raconteur with a wealth of stories about the
theatre.

racy adj. 1 fresh, lively, animated, spirited, sprightly, buoyant,
vivacious, energetic, vigorous, dynamic, zestful, stimulating,
mettlesome or mettled, Colloq full of vim and vigour, peppy,
full of pep, full of beans: Tabloid journalists are told that
their writing must be racy - straightforward reporting is out of
fashion. 2 risqu‚, ribald, bawdy, naughty, lusty, earthy, gross,
off colour, salty, suggestive, sexual, immodest, indelicate,
indecent, blue, smutty, lewd, salacious, vulgar, dirty, filthy,
pornographic, obscene, sex-oriented, adult, rude, crude, coarse,
Colloq raunchy, sexy, spicy, hot: By mistake my name got on the
mailing list of some company selling racy videos. 3 spicy,
piquant, tasty, flavourful, pungent, strong, savoury, sharp,
zesty, tangy, tart, hot: That curry you served last night had
quite a racy flavour.

radiance n. 1 radiancy, splendour, brightness, brilliance, resplendence,

luminosity, luminousness, dazzle, sparkle, coruscation,
scintillation, twinkle, effulgence, refulgence, incandescence,
glow, phosphorescence, gleam, lustre, shimmer, shine: As
Aladdin rubbed the ring, it began to glow with an inner radiance
and then - suddenly - a genie appeared. 2 warmth, gladness, joy,
pleasure, happiness, cheeriness, delight: It was good to see
again the radiance of the family at Christmas dinner.

radiant adj. 1 shining, bright, beaming, burning, ablaze, blazing,
brilliant, luminous, resplendent, splendid, splendorous,
lustrous, gleaming, glowing, phosphorescent, shimmering, shiny,
glossy, glistening, incandescent, alight, effulgent, refulgent,
sparkling, dazzling, glittering, coruscating, scintillating,
twinkling; aglow: In her hair she wore a diamond tiara, a
radiant crown whose glory was diminished only by her beauty. The
room was radiant with sunshine. 2 happy, overjoyed, ecstatic,
rapturous, delighted, joyful, blithe, blithesome, blissful,
beatific, glad, gleeful, joyous, gay, bubbling, bubbly,
jubilant, elated, rhapsodic, exultant, exhilarated, in seventh
heaven, in heaven, Colloq on cloud nine, Brit over the moon:
Carrie was absolutely radiant when she learned she was pregnant.

radiate v. 1 shine, beam, burn, blaze, gleam, glow, shimmer, glisten,
sparkle, dazzle, glitter, coruscate, scintillate, twinkle: The
jewel seemed to radiate with an inner light. 2 emanate,
disseminate, disperse, spread, diffuse, shed, send out, emit,
give off or out, Rare irradiate: He radiated goodwill the way a
fire radiates heat and light.


radiation n. emission, emanation, diffusion, dispersal, shedding:
Because the night was cloudless, unhindered radiation of the
earth's heat rapidly cooled the air.

radical adj. 1 basic, fundamental, elementary, inherent,
constitutional, elemental, essential, cardinal, principal,
primary, deep, deep-seated, profound, underlying, organic,
natural, rudimentary: There is a radical error in your approach
to the problem. There are radical differences in the ways we
regard the English language. 2 thorough, thoroughgoing,
complete, entire, total, exhaustive, sweeping, (all-)inclusive,
comprehensive, all-embracing, out-and-out, drastic, severe,
extreme, extremist, revolutionary: We have made radical changes
in the way we live. Every political party that is not in power

promises radical reform. 3 extremist, revolutionary,
fanatic(al), militant, anarchist(ic), immoderate: A staunch
conservative, Vincent regarded as radical anyone who disagreed
with him.


--n. 4 extremist, revolutionary, fanatic, zealot, immoderate,
anarchist, militant: The radicals favour reform, the
conservatives the status quo - but there is nothing new in that.
5 communist, leftist, left-winger, red, Bolshevik, Bolshevist,
pink, Slang US pinko: Carlo, recently arrested as a spy, had
been a radical since his days at university.

radio n. 1 receiver, portable (radio), Old-fashioned crystal set,
Brit and US old-fashioned wireless, Colloq transistor, Slang
ghetto-blaster, Brit tranny or trannie, US boom box: He listens
to BBC World Service on his short-wave radio.

--v. 2 transmit, broadcast, air, disseminate, announce,
present: Weather reports are radioed continuously to ships at
sea and aircraft.

raffle n. lottery, draw, sweepstake or US sweepstakes, sweep or US
sweeps: The church is holding a raffle for a new car next week.


ragฐ n. 1 tatter, piece, shred, scrap, fragment, bit, Dialect clout:
Take a clean rag and dust the bookshelves when you get the
chance. 2 newspaper, periodical, magazine, publication,
journal: You can't believe anything you read in that rag. 3
rags. Facetious clothes, clothing, attire, dress, garments,
Old-fashioned duds: I bought some new rags at the
post-Christmas sales. 4 rag trade. garment-industry, clothing
business, fashion industry: Peggy has been a model in the rag
trade for years. 5 chew the rag. a converse, talk, gossip,
chat: We bought a bottle of wine and just sat about chewing the
rag all evening. b Brit argue, wrangle: They are constantly
chewing the rag over trivial nonsense.

rag v. tease, taunt, belittle, twit, ridicule, mock, make fun of,
pull (someone's) leg, Brit rally, Colloq kid: The boys at
school were always ragging him about his lisp.

ragamuffin
n. (street) urchin, (street) Arab, waif, mudlark, gamin, little

lost lamb, babe in the wood, stray, guttersnipe, scarecrow: We
took in a poor little ragamuffin who was shaking from the cold.

rage n. 1 anger, fury, wrath, ire, high dudgeon, exasperation,
vehemence, passion: Imagine her rage when Simon phoned to say
that he couldn't make it home for dinner! 2 fury, passion,
frenzy, hysterics, tantrum, fit, temper, Brit paddy or
paddywhack or paddywack, Colloq Brit wax: He flies into a rage
if Grace is as little as five minutes late for an appointment. 3
fashion, craze, vogue, the (latest or newest) thing, last word,
dernier cri, mode, Colloq fad: Miniskirts were all the rage in
the 1960s.

--v. 4 rant, rave, storm, go mad or crazy or bonkers or wild or
out of one's mind, go berserk, run amok or amuck, behave or act
or be like one possessed, fret, be beside oneself (with anger or
fury), lose one's temper, go berserk, have a tantrum, fulminate,
explode; fume, foam at the mouth, stew, smoulder, boil, seethe,
simmer, Colloq have kittens, lose one's cool, fly off the
handle, go off the deep end, Slang get into or work oneself up
into a lather or stew or sweat, get all worked up, blow one's
top, blow a gasket, blow up, flip one's top or lid, hit the
ceiling or roof, freak out, be fit to be tied, be ready for a
strait-jacket, Brit throw a wobbly, US and Canadian blow one's
stack, flip one's wig, blow a fuse, have a haemorrhage, go ape,
do a slow burn, have a conniption fit: Father raged for hours
when he found that Donald had borrowed the car without
permission.


ragged adj. 1 rough, shaggy, shabby, seedy, tattered, unkempt,
scraggy, torn, rent, ripped, frayed, worn (out), threadbare,
patched, patchy, ravelled, Chiefly Brit tatty, Brit down at
heel, US down at the heel(s), Colloq US frazzled, beat-up: On
weekends, Charles put on his most ragged clothes to work in the
garden. 2 rough, uneven, irregular, nicked, jagged; serrated,
sawtooth(ed), zigzag, notched, toothed, denticulate(d), ridged:
Every morning on his way to work, his first sight of the factory
was the ragged edge of its roof. 3 worn out, tired, exhausted,
on one's last legs, the worse for wear, dead tired, overtired,
fatigued, weary, fagged out, spent, Colloq all in, dog-tired,
Slang dead (on one's feet), (dead) beat, Brit knackered, US and
Canadian pooped (out): The emergency crew was run ragged by
thirty hours on duty without rest. 4 bad, rough, patchy,

imperfect, shabby, messy, disordered, disorderly, run-down,
battered, broken-down, neglected, deteriorated, dilapidated,
Colloq beat-up: From its ragged condition, it's clear that the
building isn't properly maintained. 5 rough, harsh, discordant,
grating, rasping, hoarse, scratchy, croaking: His voice, once a
beautiful lyric tenor, was ragged after years of alcoholism. 6
uneven, bad, poor, shabby, patchy: The guests gave a ragged
rendition of 'Happy Birthday' as their host entered the room.


ragman n. rag-dealer, rag-picker, scrap dealer, Brit rag-and-bone man,
knacker, US junk dealer, junkman: When the ragman comes round,
give him those old curtains.

raid n. 1 (surprise) attack, incursion, invasion, onset, onslaught,
blitz, sortie, sally, expedition, Slang (police) bust: The
partisans made a raid on the arsenal last night and got away
with guns and ammunition.

--v. 2 attack, invade, assault, storm, set upon, descend upon,
swoop down on or upon, pounce upon, Military forage; sack,
plunder, pillage, loot, ransack, rifle, strip, maraud,
depredate, Slang bust: The commandos raided the enemy
stronghold and destroyed it.


railฐ n. 1 bar, rod, handrail, foot-rail , towel-rail; railing,
banisters, balustrade, baluster, fence: Don't lean on the rail
or it will break. 2 by or via rail. by train, by railway or US
also railroad: We travelled by rail from Paris to Geneva.


rail v. Usually, rail at or against. vituperate, vociferate,
fulminate, be or become abusive, revile, attack, berate, scold,
upbraid, criticize, censure, decry, condemn, denounce: She
continues to rage and rail against those who would deny equal
rights to women.


raillery n. banter, badinage, persiflage, repartee, frivolity, joking,
jesting, chaffing, teasing, ridicule, Colloq kidding: You
shouldn't get upset over what was nothing more than some
good-natured raillery.


railroad n. 1 See railway, below.

--v. 2 force, compel, expedite, coerce, intimidate, push

(through), Brit pressurize, US pressure, bully, hector,
tyrannize, dragoon, browbeat, bullyrag, Colloq bulldoze,
squeeze, lean on: Clayton was railroaded into appointing
Pinbury to head the committee to investigate corruption.


railway n. train, rail, rolling-stock, Archaic iron horse, US railroad:
Railway service could be improved on some suburban lines.
Diamond Jim Brady, the American millionaire, made his money from
the railway.


rain n. 1 precipitation, drizzle, sprinkle, downpour, shower,
thunder-shower, cloudburst, rainstorm, squall, deluge, US
sunshower: After the rain the sun came out. 2 rainfall,
precipitation: The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain. 3
flood, torrent, shower, volley, stream, outpouring: Arriving
home, she could barely shield herself from the rain of
children's kisses.

--v. 4 come down, pour, teem, sprinkle, drizzle, spit, Brit
dialect mizzle, Colloq come down in buckets, rain cats and dogs:
The weatherman said it would rain today, so take an umbrella. 5
trickle, pour, run, fall: Tears rained down her sallow cheeks.
6 descend, shower: Blows rained on him from the tiny fists of
the furious child. 7 bestow, lavish, shower: He rained kisses
on her upturned face.

raise v. 1 lift (up), elevate; hoist, pull up, haul up, run up,
Literary upraise: She raised the glass to her lips. We raised
the mainsail and sailed out of the harbour. 2 erect, put up,
construct, build, produce, create, put together, assemble,
frame: With the help of some neighbours, the barn was raised in
less than a day. 3 farm, grow, cultivate, plant, bring up,
nurture, harvest, propagate: During that year's mild winter, we
were able to raise three crops. 4 bring up, nurture, rear;
mother, father, parent: His grandmother raised ten children,
six girls and four boys. 5 assemble, gather, bring or gather or
get together, muster, mobilize, round up, rally, collect,
convene, recruit, Colloq pull together: Do you think you could
raise an army quickly enough to defend us against attack? 6
increase, boost, advance, put up, jack up, run up, inflate,
escalate: Why are consumer petrol prices always raised at the
vaguest hint of an increase in oil prices? 7 cultivate, foster,
nurture, heighten, stimulate, buoy, lift, uplift, boost, arouse,

quicken, encourage, develop: The news about the new company
raised our hopes of finding jobs. 8 open, introduce, initiate,
broach, bring up, bring or put forward, present, suggest,
mention, moot: It is regrettable that you saw fit to raise such
a delicate issue. 9 remove, relieve, lift, abandon, eliminate,
discontinue, (bring to an) end, terminate: Restrictions on
travel to south-east Asia were about to be raised. 10 cause,
provoke, evoke, occasion, put or set in motion, institute,
prompt, engender, stir up, instigate, inspire, give rise to,
bring about, arouse, originate: Objections to the relaxation of
safety regulations were raised by relatives of the victims of
the earlier disaster. 11 utter, express, bring up, put forward,
shout, call: Was it you who raised the alarm at the first sign
of smoke? 12 assemble, obtain, get, collect, amass, solicit:
We raised twice as much for charity as last year. 13
invigorate, animate, vitalize, vivify, buoy, lift, uplift, cheer
(up), exhilarate, elate: Our spirits were raised considerably
by the news from head office.


rakeฐ v. 1 Often, rake up. scrape together, gather (together or up),
collect, draw together: You really must rake up the leaves from
the lawn and burn them. 2 scrape, comb, scratch, grate, graze:
Don't you just hate the sound of a fingernail being raked across
a blackboard? 3 rake in. collect, gather (up or in), pull in,
make: Pamela is raking in the royalties from her latest
thriller. 4 rake it in. coin money, make money
(hand-over-fist), Brit coin it in: The new record shop in the
mall is really raking it in. 5 rake out. sift (out), screen,
remove, clear, eliminate: Please rake out the cinders from the
grate. 6 rake over or through. search, probe, ransack, scour,
comb, rummage through, pick through or over, go through or over
(with a fine-tooth(ed) comb), rifle (through): The police raked
through her entire flat but found nothing incriminating. 7 rake
up. a See 1, above. b revive, resuscitate, resurrect, raise,
bring up, recall: Must you persist in raking up those bad
memories? 8 rake up or together. gather, scrape up or together,
collect, drag together, pick up, dig up, dredge up, find,
unearth: Were you able to rake up the others for a game of
poker tonight?


rake n. libertine, womanizer, lecher, rou‚, playboy, ladies' man,
Don Juan, Casanova, Lothario, debauchee, voluptuary, profligate,
prodigal; scoundrel, rascal, cad, Archaic rakehell, masher;

Colloq lady-killer, Colloq old-fashioned wolf, Brit bounder:
Lady Anne was led stray by some young rake, a friend of the
Prince Regent's.


rake-off n. kickback, commission; discount, mark-down, rebate, Colloq
cut, piece: Does Mac get a rake-off for every buyer he sends to
the shop?

rakish adj. dashing, jaunty, dapper, spruce, debonair, raffish, smart,
breezy, flashy, chic, fashionable, elegant; dandy, foppish:
Adjusting his trilby to a rakish angle, Peter strode along the
boulevard.

rally n. 1 gathering, (mass) meeting, meet, convocation, convention,
assemblage, assembly, muster: There is to be a political rally
tonight in the town square. Are you taking your Daimler to the
vintage car rally? 2 recovery, improvement, revival, turn for
the better, recuperation, renewal: His doctors said that the
rally might be only temporary.


--v. 3 Often, rally round. bring or call or get together, round
up, assemble, convene, group, congregate, organize, come
together, troop; marshal, mobilize, summon, gather, muster: All
Sally's friends rallied round her when her father died. He
rallied every last ounce of strength in the dash for the
finishing line. 4 revive, rouse, recover, improve, get better,
take a turn for the better, recuperate, perk up, pick up, Colloq
snap out of it, make a comeback: According to the nurse, he
rallied during the night and asked for something to eat.


ram v. 1 jam, force, drive, cram, crowd, pack, compress, stuff,
squeeze, thrust, tamp, pound, hammer: We rammed as much filler
as we could into the crevices. 2 butt, bump, strike, hit,
collide with, dash, crash, slam: Their car rammed into mine in
the garage.

ramble v. 1 amble, wander (off), stroll, saunter, walk, perambulate,
go (off or away), travel, drift, range, rove, go or move about,
hike, trek, Colloq mosey: Don't ramble too far as dinner will
be ready soon. We used to ramble over those hills, but the area
is now an industrial site. 2 meander, wander, digress, maunder:
Fiona tends to ramble off the main topic of conversation. 3
Sometimes, ramble on. babble, chatter, gibber, rave, go on (and

on), rattle on, Colloq Brit witter on, rabbit on or away: If
you didn't stop him, Hugh would ramble on for ever about his
grandchildren.


--n. 4 stroll, amble, saunter, walk, promenade, constitutional,
walkabout, tour, tramp, hike, trek: We went on a short ramble
through the park.

rambling adj. 1 discursive, roundabout, circuitous, tortuous,
incoherent, diffuse, unsettled, disconnected, disjointed,
disorganized, unorganized, illogical, maundering, aimless,
confused, muddled, jumbled, scrambled, unintelligible,
inarticulate, periphrastic, circumlocutory, circumlocutional,
circumlocutionary, ambagious, wordy, verbose, prolix, endless,
interminable: We couldn't make heads or tails of the
professor's rambling lecture. 2 unplanned, straggling,
irregular, sprawling, spread out, spreading, straggly: The
Wilsons live in that big old rambling Victorian house down the
road. 3 roving, wandering, travelling, peripatetic, itinerant,
wayfaring, migratory, nomadic: For five years he led a rambling
life as a folk-singing banjo player.

ramification
n. 1 consequence, result, effect, upshot, implication,
subtlety; complication, difficulty: Have you considered the
ramifications of your decision to retire? 2 branch, extension,
outgrowth, subdivision, offshoot: Courier services may be
considered a ramification of services that were once performed
by the post office.


ramp n. slope, grade, gradient, incline; rise, ascent, acclivity;
descent, dip, declivity: There is a special ramp in the theatre
for wheelchair access.


rampage n. 1 excitement, agitation, recklessness, riot, tumult, uproar,
frenzy, fury, rage, furore or US furor, turmoil: His latest
rampage was prompted by their serving him a cup of cold coffee.
2 Brit on the rampage, US on a rampage. berserk, mad, crazy,
amok or amuck, wild, out of control: Pete regularly drank too
much whisky and then went on the rampage.

--v. 3 storm, rage, rant, rave, go berserk, run amok or amuck:
He rampaged like a man possessed when he got his second parking

ticket of the day.

rampant adj. 1 unchecked, uninhibited, unrestrained, wild,
uncontrolled, out of control, out of hand, frenzied, unbridled,
uncontrollable, violent: He was a victim of rampant jealousy.
Jennie could hardly be described as a rampant feminist. 2
profuse, unbounded, abounding, flourishing, rife, widespread,
everywhere, epidemic, pandemic, prevalent, unrestrained,
unchecked, running wild, uninhibited, indiscriminate, wild,
uncontrolled; in control, holding sway, in full sway, dominant,
predominant; exuberant, rank, luxuriant: Before Masterson
became sheriff, vice and crime were rampant in the town.

rampart n. defence, bastion, guard, fortification, security,
stronghold, bulwark, barricade, wall; earthwork, breastwork,
parados, gabion: The old town is surrounded by seven rows of
ramparts leading up to the cathedral at the summit. They regard
religion as an impenetrable rampart against immorality.


ramshackle
adj. dilapidated, tumbledown, crumbling, broken-down, rickety,
unsteady, jerry-built, decrepit, flimsy, shaky, unstable,
tottering, unsubstantial or insubstantial, ruined, in disrepair,
beyond repair, run-down, neglected, derelict: He lives in a
ramshackle hut on the outskirts of town.

rancid adj. stinking or reeking (to high heaven), foul-smelling,
ill-smelling, evil-smelling, noisome, mephitic, miasmic or
miasmal or miasmatic(al), smelly, rank, malodorous, fusty;
nasty, disagreeable, odious, fetid or foetid, rotten, decayed,
spoilt or spoiled, turned, bad, awful, sour, tainted, high,
gamy, ripe, putrid, corrupt, stale: To rid your fridge of that
rancid smell, wash it out with a solution of baking soda.


rancorous adj. hateful, spiteful, resentful, hostile, malign, malignant,
bitter, malevolent, malicious, venomous, vindictive, vengeful,
splenetic, acrimonious: Olivia felt rancorous towards her
brother-in-law when he refused to lend her money.


rancour n. hatred, hate, antipathy, spite, resentment, resentfulness,
antagonism, hostility, malignity, bitterness, malevolence,
malice, venomousness, venom, vindictiveness, vengefulness,
spleen, acrimony, animus, animosity, enmity, bad feeling, bad

blood: Owing to the rancour between them, the brothers had not
exchanged a word in forty years.

random adj. 1 haphazard, chance, fortuitous, serendipitous, aleatory,
arbitrary, casual, stray, occasional, indefinite,
indiscriminate, non-specific, unspecific, unspecified,
unordered, unorganized, undirected, unpremeditated, unplanned,
accidental, uncalculated, unsystematic, adventitious,
incidental, hit-or-miss: He used a computer program to generate
random numbers. A random selection of slips was drawn from the
drum and Madelaine's name was on one of them. 2 at random.
randomly, haphazardly, fortuitously, by chance, serendipitously,
arbitrarily, casually, occasionally, (every) now and then,
(every) once in a while, irregularly, indefinitely, erratically,
indiscriminately, unsystematically, adventitiously,
incidentally, unpremeditatedly: They picked names from a hat at
random. They drove up and down the road, firing at random.

randy adj. aroused, lustful, lecherous, Brit on heat or US in heat,
Brit in oestrus or US in estrus, Slang hot, horny, in rut,
rutting, at stud: Seeing Betty always made Len feel terribly
randy.

range n. 1 scope, sweep, reach, limit, extent, span, area, radius,
distance, compass, latitude, stretch, sphere, orbit: The gun
has a range of about 200 yards. This radio transmitter is
effective only within a thirty-mile range. The minister is
trying to broaden the range of his influence. 2 assortment,
series, collection, lot, spread, selection, choice, number,
variety, kind, sort, scale, gamut, register: The courses
offered cater to a wide range of interests. 3 rank, row, tier,
line, file, series, string, chain: From my window I could see
the range of hills stretching away into the distance. 4 kitchen
range, (cooking-) stove, Chiefly Brit cooker, Brit trade mark
Aga, US cook-stove: In every French farmhouse there was always
a pot of soup on the range.

--v. 5 line up, rank, order, align, order, array: The teacher
ranged the children according to their height. 6 vary,
fluctuate, spread, run the gamut, extend, stretch, run, go: The
students range in age from eight to eighty. 7 organize,
categorize, catalogue, arrange, classify, sort, class, group,
rank, bracket, pigeon-hole, file, index, break down, grade,

distribute: The books are ranged according to their
subject-matter. 8 cover, traverse, roam, rove, travel over or
across, go or pass over, drift, migrate, wander, move, extend:
The wildebeest ranges far and wide over vast tracts of grazing
land in Africa.

rankฐ n. 1 status, standing, position, place, level, stratum, class,
caste, circumstances, echelon, grade: It is virtually
impossible to determine rank simply by looking at a person. 2
weight, authority, power, superiority, seniority, ascendancy,
priority, influence, eminence: Caldwell uses the privilege of
rank to cover up some of his more questionable transactions. 3
nobility, title, high birth, aristocracy, dignity, prestige,
(blue) blood; peerage: Gentlemen of rank should behave with
honour, my boy. 4 line, row, column, queue, series, formation;
sequence: We gazed on the serried ranks of warriors, golden
shields glistening in the sun. 5 ranks. soldiers, workers,
staff, employees: Smithers rose from the ranks to become chief
executive officer.


--v. 6 grade, rate, classify, class, categorize; dispose,
organize, order, sort, assort, arrange, array, align, range,
graduate: He was ranked among the best in the school. The
applicants are ranked according to their test scores. 7 rate,
count, stand, have standing or value or prestige, be important
or distinguished: To Janet, character ranks far above wealth.
Phil is so mean that Scrooge would rank high on a list of
charitable men in comparison with him.


rank adj. 1 lush, luxuriant, abundant, flourishing, profuse,
prolific, dense, superabundant, exuberant, fertile, productive,
fructuous: The expedition could hardly make its way through the
rank undergrowth of th jungle. 2 corrupt, foul, low, base,
gross; downright, utter, sheer, absolute, complete, out-and-out,
blatant, flagrant, unalloyed, unmitigated, undiluted: I cannot
understand the rank treachery of the man after all that we have
done for him. I ventured my opinion, even though a rank
outsider. 3 offensive, loathsome, disgusting, gross, foul,
corrupt, indecent, shocking, immodest, indecorous, shameless,
risqu‚, lurid, off colour, outrageous, blue, nasty, vulgar,
vile, dirty, filthy, smutty, scatological, pornographic,
obscene: Those bigots always resort to the rank vocabulary of
malice and hate. In a secret cupboard was a collection of the

rankest literature. 4 offensive, loathsome, disgusting, gross,
foul, foul-smelling, smelly, rancid, noisome, stinking, reeky,
reeking, mephitic, miasmic or miasmal or miasmatic(al), fetid or
foetid, noxious, rotten, putrid, musty, stale, disagreeable,
strong, pungent: The rank stench from the open sewers pervades
the air in those pockets of poverty.

rank and file
n. (general) membership, members, majority: The union's rank
and file must now vote on whether to accept management's pay
offer.

rankle v. gall, fester, irk, vex, plague, chafe, grate, nettle,
torment, pain, hurt, provoke, anger, exasperate, get (to),
upset: Although she had forgiven him, the insult still rankled.

ransack v. 1 search, examine, go through or over (with a fine-tooth(ed)
comb), comb, rake or rummage through, scour, explore,
scrutinize, turn inside out: I ransacked the second-hand
bookshops for a copy but had no success. 2 rob, plunder,
pillage, sack, despoil, loot, strip; burgle, US and Canadian
burglarize: The thieves who ransacked the shop apparently
missed the most valuable jewel.


ransom n. 1 redemption, rescue, deliverance; release, liberation: The
envoy was held to ransom by a fanatical band of zealots. 2
payment, payout, pay-off, price: The police refuse to reveal
the amount of the ransom given to the kidnappers.


--v. 3 redeem, rescue, release, deliver: The boy was ransomed
for œ10,000.

rant v. 1 declaim, hold forth, expound, expatiate, orate, perorate,
pontificate, trumpet, preach, harangue, lecture, deliver
(oneself of) a tirade or diatribe or speech, speak: The
minister ranted pompously about his accomplishments. 2
vociferate, bluster, rave, rant and rave, bellow, rage: The
master kept ranting on about his newspaper having been creased.


--n. 3 tirade, philippic, bluster, flatulence, rhetoric,
bombast, pomposity, turgidity, gasconade, rodomontade,
theatrics, histrionics, act: As he carried on his rant, the
theatre gradually emptied till he was alone.


rap v. 1 knock, strike, tap, hit: The policeman rapped smartly at
the door with his truncheon. 2 criticize, rebuke, scold,
reprimand, rap over the knuckles, Colloq knock, Brit tick off:
We were severely rapped for dropping litter on the pavement. 3
converse, talk, chat, gossip, Colloq gab, Slang chew the fat or
the rag: That guy was so fascinating - we could rap with him
for hours.


--n. 4 knock, tap, hit, blow, crack, stroke, cuff, whack,
thwack, punch, Colloq belt, clout, Slang sock, slug, biff: The
punishment for failing to complete the assignment was a severe
rap on the knuckles. 5 conversation, discussion, chat,
confabulation, talk, dialogue, discourse, colloquy, Colloq
confab, Slang chiefly US and Canadian bull session, rap session:
We used to get together for a nice long rap now and then. 6
responsibility, blame; punishment, sentence; charge, accusation,
indictment: Why should he have to take the rap for something
you did? The witness failed to show up, so Baxter beat the rap.


rapacious adj. greedy, covetous, grasping, avaricious, mercenary,
usurious, acquisitive, predatory, predacious, ravenous,
ravening, voracious, insatiable, insatiate, wolfish, wolflike,
lupine, vulturine, raptorial: That rapacious swindler took
everything they had in the world.

rapacity n. greed, greediness, cupidity, covetousness, avarice,
acquisitiveness, predaciousness, ravenousness, voracity,
voraciousness, insatiability, insatiableness, rapaciousness:
The rapacity of the invading hordes of Mongols knew no bounds.

rape n. 1 ravishment, defloration, deflowering, violation, sexual
assault, defilement: The police are investigating reports of
rape by a masked man. 2 rapine, despoliation, spoliation,
despoilment, pillage, depredation, ravagement, ravaging,
plunder, plundering, sack, sacking, looting, ransacking: He
travelled in disguise to document the rape of the war-torn
areas. 3 abduction, carrying-off, kidnapping, seizure, capture,
snatching: History debates whether the ancient Romans were
truly responsible for the rape of the Sabine women.

--v. 4 violate, ravish, assault sexually, deflower, defile,
force to submit to sexual intercourse, have one's way with, take

advantage of: The defendant raped three women before he was
caught. 5 despoil, spoliate, pillage, depredate, ravage,
plunder, sack, loot: Throughout history the city has been raped
by marauding tribes.


rapid adj. quick, fast, swift, speedy, high-speed, brisk,
expeditious, prompt, express, fleet, lightning(-fast),
alacritous; hurried, hasty, precipitate, impetuous, immediate,
instantaneous, instant, sudden: The company we use offers rapid
delivery service. What do you suppose occasioned Flannery's
rapid departure?

rapidity n. quickness, swiftness, speed, speediness, briskness,
expeditiousness, promptness, promptitude, alacrity, celerity,
immediateness, dispatch or despatch, instantaneousness: The
rapidity with which they responded to our request is truly
commendable.

rapidly adv. 1 quickly, fast, swiftly, speedily, briskly,
expeditiously, like a shot, at the speed of light, double-quick,
at full speed, like one possessed, at a gallop, tantivy, Colloq
like blazes, like (greased) lightning, US lickety-split, Slang
like a bat out of hell, like mad: He cycled down the High
Street as rapidly as he could go. 2 promptly, instantly,
instantaneously, instanter, without delay, at once, straight
away, right away, in a moment, in a trice, like a shot, in a
wink, in (less than) no time, double-quick, in a flash, at the
speed of light, before you (can) turn around, Colloq in a jiffy,
in two shakes (of a lamb's tail), like (greased) lightning,
before you can say 'Jack Robinson', US and Canadian (right) off
the bat, lickety-split, Slang like a bat out of hell: When I
mentioned that you were coming, she left rapidly.

rapport n. empathy, relationship, sympathy, harmony, affinity, accord,
bond, relationship, (mutual) understanding, camaraderie: The
minute we met we established a rapport.

rapprochement
n. reconciliation, understanding, settlement: The party needs
to bring about a rapprochement between the radicals and the
reactionaries.

rapt adj. 1 entranced, fascinated, spellbound, mesmerized,

hypnotized, engrossed, enthralled, bewitched, absorbed,
transported, captivated, delighted: She gave her last
performance of 'Giselle' before a rapt audience. 2 enraptured,
rapturous, delighted, elated, happy, ecstatic, blissful,
overjoyed, joyous, joyful, beatific: You should have seen the
rapt expression on the child's face when Santa Claus appeared.

rapture n. ecstasy, delight, joy, joyfulness, joyousness, pleasure,
exaltation, elation, thrill, enchantment, euphoria, beatitude,
transport, enchantment: Nothing could compare with the rapture
he felt at seeing his daughter win the Nobel prize.

rapturous adj. ecstatic, delighted, joyful, joyous, elated, thrilled,
enchanted, euphoric, in seventh heaven, overjoyed, rhapsodic,
Colloq on cloud nine, Brit over the moon: He was rapturous over
qualifying for the Olympics.

rareฐ adj. 1 uncommon, unfamiliar, unusual, exceptional, out of the
ordinary, extraordinary, atypical; scarce, unparalleled, choice,
recherch‚, phenomenal, infrequent, few and far between, sparse,
scanty, limited, seldom encountered or met with or seen; unique,
singular, one of a kind; Chiefly Brit thin on the ground: It
was rare to see Liz in such good humour. Specimens in such
perfect condition are rare. A copy of the first edition in this
condition is rare. 2 fine, good, admirable, excellent, choice,
select, special, first-rate, first-class, exquisite, superior,
superlative, peerless, unequalled, matchless, incomparable, in a
class by itself or herself or himself or themselves, sui
generis, outstanding; collectible or collectable: O, rare Ben
Jonson! On exhibit was a black pearl of rare beauty and
remarkable size. Consideration for others seems a rare quality
these days.

rare adj. underdone, undercooked, bleu(e), saignant(e): Do you want
your steak rare, medium, or well-done?

rarefied adj. 1 thin, lean, attenuated, diluted, sparse, scant, scanty:
As we climbed higher, the rarefied atmosphere made breathing
more difficult. 2 exalted, lofty, elevated, high, sublime,
noble, high: I feel out of place in the rarefied atmosphere of
academia. 3 cliquish, clannish, exclusive, private, select,
esoteric: Clarence copes well in the rarefied atmosphere of
Whitehall's corridors of power.


rarely adv. seldom, infrequently, on rare occasions, hardly (ever),
scarcely (ever), almost never, Colloq once in a blue moon: He
rarely attends formal dinners at his club.


rarity n. 1 curiosity, oddity, curio, collector's item, find,
treasure, conversation piece, Brit one-off, Colloq Brit oner:
Among the rarities in his collection is a stuffed dodo. 2
unusualness, uncommonness, rareness, uniqueness, scarcity: The
rarity of the first edition makes this book all the more
valuable.

rascal n. imp, devil, scamp, mischief-maker; rapscallion, rogue,
scoundrel, cad, villain, blackguard, knave, good-for-nothing,
ne'er-do-well, wastrel, scapegrace, dastard, wretch, Colloq
scallywag or scalawag, Brit rotter, blighter, bounder: That
little rascal has eaten all the cherry tarts. They've caught the
rascals who were vandalizing parked cars.


rashฐ adj. impetuous, impulsive, unthinking, thoughtless, foolhardy,
unconsidered, ill-considered, ill-advised, injudicious,
imprudent, indiscreet, precipitate, hasty, careless, heedless,
reckless, headlong, wild, madcap, hare-brained, hotheaded,
adventurous, quixotic, venturesome, audacious, bold, dashing,
brash, devil-may-care: It was rash of him to try to sail round
the world single-handed, but he did it.

rash n. 1 eruption, eczema, redness, efflorescence, dermatitis: One
of the symptoms of measles is a skin rash. 2 number(s),
quantity, lot(s), multitude, profusion, outbreak, series,
succession, spate, wave, flood, deluge, plague, epidemic:
There's been a rash of burglaries in the neighbourhood.

rasp n. 1 grating, scrape, scraping, scratch, scratching, grinding,
stridulation: One could hear the rasp of the file as they tried
to cut through the door. 2 file, grater: The coarser rasp is
for use on wood.

--v. 3 scrape, abrade, grate, file: First, rasp the
horseradish, then combine the gratings with a little vinegar. 4
irritate, jar (upon), grate upon or against, rub (someone) (up)
the wrong way, nettle, irk, annoy, vex, wear on, get, Literary
gride: She has a rasping metallic voice that gets on my nerves.

5 croak, squawk, screech: The sergeant rasped out another
command and the company marched forward.

rateฐ n. 1 measure, pace, gait, speed, velocity, Colloq clip: We
moved along at a pretty fast rate. Rates of production must
increase. 2 charge, price, fee, tariff, figure, amount; toll:
The rate for a hotel room has increased enormously in the past
few years. 3 percentage, scale, proportion: What is the current
rate of interest on government savings bonds? 4 Usually, -rate.
rank, grade, place, standing, status, position, class,
classification, kind, sort, type, rating, status, worth, value,
valuation, evaluation: After a few years, he had improved from
a second-rate typist to a first-rate secretary. 5 at any rate.
in any case, in any event, anyway, at all events, anyhow, under
any circumstances, regardless, notwithstanding: At any rate,
with their last child out of university, they have no more
worries about paying education costs.

--v. 6 rank, grade, class, classify, evaluate, estimate,
calculate, compute, count, reckon, judge, gauge, assess,
appraise, measure: How do you rate your chances of beating the
champion? 7 merit, be entitled to, deserve, be worthy of, have
a claim to: The play doesn't rate all the attention it's been
getting in the press. 8 count, place, measure: She rates very
high among her friends.

rate v. scold, berate, reprimand, rebuke, reproach, reprove, take to
task, upbraid, censure, Colloq bawl out, dress down, US and
Canadian chew out: I was rated severely for staying out after
midnight.

rather adv. 1 quite, very, somewhat, fairly, moderately, to a certain
extent or degree or measure, to some extent or degree or
measure, more or less, pretty, slightly, Colloq sort of, kind
of: I suppose she was rather good-looking, but at that age I
didn't pay much attention to girls. This coffee tastes rather
strange. 2 preferably, sooner, instead, more readily or
willingly: Given an option, I choose to live alone rather than
marry. 3 would or Colloq US had rather. prefer, choose: Given
a choice, I would rather live alone.

ratify v. approve, sanction, endorse, support, corroborate, uphold,
back (up), sustain, establish, validate, substantiate, verify,

authenticate, guarantee, warrant, certify, affirm, ensure,
clinch, settle: The pact was ratified by all members.

ratio n. proportion, relationship, correlation, correspondence: What
is the ratio of male to female students at Oxford University?
In that area, the ratio of tenants to home-owners is about two
to one.

ration n. 1 share, quota, allotment, portion, helping, part,
provision, measure, dole, percentage, amount: Each person is
permitted a weekly fixed ration of butter, sugar, coffee, meat,
etc. We shall have to go on short rations till we are rescued. 2
rations. supplies, provisions, food, provender, victuals,
viands, eatables, edibles, comestibles, Brit commons: It was
not till the third week with our rations running low that we
really began to worry.

