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219 Cards in this Set
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verb [T] FORMAL
to make a law, agreement, order or decision no longer have any (legal) power 1: to take away : remove 2 a: take back, cancel b: to abrogate (a contract) and restore the parties to the positions they would have occupied had there been no contract 3: to make void (as an act) by action of the enacting authority or a superior authority : repeal |
rescind \ri-ˈsind\
Etymology: Latin rescindere to annul, from re- + scindere to cut — more at shed The policy of charging air travellers for vegetarian meals proved unpopular and has already been rescinded. refused to rescind the order |
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ADV FORMAL
as a total or whole |
in toto
'You say that this vase is not in harmony with the appointments of the room -- whatever that means, if anything. I deny this, Jeeves, in toto. The available information amounts to very little in toto. |
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N
1 a: a state of resting after exertion or strain ; especially : rest in sleep b: eternal or heavenly rest 2 a: a place of rest b: peace , tranquillity c: a harmony in the arrangement of parts and colors that is restful to the eye 3 a: lack of activity : quiescence b: cessation or absence of activity, movement, or animation; 4: composure of manner : poise |
repose N
if you obey the rules and commandments that he (the God) has lovingly prescribed, you will qualify for an eternity of bliss and repose. pray for the repose of a soul the repose of the bayous the face in repose is grave and thoughtful |
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ADJ
1 : intended for display : open to view 2 : being such in appearance : plausible rather than demonstrably true or real |
ostensible ADJ
The ostensible pretext for this mayhem is rival nationalisms the ostensible purpose for the trip |
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noun [U]
a situation in which there is little or no order or control 1 a: willful and permanent deprivation of a bodily member resulting in the impairment of a person's fighting ability b: willful and permanent crippling, mutilation, or disfigurement of any part of the body 2: needless or willful damage or violence |
mayhem N[U] /ˈmā-ˌhem, ˈmā-əm/
The ostensible pretext for this mayhem is rival nationalisms With twenty kids running round and only two adults to supervise, it was complete mayhem. |
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VT
to consider one thing to be the same as or equal to another thing 1 a: to make equal : equalize b: to make such an allowance or correction in as will reduce to a common standard or obtain a correct result 2: to treat, represent, or regard as equal, equivalent, or comparable |
equate VT
the triad of terms "Croat," "Serb," and "Muslim" is unequal and misleading, in that it equates two nationalities and one religion. He complained that there was a tendency to equate right-wing politics with self-interest. equates disagreement with disloyalty |
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N
a remark or action intended to insult or offend someone 1 obsolete : a hostile encounter 2: a deliberate offense : insult |
affront N
It is impossible to imagine a greater affront to every value of free expression. He regarded the comments as an affront to his dignity. an affront to his dignity |
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noun [U] FORMAL
the act of giving up your religious or political beliefs and leaving a religion or a political party 1 : renunciation of a religious faith 2 : abandonment of a previous loyalty : defection |
apostasy N[U]
In those days apostasy was punishable by death. And "apostasy," according to the Koran, is punishable by death. Middle English apostasie, from Late Latin apostasia, from Greek, literally, revolt, from aphistasthai to revolt, from apo- + histasthai to stand — more at stand |
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noun [C or U]
(an example of) activity against another person, especially as a punishment by military forces or a political group |
reprisal N
I was advised to change my address and my telephone number, which seemed an unlikely way of avoiding reprisal. economic/military reprisals They promised that individuals could live freely without fear of reprisal from the military. The attack was in reprisal for the kidnapping of their leaders. |
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ADJ
so obvious that it can easily be seen or known, or (of a feeling) so strong that it seems as if it can be touched or physically felt 1 : capable of being touched or felt : tangible 2 : easily perceptible : noticeable 3 : easily perceptible by the mind : manifest |
palpable ADJ
Etymology: from Late Latin palpabilis, from Latin palpare to stroke, caress — more at feel "The establishment of the chaplainship to Congress is a palpable violation of equal rights, as well as of Constitutional principles." a palpable effect Her joy was palpable. a palpable difference |
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ADJ FORMAL
(of actions and behaviour) deserving praise, even if there is little or no success, worthy of praise : commendable, deserving of high regard or great approval |
laudable ADJ
his actions in rescuing the kitten were highly laudable As to clerical presence in the armed forces, Madison wrote, "The object of this establishment is seducing; the motive to it is laudable. But is it not safer to adhere to a right principle, and trust to its consequences, than confide in the reasoning however specious in favor of a wrong one ? Look thro' the armies and navies of the world, and say whether in the appointment of their ministers of religion, the spiritual interest of the flocks or the temporal interest of the Shepherd be most in view?" a laudable aim/ambition The recycling programme is laudable, but does it save much money? Text: deserving of high regard or great approval <itʼs admirable the way Kory helps her grandmother with chores and errands every Saturday> Synonyms commendable, creditable, laudable, meritorious, praiseworthy Related Words awesome, distinctive, distinguished, excellent, honorable, noteworthy, noticeable, outstanding, reputable, worthy; invaluable, precious, priceless, valuable; delightful, enjoyable, pleasing, satisfying Near Antonyms contemptible, deplorable, infamous, notorious, sorry, unlikable, unworthy, worthless; disgraceful, dishonorable, disreputable, low, mean, scandalous, seamy, shady, shameful, shocking, sordid, unsavory Antonyms censurable, discreditable, reprehensible |
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N[C]
an official order given by a court of law, usually to stop someone from doing something 1 : the act or an instance of enjoining : order , admonition 2 : a writ granted by a court of equity whereby one is required to do or to refrain from doing a specified act |
injunction N[C]
All religions have a tendency to feature some dietary injunction or prohibition, whether it is the now lapsed Catholic injunction to eat fish on Fridays, or the adoration by Hindus of the cow as a consecrated and invulnerable animal, or the refusal by some other Eastern cults to consume any animal flesh, or to injure any other creature be it rat or flea. [+ to infinitive] The court has issued an injunction to prevent the airline from increasing its prices. [+ ing form of verb] She is seeking an injunction banning the newspaper from publishing the photographs. |
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ADJ, N
of, relating to, or suggesting swine : piggish |
porcine /ˈpȯr-ˌsīn/ ADJ, N
Real horror of the porcine is manifest all over the Islamic world. Etymology: Latin porcinus, from porcus pig — more at farrow |
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V[T] FORMAL
to guess something, without having much or any proof to form a notion of from scanty evidence : imagine , infer |
surmise V
But the cloven hoof, or trotter, became a sign of diabolism to the fearful, and I daresay that it is easy to surmise which came first—the devil or the pig. [+ (that)] The police surmise (that) the robbers have fled the country. |
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N[C usually singular]
1 the form of a language that a regional or other group of speakers use naturally, especially in informal situations; 2 SPECIALIZED in architecture, a local style in which ordinary houses are built 3 SPECIALIZED dance, music, art, etc. that is in a style liked or performed by ordinary people |
vernacular
The barbaric vernacular word for roasted human in New Guinea and elsewhere was "long pig": I have never had the relevant degustatative experience myself, but it seems that we do, if eaten, taste very much like pigs. The French I learned at school is very different from the local vernacular of the village where I'm now living. Many Roman Catholics regret the replacing of the Latin mass by the vernacular. |
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N
1 a problem that is difficult to deal with; 2 a trick question, often involving an amusing use of words that have two meanings 1: a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun 2 a: a question or problem having only a conjectural answer b: an intricate and difficult problem |
conundrum N
There must therefore be another answer to the conundrum. Arranging childcare over the school holidays can be quite a conundrum for working parents. |
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N[U]
the crisp skin of cooked pork (= meat from a pig) |
crackling (US ALSO cracklings)
"never buy crackling from a mohel" This is Hitchens' cleverly oblique reference to the mohel who supposedly made it habit to take the severed foreskins of babes in his mouth as part of the rite of circumcision. Apparently this was an accepted method of carrying out this bizarre practice. |
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ADJ
1 a: agreeable , attractive b: sexually attractive; 2: of palatable flavor and pleasing texture : delicious ~palatable |
toothsome ADJ
In the hands of eager Christian fanatics, even the toothsome Jamon Iberico could be pressed into service as a form of torture. a toothsome blonde crisp toothsome fried chicken |
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N[U] LITERARY
laughter, amusement or happiness gladness or gaiety as shown by or accompanied with laughter |
mirth N[U]
Her impersonations of our teachers were a source of considerable mirth. |
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ADJ LITERARY
not showing real amusement or happiness |
mirthless ADJ
The mirthless cretins of jihad have probably not read enough to know of the Empress of Blandings, and of the Earl of Emsworth's infinitely renewable delight in the splendid pages of the incomparable author Mr. Whiffle, The Care of the Pig, but there will be trouble when they get that far. a mirthless laugh/smile |
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N
1: the state of being hidden from view or lost to notice; 2: the interruption of the light from a celestial body or of the signals from a spacecraft by the intervention of a celestial body ; especially : an eclipse of a star or planet by the moon |
occultation /ˌä-(ˌ)kəl-ˈtā-shən/ N
Having often watched Shia ceremonies and processions, I was not surprised to learn that they are partly borrowed, in their form and liturgy, from Catholicism. Twelve imams, one of them now "in occultation" and awaiting reappearance or reawakening. "Occultation" is also the term employed by pious Shia, to describe the present and long-standing condition of the Twelfth Imam or "Mahdi": a child of five who apparently vanished from human view in the year 873. |
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N[C]
a division into two groups caused by a disagreement about ideas, especially in a religious organization 1: division , separation ; also : discord , disharmony; 2 a: formal division in or separation from a church or religious body b: the offense of promoting schism |
schism N[C] /'ski-zəm, ˈsi-zəm/
Etymology: Middle English scisme, from Anglo-French scisme, cisme, from Late Latin schismat-, schisma, from Greek, cleft, division, from schizein to split — more at shed But had its founder been put to death, we should be hearing of it still, and of the elaborate mutual excommunications, stonings, and schisms that its followers would subsequently have engaged in. Mr. Gibson adheres to a crackpot and schismatic Catholic sect consisting mainly of himself and of his even more thuggish father Quarrels over the leadership began almost as soon as he (Muhammad) died, and so Islam had its first major schism—between the Sunni and the Shia—before it had even established itself as a system. a schism in/within the Church a schism between political parties |
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N[C] DISAPPROVING
a position which involves little work, but for which the person is paid |
sinecure N[C] /ˈsī-ni-ˌkyu̇r, ˈsi-/
Sabbatai Zevi did what almost any ordinary mammal would have done, made the standard profession of belief in the one god and his messenger and was awarded a sinecure. |
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N[C]
a very unpleasant and painful or difficult experience 1 : a primitive means used to determine guilt or innocence by submitting the accused to dangerous or painful tests believed to be under supernatural control 2 : a severe trial or experience |
ordeal /ȯr-ˈdē(-ə)l, ˈȯr-ˌ/ N[C]
Summoned to the vizier's palace, and allowed to make his way from prison with a procession of hymn-singing supporters, the Messiah was very bluntly asked if he would agree to a trial by ordeal. The archers of the court would use him as a target, and if heaven deflected the arrows he would be adjudged genuine. Should he refuse, he would be impaled. ordeal by fire The hostages' ordeal came to an end when soldiers stormed the building. |
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V[T often passive] FORMAL
to announce a decision or consider something, especially officially: 1 a: to decide or rule upon as a judge : adjudicate b: to pronounce judicially : rule 2archaic : sentence , condemn 3: to hold or pronounce to be : deem; 4: to award or grant judicially in a case of controversy |
adjudge V[T often passive] FORMAL
The archers of the court would use him as a target, and if heaven deflected the arrows he would be adjudged genuine. [+ to infinitive] Half an hour into the game Paterson was adjudged to have fouled Jackson and was sent off. [+ noun or adjective] In October 1990, Mirchandani was adjudged bankrupt. Fairbanks was adjudged the winner, a decision which has outraged a good few members of the boxing fraternity. adjudge the book a success |
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ADJ FORMAL
having or showing understanding and the ability to make good judgments; wise; |
sagacious ADJ FORMAL
The ulema, or Muslim religious authority, was likewise sagacious. They counseled against the execution of this turbulent subject, lest his enthused believers "make a new religion." a sagacious person/comment/choice sagaciously adverb FORMAL sagacity noun [U] FORMAL synonyms shrewd , sagacious , perspicacious , astute mean acute in perception and sound in judgment. shrewd stresses practical, hardheaded cleverness and judgment <a shrewd judge of character>. sagacious suggests wisdom, penetration, and farsightedness <sagacious investors got in on the ground floor>. perspicacious implies unusual power to see through and understand what is puzzling or hidden <a perspicacious counselor saw through the child's facade>. astute suggests shrewdness, perspicacity, and diplomatic skill <an astute player of party politics>. |
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ADV, ADJ
1 : to, in, or on the field 2 : away from home : abroad 3 a long distance away: out of the way : astray |
afield ADJ, ADV
Sabbatai Sevi, the most imposing of the "false Messiahs." In the mid-seventeenth century, he galvanized whole Jewish communities across the Mediterranean and the Levant (and as far afield as Poland, Hamburg, and even Amsterdam, repudiator of Spinoza) with his claim to be the chosen one who would lead the exiles back to the Holy Land and begin the era of universal peace. far/further afield was weak at bat but strong afield irrelevant remarks that carried us far afield We export our products to countries as far afield as Japan and Canada. Our students come from Europe, Asia and even further afield. |
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N->ADJ,ADV
a still existing small part or amount of something larger, stronger or more important that existed in the past but does not exist now. 1 a (1): a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something (as an ancient city or a condition or practice) vanished or lost (2): the smallest quantity or trace b: footprint 1 2: a bodily part or organ that is small and degenerate or imperfectly developed in comparison to one more fully developed in an earlier stage of the individual, in a past generation, or in closely related forms ~ trace |
vestige /ˈves-tij/ N->ADJ,ADV
Etymology: from Latin vestigium footstep, footprint, track, vestige These old buildings are the last vestiges of a colonial past. There is now no vestige of hope that the missing children will be found alive. vestigial ADJ vestigially ADV a vestigial organ/limb/tail And we shall not hear again, in any but the most vestigial and nostalgic way, of Pan or Osiris or any of the thousands of gods who once held people in utter thrall. The stamp of the lowly origin is to be found in our appendix, in the now needless coat of hair that we still grow (and then shed) after five months in the womb, in our easily worn-out knees, our vestigial tails, and the many caprices of our urinogenital arrangements. |
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N
1 a: a servant slave : bondman ; also : serf b: a person in moral or mental servitude 2 a: a state of servitude or submission b: a state of complete absorption; |
thrall /ˈthrȯl/ N
And we shall not hear again, in any but the most vestigial and nostalgic way, of Pan or Osiris or any of the thousands of gods who once held people in utter thrall. in thrall to his emotions mountains could hold me in thrall with a subtle attraction of their own — Elyne Mitchell |
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ADJ
tending to support and encourage unity between the various types of the Christian religion 1: worldwide or general in extent, influence, or application 2 a: of, relating to, or representing the whole of a body of churches b: promoting or tending toward worldwide Christian unity or cooperation |
ecumenical /ˌe-kyə-ˈme-ni-kəl, -kyü-/ ADJ
an ecumenical service I read, for example, of some ecumenical conference of Christians who desire to show their broad-mindedness and invite some physicists along. At one of the ecumenical pre-publicity events which he sponsored, Mr. Gibson defended his filmic farrago—which is also an exercise in sadomasochistic homoeroticism starring a talentless lead actor who was apparently born in Iceland or Minnesota—as being based on the reports of "eyewitnesses." In another less ecumenical scene from the same book, the Prophet Muhammad is found being disemboweled in revolting detail. |
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N[C] FORMAL DISAPPROVING
a confused mixture, a confused mixture : hodgepodge |
farrago /fə-ˈrä-(ˌ)gō, -ˈrā-/ N[C] FORMAL DISAPPROVING
