 | Term | Definition |
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badinage |
teasing conversation; banter; joking talk |
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baffle |
frustrate; perplex |
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bait |
harass; tease; torment; Ex. badger baiting; N: food or other lure used to catch fish or trap animals |
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baleful |
evil; malignant in intent or effect; deadly; having a malign influence; portending evil; ominous; threatening; Ex. baleful look |
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balk |
stop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue; foil; stop or get in the way of; frustrate |
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ballast |
heavy substance used to add stability or weight; V. supply with ballast |
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balm |
something that relieves pain; oily liquid with a pleasant smell from trees |
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pang |
sudden sharp feeling of pain |
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balmy |
soft and mild (of air); fragrant |
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banal |
hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality; clich\'ed |
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bandy |
discuss lightly or glibly; discuss in a frivolous manner; exchange (words) heatedly; quarrel; Ex. bandy words with |
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bane |
posion; cause of ruin; ADJ. baneful: harmful; poisonous |
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bantering |
joking talk; good-naturedly ridiculing; N.V. banter |
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barb |
sharp projection from fishhook, arrow, or other object; openly cutting remark |
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bard |
poet |
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barefaced |
shameless and noticeable; blatant; bold; unconcealed; having no covering on the face; Ex. barefaced lie |
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unregenerate |
making no attempt to change one's bad practices |
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baroque |
highly ornate |
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barrage |
barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion; large number of questions or statements; Ex. a barrage of criticism |
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barrister |
counselor-at-law or lawyer in the higher court of law; CF. bar |
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solicitor |
lawyer in the lower court of law |
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barterer |
trader; V. barter: trade; exchange good for other goods rather than money |
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bask |
luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth |
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luxuriate |
take pleasure in great comfort |
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bastion |
stronghold; something seen as a source of protection; Ex. the last bastion of male chauvinism |
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bate |
let down; lessen the force of; moderate; restrain; Ex. with bated breath; CF. abate |
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bauble |
trinket; cheap jewel; trifle |
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bawdy |
indecent; obscene; about sex in a rude funny way; CF. bawd |
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beatific |
giving or showing bliss; blissful |
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bliss |
complete happiness; ADJ. blissful |
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beatitude |
blessedness; state of great happiness |
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mystic |
of hidden meaning and spiritual power; |
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bedizen |
dress with vulgar finery |
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finery |
beautiful clothes for a special occasion |
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bedraggle |
wet thoroughly; ADJ. bedraggled: draggled |
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beeline |
direct quick route |
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befuddle |
confuse thoroughly |
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fuddle |
make stupid or confused as with alcholic drink; N. in a fuddle: confused |
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beget |
father; become the father of; produce; give rise to |
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begrudge |
envy; give or allow unwillingly; grudge; Ex. We shouldn't begrudge him his success. |
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grudge |
deep feeling of dislike; Ex. grudge fight; V. |
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beguile |
deceive; mislead or delude; cheat; pass time pleasantly; charm or attract; Ex. beguiling smile |
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behemoth |
huge creature; something of monstrous size or power |
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beholden |
obligated; indebted; owing thanks; obliged or indebted from gratitude |
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behoove(behove) |
be suited to; be incumbent upon; be right and necessary; Ex. It behooves one to do. |
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belabor |
harp on; dwell on tediously; explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally; beat severely; attack physically |
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belated |
delayed |
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beleaguer |
besiege or attack (with an army); harass; beset |
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belie |
contradict; give a false impression; disguise; Ex. The poor sales belied our high hopes; Ex. Her smile belies her true feeling of displeasure. |
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belittle |
disparage; depreciate |
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bellicose |
warlike |
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belligerent |
quarrelsome |
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bemoan |
lament; moan for; express sorrow or disapproval of |
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bemused |
confused; lost in thought; preoccupied |
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benediction |
blessing |
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benefactor |
gift giver; patron; person who does good or who gives money for a good purpose |
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beneficent |
kindly; doing good |
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beneficial |
helpful; useful; advantageous |
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beneficiary |
person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will |
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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 |
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benevolent |
generous; charitable; having a wish to do good |
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benign |
kindly; favorable; not malignant (disease); Ex. benign tumor |
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benison |
blessing |
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bent |
determined; Ex. bent on advancing in the business; N: natural talent or inclination |
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bequeath |
leave to someone by means of a will; hand down in his will; N. bequest |
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berate |
scold strongly |
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bereavement |
state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved; state of being bereaved or bereft |
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bereaved |
deprived of (someone beloved through death) |
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bereft |
deprived of (something valuable); lacking |
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berserk |
mad with violent anger; frenzied; madly excited |
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beseech |
beg; plead with |
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beset |
harass or trouble from all directions; hem in |
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hem |
surround tightly so that movement is impossible; Ex. hem in; N. |
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besiege |
surround with armed forces; harass (with requests); annoy continually |
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besmirch |
soil; defile; make dirty |
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bestial |
beastlike; brutal; inhuman; very cruel |
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bestow |
confer |
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betoken |
signify; indicate; be a sign of |
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token |
outward sign; Ex. a token of our gratitude |
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betray |
be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly); Ex. Her trembling hands betray her anxiety. |
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betroth |
become engaged to marry |
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bevy |
large group; Ex. a bevy of starlets |
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bicameral |
two-chambered as a legislative body |
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bicker |
quarrel |
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biennial |
every two years |
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bifurcated |
divided into two branches; forked |
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bigotry |
stubborn intolerance |
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bigot |
one who is intolerant (in matters of religion or politics) |
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intolerant |
not willing to accept ways of thinking different from one's own; CF. tolerant; CF. tolerate |
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bilious |
suffering from indigestion; sick from having too much bile; irritable; easily irritated |
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bilk |
swindle; cheat |
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billowing |
swelling out in waves; surging |
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billow |
large wave of water; a great swell or surge (of smoke); V: surge, swell, roll in billows |
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swell |
long wave of water that moves continuously without breaking; V. |
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surge |
powerful movement of or like a wave; V. |
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bivouac |
temporary encampment; camp without tents; V. |
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bizarre |
fantastic; violently contrasting; noticeably odd; strikingly unconventional |
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blanch |
bleach; whiten; make white or pale |
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bland |
soothing or mild (food); agreeable; causing no trouble or offence |
