|
| rabble |
n. disorderly crowd; mob ; |
| rabid |
adj. suffering from rabies |
| rabies |
n. fatal virus disease causing madness in dogs, foxes and other animals, transmitted to humans usu by a bite , |
| raconteur |
n. person who tells stories skilfully and wittily |
| raffle |
n. lottery with an article as the prize |
| rag |
n. odd cloth, usu torn, frayed, etc |
| ragamuffin |
n. person, esp a small boy, in dirty untidy clothes |
| rail |
n. level or sloping bar or connected series of bars of wood or metal, eg forming part of a fence, the top of a banister, a protective barrier, etc |
| raiment |
n. clothing |
| rake |
n. long-handled tool with a row of prongs at the end for drawing together fallen leaves, smoothing soil, etc |
| rakish |
adj. of or like a rake |
| rally |
v. ~ (round/to sb/sth); ~ (round) (of people) come together, esp to make new efforts, eg after a defeat or when there is danger, need, etc |
| ram |
n. uncastrated male sheep . |
| ramble |
v. walk for pleasure with no special destination |
| ramification |
n. part of a complex structure; secondary consequence, esp one that complicates |
| ramify |
v. (fml ) (cause sth to) branch out in many directions; make or become a network |
| ramp |
n. slope joining two levels of ground, a floor, a road, etc |
| rampant |
adj. flourishing excessively; unrestrained |
| rampart |
n. defensive wall round a fort, etc consisting of a wide bank of earth with a path for walking along the top |
| ramshackle |
adj. almost collapsing |
| rancid |
adj. tasting or smelling bad because of staleness |
| rancor |
bitter deep-seated ill will |
| random |
adj. done, chosen, etc without method or conscious choice; haphazard |
| rank |
n. position in a scale of responsibility, quality, social status, etc |
| rankle |
v. cause lasting bitterness or resentment |
| ransack |
v. ~ sth search (a place) thoroughly |
| rant |
v. ~ (derog ) speak loudly, violently or theatrically |
| rapacious |
adj. greedy, esp for money; grasping |
| rapport |
n. ~ sympathetic and harmonious relationship |
| rapt |
adj. ~ so intent or absorbed that one is unaware of other things; spellbound |
| rapture |
n. intense delight |
| rare |
adj. not often happening or seen, etc; unusual |
| rarefied |
adj. less dense than is normal; thin |
| rasp |
n. coarse file with rows of sharp points on its surface |
| raspy |
adj. rough; grating |
| ratify |
v. make (an agreement, a treaty, etc) officially valid, usu by signing it |
| ratiocination |
n. process of logical and methodical reasoning |
| ration |
n. fixed quantity, esp an official allowance of food, etc in times of shortage |
| rational |
adj. able to reason |
| rationale |
n. fundamental reason for or logical basis of sth |
| rationalize |
to provide plausible but untrue reasons for conduct |
| raucous |
adj. loud and hoarse; harsh-sounding |
| ravage |
v. damage badly; destroy |
| rave |
v. ~ talk wildly or furiously as if in a fever or mad |
| ravel |
v. ~ (sth) (up) (cause threads or fibres to) tangle and become knotted |
| ravenous |
adj. very hungry |
| ravine |
n. deep narrow steep-sided valley between mountains |
| raze |
to destroy to the ground:DEMOLISH |
| reactionary |
n, adj opposing (esp political) progress or reform |
| realm |
n. kingdom |
| reaper |
n. person who reaps |
| rebate |
n. amount by which a debt, tax, etc can be reduced; discount or partial refund |
| rebuff |
n. unkind or contemptuous refusal or rejection (of an offer, request, friendly gesture, etc); snub |
| rebuke |
v. ~ sb express sharp or severe disapproval to sb, esp officially; reprove sb |
| rebus |
n. puzzle in which a word or phrase has to be guessed from pictures or diagrams representing the letters or syllables in it |
| rebuttal |
n. act of rebutting or being rebutted |
| recalcitrant |