Etymology: Latin farragin-, farrago mixed fodder, mixture, from far spelt — more at barley He told us a farrago of lies. At one of the ecumenical pre-publicity events which he sponsored, Mr. Gibson defended his filmic farrago—which is also an exercise in sadomasochistic homoeroticism starring a talentless lead actor who was apparently born in Iceland or Minnesota—as being based on the reports of "eyewitnesses." |
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ADJ [before noun] MAINLY US
relating to the time before a war, especially the American Civil War |
antebellum ADJ
Many homes and churches of the antebellum South can still be visited today. |
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V [I + adverb or preposition; T] FORMAL
to be a sign of especially good or bad things in the future. transitive verb 1 : to foretell especially from omens 2 : to give promise of : presage intransitive verb : to predict the future especially from omens N FORMAL 1 [C] a sign of what might happen in the future; 2 [U] the skill of knowing what will happen in the future. 1 : an official diviner of ancient Rome 2 : one held to foretell events by omens |
augur V
Etymology: Latin; akin to Latin augēre higher pay augurs a better future But as with the arrival of the Nazarene in Jewish Palestine, which began with so many cheerful heavenly auguries, this was all to end very badly with a realization on the part of the Arabian Jews that they were faced with yet another disappointment, if not indeed another impostor. These sales figures are a good augury for another profitable year. His remarkable recovery defied all medical augury. The company's sales figures for the first six months augur well for the rest of the year. Do you think that this recent ministerial announcement augurs (= is a sign of) a shift in government policy? |
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V[T] to try to force someone to do something by threatening them or using strong and unfair persuasion, to intimidate or disconcert by a stern manner or arrogant speech : bully
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browbeat V[T]
browbeaten ADJ Don't be browbeaten into working more hours than you want. Like Muhammad, Smith could produce divine revelations at short notice and often simply to suit himself (especially, and like Muhammad, when he wanted a new girl and wished to take her as another wife). As a result, he overreached himself and came to a violent end, having meanwhile excommunicated almost all the poor men who had been his first disciples and who had been browbeaten into taking his dictation. |
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PL N FORMAL
the young or offspring of a person, animal or plant. 1 a: descendants , children b: offspring of animals or plants 2: outcome , product 3: a body of followers, disciples, or successors |
progeny \ˈprä-jə-nē\ PL N FORMAL
Etymology: Latin progenies, from progignere The god of Moses would brusquely call for other tribes, including his favorite one, to suffer massacre and plague and even extirpation, but when the grave closed over his victims he was essentially finished with them unless he remembered to curse their succeeding progeny. Not until the advent of the Prince of Peace do we hear of the ghastly idea of further punishing and torturing the dead. His numerous progeny are scattered all over the country. Many battles, curses, and afflictions accompanied their subsequent wanderings and those of their numerous progeny. |
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ADJ [before noun] FORMAL mentioned earlier, said or named before or above
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aforementioned/aforesaid ADJ [before noun] FORMAL
The aforementioned Mr Parkes then entered the cinema. There were, further, two magic stones, set in the twin breastplates Urim and Thummim of the Old Testament, that would enable Smith himself to translate the aforesaid book. |
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N the person or people mentioned earlier
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the aforementioned/the aforesaid N
The aforementioned was/were seen waiting outside the building. |
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ADJ->ADV,N
speaking or spoken in a confident and persuasive way but without honesty or careful consideration, |
glib ADJ -> glibber, glibbest
He's a glib, self-centred man. No one was convinced by his glib answers/explanations. He spoke glibly about an economic recovery just around the corner. But he encountered a problem that will be familiar to students of Islam. He was extremely glib and fluent as a debater and story-weaver, as many accounts attest. But he was illiterate, at least in the sense that while he could read a little, he could not write. |
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N[U] OLD-FASHIONED DISAPPROVING OR HUMOROUS
money or profit, monetary gain : profit; also : money |
lucre /ˈlü-kər/ N[U]
filthy lucre wrote almost entirely for lucre There were two equally stupid schools or factions who took a fascinated interest in such matters: the first were the gold-diggers and treasure-diviners who brought their magic sticks and crystals and stuffed toads to bear in the search for lucre, and the second those who hoped to find the resting place of a lost tribe of Israel. |
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N[U] FORMAL
a great desire, especially for money or possessions 1 : inordinate desire for wealth : avarice , greed 2 : strong desire : lust |
cupidity N[U] FORMAL
Smith's cleverness was to be a member of both groups, and to unite cupidity with half-baked anthropology. By a nice chance, cupidity and avarice are the spur to economic development. |
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plural noun SPECIALIZED
the large organs inside the body, including the heart, stomach, lungs and intestines from singurar: an internal organ of the body ; especially : one (as the heart, liver, or intestine) located in the great cavity of the trunk proper |
viscera /ˈvi-sə-rə/
from singular: viscus /ˈvis-kəs/ 1: an internal organ of the body ; especially : one (as the heart, liver, or intestine) located in the great cavity of the trunk proper 2 plural : heart 4 Useful no doubt in warding off primeval aggressors once our ancestors decided to take the risk of going erect and exposing the viscera, this is both a privilege and a provocation denied to most quadrupeds... Great ceilings and steeples and hymns, he might have added, would have consecrated it, and skilled torturers would have worked for days on those who doubted the truth of Barbelo: beginning with the fingernails and working their way ingeniously toward the testicles, the vagina, the eyes, and the viscera. Non-belief in Barbelo would, correspondingly, have been an unfailing sign that one had no morals at all. |
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verb [T] SPECIALIZED
to remove one or all of the organs from the inside of a body transitive verb1 a: to take out the entrails of : disembowel b: to deprive of vital content or force 2: to remove an organ from (a patient) or the contents of (an organ)intransitive verb: to protrude through a surgical incision or suffer protrusion of a part through an incision |
eviscerate /i-ˈvi-sə-ˌrāt/ verb [T] SPECIALIZED
They also harbor the belief that the AIDS plague is in some sense a verdict from heaven upon sexual deviance—in particular upon homosexuality. A single stroke of Ockham's potent razor eviscerates this half-baked savagery: female homosexuals not only do not contract AIDS (except if they are unlucky with a transfusion or a needle), they are also much freer of all venereal infection than even heterosexuals. |
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noun [U] FORMAL ->N
the use of clever arguments to trick people 1 : a resolving of specific cases of conscience, duty, or conduct through interpretation of ethical principles or religious doctrine 2 : specious argument : rationalization |
casuistry \ˈkazh-wə-strē, ˈka-zhə-\ N -> casuist N
Who has not heard or read of how the Jewish Pharisees, skilled in casuistry, dragged this poor woman before Jesus and demanded to know if he agreed with the Mosaic punishment of stoning her to death? "Free will," reply the casuists. You do not have to obey the laws against murder or theft either. He would sometimes, if he suspected himself of casuistry or crowd-pleasing, break off in the very middle of a speech. He told his judges that at no point in his closing plea had his "oracle" hinted at him to stop. |
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N[C] FORMAL
a rule for action or behaviour, especially obtained from moral consideration. 1 : a command or principle intended especially as a general rule of action 2 : an order issued by legally constituted authority to a subordinate official |
precept N[C] FORMAL
This policy goes against common precepts of decency. There are, indeed, several ways in which religion is not just amoral, but positively immoral. And these faults and crimes are not to be found in the behavior of its adherents (which can sometimes be exemplary) but in its original precepts. The so-called Golden Rule, sometimes needlessly identified with a folktale about the Babylonian Rabbi Hillel, simply enjoins us to treat others as one would wish to be treated by them. This sober and rational precept, which one can teach to any child with its innate sense of fairness (and which predates all Jesus's "beatitudes" and parables), is well within the compass of any atheist and does not require masochism and hysteria, or sadism and hysteria, when it is breached. It is gradually learned, as part of the painfully slow evolution of the species, and once grasped is never forgotten. Ordinary conscience will do, without any heavenly wrath behind it. With the judgment of the angels and of the saints we excommunicate, cut off, curse, and anathematize Baruch de Espinoza, with the consent of the elders and of all this holy congregation, in the presence of the holy books: by the 613 precepts which are written therein, with the anathema wherewith Joshua cursed Jericho, with the curse which Elisha laid upon the children, and with all the curses which are written in the law. |
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ADJ->ADV
needing or using a lot of physical or mental effort or energy 1 a: vigorously active : energetic b: fervent , zealous 2: marked by or calling for energy or stamina : arduous |
strenuous ADJ
the proposal's most strenuous supporters a strenuous hike He rarely does anything more strenuous than changing the channels on the television. His doctor advised him not to take any strenuous exercise. Strenuous efforts were made throughout the war to disguise the scale of civilian casualties. The order to "love thy neighbor as thyself" is too extreme and too strenuous to be obeyed, as is the hard-to interpret instruction to love others "as I have loved you." strenuously ADV: He strenuously denies all the allegations against him. Most local residents strenuously object to the building proposals. |
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N[U] FORMAL
severe criticism and blame 1: something that brings disgrace 2 a: public disgrace or ill fame that follows from conduct considered grossly wrong or vicious b: contempt, reproach |
opprobrium N[U] FORMAL
Etymology: Latin, from opprobrare to reproach, from ob in the way of + probrum reproach; akin to Latin pro forward and to Latin ferre to carry, bring — more at ob-, for, bear Absent the gnostic version, this makes it hopelessly odd that Judas, who allegedly performed the strangely redundant act of identifying a very well-known preacher to those who had been hunting for him, should suffer such opprobrium. International opprobrium has been heaped on the country following its attack on its neighbours. |
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ADJ
experienced as a result of watching, listening to or reading about the activities of other people, rather than by doing the activities yourself 1 a: serving instead of someone or something else b: that has been delegated; 2: performed or suffered by one person as a substitute for another or to the benefit or advantage of another : substitutionary; 3: experienced or realized through imaginative or sympathetic participation in the experience of another 4: occurring in an unexpected or abnormal part of the body instead of the usual one |
vicarious ADJ
However, the idea of a vicarious atonement, of the sort that so much troubled even C. S. Lewis, is a further refinement of the ancient superstition. However, I am still granted free will with which to reject the offer of vicarious redemption. Should I exercise this choice, however, I face an eternity of torture much more awful than anything endured at Calvary, or anything threatened to those who first heard the Ten Commandments. A middlebrow audience is thus given a vicarious glimpse of a version of Heisenberg's principle of uncertainty: any attempt to measure something will have the effect of minutely altering that which is being measured. They get a vicarious thrill from watching motor racing. Etymology: Latin vicarius, from vicis change, alternation, stead — more at week vicarious authority a vicarious sacrifice vicarious menstruation manifested by bleeding from the nose |
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verb [T] LITERARY
to satisfy a thirst or a desire: V[I] 1 archaic : subside , abate 2: to become slaked : crumble V[T] 1archaic : to lessen the force of : moderate 2: satisfy , quench 3: to cause (as lime) to heat and crumble by treatment with water : hydrate |
slake V[T]
It is useless to object that Adam seems to have been created with insatiable discontent and curiosity and then forbidden to slake it: all this was settled long before even Jesus himself was born. lime may slake spontaneously in moist air slake your thirst will slake your curiosity After our long game of tennis, we slaked our thirst with a beer. I don't think Dick will ever manage to slake his lust for power. |
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N[U] the Hindu custom, which is no longer legal, of a woman being burnt alive in the same fire as that in which her dead husband's body is burnt
the act or custom of a Hindu widow willingly being cremated on the funeral pyre of her husband as an indication of her devotion to him ; also : a woman cremated in this way |
suttee N[U]
"Martyrdom," or a deliberate sacrifice of oneself, can be viewed in a slightly different light, though when practiced by the Hindus in the form of suttee, or the strongly suggested "suicide" of widows, it was put down by the British in India for imperial as much as for Christian reasons. |
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N a young cow ; especially : one that has not had a calf
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heifer \ˈhe-fər\ N
Pious Jews are at this moment trying to breed the spotlessly pure "red heifer" mentioned in the book of Numbers, chapter 19, which if slaughtered again according to the exact and meticulous ritual will bring about the return of animal sacrifices in the Third Temple, and hasten the end of time and the coming of the Messiah. Meanwhile in Israel, the Jewish biblical fanatics are also trying to raise a human child, in a pure "bubble" free from contamination, who will at the attainment of the right age be privileged to cut that heifer's throat. |
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ADJ FORMAL
very bad and shocking, hatefully or shockingly evil : abominable |
heinous \ˈhā-nəs\ ADJ FORMAL
a heinous crime To its list of apologies, religion should simply add an apology for foisting man-made parchments and folk myths upon the unsuspecting, and for taking so long to concede that this had been done. One senses a reluctance to make this admission, since it might tend to explode the whole religious worldview, but the longer it is delayed the more heinous the denial will become. |
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V[T]
to force someone to have or experience something they do not want 1 a: to introduce or insert surreptitiously or without warrant b: to force another to accept especially by stealth or deceit 2: to pass off as genuine or worthy |
foist
foist costly and valueless products on the public — Jonathan Spivak I try not to foist my values on the children but it's hard. To its list of apologies, religion should simply add an apology for foisting man-made parchments and folk myths upon the unsuspecting, and for taking so long to concede that this had been done. One senses a reluctance to make this admission, since it might tend to explode the whole religious worldview, but the longer it is delayed the more heinous the denial will become. |
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N[C]
a statement which does not correctly follow from the meaning of the previous statement 1: an inference that does not follow from the premises ; specifically : a fallacy resulting from a simple conversion of a universal affirmative proposition or from the transposition of a condition and its consequent 2: a statement (as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said |
non sequitur N[C]
Etymology: Latin, it does not follow And nor am I accepting his rather wild supernatural categories, such as devil and demon. Least of all do I accept his reasoning, which is so pathetic as to defy description and which takes his two false alternatives as exclusive antitheses, and then uses them to fashion a crude non sequitur ("Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God."). All of the statements of the Dalai Lama, who happens not to advocate imperialist slaughter but who did loudly welcome the Indian government's nuclear tests, are also of this non-sequitur type.) |
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N
1: political organization 2: a specific form of political organization 3: a politically organized unit 4 a: the form or constitution of a politically organized unit b: the form of government of a religious denomination |
polity N
Imperial-Way Buddhism utilizes the exquisite truth of the Lotus Sutra to reveal the majestic essence of the national polity. |
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N[C] LITERARY
a short period when a person stays in a particular place |
sojourn N[C] \ˈsō-ˌjərn, sō-ˈ\
My sojourn in the youth hostel was thankfully short. I had been told in respectful and awed tones that "the Bhagwan's body has some allergies," and not long after my sojourn he fled the ashram and then apparently decided that he had no further use for his earthly frame. |
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ADJ MAINLY DISAPPROVING
describes music, literature, art or film which is of good quality, interesting and often popular, but can be understood quite easily |
middlebrow ADJ
Compare highbrow; lowbrow. A middlebrow audience is thus given a vicarious glimpse of a version of Heisenberg's principle of uncertainty: any attempt to measure something will have the effect of minutely altering that which is being measured. |
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noun [C]
1 a small evil spirit 2 OFTEN HUMOROUS a badly behaved but playful child 1obsolete : shoot , bud ; also : graft 2 a: a small demon : fiend b: a mischievous child : urchin |
imp N[C]
Come here, you little imp! But what did people expect would happen when the vulnerable were controlled by those who, misfits and inverts themselves, were required to affirm hypocritical celibacy? And who were taught to state grimly, as an article of belief, that children were "imps of" or "limbs of" Satan? Now we have the Three Imps of Frustration for our hectic modern world, namely Frenzied, Frenetic and Frantic. |
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N[C] OLD-FASHIONED
