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86 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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dis‧en‧chant‧ed /ˌdɪsɪnˈtʃɑːntɪd $ -ˈtʃænt-/ adjective |
disappointed with someone or something, and no longer believing that they are good SYN disillusioned disenchanted with ©By that time I was becoming disenchanted with the whole idea. ► see thesaurus at disappointed —disenchantment noun [uncountable] ©Voters expressed growing disenchantment with the government. |
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ni‧hil‧is‧m /ˈnaɪəlɪzəm/ noun [uncountable] |
1. the belief that nothing has any meaning or value 2. the idea that all social and political institutions should be destroyed —nihilist noun [countable] —nihilistic /ˌnaɪəˈlɪstɪk◂/ adjective |
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per‧verse /pəˈvɜːs $ pərˈvɜːrs/ adjective |
behaving in an unreasonable way, especially by deliberately doing the opposite of what people want you to do → bizarre ©He gets perverse satisfaction from embarrassing people. —perversely adverb ©Perversely, she was irritated by his kindness |
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ten‧ta‧tive /ˈtentətɪv/ ●○○ adjective |
1. not definite or certain, because you may want to change things SYN provisional OPP definite ©I passed on my tentative conclusions to the police. ©The government is taking tentative steps towards tackling the country’s economic problems. 2. done without confidence SYN hesitant ©a tentative smile —tentatively adverb ©Albi knocked tentatively and entered. —tentativeness noun [uncountable] |
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pro‧vi‧sion‧al /prəˈvɪʒənəl/ ●○○ adjective formal |
likely or able to be changed in the future a provisional government We accept provisional bookings by phone.—provisionally adverb The meeting has been provisionally arranged for the end of May. |
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im‧mi‧nent /ˈɪmɪnənt/ ●○○ adjective |
an event that is imminent, especially an unpleasant one, will happen very soon imminent danger/threat/death/disaster etc ©He was in imminent danger of dying. ©A new trade agreement is imminent. —imminence noun [uncountable] ©the imminence of the General Election —imminently adverb |
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in‧car‧ce‧rate /ɪnˈkɑːsəreɪt $ -ɑːr-/ verb [transitive] formal |
to put or keep someone in prison SYN imprison ©He spent 10 years incarcerated. Grammar Incarcerate is usually passive. —incarceration /ɪnˌkɑːsəˈreɪʃən $ -ˌkɑːr-/ noun [uncountable] |
Jail & punishment |
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act something ↔ out phrasal verb |
1. if a group of people act out an event, they show how it happened by pretending to be the people who were involved in it ©The children were acting out the story of the birth of Jesus. 2. to express your feelings about something through your behaviour or actions, especially when you have been feeling angry or nervous ©These teenagers are likely to act out their distress by running away |
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wal‧lop /ˈwɒləp $ ˈwɑː-/ verb [transitive] |
informal to hit someone or something very hard, especially with your hand —wallop noun [singular] |
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re‧sent /rɪˈzent/ ●○○ verb [transitive] |
to feel angry or upset about a situation or about something that someone has done, especially because you think that it is not fair resent (somebody) doing something ©I resented having to work such long hours. bitterly/deeply/strongly resent ©She bitterly resented his mother’s influence over him. ©Paul resented the fact that Carol didn’t trust him |
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re‧sent‧ful /rɪˈzentfəl/ adjective |
feeling angry and upset about something that you think is unfair SYN bitter resentful of/about/at etc ©She felt resentful at not being promoted. —resentfully adverb —resentfulness noun [uncountable] |
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ten‧a‧ble /ˈtenəbəl/ adjective |
a belief, argument etc that is tenable is reasonable and can be defended successfully ©an idea which is no longer tenable |
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ˌwell-ˈmeaning adjective |
intending to be helpful, but not succeeding ©A lot of problems can be caused by well-meaning friends. ©He’s very well-meaning, but he doesn’t really understand what’s going on. |
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iron something ↔ out phrasal verb |
to solve or get rid of problems or difficulties, especially small ones ©We need to iron out a few problems first |
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mag‧ni‧tude /ˈmæɡnɪtjuːd $ -tuːd/ ●○○ noun |
1. [uncountable] the great size or importance of something magnitude of ©They didn’t seem to appreciate the magnitude of the problem. of such/this/similar etc magnitude ©We did not think the cuts would be of this magnitude. ©an increase of this order of magnitude (=size) 2. [countable] technical the degree of brightness of a star 3. [countable] technical ©the force of an earthquake |
