
lead | lead: v. 1 conduct, escort, usher, guide, show the way, pilot, steer: If you lead, I''ll follow. 2 cause, influence, prompt, bring, incline, induce, persuade, move, dispose, convince: What led you to suspect the butler? 3 head (up), direct, govern, command, supervise, superintend, preside (over), take the lead, take or assume command (of), manage, captain, Colloq skipper: The orchestra would like you to lead. Who is going to lead the men into battle? Nicole leads a weekly discussion group on alcoholism. 4 come or be or go first, excel, surpass, exceed, precede, be ahead (of), outstrip, distance, outrun, outdo: They lead the world in the production of sugar. 5 live, experience, spend, pass; while away: He is leading a life of ease on the French Riviera. 6 be conducive to, create, engender, cause, contribute to, result in, bring on or about, produce: Your stubbornness can lead only to frustration. 7 lead astray. lead on, mislead, misguide, misdirect, deceive; fool, decoy, hoodwink, Colloq bamboozle: She might have been led astray by that wolf in sheep''s clothing. 8 lead off. start (off or in or out or up), begin, commence, get going or moving, get under way, initiate, inaugurate, Colloq kick off: The proceedings will lead off with the national anthem. Who is going to lead off the singing? 9 lead on. a See 7, above. b lure, entice, seduce, beguile, inveigle, tempt: They led me on with offers of a huge salary. 10 lead up to. a prepare or pave or clear (the way), do the groundwork or spadework, precede: The events leading up to the overthrow of the government may never be known. b approach, broach, bring up, present, introduce, work up or round or around to, get (up) to: I should lead up to the subject delicately, if I were you. --n. 11 front, vanguard, van, lead or leading position or place, advance or advanced position or place: The horse that he had bet on was in the lead coming down the home straight. 12 advantage, edge, advance, supremacy, margin, priority, primacy, pre-eminence: She has the lead over all her competitors. Our team had a two-point lead at half-time. 13 direction, guidance, leadership, precedent, example, model, exemplar, pattern, standard: We decided to follow his lead. 14 tip, clue, hint, suggestion, cue, intimation; prospect, possibility, potential; Colloq tip-off: Barry is following up some leads for a new job. The advertisement produced some new sales leads. 15 leash, tether, restraint, cord, chain: The dog fetches his lead himself when he wants to go out. 16 protagonist, hero or heroine, leading or starring role or part, leading or lead actor or actress, leading lady or man, male or female lead, principal; prima donna, diva, prima ballerina, premi�re danseuse, premier danseur: She has the lead in the new production of Giselle . 17 wire, cable, Brit flex: Connect this lead to the power source. --adj. 18 leading, foremost, first; main, chief, principal, premier, paramount: The lead climber fell when the rope broke. The lead story in today''s paper is about an American take-over bid for the longest-standing British car-manufacturing company.
leaden | leaden: adj. 1 heavy, onerous, ponderous, dense, burdensome: Exhausted, he dragged his leaden feet to the next meeting. 2 heavy, dull, numbing, oppressive: I was happy to escape the leaden atmosphere of the theatre. 3 grey, dull, dingy, gloomy, glowering, lowering, dreary, dismal, oppressive, dark, sullen, sombre: The leaden sky seemed to forebode disaster as he fled across the moor. 4 inert, lifeless, listless, sluggish, inanimate, inactive, lethargic, languid, languorous, torpid, spiritless, stagnant, static, dormant, soporific, sleepy: The refugees trudged along at a leaden pace.
leader | leader: n. 1 chief, head, commander, ruler, superior, director, chairman, chairwoman, chairlady, chairperson, chieftain, captain, commandant, principal, Colloq boss, bossman, kingpin, big cheese, number one, numero uno, Brit gaffer, Chiefly US Mr Big, Slang US the man: The police can identify the leader of the gang. The leader of the assembly is elected for a year. 2 bandmaster, band leader, director, US and Canadian conductor, bandleader, concert-master: The leader tapped his baton for silence.
leadership | leadership: n. direction, guidance, management, directorship, administration, supervision, command, regulation, control, operation, influence, initiative; governorship, superintendence, running: The company made huge profits under Katherine''s leadership. The leadership of the country at this time was in the hands of the privileged class.
leading | leading: adj. 1 important, influential, chief, prime, cardinal, foremost, paramount, primary: A leading politician hinted today that interest rates might go down soon. 2 best, outstanding, pre-eminent, greatest, supreme, peerless, matchless, unequalled, unrivalled, unsurpassed: He was the leading writer of his time.
