My Random Words 3

Front 1

canon

Back 1

noun [C usually singular] SPECIALIZED
all the writings or other works known to be by a particular person:
the Shakespearean canon

Front 2

melodrama

Back 2

noun [C or U]
a story, play, or film in which the characters show stronger emotions than real people usually do:
a television melodrama

Front 3

heterodoxy

Back 3

adjective FORMAL
(of beliefs, ideas or activities) different and in opposition to generally accepted beliefs or standards:
His opinions have always been distinctly heterodox.

Front 4

avarice

Back 4

noun [U] FORMAL
an extremely strong desire to obtain or keep wealth; greed:
Her business empire brought her wealth beyond the dreams of avarice (= an extremely large amount of money).

Front 5

gluttony

Back 5

noun [U] DISAPPROVING
when people eat and drink more than they need to:
They treat Christmas as just another excuse for gluttony.

Front 6

adulation

Back 6

excessive or slavish admiration or flattery

Front 7

inevasible

Back 7

a. Incapable of being evaded; inevitable; unavoidable.

Front 8

impermeable

Back 8

adjective
not allowing liquid or gas to go through:
an impermeable membrane

Front 9

awning

Back 9

noun [C] (US ALSO sunshade, AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH ALSO sunblind)
a cloth or plastic cover attached to a building or structure and supported by a frame which is used to protect someone or something from the sun or rain:
The gaily striped awnings of the little shops and market stalls made an attractive scene.

Front 10

pestle

Back 10

noun [C]
a heavy stick made of clay, stone or metal, with a thick rounded end, which is used for crushing substances in a mortar (= a small strong bowl) by hitting or rubbing them:
Crush the garlic into a paste using a pestle and mortar.

Front 11

babble

Back 11

verb [I or T]
to talk or say something in a quick, confused, excited or foolish way:
The children babbled excitedly among themselves.
She was babbling something about her ring being stolen.

Front 12

parrot

Back 12

verb [T] DISAPPROVING
to repeat exactly what someone else says, without understanding it or thinking about its meaning:
She doesn't have an original thought in her head - she just parrots anything that Sara says.

Front 13

badger

Back 13

verb [T]
to persuade someone by telling them repeatedly to do something, or to question someone repeatedly:
Stop badgering me - I'll do it when I'm ready.
[+ into + ing form of verb] She's been badgering me into doing some exercise.
[+ to infinitive] Every time we go into a shop, the kids badger me to buy them sweets.

Front 14

persecute

Back 14

verb [T]
to treat someone unfairly or cruelly over a long period of time because of their race, religion, or political beliefs or to annoy someone by refusing to leave them alone:
Religious minorities were persecuted and massacred during the ten-year regime.
His latest film is about the experience of being persecuted for being gay.
Ever since the news broke about her divorce, she has been persecuted by the tabloid press.

Front 15

pry

Back 15

verb [I] DISAPPROVING
to try to obtain private facts about a person:
As a reporter, I was paid to pry into other people's lives.
I hope you don't think I'm prying, but has your boyfriend ever lived with anyone before?
She wanted a private holiday away from prying eyes (= where no one would be trying to see her).

Front 16

dispense

Back 16

verb [T]
to prepare and give out medicine:
UK a dispensing chemist

dispensary
noun [C]
a place where medicines are prepared and given out, often in a hospital

Front 17

unfettered

Back 17

adjective FORMAL
not limited by rules or any other controlling influence:
In writing poetry, one is unfettered by the normal rules of sentence structure.

Front 18

ballast

Back 18

noun [U]
heavy matter such as sand or stone that is used at the bottom of a ship or a balloon to make it heavier, or the small stones on which railways and roads are made

Front 19

truss

Back 19

noun [C] SPECIALIZED
a support for a roof or bridge that is usually made of stone or brick

Front 20

banister

Back 20

noun [C] (ALSO banisters)
the row of poles at the side of stairs and the wooden or metal bar on top of them

Front 21

barb

Back 21

noun [C]
1 the sharp part which points backwards from a fish hook or arrow, making it hard to remove it from something

2 a remark that is clever but cruel and hurtful:
I tried to ignore their barbs about my new jacket.

