
reach | reach: v. 1 Often, reach out. hold out, extend, stretch (out), stick out, thrust out, outstretch, outreach: He reached out his hand and graped mine warmly. 2 arrive at, get to, come to, go to, end up at or in; land at or in, Colloq make (it to): I won''t reach the office till noon today. Have we reached the point of no return? 3 get, get in touch with, communicate with, establish or make contact with, get through to, get (a) hold of: I tried to reach her at home, but she was out. 4 attain, achieve, accomplish, make, get or go to, get or go as far as: Do you think that McClintock will reach the semi-finals? 5 come or go or get up to, amount to, attain, climb to, rise to, run to, equal, match: It looks as though the trade deficit might reach last year''s figure. 6 get through or across to, register with, communicate with, reach into the mind of, impress, influence, sway, move, stir, carry weight with: It is very difficult for teachers to reach teenagers, who have a natural suspicion of adults. --n. 7 range, ambit, scope, orbit, compass, sphere, territory: Those outlying areas are beyond our reach. Padua is within easy reach of Venice. 8 capability, capacity: Tragedy often occurs when one''s ambition exceeds one''s reach.
react | react: v. 1 act, behave, conduct oneself, proceed; retaliate, reciprocate, get even: I wonder how you would have reacted if someone had insulted you! 2 respond, answer, reply, retort: The crowd reacted to the police presence by becoming very nasty. She reacted with surprise on learning of his arrest.
reaction | reaction: n. 1 response, reply, answer, effect, feedback: Did you get any reaction when you told her I had been arrested? Her reaction was to turn over and go back to sleep. 2 repulsion, resistance, counteraction, counterbalance, compensation: A rocket derives forward thrust by reaction against its own exhaust, hence can operate in a vacuum. 3 retaliation, reciprocation, reprisal, revenge: He shot her in reaction to her announcement that she was leaving him.
reactionary | reactionary: adj. 1 (ultra-)conservative, right, rightist, right-wing, blimpish; traditionalist; South African verkrampte: Reactionary governments tend to reduce social services. --n. 2 (ultra-)conservative, rightist, right-winger, Colonel Blimp; traditionalist; South African verkrampte: As a reactionary, he feels that the status quo is fine and change unnecessary.
read | read: v. 1 peruse, scan, skim, review, study, look over, pore over: I have read the article twice but still cannot understand it. 2 understand, know, be familiar with, comprehend, interpret, decipher: Can you read Greek? Madame Sonja reads tea leaves. 3 announce, present, deliver: Anna reads the news on TV at six o''clock every evening. 4 read into. assign to, impute (to), infer (from), assume (from), presume (from), conclude (from): You might be reading too much into that letter of commendation.
readable | readable: adj. 1 intelligible, comprehensible, understandable, easy to understand, easily understood, plain: Surprisingly, the instructions for operating the computer are fairly readable. 2 entertaining, easy to read, enjoyable, pleasurable, absorbing, interesting, engaging, stimulating, worthwhile: Her latest thriller is so readable that I stayed up all night to finish it. 3 legible, decipherable, distinct: The print on that microfiche is too small to be readable.
readily | readily: adv. 1 cheerfully, willingly, eagerly, ungrudgingly, unhesitatingly, freely, gladly, happily, agreeably, graciously, charitably: He always gave readily of his time to anyone who sought his help, and we shall miss him sorely. 2 effortlessly, easily, smoothly, without difficulty: I was able to get the wheel off readily enough, getting it back on was the problem. 3 promptly, quickly, speedily, swiftly, apace, at once, without delay, in no time, immediately, instantly, instantaneously, instanter, straight away, right away, at or on short notice, Colloq pronto: The police came readily but were unable to catch the thieves, who had already escaped.
readiness | readiness: n. 1 willingness, cheerfulness, good will, eagerness, agreeableness, graciousness: Her readiness to help marked her as truly charitable. 2 promptness, quickness; facility, ease, skill, adroitness, expertness, proficiency: The readiness with which he gave expert advice on gardening made him very popular with his neighbours. 3 in readiness. See ready, 1, below.
ready | ready: adj. 1 prepared, (all) set, in readiness, in (proper) shape; up, primed, ripe, fit, in condition; Colloq psyched (up): The charge is ready for detonation. I''m ready for a good run in the park. Are these apples ready for eating? Are you ready to meet the girl of your dreams? 2 agreeable, consenting, acquiescent, willing, content, eager, keen, happy, cheerful, genial, gracious, cordial, friendly, well-disposed, enthusiastic, Colloq game: Tim was always a ready accomplice to any mischief devised by his brother. 3 apt, likely, inclined, disposed, given, prone: She was all too ready to believe anything she was told. 4 about, liable, likely, apt; on the verge of, subject to, in danger of, on the brink of, on the point of, close to: The volcano seemed ready to erupt at any moment. 5 prompt, rapid, quick, immediate, speedy, swift, punctual, timely: Alistair seems to have a ready answer for everything. 6 clever, keen, sharp, agile, deft, skilful, adroit, alert, bright, intelligent, perceptive, quick: It was Carlotta''s ready wit that first attracted me. 7 on or at or to hand, handy, available, accessible, at (one''s) fingertips, at the ready, close at hand, convenient: I don''t have the ready cash for a new car at the moment. --n. 8 readies. money, cash, wherewithal: If you have the readies, please pay me what you owe me. 9 at the ready. a waiting, on tap, expectant, in position, poised: Keep your pistol at the ready in case there''s trouble. b See 8, above. --v. 10 prepare, make or get ready, set, fit out, equip, organize, psych up: He readied himself as best he could for the ordeal.
ready-made | ready-made: adj. 1 ready-to-wear, finished, prefabricated, Brit off the peg: Ready-made clothes fit me better than custom-made. 2 convenient, expedient, serviceable, usable, handy, useful, suitable, adaptable; plausible, credible, believable: The storm provided a ready-made excuse for cancelling the appointment. 3 stereotyped, stereotypic(al), hackneyed, time-worn, trite, stale, conventional, unoriginal, stock, pedestrian, routine, run-of-the-mill: His speeches are always full of ready-made clich�s.
real | real: adj. 1 genuine, true, actual, authentic, verified, verifiable, legitimate, right, bona fide, official; legal, legitimate, licit, natural, valid, veritable: He says that his name is Smith, but what is his real name? Her diamonds are not real. It has been proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is the real father. 2 genuine, actual, true, existent, authentic, natural; material, physical, tangible, palpable, corporeal: How can one distinguish between the real object and what one sees, which is merely its image? 3 genuine, sincere, heartfelt, true, actual, unfeigned, unaffected, earnest, honest, truthful, legitimate, valid: Deirdre''s face is so impassive that it is impossible to tell what her real feelings are. What''s the real reason that you''re here? 4 genuine, actual, true, loyal, trustworthy, trusted, honest: You are a real friend, and I know I can count on you. 5 intrinsic, actual, true, genuine, proper, essential: The �150 million sale of the company fell significantly below its real value. --adv. 6 See really, below.
realistic | realistic: adj. 1 practical, matter-of-fact, down-to-earth, pragmatic, common-sense, sensible, reasonable, level-headed, rational, sane, hard-headed, business-like, no-nonsense, unromantic, unsentimental, tough, tough-minded, Colloq hard-nosed, hard-boiled: Kevin''s realistic grasp of the problems may make the company profitable at last. 2 natural, lifelike, true to life, naturalistic, vivid, genuine, real, graphic: This painting is so realistic that it looks like a photograph. Harriet''s description was so realistic that I felt I had actually been to Benidorm.
reality | reality: n. 1 actuality, fact, truth, genuineness, authenticity, Aristotelianism entelechy: It is important to deal with the reality not the potentiality of the situation. 2 in reality. See really, below.
realization | realization: n. 1 conception, understanding, comprehension, apprehension, awareness, appreciation, perception, recognition, cognizance: Full realization of what he had done finally dawned on him. 2 actualization, consummation, accomplishment, achievement, establishment, fulfilment, materialization, effectuation: The realization of the dream of a united Europe seems possible in the last decade of the 20th century.
realize | realize: v. 1 make real, effect, bring about, make happen, make a reality, actualize, accomplish, produce, achieve, fulfil, materialize, effectuate: Many of Leonardo da Vinci''s inventions were not realized in his lifetime. 2 understand, appreciate, comprehend, be aware of, conceive of, grasp, perceive, discern, be or become conscious or aware or appreciative of, recognize, see, Colloq catch on (to), cotton (on) to, Brit twig: Did Clare fully realize the consequences of her actions? 3 return, gain, clear, profit, make, earn, bring or take in, net, produce, get: We have realized a substantial profit on the sale of the shares bought when the company was privatized.
really | really: adv. 1 genuinely, actually, truly, honestly, in reality, in actuality, in (point of) fact, as a matter of fact, surely, indeed, absolutely, definitely: Is he really going to do the high-wire act without a net? 2 indeed, actually, absolutely, unqualifiedly, positively, categorically, unquestionably, definitely, undeniably: She is really the musical one in the family. 3 in effect, in reality, actually, in fact, de facto, in the end, at bottom, in the final analysis, at the end of the day, Colloq deep down: Despite the sergeant''s protests to the contrary, it was really Andrews who saved the platoon. 4 very, extremely, quite, exceptionally, remarkably, unusually, uncommonly, extraordinarily, exceedingly, Non-Standard real: I saw a really good film last night.
realm | realm: n. 1 domain, kingdom, empire, monarchy, principality, palatinate, duchy or dukedom: They searched the realm for a girl whose foot would fit into the glass slipper. 2 territory, area, bailiwick, department, responsibility, jurisdiction: Collecting taxes is not within the realm of our office. 3 area, confines, sphere, limits: Cooperation with foreign companies is certainly well within the realms of possibility.
ream | ream: v. drill (out), bore (out), open up, tap: The carpenter reamed three holes in the beam.
reap | reap: v. 1 harvest, garner, glean, gather (in), mow, take in or up: The land was fertile, and a bountiful crop was reaped. As ye sow, so shall ye reap. 2 profit, bring in, gain, procure, acquire, get, obtain, take in: It is impossible to reap much when there is so small a margin between cost and selling price.
rear� | rear�: n. 1 back (part), end, hind part, Nautical stern, Colloq tail (end), fag-end, US and Canadian tag end: The rear of the column was attacked as it marched through the defile. We took seats at the rear of the auditorium. 2 hindquarters, posterior, rump, buttocks, Colloq bottom, behind, backside, rear end, Slang Brit arse, bum, US and Canadian ass, tokus, tochis; Babytalk US and Canadian tushie or tushy or tush, hinie: As he left, he felt someone give him a pat on the rear. --adj. 3 back, last, end, rearmost, Nautical aft, after, stern: The rear window is all misted over. The troop was bringing up the rear echelon.
rear� | rear�: v. 1 raise, bring up, care for, nurture, nurse; cultivate, educate, train; breed, produce: They reared six children in that tiny house. Is this where they rear Aberdeen Angus cattle? 2 erect, raise, build, put up, construct, fabricate, create: The family reared an elaborate mausoleum in memory of Lord Percy. 3 raise, lift, put up, upraise, uplift, hold up: He said that �litism was rearing its ugly head again, and that equality of opportunity was proving a myth.
reason | reason: n. 1 justification, argument, case, explanation, rationale, ground(s), pretext, vindication, defence, why (and wherefore), Literary apologia, apology: What reason did they give for confiscating our luggage? 2 judgement, common sense, intelligence, sanity, sense(s), saneness, insight, perspicacity, percipience, understanding, rationality, reasoning, mind, intellect: He must have lost his reason to accuse you of embezzlement. 3 purpose, aim, intention, object, objective, goal, motive, end, point: His reason for leaving now is to be on time for the curtain. 4 excuse, rationalization: Ignorance of the law is not an accepted reason for breaking it. 5 by reason of. because of, on account of, owing to, by virtue of, as a result of; due to: He was declared unfit to stand trial by reason of insanity. 6 within or in reason. reasonable, sensible, justifiable, rational, fitting, proper, acceptable: We will consider any offer for the house that is within reason. --v. 7 think, conclude, calculate, reckon, estimate, figure (out), work out, deduce, act or think rationally or logically, ratiocinate, use (one''s) judgement or common sense, use (one''s) head, put two and two together: I reasoned that she would be arriving at the station at that very moment. Roy certainly hasn''t lost his powers of reasoning. 8 reason with. argue with, remonstrate with, debate with, discuss with, talk over with, plead with, convince; persuade, dissuade, urge, prevail upon: George is very stubborn and can''t be reasoned with.
reasonable | reasonable: adj. 1 sensible, rational, sane, logical, sober, sound, judicious, wise, intelligent, thinking: I had always thought Philip a reasonable man. 2 credible, believable, plausible, tenable, reasoned, arguable, well-thought-out, well-grounded: Her story about having found the child wandering in the street doesn''t sound very reasonable to me. 3 moderate, tolerable, acceptable, within reason, equitable, fair; inexpensive, unexcessive, unextravagant, economical, conservative: Considering inflation, we thought the price increases were reasonable. 4 appropriate, suitable, proper, sensible, right: The car was travelling at a reasonable speed, considering conditions.
reasoning | reasoning: n. 1 thinking, logic, analysis, rationalization: The entire argument falls to pieces because of faulty reasoning. 2 reasons, arguments, premises, rationale, postulate, hypothesis, theory, explanation, explication: His reasoning had no effect on her - she simply refused to listen.
reassure | reassure: v. comfort, encourage, hearten, buoy (up), bolster, cheer, uplift, inspirit, brace, support, restore confidence to, set or put (someone''s) mind at rest, set or put (someone) at ease, settle (someone''s) doubts: The minister reassured the public regarding the safety of public transport.
rebate | rebate: n. 1 discount, reduction, deduction, allowance, mark-down, cut-back, refund, repayment, Colloq US rake-off: This coupon entitles you to a rebate of ten per cent on the purchase of four new tyres. 2 kickback, percentage, rake-off, commission, cut, bribe, graft, Colloq chiefly US payola, US plugola: He gets a rebate of five per cent on every client he refers to the solicitor. --v. 3 discount, reduce, deduct, mark down, refund, repay; kick back: Periodicals rebate fifteen per cent of their gross advertising revenue to the agencies that place ads.
rebel | rebel: v. 1 revolt, mutiny, rise up: The people will rebel if subjected to more oppression. 2 Often, rebel against. defy, flout, dare, challenge; disobey, dissent: It is in the nature of young people to rebel against authority and the status quo. --n. 3 revolutionary, revolutionist, insurgent, insurrrectionist, mutineer, resister, resistance fighter, freedom fighter: We call ourselves fighters for justice, but the unjust call us rebels and traitors. 4 heretic, nonconformist, apostate, dissenter, recusant, schismatic: James''s problem was that he was a rebel without a cause.
rebellion | rebellion: n. 1 uprising, revolution, mutiny, insurrection, revolt, insurgence or insurgency: Rebellion is the last recourse against tyranny. 2 insubordination, disobedience, defiance, resistance, rebelliousness, contumacy: Her rebellion against parental authority led her to leave home at sixteen.
rebellious | rebellious: adj. 1 insubordinate, defiant, mutinous, revolutionary, contumacious, insurgent, insurrectionary, seditious: The more rebellious students organized mass meetings against the university authorities. 2 unmanageable, disobedient, incorrigible, ungovernable, unruly, difficult, refractory, stubborn, obstinate, recalcitrant: They resented being treated as rebellious children.
rebirth | rebirth: n. renaissance or renascence, revival, renewal, reawakening, resurgence, revitalization, resurrection, regeneration, rejuvenation, restoration, new beginning, reincarnation; metempsychosis, palingenesis: The 15th century marked the rebirth of learning in Europe after the so-called Dark Ages.
rebound | rebound: v. 1 spring back, bounce, recoil, ricochet, resile: The ball rebounded from the goalpost. --n. 2 bounce, recoil, ricochet, return, comeback, repercussion, backlash, reflex: Carter caught the ball on the rebound.
rebuff | rebuff: n. 1 rejection, snub, check, denial, repulse, refusal, dismissal, defeat, repudiation, slight, discouragement, Colloq cold shoulder, cut, put-down, brush-off, Slang US brush: Ellie''s friendly approach was met with an abrupt rebuff. --v. 2 reject, snub, check, deny, repel, drive away, spurn, repulse, refuse, dismiss, defeat, repudiate, slight, ignore, send (someone) to Coventry, Colloq give (someone) the cold shoulder, cut, put (someone) down, brush (someone) off, give (someone) the brush-off, tell (someone) where to go or get off, tell (someone) where to get lost, Slang give (someone) his or her walking papers, freeze (someone) out , US give (someone) the brush, show (someone) the door: She rebuffed everyone who proposed marriage to her, preferring to remain a spinster.
rebuke | rebuke: v. 1 scold, reproach, admonish, reprove, reprimand, lecture, censure, chide, reprehend, berate, castigate, criticize, take to task, upbraid, revile, Colloq dress down, bawl out, give (someone) a piece of one''s mind, haul (someone) over the coals, let (someone) have it, give (someone) hell or what for, tell (someone) off, tell (someone) where to get off, Brit carpet, tear (someone) off a strip, tick (someone) off, wig, blow (someone) up, give (someone) a wigging, US and Canadian rake (someone) over the coals, give (someone) the business, chew out: The headmaster severely rebuked those boys who had violated the school curfew. --n. 2 scolding, reproach, admonition, reproof, reprimand, lecture, censure, chiding, reprehension, berating, castigation, criticism, upbraiding, revilement, tongue-lashing, Colloq dressing-down, what for, Brit wigging, blow-up or blowing up, Slang hell: Rawlings was let off with nothing more than a rebuke.
rebut | rebut: v. refute, deny, disprove, confute, invalidate, negate, discredit, belie, contradict, controvert, puncture, expose, destroy, ruin, devastate, Colloq shoot full of holes, knock the bottom out of, shoot down, blow sky-high: We have all the evidence needed to rebut the contention that our client was anywhere near the scene of the crime.