leaflet | leaflet: n. folder, circular, brochure, handbill, bill, booklet, advertisement, US and Canadian throw-away, flier or flyer, Colloq Brit advert: The candidate gave out leaflets urging us to vote for him.
leafy | leafy: adj. green, verdant, bosky, woody, shady, shaded, arborescent: We lay beneath the leafy bowers and dreamed of summers past.
league | league: n. 1 confederation, association, alliance, combination, coalition, federation, confederacy, guild, society, fraternity, union, band, fellowship, club: The teams in the south favour forming a football league of their own. 2 in league (with). allied (with), united (with), associated (with), leagued (with), federated (with), collaborating (with), conspiring (with), in collusion (with), Colloq in cahoots (with): The suspects are said to be in league with saboteurs. --v. 3 ally, unite, associate, band, combine, collaborate, join (forces), conspire, collude: Did most people league with the rebels or the official government?
leak | leak: n. 1 leakage, leaking, discharge, trickle, escape, seepage, seeping, oozing, exudation: We have to stop leaks of radioactive waste from power plants. 2 hole, fissure, crack, chink, crevice, aperture, opening, puncture, cut, break, split, gash, rent, tear, gap, flaw: There was a leak in the balloon and it began to descend. 3 disclosure, revelation: The press knew about his defection because of a security leak. --v. 4 escape, discharge, spill, trickle, drip, seep, ooze, exude, extravasate: Oil was leaking out through a hole in the container. 5 disclose, divulge, let slip, release, give away (the game), make known or public, let (something or it) be known, Colloq spill the beans (about); let the cat out of the bag: Someone as yet unidentified leaked the scandal to a reporter. 6 leak out. transpire, become known, come out, be revealed: Their secret relationship has leaked out.
lean� | lean�: adj. 1 thin, slim, slender, rangy, spare, wiry, lanky, lank, skinny, angular, bony, raw-boned, gaunt, gangling, gangly, spare, meagre, skeletal, scraggy, scrawny, haggard, emaciated, pinched, wasted, shrunken, macilent: He has the lean leggy build typical of a runner. 2 unfruitful, unproductive, barren, infertile, poor, meagre, scanty, bare, arid, sparse, impoverished: The Kanes tried for years to eke a living from the lean soil. 3 impoverished, destitute, needy, poverty-stricken, penurious, indigent, necessitous, hard, bad, difficult: The Depression was a lean period for most people.
lean� | lean�: v. 1 rest (against or on or upon), be held up or supported by: She leant her head on his shoulder. 2 incline, slant, tilt, bend, tip: Isn''t that pole leaning over too much? 3 Often, lean towards. favour, gravitate towards, tend towards, be disposed towards, prefer, show a preference for, incline towards, be or lean on the side of, be biased towards, be (prejudiced) in favour of: She leans towards conservatism when it comes to morality. 4 lean on. a rely on, depend on, count on, believe or trust in, pin one''s hopes or faith on or upon: You can lean on me if you need help. b pressure, bring pressure to bear on, intimidate, threaten, cow, terrorize, terrify, scare, frighten, warn, menace, endanger, imperil, Brit pressurize: Sometimes the gang would lean on a shopkeeper who refused to pay for ''protection''.
leaning | leaning: n. bent, inclination, bias, prejudice, favouritism, partiality, predilection, liking, taste, preference, penchant, sympathy, tendency, tendentiousness: The judges'' leanings in favour of short-haired dogs are well known.
leap | leap: n. 1 spring, bound, jump, vault (into); hurdle, clear, hop over, skip over, negotiate: He leapt into the saddle. Superman leaps tall buildings at a single bound. 2 jump, cavort, gambol, dance, frisk, caper, frolic, romp, prance, curvet: He leapt for joy at the news that he had won first prize. 3 jump, rush, hasten, form hastily, accept (prematurely or without question): The speaker kept leaping from one subject to another. Don''t leap to conclusions about her strange behaviour. 4 leap at. jump at, accept, be eager for, move quickly, take: I leapt at the chance to apply for a scholarship. --n. 5 spring, bound, jump, vault, hurdle, hop, skip: With one leap I was on the other side. 6 jump, increase, (up)surge, rise, upswing, growth, escalation: The figures show a leap in inflation for the month. 7 by leaps and bounds. rapidly, quickly, swiftly, speedily: The plans for the new theatre are progressing by leaps and bounds.