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ˈlife-afˌfirming adjective |
making you feel good about life and the world generally ©a life-affirming account of her recovery from serious illness |
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an‧al‧ge‧sic /ˌænəlˈdʒiːzɪk◂/ noun [countable] |
technical a drug that reduces pain SYN painkiller ©Aspirin is a popular analgesic. —analgesic adjective [only before noun] ©drugs that have an analgesic effect on ulcers |
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quell /kwel/ verb [transitive] formal |
1. to end a situation in which people are behaving violently or protesting, especially by using force SYN put down quell the violence/disturbance/riot etc ©Police used live ammunition to quell the disturbances. 2. literary to reduce or stop unpleasant feelings such as fear, doubt, or worry ©‘Jerry?’ she called, trying to quell the panic inside her. |
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dis‧turb‧ance /dɪˈstɜːbəns $ -ɜːr-/ ●○○ noun |
1 [countable, uncountable] formal a situation in which people behave violently in public ©There were disturbances in the crowd as fans left the stadium. create/cause a disturbance ©army training on controlling civil disturbance 2. [countable, uncountable] something that interrupts what you are doing, or the act of making this happen ©We arrange the work so there’s as little disturbance as possible. disturbance to ©When a helicopter lands, it can cause a disturbance to local residents. 3. [uncountable] a medical condition in which someone is mentally ill and does not behave normally ©a history of mental disturbance |
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dis‧tress1 /dɪˈstres/ ●●○ noun [uncountable] |
1. a feeling of extreme unhappiness ©Luke’s behaviour caused his parents great distress. in distress ©The girl was crying and clearly in distress. 2. suffering and problems caused by a lack of money, food etc ©acute financial distress in distress ©charities that aid families in distress |
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a‧cute /əˈkjuːt/ ●○○ adjective |
1. PROBLEM an acute problem is very serious ©The housing shortage is more acute than first thought. ► see thesaurus at serious 2. FEELING an acute feeling is very strong ©acute pain ©acute embarrassment ©acute anxiety 3. ILLNESS technical an acute illness or disease quickly becomes very serious OPP chronic ©acute arthritis 4. SENSES acute senses such as hearing, taste, touch etc are very good and sensitive ©Young children have a particularly acute sense of smell. 5. INTELLIGENT quick to notice and understand things SYN sharp ©Simon’s vague manner concealed an acute mind. ©an acute analysis of Middle Eastern politics 6. MATHEMATICS technical an acute angle is less than 90° → obtuse 7. PUNCTUATION an acute accent (=a mark used to show pronunciation) is a small mark written above a vowel. ©In ‘café’, the letter ‘e’ has an acute accent. → grave, circumflex —acuteness noun [uncountable] |
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re‧ci‧pro‧ci‧ty /ˌresəˈprɒsəti $ -ˈprɑː-/ noun [uncountable] |
a situation in which two people, groups, or countries give each other similar kinds of help or special rights |
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point something ↔ out phrasal verb |
1 to tell someone something that they did not already know or had not thought about He was always very keen to point out my mistakes. The murder was obviously well planned, as the inspector had pointed out.point out that Some economists have pointed out that low inflation is not necessarily a good thing.point something out to somebody Thank you for pointing this out to me.2 to show something to someone by pointing at it Luke pointed out two large birds by the water’s edge.point somebody/something out to somebody I’ll point him out to you if we see him. |
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keen1 /kiːn/ ●●○ S3 W3 adjective |
1 WANT SOMETHING especially British English wanting to do something or wanting something to happen very much SYN eagerkeen to do something He told me that he was keen to help.keen on doing something I wasn’t keen on going there on my own.keen for something to happen The government is keen for peace talks to start again.keen that The chairman is keen that the company should expand its product range.2 → be keen on somebody/something3 HOBBY/INTEREST especially British English someone who is keen on something is very interested in it or enjoys doing it very much a keen photographer keen golferskeen on Daniel’s very keen on tennis.mad keen on something (=very keen on something) spoken I was mad keen on dinosaurs when I was little. She takes a keen interest in politics and current affairs.4 EAGER TO WORK/LEARN someone who is keen is eager to work or learn, and