--v. 3 Often, ration out. allot, apportion, dole (out), give
out, distribute, deal out, mete out, parcel out, measure out,
hand out: As water was in short supply, we had to ration it.
One cup was rationed out to each of us every morning. 4 budget,
schedule, restrict, control, limit: Water had to be rationed to
one cup a day for each of us.


rational adj. 1 well-balanced, sane, sound, normal, reasonable,
reasoning, logical, ratiocinative, clear-headed, clear-eyed,
sober; of sound mind, Colloq all there: Desmond is a rational
human being who would be able to advise you about your problem.
2 discriminating, intelligent, thinking, enlightened, prudent,
wise, knowledgeable, informed: We could not have elected a more
rational representative for our cause than Robert Brown. 3
sensible, common-sense, commonsensical, practical, pragmatic,
down-to-earth, everyday, acceptable, reasonable, logical:
Philippa thinks she has a rational explanation for the strange
light we saw in the sky last night.

rationale n. reason, explanation, logical basis, grounds, logic,
reasoning, philosophy, principle, theory: Do you understand the
rationale of a policy for curbing inflation that sets interest
rates at a level where business, initiative, and productivity
are stifled?

rationalize

v. 1 make plausible or believable or understandable or
acceptable or reasonable, make allowance(s) or excuses for,
vindicate, account for, justify, excuse, reason away, explain
away: How can you rationalize taking my car without my
permission? 2 think through, reason out; apply logic to,
ratiocinate: He warps the statistics to rationalize his
argument. The fundamentalists make no attempt to rationalize
their literal interpretation of the Scripture.


rattle v. 1 clatter: An acorn dropped from an overhanging tree and
rattled down the tin roof. 2 shake, vibrate, jar, joggle,
jiggle: The wind was strong enough to rattle the windows in
their frames. 3 unnerve, disconcert, discomfit, disturb,
perturb, shake, discountenance, upset, agitate, put off, Chiefly
US and Canadian faze: They are only trying to rattle us by
saying that we might lose our jobs if we strike. 4 jounce,
bounce, bump, jolt, speed, hurtle: The stagecoach came rattling
down the road, swaying wildly. 5 rattle off. recite, list,
utter, reel off, run through, enumerate, call off: The
announcer rattled off a long list of trains cancelled because of
the storm. 6 rattle on. chatter, babble, jabber, gibber, prate,
prattle, blabber, cackle, blather, ramble, Chiefly Brit witter,
natter, Slang US run off at the mouth: The speaker kept
rattling on and on about the delights of collecting beer cans.


--n. 7 clatter, racket, noise; rale or rƒle, crackle,
crackling; death-rattle: I heard the rattle of the beans and
knew you were about to grind the coffee. The doctor said he
didn't like the rattle in my chest. 8 clapper, sistrum, US
noise-maker: Rattles have been used as musical instruments for
thousands of years.

rattletrap
n. flivver, rattler, Colloq jalopy, tin Lizzie, US Model T:
This old rattletrap won't get us all the way to Hawkhurst.

ratty adj. 1 irritable, cross, testy, touchy, annoyed, crabbed,
irritated, angry, short-tempered, impatient, disagreeable: He's
always ratty in the mornings when he has a hangover. 2 dirty,
greasy, straggly, unkempt, matted: His hair was all ratty and
he hadn't bathed in a month.

raucous adj. harsh, rasping, rough, husky, hoarse, grating, scratching,

scratchy, discordant, dissonant, jarring; strident, shrill,
noisy, loud, ear-splitting, piercing: You could hear Ramsay's
raucous voice above the others. A raucous scream came from the
parrot's cage.


ravage v. 1 lay waste, devastate, ruin, destroy, demolish, raze,
wreck, wreak havoc (up)on, damage: The hurricane ravaged
outlying areas but did little damage in the city. 2 pillage,
plunder, despoil, ransack, sack, loot: The police tried to
prevent hooligans from ravaging the shops in the town centre.

--n. 3 Usually, ravages. destruction, damage, depredation(s),
devastation, wrecking, ruin, demolition: All about us we saw
the ravages of war.


rave v. 1 rant, rage, storm, fulminate, roar, thunder, howl, yell,
caterwaul, yowl, bellow, shout, scream, fly off the handle,
Colloq flip one's top or lid, Slang raise hell: He kept raving
on about his coffee mug having been pinched. 2 rave about.
praise, laud, rhapsodize over, applaud, gush over: Bernard
can't stop raving about that new Thai restaurant.

--n. 3 praise, acclaim, favour, enthusiastic reception,
tribute, testimonial, encomium, bouquet, plaudits, accolade,
admiration, US hosanna: The play got raves in all the
newspapers when it opened. 4 rage, fashion, vogue, trend,
thing, last word, dernier cri, craze, mania, Colloq fad: The
rave that year was for stiletto heels. 5 party, fˆte, soir‚e,
Colloq do, Slang bash, blow-out, Brit rave-up , US wingding,
blast: Monica threw quite a rave to celebrate her new job.

ravenous adj. 1 hungry, famished, starving, starved: We were ravenous
after the long hike. 2 voracious, gluttonous, greedy,
insatiable, ravening, swinish, piggish, hoggish, edacious,
wolfish: With my family's ravenous appetites, there are rarely
any leftovers.

ravine n. gorge, canyon or caคon, pass, cleft, defile, gully or
gulley, valley, Brit dialect clough, Scots linn, US gap, gulch,
arroyo: At the spring thaw, torrents filled the ravines.

raving adj. 1 mad, insane, berserk, raging, crazy, crazed, irrational,
manic, maniacal, frantic, frenzied, delirious, hysterical; out

of one's mind or head: He stood there shouting and screaming,
like a raving lunatic. 2 extraordinary, outstanding, unusual,
rare, uncommon, phenomenal, great, striking, ravishing, Colloq
stunning: Diana had been a raving beauty in her time.


--n. 3 Often, ravings. rant, ranting, bombast, pomposity,
grandiloquence, magniloquence, rodomontade, rhetoric, bluster,
blustering, claptrap, balderdash, puffery, bunkum, flatulence,
hyperbole, vapouring, fustian, Colloq hot air, bunk: Why must
we be subjected to the ravings of this politician? 4 gabble,
babble, babbling, gibberish, Colloq gab: This is nothing more
than the raving of a maniac.

ravish v. 1 enrapture, delight, captivate, enthral, fascinate, charm,
entrance, spellbind, bewitch, transport: I was ravished at the
prospect of seeing you again. 2 rape, violate, have one's way
with, deflower, defile: The soldiers attacked the village and
ravished the women.


ravishing adj. dazzling, beautiful, gorgeous, striking, radiant,
charming, alluring, attractive, entrancing, captivating,
enthralling, bewitching, spellbinding, Colloq stunning: Daphne
was even more ravishing than her sister Diana.


raw adj. 1 uncooked, unprepared, fresh: Many vegetables can be
eaten raw. 2 unprocessed, untreated, unrefined, unfinished,
natural, crude: The raw sugar is shipped to the plant where it
is refined. The raw statistics revealed that many women had
refused to respond to the questionnaire. 3 new, inexperienced,
unseasoned, immature, green, untried, fresh, untrained,
unskilled, untested: They sent us raw recruits who had never
seen battle. 4 exposed, unprotected, uncovered, open; sore,
tender, inflamed, painful, sensitive: When he mentioned her
name, it was as if he had touched a raw nerve. 5 chill, chilly,
chilling, cold, damp, frigid, freezing, biting, stinging, nippy,
nipping, sharp, keen, piercing, penetrating: You should wrap up
warmly if you're going out in that raw wind. 6 brutal, frank,
candid, blunt, direct, unvarnished, unmollified, unembellished,
realistic, honest, plain, unreserved, unrestrained, uninhibited,
bluff, straightforward: The producer felt that no domestic
audience could stomach a raw depiction of the horrors of war.

--n. 7 in the raw. naked, stark naked, undressed, unclothed,

nude, in the nude, Brit starkers, Colloq in the buff, in the
altogether, in one's birthday suit: For punishment, they made
us stand outside, in the freezing cold, in the raw.


raw-boned adj. gaunt, lean, gangling, thin, skinny, spare, meagre,
scrawny, underfed, bony, emaciated, half-starved, wasted,
hollow-cheeked, cadaverous: They'll take that raw-boned
youngster into the army and put some meat on him.


ray n. 1 beam, shaft, bar, streak, pencil, gleam, flash: A single
ray from the setting sun illuminated the head of the statue. 2
glimmer, trace, spark, scintilla, flicker: As he had not ben
rejected outright, there was still a ray of hope that he might
be accepted.


raze v. tear or pull or bring or knock or throw down, demolish,
destroy, level, flatten, bulldoze: As usual, beautiful old
buildings were razed to make way for a new shopping centre.


18.2 reach...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



reach v. 1 Often, reach out. hold out, extend, stretch (out), stick
out, thrust out, outstretch, outreach: He reached out his hand
and graped mine warmly. 2 arrive at, get to, come to, go to,
end up at or in; land at or in, Colloq make (it to): I won't
reach the office till noon today. Have we reached the point of
no return? 3 get, get in touch with, communicate with, establish
or make contact with, get through to, get (a) hold of: I tried
to reach her at home, but she was out. 4 attain, achieve,
accomplish, make, get or go to, get or go as far as: Do you
think that McClintock will reach the semi-finals? 5 come or go
or get up to, amount to, attain, climb to, rise to, run to,
equal, match: It looks as though the trade deficit might reach
last year's figure. 6 get through or across to, register with,
communicate with, reach into the mind of, impress, influence,
sway, move, stir, carry weight with: It is very difficult for
teachers to reach teenagers, who have a natural suspicion of
adults.

--n. 7 range, ambit, scope, orbit, compass, sphere, territory:
Those outlying areas are beyond our reach. Padua is within easy

reach of Venice. 8 capability, capacity: Tragedy often occurs
when one's ambition exceeds one's reach.

react v. 1 act, behave, conduct oneself, proceed; retaliate,
reciprocate, get even: I wonder how you would have reacted if
someone had insulted you! 2 respond, answer, reply, retort:
The crowd reacted to the police presence by becoming very nasty.
She reacted with surprise on learning of his arrest.


reaction n. 1 response, reply, answer, effect, feedback: Did you get
any reaction when you told her I had been arrested? Her
reaction was to turn over and go back to sleep. 2 repulsion,
resistance, counteraction, counterbalance, compensation: A
rocket derives forward thrust by reaction against its own
exhaust, hence can operate in a vacuum. 3 retaliation,
reciprocation, reprisal, revenge: He shot her in reaction to
her announcement that she was leaving him.

reactionary
adj. 1 (ultra-)conservative, right, rightist, right-wing,
blimpish; traditionalist; South African verkrampte: Reactionary
governments tend to reduce social services.

--n. 2 (ultra-)conservative, rightist, right-winger, Colonel
Blimp; traditionalist; South African verkrampte: As a
reactionary, he feels that the status quo is fine and change
unnecessary.

read v. 1 peruse, scan, skim, review, study, look over, pore over:
I have read the article twice but still cannot understand it. 2
understand, know, be familiar with, comprehend, interpret,
decipher: Can you read Greek? Madame Sonja reads tea leaves. 3
announce, present, deliver: Anna reads the news on TV at six
o'clock every evening. 4 read into. assign to, impute (to),
infer (from), assume (from), presume (from), conclude (from):
You might be reading too much into that letter of commendation.

readable adj. 1 intelligible, comprehensible, understandable, easy to
understand, easily understood, plain: Surprisingly, the
instructions for operating the computer are fairly readable. 2
entertaining, easy to read, enjoyable, pleasurable, absorbing,
interesting, engaging, stimulating, worthwhile: Her latest
thriller is so readable that I stayed up all night to finish it.

3 legible, decipherable, distinct: The print on that microfiche
is too small to be readable.

readily adv. 1 cheerfully, willingly, eagerly, ungrudgingly,
unhesitatingly, freely, gladly, happily, agreeably, graciously,
charitably: He always gave readily of his time to anyone who
sought his help, and we shall miss him sorely. 2 effortlessly,
easily, smoothly, without difficulty: I was able to get the
wheel off readily enough, getting it back on was the problem. 3
promptly, quickly, speedily, swiftly, apace, at once, without
delay, in no time, immediately, instantly, instantaneously,
instanter, straight away, right away, at or on short notice,
Colloq pronto: The police came readily but were unable to catch
the thieves, who had already escaped.


readiness n. 1 willingness, cheerfulness, good will, eagerness,
agreeableness, graciousness: Her readiness to help marked her
as truly charitable. 2 promptness, quickness; facility, ease,
skill, adroitness, expertness, proficiency: The readiness with
which he gave expert advice on gardening made him very popular
with his neighbours. 3 in readiness. See ready, 1, below.

ready adj. 1 prepared, (all) set, in readiness, in (proper) shape;
up, primed, ripe, fit, in condition; Colloq psyched (up): The
charge is ready for detonation. I'm ready for a good run in the
park. Are these apples ready for eating? Are you ready to meet
the girl of your dreams? 2 agreeable, consenting, acquiescent,
willing, content, eager, keen, happy, cheerful, genial,
gracious, cordial, friendly, well-disposed, enthusiastic, Colloq
game: Tim was always a ready accomplice to any mischief devised
by his brother. 3 apt, likely, inclined, disposed, given, prone:
She was all too ready to believe anything she was told. 4
about, liable, likely, apt; on the verge of, subject to, in
danger of, on the brink of, on the point of, close to: The
volcano seemed ready to erupt at any moment. 5 prompt, rapid,
quick, immediate, speedy, swift, punctual, timely: Alistair
seems to have a ready answer for everything. 6 clever, keen,
sharp, agile, deft, skilful, adroit, alert, bright, intelligent,
perceptive, quick: It was Carlotta's ready wit that first
attracted me. 7 on or at or to hand, handy, available,
accessible, at (one's) fingertips, at the ready, close at hand,
convenient: I don't have the ready cash for a new car at the
moment.


--n. 8 readies. money, cash, wherewithal: If you have the
readies, please pay me what you owe me. 9 at the ready. a
waiting, on tap, expectant, in position, poised: Keep your
pistol at the ready in case there's trouble. b See 8, above.

--v. 10 prepare, make or get ready, set, fit out, equip,
organize, psych up: He readied himself as best he could for the
ordeal.


ready-made
adj. 1 ready-to-wear, finished, prefabricated, Brit off the
peg: Ready-made clothes fit me better than custom-made. 2
convenient, expedient, serviceable, usable, handy, useful,
suitable, adaptable; plausible, credible, believable: The storm
provided a ready-made excuse for cancelling the appointment. 3
stereotyped, stereotypic(al), hackneyed, time-worn, trite,
stale, conventional, unoriginal, stock, pedestrian, routine,
run-of-the-mill: His speeches are always full of ready-made
clich‚s.

real adj. 1 genuine, true, actual, authentic, verified, verifiable,
legitimate, right, bona fide, official; legal, legitimate,
licit, natural, valid, veritable: He says that his name is
Smith, but what is his real name? Her diamonds are not real. It
has been proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is the real
father. 2 genuine, actual, true, existent, authentic, natural;
material, physical, tangible, palpable, corporeal: How can one
distinguish between the real object and what one sees, which is
merely its image? 3 genuine, sincere, heartfelt, true, actual,
unfeigned, unaffected, earnest, honest, truthful, legitimate,
valid: Deirdre's face is so impassive that it is impossible to
tell what her real feelings are. What's the real reason that
you're here? 4 genuine, actual, true, loyal, trustworthy,
trusted, honest: You are a real friend, and I know I can count
on you. 5 intrinsic, actual, true, genuine, proper, essential:
The œ150 million sale of the company fell significantly below
its real value.


--adv. 6 See really, below.

realistic adj. 1 practical, matter-of-fact, down-to-earth, pragmatic,
common-sense, sensible, reasonable, level-headed, rational,

sane, hard-headed, business-like, no-nonsense, unromantic,
unsentimental, tough, tough-minded, Colloq hard-nosed,
hard-boiled: Kevin's realistic grasp of the problems may make
the company profitable at last. 2 natural, lifelike, true to
life, naturalistic, vivid, genuine, real, graphic: This
painting is so realistic that it looks like a photograph.
Harriet's description was so realistic that I felt I had
actually been to Benidorm.


reality n. 1 actuality, fact, truth, genuineness, authenticity,
Aristotelianism entelechy: It is important to deal with the
reality not the potentiality of the situation. 2 in reality. See
really, below.


realization
n. 1 conception, understanding, comprehension, apprehension,
awareness, appreciation, perception, recognition, cognizance:
Full realization of what he had done finally dawned on him. 2
actualization, consummation, accomplishment, achievement,
establishment, fulfilment, materialization, effectuation: The
realization of the dream of a united Europe seems possible in
the last decade of the 20th century.

realize v. 1 make real, effect, bring about, make happen, make a
reality, actualize, accomplish, produce, achieve, fulfil,
materialize, effectuate: Many of Leonardo da Vinci's inventions
were not realized in his lifetime. 2 understand, appreciate,
comprehend, be aware of, conceive of, grasp, perceive, discern,
be or become conscious or aware or appreciative of, recognize,
see, Colloq catch on (to), cotton (on) to, Brit twig: Did Clare
fully realize the consequences of her actions? 3 return, gain,
clear, profit, make, earn, bring or take in, net, produce, get:
We have realized a substantial profit on the sale of the shares
bought when the company was privatized.


really adv. 1 genuinely, actually, truly, honestly, in reality, in
actuality, in (point of) fact, as a matter of fact, surely,
indeed, absolutely, definitely: Is he really going to do the
high-wire act without a net? 2 indeed, actually, absolutely,
unqualifiedly, positively, categorically, unquestionably,
definitely, undeniably: She is really the musical one in the
family. 3 in effect, in reality, actually, in fact, de facto,
in the end, at bottom, in the final analysis, at the end of the

day, Colloq deep down: Despite the sergeant's protests to the
contrary, it was really Andrews who saved the platoon. 4 very,
extremely, quite, exceptionally, remarkably, unusually,
uncommonly, extraordinarily, exceedingly, Non-Standard real: I
saw a really good film last night.

realm n. 1 domain, kingdom, empire, monarchy, principality,
palatinate, duchy or dukedom: They searched the realm for a
girl whose foot would fit into the glass slipper. 2 territory,
area, bailiwick, department, responsibility, jurisdiction:
Collecting taxes is not within the realm of our office. 3 area,
confines, sphere, limits: Cooperation with foreign companies is
certainly well within the realms of possibility.


ream v. drill (out), bore (out), open up, tap: The carpenter reamed
three holes in the beam.

reap v. 1 harvest, garner, glean, gather (in), mow, take in or up:
The land was fertile, and a bountiful crop was reaped. As ye
sow, so shall ye reap. 2 profit, bring in, gain, procure,
acquire, get, obtain, take in: It is impossible to reap much
when there is so small a margin between cost and selling price.

rearฐ n. 1 back (part), end, hind part, Nautical stern, Colloq tail
(end), fag-end, US and Canadian tag end: The rear of the column
was attacked as it marched through the defile. We took seats at
the rear of the auditorium. 2 hindquarters, posterior, rump,
buttocks, Colloq bottom, behind, backside, rear end, Slang Brit
arse, bum, US and Canadian ass, tokus, tochis; Babytalk US and
Canadian tushie or tushy or tush, hinie: As he left, he felt
someone give him a pat on the rear.

--adj. 3 back, last, end, rearmost, Nautical aft, after, stern:
The rear window is all misted over. The troop was bringing up
the rear echelon.

rear v. 1 raise, bring up, care for, nurture, nurse; cultivate,
educate, train; breed, produce: They reared six children in
that tiny house. Is this where they rear Aberdeen Angus cattle?
2 erect, raise, build, put up, construct, fabricate, create:
The family reared an elaborate mausoleum in memory of Lord
Percy. 3 raise, lift, put up, upraise, uplift, hold up: He
said that ‚litism was rearing its ugly head again, and that

equality of opportunity was proving a myth.

reason n. 1 justification, argument, case, explanation, rationale,
ground(s), pretext, vindication, defence, why (and wherefore),
Literary apologia, apology: What reason did they give for
confiscating our luggage? 2 judgement, common sense,
intelligence, sanity, sense(s), saneness, insight, perspicacity,
percipience, understanding, rationality, reasoning, mind,
intellect: He must have lost his reason to accuse you of
embezzlement. 3 purpose, aim, intention, object, objective,
goal, motive, end, point: His reason for leaving now is to be
on time for the curtain. 4 excuse, rationalization: Ignorance
of the law is not an accepted reason for breaking it. 5 by
reason of. because of, on account of, owing to, by virtue of, as
a result of; due to: He was declared unfit to stand trial by
reason of insanity. 6 within or in reason. reasonable,
sensible, justifiable, rational, fitting, proper, acceptable:
We will consider any offer for the house that is within reason.


--v. 7 think, conclude, calculate, reckon, estimate, figure
(out), work out, deduce, act or think rationally or logically,
ratiocinate, use (one's) judgement or common sense, use (one's)
head, put two and two together: I reasoned that she would be
arriving at the station at that very moment. Roy certainly
hasn't lost his powers of reasoning. 8 reason with. argue with,
remonstrate with, debate with, discuss with, talk over with,
plead with, convince; persuade, dissuade, urge, prevail upon:
George is very stubborn and can't be reasoned with.


reasonable
adj. 1 sensible, rational, sane, logical, sober, sound,
judicious, wise, intelligent, thinking: I had always thought
Philip a reasonable man. 2 credible, believable, plausible,
tenable, reasoned, arguable, well-thought-out, well-grounded:
Her story about having found the child wandering in the street
doesn't sound very reasonable to me. 3 moderate, tolerable,
acceptable, within reason, equitable, fair; inexpensive,
unexcessive, unextravagant, economical, conservative:
Considering inflation, we thought the price increases were
reasonable. 4 appropriate, suitable, proper, sensible, right:
The car was travelling at a reasonable speed, considering
conditions.

reasoning n. 1 thinking, logic, analysis, rationalization: The entire
argument falls to pieces because of faulty reasoning. 2
reasons, arguments, premises, rationale, postulate, hypothesis,
theory, explanation, explication: His reasoning had no effect
on her - she simply refused to listen.

reassure v. comfort, encourage, hearten, buoy (up), bolster, cheer,
uplift, inspirit, brace, support, restore confidence to, set or
put (someone's) mind at rest, set or put (someone) at ease,
settle (someone's) doubts: The minister reassured the public
regarding the safety of public transport.

rebate n. 1 discount, reduction, deduction, allowance, mark-down,
cut-back, refund, repayment, Colloq US rake-off: This coupon
entitles you to a rebate of ten per cent on the purchase of four
new tyres. 2 kickback, percentage, rake-off, commission, cut,
bribe, graft, Colloq chiefly US payola, US plugola: He gets a
rebate of five per cent on every client he refers to the
solicitor.


--v. 3 discount, reduce, deduct, mark down, refund, repay; kick
back: Periodicals rebate fifteen per cent of their gross
advertising revenue to the agencies that place ads.


rebel v. 1 revolt, mutiny, rise up: The people will rebel if
subjected to more oppression. 2 Often, rebel against. defy,
flout, dare, challenge; disobey, dissent: It is in the nature
of young people to rebel against authority and the status quo.


--n. 3 revolutionary, revolutionist, insurgent,
insurrrectionist, mutineer, resister, resistance fighter,
freedom fighter: We call ourselves fighters for justice, but
the unjust call us rebels and traitors. 4 heretic,
nonconformist, apostate, dissenter, recusant, schismatic:
James's problem was that he was a rebel without a cause.

rebellion n. 1 uprising, revolution, mutiny, insurrection, revolt,
insurgence or insurgency: Rebellion is the last recourse
against tyranny. 2 insubordination, disobedience, defiance,
resistance, rebelliousness, contumacy: Her rebellion against
parental authority led her to leave home at sixteen.

rebellious

adj. 1 insubordinate, defiant, mutinous, revolutionary,
contumacious, insurgent, insurrectionary, seditious: The more
rebellious students organized mass meetings against the
university authorities. 2 unmanageable, disobedient,
incorrigible, ungovernable, unruly, difficult, refractory,
stubborn, obstinate, recalcitrant: They resented being treated
as rebellious children.

rebirth n. renaissance or renascence, revival, renewal, reawakening,
resurgence, revitalization, resurrection, regeneration,
rejuvenation, restoration, new beginning, reincarnation;
metempsychosis, palingenesis: The 15th century marked the
rebirth of learning in Europe after the so-called Dark Ages.


rebound v. 1 spring back, bounce, recoil, ricochet, resile: The ball
rebounded from the goalpost.

--n. 2 bounce, recoil, ricochet, return, comeback,
repercussion, backlash, reflex: Carter caught the ball on the
rebound.

rebuff n. 1 rejection, snub, check, denial, repulse, refusal,
dismissal, defeat, repudiation, slight, discouragement, Colloq
cold shoulder, cut, put-down, brush-off, Slang US brush:
Ellie's friendly approach was met with an abrupt rebuff.

--v. 2 reject, snub, check, deny, repel, drive away, spurn,
repulse, refuse, dismiss, defeat, repudiate, slight, ignore,
send (someone) to Coventry, Colloq give (someone) the cold
shoulder, cut, put (someone) down, brush (someone) off, give
(someone) the brush-off, tell (someone) where to go or get off,
tell (someone) where to get lost, Slang give (someone) his or
her walking papers, freeze (someone) out , US give (someone) the
brush, show (someone) the door: She rebuffed everyone who
proposed marriage to her, preferring to remain a spinster.

rebuke v. 1 scold, reproach, admonish, reprove, reprimand, lecture,
censure, chide, reprehend, berate, castigate, criticize, take to
task, upbraid, revile, Colloq dress down, bawl out, give
(someone) a piece of one's mind, haul (someone) over the coals,
let (someone) have it, give (someone) hell or what for, tell
(someone) off, tell (someone) where to get off, Brit carpet,
tear (someone) off a strip, tick (someone) off, wig, blow

(someone) up, give (someone) a wigging, US and Canadian rake
(someone) over the coals, give (someone) the business, chew out:
The headmaster severely rebuked those boys who had violated the
school curfew.


--n. 2 scolding, reproach, admonition, reproof, reprimand,
lecture, censure, chiding, reprehension, berating, castigation,
criticism, upbraiding, revilement, tongue-lashing, Colloq
dressing-down, what for, Brit wigging, blow-up or blowing up,
Slang hell: Rawlings was let off with nothing more than a
rebuke.

rebut v. refute, deny, disprove, confute, invalidate, negate,
discredit, belie, contradict, controvert, puncture, expose,
destroy, ruin, devastate, Colloq shoot full of holes, knock the
bottom out of, shoot down, blow sky-high: We have all the
evidence needed to rebut the contention that our client was
anywhere near the scene of the crime.


rebuttal n. answer, reply, retort, response, rejoinder,
counter-argument, riposte, retaliation, denial, refutation,
contradiction, confutation, Colloq comeback: In rebuttal, the
defence tried to prove that the witness for the prosecution had
been bribed.


recalcitrant
adj. stubborn, obstinate, wilful, defiant, refractory,
headstrong, perverse, contrary, contumacious, mutinous,
rebellious, fractious, unruly, unmanageable, ungovernable,
uncontrollable, wayward, insubordinate, intractable,
unsubmissive, unyielding, unbending, adamant, immovable,
inflexible, stiff, firm: Recalcitrant students who refuse to
obey the rules risk expulsion.


recall v. 1 remember, recollect, think back to, reminisce over or
about, call to mind: I like to recall the happy days we had at
Biarritz. 2 withdraw, retract, call back, summon: The legions
guarding the frontier provinces were recalled to Rome. 3
rescind, cancel, annul, nullify, retract, withdraw, revoke,
recant, take back, call back; disavow, disown, deny: Despite
the fact that you might have been hasty, you cannot recall your
promise.

--n. 4 memory, recollection, remembering, remembrance: He had
a loving and near-photographic recall of their holiday in the
Alps. 5 withdrawal, recantation, cancellation, revocation,
annulment, nullification, recision, rescission, retraction,
repeal, disavowal, denial: The decision was made without any
possibility of recall. 6 withdrawal, retraction, return: The
manufacturer's recall of the shipment of defective toasters was
voluntary.


recant v. recall, forswear, deny, rescind, repudiate, disavow,
disclaim, withdraw, revoke, retract, forsake, abandon,
apostasize, renounce, abjure, take back: He was given three
days to recant: otherwise, he would be executed for heresy.


recapitulate
v. summarize, sum up; repeat, go over (again), reiterate,
restate, review; recount, enumerate, recite, relate, list,
Colloq recap: I shall begin by recapitulating some of the
issues which I covered in my last lecture.


recede v. 1 ebb, subside, fall or go or move back, abate, return,
withdraw, retreat, back up: As the flood waters receded, people
began to go back to their homes. 2 diminish, lessen, decline,
dwindle, shrink, wane, fade, become more distant or less likely:
The likelihood of our being rescued receded with each passing
day.

receipt n. 1 sales receipt, register receipt, sales slip, ticket, stub,
counterfoil, proof of purchase, voucher: Any request for a
return or exchange must be accompanied by a receipt. 2 delivery,
acceptance, reception, arrival: He has acknowledged receipt of
the merchandise. 3 receipts. income, proceeds, gate, takings,
gains, return, Colloq take: The receipts from ticket sales were
below expectations.


receive v. 1 get, obtain, come by, collect, take (into one's
possession), accept, be given, acquire, come into, inherit,
gain, profit, make: She received a large sum of money from the
sale of the house. What will he receive when his aunt dies? 2
earn, be paid, make, draw, gross, net, clear, pocket, Colloq
take home, walk off or away with, US pull down: He receives a
bigger weekly salary than I make in a year. 3 greet, meet,
welcome; show in, give entr‚e, let in, admit: We received our

guests in the foyer. 4 experience, undergo, endure, suffer,
bear, sustain, be subjected to, meet with: In return for
helping him all I received was a punch in the nose. 5 gather,
hear, learn, ascertain, be told, be informed or notified of,
find out, pick up: We only received the information yesterday
that you were coming to stay for a month.

recent adj. late, latest, new, just out, brand-new, fresh; current,
modern, up to date, late-model: This feature is now supplied as
standard on all our more recent models. Recent arrivals will be
interviewed by the committee.

receptacle
n. container, holder, repository; box, tin, can, case, casket,
chest, reliquary, vessel, bag, basket: Please put the rubbish
into the receptacle. She kept the diamond in a velvet-lined
receptacle which she always carried with her.

reception n. 1 welcome, greeting, treatment, reaction, response: My
suggestion that we open a bottle of champagne met with a warm
reception. 2 party, levee, social, soir‚e, function; opening,
preview, vernissage, Colloq do: Would you like to go to a
reception at the new art gallery next week?


receptive adj. 1 open, hospitable, amenable, pervious, persuasible,
tractable, flexible, pliant, interested, willing, responsive: I
have always found Peggy receptive to suggestions on improving
productivity and efficiency. 2 quick, alert, perceptive, astute,
intelligent, keen, sharp, bright, sensitive: Julia has a
receptive mind.

recess n. 1 alcove, niche, nook, cranny, bay, hollow: The statuette
fits perfectly in that recess outside the library. 2 respite,
rest, interlude, time off, break, intermission, breather,
breathing-spell, pause; holiday, vacation: A brief recess has
been scheduled to allow us to relax before continuing. 3
recesses. innermost reaches, corners, secret places, depths,
penetralia: I searched for her name in the recesses of my mind.


recession n. set-back, (economic) downturn, slump, decline, dip,
depression: The slowing of the economy led to a recession which
soon deepened into a depression.

recipe n. 1 formula, prescription: Elizabeth gave me a marvellous
recipe for chocolate cake. 2 plan, procedure, method, approach,
technique, way, means, system, programme, modus operandi, Colloq
US MO: The minister insists that his recipe for conquering
inflation will work.

recipient n. receiver, beneficiary, heir or heiress, legatee: Who is the
current recipient of her favours?


reciprocal
adj. mutual, exchanged, returned, complementary, correlative,
common, shared, joint, requited: The reciprocal courtesies
enjoyed among our neighbours benefit us all.


reciprocate
v. repay, recompense, requite, exchange, return, trade, match,
equal, correspond: You have always been very kind to me and I
want to reciprocate in any way I can.


recital n. 1 (solo) concert, performance, musicale, presentation, show,
entertainment: We have tickets to a recital for that night. 2
report, narration, account, recitation, description, relation,
telling, recounting, narrative, rendition, interpretation,
version, recapitulation, rehearsal, repetition, Colloq recap: A
reporter who was on the flight provided us with a recital of the
events leading up to the crash.

recitation
n. 1 reciting, performance, reading, monologue: At the age of
four Simon delighted his parents with his recitation of 'The
Charge of the Light Brigade'. 2 See recital, 2, above.

recite v. 1 quote, repeat, present: In the old days, children were
often called upon to recite poems they had learned by heart. 2
report, narrate, recount, relate, tell, describe, detail,
chronicle, list, share, recapitulate, repeat, Colloq recap:
Again I recited every particular of the hold-up that I could
recall.


reckless adj. careless, rash, thoughtless, incautious, heedless,
foolhardy, imprudent, unwise, injudicious, impulsive,
irresponsible, negligent, unmindful, foolish, devil-may-care,
daredevil, wild, breakneck, dangerous, madcap, mad,

hare-brained: I won't go with Oliver because he's a reckless
driver.

reckon v. 1 Often, reckon up. calculate, compute, add (up), figure
(up), tally (up), sum up, total (up), work out or up: If you
reckon up the bill, I'll pay it at once. 2 include, count,
number, enumerate, list, name, consider, account, judge, deem,
look upon, regard, view, think of, hold, gauge, estimate,
appraise, value, rank, rate, class: I have always reckoned
Arthur as being among my closest friends. 3 suppose, think,
assume, presume, dare say, venture, imagine, fancy, consider,
conclude, be of the opinion, US or colloq guess: She reckoned
that no one could accuse her of idle chatter. 4 reckon on or
upon. count on, rely on, depend on, lean on, trust in, take for
granted, Colloq bank on: I was reckoning on your help, and I
hope you won't disappoint me. 5 reckon with. a settle
(accounts) with, take care of, look after, see or attend to,
deal with, handle, pay attention to, think about: I have to go
now, but I'll reckon with you later. b take into account or
consideration, consider, contemplate, account for, remember,
bear in mind: He thought he had got away with it, but he failed
to reckon with Inspector Harris of the CID.

reckoning n. 1 counting, calculating, calculation, computation,
enumeration, addition: The reckoning of Old Style dates used
the Julian calendar. 2 bill, account, invoice, US check, Colloq
chiefly US and Canadian tab: If you let me have the reckoning,
I'll pay it with my credit card. 3 (last) judgement,
retribution, final account(ing) or settlement, doom: On the day
of reckoning we must all face the music.

reclaim v. restore, recover, rescue, redeem, salvage, save, regain,
retrieve, regenerate, rejuvenate: Much of the farmland was
reclaimed from the sea.


recline v. lie (down), lie back, lean back, lounge, rest, repose,
sprawl, loll, stretch out: Just recline on the sofa and make
yourself comfortable.


recluse n. hermit, anchorite or anchoress, monk or nun, eremite: For
the past ten years, he has been living the life of a recluse.

reclusive adj. solitary, lone, secluded, isolated, eremitic(al),

hermitic, anchoritic, monastic, cloistered, sequestered,
retiring, shut off: She insists that she enjoys her reclusive
existence.


recognition
n. 1 identification, detection: Her recognition of the man on
TV led to his arrest. 2 acknowledgement, notice, attention,
cognizance, acceptance, awareness, perception, admission;
honour, appreciation: The award was a recognition of his
contributions to scientific knowledge.

recognize v. 1 identify, detect, place, recall, remember, recollect, know
(again): I recognized him from seeing his picture in the
newspaper. 2 acknowledge, perceive, understand, realize, see,
admit, accept, own, concede, allow, grant, appreciate, respect,
be aware of: He refuses to recognize that he is responsible for
his own actions. 3 approve, sanction, endorse, accept,
validate, ratify: A totalitarian government refuses to
recognize the rights of the individual. 4 honour, give
recognition to, salute, show gratitude or appreciation, reward,
distinguish, pay respect, do homage: The society recognizes Dr
Jackson for his many contributions to science.

recoil v. 1 jerk or jump or spring back, start, flinch, wince, shrink,
blench, balk or baulk, shy (away) (from): He recoiled when
confronted with the evidence of the gruesome experiments with
live animals. 2 rebound, bounce back, resile, kick back: When
fired, the gun recoiled, bruising his shoulder.


