| |
| babble |
chatter idly or foolishly; make continuous sounds like
water running gently over rounded stone; N. |
| bacchanal |
noisy party with a lot of drinking |
| bacchanalia |
the ancient Roman festival in honor of Bacchus |
| bacchanalian |
drunken |
| backslide |
revert (to bad habits); N. reverter |
| backwards |
and forwards; Ex. reciprocate his invitation by inviting
him; N. reciprocity: reciprocal relationship; mutual interchange
of advantages between two groups; Ex. reciprocity in trading
rights |
| badger |
pester; annoy continually with demands; persuade by
asking again and again; Ex. The children badgered me into
taking them into the cinema; N: a kind of mountain animal |
| badinage |
teasing conversation; banter; joking talk |
| baffle |
frustrate; perplex |
| bait |
harass; tease; torment; Ex. badger baiting; N: food
or other lure used to catch fish or trap animals |
| baleful |
evil; malignant in intent or effect; deadly; having
a malign influence; portending evil; ominous; threatening;
Ex. baleful look |
| balk |
stop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse
to continue; foil; stop or get in the way of; frustrate |
| ballast |
heavy substance used to add stability or weight; V.
supply with ballast |
| balm |
something that relieves pain; oily liquid with a pleasant
smell from trees |
| balmy |
soft and mild (of air); fragrant |
| banal |
hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality;
clich\'ed |
| bandy |
discuss lightly or glibly; discuss in a frivolous manner;
exchange (words) heatedly; quarrel; Ex. bandy words with |
| bane |
posion; cause of ruin; ADJ. baneful: harmful; poisonous |
| bank |
heap; piled-up mass; embankment; lateral tilting (as
of an aircraft in turning); V: pile up; protect with a
bank; tilt in turning |
| bantering |
joking talk; good-naturedly ridiculing; N.V. banter |
| bar |
railing in a courtroom; legal profession; vertical
line dividing a staff into equal measures; Ex. prisoner
at the bar; V: shut in or out with bars; forbid; exclude;
CF. barrister |
| barb |
sharp projection from fishhook, arrow, or other object;
openly cutting remark |
| bard |
poet |
| barefaced |
shameless and noticeable; blatant; bold; unconcealed;
having no covering on the face; Ex. barefaced lie |
| bargain |
agreement between two groups or people; something for
sale at a price advantageous to the buyer; V: negotiate;
trade; Ex. bargaining power |
| baroque |
highly ornate |
| barrage |
barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion;
large number of questions or statements; Ex. a barrage
of criticism |
| barrister |
counselor-at-law or lawyer in the higher court of law;
CF. bar |
| barterer |
trader; V. barter: trade; exchange good for other goods
rather than money |
| base |
contemptible; morally bad; inferior in value or quality;
Ex. base motives/conduct; Ex. base metal such as iron |
| bask |
luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth |
| bastard |
illegitimate child |
| bastion |
stronghold; something seen as a source of protection;
Ex. the last bastion of male chauvinism |
| bate |
let down; lessen the force of; moderate; restrain;
Ex. with bated breath; CF. abate |
| battalion |
army unit made up of four or more companies |
| bauble |
trinket; cheap jewel; trifle |
| bawdy |
indecent; obscene; about sex in a rude funny way; CF.
bawd |
| bearing |
deportment; connection |
| beatific |
giving or showing bliss; blissful |
| beatitude |
blessedness; state of great happiness |
| bedizen |
dress with vulgar finery |
| bedraggle |
wet thoroughly; ADJ. bedraggled: draggled |
| beeline |
direct quick route |
| befuddle |
confuse thoroughly |
| beget |
father; become the father of; produce; give rise to |
| begrudge |
envy; give or allow unwillingly; grudge; Ex. We shouldn't
begrudge him his success. |
| beguile |
deceive; mislead or delude; cheat; pass time pleasantly;
charm or attract; Ex. beguiling smile |
| behemoth |
huge creature; something of monstrous size or power |
| beholden |
obligated; indebted; owing thanks; obliged or indebted
from gratitude |
| behoove(behove) |
be suited to; be incumbent upon; be right and necessary;
Ex. It behooves one to do. |
| belabor |
harp on; dwell on tediously; explain or go over excessively
or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally; beat severely;
attack physically |
| belated |
delayed |
| beleaguer |
besiege or attack (with an army); harass; beset |
| belie |
contradict; give a false impression; disguise; Ex.