a woman who is not married, especially a woman who is no longer young and seems unlikely ever to marry 1: a woman whose occupation is to spin 2 a archaic : an unmarried woman of gentle family b: an unmarried woman and especially one past the common age for marrying 3: a woman who seems unlikely to marry |
spinster N[C] OLD-FASHIONED
Again, how shall we reckon the harm done by dirty old men and hysterical spinsters, appointed as clerical guardians to supervise the innocent in orphanages and schools? The Roman Catholic Church in particular is having to answer this question in the most painful of ways, by calculating the monetary value of child abuse in terms of compensation. |
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ADJ FORMAL->ADV
impossible to correct or cure, not remediable; also : incurable |
irremediable ADJ FORMAL->ADV
The merits of this plan outweighed several obvious flaws in it, which were irremediable. an irremediable error In Afghanistan and elsewhere, I can only reiterate that their problem is not so much that they desire virgins as that they are virgins: their emotional and psychic growth irremediably stunted in the name of god, and the safety of many others menaced as a consequence of this alienation and deformation. |
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ADJ FORMAL DISAPPROVING
preventing something or someone from developing into the best possible state V[T] 1 archaic : to allege or prove to be of unsound mind and hence not responsible 2: to cause to appear or be stupid, foolish, or absurdly illogical 3 a: to impair, invalidate, or make ineffective : negate b: to have a dulling or inhibiting effect on |
stultifying ADJ FORMAL DISAPPROVING
These countries are trying to shake off the stultifying effects of several decades of state control. The Inter-Islam and Islamic Voice sites recycle this tripe, as if there were not already enough repression and ignorance among young males in the Muslim world, who are often kept apart from all female company, taught in effect to despise their mothers and sisters, and subjected to stultifying rote recitation of the Koran. She felt the repetitive exercises stultified her musical technique so she stopped doing them. |
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N
1 : the use of memory usually with little intelligence; 2 : mechanical or unthinking routine or repetition ADJ 1 : learned or memorized by r... 2 : mechanical |
rote N
stultifying rote recitation of the Koran learn by rote a joyless sense of order, rote, and commercial hustle — L. L. King The Inter-Islam and Islamic Voice sites recycle this tripe, as if there were not already enough repression and ignorance among young males in the Muslim world, who are often kept apart from all female company, taught in effect to despise their mothers and sisters, and subjected to stultifying rote recitation of the Koran. |
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N[U] INFORMAL
ideas, suggestions or writing that are stupid, silly or have little value |
tripe N[U]
She said my last essay was complete tripe. The Inter-Islam and Islamic Voice sites recycle this tripe, as if there were not already enough repression and ignorance among young males in the Muslim world, who are often kept apart from all female company, taught in effect to despise their mothers and sisters, and subjected to stultifying rote recitation of the Koran. People talk a lot of tripe about fashion. He undid the ontological argument by challenging the simpleminded notion that if god can be conceived as an idea, or stated as a predicate, he must therefore possess the quality of existence. This traditional tripe is accidentally overthrown by Penelope Lively in her much-garlanded novel Moon Tiger. Meanwhile, the hoarse proponents of "intelligent design" would be laying siege to yet another school board, demanding that tripe be taught to children. |
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ADJ->ADV
1 SPECIALIZED describes a disease or condition that exists at or from birth; 2 describes someone who always shows a particular bad quality. 1 a: existing at or dating from birth b: constituting an essential characteristic : inherent c: acquired during development in the uterus and not through heredity; 2: being such by nature |
congenital ADJ
a congenital abnormality/disease congenital fear of snakes congenital deafness congenital syphilis a congenital liar In fact this commandment has not been prescribed with a view to perfecting what is defective congenitally, but to perfecting what is defective morally. It has been thought that circumcision perfects what is defective congenitally. |
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N
1: an opening or open space : hole 2 a: the opening in a photographic lens that admits the light b: the diameter of the stop in an optical system that determines the diameter of the bundle of rays traversing the instrument c: the diameter of the objective lens or mirror of a telescope |
aperture N
Etymology: from Latin apertura, from apertus, past participle of aperire to open This practice is sometimes postponed to adolescence and, as earlier described, accompanied by infibulation, or the sewing up of the vagina with only a small aperture for the passage of blood and urine. Ahmadinejad took a scroll of paper and thrust it down the aperture, so as to update the occulted one on Iran's progress in thermonuclear fission and the enrichment of uranium. |
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N
the external genital organs of a human being and especially of a woman —usually used in plural |
pudenda N
Etymology: New Latin, singular of Latin pudenda, from neuter plural of pudendus, gerundive of pudēre to be ashamed But religious ritual since the dawn of time has insisted on snatching children from the cradle and taking sharp stones or knives to their pudenda. |
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V[T often passive] FORMAL
to give reasons why you think something is true, to offer as example, reason, or proof in discussion or analysis |
adduce V[T often passive] FORMAL
None of the evidence adduced in court was conclusive. In more recent times, some pseudosecular arguments have been adduced for male circumcision. It has been argued that the process is more hygienic for the male and thus more healthy for females in helping them avoid, for example, cervical cancer. Two instances—one of immoral teaching and the other of immoral practice—may be adduced. |
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V->N
to teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions, to fix beliefs or ideas in someone's mind, especially by repeating them often |
inculcate V
inculcation N Etymology: Latin inculcatus, past participle of inculcare, literally, to tread on, from in- + calcare to trample, from calc-, calx heel Our football coach has worked hard to inculcate a team spirit in/into the players. Nor is the devil forgotten: the unsleeping evil of outsiders and unbelievers is warded off with a perpetual vigilance, which includes daily moments of ritual in the workplace in which hatred of the "other" is inculcated. We should not care, as long as they make no further attempt to inculcate religion by any form of coercion. Now that the courts have protected Americans (at least for the moment) from the inculcation of compulsory "creationist" stupidity in the classroom, we can echo that other great Victorian Lord Macaulay and say that "every schoolchild knows" that Paley had put his creaking, leaking cart in front of his wheezing and broken-down old horse. How can we ever know how many children had their psychological and physical lives irreparably maimed by the compulsory inculcation of faith? |
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N->ADJ
a brutal ruffian or assassin : gangster, tough; a man who acts violently, specially to commit a crime |
thug N
thuggish ADJ Some thugs smashed his windows. a thuggish looking youth with a shaven head and tattoos on his arms |
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V[I]
to obtain enough food or money to stay alive 1 a: to have existence : be b: persist , continue 2: to have or acquire the necessities of life (as food and clothing) ; especially : to nourish oneself 3 a: to hold true b: to be logically conceivable as the subject of true statementstransitive verb: to support with provisions |
subsist V
Etymology: Late Latin subsistere to exist, from Latin, to come to a halt, remain, from sub- + sistere to come to a stand; akin to Latin stare to stand — more at stand subsisting on roots, berries and grubs The prisoners were subsisting on a diet of bread and water If I cannot definitively prove that the usefulness of religion is in the past, and that its foundational books are transparent fables, and that it is a man-made imposition, and that it has been an enemy of science and inquiry, and that it has subsisted largely on lies and fears, and been the accomplice of ignorance and guilt as well as of slavery, genocide, racism, and tyranny, I can most certainly claim that religion is now fully aware of these criticisms. |
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N[U] FORMAL
1 what a person needs in order to stay alive; 2 producing enough food or earning enough money to keep yourself alive. 1 a (1): real being : existence (2): the condition of remaining in existence : continuation , persistence b: an essential characteristic quality of something that exists c: the character possessed by whatever is logically conceivable 2: means of subsisting: as a: the minimum (as of food and shelter) necessary to support life b: a source or means of obtaining the necessities of life |
subsistence N[U]
The money is intended to provide a basic subsistence and should not be paid to someone who receives other income. subsistence farming The family were living at subsistence level. None of these provincials, or their deity, seems to have any idea of a world beyond the desert, the flocks and herds, and the imperatives of nomadic subsistence. |
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N
something that results from something else 1: a proposition inferred immediately from a proved proposition with little or no additional proof 2 a: something that naturally follows : result b: something that incidentally or naturally accompanies or parallels |
corollary N
Etymology: Middle English corolarie, from Late Latin corollarium, from Latin, money paid for a garland, gratuity, from corolla Unfortunately, violence is the inevitable corollary of such a revolutionary change in society. And does not the corollary hold, that men freed from religious awe will act in the most unbridled and abandoned manner? And we know for a fact that the corollary holds true—that religion has caused innumerable people not just to conduct themselves no better than others, but to award themselves permission to behave in ways that would make a brothel-keeper or an ethnic cleanser raise an eyebrow. Saul Bellow's Augie March shrewdly observed the fritillary corollary that "if you hold down one thing, you hold down the adjoining." |
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V[T] FORMAL to break a rule, law, etc.
1: to encroach upon in a way that violates law or the rights of another 2 obsolete : defeat , frustrateintransitive verb: encroach —used with on or upon |
infringe V[T] FORMAL
Etymology: Medieval Latin infringere, from Latin, to break, crush, from in- + frangere to break — more at break infringe a patent infringe on our rights They infringed building regulations. The crucial thing, he said, was to be sure that the free exercise of religion was not being infringed. |
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N[C or U]
1 violation 2 : an encroachment or trespass on a right or privilege |
infringement N
The slightest infringement—of a holy day, or a holy object, or an ordinance about sex or food or caste—could bring calamity. copyright infringement Even minor infringements of the law will be severely punished. |
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V[T] FORMAL
1 to remove something intentionally 2 to behave in a modest way and treat as unimportant the good things that you have achieved, often because you lack confidence |
efface (REMOVE) V[T] FORMAL
The whole country had tried to efface the memory of the old dictatorship. The idea of a Utopian state on earth, perhaps modeled on some heavenly ideal, is very hard to efface and has led people to commit terrible crimes in the name of the ideal. The church has made efforts to apologize for all this, but its complicity with fascism is an ineffaceable mark on its history, and was not a short-term or a hasty commitment so much as a working alliance which did not break down until after the fascist period had itself passed into history. Schoolchildren "held in preparation for slaughter" ... Perhaps you remember the pope's denunciation of this ineffaceable crime, and of the complicity of his church in it? |
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V[I or T] FORMAL
to break a law or moral rule V[I] 1 : to violate a command or law : sin 2 : to go beyond a boundary or limit V[T] 1 : to go beyond limits set or prescribed by : violate 2 : to pass beyond or go over (a limit or boundary) |
transgress V[I,T]
Etymology: from Latin transgressus, past participle of transgredi to step beyond or across, from trans- + gradi to step — more at grade Those are the rules, and anyone who transgresses will be severely punished. Who is supposed to have committed these transgressions? The system seems to be designed to punish the transgressor (= the person breaking the rules) rather than help his victim. transgress divine law What is a totalitarian system if not one where the abject glorification of the perfect leader is matched by the surrender of all privacy and individuality, especially in matters sexual, and in denunciation and punishment—"for their own good"—of those who transgress? As to the writing in the dust, Ehrman mentions an old tradition which postulates that Jesus was scrawling the known transgressions of others present, thus leading to blushing and shuffling and eventually to hasty departure. |
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V[T]
1 to remove the skin from a person's or animal's body 2 to whip a person or animal so hard that some of their skin comes off. 1 : to strip off the skin or surface of : skin 2 : to criticize harshly : excoriate 3 : lash 1b |
flay V[T]
An impure thought, let alone a heretical one, could lead to your being flayed alive FIGURATIVE The critics really flayed (= severely criticized) his new book. I'll be flayed alive (= to punish or tell someone off severely) when she finds out! the wind whipped up to gale fury, flaying his face — Richard Kent |
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V[I] FORMAL
1 to lose the determination to oppose something; to accept defeat; 2 to die or suffer badly from an illness. |
succumb V[I] FORMAL
The town finally succumbed last week after being pounded with heavy artillery for more than two months. I'm afraid I succumbed to temptation and had a piece of cheesecake. I felt sure it would only be a matter of time before he succumbed to my charms. Thousands of cows have succumbed to the disease in the past few months. |
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V[T]
to remove the testicles of a male horse or similar animal 1 : castrate 2 : to deprive of a natural or essential part |
geld V[T]
the legislation was pretty much gelded by the time it was passed The twenty-three million Catholics living in the Third Reich, many of whom had shown great individual courage in resisting the rise of Nazism, had been gutted and gelded as a political force. Their own Holy Father had in effect told them to render everything unto the worst Caesar in human history. |
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N[U] LITERARY
help given to someone, especially someone who is suffering or in need. 1: relief ; also : aid , help 2: something that furnishes relief V[T] to go to the aid of : relieve |
succour N[U] LITERARY, V[T]
By all means let devout parents deny themselves the succor of medicine when in acute pain and distress. It was the Vatican itself, with its ability to provide passports, documents, money, and contacts, which organized the escape network and also the necessary shelter and succor at the other end. Her organization gave succour and strength to those who had been emotionally damaged. to succour the poor, help the helpless, support the weak Students should be encouraged, supported and succoured. |
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N[S or U]
the Christian ceremony based on Jesus Christ's last meal with his disciples (= the twelve men who were his followers), or the holy bread and wine used in this ceremony |
eucharist /ˈyü-k(ə-)rəst/ N[S or U]
Latvian: Euharistija Hostijas |
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N[C]
a small space in a room, formed by one part of a wall being further back than the parts on each side 1 a: a small recessed section of a room : nook b: an arched opening (as in a wall) : niche 2: summerhouse 2 |
alcove N[C] /ˈal-ˌkōv/
On the previous afternoon, while sauntering along the Strand, I had found myself wedged into one of those sort of alcove places where fellows with voices like fog-horns stand all day selling things by auction. We've put some bookshelves in the alcove. |
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V[I usually + adverb or preposition], N
to walk in a slow and relaxed way, often in no particular direction to walk about in an idle or leisurely manner : stroll |
saunter /ˈsoṅn-tər, ˈsän-/ V[I]
On the previous afternoon, while sauntering along the Strand, I had found myself wedged into one of those sort of alcove places where fellows with voices like fog-horns stand all day selling things by auction. He sauntered by, looking very pleased with himself. sauntered slowly down the street |
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N
1 : the one, particular, or present occasion, purpose, or use 2 : the time being |
nonce /ˈnän(t)s/ N
for the nonce To-day he looked more editorial than ever; so, shelving my own worries for the nonce, I endeavoured to cheer him up by telling him how much I had enjoyed his last issue. |
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N[C or U]
a trick or a dishonest way of achieving something 1 : deception by artifice or stratagem in order to conceal, escape, or evade 2 : a deceptive device or stratagem |
subterfuge N[C,U]
Woosters do not shrink from subterfuge when it is a question of bracing up a buddy. It was clear that they must have obtained the information by subterfuge. Etymology: Late Latin subterfugium, from Latin subterfugere to escape, evade, from subter- secretly (from subter underneath; akin to Latin sub under) + fugere to flee — more at up, fugitive synonyms deception , fraud , double-dealing , subterfuge , trickery mean the acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives. deception may or may not imply blameworthiness, since it may suggest cheating or merely tactical resource <magicians are masters of deception>. fraud always implies guilt and often criminality in act or practice <indicted for fraud>. double-dealing suggests treachery or at least action contrary to a professed attitude <a go-between suspected of double-dealing>. subterfuge suggests the adoption of a stratagem or the telling of a lie in order to escape guilt or to gain an end <obtained the papers by subterfuge>. trickery implies ingenious acts intended to dupe or cheat <resorted to trickery to gain their ends>. |
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ADJ FORMAL