--n. 3 kick, rebound, repercussion, backlash: He was
unprepared for the violent recoil of the old gun.

recollect v. recall, remember, call to mind: Now that you mention it, I
do recollect your asking me to buy some milk when I went out.


recollection
n. memory, recall, remembrance, impression, reminiscence: My
brother's recollection of our grandparents is quite different
from mine.


recommend v. 1 counsel, advise, guide, urge, exhort, suggest, advocate,
propose, (put) forward, propound, persuade: He recommended that
the entire system should be changed. 2 endorse, praise,

commend, mention favourably, vouch for, second, subscribe to,
back, push, favour, approve, underwrite, stand up for, support,
promote, Colloq tout, plug: I wish Charles would stop
recommending his brother-in-law for a job with us. 3 make
attractive or advisable or interesting or acceptable: Wendover
has little to recommend it as a tourist spot.

recommendation
n. 1 counsel, advice, guidance, urging, exhortation, direction,
encouragement, suggestion, prompting, advocacy, proposal: It
was on your recommendation that we tried that restaurant. 2
endorsement, praise, commendation, favourable mention, backing,
blessing, approval, approbation, support, promotion, good word,
testimonial, say-so: The chairman of the board gave Caswell's
brother-in-law his personal recommendation.

reconcile v. 1 get or bring (back) together, unite, reunite, settle or
resolve differences between, restore harmony between, make peace
between, placate, make compatible: Do you think that a marriage
counsellor could help reconcile John and Martha? 2 resign,
submit, accommodate, adjust: Lady Mary Wortley Montague wrote
that she was reconciled to being a woman when she reflected that
she was thus in no danger of ever marrying one.


reconciliation
n. 1 conciliation, appeasement, propitiation, pacification,
placation, rapprochement, reconcilement, understanding, d‚tente,
reunion, harmony, concord, accord, amity, rapport: It was with
great effort that the reconciliation between the two families
was finally arranged. 2 compromise, settlement, agreement,
arbitration, conformity, compatibility, adjustment:
Reconciliation of their differences seems difficult but not
impossible.


recondite adj. abstruse, arcane, obscure, esoteric, deep, profound,
incomprehensible, unfathomable, impenetrable, undecipherable,
opaque, dark, occult, cabbalistic or cabalistic or kabbalistic,
inexplicable, enigmatic: I have difficulty following the more
recondite aspects of information theory.


reconnaissance
n. survey, examination, scouting, exploration, reconnoitring,
investigation, inspection, scrutiny, Slang Brit recce: Their

reconnaissance showed that the enemy forces had withdrawn.

reconnoitre
v. survey, examine, scout (out), scan, explore, investigate,
inspect, scrutinize, check out, check up (on), Slang Brit recce:
We reconnoitred the territory and reported the enemy troop
movements.

record v. 1 write (down), transcribe, document, register, note, make a
notation (of), take down, put or set down, log, chronicle,
report, itemize, list, enumerate: I recorded the events of the
day in my diary. 2 tell of, relate, recount, narrate, recite:
The chronicle records an eyewitness account of the battle.


--n. 3 recording, report, document, log, journal, memorandum,
note, notation, minute(s), transactions, archive(s), annal(s),
chronicle, diary, account, dossier, register, list, catalogue:
Patricia has kept a careful record of all the men whose books
she has ever read. 4 documentation, data, information, evidence;
memorial, memento, souvenir: There is no record of your birth
in the church archive. I took away a piece of the Berlin Wall as
a record of my visit. 5 (best) performance, track record,
accomplishment; time; distance; height: Her records for the
110-metre hurdles and the high jump still stand. 6
accomplishment(s), deed(s), history, reputation, curriculum
vitae, CV, Colloq track record: He has a record of being late
everywhere. His criminal record is none too savoury. 7 disc,
recording, album, release, LP (= 'long playing'), 78, 331/3, 45,
EP (= 'extended play'), maxisingle, compact disc, CD, Brit
gramophone record, US phonograph record, Colloq single, Slang US
platter: We put a jazz combo together and cut a few records
last year. 8 off the record. confidential(ly), private(ly), not
for publication, secret(ly), in confidence, unofficial(ly), sub
rosa: We cannot publish his statement, which was off the
record. Off the record, I'll tell you where Hazel is staying.

--adj. 9 record-breaking, extreme: Last week we had a record
snowfall.


recount v. 1 relate, narrate, tell, recite, report, communicate,
impart, unfold: The old man recounted for us the legend of the
two-headed lamb. 2 particularize, review, detail, describe,
enumerate, specify: Must I recount every particular all over

again?

recoup v. regain, make good, make up, recompense, repay, recover;
refund, redeem, reimburse, remunerate: From his profits on the
Culpepper deal, he recouped all the losses he had sustained when
Cranston Ltd failed.

recourse n. 1 resort, access, entr‚e, admittance, availability: They
are completely isolated and without recourse to help from the
outside world. 2 resource, backup, reserve, refuge, place to
turn, alternative, remedy: The company has no recourse against
the authorities.

recover v. 1 regain, get or take or win or make back (again), recoup,
repossess, retake, recapture, restore, retrieve, reclaim,
redeem: It was impossible to recover the time lost. After a
fierce battle, the territory was recovered. 2 get well or
better, recuperate, convalesce, mend, return to health, regain
one's strength or health, be on the mend, heal, improve, revive,
rally, take a turn for the better, get back on one's feet, pull
through: It took me a week to recover from the operation. Lucy
had a virus, but she's recovering now. 3 save, salvage, deliver,
rescue, return, bring back, reclaim, retrieve: They never did
recover the gold from the sunken ship.


recovery n. 1 recuperation, convalescence, restoration, improvement,
healing, rally, turn for the better; rise, revival, increase,
amelioration, bettering, betterment, advance, gain, advance,
advancement, Colloq pick-up, comeback: After so serious an
illness, Bentley has made a remarkable recovery. Share prices
staged a recovery after the reduction in interest rates. 2
retrieval, recouping, repossession, retaking, restoration,
reclamation; recapture, redemption: The recovery of the stolen
gems was credited to excellent detective work. Hard fighting
resulted in the recovery of the land west of the river. 3
salvage, delivery, deliverance, rescue, return, saving,
reclamation, retrieval: Recovery of the climbers' bodies from
the ravine was very hazardous.


recreation
n. entertainment, amusement, enjoyment, diversion, distraction,
fun and games, leisure (activity), pastime, relaxation, sport,
play: What do you like to do for recreation? His favourite

recreation is building model aeroplanes.

recrimination
n. counter-accusation, countercharge, retaliation,
counter-attack, blaming, aspersion, reprisal: Recriminations
for real and imagined ills were continually exchanged throughout
their marriage.

recruit v. 1 draft, induct, enlist, enrol, muster, raise, call up,
conscript, mobilize, impress, levy: Owing to the nefarious
enemy attack, there was little time to recruit men for a strong
fighting force.

--n. 2 conscript, trainee, beginner, apprentice, initiate,
novice, neophyte, tiro or tyro, US draftee, enlistee, Colloq
greenhorn, rookie: The new recruits have to be issued with
their uniforms and other gear.

rectify v. correct, revise, redress, put or set right, cure, repair,
remedy, improve, emend, fix, adjust, square, ameliorate: What
do you intend to do to rectify the damage you have done?

rectitude n. propriety, correctness, morality, uprightness, probity,
virtue, decency, goodness, honesty, integrity, incorruptibility,
righteousness, principle, good character, respectability,
unimpeachability: Fred's unquestioned moral rectitude makes him
an outstanding candidate for membership.

recumbent adj. reclining, lying down, flat on one's back, horizontal,
lying, reposing, accumbent, decumbent, supine, stretched out;
leaning (back): Oscar resumed his recumbent posture, sprawled
out on the cushions.

recuperate
v. improve, recover, convalesce, get better, rally, revive,
mend, heal, get back on one's feet, regain one's health, pull
through, survive, take a turn for the better: Paul went to
Ibiza to recuperate from his illness.


recur v. return, happen or occur again, reoccur, repeat, come (back)
again, reappear: The condition recurred after a year, and he
was obliged to have another operation.

recurrent adj. repeated, recurring, returning, reoccurring, reappearing,
frequent, periodic, cyclical, regular, repetitive, repetitious,
persistent, incessant, continual, intermittent, habitual,
iterative: She told the psychiatrist about her recurrent dream
of flying.

redeem v. 1 reclaim, recover, regain, repossess, retrieve, get back,
buy back, repurchase; pay off, Brit clear: He went into the
pawn shop to redeem the gold watch. 2 rescue, ransom, deliver,
free, save, liberate, set free, emancipate, release: He was
able to redeem the boy only after paying the kidnappers. 3
exchange, cash (in), collect on, trade in: These coupons must
be redeemed before the end of the month. 4 rehabilitate, save,
reform, convert, absolve, restore to favour, reinstate: She can
be redeemed only by atoning for her sins. 5 make amends for,
make up for, atone for, redress, compensate for, offset, make
restitution for: Do you think that 200 hours of community
service was enough to redeem his crime of snatching handbags in
the shopping centre? 6 perform, fulfil, keep, make good (on),
discharge, satisfy, abide by, keep faith with, be faithful to,
hold to, carry out, see through: Helen is here to redeem her
promise to help at the charity bazaar.

red-handed
adj. in the (very) act, (in) flagrante delicto, Colloq with
one's hand in the till, US with one's hand in the cookie-jar:
There's no doubt that Rick did it - he was caught red-handed.

redolent adj. 1 fragrant, sweet-smelling, aromatic, perfumed, odorous,
scented, savoury: The entire house was redolent with the odour
of pine needles. 2 redolent with or of. reminiscent of,
suggestive of, evocative of, remindful of, characteristic of,
having the earmarks or hallmark of: The style of the film is
redolent of 1930s Hollywood.


reduce v. 1 cut (back), cut down (on), decrease, diminish, moderate,
abate, lessen, shorten, truncate, abbreviate, abridge, curtail,
crop, trim, compress, restrict, limit, stunt: We must reduce
expenses this year. 2 ease (up on), let up (on), decrease,
mitigate, tone down, slacken up (on): It will reduce the burden
of your costs if you share with me. 3 lose weight, slim (down),
diet, trim down, Chiefly US slenderize: You'll have to reduce
to fit into that dress, Betty. 4 change, modify, adjust, turn,

convert; break down or up, grind, rub, triturate, pulp, powder:
Payment of the debt reduced me to poverty. The first step is to
reduce the liquid to a thick extract. 5 cut, decrease, trim,
bring down, lower, drop, mark down, slash, Colloq knock down:
The prices on these shoes have been reduced for a quick sale. 6
demote, degrade, lower, downgrade, break; humble; Military US
and Canadian bust: He was reduced in rank from sergeant to
private. 7 diminish, lessen, bring down, depreciate, subdue,
belittle, minimize: He was reduced in her estimation when she
saw the deprecating way his friends treated him. 8 Medicine set,
adjust, reset: The doctor caused little pain when he reduced
her dislocated finger.

redundant adj. 1 superfluous, unnecessary, surplus, inessential or
unessential, non-essential, unneeded, unwanted, de trop, in
excess, excessive: He was made redundant at the age of
forty-five and was unable to find another job. 2 wordy, verbose,
prolix, over-long, long-winded, repetitious, tautologic(al) or
tautologous, circumlocutory, roundabout: The book would be
improved if certain redundant passages were improved.

reek v. 1 stink or smell (to high heaven), Slang Brit pong, hum:
Allie reeks from cleaning out the stable. 2 smoke, steam: It
is because it used to reek so badly that Edinburgh acquired its
nickname, 'Auld Reekie'.

--n. 3 stink, stench, fetor or foetor, miasma, mephitis, odour,
smell, Slang Brit hum, pong: The reek of rotting vegetation
permeated the atmosphere. 4 fumes, smoke, steam, vapour,
exhalation, cloud, mist: He delighted in the redolent reek that
arose from the haggis.

reel v. 1 stagger, totter, waver, stumble, lurch, falter, roll,
rock, sway, flounder, pitch: Chris came reeling down the lane,
dead drunk. 2 reel off. list, recite, rattle off, enumerate,
review, itemize, name, read off, call off, run through, run
over: Under questioning, the suspect began to reel off the
names of his accomplices.


refer v. 1 Often, refer to. allude to, make reference to, mention,
make mention of, touch on, bring up, advert to, speak of, turn
or call or direct attention to, direct to, point to, indicate,
specify, name, concern, quote, cite, make a note of, take note

of, note: A footnote refers to the author's article on
netsukes. 2 assign, hand over, pass on or over, send, direct,
commit: I was referred to your office for information about
rates. The question will be referred to committee. 3 Usually,
refer to. look at, use, study, check, consult, resort to, have
recourse to, turn to, appeal to, confer with; talk to, ask,
inquire or enquire of, apply to: For information about words,
you should refer to a dictionary. Refer to the departmental
office for Professor Clarke's address. 4 Usually, refer to.
mean, signify, denote, say: What are you referring to?

reference n. 1 allusion, mention, remark, referral, direction,
indication, specification, naming, quotation, citation, note,
notation, notification, hint, intimation, innuendo, insinuation:
I can't find a reference in any footnote. Few readers make use
of the bibliographical references in scholarly articles. Her
persistent references to my baldness embarrass me. 2 regard,
concern, connection, respect, relation, relevance, pertinence:
People are selected without reference to race, creed, colour,
sex, or age. 3 endorsement, recommendation, testimonial,
certification; credentials: I relied on my former employer to
give me a good reference. We shall not be needing to take up
your references.


refine v. 1 purify, cleanse, clear, clarify, decontaminate: They
continued to refine the liquid till all the impurities were
gone. 2 cultivate, civilize, polish, improve, elevate, perfect:
He is trying to refine his speech by getting rid of his country
accent. 3 hone, sharpen, concentrate, focus, subtilize: We
ought to refine our argument for higher wages before approaching
the management.

refined adj. 1 cultivated, cultured, civilized, polished,
sophisticated, urbane, elegant, well-bred, genteel, courtly,
ladylike, gentlemanly, polite, courteous, mannerly,
well-mannered, gracious, gentle, noble, aristocratic, dignified,
elevated, Colloq posh: It is seldom that I find myself in such
refined company. 2 subtle, discriminating, discerning,
sensitive, fastidious, nice, precise, exacting, cultured,
educated, cultivated, knowledgeable, advanced, sophisticated:
Her taste in the visual arts is fairly refined, but she knows
little about music. 3 exact, precise, fine, subtle, sensitive,
nice, sophisticated: In his poetry one encounters an extremely

refined use of metaphor. These new devices are far more refined
than any previously available. 4 purified, clarified, cleansed,
pure, clean; distilled: Only refined chemicals may be used in
pharmaceuticals.


refinement
n. 1 culture, polish, elegance, sophistication, urbanity,
urbaneness, breeding, cultivation, gentility, propriety,
courtliness, civility, politeness, politesse, delicacy, tact,
diplomacy, finesse, suavity, suaveness, taste, tastefulness,
discrimination, discernment, sensitivity: He drank thirstily,
with no pretence at refinement. 2 subtlety, nicety, nuance,
distinction, detail, fine point, delicacy, minutia;
fastidiousness, finickiness: The latest version contains
refinements that are beyond the appreciation of all but a few. 3
refining, purification, purifying, clarification, clarifying,
cleaning, cleansing; filtration, distillation: The sugar must
undergo refinement before being sold commercially. 4
improvement, betterment, bettering, enhancement, development,
perfection: She is working on the refinement of her technique
before performing in public.

reflect v. 1 mirror, send or throw back, reproduce, return; echo: The
smooth surface of the lake reflected the sunlight. The radio
waves are reflected and focused by this parabolic dish. 2 show,
demonstrate, exhibit, illustrate, exemplify, reveal, lay bare,
expose, display, disclose, bring to light, uncover, point to,
indicate, suggest, evidence: They say that your true emotions
are reflected in your dreams. His crime reflects the depths of
depravity to which a person can sink. 3 Often, reflect about or
on. think (about or over or on), contemplate, muse (about or
on), consider, ponder (about or over or on), deliberate (on or
over), ruminate or meditate (about or on or over), cogitate
(about or on or over); mull over, weigh, evaluate, examine: I
was just sitting here reflecting. I was reflecting on what you
said about wanting to quit your job. 4 reflect on or upon.
result in, end in, bring, attract, cast, throw: The success of
the team reflects credit on the coach.


reflection
n. 1 image, echo, Brit reflexion: Sonar works by detecting the
reflection of generated sound waves. 2 thought, thinking,
meditation, meditating, consideration, cogitation, rumination,

deliberation, deliberating, pondering, study, cerebration:
After a moment's reflection, I arrived at the same conclusion as
you had. 3 aspersion, imputation; effect: Any reflection on his
reputation might harm his career. 4 result, sign, token,
symbol, mark; evidence, testimony, testament, proof,
substantiation, corroboration: Her tears are a reflection of
how she feels about having betrayed me.

reflective
adj. reflecting, thoughtful, pensive, contemplative,
meditating, musing, meditative, cogitating, cogitative,
ruminating, deliberative, deliberating, pondering: I found Alan
in a reflective mood, staring out of the window.


reform v. 1 improve, better, ameliorate, meliorate, emend, rectify,
correct, mend, repair, fix, remedy, redo, revise, revolutionize,
rehabilitate, remodel, refashion, renovate, reorganize, rebuild,
recover: The first thing to be done was to reform the political
system. 2 mend one's ways, turn over a new leaf, Colloq go
straight: After three convictions in as many years, there
seemed little chance that he would reform.

--n. 3 improvement, betterment, amelioration, melioration,
emendation, rectification, correction, rehabilitation, change,
modification, perestroika, reorganization, renovation, recovery:
Many believe that prison reform would reduce crime by second
offenders. The many reforms introduced by the president were
condemned by hard-line party members.


reform school
n. Brit youth custody centre, CHE (= 'community home (with
education on the premises')), Formerly Borstal, approved school,
US reformatory: He was sent to a reform school because of his
persistent misbehaviour.


refrainฐ v. 1 Usually, refrain from. keep (from), forbear, abstain
(from), eschew, avoid: Whatever you do, refrain from whistling
on board his boat. 2 stop, cease, give up, discontinue, desist,
quit, leave off, renounce: You must refrain from calling the
headmaster, 'Pops', even if he is your father.

refrain n. melody, song, tune, chorus, burden, reprise: It was one of
those long boring folk songs with a refrain that we were all

supposed to join in.

refresh v. 1 enliven, renew, revive, freshen (up), resuscitate, bring
back to life, breathe new life into, invigorate, vitalize,
energize, brace, fortify, exhilarate, revitalize, reinvigorate,
reanimate: I felt fully refreshed after a short nap. 2 arouse,
rouse, awaken, waken, reawaken, stimulate, jog, prod, activate:
Would you mind refreshing my memory as to when and where we last
met? 3 fix up, repair, redo, revamp, overhaul, spruce up,
recondition, renovate, refurbish, refurnish; renew, restock,
restore: All the rooms in the hotel have been recently
refreshed. We took the opportunity of the ship's arrival to
refresh our supplies.


refreshing
adj. invigorating, stimulating, bracing, exhilarating, fresh,
inspiriting, fortifying, tonic, like a breath of fresh air,
rejuvenating, enlivening, vitalizing, revitalizing; cooling,
thirst-quenching, slaking: It's refreshing to be around young
people. I would love a cool refreshing glass of beer right now.

refreshment
n. 1 Usually, refreshments. nourishment, nutriment, sustenance,
restorative, food, drink(s), edibles, eatables, bite, snack(s),
titbit(s), Slang grub, eats, chow, nosh: Will they be serving
refreshments after the meeting? 2 stimulation, invigoration,
exhilaration, tonic, rejuvenation, enlivenment, revival,
restoration, renewal, resuscitation, fortification,
reinforcement: The library provides an oasis of mental
refreshment.

refrigerate
v. cool, chill, keep cool or cold or chilled, ice, freeze: The
souffl‚ must be refrigerated for three hours to allow it to set.


refuge n. 1 sanctuary, shelter, haven, asylum, protection, cover,
retreat, harbour, security, safe house, stronghold, citadel,
bolt-hole, hideaway, hide-out, Colloq hidy-hole or hidey-hole:
The abandoned mine served as a refuge from the storm. 2 excuse,
pretext, resort, recourse, ruse, trick, stratagem, subterfuge,
dodge, evasion, expedient: Patriotism is often the last refuge
of a scoundrel.

refugee n. fugitive, runaway, escapee, displaced person, DP, exile,
‚migr‚: The problem of the refugees was most acute after the
war.


refurbish v. restore, refurnish, redecorate, clean (up), polish, renew,
renovate, spruce up, remodel, refit, overhaul, repair,
recondition, revamp, rebuild, Colloq do up, US fix up: The
person who bought the house refurbished it completely, at
enormous expense.


refusal n. 1 denial, rejection, disapproval, turn-down: She pleaded
against the grand vizier's refusal to grant amnesty to her
brother. 2 option, choice, privilege, disposal: We were
promised first refusal on the house should it come on the
market.

refuseฐ v. 1 decline, reject, spurn, repudiate, turn down, rebuff, give
(something) the thumbs down, US turn thumbs down on, Colloq pass
by or up: They refused our application to build a hotel here.
Did he actually refuse a knighthood? 2 deny, deprive (of),
withhold, disallow, not allow or permit: They refused me my
right to vote.

refuse n. rubbish, sweepings, waste, litter, dust, dirt, dregs, dross,
garbage, debris, detritus, cast-offs, junk, Chiefly US trash:
Refuse collection is scheduled for once a week.

regal adj. 1 royal, kingly, queenly, princely, fit for or befitting a
king or queen, noble, lordly, sovereign, majestic, imperial,
stately, splendid, magnificent, grand, resplendent, palatial,
exalted: The regal throne was decorated with gold and precious
stones. 2 disdainful, haughty, proud, scornful, contumelious,
contemptuous, derisory, derisive, pompous, lordly: She was
dismissed with a regal wave of the hand.


regale v. entertain, amuse, delight, divert, indulge, please, gratify,
captivate, fascinate, entrance, enchant, spellbind, bewitch,
charm, enrapture: She regaled them with entertaining tales of
her travels.


regalia n. finery, decorations, insignia, emblems, accoutrements,
furnishings, apparatus, gear, paraphernalia, trappings, tackle,
appurtenances, equipment, equipage: The Bishop was dressed in

full regalia with mitre and crook.

regard v. 1 view, look at or upon or on, observe, note, notice, watch,
eye, keep an eye on, gaze at or upon, stare at: The children
regarded the magician's performance with great interest. 2
contemplate, consider, perceive, view, look upon or on, treat:
The lion looked at me as if he regarded me as his dinner. Smith
appears to regard his appointment as treasurer as a licence to
steal. 3 respect, esteem, value: Gwen's friends regard her very
highly indeed. 4 consider, view, look upon or on, think (of),
judge, deem, rate, believe (to be), gauge, see, pay heed or
attention to, esteem, account, take into account, imagine,
reckon, evaluate: I don't regard her as a likely suspect. He
regards his professor as his mentor. 5 concern, relate to, be
relevant to, pertain to, apply to, refer to, affect, have (a)
bearing on, bear on or upon, involve, have to do with, go for:
Our discussion regarded the disappearance of œ10 from petty
cash.


--n. 6 reference, relation, relevance, relevancy, association,
pertinence, application, bearing, connection, link, tie-in: We
would like to talk to you with regard to your application for
the post of assistant editor. 7 respect, consideration,
attention, reverence, veneration, awe, deference, honour,
favour, esteem, high opinion, approval, approbation,
appreciation, admiration, affection, fondness: They have no
regard for the law. 8 point, particular, respect, aspect,
detail, matter: In this regard, I must take your past record
into consideration. 9 care, concern, thought, consideration,
respect, sympathy, feeling, sentiment; heed, attention, notice,
mind: The police behave as if they have no regard for the
safety of the hostages. This work reflects the artisan's regard
for detail. 10 regards. best wishes, good wishes, compliments,
greetings, respects, salutations, Archaic devoirs: Please give
my regards to your father.

regarding adj. concerning, about, respecting, with regard to, with
respect to, with reference to, on or in the matter of,
pertaining to, on the subject of, apropos, re, Law in re,
Archaic or Scots anent, Dialect anenst: We have received your
letter regarding poor service. Regarding your claim, the
processing of it has been delayed because you failed to sign the
form.


regardless
adj. 1 Sometimes, regardless of. despite, notwithstanding; in
spite of, heedless of, Non-Standard irregardless: Regardless of
her father's protestations, she continued to go out with
William.

--adv. 2 notwithstanding, nevertheless, no matter what, in any
event, in any case, at all events, anyway, anyhow, Non-Standard
irregardless: She heard his threats but is going out with
William regardless.

regime n. r‚gime, regimen, reign, government, rule, regulation,
administration, direction, order, leadership, management,
system, discipline: Persistent offenders were given harsh
penalties under the new regime.

regiment v. discipline, order, organize, systematize, whip into shape,
standardize, regulate, control: I dislike the way management
regiments people in this establishment, as if they were
schoolchildren.

region n. 1 district, area, zone, territory, division, locality,
sector, section, tract, part, dominion, precinct, province,
quarter, department: Each region is under the suzerainty of a
powerful dictator. 2 sphere, territory, domain, province,
field, ambit, pale, jurisdiction, bailiwick: She is an expert
in the region of climatology.


register n. 1 record, roll, roster, rota, catalogue, annal(s),
archive(s), journal, daybook, diary, appointment book, calendar,
chronicle, schedule, programme, directory, ledger, file, index,
inventory, list, listing, poll, tally,: The council holds a
register of all houses sold since 1900 with the names of both
sellers and buyers. 2 cash register, till, money box, cash-box:
The money in the register does not agree with the figures for
receipts.

--v. 3 record, write or jot or take or put or set down, list,
enrol, sign in or on or up, enter, catalogue, log, index,
chronicle, note, make or take note (of): All transactions must
be registered. 4 show, display, express, indicate, manifest,
reveal, betray, divulge, record, reflect: James pretended to

like my book, but his contempt for it was registered on his
face. 5 make known, inform of, advise, transmit, communicate,
record, note, make note of, report, write down, minute: I wish
to register my disapproval of the way prisoners are treated
here. 6 check in, sign in or on, log in: In the US, all aliens
are required to register each year in January. We registered in
the hotel as man and wife. 7 Sometimes, register with or on.
sink in, impress, become apparent (to), make an impression (on),
come home (to), get through (to); dawn on or upon, occur to: I
heard what you said, but it just didn't register. The name
didn't register with me at first, but I now know who you are. 8
indicate, read, mark, represent, measure, point to, specify,
exhibit, show, manifest: The earthquake registered 7 on the
Richter scale.


regret v. 1 rue, mourn, lament, bemoan, bewail, repent, be or feel
sorry for, feel remorse for, feel or be remorseful over, be or
feel upset, never forgive oneself, deplore, deprecate, weep or
cry over: You will regret speaking to me that way! The
management regrets any inconvenience caused by the redecoration
of the restaurant.

--n. 2 Sometimes, regrets. repentance, guilt, sorrow,
disappointment, contrition, remorse, regretfulness, (pang or
pangs of) conscience, self-reproach, self-condemnation, qualm,
second thoughts, rue, ruefulness, grief, woe, sadness,
mournfulness, Literary dolour: He felt no regret for his evil
deeds. Do you ever have any regrets over the way you treated
him? 3 regrets. refusal, non-acceptance, non-consent, US
turn-down: Thank you for the invitation, but I must tender my
regrets.

regretful adj. rueful, mournful, sad, repentant, guilty, sorry,
sorrowful, disappointed, contrite, remorseful, apologetic,
penitent: He was most regretful for the way he had behaved.

regrettable
adj. lamentable, deplorable, woeful, sad, distressing,
upsetting, unhappy, unfortunate, unlucky, too bad, awful,
terrible, execrable, reprehensible, wrong, shameful, shaming,
Colloq tough, rough: It is regrettable that he had the car
crash, but he had been warned about drinking and driving.

regular adj. 1 routine, ordinary, common, everyday, customary,
accustomed, wonted, commonplace, normal, usual, traditional,
time-honoured, conventional, typical, habitual, natural,
familiar, standard, predictable, scheduled, fixed, unvarying,
invariable, methodical: The attack occurred while Eric was
taking his regular evening stroll. 2 scheduled, routine,
systematic, ordered, steady, consistent, rhythmic(al),
automatic, uniform, periodic, cyclic(al); hourly, daily, weekly,
hebdomadal, semi-weekly, biweekly, fortnightly, semi-monthly,
monthly, bimonthly, seasonal, quarterly, semi-annual, annual:
The patrol made their regular rounds, as usual. The printers'
strike might delay regular publication of the magazine. 3
symmetrical, uniform, even, even-sided, equal-sided,
equilateral, equal-angled, equiangular; harmonious: Any
six-sided plane figure is a hexagon, but if it has six equal
angles and six sides equal in length, it is a regular hexagon. 4
undistorted, even, well-proportioned, proportional, symmetrical,
classic: He was classically good-looking, with regular
features. 5 even, smooth, level, straight, uniform,
uninterrupted, unvarying, continuous, flat, plane, plumb: The
surface of the wing is regular except for the spoilers. 6
dependable, methodical, (well-)regulated, (well-)ordered,
orderly; proper, correct, legal, official, bona fide,
legitimate, established, recognized, orthodox, approved, Colloq
kosher, OK or okay: Everything about the council election was
entirely regular. 7 usual, expected, normal, habitual,
accustomed, familiar: Our regular doctor was on holiday, and we
had to see a locum. 8 acceptable, accepted, estimable, fine,
good, likeable, popular, pleasant: We all consider Bob to be a
regular fellow and a friend. 9 complete, utter, thoroughgoing,
unmitigated, unalloyed, unqualified, consummate, perfect,
thorough, absolute, well-known, acknowledged: The man is a
regular dunce when it comes to repairing cars. 10 permanent,
career: She's in the regular navy. 11 conventional, usual,
common, conformable, ordinary, systematic, Colloq US ruly:
Regular English verbs form their past by the addition of -d or
-ed to the infinitive.

--n. 12 fixture, habitu‚, (steady) customer, patron, client,
frequenter: Jan has been a regular at the Star and Garter pub
for years.

regularity

n. 1 consistency, constancy, uniformity, evenness, sameness,
symmetry, balance, harmony, harmoniousness, orderliness, order,
stability, predictability: To the casual observer, nothing
interferes with the regularity of planetary movement. 2 routine,
reliability, dependability, steadiness, invariability; pace,
rhythm, cadence: Mr Warbridge listens to the six o'clock
evening news with unfailing regularity. Our business depends on
the regularity of the postal service. The regularity of the
ticking of the clock is driving me mad.


regulate v. 1 adjust, modify, modulate, control, balance, set, fix,
order, govern, organize, maintain, manage: The mixture of air
and fuel in modern cars is regulated by an injection system. The
responsibility of this department is to regulate prices. 2
control, monitor, govern, run, operate, administer, handle,
guide, steer, conduct, direct, supervise, superintend, oversee,
manage: The foreman's job is to regulate the work on the
assembly line.


regulation
n. 1 adjustment, modification, modulation, control, balance,
balancing, setting, fixing, organization, maintenance: The
regulation of the temperature is accomplished by the thermostat.
2 rule, ruling, law, code, by-law or bye-law, edict, order,
ordinance, statute, decree, directive, dictate: There are
strict regulations governing the sale, disposal, and movement of
radioactive materials. 3 edict, ukase, pronouncement, fiat,
(papal) bull, proclamation: A regulation was issued against
meetings of more than five people.


--adj. 4 standard, accepted, official, required, prescribed,
mandatory: The soldier was not wearing a regulation uniform. 5
usual, normal, ordinary, customary, typical: If you use
anything but regulation accessories, the guarantee will be null
and void.

regurgitate
v. vomit, disgorge, return one's dinner, spew up, (of birds of
prey) cast; retch, gag; Colloq throw up, upchuck, Slang puke, US
spiff one's biscuits, barf: The child regurgitated its dinner
all over the inside of the car.

rehabilitate

v. 1 restore, save, reclaim, rescue, redeem, re-establish,
reinstate, re-educate, reorient, reform, US straighten out,
Colloq US rehab: They have had marked success at rehabilitating
criminals. 2 renew, redecorate, renovate, refurbish, restore,
fix (up), repair, reconstruct, rebuild, change, transform: Sam
has plans to rehabilitate vintage cars for a living.

rehash v. 1 rework, go over again, restate, redo, rearrange,
reshuffle, reuse: Heverton has nothing new to offer - he just
keeps on rehashing the same old material.

--n. 2 reworking, restatement, redoing, rearrangement,
reshuffle, reshuffling, reuse, rewording: Her speech was a mere
rehash of what she's said scores of times already.


rehearsal n. 1 practice, exercise, dry run, drill, run-through,
read-through, dress rehearsal, Technical undress rehearsal: Is
there a rehearsal of the school play scheduled for tonight? 2
narration, recounting, relation, recital, telling, description,
enumeration, account, repetition, repeat: Do we have to listen
to yet another rehearsal of your great-uncle's exploits in the
war?

rehearse v. 1 practise, exercise, run through, read through, study,
repeat: Sorry, Annie, but we are going to have to rehearse the
scene till you get it right. 2 repeat, relate, recite, tell,
describe, recount, review, go through or over, review, report,
recapitulate, Colloq recap: I shall go mad if I hear him again
rehearse the events leading up to the final acceptance of his
novel.

reign n. 1 rule, sovereignty, ascendancy, power, hegemony, influence,
command, suzerainty, administration, jurisdiction, leadership,
government, direction, control, domination, mastery; kingdom,
monarchy, empire: During her reign, the kingdom saw its
greatest prosperity.

--v. 2 rule, control, command, govern, lead, direct, dominate,
supervise, manage, hold sway, wear the crown, wield the sceptre,
occupy the throne, Colloq run the show, rule the roost, Slang
call the shots: During the sixth Egyptian dynasty, Pepi II
Nefektare reigned for 94 years, the longest in recorded history.
3 prevail, be or become prevalent, predominate, hold sway,

obtain, be or become rampant, be or become universal: An
argument broke out, which developed into a fist fight, and soon
pandemonium reigned.


reimburse v. repay, recompense, refund, pay back, compensate, remunerate,
indemnify: Don't worry - we'll reimburse you for any money you
spent.

rein n. 1 check, curb, control, restraint, constraint, limitation,
harness, bridle, brake: You are going to have to put a rein on
your expenses. 2 reins. control, command, control,
administration, running, leadership, power, rule, tiller, helm:
He should hand over the reins to a younger person.


--v. 3 rein in. check, curb, control, restrain, limit, harness,
bridle, restrict, pull back on: You will have to rein in your
passions: it is not becoming to behave in this way at your age.

reinforce v. strengthen, buttress, bolster, support, fortify, prop (up),
shore up, augment, brace, stay, steel: The bookshelf needs to
be reinforced with another bracket, or it'll fall down.

reinforcement
n. 1 buttress, support, prop, brace, stay, bolster: This iron
reinforcement ought to be strong enough to secure the wall. 2
strengthening, buttressing, bolstering, shoring (up),
augmentation, bracing: This shelf is wobbly and in need of
reinforcement. 3 reinforcements. reserves, auxiliaries, men,
soldiers, forces, personnel: We cannot hold out till
reinforcements arrive.

reiterate v. repeat, restate, iterate, labour, harp on, dwell on, rehash,
recapitulate, Colloq recap: I must reiterate my warning to you
to be careful.


reject v. 1 decline, refuse, disallow, spurn, veto, turn down, give
(something) the thumbs down, set aside, US turn thumbs down
(on); deny, repudiate, renounce, rebuff, shun, brush aside, turn
a deaf ear to, will not hear of: Jim has rejected my plan for a
holiday in Torremolinos. She rejects any suggestion that she
might be wrong. 2 refuse, repel, repulse, spurn, rebuff, say no
to, turn down, decline, brush aside; jilt, drop, dismiss, throw
over, give (someone) the cold shoulder, show (someone) the door,

send (someone) away or on his or her or their way, turn one's
back on, Slang give (someone) the brush-off or US also the
brush, give (someone) his or her walking papers, Brit give
(someone) the boot: Ted proposed, but Alice rejected him. 3
throw away or out, discard, disown, jettison, eliminate, scrap,
Colloq junk, scratch: The inspector rejects all defective
merchandise.