enjoys doing it keen students The kids in my class are all very keen. She was new in the job and keen as mustard (=very keen).5 SIGHT/SMELL/HEARING a keen sense of smell or keen sight or hearing is an extremely good ability to smell etc Dogs have a very keen sense of smell. She has a keen eye for (=is good at noticing) talent.6 MIND someone with a keen mind is quick to understand things a keen understanding of commerce With her keen mind and good business sense, she soon became noticed.7 FEELING a keen feeling is one that is strong and deep As she walked away, Joe felt a keen sense of loss.8 COMPETITION used to describe a situation in which people compete strongly We won the contest in the face of keen competition.9 → be keen on somebody10 SHARP literary a keen knife or blade is extremely sharp11 WIND old-fashioned a keen wind is cold and strong12 PRICES British English keen prices are low—keenly adverb I was keenly aware of the dangers.—keenness noun [uncountable]GrammarYou are keen on something or keen on doing something:We’re all very keen on sports.✗Don’t say: We’re all very keen of sports |
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be keen on somebody/something |
British English spoken to like someone or something I’m not keen on cabbage.not too/not very/not that keen on something She likes Biology, but she’s not too keen on Physics. My flatmates want to have a party, but I’m not keen on the idea |
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in‧junc‧tion /ɪnˈdʒʌŋkʃən/ noun [countable] |
1 law an order given by a court, which tells someone not to do somethinginjunction against The family is seeking an injunction against the book’s publication. The judge refused to grant an injunction. They failed to obtain an injunction.2 formal a piece of advice or an order from someone in authority |
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fawn1 /fɔːn $ fɒːn/ verb |
to praise someone and be friendly to them in an insincere way, because you want them to like you or give you somethingfawn on/over I refused to fawn over her or flatter her.—fawning adjective |
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vi‧cious /ˈvɪʃəs/ ●●○ adjective |
1 violent and cruel in a way that hurts someone physically a vicious murder a vicious killer Keep away from that dog, he can be vicious.► see thesaurus at cruel, violent2 very unkind in a way that is intended to hurt someone’s feelings or make their character seem bad SYN malicious Sarah can be quite vicious at times. a vicious personal attack on the Duchess She was shocked by the vicious tone in his voice.3 unpleasantly strong or severe SYN violent a vicious gust of wind a vicious headache—viciously adverb He twisted her arm viciously.—viciousness noun [uncountable] |
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dis‧re‧gard1 /ˌdɪsrɪˈɡɑːd $ -ɑːrd/ ●○○ verb [transitive] |
to ignore something or treat it as unimportant He ordered the jury to disregard the witness’s last statement. Mark totally disregarded my advice |
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disregard2 noun [singular, uncountable] |
disregardFrom Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdis‧re‧gard1 /ˌdɪsrɪˈɡɑːd $ -ɑːrd/ ●○○ verb [transitive] to ignore something or treat it as unimportant He ordered the jury to disregard the witness’s last statement. Mark totally disregarded my advice.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpusdisregard• Please disregard any notes written in the margins.• Yet on the other hand governments were quite willing to disregard clearly expressed public feeling when this seemed in the national interest.• The fear is that women who have a negative mammogram will disregard contrary evidence such as feeling a lump, Bredt said.• It disregards entirely the far more effective role of democratic self-government at the state and local levels.• This phenomenon, in which an animal responds to a repeated stimulus by eventually disregarding it, is familiar to everyone.• They were so keen to get to grips with the enemy that they disregarded much of the training in stealth and guile.• By disregarding speed limits and passing red lights, we somehow got to the airport in time.• Marlow sometimes disregards the law, but his aim is always justice.• For all the lucrative prospects, owners could not disregard the risks. disregard2 noun [singular, uncountable] when someone ignores something that they should not ignoredisregard for/of his disregard for her feelingstotal/reckless/complete/flagrant etc disregard Local councillors accused the terrorists of showing a complete disregard for human life.in disregard of something He said the bombing was in complete disregard of the Geneva Convention. |
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fla‧grant /ˈfleɪɡrənt/ adjective |
a flagrant action is shocking because it is done in a way that is easily noticed and shows no respect for laws, truth etcflagrant abuse/violation/breach etc flagrant violations of human rights a flagrant disregard for the law—flagrantly adverb |
