| |
| oaf |
stupid awkward person; CF. elf |
| oath |
solemn promise; blasphemous use of sacred words to
express strong feelings; swear-word; Ex. ``For Christ's
sake'' |
| oatmeal |
crushed oats used for making porridge |
| obdurate |
stubborn; refusing to change one's belief |
| obeisance |
bow (to show respect and obedience) |
| obelisk |
tall column tapering(becoming gradually narrower toward
the end) and ending in a pyramid |
| obese |
excessively fat; N. obesity |
| obfuscate |
confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex;
make so confused as to be difficult to understand |
| obituary |
death notice (esp. in a newspaper); ADJ. |
| objective |
not influenced by emotions; fair; N: goal; aim |
| obligatory |
binding; required; compulsory; V. oblige: constrain;
make grateful; do a favor; accommodate |
| oblique |
indirect; slanting (deviating from the perpendicular
or from a straight line); Ex. oblique reference |
| obliterate |
destroy completely; wipe out; Ex. obliterate the village |
| oblivion |
obscurity; condition of being completely forgotten;
forgetfulness |
| oblivious |
inattentive or unmindful; unaware; wholly absorbed;
forgetful(having the habit of forgetting) |
| obloquy |
slander; disgrace; infamy |
| obnoxious |
offensive; disagreeable; Ex. obnoxious smell |
| obscure |
dark; vague; unclear; not well known; Ex. obscure meaning/village;
V: darken; cover; make unclear; Ex. obscure the moon/meaning |
| obsequious |
slavishly attentive; servile; full of servile compliance;
sycophantic |
| obsequy |
funeral ceremony |
| obsessive |
related to thinking about something constantly; of
an obsession; preoccupying; N. obsession: compulsive preoccupation
with a fixed idea; compulsive idea; V. obsess: preoccupy
the mind of excessively |
| obsidian |
black volcanic rock |
| obsolete |
outmoded; no longer used |
| obstetrician |
physician specializing in delivery(assisting in giving
birth) of babies; N. obstetrics; CF. midwife |
| obstinate |
stubborn; hard to control or treat; Ex. obstinate cough;
N. obstinacy |
| obstreperous |
boisterous; noisy and uncontrollable |
| obtrude |
push (oneself or one's ideas) forward or intrude; impose
(oneself or one's ideas) on others; butt in; stick out
or extrude; thrust out; Ex. obtrude A on B; ADJ. obtrusive;
N. obtrusion; CF. unobtrusive |
| obtuse |
blunt; not sharp; stupid; slow in understanding |
| obviate |
make unnecessary; get rid of; Ex. obviate the need |
| Occident |
the West |
| occlude |
shut; close; obstruct; Ex. A blood clot occluded an
artery. |
| occult |
mysterious; secret; supernatural; beyond human comprehension;
CF. mysterious to human ?; OP. bare |
| oculist |
physician who specializes in treatment of the eyes |
| odds |
chances; probability; disagreement; Ex. The odds are
that it will rain. Ex. at odds with |
| odious |
arousing strong dislike; hateful(causing hatred); vile |
| odium |
detestation; quality of being odious; hatefulness;
disrepute (resulting from hateful conduct) |
| odoriferous |
giving off an odor |
| odorous |
having an odor |
| odyssey |
long, eventful, adventurous journey |
| offensive |
attacking; insulting; distasteful; V. offend: violate;
hurt the feelings of; N. offense: offending; violating
of a moral or social code; crime; attack; Ex. first offense |
| offhand |
casual; done without prior thought or preparation |
| officious |
meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services;
overly eager in offering unwanted services or advices;
Ex. officious bellboy |
| ogle |
look at amorously; make eyes at; Ex. old men ogling
young girls |
| olfactory |
concerning the sense of smell |
| oligarchy |
government by a privileged few |
| ominous |
threatening; of an evil omen |
| omnipotent |
all-powerful; having unlimited power |
| omnipresent |
universally present; ubiquitous |
| omniscient |
all-knowing |
| omnivorous |
eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything |
| onerous |
burdensome |
| onomatopoeia |
words formed in imitation of natural sounds |
| onslaught |
vicious assault; fierce attack; Ex. unexpected onslaught
of the enemy |
| onus |
burden; responsibility |
| ooze |
(of a thick liquid) pass or flow slowly; N: mud or
thick liquid as at the bottom of a river |
| opalescent |
iridescent; lustrous; like an opal; N. opalescence |
| opaque |
dark; not transparent; N. opacity |
| opiate |
medicine to induce sleep or deaden pain; something
that relieves emotions or causes inaction; sleep-producing
drug containing opium |
| opportune |
timely; well-chosen |
| opportunist |
individual who sacrifices principles for expediency
by taking advantage of circumstances; N. opportunism |
| opprobrium |
infamy; disgrace arising from shameful conduct; vilification(slander);
scorn; contempt; Ex. opprobrium hurled against him; ADJ.