--n. 4 second, irregular, discard, cast-off: The rejects are
sold at reduced prices in the factory shop.

rejection n. refusal, denial, repudiation, rebuff, dismissal, spurning,
renunciation, turn-down; cold shoulder, Slang brush-off or US
also brush, the (old) heave-ho: The union voted for the
rejection of management's offer of a 9.2 per cent increase. Her
advances were met with rejection.

rejoice v. delight, exult, glory, celebrate, revel, be happy or
delighted or pleased or overjoyed or elated or glad, Colloq be
tickled (pink): We all rejoiced to be home once again after the
ordeal.

rejuvenate
v. restore, refresh, reinvigorate, revitalize, revivify, renew,
reanimate, regenerate, recharge, breathe new life into: I think
a week in Barbados would rejuvenate me.

relapse v. 1 get back, backslide, fall back, lapse, slip back, regress,
retrogress, recidivate; go back, return, retreat, revert:
Lottie has relapsed into her bad habits. 2 decline,
deteriorate, weaken, degenerate, fail, fade, sink, sicken,
worsen, get or become worse: Just when we thought he was
improving, he relapsed into a coma and died.


--n. 3 backsliding, falling or going back, lapse, lapsing,
return, returning, reversion, reverting, regression, regressing,
retrogression, retrogressing, recidivism, apostasy: The
church's main concern was a relapse into idolatry. 4 decline,
deterioration, weakening, degeneration, failing, failure,
fading, sinking, worsening: Barry was getting better but has
now suffered a relapse.

relate v. 1 associate, connect, couple, link, tie, ally, correlate,

coordinate: Volta first enabled us to relate the forces of
chemistry and electricity. 2 recount, narrate, tell, report,
present, describe, recite, detail, set forth, communicate,
divulge, impart, reveal, delineate, make known, give an account
of, rehearse: It was not till years later that Olivia related
to me the strange events of that night. 3 apply to, coordinate
with, respect, regard, bear upon or on, have a bearing on, have
reference to, have to do with, pertain to, refer to, appertain
to, belong with or to: Does your comment really relate to the
matter in hand? 4 Often, relate to. be in or en rapport with,
understand, empathize, sympathize, communicate with, identify
with, grasp, comprehend, be in tune with, deal with, handle,
cope with, Colloq dig, tune in to, be hip to, be turned on to,
be or get into: I have been having trouble relating to my new
psychiatrist. Your favourite music is reggae? - Man, I can
relate to that.

related adj. 1 associate(d), affiliate(d), connected, coupled, linked,
tied up, allied, correlated, coordinate(d), interconnected,
interrelated, interdependent, mutual, reciprocal, common, joint,
cognate: She and her husband work for related companies. 2
kin, kindred, consanguineous, cognate, agnate; akin: Just how
are you two related? Are you cousins?


relation n. 1 relationship, connection, affiliation, association,
bearing, link, tie, tie-in, reference, pertinence,
interconnection, interdependence, correspondence, kinship: The
relation between time and money is rarely disputed these days.
2 kinship, relationship: Just what is your relation to this
lady? 3 relative, kinsman or kinswoman, blood relative, in-law,
family member: Is she a relation of yours? 4 narration,
narrative, telling, recounting, description, report, recital,
recitation, delineation, portrayal, story, recapitulation: She
amused them all with her relation of what had happened to her
that night. 5 in relation to. concerning, about, regarding,
respecting, pertaining to, with regard to, with respect to,
referring to, with reference to, on or in the matter or subject
of, apropos, re, Archaic or Scots anent, Dialect anenst: I
should like to talk to you in relation to the matter of company
expenses. 6 relations. a sexual intercourse, coitus, sex,
criminal conversation; carnal knowledge: It is well known that
he had relations with his secretary. b dealings, intercourse,
link(s), association(s), liaison, relationship, Colloq doings,

truck: We have no relations with that company.

relationship
n. See relation, 1, 2, above.


relative adj. 1 related, connected, associated, allied, affiliated,
interconnected, interrelated, pertinent, relevant, germane,
applicable; apropos: Your comments are not relative to the
matter at hand. 2 Sometimes, relative to. comparative,
comparable, proportionate, proportional, commensurate; analogous
to, contingent on, dependent on, reliant on, conditioned by,
subject to, attendant on, correspondent or corresponding to,
provisional on, appurtenant to; subordinate to, ancillary to:
Well, as they say, everything is relative. Relative humidity
depends on the temperature of the air. The yield is relative to
the effort.

--n. 3 See relation, 3, above.


relatively
adv. more or less, somewhat, comparatively, rather, to some
degree or extent: Business has been relatively quiet lately.

relax v. 1 loosen, let go, release, let up (on), relieve, ease,
reduce, moderate, slacken, remit, Colloq ease up on, slacken up
on: He relaxed his grip on the rope and fell to his death on
the rocks below. 2 diminish, decrease, lessen, reduce, abate,
weaken, mitigate, modify, tone down, moderate, modulate, lighten
(up on), check, temper, curb: We must not relax our vigilance.
I hope that they don't relax the regulations concerning smoking
in the office. 3 ease up, slow down, loosen up, put one's feet
up, rest, unbend, Colloq take it easy, unwind: Why not come for
a weekend and relax a bit? 4 calm down, cool down, quiet down,
stay calm, cool and collected, Colloq take it easy, Slang cool
it: You ought to relax and not get so excited.

relaxation
n. 1 ease, repose, rest, leisure, recreation, amusement,
entertainment, fun, pleasure, diversion, Colloq R and R ('rest
and relaxation'): For relaxation we usually charter a boat and
go sailing. 2 easing (up or off), relief, alleviation,
abatement, diminution, lessening, mitigation, moderation,
slackening, remission, weakening, letting up, Colloq let-up:

What do you think about the proposed relaxation of the laws
against pornography?

relaxed adj. nonchalant, easygoing, calm, peaceful, tranquil, serene,
pacific, carefree, insouciant, blas‚, languorous, languid,
devil-may-care, free and easy, happy-go-lucky, mellow, at ease,
composed, cool: Richard takes a relaxed view of life.

release v. 1 let go, (set) free, liberate, (set or let or turn) loose,
unloose, untie, unchain, unfetter, unshackle, deliver, let out,
disenthral, discharge, let off, emancipate, manumit, rescue,
save: They kept up a strenuous campaign until all the political
prisoners were released. 2 issue, publish, make available, put
out, pass out, hand out, come out with, circulate, distribute,
disseminate; launch, unveil, present: The government refuses to
release information that is considered harmful to its interests.
The band's new album will be released tomorrow.

--n. 3 freeing, releasing, liberating, loosing, unloosing,
delivering, emancipating, manumitting, rescuing, saving,
freedom, liberation, deliverance, discharge, emancipation,
manumission, rescue, remission, salvation: The release of the
prisoner is scheduled for noon. It would be a great release to
be rid of housework. 4 press or publicity release, announcement,
publicity, notice, story, report: The press office sent out a
release to the media about Randolph's appointment.

relegate v. 1 consign, banish, exile, transfer, dispatch or despatch:
Owing to his disagreement with the Foreign Office, Kendall was
relegated to some outpost in the Indian Ocean. 2 downgrade,
demote: I fear that Corporal Jones has been relegated to
private. 3 assign, commit, hand over, refer, transfer, pass on:
She relegates most of her everyday correspondence to her
secretary for reply.


relent v. relax, soften, yield, give, give way or ground, bend,
comply, acquiesce, compromise, capitulate, come round, be
merciful, show pity or compassion, melt, show mercy, succumb:
They finally relented and allowed me to have visitors.


relentless
adj. 1 unyielding, inexorable, unstoppable, unrelenting,
dogged, implacable, inflexible, unbending, unmoving, unmoved,

unrelieved, stiff, hard, stiff-necked, rigid, obstinate,
adamant, obdurate, intransigent, determined, unswerving,
undeviating, intractable, persevering, steely, tough,
intransigent, unsparing, uncompromising, pitiless, unforgiving,
ruthless, merciless, cruel, unmerciful, remorseless: The novel
is about the relentless horde of Mongols that swept across
Europe in the 13th century. 2 non-stop, persistent, incessant,
unrelenting, unremitting, unstoppable, perpetual, unfaltering,
unfailing, unflagging, unrelieved, unabated, unrelieved,
unbroken, continual, continuous, ceaseless, constant, unceasing,
steady, habitual, regular: Won't you ever stop your relentless
nagging?

relevance n. relevancy, appropriateness, aptness, pertinence, bearing,
connection, affinity, tie-in, relation, significance,
suitability, suitableness, applicability, application,
applicableness: What you just said has no relevance whatsoever
to the issue under discussion.


relevant adj. pertinent, appropriate, apt, related, relative,
significant, suited, applicable, fitting, proper, germane, akin,
allied, associated, apposite, to the point: Alan's suggestion
is not strictly relevant to our plans.


reliable adj. dependable, trustworthy, honest, trusty, trusted,
principled, conscientious, punctilious, honourable, credible,
believable, safe, sure, certain, secure, sound, responsible,
predictable, stable, unfailing, infallible, reputable: Would a
reliable employee like Susan abscond with the money?


reliance n. confidence, trust, faith, dependence: You may be placing
too much reliance on the smoke alarm.

relic n. 1 memento, keepsake, memorial, remembrance, souvenir,
heirloom, token, artefact or artifact: It has been argued again
and again that the Turin shroud, though old, is not a genuine
relic of Christ. 2 remains; fragment, trace, scrap, shard or
sherd, remnant: Deep in the jungle, archaeologists unearthed
relics of a previously unknown civilization.


relief n. 1 ease, easing, abatement, easement, deliverance, remedy,
redress, alleviation, release, remission, assuagement,
liberation, recess: We would all welcome relief from this

blistering heat. Contributions for the relief of famine in
Africa would be most welcome. 2 aid, help, support, assistance,
succour; comfort: How many troops can we send for the relief of
the besieged garrison? 3 elevation, projection, contrast,
prominence; bas-relief or basso-rilievo ('low relief'),
mezzo-rilievo ('medium relief'), alto-rilievo ('high relief'):
The Greek reliefs brought to England by Lord Elgin are on
display at the British Museum. 4 substitute, surrogate,
replacement, alternate, locum (tenens), stand-in; understudy,
double: I wish that my relief would arrive so I could go home.

relieve v. 1 ease, lessen, reduce, diminish, abate, lift, raise,
alleviate, mitigate, palliate, soften, soothe: Business will
suffer if nothing is done to relieve the burden of high interest
rates. The doctor gave me something to relieve the pain. 2
disburden, free, rid, liberate, disencumber, unburden, rescue,
save, release: Winning the lottery relieved me of any immediate
worries of poverty. 3 help, aid, assist, support, succour,
rescue, save, deliver: Will the cavalry arrive in time to
relieve the fort, which is under attack? 4 stand in (for),
replace, substitute for, take over for or from, US spell, Colloq
sub for: I thought you were coming to relieve me at noon.

religion n. creed, belief, faith; doctrine, dogma: People must be
treated equally, regardless of their religion.

religious adj. 1 devout, churchgoing, pious, God-fearing, holy,
spiritual-minded: You never struck me as a particularly
religious person. 2 scrupulous, exact, precise, conscientious,
rigorous, strict, fastidious, meticulous, faithful, punctilious,
unerring, unswerving, undeviating: Edmund's work is
characterized by religious devotion to detail.

relinquish
v. 1 yield, give up, cede, waive, leave, quit, abandon, drop,
forsake, forswear, desert, abdicate, resign, renounce, let go,
surrender, vacate, retire from: Richard was forced to
relinquish the throne. 2 let go, give up, release, unloose,
loose, free: He refused to relinquish his grasp on her arm.


relish n. 1 enjoyment, pleasure, delight, gusto, eagerness, avidity,
anticipation, taste, appetite, zest, liking, appreciation,
fondness, fancy, partiality, preference: The children attacked

the birthday cake with great relish.

--v. 2 enjoy, delight in, take pleasure in, fancy, be partial
to, appreciate, savour, look forward to, anticipate: After all
that dining out, I'd really relish a home-cooked meal. I don't
relish having to tell her she is being made redundant.

reluctance
n. unwillingness, disinclination, aversion, dislike, disrelish,
hesitancy: Cooper's reluctance to leave before the end of the
play was understandable.

reluctant adj. unwilling, disinclined, averse, hesitant, loath,
unenthusiastic, indisposed, opposed, antagonistic; cautious,
chary, wary, leery, circumspect, careful: I remember how
reluctant you were to try raw oysters, and then you couldn't get
enough of them.

rely v. rely on or upon. depend on or upon, lean on or upon, count
on or upon, bank on or upon, have confidence in, bet on, trust
in, swear by, be sure or certain of: You can rely on Philippa
to come through when you need a friend. I am relying on the
fact that interest rates are likely to stay at their present
levels.


remain v. 1 stay (behind), be left, tarry, linger, wait, Colloq stay
put: I remained to help with the washing-up. 2 be left, be
there: How many days remain before your trip? 3 stay,
continue, carry on, abide; endure, persist, last, persevere:
She refuses to remain with him another minute. His last book
will remain a monument to his scholarship.

--n. 4 remains. a leavings, remnants, crumbs, debris,
detritus, remainder, balance, residue, leftovers, scraps,
vestiges, traces, fragments, oddments, odds and ends: The
remains of a half-eaten meal were on the table. b body,
cadaver, corpse; carcass: The remains of the impala were being
picked over by vultures.


remainder n. 1 rest, balance, remains, residue: He spent the remainder
of his life in penury. 2 excess, overage, surplus, residue,
residuum, leftovers: I have used all I needed and don't know
what to do with the remainder.


remaining adj. 1 left (over), extant, outstanding: I did as much as I
could in the time remaining. 2 leftover, surviving, residual;
unused, uneaten, unconsumed: The remaining books will be sold
at auction.

remark n. 1 note, notice, observe, perceive, regard, look at, take
notice or note of: His friends remarked his tired and
overworked appearance and suggested that he should take a
holiday. 2 comment (on or upon), say, observe, reflect, mention,
declare, state, assert: Carrie remarked that she had seen Ted
the night before.

remarkable
adj. 1 extraordinary, unusual, singular, exceptional,
noteworthy, notable, uncommon, incredible, unbelievable,
impressive, phenomenal, astonishing, astounding, surprising:
With remarkable swiftness the falcon dropped on its prey. 2
striking, distinguished, signal, special, wonderful, marvellous,
out of the ordinary, special, unique, significant, outstanding,
rare, memorable, unforgettable, never-to-be-forgotten: This
novel is truly a remarkable achievement. 3 strange, different,
odd, peculiar, curious: Contortionists can do truly remarkable
things with their bodies.


remedy n. 1 cure, treatment, therapy, antidote, counteractant,
countermeasure, medication, medicament, medicine, prescription,
drug, pharmaceutical, cure-all, panacea, nostrum, restorative,
specific: What remedy did the doctor recommend? 2 cure,
antidote, cure-all, panacea, nostrum, countermeasure, relief,
redress, answer, solution: Knowledge is the only remedy for
superstition.

--v. 3 cure, treat, heal, mend, restore, relieve, soothe,
control, ease, mitigate, alleviate: The ointment will remedy
the itching but not the infection causing it. 4 correct,
rectify, reform, improve, ameliorate, redress, repair, put or
set right, straighten out: How can I remedy a situation that
has already gone too far?


remember v. 1 call to mind, bear in mind; recall, recollect: Can you
remember her funny little laugh? Yes, I remember. 2 muse (on or
about), reminisce over or about, think back on or about,

memorialize, commemorate, recognize: He will be remembered for
his many achievements. 3 retain, keep in mind, recall: He was
unable to remember his own name or where he lived. 4 tip,
reward: The Elliotts always remembered the servants at
Christmas.

remembrance
n. 1 memory, recollection; reminiscence: My remembrance of her
is quite different from yours. 2 memento, reminder, souvenir,
keepsake, memorial: I keep this piece of shrapnel as a
remembrance of being wounded in the war.

remind v. prompt, cue, cause to remember, jog the memory, put in mind
of: Remind me to set the clock back an hour tonight.


reminder n. mnemonic, refresher; cue, prompt: I tied this string round
my finger as a reminder, but I don't know of what.

reminisce v. Sometimes, reminisce about. remember, recollect, think back,
look back, turn one's mind or thoughts back; call to mind, hark
back, return: Most of the time we just sit about and reminisce.
The other day we were reminiscing about the time Alex was
arrested for shoplifting.


reminiscence
n. Usually, reminiscences. anecdote(s), memory or memories,
reflection(s), memoir(s): The Sunday Clarion has paid a
six-figure sum to Charlotte for her reminiscences as a cleaner
at Whitehall.


reminiscent
adj. Usually, reminiscent of. recalling, redolent of, evocative
of, indicative of, suggestive of, similar to, comparable with or
to: The odour of burning cabbage is reminiscent of my husband's
cooking.

remiss adj. slack, careless, negligent, neglectful, heedless,
unheeding, inattentive, unmindful, thoughtless, forgetful,
unthinking, slow, indolent, lazy, dilatory, delinquent: You
were remiss in failing to turn off the bath water.

remission n. 1 forgiveness, pardon, deliverance, amnesty, reprieve,
exoneration, release, absolution, exculpation, indulgence,

excuse, exemption, acquittal: As we were granted remission of
our crimes, we were freed. 2 diminution, abatement, decrease,
lessening, subsidence, alleviation, mitigation, assuagement,
ebbing, relaxation, easing: Remission of the disease may occur,
but most sufferers deteriorate rapidly.

remit v. 1 send, transmit, forward, dispatch or despatch; pay,
compensate, settle, liquidate: We have remitted in full the
amount requested. 2 abate, diminish, slacken, decrease, lessen,
subside, alleviate, mitigate, assuage, ebb, dwindle, reduce,
relax, ease (up or off), fall off: The fever ought to remit on
the sixth day.

remittance
n. payment, settlement: allowance, consideration: Remittance
was made regularly on the tenth of the month. He lives on
remittances he receives from home.

remnant n. 1 scrap, shred, fragment, end, bit, piece, trace, vestige,
relic: A silver button was the only remnant of the splendid
uniform. 2 leftover, remainder, residue, rest, remains, part:
The surviving remnant of the battalion made its way across the
desert to Djibouti.


remorse n. regret, repentance, ruefulness, sorrow, woe, anxiety, guilty
or bad conscience, pangs of conscience, humiliation,
embarrassment, guilt, self-reproach, mortification, shame,
contrition, contriteness, penitence, compunction, bitterness:
It is impossible to describe the remorse he felt at having run
over the little girl's puppy.

remorseful
adj. regretful, repentant, rueful, sorry, apologetic,
sorrowful, woeful, anxious, guilty, bad, conscience-stricken,
guilt-ridden, humiliated, humbled, embarrassed, mortified,
shamefaced, shameful, ashamed, shamed, contrite, penitent,
bitter: Harold made a remorseful confession of all his sins.

remorseless
adj. 1 cruel, heartless, callous, harsh, hard-hearted,
stony-hearted, savage, merciless, unmerciful, pitiless,
ruthless: The heavyweight champion administered a remorseless
beating to the challenger. 2 relentless, unrelenting,

unremitting, unstoppable, inexorable, implacable: The
remorseless storm thrashed at our tiny vessel, tearing away
every last shred of rigging.


remote adj. 1 distant, far-away, far-off, removed, outlying,
inaccessible: The more remote the transmitter, the weaker the
signal. 2 lonely, isolated, God-forsaken, secluded,
out-of-the-way, sequestered, tramontane, ultramontane: They
spent their holiday on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. 3
unfamiliar, obscure, arcane, recondite, subtle, alien,
far-fetched, unusual, unlikely: Her writing is scattered with
references remote to the average reader's experience. 4
unrelated, irrelevant, inappropriate, unconnected, outside: Her
conclusions were not remote from what we now know to be the
truth. 5 slight, faint, foggy: I haven't the remotest idea what
you're talking about. 6 slight, faint, slender, insignificant,
slim, small, meagre, outside, poor, inconsiderable, negligible,
improbable, unlikely, implausible: There is only a remote
chance that the experiment will succeed. 7 aloof, detached,
withdrawn, reserved, indifferent, standoffish, abstracted: He
keeps himself quite remote from the hurly-burly of everyday
life. 8 early, ancient, far-removed, distant: The archaeopteryx
is a remote ancestor of modern birds.


removal n. 1 elimination, removing, eradication, taking away: The
removal of the wallpaper revealed that the plaster underneath
was in very poor condition. 2 extermination, murder,
elimination, killing, slaying, assassination, execution,
liquidation, eradication, massacre, slaughter, purge, doing away
with, Slang bumping off, rubbing out, doing in, US rub-out,
wasting: The removal of the finance minister was accomplished
by the secret police. 3 dismissal, transfer, transference,
transferral, shifting, discharge, throwing over, throwing out,
deposition, unseating, dethroning, dethronement, displacement,
expulsion, ouster, ousting, riddance, purge, Colloq firing,
sacking: The company functions better since the removal of the
former chairman. 4 move, transfer, departure, moving: Her
removal to a branch office was requested by top management. 5
moving, house-moving: We hired a removal van when we moved to
Shropshire.

remove v. 1 take off, doff, shed, cast off: Gentlemen are requested
to remove their hats in her presence. 2 take away, get rid of,

carry away or off, shift; transfer: When I arrived this
morning, my desk had been removed. The threat of war has been
removed. Kindly remove your elbows from the table. 3 obliterate,
delete, erase, expunge, eradicate, efface, eliminate, take off,
wipe or rub out, wipe or rub off, get rid of: Use chemicals to
remove the graffiti from the wall. 4 murder, assassinate, kill,
slay, execute, exterminate, eliminate, liquidate, eradicate,
massacre, slaughter, do away with, dispose of, get rid of,
purge, Slang rub or wipe out, do in, bump off, US waste: We
brought in some of the boys to remove the competition. 5
discharge, dismiss, depose, unseat, displace, expel, oust, turn
out, get rid of, purge, Colloq fire, sack, kick out: Andrews
must be removed from his job before he does any more harm. 6
relocate, move, transfer, shift: I removed to a quieter place
where I could write in peace. 7 take out, unfasten, detach,
disconnect, separate, undo: They have to remove the
transmission to overhaul it.

--n. 8 distance, space, interval, separation: They tried to
keep the girls and the boys at some remove from one another.

remuneration
n. 1 payment, compensation, salary, wages, earnings, emolument,
income, pay, stipend, consideration, reward: What remuneration
will she expect to receive if appointed? 2 recompense,
repayment, reimbursement, restitution, reparation(s), damages,
indemnity, indemnification, redress: Have they received any
remuneration for their loss of property during the earthquake?


renaissance
n. renascence, rebirth, revival, reawakening, restoration,
resumption, renewal, resurgence, return, regeneration,
rejuvenation, new dawn, new birth: The Renaissance is so called
because of the return to classical tradition. Hugh seems to have
undergone a renaissance since taking that rest cure.

rend v. 1 rip or tear or pull (to pieces or apart or asunder),
wrench, mangle, shred: The bully threatened to rend me limb
from limb. 2 split, tear, rip, rupture, cleave, split, rive,
separate, slice, lacerate: When the balloon was rent from top
to bottom, the basket fell to the ground. 3 pain, distress,
pierce, stab, smite, wound, afflict, torment, wring, hurt: My
heart was rent by conflicting emotions.


render v. 1 depict, picture, represent, reproduce, portray, create,
produce, do, execute, make, accomplish, achieve: The artist
rendered this portrait of the family from a photograph. 2 make,
cause to be or become: The news of winning the lottery rendered
me speechless. 3 give (up), yield (up), surrender, relinquish,
resign, cede, deliver, hand over, tender, offer, proffer,
present, furnish, provide: The inscription on the tomb has
still not rendered up its secret. To Caesar will I render my
legions and my horse. 4 play, perform: She rendered a fugue
most beautifully on a harpsichord. 5 deliver, return: The jury
rendered a verdict of Guilty. 6 translate, decode, decipher,
transcribe, convert, explain, interpret, put, restate, reword,
rephrase: She rendered the passage into idiomatic English. 7
deliver, hand in, present, offer, proffer, furnish, provide,
tender: They rendered their invoice for the work already done.
8 Usually, Brit render down. melt, clarify, extract: The fat
must be rendered down before it can be used for making soap.


rendering n. depiction, showing, presentation, interpretation,
conception, version, rendition, representation, delineation,
portrayal, picture: This is the architect's rendering of what
the building will look like when completed.


rendition n. 1 performance, interpretation, execution, conception,
concept, understanding, construction, reading, rendering: I
have never before heard such an exquisite rendition of a Bach
cantata. 2 See rendering, above.


renegade n. 1 deserter, turncoat, heretic, defector, traitor, apostate,
Archaic renegado: The renegade has organized a conspiracy
against us.

--adj. 2 traitorous, treacherous, perfidious, treasonous,
apostate, heretical, disloyal: A renegade band of deserters has
turned against the army leaders.

renege v. 1 Cards revoke: When you renege you fail to follow suit. 2
go back on, back out, default, repudiate, go back on or break
(one's) promise or word, recant, abrogate, abjure, Slang welsh
(on): You swore you would keep your word, and now you're
reneging.

renew v. 1 restore, refresh, rejuvenate, revitalize, reinvigorate,
resuscitate, revamp, redo, rehabilitate, transform, regenerate,
refurbish, refurnish, renovate, refit, overhaul, recondition,
modernize, redecorate, do over: The entire interior of the
hotel has been renewed at considerable expense. 2 resume,
resurrect, restart, pick or take up again, recommence, return
to, reopen: They renewed their argument in favour of the
teaching of Latin. 3 restore, replace, restock, replenish: We
must renew our supply of claret. 4 repeat, reiterate, reaffirm,
confirm, reconfirm, restate, reassert: Each autumn she renews
her promise to return in the spring.

renounce v. give up, forswear, surrender, abandon, desert, abjure,
reject, repudiate, spurn, swear off, abstain from, deny, forgo,
forsake, eschew, disown, throw off or out, shun, avoid: He
renounced his claim to the throne and retired to a monastery.

renovate v. redecorate, modernize, do over, refurbish, refurnish, refit,
remodel; recondition, rehabilitate, restore, repair, revamp,
overhaul, patch up, Colloq do up, US fix up: We are having the
entire house renovated by an interior decorator. It was quite
costly to have those paintings renovated.

renown n. fame, celebrity, glory, distinction, esteem, acclaim,
reputation, prominence, eminence, note, mark, honour, prestige,
repute, ‚clat, lustre, illustriousness, stardom: She enjoys
great renown as a rock star.

renowned adj. famous, famed, celebrated, distinguished, acclaimed,
prominent, eminent, well-known, noted, notable, honoured,
illustrious: He was one of the most renowned authors of the
19th century.

rentฐ v. 1 let (out), lease, hire (out), charter (out), farm out:
Eric owns a three-bedroom house that he rents out. I should like
to rent a yacht for a cruise this summer.

--n. 2 rental, hire, lease, fee: The rent comes to about a
quarter of my salary.


rent n. tear, rip, split, gash, slash, hole, slit: The skirt has a
six-inch rent in it.

repair v. 1 mend, patch (up); renew, put or set right, restore, fix
(up), service, put (back) in or into working order, vamp,
revamp, adjust: Can you repair the tear in my trousers? I must
remember to ask the garage to repair the brakes on my car.


--n. 2 mend, patch; restoration, fixing (up), servicing,
improvement, adjustment, renovation, revamping, renewal: The
cost of the repairs to our roof after the storm was covered by
our insurance. 3 form, condition, fettle, state, working order,
Colloq shape, Brit nick: The engine, I'm afraid, has not been
kept in good repair.

repartee n. banter, badinage, persiflage, patter, (witty) conversation,
wordplay, raillery, give and take, Literary deipnosophism:
Simon's witty repartee makes him a most welcome dinner guest.

repay v. pay back, recompense, compensate, requite, reciprocate,
return the favour or compliment, reward, square with, settle
(up) with; refund, give back, return, reimburse, restore: How
can I ever repay you for what you have done? Alan repaid the
money he borrowed from me.

repeal v. 1 revoke, recall, rescind, reverse, cancel, annul, nullify,
invalidate, void, set aside, abolish, abrogate, Law vacate:
They have repealed the rule forbidding guests to wear shorts in
the restaurant.

--n. 2 revocation, recall, rescission, rescindment, reversal,
cancellation, annulment, nullification, invalidation, voiding,
abolition, abrogation: Alcoholic beverages were forbidden in
the US until the repeal of Prohibition.

repeat v. 1 reiterate, restate, echo, retell, recite, quote, rehearse,
recount, recapitulate, Colloq recap: Would you please repeat to
Anne what you told me? 2 duplicate, reproduce, replicate:
History repeated itself on the playing field here today, when
Queens Park Rangers defeated Manchester United, 2-0.

--n. 3 repetition, duplicate, copy, duplication, replication,
reproduction, replica, rerun, rebroadcast, replay, encore,
reprise: This is a repeat of a show we saw last year.

repeatedly

adv. again and again, over again, over and over, frequently,
often, time and (time) again, time after time, recurrently,
repetitively, repetitiously: The needle stuck, and the record
player kept playing the same thing repeatedly.


repel v. 1 repulse, drive back or away or off, reject, fend off,
parry, ward off, hold off, rebuff, resist, withstand, keep at
bay or arm's length: They were completely defenceless and
unable to repel attackers. 2 revolt, offend, disgust, sicken,
nauseate, turn one's stomach, make one's skin crawl, Colloq give
one the creeps, turn one off: The idea of eating sheep's eyes
repels me.

repellent adj. repulsive, repelling, revolting, disgusting, nauseating,
nauseous, stomach-turning, sickening, offensive, loathsome,
repugnant, distasteful, vomit-provoking, sick-making,
disagreeable, obnoxious, off-putting: He described some of the
more repellent examples of vivisection he had encountered.


repent v. regret, feel contrition, lament, bemoan, bewail, be sorry,
rue, feel remorse, feel remorseful or penitent, show penitence:
She repented having reported him to the police. Now that the
evil deed is done he can but repent.


repentant adj. regretful, contrite, rueful, remorseful, apologetic,
sorry, ashamed, embarrassed, penitent: It was terrible that she
wasn't the least bit repentant for what she had done.

repercussion
n. Often, repercussions. reaction, response, effect, outcome,
consequence, reverberation, result, aftermath, after-effect,
upshot, fallout, backlash, echo: We were dealing with the
repercussions of that decision long afterwards.


repertory n. repertoire, store, reservoir, collection, hoard, cache,
repository, stock, supply, inventory, stockpile: Cosgrove felt
compelled to run through his entire repertory of jokes at
dinner.


repetition
n. 1 Often, repetitions. reiteration(s), duplication(s),
redundancy or redundancies, repeats, tautology or tautologies:
The book is full of boring repetitions. 2 reiteration, repeat,

echo, echoing, repeating, duplication, duplicating, rehearsal,
recapitulation, restatement, replication, rereading, retelling,
relisting, recital, reprise, rerun, rerunning: We sat through a
repetition of every name for the benefit of any who might have
missed it the first time.

repetitious
adj. tiresome, tedious, boring, redundant, prolix, windy,
long-winded, wordy, tautological, pleonastic: Streatham's
lectures are very repetitious - he makes the same point over and
over again.

repetitive
adj. iterative, repetitious, incessant, monotonous, repeated,
redundant, humdrum, unceasing, ceaseless, relentless,
unremitting, persistent, recurrent, non-stop, uninterrupted,
continual, constant, continuous: The repetitive beat of that
rock music is driving me mad.


replace v. 1 change, put in place of, substitute, supplant, renew: If
the toy won't work, try replacing the batteries. 2 succeed,
supersede, substitute for, take over from, supplant: Tim will
be replacing David as department head. 3 restore, return, put
back, make good (on), repay, refund, make restitution for: Are
you going to replace the money you took?

replenish v. refill, restock, restore, renew, replace, fill, top up;
furnish, provide: They stopped off in Bordeaux to replenish
their supplies.


replete adj. 1 Often, replete with. full (of), filled up (with),
overflowing (with), well supplied or well provided or well
stocked (with), chock-full (of), crammed or jammed or jam-packed
(with), brim-full (with), chock-a-block, bursting, teeming,
loaded, overloaded (with), gorged (with), stuffed (with), Colloq
up to the eyes or ears (in), up to here or there (in), US up to
the old wazoo (in), Slang lousy (with), Taboo slang up to the
Brit arse (in) or US ass (in): His speech was replete with
names, dates, and precise quotations, all delivered without a
note of any kind. 2 satisfied, sated, satiated: After a meal
like that, anybody would feel replete.

replica n. copy, duplicate, facsimile, reproduction, likeness,

imitation, carbon copy, photocopy, duplication, Colloq dupe, US
knock-off: The hall was dominated by a replica of
Michelangelo's David.


reply v. 1 answer, respond, rejoin, retort, return, come back,
acknowledge: When I asked where he had been, he refused to
reply and walked out of the room.

--n. 2 answer, response, rejoinder, retort, comeback, riposte,
reaction, US rise: I have written to the prime minister but as
yet have had no reply.

report n. 1 account, description, story, article, write-up, piece,
statement, dispatch or despatch, communication, communiqu‚,
announcement, narrative, record; news, information: Stanley
hasn't yet sent in the full report of his meeting with John. Is
there any report from the front? 2 explosion, bang, boom, shot,
gunshot, gunfire, backfire, discharge, crack, blast, detonation:
In the distance we heard the report of a gun, and later a
muffled explosion.

--v. 3 relate, recount, describe, narrate, tell of, detail,
give an account of, write up, document: Our man in Kuala Lumpur
reported a disturbance in a remote village. 4 publish,
promulgate, publicize, put out, announce, set forth, reveal,
disclose, divulge, announce, circulate, make public, broadcast:
Two newspapers and a television station reported the arrest of
the suspect. 5 arrive, appear, surface, check in, sign in, clock
in or on, turn up, come in, US report in: We were asked to
report for duty at 0800 on Friday. 6 report on. investigate,
cover, examine, explore, look into, inquire into, check into or
on, check (up) on, research, study, probe, scrutinize, Slang
check out, Brit suss out: The new journalist was assigned to
report on allegations of bribery in the council.


reporter n. journalist, newspaperman, newspaperwoman, newsman,
newswoman, correspondent, columnist, newswriter, gentleman or
lady of the press, gentleman or lady of the fourth estate, Brit
pressman, presswoman; newscaster, news-presenter, commentator,
broadcaster, anchorman, anchorwoman; photojournalist, cameraman,
camerawoman, Colloq news-hound, news-hawk, news-hen, stringer:
Reporters swarmed around the footballers who had returned home
with the World Cup.


repose n. 1 rest, inactivity, calm, respite, tranquillity, quiet,
restfulness, peace, relaxation: A half hour's repose would be
welcome after a long day coping with lively toddlers. 2 sleep,
nap, doze, catnap, siesta, slumber, Colloq forty winks, snooze,
Slang zizz, shut-eye: The short repose refreshed, and she felt
ready to tackle anything. 3 composure, calmness, calm,
serenity, equanimity, poise, self-possession: He became angry
in a flash, his face changing from quiet repose to livid
distortion.

--v. 4 lie, abide, be, lodge, rest: The power to make the
modifications reposes with you.


represent v. 1 substitute for, stand (in) for, replace, act for: I have
appointed her to represent me in all legal matters. 2 Often,
represent oneself as. present (oneself), depict (oneself), put
or set (oneself) forth, masquerade as, take (on) or assume the
guise or role or part of, characterize as, impersonate, pretend
to be, pose as, imitate, mimic: He represents himself as a
plumber in order to get into houses to rob them. His wife was
represented to me as a social worker. 3 describe, delineate,
reproduce, report, assert, state, put or set forth, show,
reflect, mirror, characterize, define, note, outline, sketch,
depict, picture, portray, draw, paint; pretend: What took place
that fateful day is not as represented in Inspector Taylor's
testimony. 4 symbolize, stand for, typify, exemplify, embody,
epitomize; illustrate: He represents all that is good in the
world today.


representation
n. 1 reproduction, image, likeness, portrait, picture,
depiction, portrayal, semblance, model, manifestation: This is
an accurate representation of the town's appearance in the 18th
century. 2 agency: The sales representation for this area is
under Wright's direction. 3 statement, account, exposition,
declaration, deposition, assertion, presentation, undertaking:
Certain representations have been made concerning harassment by
the police. 4 replica, reproduction, figure, figurine, statue,
statuette, bust, head, model, effigy: This representation of
the goddess Athena was found in Kios.

representative

adj. 1 symbolic, typical, characteristic, emblematic,
archetypal, evocative, illustrative: Is this a representative
sample? These poems are not representative of your best work. 2
elected, chosen, democratic: They are struggling to establish a
representative form of government.