lacking intelligence or imagination lacking liveliness, tang, briskness, or force : flat , dull |
vapid ADJ
Etymology: Latin vapidus flat-tasting; akin to Latin vappa flat wine and perhaps to Latin vapor steam If you ask my Aunt Agatha she will tell you - in fact, she is quite likely to lell you even if you don't ask her - that I am a vapid and irreflective chump. a vapid television programme a gossipy, vapid woman, obsessed by her own elegance — R. F. Delderfield London was not all vapid dissipation — V. S. Pritchett vapidity N[U] the spiritual vapidity of Western materialism |
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ADJ FORMAL
thinking carefully and quietly, thoughtful, deliberative, given to or marked by long, quiet thinking |
reflective ADJ
If you ask my Aunt Agatha she will tell you - in fact, she is quite likely to lell you even if you don't ask her - that I am a vapid and irreflective chump. After hearing the news they sat in a quiet, reflective silence. one of the twins was outgoing and talkative while the other was withdrawn and reflective |
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V[T often passive] INFORMAL
to prevent something from happening or someone from achieving a purpose to present an obstacle to : stand in the way of |
stymie /ˈstī-mē/ V[T often passive]
"Ah, but you are then stymied by the question - How is he to be induced?" stymied by red tape In our search for evidence, we were stymied by the absence of any recent documents. |
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V[I] DISAPPROVING
to be unable to make a decision about doing something 1 : shiver , tremble 2 : to act nervously or indecisively : vacillate |
dither /ˈdi-thər/ V[I]
"I would be the last man to accuse you of dithering, but this is not like you. It is not the old form, Jeeves. Your are losing your grip. ... " Stop dithering and choose which one you want! She's still dithering over whether to accept the job she's just been offered. |
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N[U] MAINLY APPROVING
continued effort and determination, steadfastness |
perseverance N[U] /ˌpər-sə-ˈvir-ən(t)s/
"Never give in. Perseverance brings home the gravy." Through hard work and perseverance, he worked his way up from being a teacher in a village school to the headmaster of a large comprehensive. |
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N[U] LITERARY
a formal and unfriendly way of behaving which suggests that the person thinks they are better than other people, arrogance, haughtiness |
hauteur /hȯ-ˈtər, (h)ō-/ N[U] LITERARY
And I drank a modicum of tea, with a good deal of hauteur. |
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N[C] FORMAL
a law or rule made by a government or authority 1 a: an authoritative decree or direction : order b: a law set forth by a governmental authority ; specifically : a municipal regulation 2: something ordained or decreed by fate or a deity 3: a prescribed usage, practice, or ceremony |
ordinance N[C] FORMAL
City Ordinance 126 forbids car parking in this area of New York. The slightest infringement—of a holy day, or a holy object, or an ordinance about sex or food or caste—could bring calamity. Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French ordenance order, disposition, from Medieval Latin ordinantia, from Latin ordinant-, ordinans, present participle of ordinare to put in order — more at ordain |
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ADJ->N
1 [before noun] DISAPPROVING unimportant and not worth giving attention to; 2 [after noun] complaining too much about unimportant things. 1 : having secondary rank or importance : minor , subordinate 2 : having little or no importance or significance 3 : marked by or reflective of narrow interests and sympathies : small-minded |
petty ADJ
Prisoners complain that they are subjected to too many petty rules and restrictions. Don't be so petty! pettiness N[U] DISAPPROVING It was the pettiness of their arguments that irritated her. Sexual jealousy is sometimes considered a petty emotion. |
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V[I]
to make a choice, especially for one thing or possibility in preference to any others; to make a choice; especially : to decide in favor of something; to come to a judgment after discussion or consideration. ~ choose, conclude, determine, figure, resolve |
opt V[I]
opted for a tax increase — Tom Wicker they opted to reinstate the telephone service Mike opted for early retirement. [+ to infinitive] Most people opt to have the operation. If the intended reader of this book should want to go beyond disagreement with its author and try to identify the sins and deformities that animated him to write it (and I have certainly noticed that those who publicly affirm charity and compassion and forgiveness are often inclined to take this course), then he or she will not just be quarreling with the unknowable and ineffable creator who—presumably—opted to make me this way. He opted in both cases to use the Archangel Gabriel as the intermediate deliverer of his message. |
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ADJ FORMAL
causing so much emotion, especially pleasure, that it cannot be described. 1 a: incapable of being expressed in words : indescribable; b: unspeakable 2: not to be uttered : taboo |
ineffable ADJ
ineffable joy/beauty ineffable disgust the ineffable name of Jehovah The brilliant Schiller was wrong in his Joan of Arc when he said that "against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain." It is actually by means of the gods that we make our stupidity and gullibility into something ineffable. If the intended reader of this book should want to go beyond disagreement with its author and try to identify the sins and deformities that animated him to write it (and I have certainly noticed that those who publicly affirm charity and compassion and forgiveness are often inclined to take this course), then he or she will not just be quarreling with the unknowable and ineffable creator who—presumably—opted to make me this way. |
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V[T] FORMAL
to spoil the beauty, importance, purity, etc. of something or someone to make unclean or impure: as a: to corrupt the purity or perfection of : debase b: to violate the chastity of : deflower c: to make physically unclean especially with something unpleasant or contaminating d: to violate the sanctity of : desecrate e: sully, dishonor |
defile (SPOIL) V[T]
They will be defiling the memory of a good, sincere, simple woman, of stable and decent faith, named Mrs. Jean Watts. Throughout all religious texts, there is a primitive fear that half the human race is simultaneously defiled and unclean, and yet is also a temptation to sin that is impossible to resist. The Christians and Jews eat defiled pig meat and swill poisonous alcohol. defile a sanctuary boots defiled with blood the countryside defiled by billboards It's a shame that such a beautiful area has been defiled by a rubbish dump. The soldiers deliberately defiled all the holy places. |
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ADJ LITERARY
lasting forever, or never weakening with age 1 : not perishable or subject to decay 2 : enduring or occurring forever |
imperishable ADJ LITERARY
imperishable fame If you read John Clare's imperishable rural poems you will catch the music of what I mean to convey. |
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V[T]
to express a thought, feeling or idea so that it is understood by other people 1 obsolete : lead , conduct 2 a: to bear from one place to another ; especially : to move in a continuous stream or mass b: to impart or communicate by statement, suggestion, gesture, or appearance c (1)archaic : steal (2)obsolete : to carry away secretly d: to transfer or deliver (as property) to another especially by a sealed writing e: to cause to pass from one place or person to another |
convey V[T]
If you read John Clare's imperishable rural poems you will catch the music of what I mean to convey. convey a message struggling to convey his feelings His poetry conveys a great sense of religious devotion. If you see James, do convey my apologies (to him). [+ question word] I tried to convey in my speech how grateful we all were for his help. You don't want to convey the impression that we're not interested. |
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ADJ
never stopping, especially in an annoying or unpleasant way, continuing or following without interruption : unceasing |
incessant ADJ
Religion even boasts a special branch of itself, devoted to the study of the end. It calls itself "eschatology," and broods incessantly on the passing away of all earthly things. Why, if god was the creator of all things, were we supposed to "praise" him so incessantly for doing what came to him naturally? The first is by a continual scourging and mortification of the flesh, accompanied by incessant wrestling with "impure" thoughts which become actual as soon as they are named, or even imagined. incessant rain/noise/complaints incessantly ADV |
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ADJ
incapable of being surmounted, overcome, passed over, or solved |
insuperable ADJ
I say "presented itself" rather than "occurred to me" because these objections are, as well as insuperable, inescapable. insuperable difficulties Etymology: Middle English, from Latin insuperabilis, from in- + superare to surmount, from super over — more at over |
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V[I]->ADJ
1 to lose strength or purpose and stop, or almost stop; 2 to move awkwardly as if you might fall. |
falter V[I]
The dinner party conversation faltered for a moment. Her friends never faltered in their belief in her. Nigel's voice faltered and he stopped speaking. The nurse saw him falter and made him lean on her. faltering ADJ She took a few faltering steps. This legislation is designed to stimulate the faltering economy. |
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V[T] FORMAL
(especially in religion or law) to free someone from guilt, blame or responsibility for something, to set free from an obligation or the consequences of guilt |
absolve V[T] FORMAL
Etymology: from Latin absolvere, from ab- + solvere to loosen — more at solve The report absolved her from/of all blame for the accident. I am inflicting all this upon you because I am not one of those whose chance at a wholesome belief was destroyed by child abuse or brutish indoctrination. I know that millions of human beings have had to endure these things, and I do not think that religions can or should be absolved from imposing such miseries. The priest absolved him (of all his sins). |
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N[U] FORMAL
official forgiveness, especially in the Christian religion, for something bad that someone has done or thought, a remission of sins pronounced by a priest (as in the sacrament of reconciliation) |
absolution N[U] FORMAL
I cannot absolve you of your responsibilities. She was granted/given absolution. |
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ADJ FORMAL
friendly, caring or helpful, like the expected behaviour of an uncle 1 : of or relating to an uncle; 2 : suggestive of an uncle especially in kindliness or geniality. |
avuncular /ə-ˈvəŋ-kyə-lər/ ADJ FORMAL
avuncular indulgence an avuncular, quietly-spoken man His avuncular image belies his steely determination. |
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N[C usually singular; U]->V
something which is greatly disliked or disapproved of. 1 a: one that is cursed by ecclesiastical authority b: someone or something intensely disliked or loathed —usually used as a predicate nominative; 2 a: a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority and accompanied by excommunication b: the denunciation of something as accursed c: a vigorous denunciation : curse V 1 curse: wish harm upon; invoke evil upon; "The bad witch cursed the child" 2 accurse: curse or declare to be evil or anathema or threaten with divine punishment |
anathema N[C usually singular; U]
anathemize V Etymology: Late Latin anathemat-, anathema, from Greek, thing devoted to evil, curse, from anatithenai to set up, dedicate, from ana- + tithenai to place, set — more at do this notion was anathema to most of his countrymen — S. J. Gould Every single step toward the clarification of this argument has been opposed root and branch by the clergy. The attempt even to educate people in the possibility of "family planning" was anathematized from the first, and its early advocates and teachers were arrested (like John Stuart Mill) or put in jail or thrown out of their jobs. Credit controls are anathema to the government. For older employees, the new system is an anathema. With the judgment of the angels and of the saints we excommunicate, cut off, curse, and anathematize Baruch de Espinoza, with the consent of the elders and of all this holy congregation, in the presence of the holy books: by the 613 precepts which are written therein, with the anathema wherewith Joshua cursed Jericho, with the curse which Elisha laid upon the children, and with all the curses which are written in the law. |
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V[T] UK LEGAL ->N[U]
to reduce a period of time that someone must spend in prison V[T] 1 a: to lay aside (a mood or disposition) partly or wholly b: to desist from (an activity) c: to let (as attention or diligence) slacken : relax 2 a: to release from the guilt or penalty of b: to refrain from exacting c: to cancel or refrain from inflicting d: to give relief from (suffering) 3: to submit or refer for consideration, judgment, decision, or action ; specifically : remand 4: to restore or consign to a former status or condition 5: postpone , defer 6: to send (money) to a person or place especially in payment of a demand, account, or draft V[I] 1 a: to abate in force or intensity : moderate b: to abate symptoms (as of a disease) for a period 2: to send money (as in payment) N[U] UK LEGAL a reduction of the time that a person has to stay in prison; a period of time when an illness is less severe; forgiveness for breaking religious laws or rules. |
remit V[T]
Etymology: from Latin remittere to send back, from re- + mittere to send She has had part of her sentence remitted. remit a tax remit sins remit the penalty His prison sentence was remitted to two years. remission N[U] Her cancer has been in remission for several years. He was given three months' remission for good behaviour. He believes that redemption is based on remission of sins. The newest pope, the former Joseph Ratzinger, recently attracted Catholic youths to a festival by offering a certain "remission of sin" to those who attended. |
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V[I or T]
to join or become combined V[T] 1: to reduce to a liquid or plastic state by heat 2: to blend thoroughly by or as if by melting together : combine 3: to stitch by applying heat and pressure with or without the use of an adhesive V[I] 1 a: to become fluid with heat b British : to fail because of the blowing of a fuse 2: to become blended or joined by or as if by melting together |
fuse (JOIN) V[I or T]
However, there came a day when poor, dear Mrs. Watts overreached herself. Seeking ambitiously to fuse her two roles as nature instructor and Bible teacher, she said,... Etymology: Latin fusus, past participle of fundere to pour, melt — more at found Genes determine how we develop from the moment the sperm fuses with the egg. The bones of the skull are not properly fused at birth. In Istanbul, East and West fuse together in a way that is fascinating to observe. |
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ADJ
making you feel that something bad or evil might happen. |
sinister ADJ
If Jesus could heal a blind person he happened to meet, then why not heal blindness ? What was so wonderful about his casting out devils, so that the devils would enter a herd of pigs instead? That seemed sinister: more like black magic. The ruined house had a sinister appearance. A sinister-looking man sat in the corner of the room. synonyms sinister , baleful , malign mean seriously threatening evil or disaster. sinister suggests a general or vague feeling of fear or apprehension on the part of the observer <a sinister aura haunts the place>. baleful imputes perniciousness or destructiveness to something whether working openly or covertly <exerting a corrupt and baleful influence>. malign applies to what is inherently evil or harmful <the malign effects of racism>. |
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N
anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, or mean ->ADJ angry because of something which is wrong or not fair |
indignation N
I experienced a stab of sheer indignation as well as disbelief. Why, that would be as much as saying that religion might not be true, but never mind that, since it can be relied upon for comfort. The stout Welsh bishop indignantly claimed that it was not at all clear from the context that the young females were being preserved for immoral purposes rather than for unpaid labor. Etymology: Latin indignant-, indignans, present participle of indignari to be indignant, from indignus unworthy, from in- + dignus worthy She wrote an indignant letter to the paper complaining about the council's action. He became very indignant when it was suggested he had made a mistake. |
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PL N FORMAL
pleasant and persuasive words or actions, something that tends to coax or cajole: allurement |
blandishments PL N FORMAL
She was impervious to his blandishments. We do not believe in heaven or hell, yet no statistic will ever find that without these blandishments and threats we commit more crimes of greed or violence than the faithful. (In fact, if a proper statistical inquiry could ever be made, I am sure the evidence would be the other way.) |
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ADJ FORMAL
suggesting a positive and successful future |
auspicious ADJ
There is no need for us to gather every day, or every seven days, or on any high and auspicious day, to proclaim our rectitude or to grovel and wallow in our unworthiness. They won their first match of the season 5-1 which was an auspicious start/beginning. Our first meeting was not auspicious - we had a huge argument. synonyms favorable , auspicious , propitious mean pointing toward a happy outcome. favorable implies that the persons involved are approving or helpful or that the circumstances are advantageous <favorable weather conditions>. auspicious applies to something taken as a sign or omen promising success before or at the start of an event <an auspicious beginning>. propitious may also apply to beginnings but often implies a continuing favorable condition <a propitious time for starting a business>. |
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ADJ DISAPPROVING -> N, ADV
too obviously showing your money, possessions or power, in an attempt to make other people notice and admire you, marked by or fond of conspicuous or vainglorious and sometimes pretentious display |
ostentatious ADJ DISAPPROVING