adj. resisting authority or discipline; disobedient |
| recant |
v. formally reject (a former opinion, belief, etc) as being wrong |
| recapitulate |
v. state again or summarize the main points of |
| recast |
v. ~ sth (as sth) put (sth written or spoken) into a new form |
| receptive |
adj. ~ able or quick to receive new ideas, suggestions, etc |
| recess |
n. (US also vacation) period of time when work or business is stopped, esp in Parliament, the lawcourts, etc |
| recession |
n. temporary decline in economic activity or prosperity |
| recidivism |
a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior; especially :relapse into criminal behavior |
| recipient |
n. ~ person who receives sth |
| reciprocal |
adj. given and received in return; mutual |
| reciprocate |
v. give and receive (sth) in return; exchange (sth) mutually ; |
| recital |
n. public performance of music, dance, etc by a soloist or a small group |
| recite |
v. ~ (to sb) say (a poem, passage, etc) aloud from memory, esp to an audience |
| reckon |
v. ~ sb/sth among sth; ~ sb/sth as sth (not used in the continuous tenses ) be of the opinion or consider that sb/sth is as specified |
| recline |
v. lean or lie back in a horizontal or near-horizontal position |
| recluse |
n. person who lives alone and avoids other people |
| reconcile |
to make consistent or congruous |
| recondite |
adj. (of subjects) little known or understood; obscure |
| reconnaissance |
n. exploration or a survey of an area, esp for military purposes |
| recount |
v. ~ sth give a detailed account of sth; tell about sth |
| recourse |
n. possible source of help, eg in an emergency |
| recreant |
n, adj (person who is) cowardly, unfaithful or treacherous |
| recrimination |
n. accusation in response to an accusation from sb else; countercharge |
| rectify |
v. put (sth) right; correct |
| rectitude |
n. moral correctness or straightforwardness; honesty |
| recumbent |
adj. (esp of a person) lying down; reclining |
| recuperate |
v. ~ (fml ) recover from illness, exhaustion or loss, etc |
| recurrent |
adj. recurring often or regularly |
| redolent |
adj. ~ of/with sth smelling strongly of sth |
| redoubtable |
adj. to be feared and respected; formidable |
| redress |
v. put right (a wrong); compensate for (sth) |
| reduce |
v. ~ sth (to/by sb) make sth smaller in size, number, degree, price, etc |
| redundant |
adj. not needed; superfluous; unnecessary |
| reek |
n. strong bad smell |
| refectory |
n. dining-hall in a monastery, convent, college, school, etc , |
| referendum |
n. referring of a political issue to a general vote by all the people of a country for a decision; vote thus taken |
| refraction |
n. refracting or being refracted . |
| refractory |
adj. difficult to control or discipline; wilful or unmanageable |
| refrain |
n. lines of a song or poem which are repeated, esp at the end of each verse |
| refulgent |
adj. gloriously bright; shining ; |
| refurbish |
v. make clean or bright again; redecorate |
| refuse |
n. waste or worthless material; rubbish |
| refute |
v. prove to be wrong |
| regal |
adj. of, like or fit for a king or queen; royal |
| regale |
v. ~ sb with sth amuse or entertain sb (with stories, jokes, etc) |
| regatta |
n. sporting event at which races are held between rowing-boats or yachts |
| regeneration |
spiritual rebirth |
| regent |
n. person appointed to rule a country while the monarch is too young, old, ill, etc, or is absent |
| regicide |
n. crime of killing a king |
| regime |
n. method or system of government |
| regimen |
n. set of rules about diet, exercise, etc aimed at improving sb's health and physical well-being |
| regiment |
n. (artillery and armour) unit divided into batteries or squadrons |
| rehabilitate |
v. restore to a normal life by retraining, medical treatment, etc, esp after imprisonment or illness |
