
academic | academic: adj. 1 scholastic, collegiate; scholarly, learned, lettered, erudite: Green''s academic background qualifies him for the professorship. The university began publishing academic journals in the 19th century. 2 theoretical, hypothetical, conjectural, speculative, abstract; ivory-tower, visionary, idealistic; impractical, unrealistic, unpractical: The car doesn''t run, so the question of miles per gallon is purely academic.
accent | accent: n. 1 emphasis, stress, force, prominence, accentuation; intensity, inflection; cadence, beat: The accent is on the second syllable in ''reward''. 2 diacritic, diacritical mark, mark, accent mark: There is an acute accent on the ''e'' in ''clich�''. 3 pronunciation, articulation, intonation, speech pattern, inflection: Even after forty years in the country, he still speaks English with an Italian accent. --v. 4 accentuate, emphasize, stress, give prominence to, mark, underline, underscore, distinguish, highlight, set off or apart: In her speech, the psychologist accented the ''id'' in ''idiot''. Why must he always accent the negative aspect of everything?
accept | accept: v. 1 receive, take, allow, permit: Sorry, but we cannot accept any more applications. 2 accede (to), agree (to), assent (to), consent (to), acknowledge, admit, allow, recognize: We accept your request for a hearing. 3 assume, undertake, take on or up, agree to bear: I''ll accept the responsibility for replying. 4 reconcile oneself to, suffer, undergo, experience, stand, withstand, stomach, endure, bear, resign oneself to, brook, allow, tolerate, take: I think I have accepted enough criticism for one day.
acceptable | acceptable: adj. 1 satisfactory, adequate, tolerable, all right, sufficient, admissible, passable, Colloq OK, okay: The bread and meat were acceptable, but the beer was awful. 2 agreeable, pleasing, welcome, satisfying, delightful, pleasant, pleasing: Most people find her compliments quite acceptable.
accessible | accessible: adj. approachable, open, available, attainable, obtainable, reachable, ready, at hand, Colloq get-at-able: The president is always accessible to those seeking help. The mechanism is accessible if the cover is removed.
accessory | accessory: n. 1 extra, addition, adjunct, attachment, component, frill, Slang bells and whistles, doodah, US and Canadian doodad: My food processor has more accessories than I could ever need. 2 accessary, accomplice, helper, assistant, confederate, colleague, abettor, aide, collaborator, co-conspirator, conspirator, fellow-criminal, associate or partner in crime: Although he did not rob the bank, he drove the getaway car, which legally makes him an accessory before the fact. A seller of stolen goods is an accessory after the fact. --adj. 3 extra, subordinate, auxiliary, additional, ancillary, supplemental, supplementary, secondary, adventitious, Formal adscititious: For no apparent reason, the salamander grew an accessory limb near its hind leg.
accident | accident: n. 1 mishap, misfortune, mischance, misadventure, blunder, mistake; casualty, disaster, catastrophe, calamity: A high percentage of the road accidents were caused by drunken drivers. 2 chance, fortune, luck, fortuity, fluke; serendipity: I came across the gold ring by accident, when cleaning out a disused cupboard. 3 non-essential, accessory or accessary, extra, addition: Melancholy is an almost inseparable accident of old age.
accidental | accidental: adj. chance, fortuitous, lucky, unlucky, serendipitous; undesigned, unpremeditated, uncalculated, unintended, unintentional, unwitting, inadvertent; unexpected, unplanned, unforeseen, unanticipated, adventitious; casual, random: Our meeting was entirely accidental.
accommodate | accommodate: v. 1 fit, suit, adapt, adjust, modify; customize: I shall do my best to accommodate the equipment to your needs. 2 harmonize, make consistent, reconcile, adapt: It is uncertain whether his version of the incident can be accommodated to ours. 3 equip, supply, provide, furnish: Can you accommodate me with five pounds till tomorrow? 4 put up, house, lodge, shelter, quarter, Military billet: The innkeeper is unable to accommodate us tonight. 5 suit, oblige, convenience, serve: I was willing to accommodate you by selling your old car.
accommodating | accommodating: adj. 1 obliging, cooperative, helpful, hospitable; considerate, conciliatory, easy to deal with, pliant, yielding, compliant, polite, friendly, complaisant, kind, kindly: The lady at the complaints desk in the store was most accommodating. 2 pliable, accessible, corruptible, subornable, get-at-able; bribable: If you want to get off scot-free, we''ll have to find an accommodating judge.