Front 22

caustic

Back 22

adjective
describes a remark or way of speaking that is hurtful, critical or intentionally unkind:
caustic comments
She's famous in the office for her caustic wit.

Front 23

pan

Back 23

verb [T] -nn- INFORMAL
to criticize something severely:
The critics panned the film version of the novel.

Front 24

belligerent

Back 24

adjective
1 DISAPPROVING wishing to fight or argue:
a belligerent person
a belligerent gesture
Watch out! Lee's in a belligerent mood.

Front 25

prodigal

Back 25

adjective FORMAL
wasteful with money; tending to spend large amounts without thinking of the future:
There have been rumours that he has been prodigal with company funds.

Front 26

obsequious

Back 26

adjective FORMAL DISAPPROVING
too eager to praise or obey someone:
She is almost embarrassingly obsequious to anyone in authority.

Front 27

bellwether

Back 27

noun [C] MAINLY US
someone or something which shows how a situation will develop or change:
The report, which is viewed as a bellwether for economic trends, implied that the national economy could be slowing down.

Front 28

submerge

Back 28

1 : to put under water
2 : to cover or overflow with water
3 : to make obscure or subordinate : SUPPRESS <personal lives submerged by professional responsibilities>
intransitive verb : to go under water

Front 29

tenacious

Back 29

adjective
holding tightly onto something, or keeping an opinion in a determined way:
The baby took my finger in its tenacious little fist.
There has been tenacious local opposition to the new airport.

Front 30

daredevil

Back 30

noun [C] INFORMAL
a person who does dangerous things and takes risks

Front 31

bequest

Back 31

noun [C]
the money or property belonging to someone which they say that, after their death, they wish to be given to other people:
Her will included small bequests to her family, while most of her fortune went to charity.

Front 32

testator

Back 32

a person who dies leaving a will or testament in force

Front 33

heirloom

Back 33

noun [C]
a valuable object that has been given by older members of a family to younger members of the same family over many years:
This ring is a family heirloom.

Front 34

besmirch

Back 34

- to say bad things about someone to influence other people's opinion of them:

besmirth her reputation

- SULLY, SOIL

Front 35

transgress

Back 35

verb [I or T] FORMAL
to break a law or moral rule:
Those are the rules, and anyone who transgresses will be severely punished.

Front 36

bigot

Back 36

noun [C] DISAPPROVING
a person who has strong, unreasonable beliefs and who thinks that anyone who does not have the same beliefs is wrong:
a religious bigot
He was known to be a loud-mouthed, opinionated bigot.

Front 37

turncoat

Back 37

noun [C] DISAPPROVING
a person who changes from one opinion to an opposite one in a way which shows they are not loyal to people who share the original opinion

Front 38

constant

Back 38

adjective
describes a companion or friend who is loyal to you

constancy
noun [U] FORMAL
Never doubt the constancy of my love for you.

Front 39

poseur

Back 39

noun [C] (ALSO poser) DISAPPROVING
someone who pretends to be something they are not, or to have qualities that they do not possess:
You look like a real poseur in your fancy sports car with your expensive clothes!

Front 40

posture

Back 40

transitive verb: to cause to assume a given posture : poseintransitive verb1: to assume a posture; especially : to strike a pose for effect2: to assume an artificial or pretended attitude : attitudinize

Front 41

unaffected

Back 41

adjective APPROVING
natural and sincere in your behaviour:
For someone who has spent forty years in show business she remains remarkably unaffected by it all.

Front 42

recluse

Back 42

noun [C]
a person who lives alone and avoids going outside or talking to other people:
He is a millionaire recluse who refuses to give interviews.