opprobrious: expressing contempt; shameful or infamous |
| optician |
maker and seller of eyeglasses |
| optimist |
person who looks on the bright side; N. optimism |
| optimum |
most favorable; optimal; N: most favorable condition |
| optional |
not compulsory; left to one's choice; N. option: act
of choosing; choice; freedom or power to choose; something
available as a choice; Ex. have no option; Ex. two options |
| optometrist |
one who fits glasses to remedy visual defects |
| opulence |
extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance; ADJ. opulent:
possessing great wealth; abundant |
| opus |
work (esp. musical composition); Ex. magnum opus: masterpiece;
CF. opera |
| oracular |
of an oracle; prophetic; uttered as if with divine
authority; mysterious or ambiguous; hard to understand;
N. oracle: wiser person; prophecy made by an oracle |
| orator |
public speaker |
| oratorio |
dramatic poem set to music; long musical work with
singing but without acting; CF. cantata |
| ordain |
decree or command; grant holy orders; predestine; install
as a minister, priest, or rabbi; N. ordainment; CF. ordination |
| ordeal |
severe trial or affliction; difficult experience; trial(test
of patience or endurance); affliction |
| ordinance |
decree; authoritative order |
| ordination |
ceremony conferring holy orders; ceremony of ordaining
a priest |
| orgy |
wild drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence in an
activity; Ex. orgy of shopping |
| orient |
get one's bearings; adjust; make familiar with a situation;
orientate |
| orientation |
act of finding oneself in society; orienting |
| orifice |
mouthlike opening; small opening (esp. to a cavern
or passage of the body); CF. mouth |
| ornate |
excessively or elaborately decorated |
| ornithologist |
scientific student of birds; N. ornithology: scientific
study of birds |
| orthodox |
traditional; (of someone) conservative in belief; adhering
to an established doctrine |
| orthography |
correct spelling; CF. ortho-: straight; correct; Ex.
orthodontics |
| oscillate |
vibrate pendulumlike; waver |
| osseous |
made of bone; bony |
| ossify |
change or harden into bone; become hard and unchanging
in one's ideas |
| ostensible |
apparent; appearing as such; professed(pretended);
pretended; Ex. ostensible purpose of the expedition |
| ostentatious |
showy; trying to attract attention; pretentious; N.
ostentation: showy display |
| ostracize |
banish from a group; exclude from public favor; ban;
Ex. His friends ostracized him. N. ostracism |
| oust |
expel; drive out; force out; N. ouster: ousting |
| outcast |
one that has been excluded from a society; ADJ. |
| outfit |
clothing or equipment for a special purpose; Ex. cowboy
outfit |
| outgoing |
sociable; eager to mix socially with others |
| outlandish |
bizzare; peculiar; unconventional |
| outlaw |
fugitive from the law (excluded from legal protection);
V: declare (someone) to be an outlaw; deprive of the protection
of the law; declare illegal; Ex. Drinking has been outlawed. |
| outlook |
point of view; view from a particular place; expectation
for the future; prospect; Ex. outlook on life; Ex. pleasing
outlook; Ex. weather outlook |
| outmoded |
no longer in fashion or use; no longer stylish; old-fashioned |
| outrage |
act of extreme violence or viciousness; resentful anger;
V: commit an outrage on; produce anger in; ADJ. outrageous:
offensive |
| outskirts |
fringes; outer borders (as of a city); Ex. outskirts
of Boston |
| outspoken |
candid; blunt |
| outstrip |
outrun; surpass; outdo |
| outwit |
outsmart; defeat by behaving more cleverly |
| ovation |
enthusiastic applause |
| overbearing |
bossy; domineering and arrogant; decisively important;
Ex. overbearing manner/importance; V. overbear: dominate |
| overblown |
inflated; exaggerated |
| oversee |
watch over and direct; supervise; N. oversight: unintentional
failure to notice or do something; supervision |
| overt |
open to view; public; not secret; CF. covert |
| overthrow |
topple; N. |
| overture |
musical introduction to a long musical piece; first
offer or proposal (to begin talks in the hope of reaching
an agreement); Ex. overtures for peace |
| overturn |
turn over; capsize; topple |
| overweening |
arrogant; presumptuous |
| overwhelm |
(of water) cover completely; defeat completely by much
greater force; Ex. overwhelmed by grief |
| overwrought |
nervous or excited; extremely agitated; hysterical;
wrought-up; CF. wrought: made or done |
| ovoid |
egg-shaped; CF. ovum; CF. ovulate |