rebuttal | rebuttal: n. answer, reply, retort, response, rejoinder, counter-argument, riposte, retaliation, denial, refutation, contradiction, confutation, Colloq comeback: In rebuttal, the defence tried to prove that the witness for the prosecution had been bribed.
recalcitrant | recalcitrant: adj. stubborn, obstinate, wilful, defiant, refractory, headstrong, perverse, contrary, contumacious, mutinous, rebellious, fractious, unruly, unmanageable, ungovernable, uncontrollable, wayward, insubordinate, intractable, unsubmissive, unyielding, unbending, adamant, immovable, inflexible, stiff, firm: Recalcitrant students who refuse to obey the rules risk expulsion.
recall | recall: v. 1 remember, recollect, think back to, reminisce over or about, call to mind: I like to recall the happy days we had at Biarritz. 2 withdraw, retract, call back, summon: The legions guarding the frontier provinces were recalled to Rome. 3 rescind, cancel, annul, nullify, retract, withdraw, revoke, recant, take back, call back; disavow, disown, deny: Despite the fact that you might have been hasty, you cannot recall your promise. --n. 4 memory, recollection, remembering, remembrance: He had a loving and near-photographic recall of their holiday in the Alps. 5 withdrawal, recantation, cancellation, revocation, annulment, nullification, recision, rescission, retraction, repeal, disavowal, denial: The decision was made without any possibility of recall. 6 withdrawal, retraction, return: The manufacturer''s recall of the shipment of defective toasters was voluntary.
recant | recant: v. recall, forswear, deny, rescind, repudiate, disavow, disclaim, withdraw, revoke, retract, forsake, abandon, apostasize, renounce, abjure, take back: He was given three days to recant: otherwise, he would be executed for heresy.
recapitulate | recapitulate: v. summarize, sum up; repeat, go over (again), reiterate, restate, review; recount, enumerate, recite, relate, list, Colloq recap: I shall begin by recapitulating some of the issues which I covered in my last lecture.
recede | recede: v. 1 ebb, subside, fall or go or move back, abate, return, withdraw, retreat, back up: As the flood waters receded, people began to go back to their homes. 2 diminish, lessen, decline, dwindle, shrink, wane, fade, become more distant or less likely: The likelihood of our being rescued receded with each passing day.
receipt | receipt: n. 1 sales receipt, register receipt, sales slip, ticket, stub, counterfoil, proof of purchase, voucher: Any request for a return or exchange must be accompanied by a receipt. 2 delivery, acceptance, reception, arrival: He has acknowledged receipt of the merchandise. 3 receipts. income, proceeds, gate, takings, gains, return, Colloq take: The receipts from ticket sales were below expectations.
receive | receive: v. 1 get, obtain, come by, collect, take (into one''s possession), accept, be given, acquire, come into, inherit, gain, profit, make: She received a large sum of money from the sale of the house. What will he receive when his aunt dies? 2 earn, be paid, make, draw, gross, net, clear, pocket, Colloq take home, walk off or away with, US pull down: He receives a bigger weekly salary than I make in a year. 3 greet, meet, welcome; show in, give entr�e, let in, admit: We received our guests in the foyer. 4 experience, undergo, endure, suffer, bear, sustain, be subjected to, meet with: In return for helping him all I received was a punch in the nose. 5 gather, hear, learn, ascertain, be told, be informed or notified of, find out, pick up: We only received the information yesterday that you were coming to stay for a month.
recent | recent: adj. late, latest, new, just out, brand-new, fresh; current, modern, up to date, late-model: This feature is now supplied as standard on all our more recent models. Recent arrivals will be interviewed by the committee.
receptacle | receptacle: n. container, holder, repository; box, tin, can, case, casket, chest, reliquary, vessel, bag, basket: Please put the rubbish into the receptacle. She kept the diamond in a velvet-lined receptacle which she always carried with her.
reception | reception: n. 1 welcome, greeting, treatment, reaction, response: My suggestion that we open a bottle of champagne met with a warm reception. 2 party, levee, social, soir�e, function; opening, preview, vernissage, Colloq do: Would you like to go to a reception at the new art gallery next week?
receptive | receptive: adj. 1 open, hospitable, amenable, pervious, persuasible, tractable, flexible, pliant, interested, willing, responsive: I have always found Peggy receptive to suggestions on improving productivity and efficiency. 2 quick, alert, perceptive, astute, intelligent, keen, sharp, bright, sensitive: Julia has a receptive mind.
recess | recess: n. 1 alcove, niche, nook, cranny, bay, hollow: The statuette fits perfectly in that recess outside the library. 2 respite, rest, interlude, time off, break, intermission, breather, breathing-spell, pause; holiday, vacation: A brief recess has been scheduled to allow us to relax before continuing. 3 recesses. innermost reaches, corners, secret places, depths, penetralia: I searched for her name in the recesses of my mind.
recession | recession: n. set-back, (economic) downturn, slump, decline, dip, depression: The slowing of the economy led to a recession which soon deepened into a depression.
recipe | recipe: n. 1 formula, prescription: Elizabeth gave me a marvellous recipe for chocolate cake. 2 plan, procedure, method, approach, technique, way, means, system, programme, modus operandi, Colloq US MO: The minister insists that his recipe for conquering inflation will work.
recipient | recipient: n. receiver, beneficiary, heir or heiress, legatee: Who is the current recipient of her favours?
reciprocal | reciprocal: adj. mutual, exchanged, returned, complementary, correlative, common, shared, joint, requited: The reciprocal courtesies enjoyed among our neighbours benefit us all.
reciprocate | reciprocate: v. repay, recompense, requite, exchange, return, trade, match, equal, correspond: You have always been very kind to me and I want to reciprocate in any way I can.
recital | recital: n. 1 (solo) concert, performance, musicale, presentation, show, entertainment: We have tickets to a recital for that night. 2 report, narration, account, recitation, description, relation, telling, recounting, narrative, rendition, interpretation, version, recapitulation, rehearsal, repetition, Colloq recap: A reporter who was on the flight provided us with a recital of the events leading up to the crash.
recitation | recitation: n. 1 reciting, performance, reading, monologue: At the age of four Simon delighted his parents with his recitation of ''The Charge of the Light Brigade''. 2 See recital, 2, above.
recite | recite: v. 1 quote, repeat, present: In the old days, children were often called upon to recite poems they had learned by heart. 2 report, narrate, recount, relate, tell, describe, detail, chronicle, list, share, recapitulate, repeat, Colloq recap: Again I recited every particular of the hold-up that I could recall.
reckless | reckless: adj. careless, rash, thoughtless, incautious, heedless, foolhardy, imprudent, unwise, injudicious, impulsive, irresponsible, negligent, unmindful, foolish, devil-may-care, daredevil, wild, breakneck, dangerous, madcap, mad, hare-brained: I won''t go with Oliver because he''s a reckless driver.
reckon | reckon: v. 1 Often, reckon up. calculate, compute, add (up), figure (up), tally (up), sum up, total (up), work out or up: If you reckon up the bill, I''ll pay it at once. 2 include, count, number, enumerate, list, name, consider, account, judge, deem, look upon, regard, view, think of, hold, gauge, estimate, appraise, value, rank, rate, class: I have always reckoned Arthur as being among my closest friends. 3 suppose, think, assume, presume, dare say, venture, imagine, fancy, consider, conclude, be of the opinion, US or colloq guess: She reckoned that no one could accuse her of idle chatter. 4 reckon on or upon. count on, rely on, depend on, lean on, trust in, take for granted, Colloq bank on: I was reckoning on your help, and I hope you won''t disappoint me. 5 reckon with. a settle (accounts) with, take care of, look after, see or attend to, deal with, handle, pay attention to, think about: I have to go now, but I''ll reckon with you later. b take into account or consideration, consider, contemplate, account for, remember, bear in mind: He thought he had got away with it, but he failed to reckon with Inspector Harris of the CID.
reckoning | reckoning: n. 1 counting, calculating, calculation, computation, enumeration, addition: The reckoning of Old Style dates used the Julian calendar. 2 bill, account, invoice, US check, Colloq chiefly US and Canadian tab: If you let me have the reckoning, I''ll pay it with my credit card. 3 (last) judgement, retribution, final account(ing) or settlement, doom: On the day of reckoning we must all face the music.
reclaim | reclaim: v. restore, recover, rescue, redeem, salvage, save, regain, retrieve, regenerate, rejuvenate: Much of the farmland was reclaimed from the sea.
recline | recline: v. lie (down), lie back, lean back, lounge, rest, repose, sprawl, loll, stretch out: Just recline on the sofa and make yourself comfortable.
recluse | recluse: n. hermit, anchorite or anchoress, monk or nun, eremite: For the past ten years, he has been living the life of a recluse.
reclusive | reclusive: adj. solitary, lone, secluded, isolated, eremitic(al), hermitic, anchoritic, monastic, cloistered, sequestered, retiring, shut off: She insists that she enjoys her reclusive existence.
recognition | recognition: n. 1 identification, detection: Her recognition of the man on TV led to his arrest. 2 acknowledgement, notice, attention, cognizance, acceptance, awareness, perception, admission; honour, appreciation: The award was a recognition of his contributions to scientific knowledge.
recognize | recognize: v. 1 identify, detect, place, recall, remember, recollect, know (again): I recognized him from seeing his picture in the newspaper. 2 acknowledge, perceive, understand, realize, see, admit, accept, own, concede, allow, grant, appreciate, respect, be aware of: He refuses to recognize that he is responsible for his own actions. 3 approve, sanction, endorse, accept, validate, ratify: A totalitarian government refuses to recognize the rights of the individual. 4 honour, give recognition to, salute, show gratitude or appreciation, reward, distinguish, pay respect, do homage: The society recognizes Dr Jackson for his many contributions to science.
recoil | recoil: v. 1 jerk or jump or spring back, start, flinch, wince, shrink, blench, balk or baulk, shy (away) (from): He recoiled when confronted with the evidence of the gruesome experiments with live animals. 2 rebound, bounce back, resile, kick back: When fired, the gun recoiled, bruising his shoulder. --n. 3 kick, rebound, repercussion, backlash: He was unprepared for the violent recoil of the old gun.
recollect | recollect: v. recall, remember, call to mind: Now that you mention it, I do recollect your asking me to buy some milk when I went out.
recollection | recollection: n. memory, recall, remembrance, impression, reminiscence: My brother''s recollection of our grandparents is quite different from mine.
recommend | recommend: v. 1 counsel, advise, guide, urge, exhort, suggest, advocate, propose, (put) forward, propound, persuade: He recommended that the entire system should be changed. 2 endorse, praise, commend, mention favourably, vouch for, second, subscribe to, back, push, favour, approve, underwrite, stand up for, support, promote, Colloq tout, plug: I wish Charles would stop recommending his brother-in-law for a job with us. 3 make attractive or advisable or interesting or acceptable: Wendover has little to recommend it as a tourist spot.
recommendation | recommendation: n. 1 counsel, advice, guidance, urging, exhortation, direction, encouragement, suggestion, prompting, advocacy, proposal: It was on your recommendation that we tried that restaurant. 2 endorsement, praise, commendation, favourable mention, backing, blessing, approval, approbation, support, promotion, good word, testimonial, say-so: The chairman of the board gave Caswell''s brother-in-law his personal recommendation.
reconcile | reconcile: v. 1 get or bring (back) together, unite, reunite, settle or resolve differences between, restore harmony between, make peace between, placate, make compatible: Do you think that a marriage counsellor could help reconcile John and Martha? 2 resign, submit, accommodate, adjust: Lady Mary Wortley Montague wrote that she was reconciled to being a woman when she reflected that she was thus in no danger of ever marrying one.
reconciliation | reconciliation: n. 1 conciliation, appeasement, propitiation, pacification, placation, rapprochement, reconcilement, understanding, d�tente, reunion, harmony, concord, accord, amity, rapport: It was with great effort that the reconciliation between the two families was finally arranged. 2 compromise, settlement, agreement, arbitration, conformity, compatibility, adjustment: Reconciliation of their differences seems difficult but not impossible.
recondite | recondite: adj. abstruse, arcane, obscure, esoteric, deep, profound, incomprehensible, unfathomable, impenetrable, undecipherable, opaque, dark, occult, cabbalistic or cabalistic or kabbalistic, inexplicable, enigmatic: I have difficulty following the more recondite aspects of information theory.
reconnaissance | reconnaissance: n. survey, examination, scouting, exploration, reconnoitring, investigation, inspection, scrutiny, Slang Brit recce: Their reconnaissance showed that the enemy forces had withdrawn.
reconnoitre | reconnoitre: v. survey, examine, scout (out), scan, explore, investigate, inspect, scrutinize, check out, check up (on), Slang Brit recce: We reconnoitred the territory and reported the enemy troop movements.
record | record: v. 1 write (down), transcribe, document, register, note, make a notation (of), take down, put or set down, log, chronicle, report, itemize, list, enumerate: I recorded the events of the day in my diary. 2 tell of, relate, recount, narrate, recite: The chronicle records an eyewitness account of the battle. --n. 3 recording, report, document, log, journal, memorandum, note, notation, minute(s), transactions, archive(s), annal(s), chronicle, diary, account, dossier, register, list, catalogue: Patricia has kept a careful record of all the men whose books she has ever read. 4 documentation, data, information, evidence; memorial, memento, souvenir: There is no record of your birth in the church archive. I took away a piece of the Berlin Wall as a record of my visit. 5 (best) performance, track record, accomplishment; time; distance; height: Her records for the 110-metre hurdles and the high jump still stand. 6 accomplishment(s), deed(s), history, reputation, curriculum vitae, CV, Colloq track record: He has a record of being late everywhere. His criminal record is none too savoury. 7 disc, recording, album, release, LP (= ''long playing''), 78, 331/3, 45, EP (= ''extended play''), maxisingle, compact disc, CD, Brit gramophone record, US phonograph record, Colloq single, Slang US platter: We put a jazz combo together and cut a few records last year. 8 off the record. confidential(ly), private(ly), not for publication, secret(ly), in confidence, unofficial(ly), sub rosa: We cannot publish his statement, which was off the record. Off the record, I''ll tell you where Hazel is staying. --adj. 9 record-breaking, extreme: Last week we had a record snowfall.
recount | recount: v. 1 relate, narrate, tell, recite, report, communicate, impart, unfold: The old man recounted for us the legend of the two-headed lamb. 2 particularize, review, detail, describe, enumerate, specify: Must I recount every particular all over again?
recoup | recoup: v. regain, make good, make up, recompense, repay, recover; refund, redeem, reimburse, remunerate: From his profits on the Culpepper deal, he recouped all the losses he had sustained when Cranston Ltd failed.
recourse | recourse: n. 1 resort, access, entr�e, admittance, availability: They are completely isolated and without recourse to help from the outside world. 2 resource, backup, reserve, refuge, place to turn, alternative, remedy: The company has no recourse against the authorities.
recover | recover: v. 1 regain, get or take or win or make back (again), recoup, repossess, retake, recapture, restore, retrieve, reclaim, redeem: It was impossible to recover the time lost. After a fierce battle, the territory was recovered. 2 get well or better, recuperate, convalesce, mend, return to health, regain one''s strength or health, be on the mend, heal, improve, revive, rally, take a turn for the better, get back on one''s feet, pull through: It took me a week to recover from the operation. Lucy had a virus, but she''s recovering now. 3 save, salvage, deliver, rescue, return, bring back, reclaim, retrieve: They never did recover the gold from the sunken ship.
recovery | recovery: n. 1 recuperation, convalescence, restoration, improvement, healing, rally, turn for the better; rise, revival, increase, amelioration, bettering, betterment, advance, gain, advance, advancement, Colloq pick-up, comeback: After so serious an illness, Bentley has made a remarkable recovery. Share prices staged a recovery after the reduction in interest rates. 2 retrieval, recouping, repossession, retaking, restoration, reclamation; recapture, redemption: The recovery of the stolen gems was credited to excellent detective work. Hard fighting resulted in the recovery of the land west of the river. 3 salvage, delivery, deliverance, rescue, return, saving, reclamation, retrieval: Recovery of the climbers'' bodies from the ravine was very hazardous.
recreation | recreation: n. entertainment, amusement, enjoyment, diversion, distraction, fun and games, leisure (activity), pastime, relaxation, sport, play: What do you like to do for recreation? His favourite recreation is building model aeroplanes.
recrimination | recrimination: n. counter-accusation, countercharge, retaliation, counter-attack, blaming, aspersion, reprisal: Recriminations for real and imagined ills were continually exchanged throughout their marriage.
recruit | recruit: v. 1 draft, induct, enlist, enrol, muster, raise, call up, conscript, mobilize, impress, levy: Owing to the nefarious enemy attack, there was little time to recruit men for a strong fighting force. --n. 2 conscript, trainee, beginner, apprentice, initiate, novice, neophyte, tiro or tyro, US draftee, enlistee, Colloq greenhorn, rookie: The new recruits have to be issued with their uniforms and other gear.
rectify | rectify: v. correct, revise, redress, put or set right, cure, repair, remedy, improve, emend, fix, adjust, square, ameliorate: What do you intend to do to rectify the damage you have done?
rectitude | rectitude: n. propriety, correctness, morality, uprightness, probity, virtue, decency, goodness, honesty, integrity, incorruptibility, righteousness, principle, good character, respectability, unimpeachability: Fred''s unquestioned moral rectitude makes him an outstanding candidate for membership.
recumbent | recumbent: adj. reclining, lying down, flat on one''s back, horizontal, lying, reposing, accumbent, decumbent, supine, stretched out; leaning (back): Oscar resumed his recumbent posture, sprawled out on the cushions.
recuperate | recuperate: v. improve, recover, convalesce, get better, rally, revive, mend, heal, get back on one''s feet, regain one''s health, pull through, survive, take a turn for the better: Paul went to Ibiza to recuperate from his illness.
recur | recur: v. return, happen or occur again, reoccur, repeat, come (back) again, reappear: The condition recurred after a year, and he was obliged to have another operation.