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wretch‧ed /ˈretʃɪd/ adjective |
1 someone who is wretched is very unhappy or ill, and you feel sorry for them the poor, wretched girl2 if you feel wretched, you feel guilty and unhappy because of something bad that you have done Guy felt wretched about it now.3 [only before noun] making you feel annoyed or angry Where is that wretched boy?4 literary extremely bad or unpleasant SYN miserable I was shocked to see their wretched living conditions. |
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in‧cum‧bent1 /ɪnˈkʌmbənt/ noun [countable] formal |
someone who has been elected to an official position, especially in politics, and who is doing that job at the present time In the June elections, Morris easily defeated the incumbent, Tom Smith. |
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it is incumbent upon/on somebody to do something formal |
if it is incumbent upon you to do something, it is your duty or responsibility to do it It is incumbent upon parents to control what their children watch on TV. |
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ˌself-ˈconscious adjective |
1 worried and embarrassed about what you look like or what other people think of youself-conscious about Jerry’s pretty self-conscious about his weight.► see thesaurus at embarrassed, shy2 self-conscious art, writing etc shows that the artist etc is paying too much attention to how the public will react to their work—self-consciously adverb The boys posed rather self-consciously for the photo.—self-consciousness noun [uncountable] |
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con‧temp‧tu‧ous /kənˈtemptʃuəs/ adjective |
showing that you think someone or something deserves no respect SYN scornful a contemptuous glance contemptuous of ©He was openly contemptuous of his father. —contemptuously adverb |
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mis‧treat /ˌmɪsˈtriːt/ verb [transitive] |
to treat a person or animal badly, especially in a cruel way SYN ill-treat, maltreat ©Security forces are accused of mistreating prisoners. —mistreatment noun [uncountable] |
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jus‧ti‧fy /ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪ/ ●●○ S3 W3 AWL verb (justified, justifying, justifies) [transitive] |
1 to give an acceptable explanation for something that other people think is unreasonable ©Ministers must appear before Parliament and justify their actions. justify doing something ©How can we justify spending so much money on arms? justify yourself (=prove that what you are doing is reasonable) ©I don’t have to justify myself to you or anyone else. 2. to be a good and acceptable reason for something ©Nothing justifies murdering another human being 3. technical to arrange lines of words on a page or computer screen so that they form a straight edge on both the right and left sides |
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de‧struc‧tive /dɪˈstrʌktɪv/ ●○○ adjective |
causing damage to people or things → destroy ©the destructive power of modern weapons destructive to ©What is good for the individual can be destructive to the family. —destructively adverb —destructiveness noun [uncountable] |
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pris‧tine /ˈprɪstiːn/ adjective |
1. extremely fresh or clean a pristine white shirt ► see thesaurus at clean 2. something that is pristine is in the same condition as when it was first made ©The car has been restored to pristine condition. 3. not spoiled or damaged in any way ©pristine African rainforest |
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ˌfar-ˈreaching ●○○ adjective |
having a great influence or effect far-reaching reforms/proposals/changes ©The country carried out ©far-reaching reforms to modernize its economy. far-reaching implications/impact/effects ©Tourism has had far-reaching effects on the island’s culture. |
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med‧i‧ta‧tion /ˌmedɪˈteɪʃən/ ●○○ noun |
1. [uncountable] ©the practice of emptying your mind of thoughts and feelings, in order to relax completely or for religious reasons ©Yoga involves breathing exercises, stretching, and meditation. → transcendental meditation 2. [countable usually plural, uncountable] ©the act of thinking deeply and seriously about something ©She found him sitting alone, deep in meditation. ©Rob interrupted his father’s meditations. 3. [countable usually plural] serious thoughts about a particular subject meditation on ©meditations on death and loss |
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a drag |
informal a) something or someone that is boring ©Don’t be such a drag! Come to the party. b) something that is annoying and continues for a long time ©It’s a real drag having to travel so far to work every day |
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ˌgolden ˈrule noun [countable] |