learn | learn: v. 1 Often, learn of. find out, discover, hear (of), chance or hit upon, understand, gather, have revealed to one; determine, ascertain, uncover: I learned today that you are leaving. I learned of your plans yesterday. 2 be taught, be instructed in, master, become proficient (in), acquire knowledge (of): I learned German at school. 3 understand, see the light, get the picture, Colloq catch on, get the idea, get it, Brit twig: No matter how often they are told, some people never learn. 4 memorize, commit to memory, learn by heart: Bolton was told to learn his part by the next day.
learned | learned: adj. (well-)informed, erudite, knowledgeable, au fait, cultured, intellectual, highbrow, (well-)educated, scholarly, academic, scholastic, lettered, experienced, skilled, practised, accomplished, expert, literate, well-read, (well-)versed, (well-)trained, (well-)grounded: The consultants to the encyclopedia are all learned people.
learner | learner: n. student, pupil, scholar, trainee, apprentice, novice, tiro or tyro, abecedarian, beginner, initiate, neophyte: Learners of English as a second language will benefit from this book.
learning | learning: n. knowledge, erudition, culture, scholarship, lore, information, wisdom: You have the advantage of being able to draw on centuries of learning.
lease | lease: n. 1 rental agreement or contract, sublease, sublet: A new ten-year lease will be signed tomorrow. --v. 2 rent (out), let (out), sublet (out), sublease (out), charter (out), hire (out): They leased their home to us for the summer. We arranged to lease their boat for the weekend.
leave� | leave�: v. 1 go (away or off), depart, set off, be off, get away or off, retire, retreat, withdraw, decamp, (make an) exit, run, be gone, bid (someone or something) goodbye, say goodbye or adieu (to), take (one''s) leave (of), quit, desert, pull out, check out, fly, Colloq push or shove off, take off, skedaddle, flit, disappear, do a disappearing act, pull up stakes, up-anchor, Slang beat it, scram, vamoose, split, Brit beetle off, do a bunk, do a moonlight flit, hop it, Taboo slang Brit bugger off: Please leave at once. May I leave the room? She left him alone. 2 go or run off, deviate from: The car left the road and hit a tree. 3 forget, mislay, lose: I left my car keys somewhere in the house. 4 abandon, desert, take leave of, wash one''s hands of, turn one''s back on; quit, resign from, give up, renounce, drop (out of): She left him because he mistreated her. I left school at sixteen. 5 make, render, cause to be or become or remain: The beauty of the place left me speechless. 6 bequeath, will, hand down, devise, demise, transfer: Her aunt left some valuable paintings to my wife. 7 entrust, commit, assign, cede, relinquish, give over or up, consign, resign: They are leaving all the responsibility to me. 8 cause or allow to remain, have as a remainder, yield, give: Seven from eleven leaves four. 9 leave off. stop, cease, desist, forbear, give up, refrain from, discontinue, abstain (from), renounce: He won''t leave off gossiping about her. 10 leave out. omit, disregard, ignore, neglect; count out, reject, exclude, eliminate, bar, except: You left out the best part. Don''t leave me out of the fun!
leave� | leave�: n. 1 permission, authorization, consent, freedom, liberty, licence, sanction, dispensation: Who gave you leave to borrow my car? 2 furlough, leave of absence, time off, sabbatical, recess, holiday, vacation: I am overworked and badly in need of some leave. 3 departure: He took his leave of us at last.
lecherous | lecherous: adj. lewd, lascivious, salacious, libidinous, sensual, lubricious or lubricous, lustful, concupiscent, licentious, prurient, dirty-minded, filthy-minded, carnal, goatish, hircine, randy, libertine, wanton, profligate, depraved, degenerate, decadent, dissolute, Slang horny: The lecherous villain dared to proposition my wife.