Front 43

gregarious

Back 43

adjective
(of people) liking to be with other people, or (especially of animals) living in groups:
Emma's a gregarious, outgoing sort of person.

Front 44

sonnet

Back 44

noun [C]
a poem that has 14 lines and a particular pattern of rhyme

Front 45

bit

Back 45

noun [C]
the part of a tool used for cutting or drilling (= making holes)

Front 46

foundry

Back 46

noun [C]
a factory where metal is melted and poured into specially shaped containers to produce objects such as wheels and bars

Front 47

blast

Back 47

verb [I]
to make a very loud and unpleasant noise:
guns/music blasting (away/out)

Front 48

whiff

Back 48

noun [C usually singular]
1 a brief smell, carried on a current of air:
He leaned towards me and I caught/got a whiff of garlic.
During the first few months of pregnancy the slightest whiff of food cooking made my stomach turn.

2 a whiff of sth a slight sign of something:
They regularly hold elections without a whiff of corruption or violence.

Front 49

arrest

Back 49

verb [T] FORMAL
to attract or catch someone's attention:
A photo of a small boy arrested my attention.

Front 50

odious

Back 50

adjective FORMAL
extremely unpleasant; causing and deserving hate:
an odious crime
an odious little man

Front 51

edifice

Back 51

noun [C]
1 FORMAL a large building, especially a splendid one:
The town hall is the only edifice surviving from the fifteenth century.

2 a system which has been established for a long time:
It looks as if the whole political edifice of the country is about to collapse.

Front 52

syllabus

Back 52

noun [C] plural syllabuses or syllabi
(a plan showing) the subjects or books to be studied in a particular course, especially a course which leads to an examination:
Which novels are on the syllabus this year?

Front 53

subjugate

Back 53

1 : to bring under control and governance as a subject : CONQUER
2 : to make submissive : SUBDUE

Front 54

blurb

Back 54

noun [C]
a short description of a book or film, etc., written by the people who have produced it, and intended to make people want to buy it or see it:
The blurb on the back of the book says that it 'will touch your heart'.

Front 55

gloss

Back 55

1 a: a brief explanation (as in the margin or between the lines of a text) of a difficult or obscure word or expression b: a false and often willfully misleading interpretation (as of a text)2 a: glossary b: an interlinear translation c: a continuous commentary accompanying a text

Front 56

blurt

Back 56

to say something suddenly and without thinking, usually because you are excited or nervous:
He blurted everything out about the baby, though we'd agreed to keep it a secret for a while.
[+ speech] She suddenly blurted out, "I can't do it".
[+ that] Late one evening, Gianni blurted out that he loved her.

Front 57

utter

Back 57

verb [T] SLIGHTLY FORMAL
to say something or to make a sound with your voice:
She sat through the whole meeting without uttering a word.

Front 58

flit

Back 58

verb [I usually + adverb or preposition] -tt-
1 to fly or move quickly and lightly:
In the fading light we saw bats flitting around/about in the garden.
FIGURATIVE Sara finds it very difficult to settle - she's always flitting from one thing to another (= changing her activities).

2 to appear or exist suddenly and briefly in someone's mind or on their face:
A ghost of a smile flitted across his face.

Front 59

blush

Back 59

verb [I]
to become pink in the face, usually from embarrassment:
I always blush when I speak in public.
I blush to think of what a fool I made of myself.

Front 60

bluster

Back 60

1: to conduct oneself in an arrogant or superciliously pompous manner; especially : to walk with an air of overbearing self-confidence

2: boast, brag

Front 61

swagger

Back 61

verb [I]
to walk, especially with a swinging movement, in a way that shows that you are very confident and think that you are important, or to act in that way:
They swaggered into the room.
A group of young men swaggered about outside the bar.
His swaggering self-confidence irritates many people.

Front 62

whet

Back 62

verb [T] -tt- OLD USE
to sharpen the blade of a knife or similar tool:
He whetted his knife against the stone.