They criticized the ostentatious lifestyle of their leaders. an ostentatious gesture/manner Her luxurious lifestyle and personal ostentation were both hated and envied. The room was ostentatiously decorated in white and silver. He took out his gold watch and laid it ostentatiously (= very obviously so everyone would notice) on the table in front of him. To us no spot on earth is or could be "holier" than another: to the ostentatious absurdity of the pilgrimage, or the plain horror of killing civilians in the name of some sacred wall or cave or shrine or rock, we can counter-pose a leisurely or urgent walk from one side of the library or the gallery to another, or to lunch with an agreeable friend, in pursuit of truth or beauty. This explains the supercilious expression on the faces of those who practice religion ostentatiously: pray excuse my modesty and humility but I happen to be busy on an errand for god. the task of persuading ordinary Muslims to leave Congress and to join with the partitionist "Muslim League" was made much easier by Gandhi's talk of Hinduism and by the long ostentatious hours he spent in cultish practices and in tending his spinning wheel. The second solution is organized hypocrisy, where forbidden foods are rebaptized as something else, or where a donation to the religious authorities will purchase some wiggle-room, or where ostentatious orthodoxy will buy some time, or where money can be paid into one account and then paid back—with perhaps a slight percentage added in a non-usurious manner—into another. During Hitler's first visit to Rome, for example, the Holy Father rather ostentatiously took himself out of town to the papal retreat at Castelgandolfo. |
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ADJ
(especially of ideas) unclear and lacking form, indistinct , vague |
nebulous ADJ
Religion spoke its last intelligible or noble or inspiring words a long time ago: either that or it mutated into an admirable but nebulous humanism, as did, say, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a brave Lutheran pastor hanged by the Nazis for his refusal to collude with them. She has a few nebulous ideas about what she might like to do in the future, but nothing definite. |
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V[I] FORMAL->N,ADJ
to act together secretly or illegally in order to deceive or cheat someone, conspire , plot. |
collude V[I]
Religion spoke its last intelligible or noble or inspiring words a long time ago: either that or it mutated into an admirable but nebulous humanism, as did, say, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a brave Lutheran pastor hanged by the Nazis for his refusal to collude with them. But the human wish to credit good things as miraculous and to charge bad things to another account is apparently universal. In England the monarch is the hereditary head of the church as well as the hereditary head of the state: William Cobbett once pointed out that the English themselves colluded in this servile absurdity by referring to "The Royal Mint" but "The National Debt." Religion plays the same trick, and in the same way, and before our very eyes. Etymology: Latin colludere, from com- + ludere to play, from ludus game — more at ludicrous It was suspected that the police had colluded with the witnesses. colluded to keep prices high collusion N[U] FORMAL It is thought that they worked in collusion with (= secretly together with) the terrorist network. collusive ADJ FORMAL The report concluded that there was no evidence of collusive behaviour between the banks. |
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ADJ
describes a person who is not influenced or affected by something; not allowing liquid to go through. 1 not allowing penetration (as by gas, liquid, or light); a: not allowing entrance or passage : impenetrable b: not capable of being damaged or harmed; 2 impossible to get through or into; not capable of being affected or disturbed. |
impervious ADJ
She was impervious to his blandishments. He is impervious to criticism and rational argument. How does glue bond with impervious substances like glass and metal? the rain forest is impervious to all but the most dedicated explorers the material for this coat is supposed to be impervious to rain impervious to criticism a carpet impervious to rough treatment a coat impervious to rain |
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N[U] SPECIALIZED
(in philosophy) the belief that everything has a special purpose or use 1 a: the study of evidences of design in nature b: a doctrine (as in vitalism) that ends are immanent in nature c: a doctrine explaining phenomena by final causes 2: the fact or character attributed to nature or natural processes of being directed toward an end or shaped by a purpose 3: the use of design or purpose as an explanation of natural phenomena |
teleology /ˌte-lē-ˈä-lə-jē, ˌtē-/ N[U] SPECIALIZED
Etymology: New Latin teleologia, from Greek tele-, telos end, purpose + -logia -logy — more at wheel |
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ADJ FORMAL DISAPPROVING->ADV, N
not willing to spend money or give something. 1: frugal to the point of stinginess; 2: sparing, restrained. |
parsimonious ADJ FORMAL DISAPPROVING
She's too parsimonious to heat the house properly. FIGURATIVE I think that politicians are often rather parsimonious with the (= do not tell the complete) truth. parsimoniously ADV FORMAL DISAPPROVING parsimony N[U] FORMAL DISAPPROVING In science, parsimony is most often accepted as the natural arbitrator between two competing theories. The principle is also called Occam's razor or Ockham's razor. If two theories explain the same thing, then the one involving fewest steps and assumptions will most likely work best. It is an attempt to conserve assumptions and avoid needless complication. |
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ADJ foolish or ridiculous
1 conceived or made without regard for reason or reality 2 showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment |
nonsensical ADJ
your plan to lose weight through total starvation is completely nonsensical the idea that we can stop global warming by opening all of the worldʼs refrigerators at once is nonsensical at best Mr. Hitchens quoted Thomas Jefferson’s famous observation on slavery: “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.” Mr. Hitchens said, with a hint of contempt: It’s a nonsensical statement, almost an idiotic one. If there was a just God, what would there be to tremble about? If we were in the hands of a benign deity, a father who always looked out for us and wishes for the best for us, where would be the rest of Jewish history, the rest of human history? There would be nothing to worry about. It would be like scraping your knee in the famous playground. It's nonsensical to blame all the world's troubles on one man. Their methods of assessment produce nonsensical results. |
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ADJ
1 sad and without hope; 2 INFORMAL very bad. 1 obsolete : disastrous , dreadful 2: showing or causing gloom or depression 3: lacking merit : particularly bad |
dismal ADJ
One can only mourn over the dismal and stupid lectures on sexual continence that we might have been spared if this nonsense had been exposed earlier than it was. Etymology: Middle English, from dismal, noun, days marked as unlucky in medieval calendars, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin dies mali, literally, evil days a dismal expression a dismal performance The acting was dismal, wasn't it? What dismal weather! synonyms dismal , dreary , bleak , gloomy , cheerless , desolate mean devoid of cheer or comfort. dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess <dismal weather>. dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility <a dreary job>. bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten <the bleak years of the depression>. gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise <gloomy war news>. cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering <a drab and cheerless office>. desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect <a desolate outpost>. |
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N
1: self-restraint ; especially : a refraining from sexual intercourse 2: the ability to retain a bodily discharge voluntarily |
continence N
fecal continence Aquinas half believed in astrology, and was convinced that the fully formed nucleus (not that he would have known the word as we do) of a human being was contained inside each individual sperm. One can only mourn over the dismal and stupid lectures on sexual continence that we might have been spared if this nonsense had been exposed earlier than it was. |
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V[I]
1 a: germinate , sprout b: to breed or produce freely; 2: swarm, teem. |
pullulate V[I] /ˈpəl-yə-ˌlāt/
the island pullulated with tourists Muhammad is claimed by his own followers to have thought, as did Jesus, that the desert was pullulating with djinns, or evil spirits. |
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ADJ FORMAL
stupid, not correct, or not carefully thought about, complacently or inanely foolish : silly |
fatuous ADJ FORMAL
Etymology: Latin fatuus foolish Within six years of this evil and fatuous message, the once prosperous and civilized people of Germany could gaze around themselves and see hardly one brick piled upon another, as the godless Red Army swept toward Berlin. In the recent division in the Anglican Church over homosexuality and ordination, several bishops made the fatuous point that homosexuality is "unnatural" because it does not occur in other species. a fatuous remark a fatuous idea/remark |
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ADJ
false and not what it appears to be, or (of reasons and judgments) based on something that has not been correctly understood and therefore false. 1: of illegitimate birth : bastard 2: outwardly similar or corresponding to something without having its genuine qualities : false 3 a: of falsified or erroneously attributed origin : forged b: of a deceitful nature or quality |
spurious ADJ
Etymology: Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin spurius false, from Latin, of illegitimate birth, from spurius, noun, bastard The self-taught Thomas Paine has never been refuted since he wrote, while suffering dire persecution by French Jacobin anti-religionists, to show that these books are spurious, ... the spurious eminence of the pop celebrity spurious excuses Some of the arguments in favour of shutting the factory are questionable and others downright spurious. |
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N[S or U]
something which encourages a particular activity or makes that activity more energetic or effective 1 a (1): a driving force : impulse (2): incentive , stimulus b: stimulation or encouragement resulting in increased activity 2: the property possessed by a moving body in virtue of its mass and its motion —used of bodies moving suddenly or violently to indicate the origin and intensity of the motion |
impetus N[S or U]
Israel's irruption into Lebanon that year also gave an impetus to the birth of Hezbollah, the modestly named "Party of God"... The recent publicity surrounding homelessness has given (a) fresh impetus to the cause. |
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V[I or T] FORMAL
to steal something from a place or a person by using violence, especially during war, to plunder ruthlessly : loot; to take booty |
pillage V[I or T], N
Works of art were pillaged from many countries in the dark days of the Empire. His persecuted and despised people were not promised the territory of others, nor were they incited to carry out the pillage and murder of other tribes. Elsewhere in Bosnia-Herzegovina, especially along the river Drina, whole towns were pillaged and massacred in what the Serbs themselves termed "ethnic cleansing." |
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V[I or T] FORMAL ->ADJ, N
to (cause to) gradually disappear or waste. V[T] 1 a: to break up and drive off (as a crowd) b: to cause to spread thin or scatter and gradually vanish c: to lose (as heat or electricity) irrecoverably 2: to spend or use up wastefully or foolishly; V[I] 1: to break up and scatter or vanish; 2: to be extravagant or dissolute in the pursuit of pleasure ; especially : to drink to excess ADJ FORMAL DISAPPROVING spending too much time enjoying physical pleasures and harmful activities such as drinking too much alcohol. |
dissipate V[I or T] FORMAL
dissipated ADJ FORMAL DISAPPROVING dissipation N[U] FORMAL He spent the remainder of his last evening in orgiastic dissipation, for which I don't blame him. one's sympathy is eventually dissipated — Andrew Feinberg dissipated the family fortune in reckless business ventures The heat gradually dissipates into the atmosphere. His anger dissipated as the situation became clear. the clouds soon dissipated the team's early momentum has dissipated He recalled his dissipated youth spent in nightclubs and bars. synonyms scatter , disperse , dissipate , dispel mean to cause to separate or break up. scatter implies a force that drives parts or units irregularly in many directions <the bowling ball scattered the pins>. disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group <police dispersed the crowd>. dissipate stresses complete disintegration or dissolution and final disappearance <the fog was dissipated by the morning sun>. dispel stresses a driving away or getting rid of as if by scattering <an authoritative statement that dispelled all doubt>. |
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V[T] FORMAL->N
to remove or destroy something completely 1 a: to destroy completely : wipe out b: to pull up by the root 2: to cut out by surgery |
extirpate V[T] FORMAL->N
extirpation N Etymology: Latin exstirpatus, past participle of exstirpare, from ex- + stirp-, stirps trunk, root In a very few cases, such as Albania, Communism tried to extirpate religion completely and to proclaim an entirely atheist state. This only led to even more extreme cults of mediocre human beings, such as the dictator Enver Hoxha, and to secret baptisms and ceremonies that proved the utter alienation of the common people from the regime. The god of Moses would brusquely call for other tribes, including his favorite one, to suffer massacre and plague and even extirpation, but when the grave closed over his victims he was essentially finished with them unless he remembered to curse their succeeding progeny. Not until the advent of the Prince of Peace do we hear of the ghastly idea of further punishing and torturing the dead. |
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N[C]
an extra song or piece of music that is performed at the end of a show because the audience shout for it. 1: a demand for repetition or reappearance made by an audience 2 a: a reappearance or additional performance demanded by an audience b: a second achievement especially that surpasses the first |
encore /ˈän-ˌkȯr/ N[C]
We were shouting for an encore. They did a few old hits as/for an encore. Encore! shouted at the end of a performance to get the performer to sing or play more |
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V[T] FORMAL
1 to rub off or remove information from a piece of writing: 2 to cause something to be forgotten. 1 : to strike out, obliterate, or mark for deletion 2 : to efface completely : destroy 3 : to eliminate (as a memory) from one's consciousness |
expunge V[T] FORMAL
She has been unable to expunge the details of the accident from her memory. His name has been expunged from the list of members. |
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ADJ
showing that you are happy and confident 1 archaic a: stylish b: genteel; 2: sprightly in manner or appearance : lively. |
jaunty ADJ
sporting a jaunty red beret a jaunty stroll a jaunty grin/step. When he came back his hat was at a jaunty angle and he was smiling. |
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N[C or U] FORMAL -> ADJ,ADV
a loud noise, especially that produced by an excited crowd, or a state of confusion, change or uncertainty. 1 a: disorderly agitation or milling about of a crowd usually with uproar and confusion of voices : commotion b: a turbulent uprising : riot 2: hubbub , din 3 a: violent agitation of mind or feelings b: a violent outburst tumultuous ADJ very loud, or full of confusion, change or uncertainty |
tumult N[C or U] FORMAL
tumultuously ADV You couldn't hear her speak over the tumult from the screaming fans. From every direction, people were running and shouting and falling over each other in a tumult of confusion. The financial markets are in tumult. Dame Joan appeared to tumultuous applause and a standing ovation. After the tumultuous events of 1990, Eastern Europe was completely transformed. |
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ADJ LITERARY
attractively thin and able to move quickly and gracefully 1 a: easily flexed b: lithe 2 2: nimble |
lissom, lissome ADJ LITERARY
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(TAKE) V[T] LEGAL
to take temporary possession of someone's property until they have paid back the money that they owe or until they have obeyed a court order (KEEP SEPARATE) V[T] US LEGAL to keep a jury together in a place so that they cannot discuss the case with other people or read or hear news reports about it 1 a: to set apart : segregate b: seclude , withdraw; 2 a: to seize especially by a writ of sequestration b: to place (property) in custody especially in sequestration 3: to hold (as a metallic ion) in solution usually by inclusion in an appropriate coordination complex |
sequester (TAKE) V[T] (ALSO sequestrate) LEGAL
Etymology: Latin sequestrare to hand over to a trustee, from sequester third party to whom disputed property is entrusted, agent, from secus beside, otherwise; akin to Latin sequi to follow sequester a jury widely spaced homes are forbiddingly grand and sequestered — Don Asher |
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ADJ FORMAL
(of someone or their character) positive and hopeful. 1: bloodred 2 a: consisting of or relating to blood b: bloodthirsty , sanguinary cof the complexion : ruddy 3: having blood as the predominating bodily humor ; also : having the bodily conformation and temperament held characteristic of such predominance and marked by sturdiness, high color, and cheerfulness 4: confident , optimistic |
sanguine ADJ FORMAL
They are less sanguine about the prospects for peace. |
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N[U]
the quality of being truthful and honest, especially about a difficult or embarrassing subject. 1 a: whiteness , brilliance bobsolete : unstained purity 2: freedom from prejudice or malice : fairness 3 archaic : kindliness 4: unreserved, honest, or sincere expression : forthrightness. |
candour UK, US candor N[U]
'I do not think I am too sanguine, sir. You must remember that Master Moon, apart from his curls, has a personality which is not uniformly pleasing. He is apt to express himself with a breezy candour which I fancy Master Thomas might feel inclined to resent in one some years his junior.' "We really don't know what to do about it, " she said with surprising candour. the candor with which he acknowledged a weakness in his own case — Aldous Huxley |
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ADJ
dirty and unpleasant; immoral and shocking. 1: marked by baseness or grossness : vile; 2 a: dirty , filthy b: wretched , squalid 3: meanly avaricious : covetous 4: of a dull or muddy color |
sordid ADJ
A couple of days later I realized that the virus had gone even deeper than I had thought. The kid was irredeemably sordid. There are lots of really sordid apartments in the city's poorer areas. He told me he'd had an affair but he spared me the sordid details. Etymology: Latin sordidus, from sordes dirt — more at swart sordid motives |
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N[U] FORMAL
evil, inherent baseness : depravity; also : a base act |
turpitude N[U] FORMAL
moral turpitude acts/crimes of moral turpitude |
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ADJ FORMAL
impossible to correct, improve or change 1: not redeemable: as a: not terminable by payment of the principal b: inconvertible a 2: being beyond remedy : hopeless |