lecture | lecture: n. 1 speech, address, talk, discourse, disquisition, treatise, dissertation, paper, lesson, instruction, sermon, declamation, harangue, diatribe, philippic, screed: The preacher delivered a lecture on the evils of drink. 2 reproof, reprimand, rebuke, criticism, censure, reproach, scolding, upbraiding, chiding, berating, tongue-lashing, remonstration, Colloq dressing-down, telling-off, Slang Brit wigging, US and Canadian chewing-out: I had to listen to another lecture about staying out late. --v. 3 make or deliver or give a speech or address or talk, discourse; sermonize, hold forth, moralize, pontificate, orate, preach, declaim, expound, go on about, harangue: She lectures on Chinese art of the 18th century. He insists on lecturing to everyone he meets. 4 reprove, reprimand, rebuke, reproach, scold, upbraid, berate, chide, tongue-lash, remonstrate with, rail at, fulminate against; admonish, warn; Colloq dress down, tell off, send (someone) away or off with a flea in his or her ear, Slang Brit wig, US and Canadian chew out: She is always lecturing me about keeping my room tidy.
ledge | ledge: n. shelf, projection, step, mantel or mantle, mantelpiece or mantlepiece, overhang, sill: We stood on a small ledge of rock unable to move.
leer | leer: v. 1 ogle, eye: He leers at every pretty girl. --n. 2 ogle, the eye, Colloq once-over, Slang glad eye: She was repelled when he gave her a leer.
leery | leery: adj. suspicious, sceptical, dubious, doubtful, doubting, distrustful, wary, cautious, chary, careful: I was very leery of his story.
leeway | leeway: n. space, elbow-room, room, play, scope, slack, latitude, wide berth; freedom: We allowed him some leeway to make changes in the manuscript.
left | left: adj. 1 left-hand, sinistral, Nautical port, (formerly) larboard, Heraldry sinister: In most countries, the driver sits on the left side. 2 leftist, left-wing, progressive, liberal, socialist(ic), pink; radical, communist(ic), red: The party''s platform has become a bit too left for my taste. --n. 3 left side or hand or fist, Nautical port, port side, (formerly) larboard: The fort is on the left as you enter the bay. The champion has a powerful left.
left-handed | left-handed: adj. 1 clumsy, awkward, gauche, fumbling, maladroit, cack-handed: He has a left-handed way of doing things. 2 insulting, disparaging, derisive, uncomplimentary, insulting, paradoxical, ambiguous, questionable, dubious, doubtful: Calling her piano-playing ''not bad'' was a left-handed compliment.
leftover | leftover: n. 1 Usually, leftovers. remainder(s), remnant(s), rest, residue, residuum, balance, surplus, excess, superfluity, overage; scrap(s), leavings, crumbs, odds and ends, debris or d�bris, refuse, waste, rubbish, rubble, detritus, Archaic orts: I''m just having leftovers for dinner tonight. --adj. 2 remaining, residual, extra, excess, unused, uneaten: Save some of the leftover ice-cream for later.
leg | leg: n. 1 limb, member, Colloq pin, peg, stump, Slang gam: I have a touch of arthritis in my left leg. 2 support, brace, prop, upright, standard, column, pillar: One of the legs of this table is about to collapse. 3 part, portion, segment, stretch, stage, section, length, lap: The first leg of my journey passed without incident. 4 a leg up. boost, assistance, push, help, helping hand, advance, support, US and Canadian assist: Let me give you a leg up over the wall. Gordon might give you a leg up in getting a job. 5 leg it. run, hurry, hasten, scurry, Colloq scoot, skedaddle: He legged it down the street to catch the bus. 6 not a leg to stand on. defenceless, unsupported, insupportable or unsupportable, indefensible, unjustifiable, untenable, invalid: She insists she''s right, but she hasn''t got a leg to stand on. 7 on one''s or its last legs. decrepit, failing, exhausted, dying, worn out, run-down, falling apart or to pieces, broken-down, the worse for wear; dilapidated, rickety, shabby, ramshackle, crumbling, tumbledown: George looked as if he was on his last legs. My car is on its last legs. 8 pull (someone''s) leg. tease, mock, jeer at, taunt, gibe, make fun of, chaff, guy, fool, deceive, Chiefly Brit twit, Colloq rib, kid, rag: We were just pulling his leg, but he took it seriously. 9 shake a leg. a hurry (up), hasten, rush, Colloq get going or moving or cracking, look alive or lively: You''ll have to shake a leg to catch that train. b dance, trip the light fantastic (toe), Slang hoof it, US cut a rug: What do you say we go out and shake a leg tonight? 10 stretch one''s legs. (take or go for a) walk, (take some) exercise: After sitting for so long, I have to stretch my legs.
