 | Term | Definition |
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n oaf |
stupid awkward person; CF. elf |
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obdurate |
stubborn; refusing to change one's belief |
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obeisance |
bow (to show respect and obedience) |
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obelisk |
tall column tapering(becoming gradually narrower toward the end) and ending in a pyramid |
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obese |
excessively fat; N. obesity |
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n obfuscate |
confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex; make so confused as to be difficult to understand |
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n obituary |
death notice (esp. in a newspaper); ADJ. |
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objective |
not influenced by emotions; fair; N: goal; aim |
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obligatory |
binding; required; compulsory; V. oblige: constrain; make grateful; do a favor; accommodate |
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oblique |
indirect; slanting (deviating from the perpendicular or from a straight line); Ex. oblique reference |
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obliterate |
destroy completely; wipe out; Ex. obliterate the village |
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oblivion |
obscurity; condition of being completely forgotten; forgetfulness |
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n oblivious |
inattentive or unmindful; unaware; wholly absorbed; forgetful(having the habit of forgetting) |
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obloquy |
slander; disgrace; infamy |
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n obnoxious |
offensive; disagreeable; Ex. obnoxious smell |
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obscure |
dark; vague; unclear; not well known; Ex. obscure meaning/village; V: darken; cover; make unclear; Ex. obscure the moon/meaning |
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obsequious |
slavishly attentive; servile; full of servile compliance; sycophantic |
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s slavish |
of or like a slave; servile; showing no originality; copied very closely; Ex. slavish devotion/copy of the original |
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obsequy |
funeral ceremony |
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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 |
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obsidian |
black volcanic rock |
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s scion |
detached plant shoot used in grafting; descendant |
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obsolete |
outmoded; no longer used |
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obstetrician |
physician specializing in delivery(assisting in giving birth) of babies; N. obstetrics; CF. midwife |
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obstinate |
stubborn; hard to control or treat; Ex. obstinate cough; N. obstinacy |
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obstreperous |
boisterous; noisy and uncontrollable |
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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 |
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obtuse |
blunt; not sharp; stupid; slow in understanding |
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obviate |
make unnecessary; get rid of; Ex. obviate the need |
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Occident |
the West |
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n occlude |
shut; close; obstruct; Ex. A blood clot occluded an artery. |
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occult |
mysterious; secret; supernatural; beyond human comprehension; CF. mysterious to human ?; OP. bare |
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oculist |
physician who specializes in treatment of the eyes |
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n odious |
arousing strong dislike; hateful(causing hatred); vile |
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n odium |
detestation; quality of being odious; hatefulness; disrepute (resulting from hateful conduct) |
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n odoriferous |
giving off an odor |
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odorous |
having an odor |
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n odyssey |
long, eventful, adventurous journey |
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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 |
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offhand |
casual; done without prior thought or preparation |
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n officious |
meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services; overly eager in offering unwanted services or advices; Ex. officious bellboy |
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s pushy |
disagreeably aggressive |
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n ogle |
look at amorously; make eyes at; Ex. old men ogling young girls |
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n olfactory |
concerning the sense of smell |
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oligarchy |
government by a privileged few |
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ominous |
threatening; of an evil omen |
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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. |
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omnipotent |
all-powerful; having unlimited power |
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omnipresent |
universally present; ubiquitous |
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omniscient |
all-knowing |
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omnivorous |
eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything |
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n onerous |
burdensome |
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n onomatopoeia |
words formed in imitation of natural sounds |
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s rustle |
make slight sounds like silk moving or being rubbed together |
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onslaught |
vicious assault; fierce attack; Ex. unexpected onslaught of the enemy |
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s slaughter |
killing of animals for food; massacre; V: butcher (animals) for food; kill in large numbers |
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n onus |
burden; responsibility |
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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 |
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n opalescent |
iridescent; lustrous; like an opal; N. opalescence |
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opaque |
dark; not transparent; N. opacity |
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opiate |
medicine to induce sleep or deaden pain; something that relieves emotions or causes inaction; sleep-producing drug containing opium |
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opportune |
timely; well-chosen |
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opportunist |
individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances; N. opportunism |
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n opprobrium |
infamy; disgrace arising from shameful conduct; vilification(slander); scorn; contempt; Ex. opprobrium hurled against him; ADJ. opprobrious: expressing contempt; shameful or infamous |
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optician |
maker and seller of eyeglasses |
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optimist |
person who looks on the bright side; N. optimism |
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optimum |
most favorable; optimal; N: most favorable condition |
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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 |
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optometrist |
one who fits glasses to remedy visual defects |
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opulence |
extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance; ADJ. opulent: possessing great wealth; abundant |
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n opus |
work (esp. musical composition); Ex. magnum opus: masterpiece; CF. opera |
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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 |
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orator |
public speaker |
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oratorio |
dramatic poem set to music; long musical work with singing but without acting; CF. cantata |
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n ordain |
decree or command; grant holy orders; predestine; install as a minister, priest, or rabbi; N. ordainment; CF. ordination |
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ordeal |
severe trial or affliction; difficult experience; trial(test of patience or endurance); affliction |
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ordinance |
decree; authoritative order |
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n ordination |
ceremony conferring holy orders; ceremony of ordaining a priest |
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n orgy |
wild drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence in an activity; Ex. orgy of shopping |
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orient |
get one's bearings; adjust; make familiar with a situation; orientate |
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orientation |
act of finding oneself in society; orienting |
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n orifice |
mouthlike opening; small opening (esp. to a cavern or passage of the body); CF. mouth |
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ornate |
excessively or elaborately decorated |
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n ornithologist |
scientific student of birds; N. ornithology: scientific study of birds |
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orthodox |
traditional; (of someone) conservative in belief; adhering to an established doctrine |
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n orthography |
correct spelling; CF. ortho-: straight; correct; Ex. orthodontics |
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oscillate |
vibrate pendulumlike; waver |
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n osseous |
made of bone; bony |
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n ossify |
change or harden into bone; become hard and unchanging in one's ideas |
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ostensible |
apparent; appearing as such; professed(pretended); pretended; Ex. ostensible purpose of the expedition |
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s apparent |
evident; easily seen or understood; appearing as such; Ex. apparent improvement |
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n ostentatious |
showy; trying to attract attention; pretentious; N. ostentation: showy display |
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n ostracize |
banish from a group; exclude from public favor; ban; Ex. His friends ostracized him. N. ostracism |
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s blackball |
vote against (an applicant); ostracize; N: negative vote |
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n oust |
expel; drive out; force out; N. ouster: ousting |
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outlandish |
bizzare; peculiar; unconventional |
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outmoded |
no longer in fashion or use; no longer stylish; old-fashioned |
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n outskirts |
fringes; outer borders (as of a city); Ex. outskirts of Boston |
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outspoken |
candid; blunt |
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s blunt |
having a dull edge; abrupt and frank in speech or manner; brusque; V: make or become blunt |
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n outstrip |
outrun; surpass; outdo |
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outwit |
outsmart; defeat by behaving more cleverly |
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n ovation |
enthusiastic applause |
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overbearing |
bossy; domineering and arrogant; decisively important; Ex. overbearing manner/importance; V. overbear: dominate |
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overt |
open to view; public; not secret; CF. covert |
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n overweening |
arrogant; presumptuous |
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n overwrought |
nervous or excited; extremely agitated; hysterical; wrought-up; CF. wrought: made or done |
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s hysteria |
excessive or uncontrollable excitement; N. hysteric: person suffering from hysteria; CF. hysterics: attack of hysteria |
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ovoid |
egg-shaped; CF. ovum; CF. ovulate |
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