irredeemable ADJ FORMAL
irredeemably ADV FORMAL irredeemable bond irredeemable mistakes There are irredeemable flaws in the logic of the argument. The writing itself was irredeemably bad. |
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V
1 [T] to admit, often unwillingly, that something is true; 2 [T] to allow someone to have something, even though you do not want to; 3 [I or T] to admit that you have lost in a competition; 4 concede a goal/point to fail to stop an opposing team or person from winning a point or game. |
concede V
Marx and Freud, it has to be conceded, were not doctors or exact scientists. Our side willingly concedes this point: we are prepared for discoveries in the future that will stagger our faculties even more than the vast advances in knowledge that have come to us since Darwin and Einstein. [+ (that)] The Government has conceded (that) the new tax policy has been a disaster. But there came a time when I could not protect myself, and indeed did not wish to protect myself, from the onslaught of reality. Marxism, I conceded, had its intellectual and philosophical and ethical glories, but they were in the past. [+ speech] "Well okay, perhaps I was a little hard on her, " he conceded. The president is not expected to concede these reforms. He is not willing to concede any of his power/authority. Britain conceded (= allowed) independence to India in 1947. He kept on arguing and wouldn't concede defeat. She conceded even before all the votes had been counted. The team conceded two goals (to the other side) in the first five minutes of the game. |
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V[T] FORMAL
to include, especially a variety of things. 1 a: to form a circle about : enclose bobsolete : to go completely around; 2 a: envelop b: include , comprehend; 3: bring about , accomplish |
encompass /in-ˈkəm-pəs, en- also -ˈkäm-/ V[T] FORMAL
Surely something so self-evident was within the wit of man to encompass? a plan that encompasses a number of aims encompass a task The festival is to encompass everything from music, theatre and ballet to literature, cinema and the visual arts. |
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V[T]->ADJ,N
1 : to cause to be foolish : deprive of sound judgment 2 : to inspire with a foolish or extravagant love or admiration ADJ: having a very strong but not usually lasting feeling of love or attraction for someone or something. |
infatuate V[T]
infatuated ADJ infatuation N[C or U] "Katehrine tells me he seems to be infatuated with her. She says he follows her about like one of hers dogs, looking like a tame cat and bleating like a sheep." "Quite the private Zoo, what?" She was infatuated with her boss. It's just an infatuation. She'll get over it. No one expected their infatuation with each other to last. |
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ADJ->ADV,N
quick and rude in manner or speech. 1 : markedly short and abrupt 2 : blunt in manner or speech often to the point of ungracious harshness |
brusque ADJ->ADV,N
brusquely ADV brusqueness N[U] His secretary was rather brusque with me. "I simply haven't got time to deal with the problem today, " she said brusquely. synonyms bluff , blunt , brusque , curt , crusty , gruff mean abrupt and unceremonious in speech and manner. bluff connotes good-natured outspokenness and unconventionality <a bluff manner>. blunt suggests directness of expression in disregard of others' feelings <a blunt appraisal>. brusque applies to a sharpness or ungraciousness <a brusque response>. curt implies disconcerting shortness or rude conciseness <a curt command>. crusty suggests a harsh or surly manner sometimes concealing an inner kindliness <a crusty exterior>. gruff suggests a hoarse or husky speech which may imply bad temper but more often implies embarrassment or shyness <puts on a gruff pose>. |
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ADJ SLIGHTLY FORMAL
formal and splendid in style and appearance. 1 a: marked by lofty or imposing dignity b: haughty , unapproachable 2: impressive in size or proportions |
stately ADJ SLIGHTLY FORMAL
stateliness N[U] ... when a sigh of relief went up from a dozen stately homes as it became known that the short straw had been drawn by Sir Reginald Witherspoon, Bart, of Bleaching Court, Upper Bleaching, Hants. The procession moved through the mountain village at a stately pace. He always walked with a stately bearing. |
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N[C] UK
a large old house which usually has beautiful furniture, decorations and gardens |
stately home N[C] UK
... when a sigh of relief went up from a dozen stately homes as it became known that the short straw had been drawn by Sir Reginald Witherspoon, Bart, of Bleaching Court, Upper Bleaching, Hants. |
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N[U] FORMAL
disappointment or annoyance, especially when caused by a failure or mistake; disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation, disappointment, or failure |
chagrin /shə-ˈgrin/ N[U] FORMAL
My children have never shown an interest in music, much to my chagrin. Your chagrin does not surprise me, sir. One can, however, understand their point of view. |
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N
1: an incidental and collateral opinion that is uttered by a judge but is not binding 2: an incidental remark or observation |
obiter dictum /ˌō-bə-tər-ˈdik-təm, ˌä-/ N
Etymology: Late Latin, literally, something said in passing I will show you someone who doesn't give a hoot how much her obiter dicta may wound a nephew's sensibilities. |
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V[I]
to take a long time to leave or disappear V[I] 1: to be slow in parting or in quitting something : tarry 2 a: to remain alive although gradually dying b: to remain existent although often waning in strength, importance, or influence 3: to be slow to act : procrastinate 4: to move slowly : saunter V[T] 1 obsolete : delay 2: to pass (as a period of time) slowly |
linger V[I]
lingerer N[C] lingering ADJ[before noun] (lasting a long time) lingeringly ADV the memory still lingers. After the play had finished, we lingered for a while in the bar hoping to catch sight of the actors. The smell from the fire still lingered days later. It's impossible to forget such horrific events - they linger (on) in the memory forever. She gave him a long, lingering kiss. She's says she's stopped seeing him, but I still have lingering doubts. lingering doubts lingering odors fans lingered outside the door The defeat ends any lingering hopes she might have had of winning the championship. |
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ADJ
(of weather) pleasantly warm 1 a: having the qualities of balm : soothing b: mild 2: crazy , foolish |
balmy ADJ
a balmy summer evening balmy weather “Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep! He, like the world, his ready visit pays Where fortune smiles; the wretched he forsakes.” - Edward Young (1683-1765) |
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N[C] INFORMAL
an occasion when an activity is done in an extreme way, especially eating, drinking or spending money. V[I] INFORMAL to eat a lot of something 1 a: a drunken revel : spree b: an unrestrained and often excessive indulgence c: an act of excessive or compulsive consumption (as of food) 2: a social gathering : party |
binge N[C] INFORMAL
binge V[I] INFORMAL a drinking/eating/spending binge The annual office binge (= party) is in December. He went on a five day drinking binge. a buying binge I tend to binge on chocolate when I'm watching TV. |
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V[I] EXPR
to do or say something which makes you feel embarrassed |
drop a brick/clanger UK
a poor goop who had just dropped a very serious brick. |
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N[U] FORMAL
the quality of seeming true or of having the appearance of reality |
verisimilitude N[U] FORMAL
She has included photographs in the book to lend verisimilitude to the story. |
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N[C]
an arrangement of flowers and leaves in a circular shape, which is used as a decoration or as a sign of respect and remembrance for a person who has died 1: something intertwined or arranged in a circular shape: as a: a band of intertwined flowers or leaves worn as a mark of honor or victory : garland b: a decorative arrangement of foliage or flowers on a circular base 2: something having a circular or coiling form |
wreath /ˈrēth/ N[C]
a wreath of smoke a laurel wreath a Christmas wreath a holly/laurel wreath The bride wore a veil with a wreath of silk flowers. There were two large wreaths on the coffin. The President ended his visit by laying a wreath at the war memorial. |
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(COMPLAIN) V[I], N INFORMAL to complain; a complaint
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beef (COMPLAIN) V[I],N INFORMAL
He was beefing about having to do the shopping. My main beef about the job is that I have to work on Saturdays. always beefing about something |
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N[C] UK OLD-FASHIONED INFORMAL
a man or child, especially an annoying one |
blighter N[C] UK OLD-FASHIONED INFORMAL
I eyed the blighter squarely. 'Jeeves, ' I said, 'you're talking rot.' The little blighters next door have trampled all over my flowers again. |
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N[S] FORMAL
a small amount of something good such as truth or honesty, a small portion : a limited quantity |
modicum N[S] FORMAL
And I drank a modicum of tea, with a good deal of hauteur. There's not even a modicum of truth in her statement. Anyone with a modicum of common sense could have seen that the plan wouldn't work. |
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N[U] FORMAL
a particular point in time 1 a: joint , connection b: the manner of transition or mode of relationship between two consecutive sounds in speech 2: an instance of joining : junction 3: a point of time ; especially : one made critical by a concurrence of circumstances |
juncture N[U] FORMAL
I hadn't time, hoverer, to express my horror and disgust, for at this juncture Jeeves came in. At this juncture, it is impossible to say whether she will make a full recovery. synonyms juncture , exigency , emergency , contingency , pinch , straits , crisis mean a critical or crucial time or state of affairs. juncture stresses the significant concurrence or convergence of events <an important juncture in our country's history>. exigency stresses the pressure of restrictions or urgency of demands created by a special situation <provide for exigencies>. emergency applies to a sudden unforeseen situation requiring prompt action to avoid disaster <the presence of mind needed to deal with emergencies>. contingency implies an emergency or exigency that is regarded as possible but uncertain of occurrence <contingency plans>. pinch implies urgency or pressure for action to a less intense degree than exigency or emergency <come through in a pinch>. straits applies to a troublesome situation from which escape is extremely difficult <in dire straits>. crisis applies to a juncture whose outcome will make a decisive difference <a crisis of confidence>. |
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PL N
1 FORMAL in the Bible, people who are chosen by God 2 HUMOROUS any group of people who have been specially chosen for their particular qualities |
the elect PL N
I was shocked. Yes, dash it, I was shocked. You see, I held strong view on 'Sonny Boy'. I considered it a song only ot be attempted by a few of the elect in the privacy of the bathroom. |
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ADV OLD-FASHIONED
used, especially in written English, when you want to give more detail or be more exact about something you have just written |
viz ADV OLD-FASHIONED
But there is one exception to the general ghastliness - vis., my Aunt Dahlia. We both shared the same ambition, viz, to make a lot of money and to retire at 40. |
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N[C]
1 a large group of people, especially women or girls, or a large group of similar things; 2 a large group of a particular type of bird. 1 : a large group or collection 2 : a group of animals and especially quail |
bevy N[C]
'Bertie,' she cried, in the manner of one encouraging a bevy of hounds to renewed efforts. 'I want your help.' Victorian postcards often featured bevies of bathing beauties. a bevy of quail/larks a bevy of girls |
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V[R]
to force yourself to get ready to do something unpleasant or difficult 1: to overlay, point, or edge with steel; 2 a: to cause to resemble steel (as in looks or hardness) b: to fill with resolution or determination. |
steel V[T]
steel yourself (PREPARE) V[R] I had steeled myself to this ordeal .... [+ to infinitive] She steeled herself to jump out of the plane. steeled herself to face the crisis |
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N[U]
fierce hate and anger expressed through severe criticism 1 a: a sulfate of any of various metals (as copper, iron, or zinc) ; especially : a glassy hydrate of such a sulfate b: oil of vitriol 2: something felt to resemble vitriol especially in caustic quality ; especially : virulence of feeling or of speech |
vitriol N[U]
The treatment worked like magic. What they had put into the stuff, besides vitriol, I could not have said; but it completely altered my outlook on life. He is a writer who has often been criticized by the press but never before with such vitriol. |
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N[C usually plural] FORMAL
praise 1 : an act or round of applause 2 : enthusiastic approval —usually used in plural |
plaudit N[C usually plural] FORMAL
He waved a kindly hand to his supporters, and bowed in a regal sort of manner, rather like an Eastern monarch acknowledging the plaudits of the mob. She's received plaudits for her work with homeless people. The quality of his photography earned/won him plaudits from the experts. received the plaudits of the critics |
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N[C]
something unpleasant or unexpected that might happen or exist in the future, a possible event or outcome : possibility |
eventuality N[C]
'I confess I had anticipate some such eventuality.' We've tried to anticipate the most likely problems, but it's impossible to be prepared for all eventualities/every eventuality. I'm looking for a travel insurance policy that will cover me for any eventuality. |
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PL N
1 FORMAL in the Bible, people who are chosen by God 2 HUMOROUS any group of people who have been specially chosen for their particular qualities |
the elect PL N
I was shocked. Yes, dash it, I was shocked. You see, I held strong view on 'Sonny Boy'. I considered it a song only ot be attempted by a few of the elect in the privacy of the bathroom. |
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ADV OLD-FASHIONED
used, especially in written English, when you want to give more detail or be more exact about something you have just written, that is to say : namely |
abr.: viz ADV OLD-FASHIONED,
videlicet /və-ˈde-lə-ˌset, vī-; vi-ˈdā-li-ˌket/ But there is one exception to the general ghastliness - vis., my Aunt Dahlia. We both shared the same ambition, viz, to make a lot of money and to retire at 40. |
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V[I] FORMAL
to avoid doing or stop yourself from doing something, a part of a song or hymn that is repeated every so often V[T] verbarchaic : curb , restrain V[I] to keep oneself from doing, feeling, or indulging in something and especially from following a passing impulse |
refrain (NOT DO) V[I] FORMAL
refrain to .... refrained from having dessert I didnʼt know the verses of the song, so I only sang on the refrain We refrained from talking until we knew that it was safe. The sign on the wall said "Please refrain from smoking." |
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V[I]
1 to walk in a shaky way that looks as if you are about to fall. 2 to move shakily from side to side. 3 (of a company, government, etc.) to become weaker and less likely to carry on existing. |
totter V[I]
Reason was beginning to do a bit of torrering on its throne. Several tall piles of books tottered and fell. The industry has tottered from crisis to crisis now for two years. She tottered unsteadily down the stairs in her high-heeled shoes. |
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N[U]
power, strength or force 1 a: the power, authority, or resources wielded (as by an individual or group) b (1): bodily strength (2): the power, energy, or intensity of which one is capable 2 dialect : a great deal |
might (POWER) N[U]
Might makes right striving with might and main Pizarro defeated the might of the Inca Empire with only a few hundred men. She struggled with all her might to get free. synonyms power , force , energy , strength , might mean the ability to exert effort. power may imply latent or exerted physical, mental, or spiritual ability to act or be acted upon <the awesome power of flowing water>. force implies the actual effective exercise of power <used enough force to push the door open>. energy applies to power expended or capable of being transformed into work <a worker with boundless energy>. strength applies to the quality or property of a person or thing that makes possible the exertion of force or the withstanding of strain, pressure, or attack <use weight training to build your strength>. might implies great or overwhelming power or strength <the belief that might makes right>. |
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V[T not continuous]
to include someone or something in something, or to make them take part in or feel part of it 1 archaic : to enfold or envelop so as to encumber 2 a: to engage as a participant b: to oblige to take part c: to occupy (as oneself) absorbingly ; especially : to commit (as oneself) emotionally 3: to surround as if with a wrapping : envelop 4 aarchaic : to wind, coil, or wreathe about b: to relate closely : connect 5 a: to have within or as part of itself : include b: to require as a necessary accompaniment : entail c: 3 affect |
involve V[T not continuous]
Etymology: to roll up, wrap, from Latin involvere, from in- + volvere to roll — more at voluble 'What does it involve?' I asked guardedly. 'I shan't have to kiss babies, shall I?' workers involved in building a house right of Congress to involve the nation in war was involved with a married man the cancer involved the lymph nodes The second accident involved two cars and a lorry. I prefer teaching methods that actively involve students in learning. [+ ing form of verb] The operation involves putting a small tube into your heart. Research involving the use of biological warfare agents will be used for defensive purposes. She's been involved with animal rights for many years. It would be difficult not to involve the child's father in the arrangements. |
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N[U]
acknowledgment of having received something good from another, the state of being grateful: thankfulness, the feeling or quality of being grateful |
gratitude N[U] (ALSO gratefulness)
deep/eternal gratitude She sent them a present to show/express her gratitude. Take this as a token of my gratitude for all your help. |
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ADJ DISAPPROVING