legal | legal: adj. 1 lawful, licit, statutory, acceptable, permissible, permitted, admissible, authorized: The police officer was found to have exceeded his legal authority. 2 legitimate, proper, right, rightful, sound, constitutional, authorized, Slang legit: I question whether his business is legal. Who is the legal heir? 3 judicial, juridical, judiciary, forensic: The case is without legal precedent.
legalistic | legalistic: adj. narrow(-minded), disputatious, contentious, litigious, literal, strict, niggling, hair-splitting, cavilling, quibbling, Jesuitical, pettifogging, nice, fine, subtle, Colloq nit-picking: Her argument is legalistic and ignores the spirit of the law.
legend | legend: n. 1 epic, saga, myth, story, (folk) tale, romance, narrative, fable, tradition, fiction, Scandinavian Edda: There are scores of legends woven into the cultural fabric of our lives. 2 celebrity, phenomenon, tradition, wonder, luminary, personage, somebody: Someone said that Rudolph had become a legend in his own mind. 3 key, table of symbols, code, explanatory note: Refer to the legend for explanations of symbols used in the map. 4 motto, slogan, inscription, caption, title: The legend reads, ''Dieu et mon droit''.
legendary | legendary: adj. 1 fabled, storied, traditional; heroic, epic, mythic: Legendary tales have been identified in every culture. 2 fanciful, imaginary, fabulous, mythical, romantic, fictional: Was King Arthur a real person or a legendary figure? 3 famous, celebrated, noted, famed, well-known, renowned, illustrious, immortal, prominent, eminent, great, acclaimed, noteworthy: Irena became known for her legendary dinner parties.
legible | legible: adj. readable, decipherable, clear, understandable, plain, distinct: The handwriting is legible, but I don''t know what language it''s in.
legitimate | legitimate: adj. 1 valid, proper, right, rightful, authorized, legal, genuine, real, true, authentic: Which one of them was the legitimate Anastasia? 2 lawful, licit, legal, by law, de jure, statutory: Bonnie Prince Charlie claimed to be the legitimate ruler of Scotland. 3 commonsensical, sensible, reasonable, proper, correct, acceptable, valid, logical, justifiable, just, fair: The question is perfectly legitimate and deserves a proper answer. --v. 4 legitimize, legitimatize, legalize, authorize, sanction, warrant, validate, certify: By signing before two witnesses, she legitimated her will.
leisure | leisure: n. 1 spare or free time, time (off), liberty, freedom, opportunity: How many people these days have the leisure to do what they like? 2 holiday, vacation, respite, relief, rest, recreation, relaxation, ease, breathing-space, quiet, tranquillity, repose, US military rest and recreation, R and R: Everyone needs a few days of leisure now and then. 3 at leisure. a unoccupied, inactive, retired, resting, free, on holiday or chiefly US and Canadian vacation; at liberty, available, unemployed: I have been at leisure for a year now. b Often, at one''s leisure. at one''s convenience, when convenient, unhurriedly, in one''s own time: I shall mow the lawn at my leisure. --adj. 4 recreational: The ''leisure industry'' is booming with theme parks opening throughout the country. 5 free, unoccupied, non-working, unencumbered, idle, holiday, vacation: How do you usually spend your leisure time?
leisured | leisured: adj. wealthy, rich, affluent, prosperous, moneyed or monied, well-to-do, leisured: Yachts of that size are strictly for the leisured classes.
lend | lend: v. 1 make a loan of, loan, advance: The bank agreed to lend me the money for a boat. 2 impart, furnish, bestow, give, confer, contribute, add: The silk scarf lends cachet to the whole outfit. 3 lend itself to. suit, fit, be fitted or appropriate or suitable (to or for), be applicable or adaptable (to or for): The book lends itself well to film adaptation.
length | length: n. 1 extent, measure, span, reach, size, magnitude, dimension, measurement: What is the length of a piece of string? The pool is 25 metres in length and 15 metres in width. 2 duration, stretch, term, period, space: What length of time did he spend in prison? 3 at full length. fully, completely, to the fullest extent: They were stretched out at full length on the floor. 4 at length. a finally, at (long) last, eventually, after a (long) time or while, ultimately; in the long run: At length, the doctor emerged from his office. b for a long time, interminably, for ages: He read to her at length, till she dozed off. c in depth, thoroughly, completely, exhaustively, extensively, to the fullest or greatest extent, in detail: I haven''t the time to go into the story at length just now.