recurrent | recurrent: adj. repeated, recurring, returning, reoccurring, reappearing, frequent, periodic, cyclical, regular, repetitive, repetitious, persistent, incessant, continual, intermittent, habitual, iterative: She told the psychiatrist about her recurrent dream of flying.
redeem | redeem: v. 1 reclaim, recover, regain, repossess, retrieve, get back, buy back, repurchase; pay off, Brit clear: He went into the pawn shop to redeem the gold watch. 2 rescue, ransom, deliver, free, save, liberate, set free, emancipate, release: He was able to redeem the boy only after paying the kidnappers. 3 exchange, cash (in), collect on, trade in: These coupons must be redeemed before the end of the month. 4 rehabilitate, save, reform, convert, absolve, restore to favour, reinstate: She can be redeemed only by atoning for her sins. 5 make amends for, make up for, atone for, redress, compensate for, offset, make restitution for: Do you think that 200 hours of community service was enough to redeem his crime of snatching handbags in the shopping centre? 6 perform, fulfil, keep, make good (on), discharge, satisfy, abide by, keep faith with, be faithful to, hold to, carry out, see through: Helen is here to redeem her promise to help at the charity bazaar.
red-handed | red-handed: adj. in the (very) act, (in) flagrante delicto, Colloq with one''s hand in the till, US with one''s hand in the cookie-jar: There''s no doubt that Rick did it - he was caught red-handed.
redolent | redolent: adj. 1 fragrant, sweet-smelling, aromatic, perfumed, odorous, scented, savoury: The entire house was redolent with the odour of pine needles. 2 redolent with or of. reminiscent of, suggestive of, evocative of, remindful of, characteristic of, having the earmarks or hallmark of: The style of the film is redolent of 1930s Hollywood.
reduce | reduce: v. 1 cut (back), cut down (on), decrease, diminish, moderate, abate, lessen, shorten, truncate, abbreviate, abridge, curtail, crop, trim, compress, restrict, limit, stunt: We must reduce expenses this year. 2 ease (up on), let up (on), decrease, mitigate, tone down, slacken up (on): It will reduce the burden of your costs if you share with me. 3 lose weight, slim (down), diet, trim down, Chiefly US slenderize: You''ll have to reduce to fit into that dress, Betty. 4 change, modify, adjust, turn, convert; break down or up, grind, rub, triturate, pulp, powder: Payment of the debt reduced me to poverty. The first step is to reduce the liquid to a thick extract. 5 cut, decrease, trim, bring down, lower, drop, mark down, slash, Colloq knock down: The prices on these shoes have been reduced for a quick sale. 6 demote, degrade, lower, downgrade, break; humble; Military US and Canadian bust: He was reduced in rank from sergeant to private. 7 diminish, lessen, bring down, depreciate, subdue, belittle, minimize: He was reduced in her estimation when she saw the deprecating way his friends treated him. 8 Medicine set, adjust, reset: The doctor caused little pain when he reduced her dislocated finger.
redundant | redundant: adj. 1 superfluous, unnecessary, surplus, inessential or unessential, non-essential, unneeded, unwanted, de trop, in excess, excessive: He was made redundant at the age of forty-five and was unable to find another job. 2 wordy, verbose, prolix, over-long, long-winded, repetitious, tautologic(al) or tautologous, circumlocutory, roundabout: The book would be improved if certain redundant passages were improved.
reek | reek: v. 1 stink or smell (to high heaven), Slang Brit pong, hum: Allie reeks from cleaning out the stable. 2 smoke, steam: It is because it used to reek so badly that Edinburgh acquired its nickname, ''Auld Reekie''. --n. 3 stink, stench, fetor or foetor, miasma, mephitis, odour, smell, Slang Brit hum, pong: The reek of rotting vegetation permeated the atmosphere. 4 fumes, smoke, steam, vapour, exhalation, cloud, mist: He delighted in the redolent reek that arose from the haggis.
reel | reel: v. 1 stagger, totter, waver, stumble, lurch, falter, roll, rock, sway, flounder, pitch: Chris came reeling down the lane, dead drunk. 2 reel off. list, recite, rattle off, enumerate, review, itemize, name, read off, call off, run through, run over: Under questioning, the suspect began to reel off the names of his accomplices.
refer | refer: v. 1 Often, refer to. allude to, make reference to, mention, make mention of, touch on, bring up, advert to, speak of, turn or call or direct attention to, direct to, point to, indicate, specify, name, concern, quote, cite, make a note of, take note of, note: A footnote refers to the author''s article on netsukes. 2 assign, hand over, pass on or over, send, direct, commit: I was referred to your office for information about rates. The question will be referred to committee. 3 Usually, refer to. look at, use, study, check, consult, resort to, have recourse to, turn to, appeal to, confer with; talk to, ask, inquire or enquire of, apply to: For information about words, you should refer to a dictionary. Refer to the departmental office for Professor Clarke''s address. 4 Usually, refer to. mean, signify, denote, say: What are you referring to?
reference | reference: n. 1 allusion, mention, remark, referral, direction, indication, specification, naming, quotation, citation, note, notation, notification, hint, intimation, innuendo, insinuation: I can''t find a reference in any footnote. Few readers make use of the bibliographical references in scholarly articles. Her persistent references to my baldness embarrass me. 2 regard, concern, connection, respect, relation, relevance, pertinence: People are selected without reference to race, creed, colour, sex, or age. 3 endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, certification; credentials: I relied on my former employer to give me a good reference. We shall not be needing to take up your references.
refine | refine: v. 1 purify, cleanse, clear, clarify, decontaminate: They continued to refine the liquid till all the impurities were gone. 2 cultivate, civilize, polish, improve, elevate, perfect: He is trying to refine his speech by getting rid of his country accent. 3 hone, sharpen, concentrate, focus, subtilize: We ought to refine our argument for higher wages before approaching the management.
refined | refined: adj. 1 cultivated, cultured, civilized, polished, sophisticated, urbane, elegant, well-bred, genteel, courtly, ladylike, gentlemanly, polite, courteous, mannerly, well-mannered, gracious, gentle, noble, aristocratic, dignified, elevated, Colloq posh: It is seldom that I find myself in such refined company. 2 subtle, discriminating, discerning, sensitive, fastidious, nice, precise, exacting, cultured, educated, cultivated, knowledgeable, advanced, sophisticated: Her taste in the visual arts is fairly refined, but she knows little about music. 3 exact, precise, fine, subtle, sensitive, nice, sophisticated: In his poetry one encounters an extremely refined use of metaphor. These new devices are far more refined than any previously available. 4 purified, clarified, cleansed, pure, clean; distilled: Only refined chemicals may be used in pharmaceuticals.
refinement | refinement: n. 1 culture, polish, elegance, sophistication, urbanity, urbaneness, breeding, cultivation, gentility, propriety, courtliness, civility, politeness, politesse, delicacy, tact, diplomacy, finesse, suavity, suaveness, taste, tastefulness, discrimination, discernment, sensitivity: He drank thirstily, with no pretence at refinement. 2 subtlety, nicety, nuance, distinction, detail, fine point, delicacy, minutia; fastidiousness, finickiness: The latest version contains refinements that are beyond the appreciation of all but a few. 3 refining, purification, purifying, clarification, clarifying, cleaning, cleansing; filtration, distillation: The sugar must undergo refinement before being sold commercially. 4 improvement, betterment, bettering, enhancement, development, perfection: She is working on the refinement of her technique before performing in public.
reflect | reflect: v. 1 mirror, send or throw back, reproduce, return; echo: The smooth surface of the lake reflected the sunlight. The radio waves are reflected and focused by this parabolic dish. 2 show, demonstrate, exhibit, illustrate, exemplify, reveal, lay bare, expose, display, disclose, bring to light, uncover, point to, indicate, suggest, evidence: They say that your true emotions are reflected in your dreams. His crime reflects the depths of depravity to which a person can sink. 3 Often, reflect about or on. think (about or over or on), contemplate, muse (about or on), consider, ponder (about or over or on), deliberate (on or over), ruminate or meditate (about or on or over), cogitate (about or on or over); mull over, weigh, evaluate, examine: I was just sitting here reflecting. I was reflecting on what you said about wanting to quit your job. 4 reflect on or upon. result in, end in, bring, attract, cast, throw: The success of the team reflects credit on the coach.
reflection | reflection: n. 1 image, echo, Brit reflexion: Sonar works by detecting the reflection of generated sound waves. 2 thought, thinking, meditation, meditating, consideration, cogitation, rumination, deliberation, deliberating, pondering, study, cerebration: After a moment''s reflection, I arrived at the same conclusion as you had. 3 aspersion, imputation; effect: Any reflection on his reputation might harm his career. 4 result, sign, token, symbol, mark; evidence, testimony, testament, proof, substantiation, corroboration: Her tears are a reflection of how she feels about having betrayed me.
reflective | reflective: adj. reflecting, thoughtful, pensive, contemplative, meditating, musing, meditative, cogitating, cogitative, ruminating, deliberative, deliberating, pondering: I found Alan in a reflective mood, staring out of the window.
reform | reform: v. 1 improve, better, ameliorate, meliorate, emend, rectify, correct, mend, repair, fix, remedy, redo, revise, revolutionize, rehabilitate, remodel, refashion, renovate, reorganize, rebuild, recover: The first thing to be done was to reform the political system. 2 mend one''s ways, turn over a new leaf, Colloq go straight: After three convictions in as many years, there seemed little chance that he would reform. --n. 3 improvement, betterment, amelioration, melioration, emendation, rectification, correction, rehabilitation, change, modification, perestroika, reorganization, renovation, recovery: Many believe that prison reform would reduce crime by second offenders. The many reforms introduced by the president were condemned by hard-line party members.
reform school | reform school: n. Brit youth custody centre, CHE (= ''community home (with education on the premises'')), Formerly Borstal, approved school, US reformatory: He was sent to a reform school because of his persistent misbehaviour.
refrain� | refrain�: v. 1 Usually, refrain from. keep (from), forbear, abstain (from), eschew, avoid: Whatever you do, refrain from whistling on board his boat. 2 stop, cease, give up, discontinue, desist, quit, leave off, renounce: You must refrain from calling the headmaster, ''Pops'', even if he is your father.
refrain� | refrain�: n. melody, song, tune, chorus, burden, reprise: It was one of those long boring folk songs with a refrain that we were all supposed to join in.
refresh | refresh: v. 1 enliven, renew, revive, freshen (up), resuscitate, bring back to life, breathe new life into, invigorate, vitalize, energize, brace, fortify, exhilarate, revitalize, reinvigorate, reanimate: I felt fully refreshed after a short nap. 2 arouse, rouse, awaken, waken, reawaken, stimulate, jog, prod, activate: Would you mind refreshing my memory as to when and where we last met? 3 fix up, repair, redo, revamp, overhaul, spruce up, recondition, renovate, refurbish, refurnish; renew, restock, restore: All the rooms in the hotel have been recently refreshed. We took the opportunity of the ship''s arrival to refresh our supplies.
refreshing | refreshing: adj. invigorating, stimulating, bracing, exhilarating, fresh, inspiriting, fortifying, tonic, like a breath of fresh air, rejuvenating, enlivening, vitalizing, revitalizing; cooling, thirst-quenching, slaking: It''s refreshing to be around young people. I would love a cool refreshing glass of beer right now.
refreshment | refreshment: n. 1 Usually, refreshments. nourishment, nutriment, sustenance, restorative, food, drink(s), edibles, eatables, bite, snack(s), titbit(s), Slang grub, eats, chow, nosh: Will they be serving refreshments after the meeting? 2 stimulation, invigoration, exhilaration, tonic, rejuvenation, enlivenment, revival, restoration, renewal, resuscitation, fortification, reinforcement: The library provides an oasis of mental refreshment.
refrigerate | refrigerate: v. cool, chill, keep cool or cold or chilled, ice, freeze: The souffl� must be refrigerated for three hours to allow it to set.
refuge | refuge: n. 1 sanctuary, shelter, haven, asylum, protection, cover, retreat, harbour, security, safe house, stronghold, citadel, bolt-hole, hideaway, hide-out, Colloq hidy-hole or hidey-hole: The abandoned mine served as a refuge from the storm. 2 excuse, pretext, resort, recourse, ruse, trick, stratagem, subterfuge, dodge, evasion, expedient: Patriotism is often the last refuge of a scoundrel.
refugee | refugee: n. fugitive, runaway, escapee, displaced person, DP, exile, �migr�: The problem of the refugees was most acute after the war.
refurbish | refurbish: v. restore, refurnish, redecorate, clean (up), polish, renew, renovate, spruce up, remodel, refit, overhaul, repair, recondition, revamp, rebuild, Colloq do up, US fix up: The person who bought the house refurbished it completely, at enormous expense.
refusal | refusal: n. 1 denial, rejection, disapproval, turn-down: She pleaded against the grand vizier''s refusal to grant amnesty to her brother. 2 option, choice, privilege, disposal: We were promised first refusal on the house should it come on the market.
refuse� | refuse�: v. 1 decline, reject, spurn, repudiate, turn down, rebuff, give (something) the thumbs down, US turn thumbs down on, Colloq pass by or up: They refused our application to build a hotel here. Did he actually refuse a knighthood? 2 deny, deprive (of), withhold, disallow, not allow or permit: They refused me my right to vote.
refuse� | refuse�: n. rubbish, sweepings, waste, litter, dust, dirt, dregs, dross, garbage, debris, detritus, cast-offs, junk, Chiefly US trash: Refuse collection is scheduled for once a week.
regal | regal: adj. 1 royal, kingly, queenly, princely, fit for or befitting a king or queen, noble, lordly, sovereign, majestic, imperial, stately, splendid, magnificent, grand, resplendent, palatial, exalted: The regal throne was decorated with gold and precious stones. 2 disdainful, haughty, proud, scornful, contumelious, contemptuous, derisory, derisive, pompous, lordly: She was dismissed with a regal wave of the hand.
regale | regale: v. entertain, amuse, delight, divert, indulge, please, gratify, captivate, fascinate, entrance, enchant, spellbind, bewitch, charm, enrapture: She regaled them with entertaining tales of her travels.
regalia | regalia: n. finery, decorations, insignia, emblems, accoutrements, furnishings, apparatus, gear, paraphernalia, trappings, tackle, appurtenances, equipment, equipage: The Bishop was dressed in full regalia with mitre and crook.
regard | regard: v. 1 view, look at or upon or on, observe, note, notice, watch, eye, keep an eye on, gaze at or upon, stare at: The children regarded the magician''s performance with great interest. 2 contemplate, consider, perceive, view, look upon or on, treat: The lion looked at me as if he regarded me as his dinner. Smith appears to regard his appointment as treasurer as a licence to steal. 3 respect, esteem, value: Gwen''s friends regard her very highly indeed. 4 consider, view, look upon or on, think (of), judge, deem, rate, believe (to be), gauge, see, pay heed or attention to, esteem, account, take into account, imagine, reckon, evaluate: I don''t regard her as a likely suspect. He regards his professor as his mentor. 5 concern, relate to, be relevant to, pertain to, apply to, refer to, affect, have (a) bearing on, bear on or upon, involve, have to do with, go for: Our discussion regarded the disappearance of �10 from petty cash. --n. 6 reference, relation, relevance, relevancy, association, pertinence, application, bearing, connection, link, tie-in: We would like to talk to you with regard to your application for the post of assistant editor. 7 respect, consideration, attention, reverence, veneration, awe, deference, honour, favour, esteem, high opinion, approval, approbation, appreciation, admiration, affection, fondness: They have no regard for the law. 8 point, particular, respect, aspect, detail, matter: In this regard, I must take your past record into consideration. 9 care, concern, thought, consideration, respect, sympathy, feeling, sentiment; heed, attention, notice, mind: The police behave as if they have no regard for the safety of the hostages. This work reflects the artisan''s regard for detail. 10 regards. best wishes, good wishes, compliments, greetings, respects, salutations, Archaic devoirs: Please give my regards to your father.
regarding | regarding: adj. concerning, about, respecting, with regard to, with respect to, with reference to, on or in the matter of, pertaining to, on the subject of, apropos, re, Law in re, Archaic or Scots anent, Dialect anenst: We have received your letter regarding poor service. Regarding your claim, the processing of it has been delayed because you failed to sign the form.
regardless | regardless: adj. 1 Sometimes, regardless of. despite, notwithstanding; in spite of, heedless of, Non-Standard irregardless: Regardless of her father''s protestations, she continued to go out with William. --adv. 2 notwithstanding, nevertheless, no matter what, in any event, in any case, at all events, anyway, anyhow, Non-Standard irregardless: She heard his threats but is going out with William regardless.
regime | regime: n. r�gime, regimen, reign, government, rule, regulation, administration, direction, order, leadership, management, system, discipline: Persistent offenders were given harsh penalties under the new regime.
regiment | regiment: v. discipline, order, organize, systematize, whip into shape, standardize, regulate, control: I dislike the way management regiments people in this establishment, as if they were schoolchildren.
region | region: n. 1 district, area, zone, territory, division, locality, sector, section, tract, part, dominion, precinct, province, quarter, department: Each region is under the suzerainty of a powerful dictator. 2 sphere, territory, domain, province, field, ambit, pale, jurisdiction, bailiwick: She is an expert in the region of climatology.
register | register: n. 1 record, roll, roster, rota, catalogue, annal(s), archive(s), journal, daybook, diary, appointment book, calendar, chronicle, schedule, programme, directory, ledger, file, index, inventory, list, listing, poll, tally,: The council holds a register of all houses sold since 1900 with the names of both sellers and buyers. 2 cash register, till, money box, cash-box: The money in the register does not agree with the figures for receipts. --v. 3 record, write or jot or take or put or set down, list, enrol, sign in or on or up, enter, catalogue, log, index, chronicle, note, make or take note (of): All transactions must be registered. 4 show, display, express, indicate, manifest, reveal, betray, divulge, record, reflect: James pretended to like my book, but his contempt for it was registered on his face. 5 make known, inform of, advise, transmit, communicate, record, note, make note of, report, write down, minute: I wish to register my disapproval of the way prisoners are treated here. 6 check in, sign in or on, log in: In the US, all aliens are required to register each year in January. We registered in the hotel as man and wife. 7 Sometimes, register with or on. sink in, impress, become apparent (to), make an impression (on), come home (to), get through (to); dawn on or upon, occur to: I heard what you said, but it just didn''t register. The name didn''t register with me at first, but I now know who you are. 8 indicate, read, mark, represent, measure, point to, specify, exhibit, show, manifest: The earthquake registered 7 on the Richter scale.