(of something such as bad behaviour) not necessary; with no cause 1 a: given unearned or without recompense b: not involving a return benefit, compensation, or consideration c: costing nothing : free 2: not called for by the circumstances : unwarranted |
gratuitous ADJ DISAPPROVING
gratuitous insolence a gratuitous assumption A lot of viewers complained that there was too much gratuitous sex and violence in the film. |
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V[T]->N,ADJ,ADV
to please someone, or to satisfy a wish or need 1 archaic : remunerate, reward; 2: to be a source of or give pleasure or satisfaction to; 3: to give in to : indulge , satisfy. |
gratify V[T]
gratification N[U] gratifying ADJ gratifyingly ADV it gratified him to have his wife wear jewels — Willa Cather gratify a whim We were gratified by the response to our appeal. [+ to infinitive] He was gratified to see how well his students had done. sexual gratification Some people expect instant gratification (= to get what they want immediately). [+ to infinitive] It must be very gratifying to see all your children grown up and happy. a gratifying (giving pleasure or satisfaction, pleasing) result The success rate in the exam was gratifyingly high. |
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ADJ->ADV,N
unhappy and discouraged because you feel you are in a difficult situation, feeling or showing extreme discouragement, dejection, or depression |
despondent ADJ
despondently ADV despondency N[U] He dropped back into the offing, registering alarm and despondency, and I removed the old Homburg and waggled it genially. despondent about his health synonyms despondent , despairing , desperate , hopeless mean having lost all or nearly all hope. despondent implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort <despondent about yet another rejection>. despairing suggests the slipping away of all hope and often despondency <despairing appeals for the return of the kidnapped child>. desperate implies despair that prompts reckless action or violence in the face of defeat or frustration <one last desperate attempt to turn the tide of battle>. hopeless suggests despair and the cessation of effort or resistance and often implies acceptance or resignation the situation of the trapped miners is hopeless He became/grew increasingly despondent when she failed to return his phone calls. She started to feel despondent about ever finding a job. "It's hopeless, " he said, shaking his head despondently. A mood of despondency had set in. |
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EXPR
likely to happen soon, the near or foreseeable future |
in the offing EXPR
He dropped back into the offing, registering alarm and despondency, and I removed the old Homburg and waggled it genially. With an election in the offing, the prime minister is keen to maintain his popularity. |
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V[I or T]
to (cause to) move quickly up and down or from side to side, : to reel, sway, or move from side to side : wag transitive verb : to move frequently one way and the other |
waggle V[I or T] /ˈwa-gəl/
He dropped back into the offing, registering alarm and despondency, and I removed the old Homburg and waggled it genially. One of his party tricks is to waggle his ears. |
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ADJ
friendly and pleasant 1 obsolete : of or relating to marriage or generation; 2 obsolete : inborn , native 3 a: favorable to growth or comfort : mild b: marked by or diffusing sympathy or friendliness; 4: displaying or marked by genius |
genial ADJ
genially ADV geniality N[U] He dropped back into the offing, registering alarm and despondency, and I removed the old Homburg and waggled it genially. The headteacher is very genial/has a genial manner. His geniality, reliability and ability made him a popular figure. synonyms gracious , cordial , affable , genial , sociable mean markedly pleasant and easy in social intercourse. gracious implies courtesy and kindly consideration <the gracious award winner thanked her colleagues>. cordial stresses warmth and heartiness <our host was cordial as he greeted us>. affable implies easy approachability and readiness to respond pleasantly to conversation or requests or proposals <though wealthy, she was affable to all>. genial stresses cheerfulness and even joviality <a genial companion with a ready quip>. sociable suggests a genuine liking for the companionship of others <sociable people who enjoy entertaining>. |
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N[C]
a small tool used for making holes in wood, a small tool with a screw point, grooved shank, and cross handle for boring holes. |
gimlet (TOOL) N[C]
'The last time I was lured into a girls' school, a headmistress with an eye like a gimlet insisted on my addressing the chain-gang on Ideals and the Life To Come. This will not happen to-night?' ... 'I should be disposed to imagine so, sir.' |
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ADJ DISAPPROVING
unfriendly and seeming to consider yourself better than other people, blatantly and disdainfully proud |
haughty ADJ DISAPPROVING
haughtily ADV haughtiness N[U] And the nearer I got to the house, the more I wished that I had been a bit less haughty with the man when he had tried to outline that alternative schema of his. She has a rather haughty manner. synonyms proud , arrogant , haughty , lordly , insolent , overbearing , supercilious , disdainful mean showing scorn for inferiors. proud may suggest an assumed superiority or loftiness <too proud to take charity>. arrogant implies a claiming for oneself of more consideration or importance than is warranted <a conceited and arrogant executive>. haughty suggests a consciousness of superior birth or position <a haughty aristocrat>. lordly implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power <a lordly condescension>. insolent implies contemptuous haughtiness <ignored by an insolent waiter>. overbearing suggests a tyrannical manner or an intolerable insolence <an overbearing supervisor>. supercilious implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness <an aloof and supercilious manner>. disdainful suggests a more active and openly scornful superciliousness <disdainful of their social inferiors>. |
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V[T] SPECIALIZED OR FORMAL
to make a machine work or be the reason a person acts in a certain way 1 : to put into mechanical action or motion 2 : to move to action |
actuate V[T] SPECIALIZED OR FORMAL
'If Mr Wooster was up a tree, I have no doubt he was actuated by excellent motives and had only Miss Mapleton's best interests at heart. A detonator is any device containing an explosive that is actuated by heat, percussion, friction, or electricity. He was actuated almost entirely by altruism. synonyms move , actuate , drive , impel mean to set or keep in motion. move is very general and implies no more than the fact of changing position <moved the furniture>. actuate stresses transmission of power so as to work or set in motion <turbines actuated by waterpower>. drive implies imparting forward and continuous motion and often stresses the effect rather than the impetus <a ship driven aground by hurricane winds>. impel is usually figurative and suggests a great motivating impetus <a candidate impelled by ambition>. |
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V[T] FORMAL->ADJ
to remove blame from someone, to clear from alleged fault or guilt |
exculpate V[T] FORMAL
exculpatory ADJ FORMAL If you consider that circumstances have places Mr Wooster in a position that may be termed equivocal, or even compromising, it will naturally be his wish to exculpate himself at the earliest possible -- 'Here!' said the policeman, slightly rattled. The pilot of the aircraft will surely be exculpated when all the facts are known. synonyms exculpate , absolve , exonerate , acquit , vindicate mean to free from a charge. exculpate implies a clearing from blame or fault often in a matter of small importance <exculpating himself from the charge of overenthusiasm>. absolve implies a release either from an obligation that binds the conscience or from the consequences of disobeying the law or committing a sin <cannot be absolved of blame>. exonerate implies a complete clearance from an accusation or charge and from any attendant suspicion of blame or guilt <exonerated by the investigation>. acquit implies a formal decision in one's favor with respect to a definite charge <voted to acquit the defendant>. vindicate may refer to things as well as persons that have been subjected to critical attack or imputation of guilt, weakness, or folly, and implies a clearing effected by proving the unfairness of such criticism or blame <her judgment was vindicated>. |
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N[U] FORMAL
the state of being under the control of someone else and of having no freedom 1 : a condition in which one lacks liberty especially to determine one's course of action or way of life 2 : a right by which something (as a piece of land) owned by one person is subject to a specified use or enjoyment by another |
servitude N[U] FORMAL
I wasn't sure that a good straight term of penal servitude wouldn't have been a happier ending. In the past, the majority of women were consigned to a lifetime of servitude and poverty. |
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ADJ
tending to be discussed or argued about and having no definite answer 1 a: open to question : debatable b: subjected to discussion : disputed 2: deprived of practical significance : made abstract or purely academic |
moot ADJ
the word 'Ah!' can be as sinister and devastating as the word 'Ho!' In fact, it is a very moot question which is the scalier. It's a moot point whether building more roads reduces traffic congestion. |
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N[U] FORMAL
the ability to stay calm in a difficult or dangerous situation, self-possession or imperturbability especially under strain |
sangfroid /ˈsäⁿ-ˈf(r)wä/ N[U] FORMAL
The first shock over, the old sang-froid was beginning to return. synonyms equanimity , composure , sangfroid mean evenness of mind under stress. equanimity suggests a habit of mind that is only rarely disturbed under great strain <accepted her troubles with equanimity>. composure implies the controlling of emotional or mental agitation by an effort of will or as a matter of habit <maintaining his composure even under hostile questioning>. sangfroid implies great coolness and steadiness under strain <handled the situation with professional sangfroid>. |
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ADJ
(of an opinion or position) able to be defended successfully or held for a particular period of time, capable of being held, maintained, or defended : defensible , reasonable |
tenable ADJ /ˈte-nə-bəl/
Etymology: Middle French, from Old French, from tenir to hold, from Latin tenēre — more at thin 'I took the liberty of suggesting that to the officer, madam, but he declined to accept the theory as tenable.' His theory is no longer tenable in light of the recent discoveries. The university fellowship is tenable for (= lasts for) three years. Parts of the content are not only scientifically untenable, they are simply untrue. |
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N[C] FORMAL
someone who behaves badly or does not obey rules 1 : unbelieving , heretical 2 : depraved , villainous |
miscreant /ˈmis-krē-ənt/ N[C] FORMAL
'By this time, no doubt, owing to his idiocy, the miscreants have made good their escape. And it is for this,' We need tougher penalties to discourage miscreants. |
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N->ADJ
1 : gross injustice : wickedness 2 : a wicked act or thing : sin ADJ FORMAL very wrong and unfair, vicious |
iniquity N[C or U] FORMAL
iniquitous ADJ FORMAL It is an iniquitous system that allows a person to die because they have no money to pay for medicine. They fought long and hard against the iniquities of apartheid. The writer reflects on human injustice and iniquity. synonyms vicious , villainous , iniquitous , nefarious , corrupt , degenerate mean highly reprehensible or offensive in character, nature, or conduct. vicious may directly oppose virtuous in implying moral depravity, or may connote malignancy, cruelty, or destructive violence <a vicious gangster>. villainous applies to any evil, depraved, or vile conduct or characteristic <a villainous assault>. iniquitous implies absence of all signs of justice or fairness <an iniquitous system of taxation>. nefarious suggests flagrant breaching of time-honored laws and traditions of conduct <the nefarious rackets of organized crime>. corrupt stresses a loss of moral integrity or probity causing betrayal of principle or sworn obligations <city hall was rife with corrupt politicians>. degenerate suggests having sunk to an especially vicious or enervated condition <a degenerate regime propped up by foreign powers>. |
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ADJ
large in amount, size, force, etc. 1 : quite heavy; 2 a: marked by bigness, bulk, and usually strength b: powerful, mighty c: impressively large :substantial |
hefty ADJ
I'm not nearly hot enough to draw a word-picture that would do justice to that extraordinarily hefty crash. a hefty football player hefty portions a hefty bill/fine Her salary will go up by a hefty 10%. a hefty woman with dyed blond hair |
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ADJ
having or showing reason and good judgment in making decisions, having, exercising, or characterized by sound judgment : discreet |
judicious ADJ
judiciously ADV 'It occurred to me, sir, that it would be most judicious for me to call at the back door and desire an interview with Miss Mapleton, to introduce the young lady into the house unobserved.' We should make judicious use of the resources available to us. a judiciously worded statement synonyms wise, sage, sapient, judicious, prudent, sensible , sane mean having or showing sound judgment. wise suggests great understanding of people and of situations and unusual discernment and judgment in dealing with them <wise beyond his tender years>. sage suggests wide experience, great learning, and wisdom <the sage advice of my father>. sapient suggests great sagacity and discernment <the sapient musings of an old philosopher>. judicious stresses a capacity for reaching wise decisions or just conclusions <judicious parents using kindness and discipline in equal measure>. prudent suggests exercise of the restraint of sound practical wisdom and discretion <a prudent decision to wait out the storm>. sensible applies to action guided and restrained by good sense and rationality <a sensible woman who was not fooled by flattery>. sane stresses mental soundness, rationality, and levelheadedness <remained sane even in times of crises>. NOTE: Do not confuse with judicial. |
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V[T usually + adverb or preposition] UK INFORMAL
to encourage someone to do something they do not want to do 1 : to tease or annoy with persistent petty attacks; 2 : to move or obtain by small maneuvers. |
chivvy V[T usually + adverb or preposition] /ˈshi-vē/ UK INFORMAL
'And told her that I was out in the garden, chivvying burglars with my bare hands?' He kept putting off writing the report so I had to chivvy him along. I had to chivvy him into writing the report. chivy an olive out of a bottle |
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N
frivolous bantering talk : light raillery |
persiflage /ˈpər-si-ˌfläzh, ˈper-/ N
Experience had taught me that if there was a subject on which he was unlikely to accept persiflage in a spirit of amused geniality it was this matter of his bulging tum. |
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V[T],N[C]
to reproach or challenge in a mocking or insulting manner : jeer at, to intentionally annoy and upset someone by making unkind remarks to them, laughing at them, etc. |
taunt V[T],N[C]
The protesters shouted taunts at the police. The other children used to taunt him in the playground because he was fat and wore glasses. He might have been proof against jibes at his embon-point, but it seemed to me incredible that he could have sold himself for gold so completely as to lie down under taunts directed at his school I was wrong. The money-lust evidently held him in its grip. He merely shook his head. synonyms ridicule , deride , mock , taunt mean to make an object of laughter of. ridicule implies a deliberate often malicious belittling <consistently ridiculed everything she said>. deride suggests contemptuous and often bitter ridicule <derided their efforts to start their own business>. mock implies scorn often ironically expressed as by mimicry or sham deference <youngsters began to mock the helpless wino>. taunt suggests jeeringly provoking insult or challenge <hometown fans taunted the visiting team>. |
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N[C] SLIGHTLY FORMAL
a strong liking, an established preference for something |
predilection N[C] SLIGHTLY FORMAL
Etymology: French prédilection, from Medieval Latin praediligere to love more, prefer, from Latin prae- + diligere to love — more at diligent Ever since she was a child, she has had a predilection for spicy food. synonyms predilection , prepossession , prejudice , bias mean an attitude of mind that predisposes one to favor something. predilection implies a strong liking deriving from one's temperament or experience <a predilection for travel>. prepossession suggests a fixed conception likely to preclude objective judgment of anything counter to it <a prepossession against technology>. prejudice usually implies an unfavorable prepossession and connotes a feeling rooted in suspicion, fear, or intolerance <a mindless prejudice against the unfamiliar>. bias implies an unreasoned and unfair distortion of judgment in favor of or against a person or thing <a strong bias toward the plaintiff>. |
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PREP
1 : across 2 : in opposition to ADV 1 : across especially in an oblique direction 2 : in opposition to the right or expected course |
athwart /ə-ˈthwȯrt, nautical often -ˈthȯrt/ PREP, ADV
In all the cases I have mentioned, there were those who protested in the name of religion and who tried to stand athwart the rising tide of fanaticism and the cult of death. I can think of a handful of priests and bishops and rabbis and imams who have put humanity ahead of their own sect or creed. and quite athwart goes all decorum — Shakespeare a procedure directly athwart the New England prejudices — R. G. Cole |
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ADJ FORMAL
(of behaviour) happening because of a very old natural and basic habit from the distant past, not because of a conscious decision or present need or usefulness |
atavistic ADJ FORMAL
atavism N[U] FORMAL an atavistic fear of the dark But the general reluctance of clerical authorities to issue unambiguous condemnation, whether it is the Vatican in the case of Croatia or the Saudi or Iranian leaderships in the case of their respective confessions, is uniformly disgusting. And so is the willingness of each "flock" to revert to atavistic behavior under the least provocation. |
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ADJ SLIGHTLY FORMAL
avoiding risks and uncertainties; careful characterized by, arising from, or showing prudence: as a: marked by wisdom or judiciousness b: shrewd in the management of practical affairs c: marked by circumspection : discreet d: provident , frugal |
prudent ADJ SLIGHTLY FORMAL
