Vocabulary: Batch 3

• respond or behave in a particular way in response to something

  He reacted angrily to the news.

• an action performed or a feeling experienced in response to a situation or event

  Her immediate reaction was one of relief.

• opposing political or social liberalization or reform

  Reactionary attitudes toward women's rights.

• a person holding reactionary views

  He was dismissed by critics as an out-of-touch reactionary.

• respond more emotionally or forcibly than is justified

  He overreacted to their comments.

Chemistry: highly reactive elements (e.g., alkali metals). Business: opposite of "proactive" (often considered worse). Psychology: emotionally responsive vs. measured.

• acting in response to events rather than planning

  His reactive style frustrated the team.

• intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval

  Her energy and enthusiasm for life.

• having or showing intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval

  The promoter was enthusiastic about the venue.

• a thing that is helpful or beneficial

  The navigation system will be a boon to both civilian and military users.

• having or showing no skill; clumsy

  The inept handling of the threat.

1. lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring

   His perennial distrust of the media.

2. (of a plant) living for several years

   Perennial plants.

• a plant that lives for more than two years

  She planted perennials along the garden border.

Usually 'enamored of/with'.

1. be filled with a feeling of love for

   It is not difficult to see why Edward is enamored of her.

2. have a liking or admiration for

   She was truly enamored of New York.

• the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something

  Decades of enmity between the two countries.

Note the pronunciation difference from the month August (/ˈɔːɡəst/).

• respected and impressive

  She was in august company.

• enthusiastic or passionate

  An ardent baseball fan.

• the study of human societies and cultures and their development

  He studied anthropology at college.

• experience or be subjected to (something bad or unpleasant)

  He suffered intense pain.

• the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship

  Weapons that cause unnecessary suffering.

• very skilled or proficient at something

  He is adept at cutting through red tape.

'Spar' as a noun can also mean a stout pole used as a ship's mast or boom - an unrelated nautical term.

1. make the motions of boxing without landing heavy blows, as a form of training

   He sparred with his partner.

2. argue with someone without marked hostility

   They were sparring over the political situation.

• (nautical) a strong pole used as a mast, boom, or yard on a ship

  The spar snapped in the storm.

1. place or arrange (things) in a straight line

   Gently align the front wheels.

2. give support to (a person, organization, or cause)

   He aligned himself with the workers.

Common in tech ("text alignment"), politics ("political alignment"), and cars ("wheel alignment").

1. arrangement in a straight line, or in correct relative positions

   The car needs a wheel alignment.

2. a position of agreement or alliance

   His views are in alignment with the party's.

Pronounced exactly like 'kernel'.

• an army officer of high rank, in particular (in the US Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps) an officer above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general

  Colonel Sanders.

1. wash or wash and iron (clothes or linens)

   Freshly laundered sheets.

2. conceal the origins of (money obtained illegally) by transfers involving foreign banks or legitimate businesses

   They were accused of laundering drug money.

• a person with an interest or concern in something, especially a business

  We need to ensure all stakeholders are aligned.

1. an even distribution of weight enabling someone to remain steady

   She lost her balance and fell.

2. the amount of money remaining in an account, or still owed

   Please check your account balance.

1. to keep or put something in a steady position

   He balanced the tray on one hand.

2. to compare or offset the value of one thing against another

   The company struggled to balance its budget.

• a statement of the assets, liabilities, and capital of a business or other organization at a particular point in time, detailing the balance of income and expenditure over the preceding period

  The company has a strong balance sheet.

• a weight or force that balances another

  The elevator uses a counterbalance.

• to balance or offset something

  Higher wages counterbalanced the long commute.

• ceremony and splendid display, especially at a public event

  St. Paul's was perfectly adapted to pomp and circumstance.

1. a number of different things or parts that are put or grouped together to form a whole but remain distinct entities

   The earth is a specialized conglomerate of organisms.

2. a large corporation formed by the merging of separate and diverse firms

   A media conglomerate.

• a mass or collection of different things

  The town is a conglomeration of old villages.

• having the right to do or obtain something; satisfying the appropriate conditions

  Customers who are eligible for discounts.

• an act of breaking or failing to observe a law, agreement, or code of conduct

  A breach of confidence.

• to make a gap in and break through a wall, barrier, or defense

  The river breached its bank.