regret | regret: v. 1 rue, mourn, lament, bemoan, bewail, repent, be or feel sorry for, feel remorse for, feel or be remorseful over, be or feel upset, never forgive oneself, deplore, deprecate, weep or cry over: You will regret speaking to me that way! The management regrets any inconvenience caused by the redecoration of the restaurant. --n. 2 Sometimes, regrets. repentance, guilt, sorrow, disappointment, contrition, remorse, regretfulness, (pang or pangs of) conscience, self-reproach, self-condemnation, qualm, second thoughts, rue, ruefulness, grief, woe, sadness, mournfulness, Literary dolour: He felt no regret for his evil deeds. Do you ever have any regrets over the way you treated him? 3 regrets. refusal, non-acceptance, non-consent, US turn-down: Thank you for the invitation, but I must tender my regrets.
regretful | regretful: adj. rueful, mournful, sad, repentant, guilty, sorry, sorrowful, disappointed, contrite, remorseful, apologetic, penitent: He was most regretful for the way he had behaved.
regrettable | regrettable: adj. lamentable, deplorable, woeful, sad, distressing, upsetting, unhappy, unfortunate, unlucky, too bad, awful, terrible, execrable, reprehensible, wrong, shameful, shaming, Colloq tough, rough: It is regrettable that he had the car crash, but he had been warned about drinking and driving.
regular | regular: adj. 1 routine, ordinary, common, everyday, customary, accustomed, wonted, commonplace, normal, usual, traditional, time-honoured, conventional, typical, habitual, natural, familiar, standard, predictable, scheduled, fixed, unvarying, invariable, methodical: The attack occurred while Eric was taking his regular evening stroll. 2 scheduled, routine, systematic, ordered, steady, consistent, rhythmic(al), automatic, uniform, periodic, cyclic(al); hourly, daily, weekly, hebdomadal, semi-weekly, biweekly, fortnightly, semi-monthly, monthly, bimonthly, seasonal, quarterly, semi-annual, annual: The patrol made their regular rounds, as usual. The printers'' strike might delay regular publication of the magazine. 3 symmetrical, uniform, even, even-sided, equal-sided, equilateral, equal-angled, equiangular; harmonious: Any six-sided plane figure is a hexagon, but if it has six equal angles and six sides equal in length, it is a regular hexagon. 4 undistorted, even, well-proportioned, proportional, symmetrical, classic: He was classically good-looking, with regular features. 5 even, smooth, level, straight, uniform, uninterrupted, unvarying, continuous, flat, plane, plumb: The surface of the wing is regular except for the spoilers. 6 dependable, methodical, (well-)regulated, (well-)ordered, orderly; proper, correct, legal, official, bona fide, legitimate, established, recognized, orthodox, approved, Colloq kosher, OK or okay: Everything about the council election was entirely regular. 7 usual, expected, normal, habitual, accustomed, familiar: Our regular doctor was on holiday, and we had to see a locum. 8 acceptable, accepted, estimable, fine, good, likeable, popular, pleasant: We all consider Bob to be a regular fellow and a friend. 9 complete, utter, thoroughgoing, unmitigated, unalloyed, unqualified, consummate, perfect, thorough, absolute, well-known, acknowledged: The man is a regular dunce when it comes to repairing cars. 10 permanent, career: She''s in the regular navy. 11 conventional, usual, common, conformable, ordinary, systematic, Colloq US ruly: Regular English verbs form their past by the addition of -d or -ed to the infinitive. --n. 12 fixture, habitu�, (steady) customer, patron, client, frequenter: Jan has been a regular at the Star and Garter pub for years.
regularity | regularity: n. 1 consistency, constancy, uniformity, evenness, sameness, symmetry, balance, harmony, harmoniousness, orderliness, order, stability, predictability: To the casual observer, nothing interferes with the regularity of planetary movement. 2 routine, reliability, dependability, steadiness, invariability; pace, rhythm, cadence: Mr Warbridge listens to the six o''clock evening news with unfailing regularity. Our business depends on the regularity of the postal service. The regularity of the ticking of the clock is driving me mad.
regulate | regulate: v. 1 adjust, modify, modulate, control, balance, set, fix, order, govern, organize, maintain, manage: The mixture of air and fuel in modern cars is regulated by an injection system. The responsibility of this department is to regulate prices. 2 control, monitor, govern, run, operate, administer, handle, guide, steer, conduct, direct, supervise, superintend, oversee, manage: The foreman''s job is to regulate the work on the assembly line.
regulation | regulation: n. 1 adjustment, modification, modulation, control, balance, balancing, setting, fixing, organization, maintenance: The regulation of the temperature is accomplished by the thermostat. 2 rule, ruling, law, code, by-law or bye-law, edict, order, ordinance, statute, decree, directive, dictate: There are strict regulations governing the sale, disposal, and movement of radioactive materials. 3 edict, ukase, pronouncement, fiat, (papal) bull, proclamation: A regulation was issued against meetings of more than five people. --adj. 4 standard, accepted, official, required, prescribed, mandatory: The soldier was not wearing a regulation uniform. 5 usual, normal, ordinary, customary, typical: If you use anything but regulation accessories, the guarantee will be null and void.
regurgitate | regurgitate: v. vomit, disgorge, return one''s dinner, spew up, (of birds of prey) cast; retch, gag; Colloq throw up, upchuck, Slang puke, US spiff one''s biscuits, barf: The child regurgitated its dinner all over the inside of the car.
rehabilitate | rehabilitate: v. 1 restore, save, reclaim, rescue, redeem, re-establish, reinstate, re-educate, reorient, reform, US straighten out, Colloq US rehab: They have had marked success at rehabilitating criminals. 2 renew, redecorate, renovate, refurbish, restore, fix (up), repair, reconstruct, rebuild, change, transform: Sam has plans to rehabilitate vintage cars for a living.
rehash | rehash: v. 1 rework, go over again, restate, redo, rearrange, reshuffle, reuse: Heverton has nothing new to offer - he just keeps on rehashing the same old material. --n. 2 reworking, restatement, redoing, rearrangement, reshuffle, reshuffling, reuse, rewording: Her speech was a mere rehash of what she''s said scores of times already.
rehearsal | rehearsal: n. 1 practice, exercise, dry run, drill, run-through, read-through, dress rehearsal, Technical undress rehearsal: Is there a rehearsal of the school play scheduled for tonight? 2 narration, recounting, relation, recital, telling, description, enumeration, account, repetition, repeat: Do we have to listen to yet another rehearsal of your great-uncle''s exploits in the war?
rehearse | rehearse: v. 1 practise, exercise, run through, read through, study, repeat: Sorry, Annie, but we are going to have to rehearse the scene till you get it right. 2 repeat, relate, recite, tell, describe, recount, review, go through or over, review, report, recapitulate, Colloq recap: I shall go mad if I hear him again rehearse the events leading up to the final acceptance of his novel.
reign | reign: n. 1 rule, sovereignty, ascendancy, power, hegemony, influence, command, suzerainty, administration, jurisdiction, leadership, government, direction, control, domination, mastery; kingdom, monarchy, empire: During her reign, the kingdom saw its greatest prosperity. --v. 2 rule, control, command, govern, lead, direct, dominate, supervise, manage, hold sway, wear the crown, wield the sceptre, occupy the throne, Colloq run the show, rule the roost, Slang call the shots: During the sixth Egyptian dynasty, Pepi II Nefektare reigned for 94 years, the longest in recorded history. 3 prevail, be or become prevalent, predominate, hold sway, obtain, be or become rampant, be or become universal: An argument broke out, which developed into a fist fight, and soon pandemonium reigned.
reimburse | reimburse: v. repay, recompense, refund, pay back, compensate, remunerate, indemnify: Don''t worry - we''ll reimburse you for any money you spent.
rein | rein: n. 1 check, curb, control, restraint, constraint, limitation, harness, bridle, brake: You are going to have to put a rein on your expenses. 2 reins. control, command, control, administration, running, leadership, power, rule, tiller, helm: He should hand over the reins to a younger person. --v. 3 rein in. check, curb, control, restrain, limit, harness, bridle, restrict, pull back on: You will have to rein in your passions: it is not becoming to behave in this way at your age.
reinforce | reinforce: v. strengthen, buttress, bolster, support, fortify, prop (up), shore up, augment, brace, stay, steel: The bookshelf needs to be reinforced with another bracket, or it''ll fall down.
reinforcement | reinforcement: n. 1 buttress, support, prop, brace, stay, bolster: This iron reinforcement ought to be strong enough to secure the wall. 2 strengthening, buttressing, bolstering, shoring (up), augmentation, bracing: This shelf is wobbly and in need of reinforcement. 3 reinforcements. reserves, auxiliaries, men, soldiers, forces, personnel: We cannot hold out till reinforcements arrive.
reiterate | reiterate: v. repeat, restate, iterate, labour, harp on, dwell on, rehash, recapitulate, Colloq recap: I must reiterate my warning to you to be careful.
reject | reject: v. 1 decline, refuse, disallow, spurn, veto, turn down, give (something) the thumbs down, set aside, US turn thumbs down (on); deny, repudiate, renounce, rebuff, shun, brush aside, turn a deaf ear to, will not hear of: Jim has rejected my plan for a holiday in Torremolinos. She rejects any suggestion that she might be wrong. 2 refuse, repel, repulse, spurn, rebuff, say no to, turn down, decline, brush aside; jilt, drop, dismiss, throw over, give (someone) the cold shoulder, show (someone) the door, send (someone) away or on his or her or their way, turn one''s back on, Slang give (someone) the brush-off or US also the brush, give (someone) his or her walking papers, Brit give (someone) the boot: Ted proposed, but Alice rejected him. 3 throw away or out, discard, disown, jettison, eliminate, scrap, Colloq junk, scratch: The inspector rejects all defective merchandise. --n. 4 second, irregular, discard, cast-off: The rejects are sold at reduced prices in the factory shop.
rejection | rejection: n. refusal, denial, repudiation, rebuff, dismissal, spurning, renunciation, turn-down; cold shoulder, Slang brush-off or US also brush, the (old) heave-ho: The union voted for the rejection of management''s offer of a 9.2 per cent increase. Her advances were met with rejection.
rejoice | rejoice: v. delight, exult, glory, celebrate, revel, be happy or delighted or pleased or overjoyed or elated or glad, Colloq be tickled (pink): We all rejoiced to be home once again after the ordeal.
rejuvenate | rejuvenate: v. restore, refresh, reinvigorate, revitalize, revivify, renew, reanimate, regenerate, recharge, breathe new life into: I think a week in Barbados would rejuvenate me.
relapse | relapse: v. 1 get back, backslide, fall back, lapse, slip back, regress, retrogress, recidivate; go back, return, retreat, revert: Lottie has relapsed into her bad habits. 2 decline, deteriorate, weaken, degenerate, fail, fade, sink, sicken, worsen, get or become worse: Just when we thought he was improving, he relapsed into a coma and died. --n. 3 backsliding, falling or going back, lapse, lapsing, return, returning, reversion, reverting, regression, regressing, retrogression, retrogressing, recidivism, apostasy: The church''s main concern was a relapse into idolatry. 4 decline, deterioration, weakening, degeneration, failing, failure, fading, sinking, worsening: Barry was getting better but has now suffered a relapse.
relate | relate: v. 1 associate, connect, couple, link, tie, ally, correlate, coordinate: Volta first enabled us to relate the forces of chemistry and electricity. 2 recount, narrate, tell, report, present, describe, recite, detail, set forth, communicate, divulge, impart, reveal, delineate, make known, give an account of, rehearse: It was not till years later that Olivia related to me the strange events of that night. 3 apply to, coordinate with, respect, regard, bear upon or on, have a bearing on, have reference to, have to do with, pertain to, refer to, appertain to, belong with or to: Does your comment really relate to the matter in hand? 4 Often, relate to. be in or en rapport with, understand, empathize, sympathize, communicate with, identify with, grasp, comprehend, be in tune with, deal with, handle, cope with, Colloq dig, tune in to, be hip to, be turned on to, be or get into: I have been having trouble relating to my new psychiatrist. Your favourite music is reggae? - Man, I can relate to that.
related | related: adj. 1 associate(d), affiliate(d), connected, coupled, linked, tied up, allied, correlated, coordinate(d), interconnected, interrelated, interdependent, mutual, reciprocal, common, joint, cognate: She and her husband work for related companies. 2 kin, kindred, consanguineous, cognate, agnate; akin: Just how are you two related? Are you cousins?
relation | relation: n. 1 relationship, connection, affiliation, association, bearing, link, tie, tie-in, reference, pertinence, interconnection, interdependence, correspondence, kinship: The relation between time and money is rarely disputed these days. 2 kinship, relationship: Just what is your relation to this lady? 3 relative, kinsman or kinswoman, blood relative, in-law, family member: Is she a relation of yours? 4 narration, narrative, telling, recounting, description, report, recital, recitation, delineation, portrayal, story, recapitulation: She amused them all with her relation of what had happened to her that night. 5 in relation to. concerning, about, regarding, respecting, pertaining to, with regard to, with respect to, referring to, with reference to, on or in the matter or subject of, apropos, re, Archaic or Scots anent, Dialect anenst: I should like to talk to you in relation to the matter of company expenses. 6 relations. a sexual intercourse, coitus, sex, criminal conversation; carnal knowledge: It is well known that he had relations with his secretary. b dealings, intercourse, link(s), association(s), liaison, relationship, Colloq doings, truck: We have no relations with that company.
relationship | relationship: n. See relation, 1, 2, above.
relative | relative: adj. 1 related, connected, associated, allied, affiliated, interconnected, interrelated, pertinent, relevant, germane, applicable; apropos: Your comments are not relative to the matter at hand. 2 Sometimes, relative to. comparative, comparable, proportionate, proportional, commensurate; analogous to, contingent on, dependent on, reliant on, conditioned by, subject to, attendant on, correspondent or corresponding to, provisional on, appurtenant to; subordinate to, ancillary to: Well, as they say, everything is relative. Relative humidity depends on the temperature of the air. The yield is relative to the effort. --n. 3 See relation, 3, above.
relatively | relatively: adv. more or less, somewhat, comparatively, rather, to some degree or extent: Business has been relatively quiet lately.
relax | relax: v. 1 loosen, let go, release, let up (on), relieve, ease, reduce, moderate, slacken, remit, Colloq ease up on, slacken up on: He relaxed his grip on the rope and fell to his death on the rocks below. 2 diminish, decrease, lessen, reduce, abate, weaken, mitigate, modify, tone down, moderate, modulate, lighten (up on), check, temper, curb: We must not relax our vigilance. I hope that they don''t relax the regulations concerning smoking in the office. 3 ease up, slow down, loosen up, put one''s feet up, rest, unbend, Colloq take it easy, unwind: Why not come for a weekend and relax a bit? 4 calm down, cool down, quiet down, stay calm, cool and collected, Colloq take it easy, Slang cool it: You ought to relax and not get so excited.
relaxation | relaxation: n. 1 ease, repose, rest, leisure, recreation, amusement, entertainment, fun, pleasure, diversion, Colloq R and R (''rest and relaxation''): For relaxation we usually charter a boat and go sailing. 2 easing (up or off), relief, alleviation, abatement, diminution, lessening, mitigation, moderation, slackening, remission, weakening, letting up, Colloq let-up: What do you think about the proposed relaxation of the laws against pornography?
relaxed | relaxed: adj. nonchalant, easygoing, calm, peaceful, tranquil, serene, pacific, carefree, insouciant, blas�, languorous, languid, devil-may-care, free and easy, happy-go-lucky, mellow, at ease, composed, cool: Richard takes a relaxed view of life.
release | release: v. 1 let go, (set) free, liberate, (set or let or turn) loose, unloose, untie, unchain, unfetter, unshackle, deliver, let out, disenthral, discharge, let off, emancipate, manumit, rescue, save: They kept up a strenuous campaign until all the political prisoners were released. 2 issue, publish, make available, put out, pass out, hand out, come out with, circulate, distribute, disseminate; launch, unveil, present: The government refuses to release information that is considered harmful to its interests. The band''s new album will be released tomorrow. --n. 3 freeing, releasing, liberating, loosing, unloosing, delivering, emancipating, manumitting, rescuing, saving, freedom, liberation, deliverance, discharge, emancipation, manumission, rescue, remission, salvation: The release of the prisoner is scheduled for noon. It would be a great release to be rid of housework. 4 press or publicity release, announcement, publicity, notice, story, report: The press office sent out a release to the media about Randolph''s appointment.
relegate | relegate: v. 1 consign, banish, exile, transfer, dispatch or despatch: Owing to his disagreement with the Foreign Office, Kendall was relegated to some outpost in the Indian Ocean. 2 downgrade, demote: I fear that Corporal Jones has been relegated to private. 3 assign, commit, hand over, refer, transfer, pass on: She relegates most of her everyday correspondence to her secretary for reply.
relent | relent: v. relax, soften, yield, give, give way or ground, bend, comply, acquiesce, compromise, capitulate, come round, be merciful, show pity or compassion, melt, show mercy, succumb: They finally relented and allowed me to have visitors.
relentless | relentless: adj. 1 unyielding, inexorable, unstoppable, unrelenting, dogged, implacable, inflexible, unbending, unmoving, unmoved, unrelieved, stiff, hard, stiff-necked, rigid, obstinate, adamant, obdurate, intransigent, determined, unswerving, undeviating, intractable, persevering, steely, tough, intransigent, unsparing, uncompromising, pitiless, unforgiving, ruthless, merciless, cruel, unmerciful, remorseless: The novel is about the relentless horde of Mongols that swept across Europe in the 13th century. 2 non-stop, persistent, incessant, unrelenting, unremitting, unstoppable, perpetual, unfaltering, unfailing, unflagging, unrelieved, unabated, unrelieved, unbroken, continual, continuous, ceaseless, constant, unceasing, steady, habitual, regular: Won''t you ever stop your relentless nagging?