prudently ADV SLIGHTLY FORMAL prudence N[U] SLIGHTLY FORMAL No, Mr. Prager, I have not found it a prudent rule to seek help as the prayer meeting breaks up. I can pay your debt, my love, if you have been imprudent... prudent investors prudent advice [+ to infinitive] It's always prudent to read a contract properly before signing it. NOTE: The opposite is imprudent. The firm was commended for its financial prudence. synonyms wise , sage , sapient , judicious , prudent , sensible , sane mean having or showing sound judgment. wise suggests great understanding of people and of situations and unusual discernment and judgment in dealing with them <wise beyond his tender years>. sage suggests wide experience, great learning, and wisdom <the sage advice of my father>. sapient suggests great sagacity and discernment <the sapient musings of an old philosopher>. judicious stresses a capacity for reaching wise decisions or just conclusions <judicious parents using kindness and discipline in equal measure>. prudent suggests exercise of the restraint of sound practical wisdom and discretion <a prudent decision to wait out the storm>. sensible applies to action guided and restrained by good sense and rationality <a sensible woman who was not fooled by flattery>. sane stresses mental soundness, rationality, and levelheadedness <remained sane even in times of crises>. |
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N[C]
a trick intended to deceive someone, a wily subterfuge |
ruse N[C]
'Jeeves, I have had occasion before to comment on this habit of yurs of saying "Well, sir" whenevre I suggest anything in the nature of a ruse or piece of strategy. I dislike it more every time you do it. But I shall be glad to hear what possible criticism you can find to make.' Koranic scholars had attempted to square this circle by suggesting that, in these instances, the Prophet was accidentally taking dictation from Satan instead of from God. This ruse—which would not have disgraced the most sinuous school of medieval Christian apologetics— provided an excellent opportunity for a novelist to explore the relationship between holy writ and literature. synonyms trick , ruse , stratagem , maneuver , artifice , wile , feint mean an indirect means to gain an end. trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end <the tricks of the trade>. ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression <the ruses of smugglers>. stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy <the stratagem-filled game>. maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty <last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy>. artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention <the clever artifices of the stage>. wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements <used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself>. feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent <a feint toward the enemy's left flank>. |
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V[T] FORMAL
to kill yourself or someone else, or to destroy something, usually by burning, in a ceremonial way 1: to offer in sacrifice ; especially : to kill as a sacrificial victim 2: to kill or destroy often by fire |
immolate V[T] FORMAL
immolation M[U] FORMAL Within hours, the "reverends" Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell had announced that the immolation of their fellow creatures was a divine judgment on a secular society that tolerated homosexuality and abortion. You can nominate your own favorite sin here, as did the "reverends" Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell after the immolation of the World Trade Center. Bad enough as this was, it became worse on September n, 2001, when from Afghanistan the holy order was given to annex two famous achievements of modernism—the high-rise building and the jet aircraft— and use them for immolation and human sacrifice. |
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V[I] FORMAL DISAPPROVING
to try to persuade someone to change their religious or political beliefs or their way of living to your own V[I] 1 : to induce someone to convert to one's faith 2 : to recruit someone to join one's party, institution, or cause V[T] :to recruit or convert especially to a new faith, institution, or cause |
proselytize, UK USUALLY proselytise V[I] FORMAL DISAPPROVING
The deputy commander of the academy sent out e-mails proselytizing for a national day of (Christian) prayer. It can be added that some of the most dedicated relief workers are also believers (though as it happens the best ones I have met are secularists who were not trying to proselytize for any faith). He was also remarkable for the proselytizing zeal with which he wrote his political pamphlets. The television has provided the evangelists with yet another platform for their proselytizing. |
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ADJ
quiet and easy to influence, persuade or control. 1 : easily taught 2 : easily led or managed : tractable |
docile ADJ
docility N[U] The once docile population has finally risen up against the ruthless regime. a docile pupil a docile pony |
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ADJ FORMAL
extremely stupid 1 : extremely or utterly foolish; 2 : of, relating to, or resembling an ass |
asinine ADJ FORMAL
an asinine comment an asinine excuse synonyms simple , foolish , silly , fatuous , asinine mean actually or apparently deficient in intelligence. simple implies a degree of intelligence inadequate to cope with anything complex or involving mental effort <considered people simple who had trouble with computers>. foolish implies the character of being or seeming unable to use judgment, discretion, or good sense <foolish stunts>. silly suggests failure to act as a rational being especially by ridiculous behavior <the silly antics of revelers>. fatuous implies foolishness, inanity, and disregard of reality <fatuous conspiracy theories>. asinine suggests utter and contemptible failure to use normal rationality or perception <an asinine plot>. |
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N
1: to suppose beforehand 2: to require as an antecedent in logic or fact |
presupposition N[C or U]
Your actions are based on some false presuppositions (= things that you think without knowing the truth). This is all presupposition - we must wait until we have some hard evidence. |
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N[U] FORMAL
a group of words or style of speaking used by a particular group of people 1: speech ; especially : formal debate or parley 2: manner or mode of speech : idiom |
parlance N[U] FORMAL /ˈpär-lən(t)s/
Etymology: Middle French, from Old French, from parler Oral contraceptives are collectively referred to in common parlance as 'the pill'. business/legal parlance In Biblical parlance these would be the Ishmaelites who appear in the story of Joseph as traders in incense. Dodgson's friendships with young girls, together with his perceived lack of interest in romantic attachments to adult women, and psychological readings of his work have all led to speculation that he was, in modern parlance, a paedophile. |
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ADJ->ADV
1 in a dangerous state because not safe or firmly fixed: 2 A p... situation is likely to get worse. 1: depending on the will or pleasure of another; 2: dependent on uncertain premises : dubious; 3 a: dependent on chance circumstances, unknown conditions, or uncertain developments b: characterized by a lack of security or stability that threatens with danger |
precarious ADJ
precariously ADV The lorry was lodged in a very precarious way, with its front wheels hanging over the cliff. Many borrowers now find themselves caught in a precarious financial position. precarious generalizations Her suitcase was precariously balanced on the tiny luggage rack above her head. He lived rather precariously from one day to the next, never knowing where his next meal was coming from. synonyms dangerous , hazardous , precarious , perilous , risky mean bringing or involving the chance of loss or injury. dangerous applies to something that may cause harm or loss unless dealt with carefully <soldiers on a dangerous mission>. hazardous implies great and continuous risk of harm or failure <claims that smoking is hazardous to your health>. precarious suggests both insecurity and uncertainty <earned a precarious living by gambling>. perilous strongly implies the immediacy of danger <perilous mountain roads>. risky often applies to a known and accepted danger <shied away from risky investments>. |
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N[C] FORMAL
a tendency towards a particular way of behaving, especially a bad one. |
propensity N[C] FORMAL
[+ to infinitive] She's inherited from her father a propensity to talk too much. He's well-known for his natural propensity for indiscretion. |
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ADJ
useful, important or beneficial enough to be a suitable reward for the money or time spent or the effort made |
worthwhile ADJ
She considers teaching a worthwhile career. The time and expense involved in keeping up to date with all the changes has been worthwhile. If you need him on this project, you've got to make it financially worthwhile for him (= you will have to pay him a suitable amount of money for the amount of work involved). |
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PH V
to understand someone and be able to have a friendly relationship with them. |
relate to PH V
Many parents find it hard to relate to their children when they are teenagers. |
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ADJ
not very willing to do something and therefore slow to do it. feeling or showing aversion, hesitation, or unwillingness; also: having or assuming a specified role unwillingly |
reluctant ADJ
reluctant to get involved a reluctant hero [+ to infinitive] I was having such a good time I was reluctant to leave. Many parents feel reluctant to talk openly with their children. She persuaded her reluctant husband to take a trip to Florida with her. synonyms disinclined , hesitant , reluctant , loath , averse mean lacking the will or desire to do something indicated. disinclined implies lack of taste for or inclination <disinclined to move again> <disinclined for reading>. hesitant implies a holding back especially through fear or uncertainty <hesitant about asking for a date>. reluctant implies a holding back through unwillingness <a reluctant witness>. loath implies hesitancy because of conflict with one's opinions, predilections, or liking <seems loath to trust anyone>. averse implies a holding back from or avoiding because of distaste or repugnance <averse to hard work> <not averse to an occasional drink>. |
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N
1 a: the arrangement of actors and scenery on a stage for a theatrical production b: stage setting 2 a: the physical setting of an action (as of a narrative or a motion picture) : context b: environment , milieu. |
mise–en–scène /ˌmē-ˌzäⁿ-ˈsen, -ˈsān/ N
Etymology: French mise en scène Mise-en-scène is what we see in a film; editing is what we do not. These are simplified definitions, but they emphasize two essential things: the basic building blocks of a film—the shot and the cut—and the complexities of each that allow a film to achieve its texture and resonance. Mise-en-scène concerns the shot, though we need to keep in the back of our minds that editing—putting two shots together—affects not only how a film's narrative is structured but how the shots are subsequently understood by viewers. The term "mise-en-scène" developed in the theater, where it literally meant "put into the scene" and referred to the design and direction of the entire production, or, as "metteur-en-scène," to the director's work. The term was brought into film by a group of French film critics in the 1950s, many of whom would become directors and constitute the French New Wave in the 1960s. One of these critics-turned-directors, François Truffaut, used the term negatively to describe the directors of the French "Tradition of Quality," the rather stodgy French films that appeared after World War II. New Wave theorists felt that these films merely translated novels into movies. André Bazin, perhaps the most influential film critic since Sergei Eisenstein (1898–1948) (the revolutionary Russian filmmaker who, despite his theoretical focus on a particular form of editing called montage, was a master of mise-en-scène), was much more positive in his use of the phrase, and the discussion of mise-en-scène here flows from his observations. |
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N
1 : interest in or treatment of obscene matters especially in literature; 2 : the biologically oriented study of excrement (as for taxonomic purposes or for the determination of diet) |
scatology /ska-ˈtä-lə-jē, skə-/ N
"Scatology was strictly out, as nowhere in my psyche do I harbour the desire to shit on someone and even less do I have the inclination to be shat upon. And if I a a snob for not participating in films that involve sex with animals, then so be it; I am a snob." — Andrew Davidson (The Gargoyle) |
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ADJ in human form
1 a: invested with bodily and especially human nature and form b: made manifest or comprehensible : embodied 2: incarnadine. |
incarnate ADJ /in-ˈkär-nət/
Etymology: Latin in- + carn-, caro flesh — more at carnal One survivor described his torturers as devils incarnate. a fiend incarnate incarnate clover |
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ADJ
1: selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles 2: composed of elements drawn from various sources ; also : heterogeneous |
eclectic ADJ
an eclectic style/approach an eclectic taste in literature |
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ADJ
avoiding physical pleasures and living a simple life, often for religious reasons 1 practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline; 2 austere in appearance, manner, or attitude. |
ascetic ADJ /ə-ˈse-tik/
They live a very ascetic life. synonyms severe, stern, austere, ascetic mean given to or marked by strict discipline and firm restraint. severe implies standards enforced without indulgence or laxity and may suggest harshness <severe military discipline>. stern stresses inflexibility and inexorability of temper or character <stern arbiters of public morality>. austere stresses absence of warmth, color, or feeling and may apply to rigorous restraint, simplicity, or self-denial <living an austere life in the country>. ascetic implies abstention from pleasure and comfort or self-indulgence as spiritual discipline <the ascetic life of the monks>. |
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ADJ impossible to persuade, or unwilling to change an opinion or decision
unshakable or insistent especially in maintaining a position or opinion |
adamant ADJ
[+ that] I've told her she should stay at home and rest but she's adamant that she's coming. The mayor is adamantly opposed to any tax increase. synonyms inflexible, obdurate, adamant mean unwilling to alter a predetermined course or purpose. inflexible implies rigid adherence or even slavish conformity to principle <inflexible in their demands>. obdurate stresses hardness of heart and insensitivity to appeals for mercy or the influence of divine grace <obdurate in his refusal to grant clemency>. adamant implies utter immovability in the face of all temptation or entreaty <adamant that the work should continue>. |
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ADJ
being almost the same or having the same effect as, usually something bad equivalent in value, significance, or effect |
tantamount to ADJ
Her refusal to answer was tantamount to an admission of guilt. a relationship tantamount to marriage it is tantamount to murder Etymology: obsolete tantamount, noun, equivalent, from Anglo-French tant amunter to amount to as much |
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V[I] LITERARY
to listen; to give respectful attention V[T] to give heed to : hear |
hearken V[I] LITERARY
"Hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you." Deut. iv. 1. |
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V[T]
1 a: to give shelter or refuge to b: to be the home or habitat of; broadly : contain; to protect someone or something bad, especially by hiding them when the police are looking for them; 2: to hold especially persistently in the mind : cherish; to have in mind a thought or feeling, usually over a long period. |
harbour V[T]
"Scatology was strictly out, as nowhere in my psyche do I harbour the desire to shit on someone and even less do I have the inclination to be shat upon. And if I a a snob for not participating in films that involve sex with animals, then so be it; I am a snob." — Andrew Davidson (The Gargoyle) to harbour a criminal the ledges still harbour rattlesnakes harboured a grudge He's been harbouring a grudge against her ever since his promotion was refused. There are those who harbour suspicions about his motives. Powell remains non-committal about any political ambitions he may harbour. |
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V
1: to keep in a safe or sound state; especially : to avoid wasteful or destructive use of; to keep and protect something from damage, change or waste; 2: to preserve with sugar; 3: to maintain (a quantity) constant during a process of chemical, physical, or evolutionary change |
conserve V[T]
he conserved his inheritance To conserve electricity, we are cutting down on our central heating. The nationalists are very keen to conserve their customs and language. I'm not being lazy - I'm just conserving my energy/strength for later. conserve natural resources conserved DNA sequences In science, parsimony is most often accepted as the natural arbitrator between two competing theories. The principle is also called Occam's razor or Ockham's razor. If two theories explain the same thing, then the one involving fewest steps and assumptions will most likely work best. It is an attempt to conserve assumptions and avoid needless complication. |
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V[T] FORMAL
to show something to be true, or to support a claim with facts 1 to give substance or form to : embody 2 to establish by proof or competent evidence : verify |
substantiate V[T] FORMAL
substantiate a charge We have evidence to substantiate the allegations against him. Reports that children had been hurt have not been substantiated. substantiation N[U] FORMAL: The company produced receipts in substantiation of (= to support) its claim. |
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V[T]
to give or to be a good reason for 1 to be an acceptable reason for 2 to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections |
justify V[T]
[+ ing form of verb] I can't really justify taking another day off work Are you sure that these measures are justified? you seem to think that losing a basketball game justifies a temper tantrum failed to justify the need for a war at this time Synonyms: excuse Related Words: account (for), explain, rationalize; brush (aside or off), condone, disregard, forgive, gloss (over), ignore, pardon, pass over, remit, shrug off, wink (at) |
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V[I]
to move easily and without interruption from one piece of music, part of a story, subject or situation to another; to proceed without pause from one musical number or theme to another; to make a transition without interruption from one activity, topic, scene, or part to another |
segue V[I]
segued smoothly into the next story His performance of 'Alison' segued into a cover version of 'Tracks of My Tears'. |
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