• a composition for an instrumental soloist, often with a piano accompaniment, typically in several movements

  A Beethoven piano sonata.

• confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding)

  The witness had corroborated the boy's account of the attack.

• high or higher in rank, status, or age

  She was promoted to a senior position.

1. an elderly person

   Senior citizens.

2. (American) a student in the final year of high school or college

   She's a senior at Ohio State.

• the fact or state of being older or higher in position or status than someone else

  In order of seniority.

• following in time or place; later than

  Shortly after their marriage they moved to Colorado.

• at or during a time later than the event mentioned

  After the game ended, they went out to celebrate.

• at a later time; afterward

  The wedding was at noon, and the reception followed shortly after.

• a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language

  'Shut' is a synonym of 'close'.

Related: synonym (noun). Antonym set: antonym.

1. having the same or nearly the same meaning

   "Big" and "large" are synonymous.

2. closely associated with something else

   His name became synonymous with corruption.

• something, typically money, that is owed or due

  I paid off my debts.

• a person or institution that owes a sum of money

  The debtors' prison.

Irregular, zero-change: past and past participle are both "cut", unchanged from the base form.

1. make an opening, incision, or wound in (something) with a sharp-edged tool or object

   He cut his finger.

2. reduce the amount or quantity of

   The company has to cut costs.

1. a wound made by cutting

   He had a nasty cut on his arm.

2. a reduction in amount

   The company announced budget cuts.

3. (informal) a share of profits

   The middleman took his cut.

The noun ('a cut-off / cutoff') and the adjective both come from this phrasal verb.

1. to stop the supply of something

   The company cut off their internet service.

2. to interrupt someone who is speaking

   He rudely cut her off mid-sentence.

3. to separate or isolate

   Heavy snow cut off the village for days.

4. to disconnect during a phone call

   We were cut off before I could reply.

The closed spelling cutoff is also common, especially as a noun.

• a fixed limit or deadline

  The cut-off for applications is Friday.

• isolated or separated

  The village was cut-off after the bridge collapsed.

US informal. Always plural in this sense.

• shorts made by cutting off the legs of a pair of jeans

  He wore cutoffs and flip-flops to the beach.

Past tense same as base form (undercut). Common in business contexts: "undercut competitors".

1. to offer goods or services at a lower price than (a competitor)

   They undercut all the other bidders.

2. to weaken or undermine

   His authority was undercut by the new policy.

Popular short-on-sides-long-on-top hairstyle in the 2010s.

• a hairstyle with the sides and back cut short while the top is left long

  He asked the barber for an undercut.

• the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy

  An improvement in the patient's well-being.

• put (something) right; correct

  Mistakes made now cannot be rectified later.

• make (someone) agitated or confused

  You need to be able to work under pressure and not get flustered.

Usually 'in a fluster'.

• a state of agitation or confusion

  She was in a real fluster before the interview.

1. the top of a mountain or hill

   They reached the crest of the hill.

2. the top of a wave just before it breaks

   The surfer rode the crest of the wave.

3. a heraldic device or symbol representing a family, organization, or place

   The knight's shield bore his family's crest.

1. a large piece of something, especially food, cut or broken off a larger piece

   A hunk of bread.

2. (informal) a large, muscular, and physically attractive man

   The actor was considered a real hunk in the '90s.

• the beginning of something, especially something unpleasant

  The onset of winter.

• the way in which the parts of something are arranged or laid out

  Changing the layout of the ground floor.

1. support and move (someone or something) from one place to another

   Medics were carrying a wounded man on a stretcher.

2. (figurative) to have influence or importance

   His opinion carries a lot of weight with the board.

"Aircraft carrier": huge ship for launching planes. "Carrier" of disease: someone who has and transmits a pathogen, often without symptoms. "Carrier" of mobile/cell service.

• a person or thing that carries or transmits something

  She is a carrier of the gene.

British. American equivalent: shopping bag, plastic bag. Many countries now charge for or ban single-use plastic carrier bags.

• (British) a plastic or paper bag used for carrying shopping

  They charge 5p for a carrier bag.

• physical injury, especially that which is deliberately inflicted

  I didn't mean to cause him any harm.

• to cause physical or other injury to someone or something

  The chemicals used in this pesticide can harm wildlife.