relevance | relevance: n. relevancy, appropriateness, aptness, pertinence, bearing, connection, affinity, tie-in, relation, significance, suitability, suitableness, applicability, application, applicableness: What you just said has no relevance whatsoever to the issue under discussion.
relevant | relevant: adj. pertinent, appropriate, apt, related, relative, significant, suited, applicable, fitting, proper, germane, akin, allied, associated, apposite, to the point: Alan''s suggestion is not strictly relevant to our plans.
reliable | reliable: adj. dependable, trustworthy, honest, trusty, trusted, principled, conscientious, punctilious, honourable, credible, believable, safe, sure, certain, secure, sound, responsible, predictable, stable, unfailing, infallible, reputable: Would a reliable employee like Susan abscond with the money?
reliance | reliance: n. confidence, trust, faith, dependence: You may be placing too much reliance on the smoke alarm.
relic | relic: n. 1 memento, keepsake, memorial, remembrance, souvenir, heirloom, token, artefact or artifact: It has been argued again and again that the Turin shroud, though old, is not a genuine relic of Christ. 2 remains; fragment, trace, scrap, shard or sherd, remnant: Deep in the jungle, archaeologists unearthed relics of a previously unknown civilization.
relief | relief: n. 1 ease, easing, abatement, easement, deliverance, remedy, redress, alleviation, release, remission, assuagement, liberation, recess: We would all welcome relief from this blistering heat. Contributions for the relief of famine in Africa would be most welcome. 2 aid, help, support, assistance, succour; comfort: How many troops can we send for the relief of the besieged garrison? 3 elevation, projection, contrast, prominence; bas-relief or basso-rilievo (''low relief''), mezzo-rilievo (''medium relief''), alto-rilievo (''high relief''): The Greek reliefs brought to England by Lord Elgin are on display at the British Museum. 4 substitute, surrogate, replacement, alternate, locum (tenens), stand-in; understudy, double: I wish that my relief would arrive so I could go home.
relieve | relieve: v. 1 ease, lessen, reduce, diminish, abate, lift, raise, alleviate, mitigate, palliate, soften, soothe: Business will suffer if nothing is done to relieve the burden of high interest rates. The doctor gave me something to relieve the pain. 2 disburden, free, rid, liberate, disencumber, unburden, rescue, save, release: Winning the lottery relieved me of any immediate worries of poverty. 3 help, aid, assist, support, succour, rescue, save, deliver: Will the cavalry arrive in time to relieve the fort, which is under attack? 4 stand in (for), replace, substitute for, take over for or from, US spell, Colloq sub for: I thought you were coming to relieve me at noon.
religion | religion: n. creed, belief, faith; doctrine, dogma: People must be treated equally, regardless of their religion.
religious | religious: adj. 1 devout, churchgoing, pious, God-fearing, holy, spiritual-minded: You never struck me as a particularly religious person. 2 scrupulous, exact, precise, conscientious, rigorous, strict, fastidious, meticulous, faithful, punctilious, unerring, unswerving, undeviating: Edmund''s work is characterized by religious devotion to detail.
relinquish | relinquish: v. 1 yield, give up, cede, waive, leave, quit, abandon, drop, forsake, forswear, desert, abdicate, resign, renounce, let go, surrender, vacate, retire from: Richard was forced to relinquish the throne. 2 let go, give up, release, unloose, loose, free: He refused to relinquish his grasp on her arm.
relish | relish: n. 1 enjoyment, pleasure, delight, gusto, eagerness, avidity, anticipation, taste, appetite, zest, liking, appreciation, fondness, fancy, partiality, preference: The children attacked the birthday cake with great relish. --v. 2 enjoy, delight in, take pleasure in, fancy, be partial to, appreciate, savour, look forward to, anticipate: After all that dining out, I''d really relish a home-cooked meal. I don''t relish having to tell her she is being made redundant.
reluctance | reluctance: n. unwillingness, disinclination, aversion, dislike, disrelish, hesitancy: Cooper''s reluctance to leave before the end of the play was understandable.
reluctant | reluctant: adj. unwilling, disinclined, averse, hesitant, loath, unenthusiastic, indisposed, opposed, antagonistic; cautious, chary, wary, leery, circumspect, careful: I remember how reluctant you were to try raw oysters, and then you couldn''t get enough of them.
rely | rely: v. rely on or upon. depend on or upon, lean on or upon, count on or upon, bank on or upon, have confidence in, bet on, trust in, swear by, be sure or certain of: You can rely on Philippa to come through when you need a friend. I am relying on the fact that interest rates are likely to stay at their present levels.
remain | remain: v. 1 stay (behind), be left, tarry, linger, wait, Colloq stay put: I remained to help with the washing-up. 2 be left, be there: How many days remain before your trip? 3 stay, continue, carry on, abide; endure, persist, last, persevere: She refuses to remain with him another minute. His last book will remain a monument to his scholarship. --n. 4 remains. a leavings, remnants, crumbs, debris, detritus, remainder, balance, residue, leftovers, scraps, vestiges, traces, fragments, oddments, odds and ends: The remains of a half-eaten meal were on the table. b body, cadaver, corpse; carcass: The remains of the impala were being picked over by vultures.
remainder | remainder: n. 1 rest, balance, remains, residue: He spent the remainder of his life in penury. 2 excess, overage, surplus, residue, residuum, leftovers: I have used all I needed and don''t know what to do with the remainder.
remaining | remaining: adj. 1 left (over), extant, outstanding: I did as much as I could in the time remaining. 2 leftover, surviving, residual; unused, uneaten, unconsumed: The remaining books will be sold at auction.
remark | remark: n. 1 note, notice, observe, perceive, regard, look at, take notice or note of: His friends remarked his tired and overworked appearance and suggested that he should take a holiday. 2 comment (on or upon), say, observe, reflect, mention, declare, state, assert: Carrie remarked that she had seen Ted the night before.
remarkable | remarkable: adj. 1 extraordinary, unusual, singular, exceptional, noteworthy, notable, uncommon, incredible, unbelievable, impressive, phenomenal, astonishing, astounding, surprising: With remarkable swiftness the falcon dropped on its prey. 2 striking, distinguished, signal, special, wonderful, marvellous, out of the ordinary, special, unique, significant, outstanding, rare, memorable, unforgettable, never-to-be-forgotten: This novel is truly a remarkable achievement. 3 strange, different, odd, peculiar, curious: Contortionists can do truly remarkable things with their bodies.
remedy | remedy: n. 1 cure, treatment, therapy, antidote, counteractant, countermeasure, medication, medicament, medicine, prescription, drug, pharmaceutical, cure-all, panacea, nostrum, restorative, specific: What remedy did the doctor recommend? 2 cure, antidote, cure-all, panacea, nostrum, countermeasure, relief, redress, answer, solution: Knowledge is the only remedy for superstition. --v. 3 cure, treat, heal, mend, restore, relieve, soothe, control, ease, mitigate, alleviate: The ointment will remedy the itching but not the infection causing it. 4 correct, rectify, reform, improve, ameliorate, redress, repair, put or set right, straighten out: How can I remedy a situation that has already gone too far?
remember | remember: v. 1 call to mind, bear in mind; recall, recollect: Can you remember her funny little laugh? Yes, I remember. 2 muse (on or about), reminisce over or about, think back on or about, memorialize, commemorate, recognize: He will be remembered for his many achievements. 3 retain, keep in mind, recall: He was unable to remember his own name or where he lived. 4 tip, reward: The Elliotts always remembered the servants at Christmas.
remembrance | remembrance: n. 1 memory, recollection; reminiscence: My remembrance of her is quite different from yours. 2 memento, reminder, souvenir, keepsake, memorial: I keep this piece of shrapnel as a remembrance of being wounded in the war.
remind | remind: v. prompt, cue, cause to remember, jog the memory, put in mind of: Remind me to set the clock back an hour tonight.
reminder | reminder: n. mnemonic, refresher; cue, prompt: I tied this string round my finger as a reminder, but I don''t know of what.
reminisce | reminisce: v. Sometimes, reminisce about. remember, recollect, think back, look back, turn one''s mind or thoughts back; call to mind, hark back, return: Most of the time we just sit about and reminisce. The other day we were reminiscing about the time Alex was arrested for shoplifting.
reminiscence | reminiscence: n. Usually, reminiscences. anecdote(s), memory or memories, reflection(s), memoir(s): The Sunday Clarion has paid a six-figure sum to Charlotte for her reminiscences as a cleaner at Whitehall.
reminiscent | reminiscent: adj. Usually, reminiscent of. recalling, redolent of, evocative of, indicative of, suggestive of, similar to, comparable with or to: The odour of burning cabbage is reminiscent of my husband''s cooking.
remiss | remiss: adj. slack, careless, negligent, neglectful, heedless, unheeding, inattentive, unmindful, thoughtless, forgetful, unthinking, slow, indolent, lazy, dilatory, delinquent: You were remiss in failing to turn off the bath water.
remission | remission: n. 1 forgiveness, pardon, deliverance, amnesty, reprieve, exoneration, release, absolution, exculpation, indulgence, excuse, exemption, acquittal: As we were granted remission of our crimes, we were freed. 2 diminution, abatement, decrease, lessening, subsidence, alleviation, mitigation, assuagement, ebbing, relaxation, easing: Remission of the disease may occur, but most sufferers deteriorate rapidly.
remit | remit: v. 1 send, transmit, forward, dispatch or despatch; pay, compensate, settle, liquidate: We have remitted in full the amount requested. 2 abate, diminish, slacken, decrease, lessen, subside, alleviate, mitigate, assuage, ebb, dwindle, reduce, relax, ease (up or off), fall off: The fever ought to remit on the sixth day.
remittance | remittance: n. payment, settlement: allowance, consideration: Remittance was made regularly on the tenth of the month. He lives on remittances he receives from home.
remnant | remnant: n. 1 scrap, shred, fragment, end, bit, piece, trace, vestige, relic: A silver button was the only remnant of the splendid uniform. 2 leftover, remainder, residue, rest, remains, part: The surviving remnant of the battalion made its way across the desert to Djibouti.
remorse | remorse: n. regret, repentance, ruefulness, sorrow, woe, anxiety, guilty or bad conscience, pangs of conscience, humiliation, embarrassment, guilt, self-reproach, mortification, shame, contrition, contriteness, penitence, compunction, bitterness: It is impossible to describe the remorse he felt at having run over the little girl''s puppy.
remorseful | remorseful: adj. regretful, repentant, rueful, sorry, apologetic, sorrowful, woeful, anxious, guilty, bad, conscience-stricken, guilt-ridden, humiliated, humbled, embarrassed, mortified, shamefaced, shameful, ashamed, shamed, contrite, penitent, bitter: Harold made a remorseful confession of all his sins.
remorseless | remorseless: adj. 1 cruel, heartless, callous, harsh, hard-hearted, stony-hearted, savage, merciless, unmerciful, pitiless, ruthless: The heavyweight champion administered a remorseless beating to the challenger. 2 relentless, unrelenting, unremitting, unstoppable, inexorable, implacable: The remorseless storm thrashed at our tiny vessel, tearing away every last shred of rigging.
remote | remote: adj. 1 distant, far-away, far-off, removed, outlying, inaccessible: The more remote the transmitter, the weaker the signal. 2 lonely, isolated, God-forsaken, secluded, out-of-the-way, sequestered, tramontane, ultramontane: They spent their holiday on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. 3 unfamiliar, obscure, arcane, recondite, subtle, alien, far-fetched, unusual, unlikely: Her writing is scattered with references remote to the average reader''s experience. 4 unrelated, irrelevant, inappropriate, unconnected, outside: Her conclusions were not remote from what we now know to be the truth. 5 slight, faint, foggy: I haven''t the remotest idea what you''re talking about. 6 slight, faint, slender, insignificant, slim, small, meagre, outside, poor, inconsiderable, negligible, improbable, unlikely, implausible: There is only a remote chance that the experiment will succeed. 7 aloof, detached, withdrawn, reserved, indifferent, standoffish, abstracted: He keeps himself quite remote from the hurly-burly of everyday life. 8 early, ancient, far-removed, distant: The archaeopteryx is a remote ancestor of modern birds.
removal | removal: n. 1 elimination, removing, eradication, taking away: The removal of the wallpaper revealed that the plaster underneath was in very poor condition. 2 extermination, murder, elimination, killing, slaying, assassination, execution, liquidation, eradication, massacre, slaughter, purge, doing away with, Slang bumping off, rubbing out, doing in, US rub-out, wasting: The removal of the finance minister was accomplished by the secret police. 3 dismissal, transfer, transference, transferral, shifting, discharge, throwing over, throwing out, deposition, unseating, dethroning, dethronement, displacement, expulsion, ouster, ousting, riddance, purge, Colloq firing, sacking: The company functions better since the removal of the former chairman. 4 move, transfer, departure, moving: Her removal to a branch office was requested by top management. 5 moving, house-moving: We hired a removal van when we moved to Shropshire.
remove | remove: v. 1 take off, doff, shed, cast off: Gentlemen are requested to remove their hats in her presence. 2 take away, get rid of, carry away or off, shift; transfer: When I arrived this morning, my desk had been removed. The threat of war has been removed. Kindly remove your elbows from the table. 3 obliterate, delete, erase, expunge, eradicate, efface, eliminate, take off, wipe or rub out, wipe or rub off, get rid of: Use chemicals to remove the graffiti from the wall. 4 murder, assassinate, kill, slay, execute, exterminate, eliminate, liquidate, eradicate, massacre, slaughter, do away with, dispose of, get rid of, purge, Slang rub or wipe out, do in, bump off, US waste: We brought in some of the boys to remove the competition. 5 discharge, dismiss, depose, unseat, displace, expel, oust, turn out, get rid of, purge, Colloq fire, sack, kick out: Andrews must be removed from his job before he does any more harm. 6 relocate, move, transfer, shift: I removed to a quieter place where I could write in peace. 7 take out, unfasten, detach, disconnect, separate, undo: They have to remove the transmission to overhaul it. --n. 8 distance, space, interval, separation: They tried to keep the girls and the boys at some remove from one another.
remuneration | remuneration: n. 1 payment, compensation, salary, wages, earnings, emolument, income, pay, stipend, consideration, reward: What remuneration will she expect to receive if appointed? 2 recompense, repayment, reimbursement, restitution, reparation(s), damages, indemnity, indemnification, redress: Have they received any remuneration for their loss of property during the earthquake?
renaissance | renaissance: n. renascence, rebirth, revival, reawakening, restoration, resumption, renewal, resurgence, return, regeneration, rejuvenation, new dawn, new birth: The Renaissance is so called because of the return to classical tradition. Hugh seems to have undergone a renaissance since taking that rest cure.
rend | rend: v. 1 rip or tear or pull (to pieces or apart or asunder), wrench, mangle, shred: The bully threatened to rend me limb from limb. 2 split, tear, rip, rupture, cleave, split, rive, separate, slice, lacerate: When the balloon was rent from top to bottom, the basket fell to the ground. 3 pain, distress, pierce, stab, smite, wound, afflict, torment, wring, hurt: My heart was rent by conflicting emotions.
render | render: v. 1 depict, picture, represent, reproduce, portray, create, produce, do, execute, make, accomplish, achieve: The artist rendered this portrait of the family from a photograph. 2 make, cause to be or become: The news of winning the lottery rendered me speechless. 3 give (up), yield (up), surrender, relinquish, resign, cede, deliver, hand over, tender, offer, proffer, present, furnish, provide: The inscription on the tomb has still not rendered up its secret. To Caesar will I render my legions and my horse. 4 play, perform: She rendered a fugue most beautifully on a harpsichord. 5 deliver, return: The jury rendered a verdict of Guilty. 6 translate, decode, decipher, transcribe, convert, explain, interpret, put, restate, reword, rephrase: She rendered the passage into idiomatic English. 7 deliver, hand in, present, offer, proffer, furnish, provide, tender: They rendered their invoice for the work already done. 8 Usually, Brit render down. melt, clarify, extract: The fat must be rendered down before it can be used for making soap.
rendering | rendering: n. depiction, showing, presentation, interpretation, conception, version, rendition, representation, delineation, portrayal, picture: This is the architect''s rendering of what the building will look like when completed.
rendition | rendition: n. 1 performance, interpretation, execution, conception, concept, understanding, construction, reading, rendering: I have never before heard such an exquisite rendition of a Bach cantata. 2 See rendering, above.
renegade | renegade: n. 1 deserter, turncoat, heretic, defector, traitor, apostate, Archaic renegado: The renegade has organized a conspiracy against us. --adj. 2 traitorous, treacherous, perfidious, treasonous, apostate, heretical, disloyal: A renegade band of deserters has turned against the army leaders.
renege | renege: v. 1 Cards revoke: When you renege you fail to follow suit. 2 go back on, back out, default, repudiate, go back on or break (one''s) promise or word, recant, abrogate, abjure, Slang welsh (on): You swore you would keep your word, and now you''re reneging.
renew | renew: v. 1 restore, refresh, rejuvenate, revitalize, reinvigorate, resuscitate, revamp, redo, rehabilitate, transform, regenerate, refurbish, refurnish, renovate, refit, overhaul, recondition, modernize, redecorate, do over: The entire interior of the hotel has been renewed at considerable expense. 2 resume, resurrect, restart, pick or take up again, recommence, return to, reopen: They renewed their argument in favour of the teaching of Latin. 3 restore, replace, restock, replenish: We must renew our supply of claret. 4 repeat, reiterate, reaffirm, confirm, reconfirm, restate, reassert: Each autumn she renews her promise to return in the spring.
renounce | renounce: v. give up, forswear, surrender, abandon, desert, abjure, reject, repudiate, spurn, swear off, abstain from, deny, forgo, forsake, eschew, disown, throw off or out, shun, avoid: He renounced his claim to the throne and retired to a monastery.