| reimburse |
v. ~ sth ~ sb (for sth) (usu fml ) pay back to sb (money that he has spent, lost, etc); refund sth |
| reinstate |
v. ~ sb restore sb to a previous (esp important) position |
| reiterate |
v. say or do (sth) again or repeatedly |
| rejoinder |
n. what is said in reply; retort |
| rejuvenate |
v. restore youthful appearance, strength, etc to |
| relapse |
v. ~ fall back into a previous condition or a worse state after making an improvement |
| relegate |
banish; consign to inferior position |
| relent |
v. decide to be less strict, determined or harsh |
| relevant |
adj. ~ (to sth/sb)connected with what is being discussed, what is happening,what is being done, etc |
| relic |
n. trace or feature surviving from a past age and serving to remind people of it |
| religious |
adj. of religion |
| relinquish |
v. give up or cease to practise, feel, etc (sth); abandon |
| relish |
n. ~ great enjoyment of food, etc; zest |
| remediable |
adj. that can be remedied |
| reminiscence |
n. recalling of past events and experiences; reminiscing ; |
| reminiscent |
adj. ~ of sb/sth reminding one of or suggesting sb/sth |
| remiss |
adj. ~ (fml ) careless of one's duty; lax |
| remission |
n. pardoning or forgiveness of sins by God |
| remit |
v. (fml ) refrain from inflicting (a punishment, etc) |
| remittance |
n. remitting of money |
| remnant |
n. small remaining quantity or part or number of things or people |
| remonstrance |
n. remonstrating; protest ; |
| remonstrate |
v. ~ with sb; ~ against sth make a protest or complaint about sb/sth |
| remorse |
n. ~ sense of deep and bitter regret for having done sth wrong |
| remote |
adj. ~ (from sth) far away from other communities, houses, etc; isolated |
| remunerative |
adj. profitable |
| rend |
v. (arch or fml ) tear (sth) apart forcibly; split |
| render |
v. ~ sth (for sth); ~ sth (to sb) give sth in return or exchange, or as sth which is due |
| rendezvous |
n. ~ (with sb) (place chosen for a) meeting at an agreed time |
| rendition |
n. way in which a dramatic role or piece of music, etc is performed; rendering |
| renegade |
n. person that deserts a cause, political party, religious group, etc |
| renege |
v. ~ (on sth) fail to keep a promise, one's word, etc |
| renounce |
v. agree to give up ownership or possession of (sth), esp formally |
| renovate |
v. restore to good condition |
| renown |
n. fame or distinction |
| rent |
n. regular payment made for the use of land, premises, a telephone, machinery, etc; sum paid in this way |
| reparable |
adj. (of a loss, etc) that can be made good , |
| reparation |
n. ~ (for sth) compensating for damage; making amends for loss |
| repartee |
n. sharp clever retorts |
| repast |
meal |
| repeal |
v. withdraw officially; revoke ; |
| repel |
v. drive (sb/sth) back or away; repulse |
| repellent |
adj. ~ arousing distaste or disgust; repulsive |
| repercussion |
n. indirect effect or result of an event, etc; consequence |
| repertoire |
n. all the plays, songs, pieces, etc which a company, actor, musician, etc knows and is prepared to perform |
| repine |
v. ~ (fml ) feel or show discontent; fret |
| replenish |
v. ~ sth fill sth again |
| replete |
adj. ~ (fml ) well-fed or full; gorged |
| replica |
n. exact copy, esp one made by an artist of one of his own pictures, etc |
| replicate |
v. be or make a copy of (sth); reproduce |
| repose |
v. rest; lie |
| repository |
n. place where things are stored or may be found, esp a warehouse or museum |
| reprehensible |
adjdeserving to be reprehended |
| repress |
v. restrain or suppress (an impulse); check |
| reprieve |
v. postpone or cancel a punishment for (sb), esp the death sentence |
| reprimand |
v. ~ sb rebuke sb (for a fault, etc), esp officially |
| reprisal |
n. returning an injury, esp political or military, done to oneself; retaliation |