--n. 3 agent, deputy, legate, ambassador, (papal) nuncio,
spokesman, spokeswoman, proxy, delegate, envoy, emissary,
missionary, commissioner; Member of Parliament, MP, Councillor,
Congressman, Assemblyman, Assemblywoman: We like to think that
our representatives are acting on our behalf. 4 agent,
(travelling) salesman or saleswoman, Colloq rep: We have hired
a new representative to sell refrigerators in the north of the
country.


repress v. suppress, put down, (keep in) check, curb, quash, stifle,
overcome, squelch, (keep under) control, contain, restrain,
constrain, limit, keep back, quell, hold back or in, subdue,
inhibit, hamper, hinder, deter, frustrate, discourage, disallow:
The government tried to repress freedom of expression.

repression
n. 1 restraint, suppression, subjugation: Increasing
repression of their liberties finally led the people to revolt.
2 check, squelching, control, inhibition, hampering, hindering,
hindrance, stifling, deterring, frustration, frustrating: The
repression of the revolt was unsuccessful.

repressive
adj. tyrannical, oppressive, dictatorial, despotic, brutal,
suppressive, authoritarian, totalitarian; Fascist(ic): In some
countries, the people were unable to rebel against the
repressive regime.


reprieve v. 1 respite, rescue, save; let off, spare: The Home Secretary
reprieved the prisoner from execution pending further
investigation.

--n. 2 delay, postponement, suspension, remission, respite,
stay, amnesty: The governor granted the condemned man a
reprieve at the eleventh hour.

reprimand n. 1 scolding, reproof, rebuke, admonition, upbraiding,

castigation, reproach, lecture, censure, criticism, disapproval,
remonstrance, remonstration, reprehension, tongue-lashing,
Colloq dressing-down, talking-to, telling-off, ticking-off, rap
over or on the knuckles, slap on the wrist, Brit slating, US and
Canadian chewing-out, Slang Brit wigging: Brown received a
severe reprimand for violating the curfew.

--v. 2 scold, chide, reprove, rebuke, admonish, upbraid,
castigate, reproach, berate, lecture, censure, criticize, find
fault with, attack, flay (alive), reprehend, read (someone) the
riot act, slap on the wrist, rap over the knuckles, take to
task, Colloq bawl out, dress down, give a dressing-down, tell
off, tick off, haul over the coals, give (someone) a piece of
(one's) mind, Brit slate, give (someone) a row, send (someone)
away or off with a flea in his or her ear, tell (someone) a
thing or two, carpet, wig, skin (alive), US and Canadian chew
out, rake over the coals, call on the carpet, pin (someone's)
ears back: Nigel deserves to be reprimanded for what he did.


reprisal n. retaliation, revenge, retribution, redress, requital,
vengeance, repayment, recompense, vindication, getting even,
indemnity: She refused to be named because she feared
reprisals. How many hostages did they shoot in reprisal?


reproachful
adj. fault-finding, critical, censorious, disapproving,
disparaging, upbraiding, reproving, scolding, admonitory,
condemnatory, hypercritical: She was quite reproachful after
seeing what I had written about her in my book.


reprobate adj. 1 unprincipled, immoral, amoral, abandoned, depraved,
despicable, dissolute, low, low-life, base, mean, debased,
damned, accursed, cursed, degenerate, profligate, shameful,
shameless, vile, evil, wicked, villainous, sinful, irredeemable,
foul, iniquitous, reprehensible: Such reprobate behaviour soon
brought him to the attention of the church fathers.

--n. 2 scoundrel, blackguard, miscreant, rake, profligate,
rou‚, villain, wastrel, wretch, degenerate, unprincipled person,
villain, evil-doer, debauchee, libertine, good-for-nothing,
ne'er-do-well, cur, rapscallion, scamp, knave, rascal, US
low-life, Colloq scallywag or scalawag: I can't understand what
she sees in that old reprobate.


reproduce v. 1 duplicate, copy, replicate, match, recreate, repeat,
imitate, simulate: The printer thinks he can reproduce
successfully the colours of the original picture in a print. 2
breed, multiply, propagate, procreate, spawn, produce or bring
forth or beget young; regenerate: These animals normally
reproduce twice a year.

reproduction
n. 1 duplication, copying, printing: Unlicensed reproduction
of this film is against the law. 2 duplicate, copy, print,
clone, carbon (copy), facsimile, replica, look-alike, double,
twin, imitation: The reproductions look better than the
original. 3 propagation, breeding, spawning, proliferation,
production: Today's lecture concerns reproduction and breeding
habits of large sea-mammals.

reproof n. See reprimand, 1, above.


reprove v. See reprimand, 2, above.

repudiate v. reject, scorn, turn down, renounce, retract, rescind,
reverse, abandon, abrogate, forswear, forgo, deny, disown,
discard: The government has repudiated its earlier policy of
refusing to negotiate with the strikers.

repugnant adj. repulsive, abhorrent, disgusting, off-putting, offensive,
repellent, revolting, vile, abominable, loathsome, foul,
distasteful, unpalatable, unsavoury, execrable, intolerable,
obnoxious, noisome, nauseating, nauseous, sickening, unpleasant,
objectionable: I find the very thought of seeing them again
repugnant.

repulse v. 1 repel, rebuff, drive back, ward off, fight or beat off,
check: With a mighty effort, they were able to repulse the
attacking forces. 2 refuse, spurn, snub, reject, rebuff, fend
off, resist, turn down, give the cold shoulder to: She repulsed
his offer of marriage, and he left, never to see her again.


--n. 3 rejection, rebuff, refusal, denial, snub, cold shoulder,
spurning: Alistair told himself he could not accept another
repulse.

repulsive adj. disgusting, revolting, abhorrent, loathsome, repugnant,
repellent, offensive, obnoxious, objectionable, gross,
unsavoury, distasteful, nasty, unpleasant, displeasing,
disagreeable, ugly, off-putting, sickening, nauseating,
nauseous, beastly, vile, dreadful, awful, rotten, feculent,
foul, odious, horrible, horrid, abominable, execrable, fulsome:
I have seldom had so repulsive an experience as the tour of that
abattoir. The repulsive sights and smells were more than I could
bear.


reputable adj. respectable, honourable, well-thought-of, estimable,
respected, trustworthy, trusted, honest, reliable, dependable,
principled, virtuous, good, worthy: Alan is one of Aylesbury's
most reputable businessmen.


reputation
n. 1 repute, name, standing, stature, position, status: Jean
is a woman of excellent reputation in the community. 2 have a
reputation for. be known or noted or notorious or famous for:
The company has a reputation for dismissing employees without
notice.

reputed adj. alleged, purported, supposed, assumed, presumed; rumoured,
said, deemed, held, regarded, viewed, looked on or upon, judged,
considered, thought, believed: The police arrested three
reputed gang members. They are reputed to be international drug
dealers.

request v. 1 ask for, seek, plead for, apply for, put in for,
requisition, call for, demand, insist on, solicit, beg, entreat,
beseech, importune: They request my cooperation. I requested to
be excused. He requested her to open the door for him.

--n. 2 plea, petition, application, requisition, call, demand,
solicitation, entreaty: We receive many requests for
information.

require v. 1 order, command, ask (for), call (for), press (for),
instruct, coerce, force; insist, demand; make: I am required to
appear in court on Monday. The teacher required that I bring my
mother to school. 2 need, want, lack, be lacking, be missing, be
short (of); desire: We require one more trainee in order to
fill our quota.


requirement
n. 1 requisite, prerequisite, demand, precondition, condition,
qualification, stipulation, sine qua non, provision, proviso,
demand, necessity, essential, desideratum, must: It is a
requirement of the loan agreement that you maintain an account
with this bank. 2 need, want, demand: We hope the new design
will meet all your requirements.


requisition
n. 1 request, order, demand, call, authorization, mandate,
voucher: A requisition was issued by headquarters for the
delivery of 200 desks and chairs.


--v. 2 request, order, demand, call, authorize, mandate: Have
you requisitioned the office furniture we need? 3 seize,
appropriate, commandeer, confiscate, take possession of, take
(over), occupy; expropriate: The army of occupation has
requisitioned all available sleeping accommodation in the town.


requital n. 1 repayment, return, recompense, redress, restitution,
reparation, remuneration, quittance, amends, satisfaction,
compensation, payment: I look forward to an opportunity to make
requital for all the favours you have done for me. 2 revenge,
retaliation, retribution, reprisal, vengeance; quid pro quo,
Roland for an Oliver: In requital for his shameful treachery,
MacFallon was sent into exile.

requite v. 1 repay, reward, reciprocate, recompense, compensate for,
respond to: Her years of tender care were requited with abuse
and scorn. 2 retaliate for, revenge, avenge, make restitution
for, redress, pay back for, give tit for tat for, make amends
for: Who can requite the wrongs inflicted on these poor people?


rescue v. 1 save, deliver, (set) free, liberate, let go (free),
release, (let) loose: We rescued all the men who were being
held prisoner. Jane was rescued by a very handsome lifeguard.

--n. 2 deliverance, saving; freeing, liberating, release: The
seaman's rescue was conducted by a navy helicopter team. Because
of the heavy guard, the prisoners' rescue is out of the
question.

research n. 1 investigation, investigating, exploration, delving,
digging, enquiry or inquiry, fact-finding, scrutinization,
scrutiny, examination, inspection, probing, analysis,
experimentation: Her research into the causes of the disease
have yielded good results. The government no longer supports
much research.

--v. 2 investigate, explore, delve into, dig into, enquire or
inquire into, scrutinize, examine, study, analyse, inspect,
check in or into or (up) on, probe, experiment with, Colloq
check out: We are researching ways in which the virus attacks
the blood cells.

resemblance
n. likeness, similarity; correspondence, congruity,
coincidence, conformity, accord, agreement, equivalence,
comparableness, comparability, comparison: There is a striking
resemblance between your wife and mine. Any resemblance is
purely a matter of chance.


resemble v. look or sound or taste or seem or be like or similar to,
bear (a) resemblance to, approximate, smack of, correspond to,
have (all) the hallmarks or earmarks of, take after, Colloq
favour: You are right, the taste does resemble that of
liquorice. Does she resemble her mother?

resent v. feel embittered or bitter about, feel envious or jealous of,
begrudge, have hard feelings about, be displeased or disgruntled
at, be angry about: I resent having to go to work while you sit
about the house all day.

resentful adj. embittered, bitter, acrimonious, spiteful, envious,
jealous, begrudging, vindictive, indignant, displeased,
disgruntled, dissatisfied, unsatisfied, unhappy, peeved,
irritated, irked, annoyed, provoked, riled, angry, piqued,
irate, furious, incensed, agitated, upset, worked up,
antagonistic, hostile: Ronald is resentful because you got the
promotion that he considered rightfully his.


resentment
n. bitterness, acrimony, rancour, envy, jealousy, grudge,
indignation, displeasure, dissatisfaction, unhappiness,
irritation, annoyance, provocation, pique, anger, ire, fury,

agitation, upset, anxiety, ill will, malice, antagonism,
hostility, animosity, enmity, antipathy, hate: Some believe
that inequality among people provokes resentment.


reservation
n. 1 keeping or holding back, withholding, reticence,
reluctance, hesitation, hesitancy, hedging: It was not without
some reservation that I gave the book my endorsement. 2 qualm,
scruple, qualification, hesitancy, limitation, exception,
objection, demur or demurral or demurrer, condition, proviso,
provision: He has no reservations about revealing the most
intimate details in his autobiography. 3 booking, appointment,
arrangement: I'll make a reservation for dinner for the two of
us. 4 preserve, sanctuary, reserve, area, tract, territory,
region, section, plot: In North America, many Indians still
live on reservations.

reserve v. 1 keep or hold (back), withhold, save, set or put aside,
conserve, preserve, retain, keep (to or for oneself), hold over,
postpone, delay, put off, defer: Reserve judgement till you
have heard all the facts. I shall reserve my answer to that
question for another day. 2 hold, keep, book, register, save,
put or set aside, charter, engage, secure, contract for: I have
reserved two seats for the matinee.


--n. 3 Often, reserves. store, stock, stockpile, inventory,
supply, nest egg, reservoir, fund, hoard, cache: We prayed for
rain, as our water reserves were getting low. 4 reticence,
(self-)restraint, (self-)control, taciturnity, aplomb,
formality, coolness, aloofness, guardedness, standoffishness,
remoteness, detachment: I had to admire Paul's reserve in the
face of such insults. 5 Often, reserves. auxiliary, alternate,
substitute, reinforcements, backup, spare: If battle goes
badly, we shall have to call out the reserves. 6 See
reservation, 4, above. 7 reservation, restriction, restraint,
hesitancy, hesitation, limit, limitation, hedging, avoidance,
evasion, dodging, fudging: The lawyer acknowledged without
reserve that the case was weak. 8 in reserve. ready, in
readiness, on hand, available, on call, accessible, as backup,
in store, on tap, at (one's) fingertips: We have huge resources
in reserve should we require them.

reserved adj. reticent, restrained, unresponsive, controlled, silent,

taciturn, uncommunicative, unforthcoming, close-mouthed,
unresponsive, undemonstrative, unemotional, poker-faced, cool,
formal, aloof, guarded, standoffish, unsocial, antisocial,
distant, remote, detached, retiring, withdrawn, sedate, demure,
dignified, guarded, prim, rigid, strait-laced, icy, frigid,
ice-cold: She was always very reserved, not showing any
emotion.

residence n. 1 abode, home, domicile, dwelling, dwelling-place, place,
house, habitation, (living) quarters: A crowd was waiting to
greet them outside their residence. 2 residency, stay, sojourn,
visit, tenancy: During his residence in Cape Province, he
became bilingual in Xhosa. 3 mansion, villa, manor (house),
stately home, estate, chƒteau, castle, palace, Brit hall: The
ambassadorial residence was a very imposing structure.

resident adj. 1 in residence, residing, living, staying, abiding,
dwelling, remaining: Is he resident in this country? 2 local,
neighbourhood, district, regional, neighbouring: Our resident
astronomer mentioned there would be an eclipse of the moon
tonight.

--n. 3 denizen, dweller, inhabitant, citizen, householder,
home-owner, tenant, local: Parking permits are available only
to residents.

residual adj. remaining, leftover, surplus, spare, extra, residuary:
Residual units of the army are still bivouacked in the field.
How would we survive nuclear fall-out and the subsequent
residual contamination?

residue n. remainder, leftover, surplus, remains, rest, excess, dregs,
residuum: The residue of the tatterdemalion force escaped into
the forest.


resign v. 1 quit, leave, go, abdicate, give notice; retire (from),
abandon, give up, forsake, hand over, yield up, renounce,
relinquish, let go, release, vacate, surrender, deliver up, turn
over: Amanda resigned because she was offered a better job
elsewhere. Anthony refused to resign the last of his
responsibilities till he was ninety. 2 resign (oneself) (to).
reconcile (oneself) (to), be or become resigned or reconciled
(to), accommodate (oneself) (to), adjust (oneself) (to), adapt

(oneself) (to), acclimatize or acclimate (oneself) (to), submit
(oneself) (to): Knowing that no one had ever escaped from the
prison, he resigned himself to his fate.


resignation
n. 1 notice; abandonment, abdication, resigning, renunciation,
forgoing, relinquishment: After the incident in the boardroom,
Kim was asked for her resignation. Stuart's resignation of his
responsibilities led to a severe reprimand. 2 reconciliation,
reconcilement, adjustment, adaptation, acclimatization or
acclimation, submission, acceptance, compliance, capitulation,
abandonment, acquiescence, passivity: His resignation to his
fate won admiration from those around him.


resilience
n. rebound, recoil, bounce, elasticity, springiness, spring,
buoyancy, flexibility, suppleness, ability to recover: The
resilience of youth is astonishing, and William was soon on his
feet again.


resist v. 1 stop, hinder, prevent, hold out (against), be proof
(against), keep or hold at bay, hold the line (against), thwart,
impede, block, obstruct, inhibit, restrain, preclude, check,
control, curb, stem, bridle, hold back, withstand, weather, last
(against), endure, outlast, stand up (to or against); combat,
fight (against), battle, countervail (against), counteract,
oppose, rebuff, defy: He was jailed for attempting to resist
arrest. It is pointless to resist. 2 refuse, deny, turn down,
forgo: I cannot resist a rich sweet for dessert.


resistance
n. 1 opposition, defiance, refusal, denial, obstruction,
intransigence, rebelliousness, recalcitrance, stubbornness: The
child puts up considerable resistance to any form of discipline.
2 defences: My resistance is low, I can deny you nothing. 3
Resistance. underground, partisans, freedom fighters, guerrilla
or guerilla movement, guerrillas or guerillas, irregulars,
Maquis, US resisters: During the war, he was a member of the
Resistance and engaged in sabotage against the invaders.


resistant adj. 1 opposed, against, defiant, averse, unsubmissive;
impervious, unaffected: The organisms are resistant to any
change. 2 recalcitrant, stubborn, obstinate, intransigent,

rebellious, immovable, intractable, refractory, wilful,
ungovernable, unmanageable, unruly, uncompliant, uncooperative:
We have run up against a highly resistant group of activists. 3
Often, resistant to. impervious (to), impenetrable (to),
repellent (to); proof (against); shedding: You need a more
resistant material. This fabric is resistant to rain and snow.

resolute adj. resolved, determined, purposeful, steadfast, firm,
stubborn, adamant, set, decided, staunch, bold, dogged,
undaunted, dauntless, persevering, persisting, persistent,
perseverant, pertinacious, tenacious, single-minded, dedicated,
devoted, bulldog, purposive, deliberate, inflexible, unwavering,
unshakeable or unshakable, unshaken, unflagging, untiring,
indefatigable, tireless, unfaltering, unhesitating, unhesitant,
unswerving, irreversible, undeviating, unchanging, changeless,
unchangeable, immutable, unalterable: We remain resolute in our
determination to end injustice.

resolution
n. 1 resolve, resoluteness, determination, purpose,
purposefulness, steadfastness, firmness, decidedness, decision,
staunchness, boldness, doggedness, dauntlessness, stubbornness,
obstinacy, perseverance, persistence, relentlessness,
pertinacity, tenacity, single-mindedness, dedication, devotion,
constancy, devotedness, deliberation, deliberateness,
inflexibility, inflexibleness, unshakeability or unshakability,
fixedness, indefatigability, indefatigableness, irreversibility,
changelessness, unchangeability, immutability, immutableness,
unalterability, Colloq US stick-to-it-iveness: The boys showed
extraordinary resolution in deciding to continue despite the
hardships. 2 promise, commitment, pledge, word (of honour),
oath, vow, undertaking, obligation; intention: I find that my
New Year's resolutions last till about January 5th. 3 motion,
resolve, proposal, proposition, plan, suggestion, idea, notion;
determination, verdict, decision, judgement: The committee
votes today on the resolution to increase membership fees. 4
answer, answering, solution, solving, unravelling,
disentanglement, sorting out, explication; outcome, issue,
result, end (result): The resolution of a family problem is
seldom easy. Can there be a final resolution of the question of
a free market economy? 5 acutance, sharpness, precision,
accuracy, exactness, exactitude, fineness, discrimination,
detailing, distinguishability: The new optical system provides

for a much better resolution.

resolve v. 1 determine, decide, make up one's mind, agree, undertake,
settle, fix, conclude: When did you resolve to move to
Australia? Let us resolve never to let this happen again. 2 work
out, figure out, solve, clear up, answer: How have you resolved
the problem of looking after the cats while you are away? 3
adopt, pass, approve, decide: It was resolved that membership
fees should be raised. 4 resolve into. change into, convert
into, alter into, transform into, transmute into, metamorphose
into, be convert(ed) into, become, dissolve into, break down
into, liquefy into, disintegrate into, reduce to or into: O,
that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve
itself into a dew!


--n. 5 See resolution, 1, above. 6 See resolution, 2, above:
She kept her resolve never to marry again.

resonant adj. vibrating, vibrant, resounding, (re-)echoing,
reverberating, reverberant, pulsating, ringing, booming,
thundering, thunderous, loud: The resonant pealing of the bells
almost drove me mad.

resort n. 1 spa, retreat, Chiefly Brit watering-place: We go to a
lovely resort in the Alps every summer. 2 resource, backup,
reserve, refuge, place to turn, alternative, remedy: He will
see a doctor only as a last resort.

--v. 3 resort to. have recourse to, turn to, look to, fall back
on, repair to, take to, frequent, patronize, attend; visit,
haunt, hang out in: I have to resort to father for a small
loan. She was said to be resorting to the lowest dens in the
Casbah.


resound v. boom, resonate, ring (out), boom (out), (re-)echo,
reverberate, pulsate, thunder: The laughter resounded around
the entire office.

resource n. 1 Often, resources. initiative, ingenuity, talent,
inventiveness, imagination, imaginativeness, cleverness,
quick-wittedness, capability, resourcefulness, aptitude,
qualifications, strength, quality, forte, Colloq Brit gumption,
Slang guts: Has he the inner resources for the job that lies

ahead? 2 Often, resources. capital, assets, money, possessions,
wealth, property, cash, funds: She has sufficient resources to
retire at fifty if she wants to.


resourceful
adj. ingenious, inventive, imaginative, clever, Daedalian,
creative, skilful, smart, slick: Sylvia is resourceful enough
to get out of any situation.


respect n. 1 regard, consideration, admiration, esteem, (high) opinion,
appreciation: We have great respect for Samuel Simpson, our
president. 2 regard, consideration, courtesy, politeness,
civility, attentiveness, thoughtfulness, etiquette, deference,
reverence, veneration: Few treat Alastair with the respect he
deserves. 3 reference, relation, connection, comparison,
regard, bearing: What are they planning to do with respect to
the flooding? 4 detail, point, element, aspect, characteristic,
feature, quality, trait, particular, matter, attribute,
property: Describe the respects in which the War of American
Independence and the French Revolution were similar. 5 respects.
regards, good or best wishes, greetings, compliments, Formal
salutations, Formal or archaic devoirs: I went to pay my
respects to my aunt on her 90th birthday.


--v. 6 consider, admire, esteem, honour, appreciate, value,
defer to, pay homage to, think highly or well of, look up to,
revere, reverence, venerate: I am not sure that I like Mrs
Horne, but I certainly respect her for what she has done for the
poor. 7 heed, obey, show consideration or regard for, pay
attention to, attend to, be considerate or polite or courteous
to, defer to: Children are no longer taught to respect their
elders.

respectable
adj. 1 proper, demure, decorous, seemly, estimable, worthy,
dignified, decent, upright, honest, respected, genteel, refined,
reputable, above-board, unimpeachable, law-abiding: Patricia
Smythe is a very respectable member of the community. I'll have
you know that I run a respectable boarding house! 2 moderate,
appreciable, goodly, reasonable, fair, not inconsiderable,
considerable, tolerable, satisfactory, sizeable, good-sized,
substantial, not insignificant, significant, Colloq tidy: She
earns a respectable living. A respectable number of people

showed up. Climbing Annapurna, though it is not Everest, is a
respectable feat. 3 presentable, moral, decent, proper, modest,
chaste, innocent, pure, clean: The board decided that the film
is not respectable enough to be shown to schoolchildren.


respectful
adj. courteous, polite, well-mannered, well-behaved, mannerly,
civil, cordial, gentlemanly, ladylike, gracious, obliging,
accommodating, considerate, thoughtful: On entering, Captain
Gregory made a respectful bow to the ladies.

respective
adj. separate, individual, particular, pertinent, specific,
special, personal, own, relevant, corresponding, several: Each
retired to his respective room for the night. All of you know
your respective duties.

respectively
adv. separately, individually, singly, severally, mutatis
mutandis, each to each: Ron and Daniel are, respectively,
president and secretary of the association.

respite n. 1 interval, intermission, break, interruption, recess,
breather, rest; holiday, Chiefly US and Canadian vacation: I
haven't had a moment's respite since six o'clock this morning.
We are planning a brief respite from work in August. 2 pause,
delay, hiatus, stay, extension, reprieve, postponement: After a
ten-minute respite, the infernal noise began again.


respond v. 1 answer, reply, come back, return, react, reciprocate,
counter; rejoin, retort: When Sean insulted her, Una responded
with a slap to his face. I said, 'Good morning!' and Adrian
responded, 'What's good about it?' 2 Often, respond to. be
responsive (to), react (to), empathize (with), sympathize
(with), commiserate (with), feel for, pity, be affected or moved
or touched (by): Many respond to those charity appeals for the
crippled and disabled.

response n. answer, reply, retort, rejoinder; reaction, effect,
feedback, return, Colloq comeback: Whatever you say to Ronnie
Farrago, he always has a snappy response. The response to our
advertising has been quite good.

responsibility
n. 1 accountability, liability, chargeability, answerability,
obligation: Responsibility is one of the burdens a parent must
undertake. 2 charge, duty, onus, burden, trust, job, role,
task: Has Ted taken on more responsibilities than he can
handle? It is your responsibility to see that the children are
awakened in time for school. 3 blame, guilt, fault, culpability:
Professor Davies assumed full responsibility for the failure of
the experiment. 4 dependability, reliability, trustworthiness,
stability, accountability, creditability: Before accommodating
you with a loan, Mr Stokes, we must confirm your financial
responsibility.

responsible
adj. 1 accountable, answerable, liable, chargeable: The court
determined that she was not responsible for her actions. 2
reliable, trustworthy, dependable, stable, creditable,
accountable, ethical, honest: If teenagers can show that they
are sufficiently responsible, the bank will lend them money for
their enterprise. 3 executive, leading, authoritative,
administrative, important, decision-making, managerial,
directorial, principal, chief, top, US front-office: Oliver
played a responsible role in the running of the company. 4
guilty, to blame, at fault, culpable: We never found out who
was responsible for putting the frog in the teacher's desk.

responsive
adj. alert, alive, (wide-)awake, reactive, communicative,
sharp, keen, receptive, sensitive, open, sympathetic: I was
delighted to find students who were so responsive to the ideas
put forth in my lectures.

restฐ n. 1 repose, sleep, nap, doze, siesta, slumber, Chiefly Brit
lie-down, Colloq forty winks, zizz, snooze; shut-eye: I think
I'll have a bit of a rest before dinner. 2 relaxation,
intermission, interval, interlude, entr'acte, rest period,
cessation, (tea or coffee) break, recess, breather,
breathing-spell, respite, time off, holiday, Chiefly US and
Canadian vacation: Why don't you take a rest for a while? 3
ease, relaxation, leisure, indolence, idleness, inactivity,
loafing, dozing: His well-deserved rest was disturbed by an
urgent request from Interpol to investigate a smuggling
operation. 4 prop, support, holder, brace, trestle, shelf,

bracket: Those old guns were too heavy to hold and fire without
using a rest. 5 come to rest. stop, end up, turn up, arrive:
The ball rolled down the slope and came to rest in a puddle.


--v. 6 (go to) sleep, doze, relax, take a rest, (take one's)
repose, lie down, recline, go or take to one's bed, take one's
ease, unwind, loll, languish, laze about, be idle, idle about,
lounge, (take a) nap, put one's feet up, Colloq take it easy,
snooze, count sheep, have a zizz, catch or grab some shut-eye,
get or take forty winks, US catch or log a few zees (Z's), Slang
Brit kip, doss down, hit the sack, hit the hay, US sack out:
Rest now - you'll feel better tomorrow. 7 reside, be situated,
be lodged, lie, be placed, hinge, be found, remain, stay: The
responsibility for passenger safety rests with the captain and
the crew. The blame for this fiasco rests on you. 8 place,
position, put, lay, set, lean, prop: Rest your head on my
shoulder. 9 lie, remain, stay: Can't you let the matter rest?
10 allay, calm, quiet, still, stay: Rest your fears - I shall
let nothing happen to you.


rest n. 1 remainder, balance; remains, remnants, leftovers, residue,
residuum, excess, surplus, overage: If you carry these bags,
I'll take the rest. Martin bought up all the best books and left
the rest for us.


--v. 2 (continue to) be, remain, keep on being: Rest assured,
the situation is bound to get easier as we go along.

restful adj. 1 relaxing, soothing, comforting, tranquillizing,
sedative, calming, sleep-inducing, hypnotic, soporific,
somnolent: Don't you find the sound of the waves restful? 2
tranquil, calm, peaceful, quiet, still, serene, pacific,
comfortable, relaxed, reposeful: After a hectic day in the
city, I was happy to return to the restful atmosphere of the
country.

restitution
n. 1 amends, compensation, redress, recompense, remuneration,
reparation, requital, indemnification, indemnity: It was agreed
that victims of the raids were entitled to restitution for what
had been taken from them. 2 restoration, return,
re-establishment, reinstatement, recovery: A commission is to
investigate the restitution of plundered property.


restive adj. See restless, below.

restless adj. restive, uneasy, edgy, on edge, on tenterhooks, fidgety,
nervous, skittish, excitable, highly-strung, high-strung, worked
up, agitated, fretful, jumpy, apprehensive, itchy, Colloq
jittery, Slang uptight, US antsy, hyper: The crowd in the
square were becoming restless as they waited for the speeches to
start.


restoration
n. 1 See restitution, 2, above. 2 renovation, refurbishment,
rehabilitation, renewal, repair, rejuvenation, reconstruction,
resurrection, reconversion, revival: The programme for the
restoration of ancient buildings suffers from lack of funding.

restore v. 1 give or hand back, return, make restitution, bring back:
We must restore to the people the land that is rightfully
theirs. 2 revive, rejuvenate, re-establish, renew, bring back,
give (someone) back, resuscitate, resurrect, rekindle,
reinvigorate, refresh, stimulate, revitalize, strengthen: Your
kindness has restored my faith in mankind. 3 renovate,
refurbish, renew, repair, rejuvenate, resurrect, revive,
reconstruct, rehabilitate, rebuild; mend, fix, retouch, touch
up; Colloq US fix up: They live in a 17th-century cottage that
has been lovingly restored. Antiques often lose their value
entirely if they are restored. 4 replace, reinstate, put back;
return, bring back: They said that they would not rest until
they had restored the rightful king on the throne. The doctor
said she would soon be restored to good health. 5 replace,
reimburse, repay, return, pay or put or give back: Even though
he has restored all the money he took, she refuses to forgive
him.


restrain v. 1 (keep under or in) control, (keep or hold in) check, hold
(back or in), curb, govern: A poor rider, he was unable to
restrain his horse. Something must be done to restrain the
general's power. 2 limit, restrict, inhibit, regulate, suppress,
repress, bar, debar, curtail, stifle, hinder, interfere with,
hamper, handicap: Trade between the two countries was
restrained because of tariff disputes. 3 (place under) arrest,
confine, imprison, incarcerate, detain, hold, lock up, jail or
Brit also gaol, shut in or up: For his most recent offence, he

was restrained for two months.

restraint n. 1 control, check, curb, rein, bridle, restriction,
constraint, limit, limitation, curtailment, taboo, ban,
interdict or interdiction, proscription, delimitation, bound(s),
embargo: The law places restraints on executives' buying and
selling shares in their own companies. In 1863, a bill for the
restraint of the press was brought before the House of Commons.
2 control, restriction, constraint, confinement; bondage, bonds,
fetters, shackles, handcuffs, gyves, bilboes, pinions, manacles,
ball and chain, strait-jacket, Colloq cuffs, bracelets: Despite
the restraints to his liberty, he felt a free man. He became
violent and had to be put under restraint. 3 control, reserve,
self-control, self-possession, poise, equanimity,
self-discipline, self-restraint: Heather Gorse exhibited
admirable restraint in remaining silent when teased her about
her name.

restrict v. limit, confine, bound, circumscribe, delimit, mark off,
demarcate, regulate; qualify, restrain, impede: Smoking is
allowed only in restricted areas. The opposition party said that
they would restrict the movement of heavy goods by road.

restriction
n. 1 condition, provision, proviso, qualification, stipulation:
One restriction is that purchasers of shares in the utility must
be resident in the UK. 2 See restraint, 1, above.

result n. 1 outcome, consequence, effect, end (result), fruit;
conclusion, upshot, issue, development, sequel, follow-up,
consequence, denouement or d‚nouement: It will take years to
evaluate the results of the new educational curriculum. As a
result of his speeding ticket, his driving licence was
suspended.


--v. 2 Often, result from. develop, emerge, follow, happen,
occur, come (about), come to pass, arise, evolve, be produced:
Severe burns can result from allowing children to play with
matches. The mixture that results may be highly volatile. 3
result in. end, conclude, culminate, terminate: The explosion
resulted in a heavy loss of life. The experience gained often
results in better safety devices.

resume v. continue, carry on, take up again, pick up (where one left
off): After prison, it is not easy to resume one's life where
it left off. When the audience quieted, the speaker resumed.


r‚sum‚ n. 1 summary, digest, abstract, synopsis, pr‚cis, outline,
review, recapitulation, epitome, Colloq run-down, recap: Give
me a r‚sum‚ of what went on at the board meeting. 2 curriculum
vitae, CV, summary, biography, work or job history, career
description, Formal prosopography, Colloq bio, US vita:
Suitably qualified candidates are invited to send their r‚sum‚s
to the address below.

resurgence
n. renaissance, renascence, rebirth, revival, reawakening,
restoration, renewal, resumption, return, resurrection,
regeneration, rejuvenation, new dawn, new birth: Simone is
banking her entire future on a resurgence of interest in
seventies' fashion.


resurrect v. revive, bring back, return, reawaken, restore (to life),
reintroduce, renew, regenerate, rejuvenate, raise (from the
dead), resuscitate, breathe new life into, reanimate,
reincarnate: Some antiquated law was resurrected in order to
prevent their using the land for grazing.


retain v. 1 keep (possession of), hold (on to), save, preserve, Colloq
hang on to: Retain the receipt in case you wish to exchange the
merchandise. 2 engage, hire, employ, commission, take on: We
have retained a caretaker to look after the estate. 3 hold,
absorb, contain, soak up, preserve: This type of soil retains
little water. 4 remember, keep or bear or have in mind, recall,
remain aware of, memorize, impress on the memory, recollect: As
he aged, he found it increasingly difficult to retain even the
simplest information such as names and dates.


retaliate v. repay, pay back (in kind), counter, strike back (at), take
revenge (on), wreak vengeance (on), revenge oneself (on),
avenge, reciprocate, settle a score (with); give a Roland for an
Oliver, give tit for tat, take an eye for an eye (and a tooth
for a tooth), give as good as one gets, give (someone) a taste
of his or her or their own medicine, pay (someone) back in his
or her own coin; Colloq get even (with), get back (at): After
government forces bombed their mountain headquarters, the

guerrillas retaliated by destroying bridges and railway lines.

retard v. 1 slow (down or up), hold up or back, set back, hinder,
impede, delay, keep back, stall, thwart, balk, block, restrict,
hold in check, frustrate, interfere with: Growth of the economy
was severely retarded by the war.

--n. 2 Offensive and derogatory idiot, moron, fool, imbecile,
dunce, Slang chiefly US and Canadian jerk: Why she invites that
retard to her parties I can't imagine.

reticent adj. quiet, shy, timid, retiring, reserved; taciturn, silent,
unresponsive, tight-lipped, unforthcoming: If you are proud of
your accomplishments, why be reticent about saying so? Colin is
reticent about how he acquired his gold earring.

retinue n. entourage, escort, convoy, cortŠge, company, train, suite,
followers, attendants, following, hangers-on, Colloq groupies:
The rock band arrived at the airport accompanied by a retinue of
flunkeys.

retire v. 1 withdraw, rusticate, go off or away, take off, retreat;
hibernate, aestivate or US estivate, seclude or sequester or
cloister oneself: I think I'll retire to some mountain-top to
finish my book. 2 stop or give up work(ing), be pensioned off,
(be) put out to grass or pasture, take the golden handshake, be
given the gold watch, go on social security, go on a pension, be
superannuated, go out of circulation: Gemma Frobisher has
retired from her job in the bakery, and is now living with her
daughter in Norfolk. 3 go or take to (one's) bed or bedroom, (go
to) sleep, lie down, (take one's) repose, (take a) nap, put
one's feet up, Colloq take it easy, snooze, count sheep, have a
zizz, catch or grab some shut-eye, get or take forty winks, US
catch or log a few zees (Z's), Slang hit the sack, sack out, hit
the hay, Brit kip, doss down: I usually retire around midnight.

retiring adj. shy, bashful, coy, demure, modest, diffident, timid,
unpretentious, unassuming, humble, self-effacing, timorous,
meek, reticent, reserved, unsocial, unsociable, aloof, removed,
standoffish, distant, reclusive, eremitic(al): Howard is of a
retiring disposition, preferring to keep to himself.

retort n. 1 response, reply, rejoinder, answer, riposte, rebuttal,

Colloq comeback: Faced with criticism of the novel, the
author's retort was a four-letter word.

--v. 2 fling or hurl back, rejoin, answer back, riposte, rebut,
counter, come back with, return, respond, answer, reply,
retaliate: 'And don't expect a Christmas present from me,
either!', she retorted vehemently.

retouch v. touch up, correct, restore, repair, recondition, refresh,
brush up, adjust, improve, finish, put the finishing touches on:
Only an expert restorer could have retouched the damaged
painting so skilfully.

retract v. 1 withdraw, pull or draw back: The instant he felt the
heat, he retracted his hand. 2 take back, withdraw, rescind,
revoke, repeal, deny, disavow, recant, renounce, abjure, cancel,
forswear, repudiate, disclaim, disown, reverse: If they refuse
to retract their statement, I shall sue them for libel.


retreat n. 1 retirement, withdrawal, pulling or falling or drawing
back, giving ground, evacuation, flight: The regiment's retreat
in the face of overwhelming odds is complete. 2 retirement,
seclusion, withdrawal, isolation, solitude, rustication: Since
her retreat from public life, she has devoted herself to
painting. 3 sanctuary, sanctum (sanctorum), refuge, shelter,
den, haven, asylum, resort, hideaway, hide-out: Antonia
insisted on having her own retreat where she could occasionally
escape from the children.