• not able or not likely to cause harm

  The venom of most spiders is harmless to humans.

• the action or fact of dying or being killed; the end of the life of a person or organism

  An increase in deaths from skin cancer.

• punishment by execution

  Crimes punishable by the death penalty.

• examine (something) thoroughly so as to isolate that which is most important or useful

  We had to sift through the data.

• a period of a thousand years, especially when calculated from the traditional date of the birth of Christ

  The turn of the millennium.

• the number equivalent to the product of a thousand and a thousand

  A population of half a million.

• a person whose assets are worth one million pounds or dollars or more

  He is a self-made millionaire.

• one pound sterling

  We paid him four hundred quid.

1. (of an object) easily broken or damaged

   Fragile items such as glass and china.

2. (figurative) easily damaged or destroyed; delicate

   The ceasefire remains fragile.

• the science of the causes and effects of diseases

  Research in plant pathology.

• able to accept delays or problems without becoming annoyed

  Be patient, your time will come.

• a person receiving or registered to receive medical treatment

  The doctor examined three patients that morning.

• having or showing a tendency to be quickly irritated or provoked

  An impatient motorist.

• to have a long, complicated argument or dispute

  They wrangled over the terms of the contract for weeks.

American, especially Western/ranching usage.

• to round up, herd, or take charge of (livestock)

  He wrangled horses on the ranch every summer.

• a long, complicated dispute

  An insurance wrangle is holding up compensation payments.

• a group of close-knit and interrelated families (especially associated with families in the Scottish Highlands)

  The Macleod clan.

• on, toward, or relating to the side of a human body or of a thing that is to the west when the person or thing is facing north

  Her left eye.

• toward the left side

  Turn left at the next light.

• the left-hand side or direction

  The bank is on your left.

• supporting liberal, socialist, or radical views

  A left-wing activist.

• the liberal, socialist, or radical section of a political party or system

  He was a prominent figure on the left-wing of the party.

• a situation characterized by respect for and obedience to the rules of a society

  A breakdown in law and order.

• a stretch of swampy or boggy ground

  Acres of mire and bog.

• to involve someone or something in a difficult situation

  The economy is mired in its longest recession since World War II.

• the existing state of affairs, especially regarding social or political issues

  They have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

1. to burn with a sudden intensity

   The bonfire crackled and flared up.

2. (figurative) to suddenly become worse or more intense

   Tensions flared between the two neighbors.

'Flares' (plural, informal) = trousers that widen below the knee.

• a device that produces a bright flame, used as a signal or for illumination

  The sailors fired a flare to signal for help.

1. a general law, rule, principle, or criterion by which something is judged

   The appointment violated the canons of fair play.

2. a body of works considered genuine, classic, or officially accepted as part of a series

   That novel is now part of the literary canon.

• included in the list of sacred books officially accepted as genuine

  The canonical Gospels.

• old (used in informal or dialect representation)

  Good ole boy.

• a stupid person

  We can't let these thoughtless morons get away with it.

• derogatory or mocking in an indirect way

  Snide remarks about my mother.

• a compartment for the pilot and sometimes also the crew in an aircraft or spacecraft

  The pilot sat in the cockpit.

• while

  He had a brief affair whilst on holiday.

1. a method, style, or manner of doing something

   I hated their way of cooking.

2. a road, track, path, or route for traveling along

   Can you tell me the way to the station?

(informal, as an intensifier) 'way too much', 'way better'.

• (informal) by a considerable margin; far

  That's way too expensive.

• having started and in progress; being done or carried out

  Preparations are underway.

• a loud and confused noise, especially of people shouting

  The questions rose to a clamor.

• to demand something noisily or persistently

  Fans clamored for a sequel.

• making a loud and confused noise

  A clamorous mob.

• the title, also treated as a name, given to Jesus of Nazareth

  The teachings of Christ.

• relating to or professing Christianity

  The Christian church.

• a follower of Christianity

  She was raised a devout Christian.

• comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness

  She sought solace in her religion.

Rare in modern English; 'console' or 'comfort' are far more common.

• (literary) to comfort someone in distress

  He tried to solace the grieving widow.

• to search widely for food or provisions

  The birds forage for aquatic insects.

• food for horses or cattle; fodder

  The farmer stored forage for the winter.