The poor sales belied our high hopes; Ex. Her smile belies
her true feeling of displeasure. |
| belittle |
disparage; depreciate |
| bellicose |
warlike |
| belligerent |
quarrelsome |
| bemoan |
lament; moan for; express sorrow or disapproval of |
| bemused |
confused; lost in thought; preoccupied |
| benediction |
blessing |
| benefactor |
gift giver; patron; person who does good or who gives
money for a good purpose |
| beneficent |
kindly; doing good |
| beneficial |
helpful; useful; advantageous |
| beneficiary |
person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance
policy or will |
| benefit |
advantage; anything that brings helpl, advantage, or
profit; money provided by the government to the people;
fund-raising public entertainment; Ex. unemployment benefit;
V: receive benefits; be beneficial to; give benefits |
| benevolent |
generous; charitable; having a wish to do good |
| benign |
kindly; favorable; not malignant (disease); Ex. benign
tumor |
| benison |
blessing |
| bent |
determined; Ex. bent on advancing in the business;
N: natural talent or inclination |
| bequeath |
leave to someone by means of a will; hand down in his
will; N. bequest |
| berate |
scold strongly |
| bereaved |
deprived of (someone beloved through death) |
| bereavement |
state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved;
state of being bereaved or bereft |
| bereft |
deprived of (something valuable); lacking |
| berserk |
mad with violent anger; frenzied; madly excited |
| beseech |
beg; plead with |
| beset |
harass or trouble from all directions; hem in |
| besiege |
surround with armed forces; harass (with requests);
annoy continually |
| besmirch |
soil; defile; make dirty |
| bestial |
beastlike; brutal; inhuman; very cruel |
| bestow |
confer |
| betoken |
signify; indicate; be a sign of |
| betray |
be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly);
Ex. Her trembling hands betray her anxiety. |
| betroth |
become engaged to marry |
| bevy |
large group; Ex. a bevy of starlets |
| beware |
be cautious (of) |
| bewitch |
cast a spell over; captivate completely |
| bicameral |
two-chambered as a legislative body |
| bicker |
quarrel |
| bid |
command; utter (a greeting); offer as a price; N: offer
of a price; amount offered; earnest effort to gain something;
Ex. bid for freedom |
| biennial |
every two years |
| bifurcated |
divided into two branches; forked |
| bigot |
one who is intolerant (in matters of religion or politics) |
| bigotry |
stubborn intolerance |
| bilious |
suffering from indigestion; sick from having too much
bile; irritable; easily irritated |
| bilk |
swindle; cheat |
| billow |
large wave of water; a great swell or surge (of smoke);
V: surge, swell, roll in billows |
| billowing |
swelling out in waves; surging |
| biting |
sharply painful to the body or mind; Ex. biting wind/remarks |
| bitter |
having a sharp biting taste; 敬; causing sharp pain
to the body or mind; filled with resentment, disappointment,
or other unpleasant feelings; Ex. bitter wind/sorrow/tears |
| bivouac |
temporary encampment; camp without tents; V. |
| bizarre |
fantastic; violently contrasting; noticeably odd; strikingly
unconventional |
| blackball |
vote against (an applicant); ostracize; N: negative
vote |
| blanch |
bleach; whiten; make white or pale |
| bland |
soothing or mild (food); agreeable; causing no trouble
or offence |
| blandishment |
flattery |
| blare |
loud or harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light |
| blase |
bored with pleasure or dissipation; uninterested or
bored |
| blasphemy |
irreverence; sacrilege; cursing; bad language about
God or holy things; V. blasphem; ADJ. blasphemous; CF.
sacrilege |
| blatant |
extremely (offensively) obvious; loudly offensive;
Ex. blatant lie; N. blatancy |
| bleak |
cold or cheerless; frigid; unlikely to be favorable;
depressing |
| blemish |
mar; spoil the beauty or perfection of; N: flaw or
defect (that spoils perfection); Ex. blemishes in the
crystal; CF. unblemished |
| blight |
plant disease; V: infect with blight; ruin; destroy |
| blighted |
suffering from a disease; destroyed |
| bliss |
complete happiness; ADJ. blissful |
| blithe(blithesome) |
gay; joyous |
| bloated |
(unpleasantly) swollen or puffed as with water or air |
| blotch |
spot; blot; CF. blot+botch |
| blowhard |
talkative boaster; braggart |
| bludgeon |
club; heavy-headed weapon; V. |
| blue |
gloomy; depressed |
| blues |
state of depression or melancholy; style of slow, mournful
music (evolved from southern Black American songs) |
| bluff |
pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff; ADJ:
rough but good-natured |
| blunder |
error; stupid mistake |
| blunt |
having a dull edge; abrupt and frank in speech or manner;
brusque; V: make or become blunt |
| blurt |
utter impulsively from nervousness or excitement |
| blush |
become red in the face (from embarrassment or shame);
become red or rosy; N. |
| bluster |
blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully; speak
in a noisy or bullying manner; CF. breeze, gust, gale |
| bode |
foreshadow; portend |
| bog |
soft wet land; V: hinder or be hindered; Ex. bogged
down in the mud |
| bogus |
counterfeit; not authentic; intentionally false; Ex.