--v. 4 withdraw, decamp, run (away), turn tail, depart, give or
lose ground, pull or fall or draw back, retire, evacuate, flee,
take flight: We must retreat to the shelter of the hills, where
we can regroup. 5 ebb, draw or move back, recede: The waves,
constantly advancing and retreating across the pebbly strand,
lulled me to sleep.

retribution
n. vengeance, revenge, reprisal, retaliation, requital,
redress, quid pro quo, satisfaction, punishment, justice, just
deserts, recompense, compensation: It is a moral question
whether society's treatment of malefactors should be an act of
retribution or the setting of an example to others.

retrieve v. 1 bring or get (back), fetch, come back with: Simon trained
his dog to retrieve his slippers. 2 recover, save, rescue, take
back, recoup, regain, reclaim: I tried using a fishing line to
retrieve my hat from the lake. 3 make up, make amends for,
recover, cover, redeem, repay, pay for, return, get back,
regain, be repaid or reimbursed for: Will we be able to
retrieve our losses when we sell the business?

retrospect
n. hindsight, reconsideration, review, remembering,
afterthought, recollection, looking back: In retrospect, I am
not sure we did the right thing.

return v. 1 come or go back, revert, turn back: She is returning to
her old habits. I shall return to this subject later if I have
time. 2 come back, reappear, resurface, crop up again, turn or
show up again, put in an appearance again; recur, reoccur,
Colloq pop up again: Will he return before March? The symptoms
returned. 3 replace, put back, restore, give back, bring or
carry back: The missing books have mysteriously been returned.
4 exchange, bring back or carry back: You may return any
merchandise, for any reason, for refund or exchange, within ten
days of its purchase. 5 yield, earn, gain, profit, benefit:
Where else can you find a secure investment that returns more
than 15 per cent? 6 deliver, render, give, offer, turn in,
proffer, report: The jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty.

--n. 7 recurrence, reappearance, repetition, renewal,
recrudescence, resurfacing, re-emergence: There was a return of
the symptoms when I stopped taking the medicine. 8 replacement,
replacing, restoration, restoring, restitution: We shall see to
the return of the stolen items to their rightful places. 9
Sometimes, returns. yield, earnings, profit, gain, benefit,
income, revenue, proceeds, interest, takings, results: The
return on my investment was almost 100 per cent! 10 arrival,
advent, coming, home-coming: A small crowd had gathered to
await his return. 11 reciprocity, reciprocation, repayment,
recompense, reimbursement, compensation, payment, reparation,
indemnity, indemnification, consideration, amends, redress,
requital: If I give you my bike, what will I get in return?

revamp v. overhaul, redo, recondition, renovate, repair, fix, do up,
refit, refurbish, restore, rehabilitate, US fix up: To bring it

into line with the 21st century, the constitution may need to be
revamped completely.

reveal v. expose, display, divulge, disclose, show; make known, let
on, let out, let it be known, let slip, communicate, give vent
to, air, ventilate, leak (out): The increasing light of dawn
revealed a no-man's-land of utter devastation. The book is said
to reveal everything you would prefer not to know about
factory-farming.


revel v. 1 Usually, revel in. (take) delight (in), take pleasure
(in), rejoice (in), luxuriate (in), bask (in), wallow(in), lap
up, crow (about or over), glory (in), savour, relish: Gavin
revelled in the news that his ex-wife was remarrying and he
would no longer have to pay her alimony. 2 make merry, carouse,
celebrate, cut loose, go on a spree, Colloq live it up, whoop it
up, make whoopee, whoop it up, paint the town red, party, Brit
push the boat out, Slang Brit have a rave or rave-up: The night
after exams finish, the students traditionally revel till dawn.


--n. 3 spree, party, merrymaking, debauch, carouse, festival,
fˆte, carousal, celebration, gala, ball, romp, fling, carnival,
jamboree, bacchanal, saturnalia: Everyone joined in the revels
on New Year's Eve, and had a good time.


revelation
n. news, information, proclamation, publication, bulletin,
communiqu‚, announcement, pronouncement, declaration, statement,
leak; admission, confession; discovery, unveiling, uncovering,
exposure, disclosure, expos‚: We were shocked at the revelation
that they had been married all these years. Scientists'
revelations about the depletion of the ozone layer are causing
widespread concern.


revelry n. merrymaking, fun, revelling, carousal, carousing, gaiety,
festivity, jollity, mirth, celebration, ball, high jinks or
hijinks, spree, Colloq partying, Slang Brit rave or rave-up:
The revelry went on into the wee hours of the morning.


revenge n. 1 vengeance, retaliation, reprisal, retribution,
vindictiveness, spitefulness, repayment, satisfaction: They
think he set fire to the place in revenge for having been
dismissed.


--v. 2 avenge, get even for, take revenge for, make reprisal
for, exact retribution or payment or repayment for: She was
seeking ways to revenge the murder of her brother. 3 revenge
oneself (on). settle a score or an old score (with), pay
(someone) back in his or her own coin, give a Roland for an
Oliver, give tit for tat, take an eye for an eye (and a tooth
for a tooth), punish, Colloq get, get even (with), give
(someone) his or her or their comeuppance, give (someone) a
taste of his or her or their own medicine: He found ways to
revenge himself on them for all that they had done to him.

revenue n. (gross) income, proceeds, receipts, return(s), yield,
interest, takings, net (income), gate; profits, gain, Colloq
chiefly US take: The revenue from the drugs operation must run
into billions.

revere v. adore, adulate, reverence, venerate, worship, idolize,
enshrine, sanctify, beatify, glorify, esteem, admire, respect,
honour: He was revered as the founding father of British
psychology.

reverence n. 1 honour, respect, esteem, admiration, glorification,
beatification, sanctification, idolization, worship, veneration,
adulation, adoration, homage, fealty, obeisance, deference, awe:
Their totalitarian discipline was able to succeed because of the
people's reverence for authority.

--v. 2 See revere, above.


reverie n. day-dream, fantasy, brown study, wool-gathering,
absent-mindedness; meditation, thought: I shouldn't disturb
Kevin - he's deep in a reverie.


reversal n. 1 reverse, turn-about, turn-round, U-turn, change,
volte-face, (complete) switch, Brit about-turn, US about-face:
This represents a reversal of former policy, doesn't it? 2 See
reverse, 8, below. 3 annulment, nullification, nulling,
cancellation, revocation, repeal, rescission: The present case
is an appeal against the reversal of an earlier judgement.

reverse adj. 1 opposite, contrary, inverse, converse; inverted, upside
down, mirror, reversed, backward: Now try turning the wheel in

the reverse direction. What appears on the retina is a reverse
image, which the brain inverts.

--v. 2 invert, overturn, turn upside down, turn topsy-turvy,
turn over, up-end; exchange, change, interchange, transpose:
Using your finger to keep the mercury from running out, reverse
the tube in the dish of mercury. Perhaps the car will start if
you reverse the leads to the battery. 3 overturn, overthrow,
upset, set aside, quash, override, annul, nullify, vacate,
abandon, revoke, negate, veto, declare null and void, disaffirm,
invalidate, cancel, repeal, rescind, overrule, countermand,
undo: The superior tribunal reversed the decision of the
lower-court judge. 4 alter, change, modify; renounce, recant,
take back: Reverse the polarity of the wiring. I reversed my
opinion after hearing her sing. 5 back up, move or go backwards
or US also backward, backtrack, Nautical make sternway: You
will be in the right spot if you reverse a yard or two.

--n. 6 opposite, contrary, converse, antithesis: Whatever she
tells you, I suggest you do the reverse. 7 back, rear, wrong
side, verso, underside; flip side, B-side; tail side: Read what
it says on the reverse. 8 set-back, disappointment, misfortune,
reversal, mishap, misadventure, trouble, problem, difficulty,
vicissitude, adversity, defeat; disaster, catastrophe, d‚bacle,
rout, Colloq washout: We suffered a temporary reverse or two in
business, but we're all right now. United suffered a humiliating
reverse against Wanderers in the cup last week.

revert v. return, come or go back, take or pick up again, lapse,
backslide, regress, relapse, retreat: He reverted to his old
beliefs about male superiority.

review v. 1 survey, examine, regard, look at, study, con, consider,
weigh, inspect, look over, scrutinize: Would you be good enough
to review the work of the new employees? She is coming to
review the troops this weekend. 2 re-examine, reconsider, go
over again, look at or over again, reassess: Billings reviewed
once more all the bad things he had done in his lifetime. 3
criticize, critique, assess, judge, evaluate, give one's opinion
of, comment on or upon, discuss: Who reviewed your latest book?

--n. 4 criticism, critique, review article, assessment,
judgement, evaluation, commentary, study, comment, notice: The

play received rave reviews from almost all the critics. 5
survey, examination, study, consideration, inspection, scrutiny,
analysis; reviewing, reading: After a detailed review of the
circumstances, we have decided to let you off easy this time,
Finnegan. 6 re-examination, reconsideration, rehashing or
rehash, post-mortem, reassessment, rethinking, rethink: Why do
you always insist on a review of all the bidding on every hand,
whenever we play bridge? 7 periodical, journal, magazine: Have
you read Stonehouse's article in the latest Birmingham Review?
8 parade, procession, array, cavalcade, march past, fly-past or
chiefly US flyover: A great naval review was held at Spithead.

revise v. 1 edit, emend, improve, correct, rectify, modify, revamp,
redact, rework, overhaul, update; rewrite: A revised edition of
the dictionary has been published every ten years. 2 alter,
change, amend: Since hearing him sing, I have been forced to
revise my taste in music.

revision n. editing, revising, emendation, improvement, correction,
rectification, modification, revamping, reappraisal,
re-examination, reinterpretation, reassessment, redaction,
reworking, overhaul, overhauling, updating, update; rewrite,
edition, version, rendition: Her revision of the text is based
on a newly discovered manuscript. The fourth revision will be
available next April.

revival n. 1 resurrection, resuscitation, renewal, restoration,
revitalization, resurfacing, return, returning: How much more
often we see the revival of out-moded fashions than the
introduction of new ideas! 2 rebirth, renaissance or renascence,
resurgence, awakening, quickening, reanimation: Do you regard
the current trend towards fundamentalism as a genuine revival of
religion? 3 recovery, improvement, increase, upsurge, upturn,
boost, upswing, advance, advancement, progress, rise,
escalation, Colloq pick-up, comeback: This week saw a revival
in the metals market.

revive v. 1 (re)awaken, wake (up), come or bring (a)round, waken,
resuscitate; recover, (re)gain consciousness: Dashing cold
water in his face revived him at once. I revived to find her
leaning over me. 2 reawaken, stir up again, renew, resume,
reopen, refresh: You can blame Andy for reviving the feud
between our families. 3 bring back, reactivate, renew,

resurrect, re-establish, resume, reopen, revitalize, breathe
life into, reinvigorate, rejuvenate: Perhaps we ought to revive
the practice of putting hooligans, vandals, and delinquents into
stocks in the market square.


revoke v. cancel, deny, invalidate, annul, declare null and void,
void, nullify, negate, repudiate, renounce, rescind, repeal,
recall, recant, quash, veto, set aside, abrogate, abolish,
withdraw, take back, retract: He warned that if they refused to
comply with local authority rulings he had the power to revoke
their licence.

revolt n. 1 rebellion, revolution, uprising, mutiny, insurrection,
coup d'‚tat, putsch, take-over: The council ordered the secret
police to suppress the revolt.

--v. 2 rebel, rise up, mutiny; protest, dissent: After years
of oppression, the people revolted and deposed their leaders. 3
repel, offend, disgust, shock, horrify, repulse, nauseate,
sicken: I was revolted by the poverty and sickness I saw in
that country.

revolting adj. disgusting, sickening, nauseating, nauseous,
stomach-turning, stomach-churning, vomit-provoking, sick-making,
foul, loathsome, abhorrent, horrid, horrible, nasty, vile,
obnoxious, repulsive, appalling, abominable, repellent,
offensive, objectionable, off-putting, beastly, gross, rotten,
rancid, inedible, disagreeable, unpleasant, Slang icky, yucky:
Rick served up some revolting mess for dinner and then took
offence when we didn't eat it.

revolution
n. 1 mutiny, revolt, rebellion, coup (d'‚tat), uprising,
insurgency, insurrection, putsch, take-over, overthrow: If the
government fails to ensure that the people have food, there will
be a revolution. 2 upheaval, cataclysm, transformation, (drastic
or radical or major) change, sea change, metamorphosis: Recent
successes of capitalism have sparked a revolution in the
political philosophies of communist nations. 3 rotation, turn,
orbit, circuit, spin, lap, round, cycle, circle, gyration;
wheel, whirl, pirouette: At each revolution of the gear (A ) ,
the ratchet (B ) moves one notch. The rapid revolutions of the
ice-skater dissolved her into a blur of colour.


revolutionary
adj. 1 mutinous, rebellious, insurgent, insurrectionist,
insurrectionary, radical, rebel, seditious, subversive: They
had dreamed for years of the revolutionary overthrow of the
government. 2 novel, innovative, creative, new, different,
original, avant-garde: The firm hopes that its revolutionary
new product will make a clean sweep in the market-place.


--n. 3 rebel, mutineer, insurgent, insurrectionist,
insurrectionary, revolutionist, sansculotte or sansculottist,
anarchist, radical, extremist, terrorist: In his younger days
at university, Charles fancied himself a revolutionary, without
quite knowing what he might rebel against.


revolve v. 1 spin, turn, pivot, rotate, gyrate, whirl, twirl, reel,
wheel, go (a)round, circle, cycle, orbit; swivel: As the earth
revolves on its axis, the moon revolves round the earth. 2 turn,
depend, pivot, rely: His decision to buy a new car revolves on
his finances. 3 turn over (in one's mind), ponder, weigh,
consider, meditate upon or on, think about, reflect upon or on,
ruminate over or on, chew over, contemplate: I have been
revolving in my mind your most attractive proposal, but I regret
I must turn it down.


revolver n. pistol, gun, side-arm, firearm, Chiefly US and Canadian
handgun, Colloq US six-gun, six-shooter, Slang US rod, gat,
roscoe, piece, Saturday-night special, shooting-iron: How do
you explain the fact that your fingerprints were found on the
revolver with which she was shot?

revulsion n. loathing, detestation, disgust, repugnance, abomination,
abhorrence, aversion, hatred, antipathy, odium, execration: I
cannot describe the revulsion I felt at seeing those elephants
slaughtered for their ivory.

reward n. 1 award, favour, recompense, compensation, return, payment,
pay, requital: For your good deeds you will have to seek your
reward in heaven; dishonesty is recompensed here on earth. 2
prize, award, tribute, honour, Literary guerdon: The Victoria
Cross was instituted as a reward for military valour in 1856. 3
retribution, punishment, just deserts, Colloq comeuppance:
Hanging was the reward of treason.


--v. 4 recompense, compensate, pay, repay, remunerate, redress,
requite, make (something or it) worth someone's while: Only if
they reward him will Fuller give information leading to the
capture of the thief.

rewarding adj. satisfying, gratifying, worthwhile, enriching, enriched,
fruitful, worthwhile; profitable, advantageous, productive,
gainful: Laurence says that his most rewarding experience has
been seeing his children again.

reword v. paraphrase, rephrase, put into different words, put another
way, express differently, revise, recast, rewrite: Perhaps if
you reworded your request in politer terms it might get more
sympathetic consideration.

18.3 rhapsodic...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



rhapsodic adj. rhapsodical, ecstatic, enthusiastic, elated, overjoyed,
effusive, rapturous, thrilled, blissful, transported, orgasmic,
intoxicated, euphoric, walking on air, delighted, intoxicated,
happy as a sandboy, happy as a pig in clover, (sitting) on top
of the world, Brit in the seventh heaven, US in seventh heaven,
happy as a cow in clover, Taboo slang US happy as a pig in shit:
What kind of society have we that is scornful of intellect and
rhapsodic about celebrities?


rhetoric n. 1 eloquence, expressiveness, elocution, way with words,
Colloq gift of the gab: His rhetoric, though it defied
analysis, exactly reflected the emotions of the Labour movement.
2 bombast, bluster, fustian, rodomontade, grandiloquence,
magniloquence, oratory, windiness, high-flown poppycock,
wordiness, sesquipedality, verbosity, prolixity,
long-windedness, turgidity, flatulence, gasconade, Colloq hot
air, puffery: Her threats are mere rhetoric and I refuse to
take notice of them.


rhetorical
adj. 1 stylistic, linguistic, poetic, expressive, oratorical:
Zeugma, hysteron proteron, and anacoluthon are all terms for
rhetorical devices. 2 artificial, contrived, for effect,

unanswerable, not literal: The question, 'Why don't you drop
dead', was purely rhetorical. 3 pretentious, bombastic,
flamboyant, extravagant, florid, fustian, high-flown, inflated,
grandiose, euphuistic, turgid, grandiloquent, magniloquent,
long-winded, windy, orotund, wordy, prolix, sesquipedalian,
Colloq highfalutin or hifalutin: The rhetorical style of
Crampton's parliamentary speeches appear to be doing the party
more harm than good.


rhyme n. 1 rime, poem, poetry, verse, versification, metrical
composition, song: The art of rhyme may well be coincident with
the earliest stages of language. 2 rhyme or reason. (common)
sense, logic, intelligence, meaning, wisdom, rationality,
rationale, soundness, organization, structure: There appears to
be no rhyme or reason behind the bombing of the library.

rhythm n. tempo, beat, cadence or cadency, throb, throbbing, accent,
accentuation, time, timing, stress or rhythmic(al) pattern,
measure, metre, pulse, lilt, Music downbeat, thesis, upbeat,
arsis: The song is in samba rhythm.

rhythmic adj. rhythmical, measured, cadenced, throbbing, pulsing,
pulsating, regular, steady, beating: The rhythmic sound of the
waves soon sent me to sleep.


18.4 ribaldry...
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ribaldry n. vulgarity, immodesty, indelicacy, indecency, coarseness,
bawdiness, earthiness, wantonness, raciness, naughtiness,
shamelessness, lustfulness, rakishness, rascality,
dissoluteness, lubricity, lasciviousness, looseness, scurrility
or scurrilousness, lewdness, salaciousness, licentiousness,
grossness, offensiveness, rankness, rudeness, smuttiness, smut,
dirt, filth, foulness, obscenity: The ribaldry of some of
Chaucer's tales makes them not altogether suitable for
schoolchildren.


rich adj. 1 wealthy, affluent, prosperous, well-to-do, well off,
well provided for, opulent, moneyed, in clover, on velvet,
Colloq flush, loaded, on Easy Street, rolling in it or money or
wealth, in the chips or the dough or the money, well-heeled, US

well-fixed: A year ago Montmorency was a rich man, but that was
before Blue Thursday on the Stock Exchange. 2 Sometimes, rich
in. abundant (in), overflowing (with), fertile (in), fecund
(in), productive (of), copious (in), abounding in, well supplied
(with), well stocked (with), rife (with), replete (with),
profuse (in or with): The rich prairie land was soon yielding
abundant harvests. The surrounding mountains were rich in
minerals of all kinds. 3 valuable, precious, invaluable,
priceless: For centuries the islanders have enjoyed the rich
bounty of the seas. The thieves who broke into the vaults got a
rich haul. 4 costly, expensive, dear, valuable, invaluable,
precious, priceless, lavish, sumptuous, lush, luxurious,
palatial, elaborate, splendid, exquisite, superb, elegant: The
caravans returned laden with rich treasures of the Orient -
silks, jewels, spices, rare woods, and other luxuries. 5
intense, dark, deep, warm, vibrant, strong, lustrous: At the
rajah's court the rich colours of the carpets and hangings
dazzle the eye. 6 fat, fattening, heavy, creamy, succulent,
savoury, mouth-watering, luscious, sapid, delicious: When Vicky
complained that her sweet was too rich, Arthur ate hers, too. 7
mellow, mellifluous, resonant, sonorous, full: Edgar's rich
basso filled the cavernous amphitheatre. 8 aromatic, ambrosial,
savoury, fragrant, redolent, pungent, strong: The house was
filled with the rich odour of freshly made coffee. 9
productive, plentiful, abundant, ample, bountiful, prolific,
fruitful, fertile, fecund, copious, profitable, potent: The
letters proved a rich source of intimate details about their
private life. 10 laughable, funny, hilarious, comic(al),
humorous, amusing, Colloq side-splitting: He had many rich
anecdotes to relate about the practical jokes they used to play
on one another. 11 ridiculous, preposterous, outlandish,
ludicrous, absurd, nonsensical: One particularly rich episode
involved a chimpanzee.


riches n.pl. wealth, affluence, opulence, plenty, prosperity,
abundance, fortune, means, resources; lucre, pelf: It was
rumoured that the family had acquired its apparently endless
riches in the slave trade, in the 18th century.


richly adv. 1 sumptuously, lavishly, luxuriously, splendidly,
elaborately, exquisitely, elegantly, superbly: The flat was
richly appointed with Chinese antiques, thick oriental carpets,
and silk hangings. 2 well, thoroughly, amply, fully,

appropriately, fittingly, condignly: Shirley's work was at last
given the recognition it so richly deserved.

rickety adj. wobbly, unsteady, broken-down, decrepit, shaky, tottering,
teetering, ramshackle, flimsy, frail, precarious, dilapidated,
in disrepair, tumbledown, unsecure: Don't put such a heavy lamp
on that rickety table!

rid v. 1 rid of. deliver from, relieve of, free from or of, rescue,
save: What can we do to rid ourselves of that appalling smell?

--adj. 2 be or get rid of. banish, exile, eject, expel, dispose
of, throw out or away, eliminate, dispense with; refuse, reject,
dismiss, shrug off: If she had wanted to be rid of him, she
would have divorced him long ago. I am having a spot of bother
trying to get rid of my old car: nobody wants to buy it.

-ridden adj. afflicted or harassed or affected or dominated by,
infected or infested with: They were shocked when they first
came to this drought-ridden province of Northern Ethiopia. Only
foreign aid can salvage the debt-ridden economy of this state.

riddleฐ n. conundrum, puzzle, enigma, poser, question, mystery,
problem, brain-teaser or Brit brain-twister: The cracker
contained a whistle, paper hat, and the inevitable riddle.

riddle v. 1 perforate, pepper, puncture, pierce, honeycomb: The back
of the bookcase was riddled with tiny worm-holes. 2 penetrate,
infest, infect, pervade, permeate, fill, spread: An
investigation revealed that the entire department was riddled
with corruption.

--n. 3 sieve, colander or cullender, strainer, grating, screen,
sifter, filter: He shovelled the dirt through the riddle to
sift out the larger stones.

ride v. 1 sit on or in, travel or journey or go or proceed on or in,
be borne or carried or conveyed (on or in), take; propel or
control or drive (a horse or a bicycle or a motor cycle): They
ride the bus to work each day. The film began with a witch
riding a broomstick. Do you know how to ride a motor bike? 2
float, lie: The yacht is riding at anchor off Portsmouth. 3
tyrannize, terrorize, intimidate, dominate, oppress; bully, rag,

harry, harass, hector, nag, provoke, heckle, badger, plague,
pester, annoy, irritate, Colloq hassle: He has been ridden by
obsessive ambition all his life.


--n. 4 drive, journey, trip, excursion, tour, jaunt, outing,
expedition, Colloq spin: Let's go for a ride in the country! 5
take for a ride. a delude, swindle, trick, deceive, defraud,
humbug, defraud, gull, take in, cheat, bamboozle: Those
tricksters with the loaded dice certainly took Charlie for a
ride last night! b (kidnap and) murder or kill or execute or do
in, Slang bump off, US (snatch and) rub out or waste: They said
that if he identified them, they would take him for a ride.

ridge n. crest, line, strip, top edge, arˆte: The mountain ridge was
partly obscured by clouds.

ridicule n. 1 derision, deriding, jeer, jeering, taunt, taunting,
mockery, mocking, gibe or jibe, gibing or jibing, raillery,
Colloq ribbing, US and Canadian razzing, joshing: Nick was
often subjected to ridicule because of his outlandish clothes.

--v. 2 deride, jeer at, taunt, tease, mock, gibe or jibe, guy,
chaff, laugh at, caricature, poke fun at, make fun or sport of,
lampoon, burlesque, travesty, parody, make a laughing-stock
(of), Colloq rib, roast, Brit send up, take the mickey out of,
US and Canadian razz, josh: In a democracy, it is an
inalienable right of the people to ridicule their leaders and
government.


ridiculous
adj. absurd, laughable, preposterous, weird, comical, funny,
humorous, ludicrous, farcical, droll, amusing, mirthful,
hilarious, side-splitting, risible; silly, inane, nonsensical,
foolish, stupid, outlandish, bizarre, grotesque, queer, crazy,
insane, zany, wild, Slang far-out: You look absolutely
ridiculous in that outfit! Where did she ever get the ridiculous
notion that she would marry a prince?

riff-raff n. rabble, hoi polloi, ragtag and bobtail, scum, canaille,
masses, dregs (of society), Colloq great unwashed: I am shocked
that you continue your membership in a club to which riff-raff
like Trevor Barnes belong.

rifle v. 1 rob, loot, ransack, plunder, despoil, burgle, pillage, US
burglarize: We caught the man who had rifled the till. 2
search, ransack, go through, rummage through: She rifled
through the files till the will was found.


rift n. 1 separation, break, split, schism, cleft, gulf, gap;
disagreement, conflict, disruption, difference, breach,
break-up, division, distance, alienation: The continued
bitterness served only to intensify the rift between them. 2
tear, rent, opening, hole, crack, chink, crevice, cleavage,
fracture, flaw, fault: Water was pouring through an
ever-widening rift in the dam.

rig v. 1 Often, rig out or up. fit (out or up), equip, set up,
outfit, supply, provision, accoutre or US also accouter,
caparison, set up, Chiefly Brit kit out: Good Sports was the
shop that rigged us out completely for our Himalayan climbing
expedition. 2 falsify, manipulate, doctor, juggle, fix, tamper
with, fake, Colloq fiddle (with), cook: The accountants rigged
the books to make the company appear profitable enough to merit
a bank loan.

--n. 3 equipment, equipage, gear, tackle, apparatus, outfit,
kit, accoutrements or US also accouterments, paraphernalia,
appurtenances, Colloq things, stuff: It cost a fortune to
transport his diving rig by plane.

right adj. 1 just, moral, good, proper, correct, legal, lawful,
licit, honest, upright, righteous, virtuous, ethical, fair,
true, honourable, right-minded, principled, open, above-board:
There is no doubt in my mind that Simon can be relied on to do
the right thing. 2 correct, fitting, suitable, proper, accurate,
exact, precise, perfect; factual, truthful, veracious, valid,
sound, Colloq Brit bang on, spot on: Have you bought the right
kind of nail to go into plaster? Jennie had nine right answers
out of ten. How many of yours are right? 3 propitious,
convenient, strategic, advantageous, beneficial, favourable,
auspicious, preferred, preferable, promising: It is critical
for the mixture to reach the boiling point at exactly the right
time. 4 sound, sane, normal, rational, lucid, healthy: Is she
right in the head, letting him drive in his condition? 5
right-hand, dextral, dexter, Nautical starboard: In the United
Kingdom, drivers sit on the right side. 6 rightist, right-wing,

conservative, reactionary, Tory: The right wing of the liberal
party is not so very different from the left wing of the
conservatives. 7 face, upper, principal, front: Have you laid
the tablecloth right side up? 8 utter, complete, perfect,
unmitigated, unalloyed, out-and-out, thorough, thoroughgoing,
24-carat or esp. US 24-karat, dyed in the wool, pure, absolute,
real, Brit proper: I've been a right idiot not to realize that
he loved only her.


--n. 9 privilege, prerogative, licence, power, claim, title,
freedom, liberty: We must allow nothing to interfere with our
democratic rights, such as our right to vote. 10 justice,
reason, fact, truth, fairness, equity, good, goodness,
integrity, virtue, virtuousness, honesty, honourableness,
morality, propriety, rectitude, right-mindedness,
high-mindedness, nobility, uprightness: He believes that he has
right on his side. 11 right side or hand or fist, Nautical
starboard: She stood on his right. She gave him a quick right
to the jaw. 12 by rights. properly, fairly, justly, to be just,
to be fair, in fairness, honestly, in all honesty, to be honest:
By rights, because I paid for it, the house is mine.

--adv. 13 directly, straight, straightaway, right away or off,
in a beeline, as the crow flies, forthwith; unhesitatingly,
immediately, promptly, at once, instantly, without hesitating or
hesitation, without delay, quickly, swiftly, speedily, Colloq
pronto, straight off: The minute he walked into the room, he
went right to the wall-safe. Please come over right now. 14
exactly, precisely, unerringly, accurately; just: She hung the
paintings right where they belonged. 15 just, only: I stopped
right now - when you walked in. 16 well, satisfactorily,
advantageously, profitably, favourably, opportunely: I hope
that everything turns out right for you. 17 correctly,
accurately, properly, precisely, well, sensibly, fittingly,
suitably, aptly: If you can't do it right, why bother doing it
at all!

--v. 18 straighten (up or out), set upright or aright: I
righted all the chairs the children had knocked over. 19 put or
set or make right, put or set to rights, correct, straighten
out, redress, amend, make up for, rectify, sort out, repair,
fix: She has always felt that her mission in life was to right
wrongs. 20 avenge, retaliate for, vindicate, repay, revenge,

settle, Colloq get even for: Langdon swore that he would right
the injury done to his father's name.

righteous adj. 1 moral, just, virtuous, upstanding, upright, good,
honest, ethical, honourable, fair, reputable, trustworthy: He
insists that his father was a righteous man who had been
unjustly accused. 2 right, correct, justifiable, justified,
appropriate, condign, fitting, apt, self-righteous: Her
righteous indignation at being criticized stems from her
overweening pride.

rightful adj. 1 legal, lawful, legitimate, licit, de jure, correct,
proper, bona fide, valid, true, authorized, right: If the deed
is in his name, then he is the rightful owner. 2 just, fair,
equitable, right: Emily has supported rightful causes all her
life.

rigid adj. 1 stiff, unbending, unbendable, firm, hard, strong: Are
those brackets rigid enough to support such a heavy shelf? 2
inflexible, inelastic, unyielding, undeviating, unalterable,
set, firm, hard, adamant, hard-line, unbending, adamantine,
steely, iron, strong, uncompromising, rigorous, unrelenting,
intransigent, stringent, severe, strict, rigorous, stern, harsh,
austere: Frank is known to favour rigid discipline in the
classroom. 3 rigorous, exact, precise, unwavering, unqualified,
unswerving, undeviating, demanding, strict, hard and fast,
literal, nice, close, thorough, scrupulous, careful,
conscientious, painstaking, meticulous, punctilious, exacting,
strait-laced: Rigid observance of the regulations produced the
desired results. Pinwell's rigid parsimony met little favour
from his family. 4 obstinate, stubborn, pigheaded, inflexible,
immovable, adamant, adamantine, fixed, set, obdurate, wilful,
headstrong, dogged, persevering, determined, resolute,
steadfast, resolved, tenacious, relentless, unrelenting,
uncompromising, unadaptable, mulish, close-minded: Candida
remained rigid in her opposition to birth control.

rigmarole n. rigamarole, motions, complication(s), formalities, red tape,
bureaucracy, punctilio, ceremoniousness, ceremony, ritual,
procedure, mess, mumbo-jumbo, gobbledegook or gobbledygook,
bunkum or buncombe, bother, balderdash, rubbish, nonsense,
foolishness, Colloq hassle, bunk, Slang crap, US meshugaas or
mishegaas: Why must one go through such a rigmarole just to get

a driving licence?

rigour n. 1 Usually, rigours. severity, harshness, hardship,
inhospitableness, bleakness, inclemency or inclementness,
bitterness, cold: I am not sure that my grandmother can endure
the rigours of another Scottish winter. 2 strictness, rigidity,
precision, preciseness, punctilio, literalness, exactness,
meticulousness, stringency, inflexibility, rigorism, harshness,
severity, hardship, asperity, austerity, sternness: If you work
with radioactive materials, safety regulations must be observed
with rigour. The rigour of monastic life has toughened him over
the years.

rim n. edge, brim, lip, border, periphery, perimeter: To make a
margarita, you first coat the rim of a cocktail glass with
coarse salt.

rind n. peel, skin, husk: Cut the thin outer part of the rind of a
lemon into thin strips and soak them in brandy.


ringฐ n. 1 loop, hoop, band, circle, ringlet, circlet, annulus,
grommet, eyelet, quoit, noose, cincture, belt, girdle, cestus or
cestos, border, halo, aureole, nimbus, corona, cuff, collar,
necklace, neckband, bandeau, fillet, bracelet, armlet, torque or
torc, crown, coronet, tiara, diadem, (laurel-)wreath, garland,
Mechanics gland, bearing, US and Canadian bushing or Brit also
bush, washer, O-ring, Nautical thimble, Architecture and
heraldry annulet, Literary roundlet, Anatomy cingulum: The
rings brought up from the wreck of the ancient Greek trading
vessel are worth a great deal. 2 rink, enclosure, arena, circus,
bullring, Spanish plaza de toros, boxing ring: I would no
sooner get into the ring with him than with a bull! 3 circle,
organization, gang, band, pack, cell, team, crew, confederacy,
confederation, combination, cartel, mob, bloc, coterie, set,
clan, clique, fraternity, brotherhood, sorority, sisterhood,
guild, (secret) society, junta or junto, cabal, faction, group,
league, alliance, federation, coalition, union, affiliation,
camorra, camarilla, Bund: She was running an international ring
of jewel thieves who worked only in the most exclusive resorts.


--v. 4 encircle, surround, bind, gird, girt, circle; loop,
compass, envelop, encompass, embrace: The swimming-pool is
ringed with dense shrubbery. After the vase is fired, I intend

to ring the base with a gold band.

ring v. 1 peal, chime, toll, knell, tintinnabulate, ding-dong, gong,
sound, resonate, resound, echo, re-echo, reverberate; clang,
jangle; tinkle, clink, jingle, ding-a-ling, ring-a-ding-ding,
Archaic or dialect knoll: The bells rang out their joyous
announcement of peace on earth. 2 telephone, ring up, phone,
call, give (someone) a ring, Colloq (give (someone) a) buzz,
give (someone) a tinkle, get (someone) on the blower or horn, US
(give (someone) a) jingle: I'll ring you when I am next in
town.

--n. 3 ringing, peal, pealing, chime, chiming, toll, tolling,
tintinnabulation, knell, sounding, resonating, echo, echoing,
re-echo, re-echoing, reverberation, reverberating; clang,
clanging, jangle, jangling; tinkle, tinkling, clink, clinking,
jingle, jingling, ding-a-ling, ring-a-ding-ding, Archaic or
dialect knoll: I couldn't hear the ring at the door because the
water was running. 4 (telephone or phone) call, Colloq buzz,
tinkle, US jingle: Don't forget to give your mother a ring on
Sunday.

rinse v. 1 wash (out or off), wash up, clean, cleanse, bathe, drench,
flood, flush, irrigate, Chiefly Brit swill (out), Literary lave:
Use plenty of fresh water to rinse all the soap out of the
clothes. 2 tint, dye, touch up, highlight: The hairdresser
rinsed a little blue into Martine's greying hair.

--n. 3 rinsing, wash, washing, bath, bathing, cleaning,
cleansing, ablution, drenching, flood, flushing, irrigation,
Medicine lavage, Literary laving: The softening agent should be
added in the final rinse. 4 tint, dye: I had no idea that she
used a rinse - I thought her hair was naturally reddish.


riot n. 1 rioting, riotous behaviour, disturbance, uproar, tumult,
turmoil, (civil) disorder, lawlessness, hubbub, rumpus,
turbulence, fracas, fray, affray, mˆl‚e or melee, pandemonium,
Donnybrook, brawl, row, unrest, commotion, bother, imbroglio,
outburst, anarchy, disruption, violence, strife, Colloq ruckus,
ruction, to-do, do, Brit bovver, punch-up: The government is
unable to quell the food riots, which have become more frequent
and more violent. 2 funny person or woman or man, comedian or
comedienne, hilarious event or bit or shtick or thing or piece

of business, Colloq gas, US panic, laugh-riot: Benny's closing
routine with the model is an absolute riot.

