| Term | Definition |
|---|
| bard | poet |
| barefaced | shameless and noticeable; blatant; bold; unconcealed; having no covering on the face; |
| bargain | agreement between two groups or people; something for sale at a price advantageous to the buyer; V: negotiate; trade; |
| baroque | highly ornate |
| barrage | barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion; large number of questions or statements; |
| barrister | counselor-at-law or lawyer in the higher court of law; |
| barterer | trader |
| base | contemptible; morally bad; inferior in value or quality; |
| bask | luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth |
| bastard | illegitimate child |
| bastion | stronghold; something seen as a source of protection; |
| bate | let down; lessen the force of; moderate; restrain; |
| 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; |
| bearing | deportment; connection |
| beatific | giving or showing bliss; blissful |
| beatitude | blessedness; state of great happiness |
| bedizen | dress with vulgar finery |
| bedraggle | wet thoroughly; |
| beeline | direct quick route |
| befuddle | confuse thoroughly |
| beget | father; become the father of; produce; give rise to |
| begrudge | envy; give or allow unwillingly; grudge; |
| beguile | deceive; mislead or delude; cheat; pass time pleasantly; charm or attract; |
| 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; |
| 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; |
| 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; |
| benevolent | generous; charitable; having a wish to do good |
| benign | kindly; favorable; not malignant (disease); |
| benison | blessing |
| bent | determined; |
| bequeath | leave to someone by means of a will; hand down in his will; |
| berate | scold strongly |
| bereaved | deprived of (someone beloved through death) |
| bereavement | state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved; |
| 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); |
| betroth | become engaged to marry |
| bevy | large group; |
| 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; |
| 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); |
| billowing | swelling out in waves; surging |
| biting | sharply painful to the body or mind; |
| bitter | having a sharp biting taste; causing sharp pain to the body or mind; filled with resentment, disappointment, or other unpleasant feelings; |
| 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; |
| blatant | extremely (offensively) obvious; loudly offensive; |
| 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); |
| blight | plant disease; |
| blighted | suffering from a disease; destroyed |
| bliss | complete happiness; |
| blithe(blithesome) | gay; joyous |
| bloated | (unpleasantly) swollen or puffed as with water or air |
| blotch | spot; |
| 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 |
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