a very important principle, way of behaving etc that should be remembered ©The golden rule of cooking is to use fresh ingredients. |
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strive /straɪv/ ●○○ verb (past tense strove /strəʊv $ stroʊv/, past participle striven /ˈstrɪvən/) [intransitive] formal |
to make a great effort to achieve something strive to do something ©I was still striving to be successful. strive for/after ©We must continue to strive for greater efficiency. ► see thesaurus at try —striving noun [countable, uncountable] |
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ty‧rant /ˈtaɪərənt $ ˈtaɪr-/ ●○○ noun [countable] |
1. a ruler who has complete power and uses it in a cruel and unfair way ©The country had long been ruled by tyrants. 2. someone who has power over other people, and uses it cruelly or unfairly ©My headmaster was a real tyrant |
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rule of thumb |
a rough figure or method of calculation, based on practical experience ©As a general rule of thumb, children this age should not spend more than one hour on homework. |
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snig‧ger /ˈsnɪɡə $ -ər/ verb [intransitive] |
British English to laugh quietly in a way that is not nice at something which is not supposed to be funny SYN snicker American English snigger at ©What are you sniggering at? This is a serious poem. ► see thesaurus at laugh —snigger noun [countable] |
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snort1 /snɔːt $ snɔːrt/ ●○○ verb |
1 [intransitive, transitive] to breathe air in a noisy way out through your nose, especially to show that you are annoyed or amused ‘Certainly not, ’ he snorted. snort with ©She snorted with laughter. ©The horse snorted and stamped its hoof impatiently. 2. [transitive] to take drugs by breathing them in through your nose → sniff snorting cocaine |
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tot‧ter /ˈtɒtə $ ˈtɑːtər/ verb [intransitive] |
1. to walk or move unsteadily from side to side as if you are going to fall over ©Lorrimer swayed a little, tottered, and fell. 2. if a political system or organization totters, it becomes less strong and is likely to stop working |
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pen‧du‧lous /ˈpendjələs $ -dʒə-/ adjective literary |
hanging down loosely and swinging freely ©pendulous breasts |
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cre‧dence /ˈkriːdəns/ noun [uncountable] |
formal the acceptance of something as true give credence to something (=to believe or accept something as true) ©I don’t give any credence to these rumors. gain credence (=to become more widely accepted or believed) ©His ideas quickly gained credence among economists. lend credence to something (=to make something more believable) ©The DNA results lend credence to Hausmann’s claims of innocence |
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fancy3 ●○○ adjective (comparative fancier, superlative fanciest) |
4 [only before noun] American English fancy food is of a high quality |
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im‧merse /ɪˈmɜːs $ -ɜːrs/ verb [transitive] |
1. to put someone or something deep into a liquid so that they are completely covered immerse somebody/something in something ©Immerse your foot in ice-cold water to reduce the swelling. ► see thesaurus at put 2 → immerse yourself in something—immersed adjective ©She was far too immersed in her studies. |
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immerse yourself in something |
to become completely involved in an activity ©He left school at 16 and immersed himself in the Labour Party. |
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sample2 ●●○ verb [transitive] |
1. to taste food or drink in order to see what it is like ©a chance to sample the local food |
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a thorn in somebody’s side |
someone or something that annoys you or causes problems for a long period of time ©He’s been a thorn in the side of the party leadership for years. |
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ex‧cel /ɪkˈsel/ verb (excelled, excelling) |
1 [intransitive, not in progressive] to do something very well, or much better than most people excel at/in Rick has always excelled at foreign languages. 2. → excel yourself |
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excel yourself |
British English to do something better than you usually do ©You have excelled yourself with the new exhibition. |
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cov‧et‧ous /ˈkʌvɪtəs/ adjective formal |
having a very strong desire to have something that someone else has ©They began to cast covetous eyes on their neighbours’ fields. —covetously adverb —covetousness noun [uncountable] |
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dis‧may1 /dɪsˈmeɪ/ ●○○ noun [uncountable] |
the worry, disappointment, or unhappiness you feel when something unpleasant happens with/in dismay ©They stared at each other in dismay. to somebody’s dismay ©I found to my dismay that I had left my notes behind. ©The thought of leaving filled him with dismay |