| reprise |
recurrent action; musical repetition; repeat performance |
| reproach |
v. ~ sb/oneself (for sth) criticize sb/oneself, esp for failing to do sth |
| reprobate |
adj. n immoral or unprincipled (person) |
| reprobation |
severe disapproval |
| reprove |
v. ~ sb (fml ) blame or rebuke sb; censure |
| repudiate |
v. refuse to have any more to do with (sb); disown ; |
| repugnance |
n. ~ strong aversion or disgust |
| repulse |
v. drive back (an attacker or an attack) by fighting; repel ; |
| repulsion |
n. ~ feeling of loathing or aversion; disgust |
| reputable |
adj. having a good reputation; respected or trustworthy |
| reputed |
adj. generally said or considered to be sth/sb |
| requiem |
n. (also requiem `mass) special mass for the repose of the soul of a dead person |
| requisite |
adj. required by circumstances or necessary for success |
| requisition |
n. ~ (for sth) official, usu written, demand for (esp) the use of property or materials by an army in wartime or by certain people in an emergency |
| requite |
v. ~ sth (with sth) give sth in return for sth else; repay sth |
| rescind |
v. cancel or repeal (a law, contract, etc); annul |
| resentment |
n. resenting sb/sth |
| reserve |
v. ~ sth put aside or keep sth for a later occasion or special use |
| residual |
adj. left over as a residue(1); remaining |
| residue |
n. ~ (of sth) what remains after a part or quantity is taken or used |
| resign |
v. ~ give up (one's job, position, etc) |
| resignation |
n. ~ (instance of) resigning |
| resilient |
adj. springing back to its original form after being bent, stretched, crushed, etc; springy , |
| resolution |
n. quality of being resolute or firm; determination |
| resolve |
v. ~ on/upon/against sth/doing sth decide firmly; determine |
| resonant |
adj. continuing to echo; resounding |
| resort |
v. ~ to sth make use of sth for help; adopt sth as an expedient |
| resound |
v. ~ (through/throughout sth) (of a sound, voice, etc) fill a place with sound; produce echoes |
| resourceful |
adj. clever at finding ways of doing things |
| respiration |
n. (single act of) breathing air |
| respite |
n. ~ interval of rest or relief |
| resplendent |
adj. ~ (fml ) brilliant with colour or decorations; splendid |
| responsiveness |
n. |
| restitution |
n. ~ (fml ) restoration of a thing to its proper owner or original state |
| restive |
adj. restless or uneasy |
| restraint |
n. restraining or being restrained |
| resumption |
n. (instance of) resuming (resume 1) |
| resurge |
(rare) |
| resurgent |
adj. rising or reviving after destruction, defeat, disappearance, etc |
| resurrect |
v. bring (sb) back to life again |
| resuscitate |
v. bring (sb/sth) back to consciousness |
| retain |
v. keep (sth) in one's possession or use |
| retaliate |
v. ~ repay an injury, insult, etc with a similar one |
| retard |
v. make (sth) slow or late |
| retentive |
adj. having the ability to remember facts, impressions, etc , |
| reticent |
adj. ~ not revealing one's thoughts or feelings easily; reserved |
| retinue |
n. group of attendants accompanying an important person |
| retiring |
adj. avoiding society; shy |
| retort |
v. make a quick, witty or angry reply, esp to an accusation or challenge |
| retract |
v. withdraw (a statement, charge, etc) |
| retraction |
n. retracting |
| retrench |
v. make economies or reduce expenses |
| retribution |
n. ~ (fml ) deserved punishment or compensation for injury, etc |
| retrieve |
v. ~ sth (esp fml ) get possession of sth again |
| retroactive |
adj. effective from a past date |
| retrograde |
adj. going backwards |
| retrospective |
adj. looking back on the past |
| revelry |
n. noisy celebrations; revels |
| reverberate |
v. ~ echo or resound repeatedly |
| reverend |
