- 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
- bantering: joking talk; good-naturedly ridiculing; N.V. banter
- 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
- 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
- bask: luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth
- 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
- bauble: trinket; cheap jewel; trifle
- bawdy: indecent; obscene; about sex in a rude funny way; CF. bawd
- 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
- 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
- bicameral: two-chambered as a legislative body
- bicker: quarrel
- 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
- bivouac: temporary encampment; camp without tents; V.
- bizarre: fantastic; violently contrasting; noticeably odd; strikingly unconventional
- blanch: bleach; whiten; make white or pale
- bland: soothing or mild (food); agreeable; causing no trouble or offence
- bliss: complete happiness; ADJ. blissful
- finery: beautiful clothes for a special occasion
- fuddle: make stupid or confused as with alcholic drink; N. in a fuddle: confused
- grudge: deep feeling of dislike; Ex. grudge fight; V.
- hem: surround tightly so that movement is impossible; Ex. hem in; N.
- intolerant: not willing to accept ways of thinking different from one's own; CF. tolerant; CF. tolerate
- luxuriate: take pleasure in great comfort
- mystic: of hidden meaning and spiritual power;
- n 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
- pang: sudden sharp feeling of pain
- solicitor: lawyer in the lower court of law
- surge: powerful movement of or like a wave; V.
- swell: long wave of water that moves continuously without breaking; V.
- token: outward sign; Ex. a token of our gratitude
- unregenerate: making no attempt to change one's bad practices
gre5