| Term | Definition |
|---|
| obsolete | outmoded; no longer used |
| obstetrician | physician specializing in delivery(assisting in giving birth) of babies; N. obstetrics; CF. midwife |
| obstreperous | boisterous; noisy and uncontrollable |
| n 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 |
| n 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 |
| n odious | arousing strong dislike; hateful(causing hatred); vile |
| n odium | detestation; quality of being odious; hatefulness; disrepute (resulting from hateful conduct) |
| n odoriferous | giving off an odor |
| odorous | having an odor |
| n 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 |
| n officious | meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services; overly eager in offering unwanted services or advices; Ex. officious bellboy |
| s pushy | disagreeably aggressive |
| n ogle | look at amorously; make eyes at; Ex. old men ogling young girls |
| n olfactory | concerning the sense of smell |
| oligarchy | government by a privileged few |
| ominous | threatening; of an evil omen |
| s threat | sign or warning (of coming danger); Ex. threat of rain; V: express a threat; give warning of (something bad); Ex. The cloud threatens rain. |
| omnipotent | all-powerful; having unlimited power |
| omnipresent | universally present; ubiquitous |
| omniscient | all-knowing |
| omnivorous | eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything |
| n onerous | burdensome |
| n onomatopoeia | words formed in imitation of natural sounds |
| s rustle | make slight sounds like silk moving or being rubbed together |
| onslaught | vicious assault; fierce attack; Ex. unexpected onslaught of the enemy |
| s slaughter | killing of animals for food; massacre; V: butcher (animals) for food; kill in large numbers |
| n onus | burden; responsibility |
| s spare | give; use; refrain from harming; save from experiencing; exempt; Ex. spare me 5 minutes; Ex. Take this money and spare my life; Ex. The emperor was spared the onus; ADJ: kept in reserve; free for other use; unoccupied; Ex. spare time |
| n 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 |
| n 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 |
| n opus | work (esp. musical composition); Ex. magnum opus: masterpiece; CF. opera |
| n 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 |
| n ordain | decree or command; grant holy orders; predestine; install as a minister, priest, or rabbi; N. ordainment; CF. ordination OP. Unfrock |
| ordeal | severe trial or affliction; difficult experience; trial(test of patience or endurance); affliction |
| ordinance | decree; authoritative order |
| n ordination | ceremony conferring holy orders; ceremony of ordaining a priest |
| n 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 |
| n orifice | mouthlike opening; small opening (esp. to a cavern or passage of the body); CF. mouth |
| ornate | excessively or elaborately decorated, baroque,embellished, rococo |
| n ornithologist | scientific student of birds; N. ornithology: scientific study of birds |
| orthodox | traditional; (of someone) conservative in belief; adhering to an established doctrine |
| n orthography | correct spelling; CF. ortho-: straight; correct; Ex. orthodontics |
| oscillate | vibrate pendulumlike; waver |
| n osseous | made of bone; bony |
| n 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 |
| s apparent | evident; easily seen or understood; appearing as such; Ex. apparent improvement |
| n ostentatious | showy; trying to attract attention; pretentious; N. ostentation: showy display |
| n ostracize | banish from a group; exclude from public favor; ban; Ex. His friends ostracized him. N. ostracism |
| s blackball | vote against (an applicant); ostracize; N: negative vote |
| n oust | expel; drive out; force out; N. ouster: ousting |
| outlandish | bizzare; peculiar; unconventional |
| outmoded | no longer in fashion or use; no longer stylish; old-fashioned |
| n outskirts | fringes; outer borders (as of a city); Ex. outskirts of Boston |
| outspoken | candid; blunt |
| s blunt | having a dull edge; abrupt and frank in speech or manner; brusque; V: make or become blunt |
| n outstrip | outrun; surpass; outdo |
| outwit | outsmart; defeat by behaving more cleverly |
| n ovation | enthusiastic applause |
| overbearing | bossy; domineering and arrogant; decisively important; Ex. overbearing manner/importance; V. overbear: dominate |
| overt | open to view; public; not secret; CF. covert-secret |
| n overweening | arrogant; presumptuousobstinate stubborn; hard to control or treat; Ex. obstinate cough; N. obstinacy |
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