adj. deserving to be treated with respect, esp because of age, etc , |
| reverent |
adj. feeling or showing reverence |
| reverie |
n. idle and pleasant thoughts |
| revert |
v. ~ to sth return to (a former state or condition) |
| revile |
v. criticize (sb/sth), in angry and abusive language , |
| revoke |
v. withdraw or cancel (a decree, permit, etc) |
| revulsion |
n. ~ feeling of disgust or horror |
| rhapsodize |
recite a rhapsody ; say (something) with great enthusiasm |
| rhapsody |
n. (often in titles ) romantic composition in irregular form |
| rhetoric |
n. using language impressively or persuasively, esp in public speaking |
| ribald |
adj. humorous in a vulgar, obscene or disrespectful way |
| rickety |
adj. weak or shaky, esp in the joints; likely to fall or collapse |
| riddle |
n. puzzling question, statement or description, esp one intended to test the cleverness of those wishing to solve it |
| rider |
n. person who rides a horse, bicycle, etc |
| rife |
adj. (esp of bad things) widespread; common |
| rift |
n. split, crack, break, etc |
| rig |
v. ~ sth (with sth) fit (a ship or boat) with masts, spars, ropes, sails, etc |
| righteous |
adj. doing what is morally right |
| rightful |
adj. just, proper or legal |
| rigid |
adj. stiff; not bending or yielding |
| rigor |
severity |
| rile |
v. annoy (sb); irritate |
| rip |
v. divide or make a hole in (sth) by pulling sharply |
| rivet |
n. metal pin or bolt for fastening twopieces of metal together, its headless end being hammered or pressed flat to prevent slipping |
| riveting |
adj. that holds the attention; enthralling |
| rivulet |
n. small stream |
| robust |
adj. vigorous; healthy and strong |
| rococo |
adj. of a style of decorationin furniture, architecture, music, etc with much elaboratedecoration, common in Europe in the 18th century 18 |
| roil |
to stir up:DISTURB, DISORDER |
| rolling |
having gentle rising and falling slopes; undulating |
| romp |
v. play about together in a lively way, running, jumping, etc |
| rooster |
n. = cock 1 |
| roseate |
adj. deep pink |
| roster |
n. (esp in the army, etc) list of names showing duties to be performed and the times at which those named are to perform them |
| rostrum |
n. raised platform from which public speeches are made |
| rote |
n. by `rote by heart; from memory, without thinking of the meaning |
| rotund |
adj. (of a person) rounded; plump; fat |
| rotunda |
n. type of round building or hall, esp one with a domed roof |
| rotundity |
n. state of being rotund |
| rousing |
adj. vigorous; giving encouragement |
| rout |
n. utter defeat |
| rubble |
n. bits of broken stone, rock or bricks |
| rubric |
n. words put as a heading, esp to show or explain how sth should be done, etc |
| ruddy |
adj. (approv ) (of a person's face) having a fresh healthy colour |
| rudimentary |
adj. existing in an imperfect or undeveloped form |
| rue |
n. type of evergreen shrub with bitter leaves formerly used in medicine |
| rueful |
adj. showing or feeling good-humoured regret |
| ruffian |
n. violent lawless man |
| rumble |
v. make a deep heavy continuous sound |
| ruminant |
n, adj that chews the cud, eg a cow |
| ruminate |
v. ~ think deeply; meditate; ponder |
| rummage |
v. ~ (for sth); ~ (about/around) turn things over or disarrange them while searching for sth |
| run-down |
n. act of running down (an industry, a company, etc); reduction of the size of an industry, etc |
| runic |
adj. of runes; written in or inscribed with runes |
| ruse |
n. deceitful way of doing sth or getting sth; trick |
| rustic |
adj. typical of the country or country people |
| rusticate |
v. send (a student) away from university temporarily, as a punishment |
| rustle |
v. make a dry light sound, esp by friction or rubbing together |
| ruthless |
adj. having or showing no pity or compassion; cruel |