Front 63

hoist

Back 63

verb [T]
1 to lift something heavy, sometimes using ropes or a machine:
A helicopter hoisted the final section of the bridge into place.
With some difficulty he hoisted her onto his shoulders.
[R] I scrabbled for a handhold and hoisted myself up.

Front 64

bombast

Back 64

pretentious inflated speech or writing

Front 65

pompous

Back 65

adjective DISAPPROVING
too serious and full of importance:
He's a pompous old prig who's totally incapable of taking a joke.
He can sometimes sound a bit pompous when he talks about acting.

Front 66

interminable

Back 66

1. having or seeming to have no end; especially : wearisomely protracted

adjective
2. continuing for too long and therefore boring or annoying:
an interminable delay
We had to listen to another of his interminable stories of his days as a soldier.

Front 67

munitions

Back 67

plural noun
military weapons such as guns and bombs:
The army used precision-guided munitions to blow up enemy targets.
a munitions depot
a munitions factory

Front 68

gourmet

Back 68

noun [C]
a person who knows a lot about food and cooking, and who enjoys eating high-quality food:
a gourmet restaurant (= restaurant that has high-quality food)

Front 69

bootless

Back 69

USELESS, UNPROFITABLE <a bootless attempt>

Front 70

futile

Back 70

1 : serving no useful purpose : completely ineffective <efforts to convince him were futile>

2 : occupied with trifles : frivolous

Front 71

effulgence

Back 71

radiant splendor : BRILLIANCE

Front 72

resplendence

Back 72

adjective LITERARY
having a very bright or splendid appearance:
the queen's resplendent purple robes
I saw Anna at the other end of the room, resplendent in a red sequined cocktail dress.

Front 73

clamp

Back 73

noun [C]
a device, made of wood or metal, which is used to hold two things together tightly:
Carefully tighten the clamp until it firmly supports the pipette in a vertical position.

Front 74

bravura

Back 74

noun
1 : a musical passage requiring exceptional agility and technical skill in execution
2 : a florid brilliant style
3 : a show of daring or brilliance

adj
1 : marked by a dazzling display of skill <a bravura performance>
2 : ornate, showy

Front 75

repose

Back 75

verb [I usually + adverb or preposition] FORMAL
to rest or lie:
She reposed on the sofa.

Front 76

breezeway

Back 76

a roofed often open passage connecting two buildings (as a house and garage) or halves of a building

Front 77

aphorism

Back 77

noun [C]
a short clever saying which is intended to express a general truth:
Oscar Wilde was famous for such aphorisms as 'Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes'.

Front 78

caricature

Back 78

1 : exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion of parts or characteristics

2 : a representation especially in literature or art that has the qualities of caricature

Front 79

epigram

Back 79

a short saying or poem which expresses an idea in a way that is clever and amusing:
One of Oscar Wilde's most frequently quoted epigrams is "I can resist everything except temptation".

Front 80

bristle

Back 80

verb
1 [I] (of hair) to stand up:
The cat's fur bristled and it arched its back.

2 to react angrily:
She bristled at the suggestion that she had in any way neglected the child.

Front 81

vacillate

Back 81

1 a: to sway through lack of equilibrium b: fluctuate, oscillate

2: to waver in mind, will, or feeling : hesitate in choice of opinions or courses

Front 82

irresolute

Back 82

adjective FORMAL DISAPPROVING
not able or willing to take decisions or actions:
an irresolute reply

Front 83

urbane

Back 83

adjective APPROVING
(especially of a man) confident, comfortable and polite in social situations:
John Herschel was an urbane, kindly and generous man.

urbanity
noun [U] APPROVING

Front 84

extenuate

Back 84

verb [T] FORMAL
to cause a wrong act to be judged less seriously by giving reasons for it:
He was unable to say anything that might have extenuated his behaviour.