lengthen | lengthen: v. make longer, extend, elongate; stretch, drag out, draw out, prolong, protract, expand, continue: I need to lengthen the skirt an inch. The ten-minute interview lengthened into an hour. They lengthened the playing field.
lengthy | lengthy: adj. long, over-long, long-drawn(-out), protracted; endless, interminable, prolonged, long-winded, wordy, prolix, verbose, garrulous, talkative, loquacious, boring, dull, tedious: He underwent a lengthy operation for removal of the clot. She launched into a lengthy description of the life cycle of a frog.
lenient | lenient: adj. gentle, kind, kindly, easy, sparing, merciful, tender, humane, tender-hearted, kind-hearted, indulgent, permissive, forgiving, easygoing, tolerant, patient, compassionate, forbearing, understanding, magnanimous, generous, charitable: Do you think they were lenient in their treatment of prisoners caught while escaping?
lesson | lesson: n. 1 exercise, drill, reading, lecture, recitation; assignment, homework, task: The pupils are having an English lesson at the moment. You must finish your lessons before you can go out and play. 2 class, session; instruction, teaching, tutoring, schooling; practice: I take piano lessons on Tuesday afternoons. 3 example, exemplar, model, guide, maxim, paragon, message, deterrent, discouragement; warning, admonition; moral, precept: Norman''s punishment should be a lesson to you. 4 punishment, chastisement, chastening, castigation, scolding, chiding, rebuke, reprimand, reproof: If she does that again, I''ll give her a lesson she won''t forget in a hurry!
let� | let�: v. 1 allow (to), permit (to), sanction (to), give permission or leave (to), authorize (to), license (to), suffer (to): Don''t let him go alone. Let George do it. 2 cause (to), arrange for, enable (to): Let me know if you have any difficulty. Let me help you. Let the police know of any crime. 3 Sometimes, let out. rent (out), hire (out), lease (out), charter (out); contract (out), subcontract (out), farm (out), job (out): Mrs Finney lets rooms by the week. Much of the work is let out to people who work at home. 4 let down. disappoint, fail, frustrate; disenchant, dissatisfy, disillusion: He promised to be here at nine, but he let me down. 5 let in. admit, allow in; include, take in, receive, welcome, induct, install or instal: I''ll just open a window and let in some fresh air. I wouldn''t want to be a member of a club that would let in someone like me. 6 let off. a pardon, forgive, excuse, release, discharge, let go: They let him off with only a severe reprimand. b exonerate, absolve, clear, acquit, vindicate, Slang let off the hook: When the real culprit confessed, she was let off. c detonate, explode, detonate, discharge, fire, set off: Don''t let off those fireworks so near the haystack. d emit, give out or off, release, throw off or out, let loose, exude: Some plastics let off an awful smell when they burn. 7 let on. a confess, admit, disclose, divulge, reveal, expose, let it be known, let out, say, tell, give away, let slip, betray; leak: I''ll never let on that you are to blame. b feign, affect, pretend, fake, (put on an) act, simulate, dissemble, dissimulate: He let on that he had a bad leg and couldn''t play in the match, when in fact he just wanted to go away for the weekend. 8 let out. a See 7 (a), above. b (let) loose, liberate, (set) free, release, let go, discharge: He served three years before being let out. Let the cat out, will you. c emit, give vent to, produce: She let out a scream that could have woken the dead. d end, stop, break up, finish, close, terminate: When does school let out for the Christmas holidays? 9 let up. decrease, abate, ease (up), slacken, diminish, lessen, mitigate, subside, moderate: Perhaps we can still go if the rain lets up soon. 10 let up on. ease up on, slack off on: He didn''t let up on haranguing us for an hour.
let� | let�: n. hindrance, impediment, obstruction, obstacle: People can now cross the border without let or hindrance.
let-down | let-down: n. disappointment, disillusionment, disenchantment: She had practised so hard that losing was all the more of a let-down.
lethal | lethal: adj. deadly, fatal, mortal: The lethal blow was delivered by a blunt instrument.
lethargic | lethargic: adj. 1 lethargical, sluggish, slow, dull, heavy, lazy, indolent, phlegmatic, slothful, idle, languid, languorous, listless, fain�ant, inactive, torpid, stuporous, comatose; indifferent, apathetic: They were so lethargic that they did absolutely nothing about it. 2 weary, tired, fagged out, fatigued, enervated, weak, exhausted, drowsy, sleepy, somnolent: I have a bad cold and feel very lethargic.