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con‧so‧nant1 /ˈkɒnsənənt $ ˈkɑːn-/ ●●○ noun [countable] |
1. a speech sound made by partly or completely stopping the flow of air through your mouth → vowel 2. a letter that represents a consonant sound. ©The letters ‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’, ‘u’, and sometimes ‘y’ represent vowels, and all the other letters are consonants. |
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in‧tim‧i‧date /ɪnˈtɪmədeɪt/ ●○○ verb [transitive] |
1. to frighten or threaten someone into making them do what you want intimidate somebody into doing something ©They tried to intimidate the young people into voting for them. ©Attempts to intimidate her failed. 2. to make someone feel worried and not confident ©The whole idea of going to Oxford intimidated me. —intimidation /ɪnˌtɪməˈdeɪʃən/ noun [uncountable] ©She had endured years of intimidation and violence. ©the intimidation of voters |
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fiend‧ish /ˈfiːndɪʃ/ adjective |
1. cruel and unpleasant a particularly fiendish practical joke 2. very clever in an unpleasant way a fiendish plan 3. extremely difficult or complicated ©several fiendish exam questions —fiendishly adverb —fiendishness noun [uncountable] |
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pass on phrasal verb |
1 pass something ↔ on to give someone a piece of information that someone else has given to you pass something ↔ on to ©She said she’d pass the message on to the other students. 2. pass something ↔ on a) to give something, especially a disease, to your children through your genes b) to give a slight illness to someone else to ©One catches the virus and they pass it on to the rest. 3 pass something ↔ on to make someone else pay the cost of something pass something ↔ on to ©Any increase in our costs will have to be passed on to the consumer |
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chau‧vi‧nis‧tic /ˌʃəʊvəˈnɪstɪk◂ $ ˌʃoʊ-/ adjective |
1. having the belief that your own country or race is better or more important than any other ©a chauvinistic dislike of foreigners 2. having the belief that your own sex is better or more important than the other sex, especially if you are a man |
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rich‧ness /ˈrɪtʃnəs/ noun [uncountable] |
1. if something has richness, it contains a lot of interesting things richness of ©the richness and diversity of the Amazonian rain forests ©a literary work of remarkable richness and vitality 2. the richness of a colour, taste, smell, or sound is the quality that makes it rich richness of ©the richness of the autumn colours |
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tra‧jec‧to‧ry /trəˈdʒektəri/ noun (plural trajectories) [countable] |
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to the bitter end |
continuing until the end, even though this is difficult ©Employees have vowed to fight the closure to the bitter end |
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den‧i‧grate /ˈdenəˈɡreɪt/ verb [transitive] |
to say things to make someone or something seem less important or good ©people who denigrate their own country —denigration /ˌdenɪˈɡreɪʃən/ noun [uncountable] |
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de‧spise /dɪˈspaɪz/ ●○○ verb [transitive] |
to dislike and have a low opinion of someone or something ©She despised her neighbours. ► see thesaurus at hate GRAMMAR: Using the progressive Despise is not used in the progressive. You say: ©I despise such ignorance. ©✗Don’t say: I am despising such ignorance. |
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en‧coun‧ter1 /ɪnˈkaʊntə $ -ər/ ●●○ W3 AWL verb [transitive] |
1. to experience something, especially problems or opposition encounter problems/difficulties ©They encountered serious problems when two members of the expedition were injured. encounter opposition/resistance ©The government has encountered strong opposition to its plans to raise income tax. ©The doctor had encountered several similar cases in the past Register In everyday English, people usually say come across problems/difficulties rather than encounter problems/difficulties and come up against opposition/resistance rather than encounter opposition/resistance: ©Did you come across any problems? ©We came up against quite a lot of opposition from local people. 2 formal to meet someone without planning to ©I first encountered him when studying at Cambridge. |
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as‧pire /əˈspaɪə $ əˈspaɪr/ ●○○ verb [intransitive] |
to desire and work towards achieving something important aspire to ©college graduates aspiring to careers in finance aspire to do something ©At that time, all serious artists aspired to go to Rome. |
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be‧set /bɪˈset/ verb (past tense and past participle beset, present participle besetting) [transitive] formal |