--v. 3 mount the barricades, take to the streets, rebel,
revolt, create or cause a disturbance, brawl, fight, (go on the
or US also a) rampage, run riot, storm: The prisoners rioted to
protest against the crowded conditions.

riotous adj. 1 tumultuous, unrestrained, wild, noisy, uncontrolled,
uncontrollable, unmanageable, chaotic, disorderly, disordered,
lawless, turbulent, violent, brawling, obstreperous: The
headmaster warned that he would not tolerate such riotous
behaviour. 2 rowdy, boisterous, unruly, uproarious, rollicking,
roisterous, wild, rumbustious, unrestrained, uninhibited,
Archaic robustious, Colloq rambunctious, no-holds-barred:
Bernard's retirement party was certainly a riotous affair.

rip v. 1 tear (apart or asunder), rend, be torn or rent, split, cut
(apart): I ripped my trousers on that nail. The paper ripped
because you yanked it out of my hand. 2 rip off. a steal,
purloin, rob, snatch, pilfer, filch, take, shoplift, Colloq
pinch, Brit nick, Slang lift, swipe, US boost, promote: They
broke into my car and ripped off my tape deck. b cheat,
swindle, trick, fleece, bilk, dupe, deceive; defraud, embezzle,
Colloq con, bamboozle, Slang skin, gyp, rook: A smooth couple
got œ100 by using the old 'stuffed wallet' trick to rip me off.

--n. 3 tear, rent, split, gash, slash; rift, cleft, rupture:
The vandals tore a foot-long rip in the top of my new
convertible.

ripe adj. 1 mature, matured, seasoned, (fully) grown,
(well-)ripened, developed, mellow, ready, fit, US (fully) aged,
well-aged: The grapes are ripe for picking. 2 prepared, ready,
fit, appropriate, experienced, veteran, seasoned, sage, wise,
sophisticated, mature, informed, qualified, dependable,
reliable: Henry is ripe in judgement and understanding. 3 ripe
for. a timely, opportune, propitious, favourable, auspicious,
ideal, right, suitable, apt, proper, suitably advanced: Is the
time yet ripe for another revival of Heartbreak House ? b
ready, eager, enthusiastic, prepared, fit, ready, in readiness:
The mob is ripe for revolt.

ripen v. develop, mature, age, season, maturate, bring or come to
maturity; perfect: The peaches need another day to ripen.

rip-off n. 1 stealing, purloining, robbing, pilfering, taking,
filching, pilferage, theft, robbery, larceny; shoplifting,
Colloq pinching, Brit nicking, Slang lifting, swiping, US
boosting: The rip-off of books from the library is a disgrace.
2 swindle, confidence trick, swindling, cheating, cheat, fraud,
deception, defrauding, defalcation; embezzlement, Colloq con
(job or trick): A husband-and-wife team are being sought for
executing a rip-off of thousands from the Outland Bank using a
forged letter of credit. 3 overcharging, exploitation, Colloq
highway or chiefly Brit daylight robbery: It's a rip-off to
charge two pounds for something that costs only three pence to
make.

ripping adj. Rather archaic fine, splendid, marvellous, excellent,
exciting, thrilling, stirring, spine-tingling: Buchan and Henty
and Haggard all wrote ripping adventure novels.


ripple n. 1 wavelet, wave, ruffle, ruffling, cat's-paw, purl, purling,
undulation, US riffle, riffling: There wasn't even the
slightest breath of air to cause a ripple on the mirror-like
surface of the lake. 2 (slight) disturbance, upset,
perturbation, agitation, flurry, flutter, suggestion, hint,
soup‡on: The divorce occasioned only a ripple of dissent in the
royal family.

--v. 3 ruffle, purl, undulate, wave; splash, wash, US riffle:
I sat musing, watching the water ripple over the stones in the
brook.

rise v. 1 get up, arise, stand (up), get to one's feet, Brit be
upstanding: All rise when the judge enters the court. 2 get
up, arise, awaken, waken, wake up, start or begin the day,
Nautical or colloq hit the deck, Colloq turn out: We usually
rise at about six o'clock. 3 ascend, be elevated, arise, climb,
lift, go up, mount: The smoke slowly, almost furtively, rose
from the camp-fire into the still night air. The morning star
can be seen tomorrow rising in the sky just before dawn. Some of
those skyscrapers rise to a height of 110 storeys. 4 Often, rise
(up) (against). rebel, revolt, mutiny, kick over the traces,
take up arms, mount the barricades, take to the streets: If the

food shortages persist, the people are sure to rise up and
overthrow the present regime. 5 swell, flood, increase, grow;
wax: Owing to the heavy rains, the river is rising rapidly. 6
slant or incline or slope (upwards), ascend, climb, go uphill:
The path rises steeply just beyond the cwm. 7 fly, take flight,
take wing, take to the air, take off, arise, lift, climb, soar,
mount: At the roar of the gun, tens of thousands of flamingoes
rose from the lakes. 8 advance, improve one's lot or position,
progress, get ahead, go or get somewhere, succeed, make
something of oneself, be promoted, prosper, thrive, make good,
Colloq make it, make the grade, go places: Fielding could well
have risen in the company had his attitude been different. 9
start, begin, originate, arise, occur, happen, take place: I
cannot explain how so much bad feeling rose between us. 10
increase, be elevated or lifted or boosted, grow, go up, move
upwards, climb, escalate, ascend, snowball: When interest rates
rise, they contribute to the inflation that raising them was
supposed to reduce. 11 arise, be nurtured, be produced, be
generated, be created, spring up, be engendered: The feelings
that rose within him were spurred on by sheer hatred of the man.
12 rise to. a arise, come up, meet, be equal to, prove adequate
to: If you need a good man, you can count on Michael to rise to
the occasion. b come to get, take, swallow, react to, respond
to, succumb to, be tempted by: Sue rose to the bait of a
company car and accepted our offer.

--n. 13 ascent, hill, hillock, knoll, eminence, prominence,
elevation, upland, highland, (upward) slope or incline,
acclivity, US upgrade: As we climbed a slight rise, we saw the
mountains gleaming in the distance. 14 increase, increment,
gain, addition: In return for only a slight rise in wages, they
are being asked to take on much more responsibility. 15 ascent,
ascension, elevation, flight, climb, take-off: The balloon's
rise was suddenly halted when the basket caught in a tree. 16
get or Brit also take a rise out of (someone). provoke,
stimulate, incite, instigate, foment, goad, encourage, press,
push, shake up, waken, awaken, move, motivate, activate,
agitate, stir (up), inflame, impassion: We finally got a rise
out of Sidney by threatening to charge him for cleaning his
room. 17 give rise to. start, engender, generate, begin,
commence, produce, bring out, cause, bring about, bring into
being: We never discovered what gave rise to Tom's dislike of
dogs.


risk n. 1 danger, peril, jeopardy, hazard, chance, gamble: I would
take up skydiving, but my mother won't let me because of the
risk.


--v. 2 endanger, imperil, jeopardize, hazard, chance, gamble:
Would you really risk all your money on one roll of the dice?

risky adj. dangerous, perilous, hazardous, chancy, touch-and-go,
precarious, Colloq iffy, dicey, dodgy, touchy: Futures trading
is a very risky business, as many have discovered to their
dismay.

risqu‚ adj. indelicate, unrefined, indecorous, indecent, improper,
broad, naughty, spicy, salty, off colour, racy, bawdy, erotic,
suggestive, wicked, blue, ribald, daring, salacious, gross,
Colloq Brit near the knuckle: Some of those photographs of
beauty contest queens are pretty risqu‚.


rite n. ceremony, ritual, ceremonial, observance, formality, custom,
practice, routine, procedure, solemnity, solemnization, liturgy:
This weekend I have to perform the annual rite of having tea
with great-aunt Elizabeth at the Ritz.


ritual adj. 1 ceremonial, ceremonious, sacramental: The celebrants
undergo ritual washing before preparing the sacrifice. 2
procedural, formal, conventional, customary, habitual, routine,
prescribed, usual, automatic, perfunctory: Each time they meet,
Harold and Bill have to go through a ritual handshaking routine
- a hangover from their school-days, I think.

--n. 3 formality, routine, custom, practice, convention,
protocol: If everyone goes through this tea-drinking ritual
twice a day, how do you get any work done? 4 See rite, above.


rival n. 1 competitor, opponent, contender, challenger, antagonist,
adversary; opposition: This year there are many formidable
rivals for the championship.


--v. 2 compete with or against, contend with or against,
oppose, challenge, contest, struggle with or against, vie with,
combat, compare with, equal, measure up to, (be a) match (for):
Jan's prowess at tossing the caber rivalled that of anyone else

in Craigie.

rivalry n. competition, competitiveness, contention, vying; dispute,
feud, feuding, conflict, struggle, strife, controversy,
dissension, discord, difference(s): Once again the two local
teams meet in a rivalry that has been traditional for over a
century. It appeared unlikely that the rivalry between the
brothers would be settled amicably.


river n. 1 watercourse, branch, tributary, stream, waterway, estuary,
rivulet, creek, brook, streamlet, runnel, rill, Scots and No.
Eng. burn, Brit beck, US kill: We used to sail our toy boats on
the river here when I was a lad. 2 stream, flood, torrent,
quantity, cataract, flow, cascade: Rivers of sweat poured down
me as I toiled in the humid heat of the jungle.

riveting adj. spellbinding, engrossing, hypnotic, hypnotizing,
transfixing, fascinating, enthralling, gripping, captivating,
absorbing: The programme was absolutely riveting - one of the
best I have ever seen.

18.5 road...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



road n. 1 way, means, approach, route, procedure, technique, method,
passage, street, avenue, course, track, entr‚e, access,
direction: Our researchers arrived at the identical results via
a completely different road. 2 thoroughfare, way, byway,
highway, roadway, high road, low road, avenue, boulevard,
street, lane, alley(way), Brit motorway, carriageway, US
turnpike, expressway, freeway, parkway, throughway or thruway,
German Autobahn, Italian autostrada, French autoroute, Colloq US
pike: The roads are jammed with traffic on Sunday evenings
during the summer.

roam v. wander, rove, ramble, range, walk, drift, dally, dawdle,
cruise, stroll, amble, meander, saunter, stray, prowl,
perambulate, travel, voyage, peregrinate, circumambulate,
traipse, gallivant, jaunt, Colloq mosey, swan: They spent a
year roaming about the continent, staying wherever they pleased.

roar v. 1 bellow, thunder; howl, bawl, squall, cry, yell, yowl; bay,

snarl, growl: A train roared by. The crowd roared appreciation.
A lion roared once in the night. 2 laugh, guffaw, howl (with
laughter), hoot: They fell about roaring when he told the joke
about the egg and the taxi.


--n. 3 roaring, bellow, thunder, rumble, boom; howl, bawl,
squall, cry, yell, yowl, clamour, outcry; snarl, snarling,
growl, growling: The roar of the falls could be heard miles
away. There was a roar of indignation at the proposal. The
beast's roar was enough to strike terror into our hearts. 4
guffaw, outburst, howl, hoot: Everything she said was met by a
roar of laughter from the gallery.

rob v. 1 burgle, loot, rifle, ransack, plunder, depredate, raid;
hijack; pillage, sack; US burglarize, Colloq hold up, Slang
stick up, rip off: They robbed a jeweller's shop last week. 2
prey upon or on, Colloq hold up, mug, Slang chiefly US stick up,
rip off, Chiefly US and New Zealand roll: These hooligans rob
old ladies in the street. 3 rob (someone) (of). deprive (of),
cheat or swindle (out of), defraud (of), strip (of), fleece
(of), bilk (of), victimize, mulct (of), US euchre ((out) of),
Colloq rook ((out) of), do or diddle (out of), gyp (out of),
Slang Brit nobble (of): I was robbed of my last penny by those
confidence men. We were robbed by a taxi driver who offered to
change our money. She robbed me of my self-respect.

robber n. thief, pickpocket, shoplifter, burglar, bandit,
housebreaker, sneak-thief, cat burglar, safe-breaker,
highwayman, gentleman of the road, brigand, pirate, freebooter,
buccaneer, privateer, corsair, Colloq mugger, hold-up man, Slang
cracksman, rip-off artist, safe-cracker, safe-blower, Chiefly US
stick-up man, US second-story or second-storey man: The police
were making every effort to catch the robbers.


robbery n. robbing, theft, thievery, thieving, burglary, burgling,
pilfering, pilferage, stealing, plundering, plunder, looting,
sack, sacking, ransacking, depredation, pillage, pillaging,
hijacking, hijack, larceny, breaking and entering, Colloq
pinching, hold-up, holding up, mugging, Slang rip-off,
ripping-off, Chiefly US stick-up, sticking-up, Brit nicking, US
heist: The robbery of the paintings took place in broad
daylight. The robbery of the shop was aided by a former
employee. The robbery of elderly persons is on the increase.


robe n. 1 cloak, dress, garment, vestment, habit, frock, cassock,
caftan, muu-muu, surplice, bathrobe, dressing-gown, lounging
robe, housecoat, kimono, house-dress, peignoir, wrapper, French
robe de chambre, costume: A woman wearing a green robe came to
the door and asked what I wanted. 2 robes. costume, habit,
uniform, garb, attire, vestments, apparel, raiment, livery,
clothing, garments, outfit, accoutrements or US also
accouterments, regalia, finery, trappings, panoply, gear,
paraphernalia, appurtenances, equipage, rig, Archaic vesture:
She looked absolutely splendid decked out in the full robes of
state.

--v. 3 cloak, garb, dress, cover, enrobe, clothe: The dish
consists of ladyfingers topped with fresh strawberries robed in
chocolate, with whipped cream spread over the top.

robot n. 1 automaton, mechanical man or monster, android: In the
future, much of the drudgery will be taken over by electronic
robots. 2 drudge, clod, tool, puppet, cat's-paw, myrmidon,
mechanical man, automaton: The company has a number of robots
on its payroll who carry out orders without question.

robust adj. 1 healthy, fit, sound, hale (and hearty), sturdy, hardy,
hearty, strong, stout, tough, able-bodied, strapping, brawny,
sinewy, rugged, muscular, powerful, well-knit, athletic,
staunch, vigorous; in fine or good fettle, Colloq husky: Kelly
was such a robust chap one might have thought he'd live forever.
2 pungent, strong, flavourful, sapid, rich, full-bodied, nutty,
fruity: He gave me a glass of an excellent robust tawny port.

rockฐ n. 1 stone; boulder: In the avalanche, the rocks thoroughly
destroyed the ski lodge. 2 crag, tor, escarpment, scarp, Brit
outcrop, US outcropping: We used to go rock climbing when I had
the strength. 3 on the rocks. a on ice: I'd like a whisky on
the rocks, thanks. b in (a) shambles, destroyed, in ruins,
ruined, finished, broken-down, beyond repair: He lost his job
and his marriage went on the rocks. c destitute,
poverty-stricken, indigent, penniless, bankrupt: Unable to find
another job, he's been on the rocks for a year, now.

rock v. 1 sway, swing, lull: Her father used to rock her to sleep
in his arms. 2 roll, reel, lurch, toss, swing, sway, wobble:

The building rocked so during the earthquake that I thought it
was going to fall down. 3 astound, astonish, shock, surprise,
jar, stagger, amaze, stun, dumbfound or dumfound, daze, stupefy,
overwhelm, disconcert, unnerve, Colloq set (someone) back on his
or her or their heels, throw, rattle, shake up: I was really
rocked by the news that Sue was marrying Craig.

rocket v. zoom, take off, sky-rocket, shoot up, climb, rise rapidly,
soar, spiral upwards, Colloq go through the roof: The day
controls were lifted, prices rocketed, almost doubling
overnight.

rockyฐ adj. 1 stony, pebbly, shingly, boulder-strewn, craggy; bumpy,
difficult, hard, uncomfortable, arduous: The beach at Nice
might be romantic, but it's very rocky to lie on. The road to
love can be very rocky indeed. 2 stony, adamant, adamantine,
firm, unyielding, rocklike, tough, unbending, flinty, firm,
solid, steadfast, steady, unfaltering, staunch, unflinching,
determined, resolute, unwavering, unchanging, unvarying,
invariant, invariable, reliable, dependable, sure, certain: I
knew we could depend on Charles's rocky determination to see the
project through. 3 stony, flinty, unfeeling, unsympathetic,
unemotional, emotionless, impassive, cold, cool, apathetic,
indifferent, uncaring, detached, d‚gag‚, callous, thick-skinned,
tough, hard: Beneath that rocky exterior beats a tender heart.

rocky adj. unstable, tottering, teetering, unsteady, shaky, rickety,
unsure, uncertain, unreliable, weak, flimsy, wobbly, wobbling,
vacillating, dubious, doubtful, questionable, Colloq iffy: The
project will be very rocky till we are assured proper funding.

rod n. 1 bar, pole, baton, wand, staff, stick, dowel, cane, shaft:
Steel rods are used to reinforce the concrete in modern
buildings. 2 cane, birch, switch, scourge, lash; punishment,
chastisement, castigation, discipline, chastening, correction:
As they say, spare the rod and spoil the child.

rogue n. 1 trickster, swindler, cheat, cad, ne'er-do-well, wastrel,
good-for-nothing, miscreant, Rather old-fashioned scamp,
scoundrel, blackguard, knave, rascal, rapscallion, scapegrace,
dastard, cur, churl, wretch, villain, charlatan, mountebank,
Brit bounder; Colloq louse, stinker, rat, creep, Brit rotter,
blighter, Chiefly US and Canadian son of a gun, Slang bastard,

Chiefly US and Canadian son of a bitch, SOB or s.o.b., bum: She
met some clever rogue in Capri who conned her out of fifteen
thousand lire.


--adj. 2 independent, undisciplined, uncontrollable,
ungovernable, unmanageable, unpredictable, disobedient,
incorrigible, fractious, self-willed, unruly, intractable,
unrestrained, wild, lawless, strong-willed, headstrong,
refractory, contumacious, recalcitrant, cross-grained,
rampageous: Part of the village was destroyed when a rogue
elephant ran amok. Perkins quit the company to start up his own
rogue concern.

role n. 1 r“le, part, character, impersonation; lines: She had the
role of Maria in a recent production of Twelfth Night . 2
function, position, situation, place, post, capacity, job, duty,
task, responsibility: Hermione's role in the company is that of
managing director.


roll v. 1 rotate, cycle, turn (over (and over)), wheel, trundle;
revolve, go (a)round, orbit, tumble, somersault or somerset or
summersault or summerset: Th landlord rolled another barrel
beer into the pub. The children loved rolling about in the ride
at the fun fair. 2 pass, go, flow, slip, flit, glide, slide,
move (on); expire, elapse, disappear, vanish, evaporate: The
time certainly rolls by quickly when you're having fun. 3 move,
drive, bowl, be carried or conveyed, cruise, sail, coast, ride,
float, fly: We rolled down the road, singing and laughing. 4
undulate, billow, rise and fall: The countryside rolled away
before us as far as the eye could see. 5 roar, echo, re-echo,
rumble, reverberate, resound, sound, boom, peal, resonate,
thunder: The roar of the explosion rolled over us as we ran for
cover. 6 rob, steal from: They got their money by rolling
drunks. 7 Often, roll out. flatten, level (off or out), smooth
(out), even (out), grade: After cutting, the lawn ought to be
rolled. 8 Usually, roll over. turn (over), rotate, spin: Roll
onto your stomach so I can examine your back. 9 Usually, roll
up. furl, coil, curl, wind (up), wrap (up); enwrap, swathe,
enfold, envelop, shroud, enshroud: Every night he takes down
the banner and carefully rolls it. Cleopatra was rolled up in a
rug to be smuggled past the guards. 10 roll in. a arrive, come
in, pour in, flow in, turn up, show up: The contributions
really started to roll in after the appeal. b luxuriate in,

revel in, wallow in, savour, bask in, delight in, take pleasure
in, indulge in, rejoice in, relish: Basil has been rolling in
unaccustomed wealth since his aunt died. 11 roll out. unroll,
unfurl, spread (out), unfold, uncoil, uncurl, unwind, open
(out): Roll out the bolt of cloth so that we can measure it.

--n. 12 reel, spool, cylinder, scroll; tube: The message was
written on a long roll of paper. 13 list, rota, register,
record, directory, listing, roster, slate, docket, catalogue,
inventory, muster, index, census, annal(s), schedule,
chronicle(s), Sports line-up: With great ceremony, the clerk
read the roll. 14 rolling, billowing, waving, wave action,
wave, billow, swell, undulation, pitching, rocking, tossing:
With each roll of the boat, I felt more seasick. 15 peal,
rumble, reverberation, boom, echo, thunder, roar: A roll of
thunder drowned out her shouts. 16 rotation, spin, toss, whirl,
twirl: I decided to bet everything on one last roll of the
dice. 17 bun; scone, croissant; Brit bread-roll, bap, split:
Waiter, would you please bring some more rolls? 18 bankroll,
money, wad, bundle: He took out a roll of notes and peeled off
five twenties.

roller n. 1 drum, cylinder, barrel, calender; tube; windlass;
rolling-pin; mangle, wringer: Make certain that the roller is
clean. 2 billow, wave, comber, breaker, swell: After the
storm, the heavy rollers continued to pound the sea wall.

romance n. 1 (love) affair, amour, affair of the heart, affaire (de
coeur or d'amour), liaison, relationship, dalliance, intrigue:
Wasn't Rick the one from Canada with whom Diana had a romance?
2 (true) love: You are lucky if you find romance even once in
your lifetime. 3 novel, narrative, fiction, story, mystery,
thriller, horror story, ghost story, science fiction, fantasy,
Western, melodrama, gothic or Gothic or Gothick novel or tale,
(fairy) tale, love story, idyll, epic, legend: It is probably
accurate to say that the romance is the most popular form of
fiction. 4 sentiment, nostalgia, mystery, intrigue, fantasy,
imagination, imaginativeness, adventure, excitement,
fascination, exoticism, glamour, colour, colourfulness: It was
the romance of Morocco that entranced me. 5 tall tale or story,
fantasy, fabrication, fairy tale, exaggeration, prevarication,
concoction, flight of fancy, fib, (white) lie, prevarication,
balderdash, fiction, nonsense, imagination: That episode with

the girl on the train that David told you about was all romance.

--v. 6 make love to; woo, court: Steve has been romancing
Maria ever since they met. 7 pander to, flatter, curry favour
with, toady (up) to, Colloq butter up, soft-soap, Taboo slang
brown-nose: The new restaurant is romancing neighbourhood
office executives, and luring them in for business lunches.

romantic adj. 1 imaginary, imagined, fictitious, fictional, ideal,
idealized, fancied, fabulous, made-up, dreamed-up, dreamt-up,
fantasized, fanciful, fairy-tale, mythical, idyllic, Utopian,
illusory: Vivian isn't a real person - she's just Howard's
romantic notion of the girl he wants to marry. 2 impractical,
visionary, fictitious, unpractical, unrealistic, ideal,
abstract, quixotic, chimerical, absurd, extravagant, wild,
crackpot, mad: She had romantic notions of how she would be
running her own international business by the time she was
thirty. 3 nostalgic, sentimental, emotional, sweet, tender,
picturesque, exotic, glamorous; mawkish, maudlin, saccharine,
Colloq soppy, sugary, mushy, sloppy: I can think of a lot more
romantic places than a hamburger bar to eat on our anniversary.
Fred hates it when I get too romantic. 4 amorous, affectionate,
aroused, impassioned, passionate, libidinous, lustful,
over-friendly, Colloq lovey-dovey; fresh: After a drink or two
Mike starts getting romantic - if you know what I mean.

--n. 5 romanticist, dreamer, Don Quixote, visionary, idealist,
sentimentalist: I've never lost my taste for soft lights and
sweet music - I suppose I'm just a romantic at heart.


room n. 1 space, area, scope, extent, allowance, latitude,
elbow-room, range, leeway, margin: There is room for one more
inside. 2 chamber, apartment, compartment, office, cell,
cubicle: For years Pablo occupied a small room on the top
floor. 3 rooms. quarters, lodgings, accommodation, flat,
dwelling: We had rooms in an old house downtown.

--v. 4 live, lodge, dwell, abide, reside, stay: Did you really
room with the daughter of a prime minister?


roomy adj. spacious, capacious, commodious, large, sizeable, big,
ample: For what appears to be a small car, it has a
surprisingly roomy interior.


rootฐ n. 1 base, basis, foundation, source, seat, cause,
fountain-head, origin, fount, well-spring: Love of money is the
root of all evil. 2 rootstock, rootstalk, tap root, rootlet;
tuber; Technical radix, radicle, radicel, rhizome, rhizomorph:
When transplanting seedlings, special care should be taken not
to damage the roots. 3 root and branch. radically, completely,
utterly, entirely, wholly, totally: The Romans sought to
destroy Carthage root and branch. 4 roots. origins, heritage,
family, lineage, house, antecedents, forefathers, foremothers,
descent, genealogy, family tree, forebears, ancestors,
predecessors, stock, pedigree; birthplace, motherland,
fatherland, native land or country or soil, cradle: Carlotta
spent years tracing her roots to ancient Rome. The roots of
civilization first appeared in Mesopotamia. 5 take root. become
set or established or settled, germinate, sprout, grow, develop,
thrive, burgeon, flourish, spread: Good work habits should take
root at an early age; then they will last a lifetime.


--v. 6 plant, set, establish, found, fix, settle, embed or
imbed; entrench, anchor: The cuttings failed to grow because
they were not properly rooted. Hilary's fear of heights is
rooted in a childhood fall from a tree. 7 root out. a
Sometimes, root up. uproot, eradicate, eliminate, destroy,
extirpate, exterminate: Any subversives in the organization
must be rooted out. b find, uncover, discover, dig up or out,
unearth, turn up, bring to light: The survey of accounts is
aimed at rooting out customers who are slow in paying.


root v. rootle, forage, dig, pry, nose, poke, ferret, burrow,
rummage, delve, search, ransack: Harvey has been rooting about
in the garage looking for his tennis racket.

rootฐ v. Usually, root for. cheer (for), applaud (for); boost,
support, encourage, urge on: I'm rooting for our side to win.

rooted adj. firm, established, set, fixed, fast, settled, deep-rooted,
deep-seated, entrenched, ingrained or engrained, (firmly)
embedded or imbedded, implanted, instilled; chronic, inbred,
inherent, intrinsic, essential, fundamental, basic, radical:
Have you any rooted objections to the principle of living with
someone of the opposite sex without being married?

rope n. 1 line, cord, cable, hawser; strand, string: This rope is
too light for mooring the boat. She wore a rope of baroque
pearls. 2 the ropes. the routine, the procedure, one's way
around, the ins and outs; the truth, the (real) situation;
Colloq what's what, the score, Brit the gen: It didn't take her
long to learn the ropes.

--v. 3 tie, bind, lash, hitch, fasten, secure; tether, attach:
Rope these two crates together. The horses were roped to the
post. 4 rope in. attract, draw (in), tempt, entice, lure,
persuade: They are going to use a lottery to rope the customers
in to supporting our cause.

ropy adj. 1 ropey, viscous, stringy, viscid, glutinous,
mucilaginous, gluey, gummy, thready, fibrous, filamentous: The
plastic resin emerging from the vat looks somewhat ropy, like
mozzarella cheese. 2 questionable, inadequate, inferior,
deficient, indifferent, mediocre, substandard, unsatisfactory,
poor, sketchy: Greenwood's plan for increasing profit margins
looks pretty ropy to me. 3 sickly, ill, unwell, hung-over, below
par, out of sorts, Colloq under the weather, poorly, rough, not
up to snuff, off one's feed: I was feeling pretty ropy on
Saturday morning after that do at your place on Friday.


rostrum n. platform, stage, dais, podium, stand; pulpit; lectern,
reading-stand: As the crowd hooted and booed, the speaker
descended from the rostrum.

rosy adj. 1 pink, rose-coloured, red, roseate, reddish, pinkish,
cherry, cerise, ruddy, flushed, glowing, blushing, ruby,
rubicund, florid; rose-red: During the skiing holiday, they all
developed healthy rosy complexions. 2 optimistic, promising,
favourable, auspicious, hopeful, encouraging, sunny, bright:
Caldwell has a rosy future ahead of him.


rot v. 1 decay, decompose, fester, spoil, go bad or off, be
tainted, be ruined, mould, moulder, putrefy; corrode, rust,
disintegrate, deteriorate, crumble or go or fall to pieces:
When the power went off, all the food in the freezer rotted. The
piers holding up the far end of the bridge have all rotted away.
2 waste away, wither away, languish, die, moulder, decline,
deteriorate, degenerate, decay, atrophy: Despite repeated
appeals for clemency, he's been rotting away in jail all these

years.

--n. 3 decay, decomposition, mould, putrefaction, putrescence,
blight, corrosion, corruption, disintegration, deterioration:
Once the rot has set in, the job of revitalization can be
overwhelming. 4 (stuff and) nonsense, balderdash, rubbish,
bunkum, tommy-rot, twaddle, drivel, hogwash, eyewash, trash,
Colloq claptrap, bunk, boloney or boloney, bosh, malarkey,
moonshine, poppycock, tosh, Slang crap, bull, codswallop, Brit
(a load of (old)) cobblers, Taboo balls, bullshit: He knows
nothing whatsoever about linguistics and is just talking a lot
of rot.

rotate v. 1 turn, revolve, go round, spin, gyrate, pirouette, whirl,
twirl, wheel, pivot, reel: As the gear rotates, its teeth mesh
with those of the other gear, causing it to turn in the opposite
direction. 2 change, exchange, alternate, interchange, switch,
trade places; take turns, Colloq swap or swop: Rotate the
positions of the tyres for more even wear. We rotate the chores
in our family.

rote n. 1 routine, ritual: He acquired a rote knowledge of the
words, without knowing what they mean. 2 by rote. a by heart,
from memory: He can recite the entire Prologue of Canterbury
Tales by rote. b unthinkingly, automatically, mechanically:
She learned the French dialogue by rote but doesn't understand a
word of it.

rotten adj. 1 rotted, decayed, decomposed, decomposing, putrid,
putrescent, putrescing, mouldy, mouldering, spoilt or spoiled,
mildewed, rancid, fetid or foetid, stale, rank, foul, feculent,
tainted, contaminated, festered, festering, corrupt, bad, off,
turned, overripe, soured, sour: One rotten apple in the barrel
can spoil the rest. The stench of rotten meat filled the room. 2
rotted, rusted, corroded, deteriorating, disintegrating,
crumbling, crumbly, falling to pieces, friable: He stepped on a
spot where the wood was rotten and his foot went right through
the stair. 3 immoral, corrupt, dishonest, deceitful, venal,
shameless, degenerate, villainous, iniquitous, evil, wicked,
vile, debased, base, perverted, depraved, unscrupulous,
unprincipled, amoral, warped, Slang bent: These drug dealers
are rotten at the core. 4 heinous, evil, vile, base, miserable,
despicable, wretched, awful, terrible, horrible, horrific,

nasty, contemptible, filthy, mean, low, Colloq lousy, stinking,
low-down, dirty-rotten: Pairing me off with Vera at the dance
was a rotten trick. 5 ill, unwell, sick, nauseated, awful;
hung-over, Colloq lousy, ropy or ropey, rough: I feel really
rotten - maybe it was those mushrooms I ate last night.

rotund adj. 1 round(ed), circular, orbicular, globular, spherical:
His rotund, cherubic little face simply invited a pinch of the
cheek. 2 full, full-toned, deep, resonant, reverberant,
reverberating, sonorous, rich, round, mellow; pear-shaped: They
thrilled to hear the rotund notes issuing from Caruso's lips as
he sang 'Vesti la Giubba'. 3 chubby, podgy or chiefly US pudgy,
(pleasingly) plump, portly, tubby, heavy, fleshy, corpulent,
stout, fat, obese, overweight, Colloq roly-poly: Jack's rotund
figure was easily recognizable waddling up the street.

rou‚ n. playboy, womanizer, ladies' man, rake, lecher, Lothario, Don
Juan, Romeo, Casanova, charmer, flirt, libertine, debauchee,
Old-fashioned masher, gay dog, Colloq wolf, lady-killer, dirty
old man, Taboo slang gash-hound: Alistair was quite a rou‚ in
his youth but has settled down since turning 50.

rough adj. 1 uneven, irregular, coarse, jagged, rugged, bumpy, lumpy,
broken: The next mile or so we slogged over some very rough
terrain. 2 agitated, turbulent, choppy, stormy, storm-tossed,
tempestuous, roiled: We negotiated a very rough patch of water
before sailing into the calm, sheltered bay. 3 brusque, bluff,
curt, short, abrupt, unpleasant, churlish, discourteous,
impolite, rough-spoken, ungracious, surly, disrespectful, rude,
uncouth, loutish, unrefined, uncivil, uncivilized, uncultured,
vulgar, unladylike, ungentlemanly, coarse, ill-mannered,
ill-bred, inconsiderate: Ian can be a bit rough, I know, but
underneath he is a true and loyal friend. 4 tough,
rough-and-tumble, roughneck, rowdy: There are some very rough
characters frequenting that pub. 5 harsh, violent, unfeeling,
unjust, severe, cruel, tough, hard, brutal, extreme; ungentle:
They were subjected to very rough treatment when being
questioned by the police. 6 dirty, obscene, smutty,
pornographic, vulgar, crude, raw, rude: After midnight they
watch the rough shows beamed by satellite from Italy. 7 hard,
tough, Spartan, difficult, arduous, laborious, rugged,
unpleasant: It was pretty rough going with almost no money and
all those expenses. 8 harsh, grating, cacophonous, discordant,

jarring, strident, raucous, rasping, unmusical, inharmonious,
gruff, husky: In acknowledgement he made a rough, growling
noise. 9 unfinished, incomplete, uncompleted, imperfect,
rudimentary, crude, rude, formless, unformed, raw,
rough-and-ready, rough-hewn, roughcast, undeveloped, unshaped,
unworked, unwrought, unprocessed, unrefined; uncut, unpolished;
shapeless, unshaped, undressed: I only saw the sculpture in its
rough state and cannot say how it looked when finished. The
stones are rough, as they were when taken from the ground. 10
general, approximate, inexact, cursory, quick, hasty, sketchy,
vague, hazy; foggy, Colloq ballpark: Can't you give me even a
rough idea of how much you want for the house? 11 unfair,
unjust, bad, tough; unlucky, unfortunate: We went through a
spell of rough luck last year. This is a rough time for
everyone. 12 See rotten, 5, above.

--n. 13 rowdy, tough, hooligan, ruffian, thug, brawler, yahoo,
Slang roughneck, Australian larrikin, US mug: Phil will get
into trouble if he continues to associate with those roughs at
the Lantern. 14 sketch, (rough) draft, mock-up, outline: Let me
see roughs of the presentation before the meeting with the
client.

--v. 15 rough out or in. sketch, draft, mock-up, outline, mark
out, trace, block out: Our escape plan was roughed out by
Captain Gallagher. 16 rough up. beat (up), thrash, attack,
batter, assault, pummel or pommel, lay on, knock about,
belabour, lambaste, Colloq wallop: Some of the boys roughed him
up a bit when they learned that he was an informer.


--adv. 17 violently, savagely, brutally, brutishly: You'd best
not mention Cassie or Henry might cut up rough.

rough-house
n. 1 boisterousness, rowdiness, rowdyism, violence, brawling,
disorderliness, disorderly conduct, ruffianism: The police were
called in to quell the rough-house that broke out at the dance.

--v. 2 brawl: If you want to rough-house, do it outside!


roughly adv. 1 approximately, around; about, nearly: The British
Museum is roughly in the same direction as Euston. It cost
roughly two weeks' wages. Roughly two years later I saw her

again. 2 harshly, unkindly, severely, sternly,
unsympathetically, brutally, violently, savagely, inhumanly,
mercilessly, unmercifully, ruthlessly, pitilessly, cruelly,
heartlessly: The police were accused of dealing too roughly
with those suspected of harming a fellow officer. 3 clumsily,
rudely, crudely, awkwardly, primitively, inexpertly,
amateurishly, maladroitly, heavy-handedly, ineptly,
inefficiently, unskilfully, inartistically: This roughly hewn
block of local granite is what the council paid a fortune for as
'sculpture'.

round adj. 1 circular; disc-shaped, discoid, disc-like: I prefer a
round table to a square one. She made a round motion to
demonstrate the shape. 2 ring-shaped, annular, hoop-shaped,
hoop-like: The track is oval, not round. 3 spherical,
ball-shaped, ball-like, globular, spheroid, spheroidal,
globe-shaped, globelike, globate, orb-shaped, orb-like,
orbicular: You will never convince me that the earth is round -
I know what I see. 4 curved, curvilinear, rounded, arched: The
round chisel is used to cut these grooves. 5 exact, precise,
complete, entire, full: That makes a round hundred times you
have asked me the same question. 6 approximate, rough, rounded
(off or up or down), whole: In round numbers, that makes 40 per
cent For and 60 per cent Against. 7 rounded, mellow, full,
vibrant, reverberant, reverberating, sonorous, rich,
mellifluous, orotund, pear-shaped: Couldn't you listen forever
to those beautiful round tones sung by Fischer-Dieskau? 8 plain,
honest, straightforward, direct, unvarnished, unembellished,
unelaborated, outspoken, candid, truthful, frank, open, blunt,
Colloq upfront: They delivered what they had to say in round,
assertive statements. 9 Chiefly Brit return: We made the round
trip to Bristol in less than three hours.