lethargy | lethargy: n. 1 sluggishness, sloth, dullness, heaviness, laziness, indolence, phlegm, idleness, languidness, languor, listlessness, dolce far niente, inactivity, inertia, torpor, stupor; indifference, apathy: After taking the medicine, a feeling of lethargy overtook me. 2 weariness, tiredness, fatigue, weakness, exhaustion, drowsiness, sleepiness, somnolence: The strident persistence of my alarm clock dragged me out of my lethargy.
letter | letter: n. 1 character, symbol, sign: Epsilon is a letter in the Greek alphabet. 2 missive, epistle, communication, note, line, message, dispatch or despatch; correspondence: Write me a letter when you get there. 3 letters. literature, the humanities, belles-lettres, the classics; erudition, culture, the world of letters, learning, scholarship: He is a widely known man of letters. 4 to the letter. precisely, literally, exactly, accurately, strictly, sic, thus, letter for letter, literatim, word for word, verbatim: The document has been copied to the letter. --v. 5 inscribe, write, spell (out): She carefully lettered the caption under the picture.
lettered | lettered: adj. literate, literary, (well-)educated, erudite, scholarly, learned, well-informed, enlightened, knowledgeable, (well-)versed, well-read, cultured, cultivated: He was greatly influenced by the lettered men of his time.
let-up | let-up: n. cease, stop, stopping, ceasing, cessation, surcease, break, interruption, pause, intermission, suspension, time out or off; moderation, lessening, abatement, diminution, relief, hesitation, respite, relaxation: I was nagged without let-up about getting the work done by the end of the month.
level | level: adj. 1 even, smooth, plane, uniform, plain, flat, flush, straight, true: The plaster is not level enough to apply the wallpaper. 2 horizontal; prone, supine: Make sure the playing field is level. Try to keep the body level when doing this exercise. 3 uniform, constant, steady, consistent, invariable, unvarying, unalterable, unchanging, unfluctuating; very: I did my level best to warn him, but he wouldn''t listen. 4 parallel, even, equal, equivalent, consistent: The top floor of my house is level with the roof of the one across the street. The problem arises because wages are not level with inflation. 5 up (on), informed (about or on), up to date (on or with), au fait (with), au courant (with): He does his best to keep level with what is going on in the world. 6 even, tied, equal, neck and neck: The scores are level. So at half-time, it''s level pegging between Arsenal and Liverpool. 7 See level-headed, below. --v. 8 level off, even, smooth (out), flatten (out): The concrete is levelled by dragging a straight-edge over it. 9 destroy, demolish, raze, lay waste, devastate, knock down, tear down, pull down, wreck, bulldoze: The building was levelled in a matter of minutes. 10 aim, point, draw a bead, direct, train, focus: He levelled his gun at her and she screamed. 11 level with. be or play fair with, be honest or straight with, be open or frank or straightforward with, Colloq be upfront with: I am going to level with you - I find you very difficult to work with. --n. 12 plane, horizontal, elevation, height; altitude: The windows are at the same level. 13 floor, storey: On which level is Mr Stone''s office? 14 plane, position, status, standing, rank, stage: She functions at a higher level, both administratively and intellectually. 15 on the level. straight, straightforward, honest, direct, sincere, square, open, above-board, Colloq upfront, on the up and up, US straight-shooting: You haven''t been on the level with me about your plans for the company.
level-headed | level-headed: adj. (well-)balanced, sensible, sane, reasonable, commonsensical, level, unruffled, undisturbed, unperturbed, imperturbable, even-tempered, composed, calm, cool, collected, tranquil, serene, unflappable, poised, relaxed, self-possessed: Even when she was a teenager, Fran was quite level-headed.
levity | levity: n. light-heartedness, lightness, frivolity, frivolousness, flippancy, trivialization, triviality, facetiousness: Politics is a weighty business and should not be treated with levity.
lewd | lewd: adj. lascivious, salacious, lecherous, lustful, licentious, carnal, goatish, hircine, satyric(al), ruttish, concupiscent, libidinous, lubricious or lubricous, indecent, offensive, wild, debauched, obscene, smutty, crude, dirty, foul, filthy, rude, pornographic, prurient, gross, dissolute, Fescennine, bawdy, ribald, scurrilous, raw, blue, erotic, suggestive, unchaste, unvirtuous, Colloq randy, Slang hot, horny: He is said to have chronicled the lewd goings-on at the Hellfire Club.