bogus interview |
| Bohemian |
unconventional (in an artistic way) |
| boisterous |
violent; rough; noisy |
| bolster |
support; reinforce |
| bolt |
door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric;
large roll of cloth; V: dash or dart off; fasten (a |
door); gobble down |
| bombardment |
attack (as with missiles or bombs); V. bombard |
| bombast |
grandiloquent, pompous speech |
| bombastic |
pompous; using inflated language |
| bookish |
fond of books and reading |
| boon |
blessing; benefit; something very helpful |
| boor |
rude, insensitive person |
| boorish |
rude; insensitive |
| boost |
lift by pushing up from below; increase; raise; N:
push upward; increase |
| botch |
mismanage; blow |
| bouillon |
clear beef (or meat) soup |
| bound |
leap or spring; limit or confine; constitute the limit
of; Ex. bounded by Canada; N: leap or jumping; boundary;
ADJ: certain; having a duty to do something (legally or
morally); confined by bonds; Ex. We are bound to be late;
Ex. I am bound to |
| bountiful |
generous; graciously generous; showing bounty |
| bourgeois |
middle class; selfishly materialistic; too interested
in material possessions |
| bout |
match; short period of great activity; Ex. wrestling
bout; bout of drinking/flu |
| bovine |
cowlike; placid and dull; slow-thinking; calm |
| bowdlerize |
expurgate; CF. Thomas Bowdler |
| brackish |
somewhat saline |
| brag |
boast |
| braggadocio |
boasting |
| braggart |
boaster; bragger |
| braid |
plait; interweave strands or lengths of; make by weaving
strands together; N: braided segment (as of hair) |
| brand |
trademark; mark burned on the hide of an animal; mark
burned into the flesh of criminals; mark of disgrace;
V: mark with a brand; give a lasting bad name; stigmatize;
Ex. The press branded him a liar. |
| brandish |
wave around (a weapon); flourish |
| bravado |
swagger; assumed air of defiance; false show of bravery |
| brave |
face courageously; Ex. brave the storm |
| brawl |
noisy quarrel |
| brawn |
human muscle; muscular strength; sturdiness |
| brawny |
muscular; having well-developed muscles |
| brazen |
insolent; without shame; bold; Ex. brazen lie; V: face
with bold self-assurance or with unshamed confidence |
| breach |
breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap; opening;
V. |
| breadth |
width; extent |
| breed |
produce young; rear; bring up; produce (an undesirable
condition); N: kind or sort of animal or plant |
| brevity |
conciseness; shortness of duration |
| bridle |
harness fitted about a horse's head (used to restrain);
curb; check; V: put a bridle on; control or restrain;
show anger |
| brim |
uppermost edge of a cup; projecting rim (as on a hat);
Ex. The glass was full to the brim; V: be full to the
brim |
| brindled |
tawny or grayish with streaks or spots (of animals) |
| brink |
edge (at the top of a cliff); Ex. on the brink of the
Grand Canyon |
| brisk |
quick and active; marked by liveliness and vigor |
| bristle |
short stiff hair; V: (hair or fur) stand up stiffly |
| bristling |
rising like bristles; showing irritation |
| brittle |
hard but easily broken; difficult; unstable; Ex. brittle
situation |
| broach |
introduce as a subject; moot; open up |
| brocade |
rich, figured(patterned) fabric |
| brochure |
pamphlet |
| broil |
cook by direct heat; N. |
| bromide |
platitude; chemical compound used to calm excitement |
| brooch |
ornamental clasp; pin |
| brood |
sit on in order to hatch; think deeply or worry anxiously;
N: the young of certain animals; group of young birds
hatched at one time |
| brook |
tolerate; endure; Ex. brook no interference; N: small
stream |
| browbeat |
bully; intimidate |
| browse |
graze; feed on growing grass; skim or glance at casually |
| bruise |
injure without breaking the skin; N. |
| brunt |
main impact or shock (of an attack or blow); Ex. brunt
of the argument |
| brusque |
blunt; abrupt; curt; not wanting to waste time being
nice |
| buccaneer |
pirate |
| bucolic |
rustic; pastoral |
| buffet |
strike forcefully; slap; batter; knock out; N: table
with food set out for people to server themselves; meal
at which people help themselves to food that's been set |
| buffoon |
stupid person; clown |
| buffoonery |
clowning |
| bugaboo |
bugbear; object of baseless terror |
| bulge |
protruding part; swelling of a surface; Ex. The apple
made a bulge in his pocket; V: swell outward; protrude |
| bulk |
size or volume (esp. when very large); main part; Ex.
The bulk of the work has already been done; ADJ. bulky:
having great size |
| bullion |
gold and silver in the form of bars |
| bully |
one who is habitually cruel to weaker people; V. |
| bulwark |
strong wall built for defense; earthwork or other strong
defense; person who defends |
| bump |
hit or knock against with force; N. |
| bungle |
mismanage; blunder; botch; blow; spoil by clumsy behavior |
| buoyant |
able to float; cheerful and optimistic; N. buoyancy;
Ex. buoyancy of wood/water/American market |
| bureaucracy |
overregulated administrative system marked by red tape;
ADJ. bureaucratic |
| burgeon |
grow rapidly; grow forth; send out buds; Ex. burgeoning
computer industry; CF. bludgeon |
| burlesque |
give an imitation that ridicules; imitate mockingly |
| burnish |
make shiny by rubbing; polish |
| bust |
piece of sculpture showing a person's head, shoulders,
and upper chest; V: break up; arrest; Ex. crimebuster |
| buttress |
support; prop up; N. stationary structure to support
wall; Ex. flying buttress |
| buxom |
full-bosomed; plump; jolly |