renovate | renovate: v. redecorate, modernize, do over, refurbish, refurnish, refit, remodel; recondition, rehabilitate, restore, repair, revamp, overhaul, patch up, Colloq do up, US fix up: We are having the entire house renovated by an interior decorator. It was quite costly to have those paintings renovated.
renown | renown: n. fame, celebrity, glory, distinction, esteem, acclaim, reputation, prominence, eminence, note, mark, honour, prestige, repute, �clat, lustre, illustriousness, stardom: She enjoys great renown as a rock star.
renowned | renowned: adj. famous, famed, celebrated, distinguished, acclaimed, prominent, eminent, well-known, noted, notable, honoured, illustrious: He was one of the most renowned authors of the 19th century.
rent� | rent�: v. 1 let (out), lease, hire (out), charter (out), farm out: Eric owns a three-bedroom house that he rents out. I should like to rent a yacht for a cruise this summer. --n. 2 rental, hire, lease, fee: The rent comes to about a quarter of my salary.
rent� | rent�: n. tear, rip, split, gash, slash, hole, slit: The skirt has a six-inch rent in it.
repair | repair: v. 1 mend, patch (up); renew, put or set right, restore, fix (up), service, put (back) in or into working order, vamp, revamp, adjust: Can you repair the tear in my trousers? I must remember to ask the garage to repair the brakes on my car. --n. 2 mend, patch; restoration, fixing (up), servicing, improvement, adjustment, renovation, revamping, renewal: The cost of the repairs to our roof after the storm was covered by our insurance. 3 form, condition, fettle, state, working order, Colloq shape, Brit nick: The engine, I''m afraid, has not been kept in good repair.
repartee | repartee: n. banter, badinage, persiflage, patter, (witty) conversation, wordplay, raillery, give and take, Literary deipnosophism: Simon''s witty repartee makes him a most welcome dinner guest.
repay | repay: v. pay back, recompense, compensate, requite, reciprocate, return the favour or compliment, reward, square with, settle (up) with; refund, give back, return, reimburse, restore: How can I ever repay you for what you have done? Alan repaid the money he borrowed from me.
repeal | repeal: v. 1 revoke, recall, rescind, reverse, cancel, annul, nullify, invalidate, void, set aside, abolish, abrogate, Law vacate: They have repealed the rule forbidding guests to wear shorts in the restaurant. --n. 2 revocation, recall, rescission, rescindment, reversal, cancellation, annulment, nullification, invalidation, voiding, abolition, abrogation: Alcoholic beverages were forbidden in the US until the repeal of Prohibition.
repeat | repeat: v. 1 reiterate, restate, echo, retell, recite, quote, rehearse, recount, recapitulate, Colloq recap: Would you please repeat to Anne what you told me? 2 duplicate, reproduce, replicate: History repeated itself on the playing field here today, when Queens Park Rangers defeated Manchester United, 2-0. --n. 3 repetition, duplicate, copy, duplication, replication, reproduction, replica, rerun, rebroadcast, replay, encore, reprise: This is a repeat of a show we saw last year.
repeatedly | repeatedly: adv. again and again, over again, over and over, frequently, often, time and (time) again, time after time, recurrently, repetitively, repetitiously: The needle stuck, and the record player kept playing the same thing repeatedly.
repel | repel: v. 1 repulse, drive back or away or off, reject, fend off, parry, ward off, hold off, rebuff, resist, withstand, keep at bay or arm''s length: They were completely defenceless and unable to repel attackers. 2 revolt, offend, disgust, sicken, nauseate, turn one''s stomach, make one''s skin crawl, Colloq give one the creeps, turn one off: The idea of eating sheep''s eyes repels me.
repellent | repellent: adj. repulsive, repelling, revolting, disgusting, nauseating, nauseous, stomach-turning, sickening, offensive, loathsome, repugnant, distasteful, vomit-provoking, sick-making, disagreeable, obnoxious, off-putting: He described some of the more repellent examples of vivisection he had encountered.
repent | repent: v. regret, feel contrition, lament, bemoan, bewail, be sorry, rue, feel remorse, feel remorseful or penitent, show penitence: She repented having reported him to the police. Now that the evil deed is done he can but repent.
repentant | repentant: adj. regretful, contrite, rueful, remorseful, apologetic, sorry, ashamed, embarrassed, penitent: It was terrible that she wasn''t the least bit repentant for what she had done.
repercussion | repercussion: n. Often, repercussions. reaction, response, effect, outcome, consequence, reverberation, result, aftermath, after-effect, upshot, fallout, backlash, echo: We were dealing with the repercussions of that decision long afterwards.
repertory | repertory: n. repertoire, store, reservoir, collection, hoard, cache, repository, stock, supply, inventory, stockpile: Cosgrove felt compelled to run through his entire repertory of jokes at dinner.
repetition | repetition: n. 1 Often, repetitions. reiteration(s), duplication(s), redundancy or redundancies, repeats, tautology or tautologies: The book is full of boring repetitions. 2 reiteration, repeat, echo, echoing, repeating, duplication, duplicating, rehearsal, recapitulation, restatement, replication, rereading, retelling, relisting, recital, reprise, rerun, rerunning: We sat through a repetition of every name for the benefit of any who might have missed it the first time.
repetitious | repetitious: adj. tiresome, tedious, boring, redundant, prolix, windy, long-winded, wordy, tautological, pleonastic: Streatham''s lectures are very repetitious - he makes the same point over and over again.
repetitive | repetitive: adj. iterative, repetitious, incessant, monotonous, repeated, redundant, humdrum, unceasing, ceaseless, relentless, unremitting, persistent, recurrent, non-stop, uninterrupted, continual, constant, continuous: The repetitive beat of that rock music is driving me mad.
replace | replace: v. 1 change, put in place of, substitute, supplant, renew: If the toy won''t work, try replacing the batteries. 2 succeed, supersede, substitute for, take over from, supplant: Tim will be replacing David as department head. 3 restore, return, put back, make good (on), repay, refund, make restitution for: Are you going to replace the money you took?
replenish | replenish: v. refill, restock, restore, renew, replace, fill, top up; furnish, provide: They stopped off in Bordeaux to replenish their supplies.
replete | replete: adj. 1 Often, replete with. full (of), filled up (with), overflowing (with), well supplied or well provided or well stocked (with), chock-full (of), crammed or jammed or jam-packed (with), brim-full (with), chock-a-block, bursting, teeming, loaded, overloaded (with), gorged (with), stuffed (with), Colloq up to the eyes or ears (in), up to here or there (in), US up to the old wazoo (in), Slang lousy (with), Taboo slang up to the Brit arse (in) or US ass (in): His speech was replete with names, dates, and precise quotations, all delivered without a note of any kind. 2 satisfied, sated, satiated: After a meal like that, anybody would feel replete.
replica | replica: n. copy, duplicate, facsimile, reproduction, likeness, imitation, carbon copy, photocopy, duplication, Colloq dupe, US knock-off: The hall was dominated by a replica of Michelangelo''s David.
reply | reply: v. 1 answer, respond, rejoin, retort, return, come back, acknowledge: When I asked where he had been, he refused to reply and walked out of the room. --n. 2 answer, response, rejoinder, retort, comeback, riposte, reaction, US rise: I have written to the prime minister but as yet have had no reply.
report | report: n. 1 account, description, story, article, write-up, piece, statement, dispatch or despatch, communication, communiqu�, announcement, narrative, record; news, information: Stanley hasn''t yet sent in the full report of his meeting with John. Is there any report from the front? 2 explosion, bang, boom, shot, gunshot, gunfire, backfire, discharge, crack, blast, detonation: In the distance we heard the report of a gun, and later a muffled explosion. --v. 3 relate, recount, describe, narrate, tell of, detail, give an account of, write up, document: Our man in Kuala Lumpur reported a disturbance in a remote village. 4 publish, promulgate, publicize, put out, announce, set forth, reveal, disclose, divulge, announce, circulate, make public, broadcast: Two newspapers and a television station reported the arrest of the suspect. 5 arrive, appear, surface, check in, sign in, clock in or on, turn up, come in, US report in: We were asked to report for duty at 0800 on Friday. 6 report on. investigate, cover, examine, explore, look into, inquire into, check into or on, check (up) on, research, study, probe, scrutinize, Slang check out, Brit suss out: The new journalist was assigned to report on allegations of bribery in the council.
reporter | reporter: n. journalist, newspaperman, newspaperwoman, newsman, newswoman, correspondent, columnist, newswriter, gentleman or lady of the press, gentleman or lady of the fourth estate, Brit pressman, presswoman; newscaster, news-presenter, commentator, broadcaster, anchorman, anchorwoman; photojournalist, cameraman, camerawoman, Colloq news-hound, news-hawk, news-hen, stringer: Reporters swarmed around the footballers who had returned home with the World Cup.
repose | repose: n. 1 rest, inactivity, calm, respite, tranquillity, quiet, restfulness, peace, relaxation: A half hour''s repose would be welcome after a long day coping with lively toddlers. 2 sleep, nap, doze, catnap, siesta, slumber, Colloq forty winks, snooze, Slang zizz, shut-eye: The short repose refreshed, and she felt ready to tackle anything. 3 composure, calmness, calm, serenity, equanimity, poise, self-possession: He became angry in a flash, his face changing from quiet repose to livid distortion. --v. 4 lie, abide, be, lodge, rest: The power to make the modifications reposes with you.
represent | represent: v. 1 substitute for, stand (in) for, replace, act for: I have appointed her to represent me in all legal matters. 2 Often, represent oneself as. present (oneself), depict (oneself), put or set (oneself) forth, masquerade as, take (on) or assume the guise or role or part of, characterize as, impersonate, pretend to be, pose as, imitate, mimic: He represents himself as a plumber in order to get into houses to rob them. His wife was represented to me as a social worker. 3 describe, delineate, reproduce, report, assert, state, put or set forth, show, reflect, mirror, characterize, define, note, outline, sketch, depict, picture, portray, draw, paint; pretend: What took place that fateful day is not as represented in Inspector Taylor''s testimony. 4 symbolize, stand for, typify, exemplify, embody, epitomize; illustrate: He represents all that is good in the world today.
representation | representation: n. 1 reproduction, image, likeness, portrait, picture, depiction, portrayal, semblance, model, manifestation: This is an accurate representation of the town''s appearance in the 18th century. 2 agency: The sales representation for this area is under Wright''s direction. 3 statement, account, exposition, declaration, deposition, assertion, presentation, undertaking: Certain representations have been made concerning harassment by the police. 4 replica, reproduction, figure, figurine, statue, statuette, bust, head, model, effigy: This representation of the goddess Athena was found in Kios.
representative | representative: adj. 1 symbolic, typical, characteristic, emblematic, archetypal, evocative, illustrative: Is this a representative sample? These poems are not representative of your best work. 2 elected, chosen, democratic: They are struggling to establish a representative form of government. --n. 3 agent, deputy, legate, ambassador, (papal) nuncio, spokesman, spokeswoman, proxy, delegate, envoy, emissary, missionary, commissioner; Member of Parliament, MP, Councillor, Congressman, Assemblyman, Assemblywoman: We like to think that our representatives are acting on our behalf. 4 agent, (travelling) salesman or saleswoman, Colloq rep: We have hired a new representative to sell refrigerators in the north of the country.
repress | repress: v. suppress, put down, (keep in) check, curb, quash, stifle, overcome, squelch, (keep under) control, contain, restrain, constrain, limit, keep back, quell, hold back or in, subdue, inhibit, hamper, hinder, deter, frustrate, discourage, disallow: The government tried to repress freedom of expression.
repression | repression: n. 1 restraint, suppression, subjugation: Increasing repression of their liberties finally led the people to revolt. 2 check, squelching, control, inhibition, hampering, hindering, hindrance, stifling, deterring, frustration, frustrating: The repression of the revolt was unsuccessful.
repressive | repressive: adj. tyrannical, oppressive, dictatorial, despotic, brutal, suppressive, authoritarian, totalitarian; Fascist(ic): In some countries, the people were unable to rebel against the repressive regime.
reprieve | reprieve: v. 1 respite, rescue, save; let off, spare: The Home Secretary reprieved the prisoner from execution pending further investigation. --n. 2 delay, postponement, suspension, remission, respite, stay, amnesty: The governor granted the condemned man a reprieve at the eleventh hour.
reprimand | reprimand: n. 1 scolding, reproof, rebuke, admonition, upbraiding, castigation, reproach, lecture, censure, criticism, disapproval, remonstrance, remonstration, reprehension, tongue-lashing, Colloq dressing-down, talking-to, telling-off, ticking-off, rap over or on the knuckles, slap on the wrist, Brit slating, US and Canadian chewing-out, Slang Brit wigging: Brown received a severe reprimand for violating the curfew. --v. 2 scold, chide, reprove, rebuke, admonish, upbraid, castigate, reproach, berate, lecture, censure, criticize, find fault with, attack, flay (alive), reprehend, read (someone) the riot act, slap on the wrist, rap over the knuckles, take to task, Colloq bawl out, dress down, give a dressing-down, tell off, tick off, haul over the coals, give (someone) a piece of (one''s) mind, Brit slate, give (someone) a row, send (someone) away or off with a flea in his or her ear, tell (someone) a thing or two, carpet, wig, skin (alive), US and Canadian chew out, rake over the coals, call on the carpet, pin (someone''s) ears back: Nigel deserves to be reprimanded for what he did.
reprisal | reprisal: n. retaliation, revenge, retribution, redress, requital, vengeance, repayment, recompense, vindication, getting even, indemnity: She refused to be named because she feared reprisals. How many hostages did they shoot in reprisal?
reproachful | reproachful: adj. fault-finding, critical, censorious, disapproving, disparaging, upbraiding, reproving, scolding, admonitory, condemnatory, hypercritical: She was quite reproachful after seeing what I had written about her in my book.
reprobate | reprobate: adj. 1 unprincipled, immoral, amoral, abandoned, depraved, despicable, dissolute, low, low-life, base, mean, debased, damned, accursed, cursed, degenerate, profligate, shameful, shameless, vile, evil, wicked, villainous, sinful, irredeemable, foul, iniquitous, reprehensible: Such reprobate behaviour soon brought him to the attention of the church fathers. --n. 2 scoundrel, blackguard, miscreant, rake, profligate, rou�, villain, wastrel, wretch, degenerate, unprincipled person, villain, evil-doer, debauchee, libertine, good-for-nothing, ne''er-do-well, cur, rapscallion, scamp, knave, rascal, US low-life, Colloq scallywag or scalawag: I can''t understand what she sees in that old reprobate.
reproduce | reproduce: v. 1 duplicate, copy, replicate, match, recreate, repeat, imitate, simulate: The printer thinks he can reproduce successfully the colours of the original picture in a print. 2 breed, multiply, propagate, procreate, spawn, produce or bring forth or beget young; regenerate: These animals normally reproduce twice a year.
reproduction | reproduction: n. 1 duplication, copying, printing: Unlicensed reproduction of this film is against the law. 2 duplicate, copy, print, clone, carbon (copy), facsimile, replica, look-alike, double, twin, imitation: The reproductions look better than the original. 3 propagation, breeding, spawning, proliferation, production: Today''s lecture concerns reproduction and breeding habits of large sea-mammals.
reproof | reproof: n. See reprimand, 1, above.
reprove | reprove: v. See reprimand, 2, above.
repudiate | repudiate: v. reject, scorn, turn down, renounce, retract, rescind, reverse, abandon, abrogate, forswear, forgo, deny, disown, discard: The government has repudiated its earlier policy of refusing to negotiate with the strikers.
repugnant | repugnant: adj. repulsive, abhorrent, disgusting, off-putting, offensive, repellent, revolting, vile, abominable, loathsome, foul, distasteful, unpalatable, unsavoury, execrable, intolerable, obnoxious, noisome, nauseating, nauseous, sickening, unpleasant, objectionable: I find the very thought of seeing them again repugnant.
repulse | repulse: v. 1 repel, rebuff, drive back, ward off, fight or beat off, check: With a mighty effort, they were able to repulse the attacking forces. 2 refuse, spurn, snub, reject, rebuff, fend off, resist, turn down, give the cold shoulder to: She repulsed his offer of marriage, and he left, never to see her again. --n. 3 rejection, rebuff, refusal, denial, snub, cold shoulder, spurning: Alistair told himself he could not accept another repulse.
repulsive | repulsive: adj. disgusting, revolting, abhorrent, loathsome, repugnant, repellent, offensive, obnoxious, objectionable, gross, unsavoury, distasteful, nasty, unpleasant, displeasing, disagreeable, ugly, off-putting, sickening, nauseating, nauseous, beastly, vile, dreadful, awful, rotten, feculent, foul, odious, horrible, horrid, abominable, execrable, fulsome: I have seldom had so repulsive an experience as the tour of that abattoir. The repulsive sights and smells were more than I could bear.
reputable | reputable: adj. respectable, honourable, well-thought-of, estimable, respected, trustworthy, trusted, honest, reliable, dependable, principled, virtuous, good, worthy: Alan is one of Aylesbury''s most reputable businessmen.
reputation | reputation: n. 1 repute, name, standing, stature, position, status: Jean is a woman of excellent reputation in the community. 2 have a reputation for. be known or noted or notorious or famous for: The company has a reputation for dismissing employees without notice.
reputed | reputed: adj. alleged, purported, supposed, assumed, presumed; rumoured, said, deemed, held, regarded, viewed, looked on or upon, judged, considered, thought, believed: The police arrested three reputed gang members. They are reputed to be international drug dealers.
request | request: v. 1 ask for, seek, plead for, apply for, put in for, requisition, call for, demand, insist on, solicit, beg, entreat, beseech, importune: They request my cooperation. I requested to be excused. He requested her to open the door for him. --n. 2 plea, petition, application, requisition, call, demand, solicitation, entreaty: We receive many requests for information.
require | require: v. 1 order, command, ask (for), call (for), press (for), instruct, coerce, force; insist, demand; make: I am required to appear in court on Monday. The teacher required that I bring my mother to school. 2 need, want, lack, be lacking, be missing, be short (of); desire: We require one more trainee in order to fill our quota.