2 a archaic : to make thin or emaciated b : to lessen the strength or effect of

Front 85

bumptious

Back 85

adjective DISAPPROVING
unpleasantly confident:
a bumptious young man

Front 86

garish

Back 86

adjective DISAPPROVING
unpleasantly bright:
a pair of garish Bermuda shortsb

Front 87

bungle

Back 87

verb [T]
to do something wrong, in a careless or stupid way

adjective
What bungling idiot wired up the plug like this!

Front 88

burnish

Back 88

verb [T]
1 LITERARY to rub metal until it is smooth and shiny

2 If you burnish something such as your public image, you take action to improve it and make it more attractive:
The company is currently trying to burnish its socially responsible image.

Front 89

lustre/luster

Back 89

noun
1 [S or U] the brightness that a shiny surface has:
a treatment for restoring the lustre to dull hair
the rich lustre of well-polished furniture

2 [U] a very special, admirable and attractive quality:
The dancing of the principal ballerina added lustre to an otherwise unimpressive production of 'Giselle'.

lustrous
adjective
very shiny:
long lustrous hair

Front 90

knead

Back 90

verb [T]
to press something, especially a mixture for making bread, firmly and repeatedly with the hands and fingers:
Knead the dough until smooth.

Front 91

nudge

Back 91

verb
1 [T] to push something or someone gently, especially to push someone with your elbow (= the middle part of your arm where it bends) to attract their attention:
The children were giggling and nudging each other.
He nudged the cat off the sofa so that he could sit down.

2 [I + adverb or preposition; T] to move slowly and almost reach a higher point or level:
Oil prices continue to nudge higher.
Peter must be nudging 40 now.

Front 92

buttress

Back 92

noun [C]
a structure made of stone or brick, which sticks out from and supports a wall of a building

Front 93

splint

Back 93

noun [C]
a long flat object used as a support for a broken bone so that the bone stays in a particular position while it heals:
The doctor put a splint on the arm and bandaged it up.

Front 94

cabal

Back 94

noun [C] DISAPPROVING
a small group of people who plan secretly to take action, especially political action:
He was assassinated by a cabal of aides within his own regime.

Front 95

cache

Back 95

noun [C]
a hidden store of things, or the place where they are kept:
an arms cache
a cache of explosives/weapons/drugs

Front 96

summit

Back 96

1 : TOP, APEX; especially : the highest point : PEAK
2 : the topmost level attainable <the summit of human fame>
3 a : the highest level of officials; especially : the diplomatic level of heads of government b : a conference of highest-level officials (as heads of government) <an economic summit>

Front 97

cacophony

Back 97

harsh or discordant sound : DISSONANCE 2; specifically : harshness in the sound of words or phrases

Front 98

genteel

Back 98

adjective
1 having or typical of a high social class:
a genteel old lady
The mansion had an atmosphere of genteel elegance and decay.

2 being very polite, or trying too hard to seem of a higher social class than you really are:
He took elocution lessons to try to make his accent sound more genteel.

3 calm and gentle:
The game seemed to be a more genteel version of American football.

Front 99

churlish

Back 99

adjective
rude, unfriendly and unpleasant:
They invited me to dinner and I thought it would be churlish to refuse.

Front 100

malodor

Back 100

an offensive odor

Front 101

gaucherie

Back 101

a tactless or awkward act

Front 102

cadet

Back 102

noun [C]
a student in the armed forces or the police

Front 103

tadpole

Back 103

noun [C]
a small black creature with a large head and long tail which lives in water and develops into a frog or toad

Front 104

cajole

Back 104

1 a : to persuade with flattery or gentle urging especially in the face of reluctance : COAX <had to cajole them into going> b : to obtain from someone by gentle persuasion <cajoleed money from his parents>
2 : to deceive with soothing words or false promises

Front 105

wheedle

Back 105

1 : to influence or entice by soft words or flattery
2 : to gain or get by wheedling <wheedle one's way into favor>
intransitive verb : to use soft words or flattery
synonym see CAJOLE