• a drop of a thick liquid or viscous substance

  A blob of paint.

• taking place or progressing slowly or by degrees

  The gradual introduction of new methods.

• I have got you (used to express satisfaction at having captured or defeated someone or uncovered their faults)

  'Gotcha!' he said with a grin.

• (informal) a trick question or statement designed to catch someone out

  Critics accused the reporter of asking gotcha questions.

• an ancestor

  Generations of his forebears had lived in London.

• the vocabulary or jargon of a particular subject or group of people

  Computer lingo.

• a book, especially a large, heavy, scholarly one

  A weighty tome.

• (of an action or decision) performed by or affecting only one person, group, or country involved in a particular situation, without the agreement of another or the others

  Unilateral nuclear disarmament.

1. communication or cooperation which facilitates a close working relationship between people or organizations

   The head porter works in close liaison with the reception office.

2. a person who acts as a link to assist communication between groups

   She's our liaison with the French office.

Mostly British. From French liaison. Often: liaise with / between.

• to communicate and cooperate with someone; to act as a link between two parties

  She will liaise between the engineering team and the customers.

• to make an attempt or effort to do something

  He tried to regain his breath.

'Give it a try' is the standard everyday collocation.

1. an attempt

   Give it a try - what's the worst that could happen?

2. (rugby) a scoring play made by touching the ball to the ground behind the opponent's goal line

   He scored a try in the final minute.

• a person or thing that causes great suffering or trouble

  The scourge of mass unemployment.

Chiefly literary/historical (to whip); figurative use ('scourged by criticism') is more common today.

• (literary) to whip or flog someone as a punishment

  The prisoner was scourged before execution.

• a person who sells or deals in particular goods

  A purveyor of large luxury vehicles.

• a court order that prohibits or requires a specific action

  An injunction against the firm.

Irregular, zero-change: past and past participle are both "offset", unchanged from the base form.

• to counteract something by having an opposing force or effect

  The firm's losses were offset by a gain in property sales.

• a thing that counterbalances or compensates for something else

  The company purchased carbon offsets to reduce its net emissions.

• an act of putting one foot in front of the other while walking

  Ron took a step back.

• to move by lifting the foot and putting it down elsewhere

  Please step this way.

• to rest or move on the surface of a liquid without sinking

  She relaxed, floating gently in the water.

1. a decorated platform or vehicle displayed in a parade

   The dragon float was the highlight of the parade.

2. a small amount of cash kept on hand for making change

   The cashier started her shift with a $100 float.

• the action of floating in a liquid or gas

  A flotation device.

1. move or fall downward

   The aircraft began to descend.

2. 'Descend upon/on' (figurative) = to arrive suddenly and in large numbers

   Relatives descended upon the house for the holidays.

Homophone with "dissent" (disagreement). Charles Darwin's "The Descent of Man" (1871) followed his "Origin of Species".

1. an act of moving downward

   The plane began its descent.

2. ancestry or family origin

   He is of Italian descent.

Antonym: ancestor.

• a person, plant, or animal that has come from a particular ancestor

  She is a descendant of Spanish nobility.

• derived or originating from

  He is descended from royalty.

"Descending order" = from highest to lowest. Antonym: ascending order.

• moving from higher to lower

  List the numbers in descending order.

1. an activity or purpose natural to or intended for a person or thing

   Bridges perform the function of providing access across water.

2. a formal social event or gathering

   He wore a suit to the corporate function.

• to work or operate properly

  The old printer still functions perfectly well.

"Functional fitness": exercises for everyday tasks. "Functional programming": coding paradigm (Haskell, Lisp). Antonym: dysfunctional.

• of or having a special purpose

  The kitchen is small but functional.

1. the official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions

   Protocol forbids the prince from making any public statement in his defense.

2. (computing) a set of rules governing the exchange of data between devices

   HTTP is the protocol used to transfer web pages.

• the conditional early release of a prisoner before their sentence ends

  He committed a burglary while on parole.

• to release a prisoner on parole

  She was paroled after serving eight years.

• scold or rebuke

  She chided him for his poor manners.

1. offensively impolite or ill-mannered

   She had been rude to her boss.

2. 'A rude awakening' (idiom) = an unpleasant, sudden realization of the truth

   He got a rude awakening when he saw the repair bill.