accommodation | accommodation: n. 1 adaptation, adjustment, modification, change, alteration, conformation, conformity: Her skilful accommodation to her boss''s demands kept the peace in the office. 2 settlement, treaty, compromise: Negotiations were now opened for an accommodation between the belligerents. 3 convenience, favour: Would you take the mail to the post office as an accommodation to me? 4 lodging(s), room(s), quarters, shelter, housing; facility, premises, Brit digs, US accommodations: We were able to arrange for accommodation at the hotel. Have you seen our new office accommodation? 5 loan, (financial) assistance or aid; grant, grant-in-aid: The man was able to obtain an accommodation from his brother-in-law.
accompany | accompany: v. 1 convoy, escort, chaperon or chaperone, go along with; attend; usher, squire: Allow me to accompany you to your taxi. 2 go (along) with, come with, be associated with, belong with, go together with, be linked with: The roast was accompanied by a bottle of claret.
accomplice | accomplice: n. accessory or accessary, partner in crime, confederate, ally, associate, colleague, fellow, henchman, collaborator, conspirator, co-conspirator, abettor, assistant, fellow-criminal, Colloq US cohort: The police arrested the safe-cracker and three accomplices within hours of the robbery.
accomplish | accomplish: v. fulfil, perform, achieve, carry out, execute, carry off, do, complete, carry through, finish, effect, bring to an end, conclude, wind up, end; attain, reach, gain; Colloq bring off, knock off, polish off, Slang pull off, US swing, hack, cut: I don''t know how she accomplished it, but she sailed around the world single-handed. Has he accomplished his goal yet?
accomplished | accomplished: adj. consummate, perfect, expert, adept, skilful, proficient, practised, gifted, talented, skilled, professional: Did you know that she is also an accomplished flautist?
accomplishment | accomplishment: n. 1 fulfilment, consummation, completion, realization, attainment, achievement, conclusion, culmination, realization: After the accomplishment of the task they were all taken out to celebrate. 2 coup, feat, exploit, triumph, tour de force: Among her many accomplishments was climbing Mount Everest. 3 skill, skilfulness, talent, gift, ability: Playing the violin is another of his accomplishments.
accord | accord: v. 1 agree, harmonize, concur, be at one, correspond, agree, be in harmony, be consistent, go (together), coincide, conform: His principles and practices do not accord with one another. --n. 2 agreement, unanimity, concord, reconciliation, harmony, mutual understanding, conformity, accordance, rapport, concert: The countries are in accord on a beneficial trade balance. 3 agreement, treaty, pact, contract: The accords will be signed at the summit meeting in May. 4 agreement, harmony, congruence; correspondence: The colours of the curtains are in perfect accord with those of the carpet.
accordingly | accordingly: adv. 1 hence, therefore, consequently, thus, in consequence (where)of, (and) so: Smoking was forbidden; accordingly, we put out our cigars. 2 suitably, in conformity, in compliance; conformably, appropriately, compliantly: Dinner-jackets were required, and the men dressed accordingly.
according to | according to: adv.phr. 1 on the authority of, consistent with, in conformity or agreement with, as said or believed or maintained etc. by: We are going to play this game according to Hoyle. According to his lawyer, he should never have been acquitted. 2 conformable to, consistent with, in conformity with, commensurate with: The queen greeted them in order, according to rank.
account | account: v. 1 account for. explain, give a reason for, give or render a reckoning for, answer for, justify, reckon for: The treasurer has been able to account for every penny of expense. His desire to conceal his background accounts for his secrecy. --n. 2 calculation, accounting, reckoning, computation, (financial) statement; enumeration: The accounts show that the company has ample funds in reserve. Williams hasn''t submitted his expense account for the trip. 3 interest, profit, advantage, benefit, favour; sake: Nigel turned his convalescence to good account by writing a best seller. Don''t read the book on my account. 4 explanation, statement, description, report, recital, narrative, history, chronicle: The defendant gave a credible account of his whereabouts at the time of the crime. 5 consideration, use, worth, importance, consequence, note, value, merit; standing, significance, estimation, esteem: The committee decided that length of service is of some account in determining retirement pensions. 6 story, narration, narrative, report, tale, relation, description: Alice''s account of the rabbit wearing a waistcoat is unbelievable. 7 take into account or take account of. notice, take note of, consider, take into consideration, allow for: In passing sentence, the judge took into account the child''s poverty and the fact that it was Christmas time.
accountability | accountability: n. answerability, responsibility, liability, culpability, accountableness: In a democracy, there can be no reducing the accountability of the government to the citizens.
accountable | accountable: adj. answerable, responsible, liable, obliged, obligated: I am accountable to no man, but the greatest man in England is accountable to me.
accumulate | accumulate: v. collect, gather, amass, mass, pile or heap up, aggregate, cumulate; assemble, store, stock, hoard, stockpile, put or lay away: Overnight, the snow accumulated in six-foot drifts about the house. Ill fares the land, to hast''ning ills a prey,/Where wealth accumulates, and men decay.