requirement | requirement: n. 1 requisite, prerequisite, demand, precondition, condition, qualification, stipulation, sine qua non, provision, proviso, demand, necessity, essential, desideratum, must: It is a requirement of the loan agreement that you maintain an account with this bank. 2 need, want, demand: We hope the new design will meet all your requirements.
requisition | requisition: n. 1 request, order, demand, call, authorization, mandate, voucher: A requisition was issued by headquarters for the delivery of 200 desks and chairs. --v. 2 request, order, demand, call, authorize, mandate: Have you requisitioned the office furniture we need? 3 seize, appropriate, commandeer, confiscate, take possession of, take (over), occupy; expropriate: The army of occupation has requisitioned all available sleeping accommodation in the town.
requital | requital: n. 1 repayment, return, recompense, redress, restitution, reparation, remuneration, quittance, amends, satisfaction, compensation, payment: I look forward to an opportunity to make requital for all the favours you have done for me. 2 revenge, retaliation, retribution, reprisal, vengeance; quid pro quo, Roland for an Oliver: In requital for his shameful treachery, MacFallon was sent into exile.
requite | requite: v. 1 repay, reward, reciprocate, recompense, compensate for, respond to: Her years of tender care were requited with abuse and scorn. 2 retaliate for, revenge, avenge, make restitution for, redress, pay back for, give tit for tat for, make amends for: Who can requite the wrongs inflicted on these poor people?
rescue | rescue: v. 1 save, deliver, (set) free, liberate, let go (free), release, (let) loose: We rescued all the men who were being held prisoner. Jane was rescued by a very handsome lifeguard. --n. 2 deliverance, saving; freeing, liberating, release: The seaman''s rescue was conducted by a navy helicopter team. Because of the heavy guard, the prisoners'' rescue is out of the question.
research | research: n. 1 investigation, investigating, exploration, delving, digging, enquiry or inquiry, fact-finding, scrutinization, scrutiny, examination, inspection, probing, analysis, experimentation: Her research into the causes of the disease have yielded good results. The government no longer supports much research. --v. 2 investigate, explore, delve into, dig into, enquire or inquire into, scrutinize, examine, study, analyse, inspect, check in or into or (up) on, probe, experiment with, Colloq check out: We are researching ways in which the virus attacks the blood cells.
resemblance | resemblance: n. likeness, similarity; correspondence, congruity, coincidence, conformity, accord, agreement, equivalence, comparableness, comparability, comparison: There is a striking resemblance between your wife and mine. Any resemblance is purely a matter of chance.
resemble | resemble: v. look or sound or taste or seem or be like or similar to, bear (a) resemblance to, approximate, smack of, correspond to, have (all) the hallmarks or earmarks of, take after, Colloq favour: You are right, the taste does resemble that of liquorice. Does she resemble her mother?
resent | resent: v. feel embittered or bitter about, feel envious or jealous of, begrudge, have hard feelings about, be displeased or disgruntled at, be angry about: I resent having to go to work while you sit about the house all day.
resentful | resentful: adj. embittered, bitter, acrimonious, spiteful, envious, jealous, begrudging, vindictive, indignant, displeased, disgruntled, dissatisfied, unsatisfied, unhappy, peeved, irritated, irked, annoyed, provoked, riled, angry, piqued, irate, furious, incensed, agitated, upset, worked up, antagonistic, hostile: Ronald is resentful because you got the promotion that he considered rightfully his.
resentment | resentment: n. bitterness, acrimony, rancour, envy, jealousy, grudge, indignation, displeasure, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, irritation, annoyance, provocation, pique, anger, ire, fury, agitation, upset, anxiety, ill will, malice, antagonism, hostility, animosity, enmity, antipathy, hate: Some believe that inequality among people provokes resentment.
reservation | reservation: n. 1 keeping or holding back, withholding, reticence, reluctance, hesitation, hesitancy, hedging: It was not without some reservation that I gave the book my endorsement. 2 qualm, scruple, qualification, hesitancy, limitation, exception, objection, demur or demurral or demurrer, condition, proviso, provision: He has no reservations about revealing the most intimate details in his autobiography. 3 booking, appointment, arrangement: I''ll make a reservation for dinner for the two of us. 4 preserve, sanctuary, reserve, area, tract, territory, region, section, plot: In North America, many Indians still live on reservations.
reserve | reserve: v. 1 keep or hold (back), withhold, save, set or put aside, conserve, preserve, retain, keep (to or for oneself), hold over, postpone, delay, put off, defer: Reserve judgement till you have heard all the facts. I shall reserve my answer to that question for another day. 2 hold, keep, book, register, save, put or set aside, charter, engage, secure, contract for: I have reserved two seats for the matinee. --n. 3 Often, reserves. store, stock, stockpile, inventory, supply, nest egg, reservoir, fund, hoard, cache: We prayed for rain, as our water reserves were getting low. 4 reticence, (self-)restraint, (self-)control, taciturnity, aplomb, formality, coolness, aloofness, guardedness, standoffishness, remoteness, detachment: I had to admire Paul''s reserve in the face of such insults. 5 Often, reserves. auxiliary, alternate, substitute, reinforcements, backup, spare: If battle goes badly, we shall have to call out the reserves. 6 See reservation, 4, above. 7 reservation, restriction, restraint, hesitancy, hesitation, limit, limitation, hedging, avoidance, evasion, dodging, fudging: The lawyer acknowledged without reserve that the case was weak. 8 in reserve. ready, in readiness, on hand, available, on call, accessible, as backup, in store, on tap, at (one''s) fingertips: We have huge resources in reserve should we require them.
reserved | reserved: adj. reticent, restrained, unresponsive, controlled, silent, taciturn, uncommunicative, unforthcoming, close-mouthed, unresponsive, undemonstrative, unemotional, poker-faced, cool, formal, aloof, guarded, standoffish, unsocial, antisocial, distant, remote, detached, retiring, withdrawn, sedate, demure, dignified, guarded, prim, rigid, strait-laced, icy, frigid, ice-cold: She was always very reserved, not showing any emotion.
residence | residence: n. 1 abode, home, domicile, dwelling, dwelling-place, place, house, habitation, (living) quarters: A crowd was waiting to greet them outside their residence. 2 residency, stay, sojourn, visit, tenancy: During his residence in Cape Province, he became bilingual in Xhosa. 3 mansion, villa, manor (house), stately home, estate, ch�teau, castle, palace, Brit hall: The ambassadorial residence was a very imposing structure.
resident | resident: adj. 1 in residence, residing, living, staying, abiding, dwelling, remaining: Is he resident in this country? 2 local, neighbourhood, district, regional, neighbouring: Our resident astronomer mentioned there would be an eclipse of the moon tonight. --n. 3 denizen, dweller, inhabitant, citizen, householder, home-owner, tenant, local: Parking permits are available only to residents.
residual | residual: adj. remaining, leftover, surplus, spare, extra, residuary: Residual units of the army are still bivouacked in the field. How would we survive nuclear fall-out and the subsequent residual contamination?
residue | residue: n. remainder, leftover, surplus, remains, rest, excess, dregs, residuum: The residue of the tatterdemalion force escaped into the forest.
resign | resign: v. 1 quit, leave, go, abdicate, give notice; retire (from), abandon, give up, forsake, hand over, yield up, renounce, relinquish, let go, release, vacate, surrender, deliver up, turn over: Amanda resigned because she was offered a better job elsewhere. Anthony refused to resign the last of his responsibilities till he was ninety. 2 resign (oneself) (to). reconcile (oneself) (to), be or become resigned or reconciled (to), accommodate (oneself) (to), adjust (oneself) (to), adapt (oneself) (to), acclimatize or acclimate (oneself) (to), submit (oneself) (to): Knowing that no one had ever escaped from the prison, he resigned himself to his fate.
resignation | resignation: n. 1 notice; abandonment, abdication, resigning, renunciation, forgoing, relinquishment: After the incident in the boardroom, Kim was asked for her resignation. Stuart''s resignation of his responsibilities led to a severe reprimand. 2 reconciliation, reconcilement, adjustment, adaptation, acclimatization or acclimation, submission, acceptance, compliance, capitulation, abandonment, acquiescence, passivity: His resignation to his fate won admiration from those around him.
resilience | resilience: n. rebound, recoil, bounce, elasticity, springiness, spring, buoyancy, flexibility, suppleness, ability to recover: The resilience of youth is astonishing, and William was soon on his feet again.
resist | resist: v. 1 stop, hinder, prevent, hold out (against), be proof (against), keep or hold at bay, hold the line (against), thwart, impede, block, obstruct, inhibit, restrain, preclude, check, control, curb, stem, bridle, hold back, withstand, weather, last (against), endure, outlast, stand up (to or against); combat, fight (against), battle, countervail (against), counteract, oppose, rebuff, defy: He was jailed for attempting to resist arrest. It is pointless to resist. 2 refuse, deny, turn down, forgo: I cannot resist a rich sweet for dessert.
resistance | resistance: n. 1 opposition, defiance, refusal, denial, obstruction, intransigence, rebelliousness, recalcitrance, stubbornness: The child puts up considerable resistance to any form of discipline. 2 defences: My resistance is low, I can deny you nothing. 3 Resistance. underground, partisans, freedom fighters, guerrilla or guerilla movement, guerrillas or guerillas, irregulars, Maquis, US resisters: During the war, he was a member of the Resistance and engaged in sabotage against the invaders.
resistant | resistant: adj. 1 opposed, against, defiant, averse, unsubmissive; impervious, unaffected: The organisms are resistant to any change. 2 recalcitrant, stubborn, obstinate, intransigent, rebellious, immovable, intractable, refractory, wilful, ungovernable, unmanageable, unruly, uncompliant, uncooperative: We have run up against a highly resistant group of activists. 3 Often, resistant to. impervious (to), impenetrable (to), repellent (to); proof (against); shedding: You need a more resistant material. This fabric is resistant to rain and snow.
resolute | resolute: adj. resolved, determined, purposeful, steadfast, firm, stubborn, adamant, set, decided, staunch, bold, dogged, undaunted, dauntless, persevering, persisting, persistent, perseverant, pertinacious, tenacious, single-minded, dedicated, devoted, bulldog, purposive, deliberate, inflexible, unwavering, unshakeable or unshakable, unshaken, unflagging, untiring, indefatigable, tireless, unfaltering, unhesitating, unhesitant, unswerving, irreversible, undeviating, unchanging, changeless, unchangeable, immutable, unalterable: We remain resolute in our determination to end injustice.
resolution | resolution: n. 1 resolve, resoluteness, determination, purpose, purposefulness, steadfastness, firmness, decidedness, decision, staunchness, boldness, doggedness, dauntlessness, stubbornness, obstinacy, perseverance, persistence, relentlessness, pertinacity, tenacity, single-mindedness, dedication, devotion, constancy, devotedness, deliberation, deliberateness, inflexibility, inflexibleness, unshakeability or unshakability, fixedness, indefatigability, indefatigableness, irreversibility, changelessness, unchangeability, immutability, immutableness, unalterability, Colloq US stick-to-it-iveness: The boys showed extraordinary resolution in deciding to continue despite the hardships. 2 promise, commitment, pledge, word (of honour), oath, vow, undertaking, obligation; intention: I find that my New Year''s resolutions last till about January 5th. 3 motion, resolve, proposal, proposition, plan, suggestion, idea, notion; determination, verdict, decision, judgement: The committee votes today on the resolution to increase membership fees. 4 answer, answering, solution, solving, unravelling, disentanglement, sorting out, explication; outcome, issue, result, end (result): The resolution of a family problem is seldom easy. Can there be a final resolution of the question of a free market economy? 5 acutance, sharpness, precision, accuracy, exactness, exactitude, fineness, discrimination, detailing, distinguishability: The new optical system provides for a much better resolution.
resolve | resolve: v. 1 determine, decide, make up one''s mind, agree, undertake, settle, fix, conclude: When did you resolve to move to Australia? Let us resolve never to let this happen again. 2 work out, figure out, solve, clear up, answer: How have you resolved the problem of looking after the cats while you are away? 3 adopt, pass, approve, decide: It was resolved that membership fees should be raised. 4 resolve into. change into, convert into, alter into, transform into, transmute into, metamorphose into, be convert(ed) into, become, dissolve into, break down into, liquefy into, disintegrate into, reduce to or into: O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! --n. 5 See resolution, 1, above. 6 See resolution, 2, above: She kept her resolve never to marry again.
resonant | resonant: adj. vibrating, vibrant, resounding, (re-)echoing, reverberating, reverberant, pulsating, ringing, booming, thundering, thunderous, loud: The resonant pealing of the bells almost drove me mad.
resort | resort: n. 1 spa, retreat, Chiefly Brit watering-place: We go to a lovely resort in the Alps every summer. 2 resource, backup, reserve, refuge, place to turn, alternative, remedy: He will see a doctor only as a last resort. --v. 3 resort to. have recourse to, turn to, look to, fall back on, repair to, take to, frequent, patronize, attend; visit, haunt, hang out in: I have to resort to father for a small loan. She was said to be resorting to the lowest dens in the Casbah.
resound | resound: v. boom, resonate, ring (out), boom (out), (re-)echo, reverberate, pulsate, thunder: The laughter resounded around the entire office.
resource | resource: n. 1 Often, resources. initiative, ingenuity, talent, inventiveness, imagination, imaginativeness, cleverness, quick-wittedness, capability, resourcefulness, aptitude, qualifications, strength, quality, forte, Colloq Brit gumption, Slang guts: Has he the inner resources for the job that lies ahead? 2 Often, resources. capital, assets, money, possessions, wealth, property, cash, funds: She has sufficient resources to retire at fifty if she wants to.
resourceful | resourceful: adj. ingenious, inventive, imaginative, clever, Daedalian, creative, skilful, smart, slick: Sylvia is resourceful enough to get out of any situation.
respect | respect: n. 1 regard, consideration, admiration, esteem, (high) opinion, appreciation: We have great respect for Samuel Simpson, our president. 2 regard, consideration, courtesy, politeness, civility, attentiveness, thoughtfulness, etiquette, deference, reverence, veneration: Few treat Alastair with the respect he deserves. 3 reference, relation, connection, comparison, regard, bearing: What are they planning to do with respect to the flooding? 4 detail, point, element, aspect, characteristic, feature, quality, trait, particular, matter, attribute, property: Describe the respects in which the War of American Independence and the French Revolution were similar. 5 respects. regards, good or best wishes, greetings, compliments, Formal salutations, Formal or archaic devoirs: I went to pay my respects to my aunt on her 90th birthday. --v. 6 consider, admire, esteem, honour, appreciate, value, defer to, pay homage to, think highly or well of, look up to, revere, reverence, venerate: I am not sure that I like Mrs Horne, but I certainly respect her for what she has done for the poor. 7 heed, obey, show consideration or regard for, pay attention to, attend to, be considerate or polite or courteous to, defer to: Children are no longer taught to respect their elders.
respectable | respectable: adj. 1 proper, demure, decorous, seemly, estimable, worthy, dignified, decent, upright, honest, respected, genteel, refined, reputable, above-board, unimpeachable, law-abiding: Patricia Smythe is a very respectable member of the community. I''ll have you know that I run a respectable boarding house! 2 moderate, appreciable, goodly, reasonable, fair, not inconsiderable, considerable, tolerable, satisfactory, sizeable, good-sized, substantial, not insignificant, significant, Colloq tidy: She earns a respectable living. A respectable number of people showed up. Climbing Annapurna, though it is not Everest, is a respectable feat. 3 presentable, moral, decent, proper, modest, chaste, innocent, pure, clean: The board decided that the film is not respectable enough to be shown to schoolchildren.
respectful | respectful: adj. courteous, polite, well-mannered, well-behaved, mannerly, civil, cordial, gentlemanly, ladylike, gracious, obliging, accommodating, considerate, thoughtful: On entering, Captain Gregory made a respectful bow to the ladies.
respective | respective: adj. separate, individual, particular, pertinent, specific, special, personal, own, relevant, corresponding, several: Each retired to his respective room for the night. All of you know your respective duties.
respectively | respectively: adv. separately, individually, singly, severally, mutatis mutandis, each to each: Ron and Daniel are, respectively, president and secretary of the association.
respite | respite: n. 1 interval, intermission, break, interruption, recess, breather, rest; holiday, Chiefly US and Canadian vacation: I haven''t had a moment''s respite since six o''clock this morning. We are planning a brief respite from work in August. 2 pause, delay, hiatus, stay, extension, reprieve, postponement: After a ten-minute respite, the infernal noise began again.
respond | respond: v. 1 answer, reply, come back, return, react, reciprocate, counter; rejoin, retort: When Sean insulted her, Una responded with a slap to his face. I said, ''Good morning!'' and Adrian responded, ''What''s good about it?'' 2 Often, respond to. be responsive (to), react (to), empathize (with), sympathize (with), commiserate (with), feel for, pity, be affected or moved or touched (by): Many respond to those charity appeals for the crippled and disabled.
response | response: n. answer, reply, retort, rejoinder; reaction, effect, feedback, return, Colloq comeback: Whatever you say to Ronnie Farrago, he always has a snappy response. The response to our advertising has been quite good.
responsibility | responsibility: n. 1 accountability, liability, chargeability, answerability, obligation: Responsibility is one of the burdens a parent must undertake. 2 charge, duty, onus, burden, trust, job, role, task: Has Ted taken on more responsibilities than he can handle? It is your responsibility to see that the children are awakened in time for school. 3 blame, guilt, fault, culpability: Professor Davies assumed full responsibility for the failure of the experiment. 4 dependability, reliability, trustworthiness, stability, accountability, creditability: Before accommodating you with a loan, Mr Stokes, we must confirm your financial responsibility.
responsible | responsible: adj. 1 accountable, answerable, liable, chargeable: The court determined that she was not responsible for her actions. 2 reliable, trustworthy, dependable, stable, creditable, accountable, ethical, honest: If teenagers can show that they are sufficiently responsible, the bank will lend them money for their enterprise. 3 executive, leading, authoritative, administrative, important, decision-making, managerial, directorial, principal, chief, top, US front-office: Oliver played a responsible role in the running of the company. 4 guilty, to blame, at fault, culpable: We never found out who was responsible for putting the frog in the teacher''s desk.