--n. 10 circle, disc; ring, hoop, annulus; ball, sphere, globe,
orb, bead: The moulding has a repeated pattern of a round
alternating with three vertical grooves. 11 cycle, series,
sequence, succession, bout, spell: The current round of talks
on the economy is expected to last for three days. There was the
usual round of parties on New Year's Eve. 12 Often, rounds.
beat, route, routine, circuit, course, tour, turn, ambit: The
milkman still makes his daily rounds in England. 13 heat,
stage, level, turn: After each round in the tournament, the
losers are eliminated, reducing the competitors by half. 14

spell, period, run, spate, bout, outburst, burst, volley: Each
new acrobat who added to the human pyramid got a round of
applause. 15 bullet, cartridge, charge, shell, (single) shot:
Each man was given only ten rounds of ammunition.


--v. 16 turn, go (a)round: The car rounded the corner on two
wheels. 17 orbit, circumnavigate, go (a)round, circle,
encircle: He rounded the earth in the fastest recorded time.
18 round off or out. complete, close, end, bring to an end or
completion or a close, finish: Tim suggested we round off the
evening with a rubber of bridge. 19 round up. gather, assemble,
muster, draw or pull or get together, collect, herd, marshal, US
and Canadian (of cattle or horses) corral, wrangle: The police
are rounding up witnesses who might have seen the shooting.
More than 10,000 head of cattle have been rounded up for the
drive.

--prep. 20 about, around, encircling, enclosing; orbiting: The
fence round the site ought to keep out the curious. The new
bypass round town ought to reduce local traffic. 21 here and
there in, about, around, throughout, all over, everywhere in:
Dad used to smoke and kept dozens of ash trays round the house.
22 about, around, nearby, in the neighbourhood or vicinity or
(general) area of: Whenever I want to see you alone, there are
always people round you. Just look round you if you don't
believe me.

--adv. 23 around, about, in a circle or ring, on all sides:
Gather round and I'll tell you a story. Pass the hat round for
Harry's farewell party. 24 from beginning to end, from start to
finish, through: He now lives in France the year round. 25 in
perimeter or periphery, around: The indoor track is exactly one
fifth of a mile round. 26 about, around, in the neighbourhood
or vicinity or (general) area: There isn't a soul for miles
round. 27 around, in a circle or circuit, in or by a circular
or circuitous route or path, circuitously: This road goes round
to the other side of the lake.

roundabout
adj. 1 circuitous, circular, indirect, long: We had plenty of
time so we came the more scenic, roundabout way. 2 devious,
circuitous, evasive, indirect, oblique: If you wanted to borrow
some money, asking me for tax advice was quite a roundabout way

of asking.

--n. 3 merry-go-round, carousel or carrousel, Old-fashioned or
dialect whirligig: The children weren't the only ones who
enjoyed themselves on the roundabout. 4 Brit mini-roundabout, US
and Canadian rotary, traffic circle: When you come to the
roundabout, turn right and keep going till you come to a traffic
light.


round-up n. 1 gathering, assembly, rally, collection, herding, US and
Canadian (of cattle or horses) corralling, wrangling: The
round-up of suspects by the police was focused on the
Bournemouth area. 2 summary, synopsis, digest, outline,
recapitulation, review, survey, Colloq recap: And now, with a
round-up of the news, here is Moira Lawley.

rouse v. 1 arouse, call, waken, awaken, wake (up), get up, arise: I
was roused from a deep slumber by a dog's barking. 2 stir (up),
arouse, bestir, stimulate, inspirit, animate, invigorate,
electrify, excite, provoke, prompt, goad, prod, galvanize,
incite, whet, move, work up, fire up: Bruce's unquenchable
enthusiasm roused many to become involved in the campaign.

rousing adj. stimulating, inspiriting, animating, enlivening,
energizing, inspiring, invigorating, vitalizing, electrifying;
fervent, vigorous, energetic, enthusiastic, spirited, brisk,
lively, animated, Colloq peppy: The huge crowd gave the team a
rousing cheer as they jogged out onto the field.


rout n. 1 defeat, trouncing, ruin, overthrow, subjugation,
vanquishment, d‚bƒcle, conquest, thrashing, drubbing, beating;
dispersal, retreat, collapse; Colloq licking, hiding, US and
Canadian shellacking: Owing to the government's overwhelming
forces, there was a complete rout of the rebels.


--v. 2 defeat, win (out) over, trounce, ruin, overthrow, bring
down, subjugate, subdue, suppress, vanquish, conquer, overwhelm,
overpower, put to rout or flight, worst, best, trample, overrun,
thrash, trim, whip, drub, beat, crush, batter, smash, shatter,
cut to pieces or ribbons or shreds, destroy, devastate, wipe
out, eliminate, put down, seal the doom or the fate of,
eradicate, obliterate, Colloq lick, wipe the floor with, polish
off, knock off, Hyperbolic sports jargon pulverize, make

mincemeat of, ride roughshod over, demolish, mangle, ravage,
mutilate, flatten, squash, topple, lay waste, wreak havoc
(up)on, ravage, massacre, murder, exterminate, annihilate,
liquidate, smother, stifle, do away with, Slang clobber, do in,
US skunk, Chiefly US and Canadian cream: Queens Park Rangers
routed Manchester United 6-0.

route n. 1 way, itinerary, course, direction, path, road, avenue: If
you have the time, take the scenic route. John's route to the
chairmanship is strewn with his colleagues' corpses.

--v. 2 direct, convey, carry: Goods destined for Cleveland
will be routed through Northampton.


routine n. 1 custom, habit, procedure, practice, method, schedule,
plan, programme, formula, pattern, way, usage, wont, Colloq
chiefly Brit drill: Chalmers has always been a stickler for
routine. What's the routine here when you want to order a new
chair? 2 act, piece, bit, performance, number, part, Colloq
thing, shtick: The fat lady doesn't sing till after Joe Miller
finishes his routine.

--adj. 3 customary, habitual, usual, rote, accustomed,familiar,
conventional, regular, ordinary, everyday; programmed, assigned,
designated, scheduled: Her routine responsibilities include
proofreading. 4 boring, tedious, tiresome, unimaginative,
uninteresting; hackneyed, trite, stereotypic(al), clich‚d,
run-of-the-mill, ordinary; unvaried, unvarying, unchanging,
monotonous, uneventful, rote, automatic, mechanical,
perfunctory: He has a routine job on the assembly line.

rover n. wanderer, bird of passage, itinerant, traveller, rolling
stone, nomad, gypsy, wayfarer, gadabout, sojourner, tourist;
drifter, tramp, vagabond, vagrant, US hobo, bum: He's a born
rover and will never settle down.

rowฐ n. line, rank, tier, bank, string, series, file: A row of
trees serves as a wind-break along one side of the farm.


row n. 1 altercation, argument, dispute, quarrel, disagreement,
squabble, spat, tiff, conflict, fracas, Colloq shouting match,
scrap, falling-out, Brit slanging-match: We had a silly row
about where we should spend the Christmas holidays. 2

commotion, disturbance, clamour, hubbub, racket, din, rumpus,
tumult, uproar, brouhaha, fuss, stir, turmoil, hullabaloo;
bedlam, pandemonium, chaos; US foofaraw, Colloq ruckus: There
was a tremendous row over the increase in membership fees.


--v. 3 dispute, quarrel, argue, disagree, wrangle, cross
swords, have words, bicker, tiff, Colloq scrap, fall out: They
are constantly rowing over something, usually some insignificant
detail.


rowdy adj. 1 boisterous, uproarious, disorderly, noisy, loud,
obstreperous, unruly: It only takes a couple of rowdy youths to
start trouble at a match.


--n. 2 ruffian, tough, hooligan, yahoo, brawler, lout, Brit
lager lout, skinhead, Chiefly US and Canadian hoodlum, hood,
Slang Brit bovver boy: The police arrested three of the rowdies
involved in last night's fight.


rowdyism n. rowdiness, ruffianism, hooliganism, rough-house, barbarism,
troublemaking, brawling, unruliness, boisterousness, Slang Brit
bovver: Have you any suggestions about what to do to curb
rowdyism at football matches?


royal adj. 1 queenly, kingly, queenlike, kinglike, regal, imperial,
sovereign, princely, majestic: The Royal Family usually spend
their summer holidays at Balmoral. The establishment proudly
boasts royal patronage. 2 grand, splendid, stately, impressive,
august, imposing, superior, superb, magnificent, majestic: She
arrived at the ball in a royal coach drawn by six white horses.

--n. 3 king, queen, prince, princess, duke, earl, duchess,
viscount, viscountess, baron, baroness, noble, nobleman,
noblewoman, peer: Her greatest ambition is to meet a royal in
the flesh. 4 royals. royalty, nobility, nobles, peerage: He
writes the daily column reporting on the activities of the
royals.

royalty n. 1 queenship, kingship, royal house or line or family,
sovereignty: Royalty does have its privileges, doesn't it? 2
percentage, commission, share, payment, compensation: He
receives a royalty every time his song is played or sung
commercially, anywhere in the world. 3 nobility, nobles,

peerage, Colloq Brit royals: It is ironic that Americans are
more impressed than the British with royalty.

18.6 rub...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



rub v. 1 massage, knead, stroke; scour, scrub, scrape, abrade,
chafe, clean; wipe, smooth, polish, shine, buff, burnish: Rub
my back, would you? - Not there, a little lower down. You are
not supposed to rub those plastic baths with abrasive cleansers.
Before the guests arrived, we rubbed the silver till you could
see yourself in it. 2 rub in or on. apply, smooth, smear,
spread, put: The ache may be relieved a bit if you rub on some
liniment. 3 rub (it or something) in. emphasize, stress, make
an issue of, harp on, reiterate, dwell on, hammer away,
dramatize: It's bad enough that Caroline did better than I did
- you don't have to keep rubbing it in. 4 rub off or out.
expunge, erase, remove, delete, cancel, eliminate, eradicate:
It's a pity, Peter, that you rubbed out the right reply and
wrote in the wrong one. The boys were released on the condition
that they would rub the graffiti off the wall. 5 rub off (on).
affect, be transferred (to), be communicated or transmitted
(to), be passed on or along (to), be imparted to: Your mother
and I had hoped that some of our love of music might have rubbed
off on you. 6 rub out. murder, kill, execute, slay: The
Godfather ordered all witnesses to be rubbed out. 7 rub
shoulders with. rub elbows with, associate with, socialize with,
mix with, fraternize with, keep company with, consort with,
Colloq US run or pal or chum around with: Since getting his
knighthood Charles no longer rubs shoulders with the likes of
us. 8 rub (someone) (up) the wrong way. annoy, irritate, irk,
anger, provoke, go against the grain, Colloq bug, get under
one's or someone's skin, peeve: I don't know what it is about
Underbridge, but every time we meet he manages to rub me up the
wrong way.

--n. 9 wipe, stroke, rubbing: You will have to give that stain
a good rub to make it come out. 10 massage, rub-down: After
exercising, Jane always has an alcohol rub. 11 the rub. the or
a catch or hitch or snag or hindrance or set-back, the or an
obstacle or impediment, the or a difficulty or problem or
trouble: The only rub I can see is that Warren may not agree to

resign.

rubberneck
v. 1 gape, stare, goggle, gawk: They spent a weekend in New
York, rubbernecking at the skyscrapers.

--n. 2 tourist, sightseer, rubbernecker, US out-of-towner:
Buses for the rubbernecks leave Trafalgar Square every hour or
so.


rubbish n. 1 refuse, waste, debris, rubble, detritus, litter, garbage,
sweepings, dross, dregs, residue, leftovers, remnants, lees,
scraps, fragments, leavings, residuum, junk, rejects, Chiefly US
trash Slang chiefly US dreck: Private companies are now
contracted to remove household rubbish weekly. 2 (stuff and)
nonsense, balderdash, moonshine, gibberish, gobbledegook or
gobbledygook, tommy-rot, bunkum, trash, garbage, twaddle, Colloq
rot, flapdoodle, crap, hokum, codswallop, bosh, piffle, hooey,
bunk, malarkey, poppycock, boloney or baloney, eyewash, hogwash,
bilge-water, bull, Scots havers, Brit tosh, gammon, US a crock,
horse feathers, gurry, Slang rot, Brit (a load of (old))
cobblers, Taboo slang bullshit, horseshit, US a crock of shit:
What she told you about how I treated her is absolute rubbish.


--v. 3 criticize, attack, destroy, Colloq clobber, pan, Chiefly
US trash, Slang jump on, Chiefly US and Canadian bad-mouth, jump
all over: In his latest book he rubbishes the newspaper that
had given his previous book a bad review.


rude adj. 1 impolite, discourteous, disrespectful, ungracious,
ungallant, unmannerly, ill-mannered, uncivil, bad-mannered,
ungentlemanly, unladylike, ill-bred, unrefined, unpolished,
uncouth, boorish, churlish, oafish, loutish, coarse,
uncivilized, uncultured, unceremonious: It was rude of him not
to get up when she came in, but he doesn't know any better. 2
impertinent, impudent, discourteous, insulting, insolent,
offensive, saucy, bold, disrespectful, uncivil, flippant,
brusque, curt, gruff, tactless, outrageous, Colloq fresh: I
simply asked the chambermaid to make up my room early and she
responded with a rude remark. 3 naughty, unrefined, ribald,
bawdy, indecent, indelicate, vulgar, obscene, dirty, filthy,
lubricious or lubricous, lewd, gross, smutty, taboo,
pornographic: Chris has an extensive collection of rude

photographs. 4 crude, rough, clumsy, awkward, unskilful,
unskilled, artless, inartistic, imperfect, unpolished,
inaccurate, gauche, bumbling, raw, inelegant, makeshift,
homespun, primitive, misshapen, ill-formed, unfinished,
rough-hewn, simple, basic, bare: The replica on view in the
local museum is only a rude approximation of the original.

rudimentary
adj. 1 basic, essential, elementary, fundamental, rudimental,
primary, introductory, abecedarian, formative, first, initial,
elemental, primal, seminal: The purpose of the course is
provide students with a rudimentary knowledge of computer
programming. 2 crude, coarse, unshaped, unfinished, imperfect,
primitive, undeveloped, vestigial, embryonic, primordial,
immature: These fish, which spend their lives in darkness, have
only a rudimentary organ for an eye.

rudiments n.pl. basics, elements, essentials, fundamentals, first
principles: She learnt the rudiments of musical composition
from the maestro himself.

ruffle n. 1 trimming, flounce, frill, ruff, peplum, flare, smocking,
ruche, ruching, gather, gathering: Doesn't that ruffle at the
back of the skirt make it look a bit old-fashioned? 2 ripple,
wavelet, disturbance, flurry, bustle, stir, perturbation,
wrinkle: The news of the divorce caused a slight ruffle at
court.

--v. 3 agitate, disconcert, confuse, discompose, discomfit,
upset, disturb, stir up, perturb, unsettle, disorient, unnerve,
fluster, affect, bother, intimidate, unstring, put out, vex,
trouble, worry, Colloq rattle, throw, shake up, Chiefly US and
Canadian discombobulate, voodoo, hex, psych out, Slang chiefly
US and Canadian get (someone) all shook up, spook: She was
ruffled by questions concerning her relationship with the
deceased. 4 disarrange, dishevel, disorder, rumple, mix up,
tousle, tangle, disorder, Colloq mess or muss (up): His
unpleasant attitude ruffled quite a few feathers in the
department.


rugged adj. 1 rough, uneven, broken, stony, rocky, irregular, bumpy,
pitted, jagged, ragged: The horses picked their way slowly
across the rugged terrain. 2 tough, rough, severe, hard, harsh,

difficult, arduous, Spartan, rigorous, onerous, stern,
demanding, burdensome: It is amazing how that small band of
pioneers withstood the rugged life in the untamed West. 3 hardy,
durable, strong, sturdy, hale, robust, tough, vigorous, hard,
rough-and-ready, stalwart; independent, individualistic,
self-reliant, self-confident, self-sufficient, bold: WANTED:
Five rugged pioneering types to join an expedition to the source
of the Amazon river. 4 rude, uncouth, uncultured, uncivilized,
unrefined, unpolished, crude, ungraceful, churlish: I admit
that Charlie's manners are a bit rugged, but he's one of the
best men we have.

ruin n. 1 downfall, destruction, devastation, havoc, breakdown,
breakup, d‚bƒcle, collapse, fall, disintegration, ruination,
dissolution, wiping out, failure, decay, undoing, end; conquest,
defeat, overthrow; bankruptcy, liquidation, failure: Alexander
was responsible for the ruin of the Persian empire.
Overwhelming debts spelt Theo's financial ruin. 2 degradation,
dishonour, debasement, defilement, corruption, vitiation,
seduction, degrading, dishonouring, debasing, defiling,
corrupting, vitiating, seducing; deflowering, defloration: Who
was the libertine who brought about the ruin of Lord Harecombe's
daughter? 3 nemesis, curse, end, bane, curse: That boy will be
my ruin! 4 gin, mother's ruin, blue ruin, Slang rot-gut: After
eating, we sat down and polished off a bottle of mother's ruin.
5 hag, witch, crone, beldam; dotard, (old) fogy or fogey,
fossil, fuddy-duddy, antique, Brit OAP (= 'old-age pensioner'),
Chiefly US retiree, Colloq (old) geezer, wreck, Slang dodo:
It's hard to understand what those two old ruins see in each
other. 6 ruins. debris, wreckage, fragments, rubble, remains:
He stood among the ruins of the burnt-out house wondering what
to do next. She was trying to piece together the ruins of her
disastrous marriage.


--v. 7 destroy, devastate, demolish, annihilate, dissolve, wipe
out, undo, overthrow, lay waste, raze, shatter, wreck, crush,
flatten, wreak havoc (up)on, reduce to nothing or naught,
pulverize, smash, bring to ruin: The bomb ruined the entire
centre of the city. 8 spoil, disfigure, damage, botch, mess up,
make a mess of, mar, uglify: The county office building
completely ruins the Aylesbury skyline. 9 spoil, destroy,
wreck, nullify, damage, harm, hurt, impair, poison, Slang louse
up, screw up, put the kibosh on, US bollix up, Taboo slang

chiefly Brit make a balls-up of: I think that your behaviour at
the office party may just have ruined your prospects for
promotion. 10 bankrupt, pauperize, impoverish, reduce to penury
or poverty or destitution or indigence: Paying off the loan
virtually ruined me. 11 violate, deflower, ravish, seduce, lead
astray, dishonour, defile, corrupt, debase, defile: She claimed
that it was the local squire who ruined her, despite evidence to
the contrary.


ruinous adj. disastrous, destructive, catastrophic, calamitous,
deleterious, pernicious, crippling, cataclysmic, baleful, fatal,
toxic, poisonous, noxious, harmful, injurious, nasty, Archaic
baneful: Smoking can be ruinous to your health. Who was behind
the ruinous decision to move the factory to the north-east?


rule n. 1 regulation, order, law, ordinance, ruling, decree, ukase,
statute, principle, direction, guide, guideline, precept: We go
by the Golden Rule here, Jim, 'Do unto others before they do
unto you'. 2 dominion, authority, control, sovereignty, sway,
command, ascendancy, direction, oversight, supervision, mastery:
How could such a despised monarch maintain rule over a people
for so long? 3 fact, standard, customs, practice, form, routine,
convention, policy, way things are: Honesty and integrity among
our students are the rule rather than the exception. 4 as a
rule. generally, usually, normally, customarily, for the most
part, mostly, ordinarily, mainly, in the main, chiefly, on the
whole, commonly, more often than not: As a rule, we require
payment in advance.


--v. 5 Sometimes, rule over. reign (over), govern, be in
control or charge or command (of or over), be in power (over),
hold sway (over), wield the sceptre, wear the crown, run;
prevail, hold sway, dominate, predominate, control: The hand
that rocks the cradle rules the world. Supposedly, the majority
rules in a democracy. 6 direct, guide, manage, control, lead,
head (up), preside (over), superintend, oversee, supervise,
regulate, govern, run: The company is ruled by a committee made
up of employees and directors. 7 decide, judge, hand down a
judgement or decision, decree, deem, resolve, settle, determine,
find, declare, pronounce: The referee ruled that Jones had
committed a foul. 8 rule out. ban, bar, prohibit, exclude,
eliminate, forbid, preclude, proscribe, negate, dismiss,
disregard, bypass, ignore, overlook: The programme committee

ruled out Birmingham as the site of next year's conference.

rummage v. 1 search, hunt, comb, scour, scrabble, look through, sift
through, turn inside out or upside down, examine, Colloq
scrounge: We rummaged about in four dustbins before finding the
discarded receipt.

--n. 2 jumble, miscellanea, knick-knacks, odds and ends,
hotchpotch or US also hodgepodge: May we borrow your car to
collect items for the church rummage sale?

rumour n. 1 rumour, news, gossip, hearsay, information, scoop,
tidings, chat, chit-chat, tittle-tattle, on dit; grapevine,
jungle telegraph, Colloq low-down, info, US and Canadian poop,
Slang chiefly US nautical scuttlebutt: The rumour is that they
are moving from Reading to Exeter. Rumour has it that you are
not going with them.

--v. 2 bruit about, noise abroad, circulate, pass around,
intimate, breathe, suggest, whisper, leak, reveal, make known,
put about, say, report, tell: It has been rumoured that she is
going to have his baby.

rumple v. Sometimes, rumple up. wrinkle, crumple, crush, crease, fold,
crinkle, dishevel, ruffle, tousle, scrunch (up), pucker, muss
(up), mess (up): When she stood up, the back of her dress was
all rumpled.

rumpus n. commotion, disturbance, fuss, confusion, uproar, tumult,
to-do, ado, mayhem, bedlam, brouhaha, stir, pother, affray,
fracas, row, mˆl‚e or melee, rough-house, brawl: You have no
idea what a rumpus he created just because my dog went in his
garden.


run v. 1 sprint, race, scamper, scurry, scud, dart, bolt, dash,
flit, tear (along), scoot, scuttle, zip, whiz or whizz, gallop,
jog, trot, lope; rush, hurry (up), hasten, scramble, hustle,
step lively, hop (to) it, step on it, put on some speed, Archaic
hie, Colloq get a move on, hoof it, leg it, hotfoot (it), stir
one's stumps, Brit hare, US step on the gas, hump (it), Slang
get cracking, US get the lead out (of one's pants or taboo ass),
Chiefly US get a wiggle on: If you run, you might catch her
before she gets on the train. 2 run away or off, flee, escape,

take flight, take to one's heels, bolt, decamp, make off, clear
out, show a clean pair of heels, abscond, cut and run, (beat a
(hasty)) retreat, retire, make a getaway, (make a) run for it,
Colloq beat it, scram, skedaddle, take off, skip (out), take
French leave, fly the coop, Slang head for the hills, Brit
scarper, do a bunk, US and Canadian take a (run-out) powder, lam
out of (somewhere), take it or go on the lam, US vamoose: The
minute the enemy appeared, the entire troop ran. Cavendish ran,
hoping the police wouldn't catch him. 3 go, cover, pass over,
sprint, race: He ran the mile in just under four minutes. 4
wander, rove, roam, meander, drift: Some farmers allow their
animals to run free, rather than penning them up. 5 Often, run
for. compete (for), be a candidate (for), vie, struggle,
contend, fight (for), stand (for): As she has already said she
would not stand again, I doubt that she will run for re-election
in the council elections. 6 pass, flow, pour, stream, flood,
gush, spill, dribble, spurt, issue, move, trickle, seep,
discharge, cascade, spout: You can see where the rainwater has
run down this crack in the roof and into the room below. 7 flow,
diffuse: The colour ran when he washed his red underwear with
some white shirts in very hot water. 8 melt, liquefy, dissolve,
fuse: It was so hot that the icing on top of the cake began to
melt and run down the sides. 9 keep, maintain, support, sustain,
manage: It is very expensive to run a large house. 10 operate,
manage, direct, supervise, oversee, conduct, superintend,
control, handle, manipulate, head, carry on, lead, regulate,
take care of, look after, administer, be in charge of,
coordinate: She must be a terrifically high achiever to run a
huge international conglomerate like that! 11 operate, perform,
function, work, tick, go: Even after all that abuse, the watch
kept running and kept good time. 12 extend, stretch, reach;
amount, add up, total up, come (up): The balance of payments
deficit is running to twice last year's figure. His bill at the
restaurant last night ran to more than œ200. 13 convey,
transport, give (someone) a lift, drive, take, bring: Tom said
he would run me home in his new car. 14 bootleg, smuggle, deal
or traffic in, Chiefly US and Canadian rustle: During
Prohibition, his father ran whisky from Canada to the US. 15 be
in effect or force, be effective, have force or effect: This
lease has another year to run. 16 incur, invite, encourage,
attract, be subjected to: Aren't you running a risk asking
Sheila to handle your money? 17 propel, drive; steer, guide,
navigate: If you are inept enough to run a boat aground, at

least have the sense to do it at low tide. 18 unravel, come
undone, Chiefly Brit ladder: My stocking ran just before I had
to leave for the dance! 19 Sometimes, run off. print, offset,
lithograph, reproduce, publish, display; imprint, position,
place, locate, lay out: They are going to run his story in the
next issue of The Londoner! We'll run the photographs of the
fire alongside the article on page one. 20 run across. meet (up
with), run into, come across, find, stumble on or upon, hit or
chance or happen upon, Colloq bump into: Guess whom I ran
across at Harrods yesterday. 21 run after. chase, pursue, go
after, court, woo, Colloq set one's cap for: The City is filled
with young men and women running after big money. Mick is
running after this girl half his age, and he hasn't a clue that
she's leading him on. 22 run along. go away, leave, Slang get
lost: Sue wanted to get rid of Wayne and told him to run along.
23 run around. philander, be unfaithful, gallivant, Colloq sleep
around, play the field: How does she cope with his constant
running around? 24 run around with. associate with, spend time
with, dally with, consort with: Cynthia is running around with
a bad crowd these days. 25 run away. See 2, above. 26 run
down. a trace, track, hunt, stalk, follow, pursue, dog, shadow;
find, locate, track down, discover: We ran down the suspect in
an abandoned barn in Little Fakenham. b criticize, decry,
defame, vilify, disparage, deprecate, depreciate, denigrate,
Colloq knock, pan: If you keep running him down like that he'll
develop an inferiority complex before he's seven. c weaken,
tire, expire, play (itself) out, burn out, run out, fail, Colloq
peter out: Once the batteries have run down, we will no longer
be able to transmit a distress-signal. d strike, hit, smash or
crash or slam into, run over, knock over or down, collide with:
On the way home, he almost ran down a boy on a bicycle. 27 run
in. arrest, take into custody, jail, apprehend, take or bring
in, Colloq pinch, nab, pull in, bust, collar, Brit nick: This
is the third time this week that Minette has been run in for
soliciting. 28 run into. See 20, above. 29 run off. a See 2,
above. b duplicate, print, copy, turn out, produce, make,
manufacture, generate, Colloq do, churn out: How quickly can
you run off 1000 copies of this brochure? 30 run out. a be
exhausted, expire, terminate, (come or draw to a) close, end,
cease: The time for renewing your subscription has run out. b
finish, go, be exhausted, be used up, Colloq peter out: The
food had run out and we had no water when we were rescued. 31
run out of. use up, consume, eat up, exhaust, be out of: We've

run out of milk - can you nip down to the shop and get some? 32
run out on. desert, abandon, leave high and dry, forsake, leave
in the lurch, leave holding the baby: Despite all his promises,
Edgar ran out on her when she became pregnant. 33 run over. a
See 26 (d), above. b scan, run through, go over, look over,
flip or leaf or thumb through, look at, skim (through), browse
through, dip into, review: I promised Casey I would run over
his article if I had the time. c overflow, spill (over), brim
over, slosh over, pour over; extend, reach, spread over, stretch
over; exceed, go beyond, overreach, overshoot, surpass,
transcend: She accidentally let the bath run over, ruining the
ceiling below. This article will run over onto the next page.
McClelland always runs over the time allotted to his part of the
proceedings. d rehearse, run through, repeat, practise, review,
go over, study, learn, memorize: You'd best run over your
speech again before the banquet. 34 run through. a pierce,
stab, transfix, stick, spit: In the last scene, the hero runs
the villain through with his sword before succumbing to his own
wounds. b squander, consume, use up, waste, fritter away,
exhaust, deplete, spend, dissipate, throw away, Slang blow: It
didn't take Hugh more than a year to run through his
inheritance. c See 33 (b), above.

--n. 35 sprint, dash, race, jog, trot: They go for a two-mile
run every morning before breakfast. 36 trip, journey, visit,
drive, expedition, trek, outing, excursion, jaunt, junket,
sojourn, Colloq spin, joyride: He has to make a run over to
Paris for the weekend, supposedly on business. 37 route,
routine, circuit, passage, trip, cycle, round; beat: I was on
the Murmansk run during the war. 38 period, spate, interval,
time, spell, stretch, course; engagement, booking, Colloq patch:
Roger has had a run of bad luck and could use some help. The
show had a long run on Broadway. 39 access, freedom, liberty:
The children had the run of the house for a week while their
parents were away. 40 return, satisfaction, reward, recompense,
compensation, requital, expiation, atonement, repayment,
remuneration: Although the odds are never in your favour, you
get a good run for your money at Diamond Lil's Gambling
Emporium. 41 series, sequence, stream, spate, string,
succession, progression: Will attributed his poor showing at
the tournament to a bad run of cards. 42 stream, brook, runnel,
creek, rill, rivulet, Brit beck, Scots burn, US branch, kill:
There is a small run at the bottom of the hill. 43 demand,

call, request: Bouillon cubes seem to have enjoyed quite a run
lately. 44 type, category, class, kind, sort: Mark seems to be
a bit more refined than the usual run of guest at Lisa's
parties. 45 trail, track, piste, path, slope; way, runway: She
skied down the north run in record time. 46 enclosure, yard,
pen, compound, runway; paddock; pound: There is a good-sized
run at the kennel where we board the dogs when we go on holiday.
47 Music roulade, cadenza, arpeggio, riff: The soprano treated
us to a marvellous run in which each note was distinct and pure.
48 in the long run. eventually, finally, after all, ultimately,
in (due) time, in due course, in fine, in the end, at the end of
the day, in the final analysis, all things considered, when all
is said and done: Regardless of early troubles, things always
seem to turn out all right in the long run in his plays. 49 on
the run. a hastily, in haste, hurriedly, while under way, in a
hurry, at speed, in a rush: It isn't supposed to be good for
you to eat breakfast on the run every day. b on the loose,
fleeing, escaping, running, in flight, running (away), Slang US
on the lam: He was on the run from the police and desperate to
find Duncan. c running, retreating, on the move or the go:
They kept the enemy on the run for a week. 50 the runs.
diarrhoea, dysentery, upset stomach, Jocular tummy rot, Delhi
belly, Aztec hop, turista or tourista, Mexican foxtrot or
two-step or toothache, Montezuma's revenge, curse of Montezuma,
Rangoon runs, Tokyo trots, Lambeth run(s): I came down with the
runs when we got to Ankara.

run-around
n. evasive treatment; slip: Every time he applied for help he
was given the run-around.

runaway n. 1 fugitive, escapee, refugee, deserter, truant, absconder:
The lad is a notorious runaway who has escaped four times
before.


--adj. 2 wild, uncontrolled, unchecked, rampant, renegade,
unsuppressed; driverless, riderless, loose; escaped: Runaway
inflation is ruining the economy of the country. The runaway
horses were finally brought back. 3 easy, effortless,
overwhelming, uncontested: The incumbent enjoyed a runaway
victory in yesterday's election.

run-down adj. 1 wearied, exhausted, debilitated, weakened, worn out,

peaked, fatigued, enervated, tired, drained, spent, out of shape
or condition, below par, in bad shape; unhealthy, sickly, ill:
He was found in a badly run-down condition, but was soon back on
his feet. 2 ramshackle, dilapidated, tumbledown, decrepit,
rickety, broken-down: The family lives in a run-down cottage on
the edge of the moor.

--n. 3 run-through, synopsis, summary, survey, pr‚cis, r‚sum‚,
(thumbnail) sketch, outline, rough idea, review, recapitulation,
briefing; highlights, high points: Give me a quick run-down of
what happened while I was gone.

run-in n. disagreement, argument, dispute, altercation, quarrel,
confrontation, contretemps: We had a run-in with our neighbour
about playing his hi-fi too loud.

runner n. 1 sprinter, racer, jogger, hurdler, miler: Gordon is one of
our best runners and ought to make the Olympic team. 2
messenger, courier, errand-boy, errand-girl, messenger-boy,
messenger-girl, page, dispatch-bearer or despatch-bearer,
dispatch-rider or despatch-rider, Colloq US gofer: The runner
said that the package fell off his motor cycle and he lost it. 3
sucker, tendril, creeper, shoot, branch, stem: Tie these
runners to the frame in order to train the vine. 4 blade: The
runners on your skates need sharpening.

running n. 1 operation, management, direction: Who attends to the
everyday running of the business while you are away? 2
competition, contest, meet, tournament, race, match; event,
game: If he is found to take steroids, he'll be out of the
running.

--adj. 3 continuous, on-going, continual, perpetual, sustained,
constant, uninterrupted, ceaseless, unceasing: Where do they
get the energy to keep up a running argument on the same silly
subject?

runt n. dwarf, pygmy, midget: Save the runt of the litter for me.


run-through
n. 1 rehearsal, practice, trial, test: Let's have one more
run-through before tomorrow's dress rehearsal. 2 See run-down,
above.


rupture n. 1 break, rift, split, fissure, fracture, cleavage, bursting;
breaking, splitting, break-up, breach, schism, disunity,
breaking up, severance, division, separation: The rupture was
caused by the expansion of the water on freezing. There was no
rupture in friendly relations between the families. 2 hernia:
He is to undergo surgery for a rupture.

--v. 3 break (up or apart), split, fracture, cleave, divide,
breach, separate; disrupt, part, sunder: The fabric of the
balloon ruptured, the gas escaped, and the basket plummeted
earthward.

rural adj. 1 country, pastoral, sylvan, bucolic, rustic, Arcadian,
exurban; agricultural, agrarian, Literary georgic: They always
preferred rural life to life in the city. Constable painted
mainly rural scenes. He sells farm equipment, strictly a rural
business. 2 See rustic, 2, below.


ruse n. trick, device, deception, manoeuvre or chiefly US maneuver,
dodge, pretence, pretext, subterfuge, stratagem, ploy, hoax,
wile, artifice, imposture: His feigned friendship was only a
ruse to get them to reveal their next move.


rush v. 1 hurry (up), hasten, run, race, hustle, bustle, make haste,
dash, speed, scurry, scramble, scoot, jump, sprint, scamper,
scuttle, Colloq move (it), hotfoot (it), skedaddle, step on it,
make it snappy, US hightail (it), step on the gas , Slang get
moving, get cracking, get a wiggle on, go like a bat out of
hell, shake a leg: If you want the job, you'll have to rush to
send in your application. Don't rush - there's plenty for
everyone. 2 attack, assault, charge, storm, blitz: If we rush
them, we might take them by surprise.


--n. 3 hurry, haste, hustle, bustle, dash, speed, turmoil,
turbulence, flurry, commotion, ferment, pother, ado, to-do,
excitement, pell-mell, harum-scarum: What's the rush? 4 surge,
sensation, thrill, charge: I felt a rush of pleasure when I saw
her coming down the street.


--adj. 5 urgent, hurry-up, exigent, high-priority,
top-priority, emergency: This is a rush job that must be
completed today.


rustic adj. 1 See rural, 1, above. 2 peasant, plain, simple,
uncomplicated, unsophisticated, na‹ve, ingenuous, guileless,
artless, unrefined, unpolished, countrified, uncultivated,
uncultured, boorish, crude, rough, unmannerly, hill-billy,
backwoods, awkward, ungainly, cloddish, plodding, oafish, gawky,
lumpen, loutish: Who could dream that such a rustic homebody
would some day be famous for the most fashionable literary salon
in London?


--n. 3 peasant, bumpkin, boor, yokel, hill-billy, countryman,
countrywoman, country boy or girl, oaf, country cousin, Colloq
clodhopper, Derogatory and offensive bog-trotter, US and
Canadian hayseed, hick: In those days, few rustics ever even
visited a city.

rustle v. 1 whisper, swish, sibilate, susurrate: Outside my window,
the leaves rustled in the evening breeze.


--n. 2 whisper, whispering, rustling, swish, swishing,
sibilation, sibilance, susurration, susurrus: I heard the faint
rustle of satin and knew she was listening at the door.

rut n. 1 groove, furrow, wheel-mark, track, trough: In the winter
the ruts in the lane fill with water and freeze, making driving
difficult. 2 pattern, habit, routine, groove, grind, treadmill,
dead end, Colloq rat race: After 27 years as a horse groom, I'm
beginning to feel I'm stuck in a rut.


ruthless adj. pitiless, unpitying, cruel, unsympathetic, merciless,
unmerciful, harsh, fierce, remorseless, uncompassionate,
vicious, savage, ferocious, hard-hearted, callous, unfeeling,
tough, severe, heartless, inhuman, brutal, brutish, unrelenting,
relentless, Chiefly US and Canadian mean: The jail houses some
of the country's most ruthless criminals. In all of history
there was no more ruthless a tyrant.