1. to make someone experience serious problems or dangers be beset with/by something ©The business has been beset with financial problems. Grammar Beset is usually passive in this meaning. |
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a‧me‧li‧o‧rate /əˈmiːliəreɪt/ verb [transitive] |
formal to make a bad situation better or less harmful SYN improve ©It is not clear what can be done to ameliorate the situation. —amelioration /əˌmiːliəˈreɪʃən/ noun [uncountable] |
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in‧trin‧sic /ɪnˈtrɪnsɪk, -zɪk/ ●○○ AWL adjective |
being part of the nature or character of someone or something OPP extrinsic ©the intrinsic interest of the subject intrinsic nature/quality/value/property of something ©There is nothing in the intrinsic nature of the work that makes it more suitable for women. intrinsic to ©Flexibility is intrinsic to creative management. —intrinsically /-kli/ adverb ©Science is seen as intrinsically good |
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inˌtrinsic ˈvalue [uncountable] |
the amount of money something is worth, based on its personal value to someone |
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de‧spair1 /dɪˈspeə $ -ˈsper/ ●●○ noun [uncountable] |
1. a feeling that you have no hope at all in despair ©She killed herself in despair. ©the depths of despair (=very strong feelings of despair) ©The noise from the neighbours used to drive him to despair. to the despair of somebody ©To the despair of the workers, the company announced the closure of the factory |
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the frontiers of knowledge/physics etc |
the limits of what is known about something ©push back the frontiers (=discover new things) |
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en‧deav‧our1 British English, endeavor American English /ɪnˈdevə $ -ər/ ●○○ verb [intransitive] |
formal to try very hard endeavour to do something ©We always endeavor to please our customers. ► see thesaurus at try |
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strain1 /streɪn/ ●●○ W3 noun |
1 WORRY [countable, uncountable] worry that is caused by having to deal with a problem or work too hard over a long period of time → stress ©I couldn’t look after him anymore; the strain was too much for me. ©Did you find the job a strain? ©the stresses and strains of police life strain for ©The trial has been a terrible strain for both of us. strain on ©It’s quite a strain on me when he’s drinking heavily. put/place a strain on somebody ©The long working hours put a severe strain on employees. under (a) strain ©I know you’ve been under a lot of strain lately. crack/collapse/buckle etc under the strain (=become unable to deal with a problem or work) ©I could see that she was beginning to crack under the strain. 2 DIFFICULTY [countable, uncountable] a difficulty or problem that is caused when a person, relationship, organization, or system has too much to do or too many problems to deal with strain on ©The dry summer has further increased the strain on water resources. put/place (a) strain on something ©The flu epidemic has put a huge strain on the health service. strain in ©The attack has led to strains in the relationship between the two countries. under (a) strain ©His marriage was under strain. break/crack/collapse etc under the strain ©The party split under the strain. |
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vi‧tal‧i‧ty /vaɪˈtæləti/ ●○○ noun [uncountable] |
1. great energy and eagerness to do things ©Despite her eighty years, Elsie was full of vitality. 2. the strength and ability of an organization, country etc to continue ©The process of restructuring has injected some much-needed vitality into the company. vitality of ©The senator promised to restore the economic vitality of the region. |
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at hand |
a) likely to happen soon ©Recent economic performance suggests that a major crisis is at hand. b) close to you and available to be used ©Don’t worry, help is at hand! c) needing to be dealt with now ©Peter turned his attention to the task at hand |
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in‧ex‧haus‧ti‧ble /ˌɪnɪɡˈzɔːstəbəl◂ $ -ˈzɒːs-/ adjective |
something that is inexhaustible exists in such large amounts that it can never be finished or used up ©She has an inexhaustible supply of funny stories. ©a man of inexhaustible energy |
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call something ↔ forth phrasal verb |
formal to produce a particular reaction ©Great works of classical music can often call forth a mixture of responses from the listener. |
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ran‧kle /ˈræŋkəl/ verb [intransitive, transitive] |
if something rankles, you still remember it angrily because it upset you or annoyed you a lot ©His comments still rankled. |
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