
age | age: n. 1 lifetime, duration, length of existence; life-span: The age of a stag is judged chiefly by its antlers. She was sixteen years of age. 2 maturity, discretion; majority, adulthood, seniority: When he comes of age he will inherit millions. 3 period, stage, time: Among these people, both boys and girls undergo rites of passage at the age of puberty. He is a man of middle age. 4 long time, aeon or esp. US eon; years: I haven''t seen you for an age! The noise went on for ages. 5 era, epoch, period, time: The 18th century was known as the Augustan Age in England. --v. 6 grow old(er), mature, ripen: O, Matilda, I age too fast for my years! You must first age the whisky in the barrel, then bottle it.
aged | aged: adj. old, elderly, superannuated, ancient, age-old, grey, venerable: The three aged women crouched in their chairs, each with her own memories.
agency | agency: n. means, medium, instrumentality; intervention, intercession, action, intermediation; operation, mechanism, force, power, activity, working(s), energy: Pollen is carried from flower to flower by the agency of certain insects.
agent | agent: n. 1 representative, intermediary, go-between, proxy, emissary, delegate, spokesman, spokeswoman, spokesperson, deputy, substitute, surrogate, advocate, emissary, legate, envoy, factor: Our agent in Tokyo will look after the matter for you. 2 factor, agency, cause, means, force, instrument, power, vehicle, ingredient: The active agent in this cleaner is ammonia.
aggravate | aggravate: v. 1 worsen, intensify, exacerbate, heighten, magnify, increase; inflame: They introduce new problems and aggravate the old ones. 2 exasperate, frustrate; anger, incense, infuriate; provoke, irritate, nettle, rile, vex, annoy, harass, hector, bother; embitter, rankle, Colloq peeve, needle, get on one''s nerves; Slang Brit give (someone) aggro: Threats only serve to aggravate people.
aggression | aggression: n. 1 aggressiveness, hostility, belligerence, combativeness, Slang Brit aggro: The mere crossing of the river is an act of aggression. 2 attack, assault, onslaught, invasion, encroachment: The conflict had become a war of aggression.
aggressive | aggressive: adj. 1 combative, warlike, martial, belligerent, bellicose, pugnacious, quarrelsome, disputatious, litigious; hostile, unfriendly: The Germanic tribes were known to the Romans as aggressive and hardened warriors. 2 forward, assertive, forceful, bold, Colloq pushy: Dennis''s aggressive nature may yet make him a good salesman.
aggressor | aggressor: n. assailant, attacker, instigator, initiator, provoker; belligerent: You will find that the Nazis were the aggressors in Poland in 1939.
agile | agile: adj. 1 nimble, quick, brisk, swift, active, lively, lithe, limber, spry, sprightly: Sofia is an agile dancer. 2 keen, sharp, alert, dexterous or dextrous, resourceful, acute: With his agile mind Richard was able to solve the problems in no time at all.
agitate | agitate: v. 1 excite, arouse, rouse, move, perturb, stir up, disquiet, fluster, ruffle, rattle, disconcert, discomfit, unsettle, upset, rock, unnerve, shake (up), Colloq discombobulate: Rachel was agitated to learn of the bank''s threat to foreclose on the mortgage. 2 push, press, campaign; promote: The miners have been agitating for better safety measures. 3 stir (up), churn, disturb, shake, roil: The calm lake was agitated by the motor boats.
agitated | agitated: adj. moved, stirred (up), shaken (up), rattled, disturbed, upset, nervous, perturbed, jittery, jumpy, uneasy, ill at ease, fidgety, disquieted, discomfited, ruffled, flustered, unsettled, unnerved, wrought up, discomposed, disconcerted, aroused, roused, excited, Colloq discombobulated: The sheriff was in a very agitated state about the mob forming outside the jail.
agitation | agitation: n. 1 shaking, disturbance, churning, stirring, turbulence: The agitation made the solution become cloudy. 2 excitement, arousal, rabble-rousing, provocation, stirring up, incitement, ferment, stimulation, over-stimulation, commotion: The organized agitation of the crowds continued for weeks after the coup.
agitator | agitator: n. activist, rabble-rouser, incendiary, agent provocateur, insurrectionist, troublemaker, demagogue, firebrand: The opposition party hires professional agitators to incite the people to riot.
agog | agog: adj. eager, avid, keen, enthusiastic, expectant, impatient, breathless: The children were all agog waiting for Santa Claus to come.
agonizing | agonizing: adj. painful, distressful, distressing, harrowing, torturous, racking, excruciating, tortured, tormented: We went through an agonizing reappraisal of our policy on immigration.
agony | agony: n. anguish, trouble, distress, suffering, misery, wretchedness, pain, pangs, woe, torment, throes, torture, affliction: For two days his parents experienced the agony of not knowing whether he was dead or alive.
agree | agree: v. 1 concur, conform, come or go together, coincide, correspond, harmonize, reconcile; accord, tally, Colloq jibe: At last my cheque-book agrees with my bank statement! 2 Often, agree to. consent to, favour, acquiesce in or to, approve of, accede to, assent to: They finally agreed to our offer. We agreed terms with respect to the contract. 3 concede, grant, consent, admit, approve, allow, accept, concur; accede (to), acquiesce (in or to), assent (to), see eye to eye: The committee agreed that she should be given time to comply with the request. I objected and they agreed with me. 4 agree with. suit: The climate in England agrees with me, strange to say.
agreeable | agreeable: adj. 1 pleasing, pleasant, enjoyable, pleasurable, favourable, delightful, satisfying, satisfactory, good, nice, acceptable; to one''s liking or taste: He found the Caribbean an agreeable place for a holiday. 2 in favour, approving, willing, consenting, acquiescent, complying, compliant, in agreement or accord, concurring, amenable, sympathetic, well-disposed; accommodating, accommodative: If Anne''s agreeable, we can leave tomorrow.
agreement | agreement: n. 1 understanding, covenant, treaty, pact, accord, compact, settlement, concordat; contract, bargain, Colloq deal: They drew up a ten-year agreement to be signed at the summit in Geneva. 2 concord, harmony, compatibility, unity, concurrence, unanimity: Agreement in error is far worse than division for the sake of truth.