accumulation | accumulation: n. 1 collecting, amassing, gathering, piling or aggregation, heaping up: One effect of the strike was the accumulation of rubbish in the streets. 2 growth, increase, build-up: The accumulation of wealth has never proved a valid purpose in life. 3 heap, pile, mass, collection, hoard, store, stockpile, stock, aggregation; assemblage: Our gardener made sure that there was an ample accumulation of compost.
accuracy | accuracy: n. exactness, correctness, Loosely precision, preciseness: The translation from the Greek has been accomplished with great accuracy. Rifling the inside of the barrel of a firearm increases its accuracy.
accurate | accurate: adj. 1 exact, correct, error-free, precise: She gave an accurate description of the events. There is a nice distinction between ''accurate'' and ''precise''. 2 careful, meticulous, nice, with an eye to or for detail, scrupulous, conscientious: Marvin is a very accurate typist. 3 unerring, on target, Colloq on the mark, spot on (target): This rifle is accurate if you allow for the wind.
accusation | accusation: n. charge, allegation, indictment, charge, citation, arraignment, complaint; imputation, incrimination, denunciation, impeachment: The politician denied the accusation of having accepted a bribe.
accuse | accuse: v. 1 accuse (of or with). blame, censure, hold responsible (for), charge (with), denounce (for), point the finger (at), cite, call to account: She accused the Knave of Hearts of lying. 2 accuse (of or with). charge, indict, impeach, arraign, incriminate; attribute, impute: The prisoner is accused of assault, criminal damage, and disorderly conduct.
accustom | accustom: v. familiarize, acquaint, habituate, train, season; acclimatize or acclimate: Start off by wearing your contact lenses for an hour at a time in order to accustom your eyes to them. She soon accustomed herself to the new surroundings.
accustomed | accustomed: adj. 1 customary, habitual, usual, traditional, normal, regular, set, routine, ordinary, familiar, wonted, common, habituated: The old man took his accustomed place near the fire. 2 used: I''ve grown accustomed to her face.
ache | ache: v. 1 pain, hurt, smart, throb, pound; sting: My jaw has been aching since that tooth was extracted. 2 yearn, long, hunger, hanker, pine; crave: A hostage for a year, he was aching to see his wife and children. --n. 3 pain, pang, throbbing, pounding, smarting, soreness: I have had this ache in my back, Doctor, and I can''t stand up straight. 4 pang, pain; distress; longing: There''s been an ache in my heart, my darling, ever since you went away.
achieve | achieve: v. 1 accomplish, carry out, execute, succeed in, complete, fulfil, bring off or about; realize, effect: When the fund reaches its goal, we shall have achieved our purpose. 2 accomplish, attain, reach, gain, get, acquire, win, obtain: She achieved her ends by cheating and conniving.
achievement | achievement: n. 1 attainment, accomplishment, acquisition, acquirement: As he was still in his thirties, the achievement of great fame still lay ahead for him. 2 accomplishment, attainment, feat, deed, exploit, victory: The winning of the Nobel prize was her greatest achievement. 3 fulfilment, realization, accomplishment, attainment, completion: What virtue lies more in achievement than in the desire for it?
acknowledge | acknowledge: v. 1 admit, confess, allow, concede, own, recognize, accept, accede, acquiesce; own up to: We acknowledge that we might have been mistaken. She finally acknowledged my presence by looking up. 2 answer, reply to, respond to, react to: She couldn''t possibly acknowledge personally every letter she receives.
acknowledgement | acknowledgement: n. 1 acknowledging, confessing, admitting, owning, admission, confession, avowal, affirmation: His acknowledgement of his involvement in the crime saved the police a great deal of time. 2 approval, acceptance, recognition, allowance: By acknowledgement of the parliament, the king was the commander of the army and navy. 3 reply, response, answer, recognition: Our acknowledgement will be in tomorrow''s post.
acme | acme: n. peak, apex, top, summit, pinnacle, zenith; climax, culmination: Roger has reached the acme of perfection as a diamond-cutter.
acquaint | acquaint: n. acquaint with. familiarize with, inform of or about, make aware of, apprise of, advise of: The management requires employees to acquaint themselves with the safety rules.
acquaintance | acquaintance: n. 1 familiarity, knowledge, acquaintanceship, understanding, awareness; experience: His acquaintance with the works of Coleridge is sparse at best. 2 associate, fellow, colleague: She''s not a friend of mine, only an acquaintance.
acquainted | acquainted: adj. 1 known to each other or one another, familiar with each other or one another, on speaking terms: I have known Rory for years, but his wife and I are not acquainted. 2 acquainted with. familiar with, known to, aware of, informed of, knowledgeable of, conversant with: I have studied trigonometry, but I am not acquainted with calculus.
acquire | acquire: v. get, obtain, gain, win, earn, procure, secure, come by or into; receive, come into possession of; buy, purchase: He acquired great wealth by marrying rich old dying widows.
acquisition | acquisition: n. 1 obtaining, getting, acquiring, acquirement, gain, procurement: The acquisition of property entails many obligations. 2 possession(s), property, purchase; object: This first edition is a recent acquisition.
act | act: n. 1 deed, action, undertaking, operation, step, move; feat, exploit; accomplishment, achievement: The first act of the new commission was to ban smoking in public places. 2 performance, show, bit, skit, stand, routine, turn, sketch, Colloq thing, Slang US shtick: Stand-up comedians do their acts in nightclubs. 3 performance, pretence, posture, stance, feigning, front, fake, dissimulation, show, deception, hoax, affectation: She didn''t mean what she said - it was just an act. 4 bill, law, decree, edict, statute, order, ordinance, command, mandate, resolution, measure, enactment: Are the opening hours of public houses in England regulated by act of Parliament? --v. 5 behave (oneself), carry on, deport oneself, comport oneself, conduct oneself: I don''t know how she''ll act when we''re in public. 6 perform, play, do: She is acting in the West End. 7 portray, represent, impersonate, act out, personify, take or play the part or role of, personate: Reginald acts the fool whenever he has had too much to drink. 8 feign, pretend, counterfeit, fake, dissemble, make believe, sham, simulate, dissimulate, posture: You may think him sincere, but I know he is just acting. 9 take effect, work, operate, function, perform: This drug will act only if taken with meals.
action | action: n. 1 activity, performance, movement, motion, energy, liveliness, vim, vigour, spirit, vitality; enterprise, initiative: Being a man of action, he hates just sitting and reading. 2 influence, effect, power, force, strength: The action of the moon''s gravitational pull causes tides on earth. 3 deed, act, undertaking, exertion, exercise: The very action of breathing caused me pain. 4 remedy, proceeding, process: If they don''t stop beating their dog we shall take action against them. 5 fighting, combat: We saw action in the Far East. 6 fight, battle, engagement, encounter, clash, fray, sortie, skirmish, affray: How many men were lost in last night''s action? 7 effect, effectiveness, activity, function, performance, functioning, reaction: What is the action of steroids on the lymph system? 8 actions. behaviour, conduct, deportment, demeanour, ways, manner, manners: She must be held responsible for her actions.
activate | activate: v. move, actuate, set in motion, get started, energize, get or set going, start, initiate, switch or turn on, trigger; motivate, rouse, arouse, prompt, stimulate, stir, mobilize, animate, impel, galvanize, Colloq US light a fire under: The sensor in the pavement activates the traffic signal. Her enthusiasm activated him to go into business for himself.
active | active: adj. 1 strenuous, vigorous, full, dynamic, physical; energetic, lively, busy, brisk, bustling, occupied, on the move, Colloq on the go, running: She is healthier for having led a very active life. He always seems to be active. 2 acting, effective, efficacious, effectual, working, functioning, operative, potent, influential; powerful: The active ingredient in her medicine is an antihistamine. 3 energetic, lively, hyperactive, animated, spry, nimble, quick, agile, sprightly: There is no keeping up with an active child.
activity | activity: n. 1 action, movement, motion, vigour, vim, energy, liveliness, bustle: Last week there wasn''t much activity in the stock market. 2 pursuit, occupation, vocation, work, function, operation, job, labour, endeavour, enterprise, project, undertaking, venture, interest: What sort of business activity are you engaged in?
actual | actual: adj. 1 existing, existent, real, genuine, factual, true, authentic, verified, verifiable, true to life, manifest, realized, realistic, Colloq solid: The actual cost of the project turned out to be double the estimate. 2 present, current, existent, real, genuine, physical, tangible: No telescope has detected any actual volcanic eruption on the moon.
actually | actually: adv. really, in reality, in fact, in actuality, in point of fact, in truth, absolutely, as a matter of fact, indeed, truly, literally: The interest rates actually charged by banks may vary from those quoted publicly.
acute | acute: adj. 1 sharp, pointed, narrow: The two roads meet at an acute angle. 2 severe, intense, critical, crucial, dangerous, grave, serious, severe: This is the ward for patients with acute illnesses. 3 sharp, cutting, intense, severe, violent, penetrating, exquisite, excruciating, fierce, shooting, stabbing, piercing, sudden: The onset of the disease is marked by acute pains in the abdomen. 4 keen, sharp, sensitive: The bloodhound is known for its acute sense of smell. 5 keen, sharp-witted, shrewd, clever, ingenious, astute, sharp, canny, incisive, discerning, perceptive, perspicacious, intelligent, penetrating, insightful, percipient, wise, sensitive, discriminating; alert, aware, on the qui vive: Such a circumstance could not be lost upon so acute an observer.