responsive | responsive: adj. alert, alive, (wide-)awake, reactive, communicative, sharp, keen, receptive, sensitive, open, sympathetic: I was delighted to find students who were so responsive to the ideas put forth in my lectures.
rest� | rest�: n. 1 repose, sleep, nap, doze, siesta, slumber, Chiefly Brit lie-down, Colloq forty winks, zizz, snooze; shut-eye: I think I''ll have a bit of a rest before dinner. 2 relaxation, intermission, interval, interlude, entr''acte, rest period, cessation, (tea or coffee) break, recess, breather, breathing-spell, respite, time off, holiday, Chiefly US and Canadian vacation: Why don''t you take a rest for a while? 3 ease, relaxation, leisure, indolence, idleness, inactivity, loafing, dozing: His well-deserved rest was disturbed by an urgent request from Interpol to investigate a smuggling operation. 4 prop, support, holder, brace, trestle, shelf, bracket: Those old guns were too heavy to hold and fire without using a rest. 5 come to rest. stop, end up, turn up, arrive: The ball rolled down the slope and came to rest in a puddle. --v. 6 (go to) sleep, doze, relax, take a rest, (take one''s) repose, lie down, recline, go or take to one''s bed, take one''s ease, unwind, loll, languish, laze about, be idle, idle about, lounge, (take a) nap, put one''s feet up, Colloq take it easy, snooze, count sheep, have a zizz, catch or grab some shut-eye, get or take forty winks, US catch or log a few zees (Z''s), Slang Brit kip, doss down, hit the sack, hit the hay, US sack out: Rest now - you''ll feel better tomorrow. 7 reside, be situated, be lodged, lie, be placed, hinge, be found, remain, stay: The responsibility for passenger safety rests with the captain and the crew. The blame for this fiasco rests on you. 8 place, position, put, lay, set, lean, prop: Rest your head on my shoulder. 9 lie, remain, stay: Can''t you let the matter rest? 10 allay, calm, quiet, still, stay: Rest your fears - I shall let nothing happen to you.
rest� | rest�: n. 1 remainder, balance; remains, remnants, leftovers, residue, residuum, excess, surplus, overage: If you carry these bags, I''ll take the rest. Martin bought up all the best books and left the rest for us. --v. 2 (continue to) be, remain, keep on being: Rest assured, the situation is bound to get easier as we go along.
restful | restful: adj. 1 relaxing, soothing, comforting, tranquillizing, sedative, calming, sleep-inducing, hypnotic, soporific, somnolent: Don''t you find the sound of the waves restful? 2 tranquil, calm, peaceful, quiet, still, serene, pacific, comfortable, relaxed, reposeful: After a hectic day in the city, I was happy to return to the restful atmosphere of the country.
restitution | restitution: n. 1 amends, compensation, redress, recompense, remuneration, reparation, requital, indemnification, indemnity: It was agreed that victims of the raids were entitled to restitution for what had been taken from them. 2 restoration, return, re-establishment, reinstatement, recovery: A commission is to investigate the restitution of plundered property.
restive | restive: adj. See restless, below.
restless | restless: adj. restive, uneasy, edgy, on edge, on tenterhooks, fidgety, nervous, skittish, excitable, highly-strung, high-strung, worked up, agitated, fretful, jumpy, apprehensive, itchy, Colloq jittery, Slang uptight, US antsy, hyper: The crowd in the square were becoming restless as they waited for the speeches to start.
restoration | restoration: n. 1 See restitution, 2, above. 2 renovation, refurbishment, rehabilitation, renewal, repair, rejuvenation, reconstruction, resurrection, reconversion, revival: The programme for the restoration of ancient buildings suffers from lack of funding.
restore | restore: v. 1 give or hand back, return, make restitution, bring back: We must restore to the people the land that is rightfully theirs. 2 revive, rejuvenate, re-establish, renew, bring back, give (someone) back, resuscitate, resurrect, rekindle, reinvigorate, refresh, stimulate, revitalize, strengthen: Your kindness has restored my faith in mankind. 3 renovate, refurbish, renew, repair, rejuvenate, resurrect, revive, reconstruct, rehabilitate, rebuild; mend, fix, retouch, touch up; Colloq US fix up: They live in a 17th-century cottage that has been lovingly restored. Antiques often lose their value entirely if they are restored. 4 replace, reinstate, put back; return, bring back: They said that they would not rest until they had restored the rightful king on the throne. The doctor said she would soon be restored to good health. 5 replace, reimburse, repay, return, pay or put or give back: Even though he has restored all the money he took, she refuses to forgive him.
restrain | restrain: v. 1 (keep under or in) control, (keep or hold in) check, hold (back or in), curb, govern: A poor rider, he was unable to restrain his horse. Something must be done to restrain the general''s power. 2 limit, restrict, inhibit, regulate, suppress, repress, bar, debar, curtail, stifle, hinder, interfere with, hamper, handicap: Trade between the two countries was restrained because of tariff disputes. 3 (place under) arrest, confine, imprison, incarcerate, detain, hold, lock up, jail or Brit also gaol, shut in or up: For his most recent offence, he was restrained for two months.
restraint | restraint: n. 1 control, check, curb, rein, bridle, restriction, constraint, limit, limitation, curtailment, taboo, ban, interdict or interdiction, proscription, delimitation, bound(s), embargo: The law places restraints on executives'' buying and selling shares in their own companies. In 1863, a bill for the restraint of the press was brought before the House of Commons. 2 control, restriction, constraint, confinement; bondage, bonds, fetters, shackles, handcuffs, gyves, bilboes, pinions, manacles, ball and chain, strait-jacket, Colloq cuffs, bracelets: Despite the restraints to his liberty, he felt a free man. He became violent and had to be put under restraint. 3 control, reserve, self-control, self-possession, poise, equanimity, self-discipline, self-restraint: Heather Gorse exhibited admirable restraint in remaining silent when teased her about her name.
restrict | restrict: v. limit, confine, bound, circumscribe, delimit, mark off, demarcate, regulate; qualify, restrain, impede: Smoking is allowed only in restricted areas. The opposition party said that they would restrict the movement of heavy goods by road.
restriction | restriction: n. 1 condition, provision, proviso, qualification, stipulation: One restriction is that purchasers of shares in the utility must be resident in the UK. 2 See restraint, 1, above.
result | result: n. 1 outcome, consequence, effect, end (result), fruit; conclusion, upshot, issue, development, sequel, follow-up, consequence, denouement or d�nouement: It will take years to evaluate the results of the new educational curriculum. As a result of his speeding ticket, his driving licence was suspended. --v. 2 Often, result from. develop, emerge, follow, happen, occur, come (about), come to pass, arise, evolve, be produced: Severe burns can result from allowing children to play with matches. The mixture that results may be highly volatile. 3 result in. end, conclude, culminate, terminate: The explosion resulted in a heavy loss of life. The experience gained often results in better safety devices.
resume | resume: v. continue, carry on, take up again, pick up (where one left off): After prison, it is not easy to resume one''s life where it left off. When the audience quieted, the speaker resumed.
resurgence | resurgence: n. renaissance, renascence, rebirth, revival, reawakening, restoration, renewal, resumption, return, resurrection, regeneration, rejuvenation, new dawn, new birth: Simone is banking her entire future on a resurgence of interest in seventies'' fashion.
resurrect | resurrect: v. revive, bring back, return, reawaken, restore (to life), reintroduce, renew, regenerate, rejuvenate, raise (from the dead), resuscitate, breathe new life into, reanimate, reincarnate: Some antiquated law was resurrected in order to prevent their using the land for grazing.
retain | retain: v. 1 keep (possession of), hold (on to), save, preserve, Colloq hang on to: Retain the receipt in case you wish to exchange the merchandise. 2 engage, hire, employ, commission, take on: We have retained a caretaker to look after the estate. 3 hold, absorb, contain, soak up, preserve: This type of soil retains little water. 4 remember, keep or bear or have in mind, recall, remain aware of, memorize, impress on the memory, recollect: As he aged, he found it increasingly difficult to retain even the simplest information such as names and dates.
retaliate | retaliate: v. repay, pay back (in kind), counter, strike back (at), take revenge (on), wreak vengeance (on), revenge oneself (on), avenge, reciprocate, settle a score (with); give a Roland for an Oliver, give tit for tat, take an eye for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth), give as good as one gets, give (someone) a taste of his or her or their own medicine, pay (someone) back in his or her own coin; Colloq get even (with), get back (at): After government forces bombed their mountain headquarters, the guerrillas retaliated by destroying bridges and railway lines.
retard | retard: v. 1 slow (down or up), hold up or back, set back, hinder, impede, delay, keep back, stall, thwart, balk, block, restrict, hold in check, frustrate, interfere with: Growth of the economy was severely retarded by the war. --n. 2 Offensive and derogatory idiot, moron, fool, imbecile, dunce, Slang chiefly US and Canadian jerk: Why she invites that retard to her parties I can''t imagine.
reticent | reticent: adj. quiet, shy, timid, retiring, reserved; taciturn, silent, unresponsive, tight-lipped, unforthcoming: If you are proud of your accomplishments, why be reticent about saying so? Colin is reticent about how he acquired his gold earring.
retinue | retinue: n. entourage, escort, convoy, cort�ge, company, train, suite, followers, attendants, following, hangers-on, Colloq groupies: The rock band arrived at the airport accompanied by a retinue of flunkeys.
retire | retire: v. 1 withdraw, rusticate, go off or away, take off, retreat; hibernate, aestivate or US estivate, seclude or sequester or cloister oneself: I think I''ll retire to some mountain-top to finish my book. 2 stop or give up work(ing), be pensioned off, (be) put out to grass or pasture, take the golden handshake, be given the gold watch, go on social security, go on a pension, be superannuated, go out of circulation: Gemma Frobisher has retired from her job in the bakery, and is now living with her daughter in Norfolk. 3 go or take to (one''s) bed or bedroom, (go to) sleep, lie down, (take one''s) repose, (take a) nap, put one''s feet up, Colloq take it easy, snooze, count sheep, have a zizz, catch or grab some shut-eye, get or take forty winks, US catch or log a few zees (Z''s), Slang hit the sack, sack out, hit the hay, Brit kip, doss down: I usually retire around midnight.
retiring | retiring: adj. shy, bashful, coy, demure, modest, diffident, timid, unpretentious, unassuming, humble, self-effacing, timorous, meek, reticent, reserved, unsocial, unsociable, aloof, removed, standoffish, distant, reclusive, eremitic(al): Howard is of a retiring disposition, preferring to keep to himself.
retort | retort: n. 1 response, reply, rejoinder, answer, riposte, rebuttal, Colloq comeback: Faced with criticism of the novel, the author''s retort was a four-letter word. --v. 2 fling or hurl back, rejoin, answer back, riposte, rebut, counter, come back with, return, respond, answer, reply, retaliate: ''And don''t expect a Christmas present from me, either!'', she retorted vehemently.
retouch | retouch: v. touch up, correct, restore, repair, recondition, refresh, brush up, adjust, improve, finish, put the finishing touches on: Only an expert restorer could have retouched the damaged painting so skilfully.
retract | retract: v. 1 withdraw, pull or draw back: The instant he felt the heat, he retracted his hand. 2 take back, withdraw, rescind, revoke, repeal, deny, disavow, recant, renounce, abjure, cancel, forswear, repudiate, disclaim, disown, reverse: If they refuse to retract their statement, I shall sue them for libel.
retreat | retreat: n. 1 retirement, withdrawal, pulling or falling or drawing back, giving ground, evacuation, flight: The regiment''s retreat in the face of overwhelming odds is complete. 2 retirement, seclusion, withdrawal, isolation, solitude, rustication: Since her retreat from public life, she has devoted herself to painting. 3 sanctuary, sanctum (sanctorum), refuge, shelter, den, haven, asylum, resort, hideaway, hide-out: Antonia insisted on having her own retreat where she could occasionally escape from the children. --v. 4 withdraw, decamp, run (away), turn tail, depart, give or lose ground, pull or fall or draw back, retire, evacuate, flee, take flight: We must retreat to the shelter of the hills, where we can regroup. 5 ebb, draw or move back, recede: The waves, constantly advancing and retreating across the pebbly strand, lulled me to sleep.
retribution | retribution: n. vengeance, revenge, reprisal, retaliation, requital, redress, quid pro quo, satisfaction, punishment, justice, just deserts, recompense, compensation: It is a moral question whether society''s treatment of malefactors should be an act of retribution or the setting of an example to others.
retrieve | retrieve: v. 1 bring or get (back), fetch, come back with: Simon trained his dog to retrieve his slippers. 2 recover, save, rescue, take back, recoup, regain, reclaim: I tried using a fishing line to retrieve my hat from the lake. 3 make up, make amends for, recover, cover, redeem, repay, pay for, return, get back, regain, be repaid or reimbursed for: Will we be able to retrieve our losses when we sell the business?
retrospect | retrospect: n. hindsight, reconsideration, review, remembering, afterthought, recollection, looking back: In retrospect, I am not sure we did the right thing.
return | return: v. 1 come or go back, revert, turn back: She is returning to her old habits. I shall return to this subject later if I have time. 2 come back, reappear, resurface, crop up again, turn or show up again, put in an appearance again; recur, reoccur, Colloq pop up again: Will he return before March? The symptoms returned. 3 replace, put back, restore, give back, bring or carry back: The missing books have mysteriously been returned. 4 exchange, bring back or carry back: You may return any merchandise, for any reason, for refund or exchange, within ten days of its purchase. 5 yield, earn, gain, profit, benefit: Where else can you find a secure investment that returns more than 15 per cent? 6 deliver, render, give, offer, turn in, proffer, report: The jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty. --n. 7 recurrence, reappearance, repetition, renewal, recrudescence, resurfacing, re-emergence: There was a return of the symptoms when I stopped taking the medicine. 8 replacement, replacing, restoration, restoring, restitution: We shall see to the return of the stolen items to their rightful places. 9 Sometimes, returns. yield, earnings, profit, gain, benefit, income, revenue, proceeds, interest, takings, results: The return on my investment was almost 100 per cent! 10 arrival, advent, coming, home-coming: A small crowd had gathered to await his return. 11 reciprocity, reciprocation, repayment, recompense, reimbursement, compensation, payment, reparation, indemnity, indemnification, consideration, amends, redress, requital: If I give you my bike, what will I get in return?
revamp | revamp: v. overhaul, redo, recondition, renovate, repair, fix, do up, refit, refurbish, restore, rehabilitate, US fix up: To bring it into line with the 21st century, the constitution may need to be revamped completely.
reveal | reveal: v. expose, display, divulge, disclose, show; make known, let on, let out, let it be known, let slip, communicate, give vent to, air, ventilate, leak (out): The increasing light of dawn revealed a no-man''s-land of utter devastation. The book is said to reveal everything you would prefer not to know about factory-farming.
revel | revel: v. 1 Usually, revel in. (take) delight (in), take pleasure (in), rejoice (in), luxuriate (in), bask (in), wallow(in), lap up, crow (about or over), glory (in), savour, relish: Gavin revelled in the news that his ex-wife was remarrying and he would no longer have to pay her alimony. 2 make merry, carouse, celebrate, cut loose, go on a spree, Colloq live it up, whoop it up, make whoopee, whoop it up, paint the town red, party, Brit push the boat out, Slang Brit have a rave or rave-up: The night after exams finish, the students traditionally revel till dawn. --n. 3 spree, party, merrymaking, debauch, carouse, festival, f�te, carousal, celebration, gala, ball, romp, fling, carnival, jamboree, bacchanal, saturnalia: Everyone joined in the revels on New Year''s Eve, and had a good time.
revelation | revelation: n. news, information, proclamation, publication, bulletin, communiqu�, announcement, pronouncement, declaration, statement, leak; admission, confession; discovery, unveiling, uncovering, exposure, disclosure, expos�: We were shocked at the revelation that they had been married all these years. Scientists'' revelations about the depletion of the ozone layer are causing widespread concern.
revelry | revelry: n. merrymaking, fun, revelling, carousal, carousing, gaiety, festivity, jollity, mirth, celebration, ball, high jinks or hijinks, spree, Colloq partying, Slang Brit rave or rave-up: The revelry went on into the wee hours of the morning.
revenge | revenge: n. 1 vengeance, retaliation, reprisal, retribution, vindictiveness, spitefulness, repayment, satisfaction: They think he set fire to the place in revenge for having been dismissed. --v. 2 avenge, get even for, take revenge for, make reprisal for, exact retribution or payment or repayment for: She was seeking ways to revenge the murder of her brother. 3 revenge oneself (on). settle a score or an old score (with), pay (someone) back in his or her own coin, give a Roland for an Oliver, give tit for tat, take an eye for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth), punish, Colloq get, get even (with), give (someone) his or her or their comeuppance, give (someone) a taste of his or her or their own medicine: He found ways to revenge himself on them for all that they had done to him.
revenue | revenue: n. (gross) income, proceeds, receipts, return(s), yield, interest, takings, net (income), gate; profits, gain, Colloq chiefly US take: The revenue from the drugs operation must run into billions.
revere | revere: v. adore, adulate, reverence, venerate, worship, idolize, enshrine, sanctify, beatify, glorify, esteem, admire, respect, honour: He was revered as the founding father of British psychology.
reverence | reverence: n. 1 honour, respect, esteem, admiration, glorification, beatification, sanctification, idolization, worship, veneration, adulation, adoration, homage, fealty, obeisance, deference, awe: Their totalitarian discipline was able to succeed because of the people''s reverence for authority. --v. 2 See revere, above.
reverie | reverie: n. day-dream, fantasy, brown study, wool-gathering, absent-mindedness; meditation, thought: I shouldn''t disturb Kevin - he''s deep in a reverie.
reversal | reversal: n. 1 reverse, turn-about, turn-round, U-turn, change, volte-face, (complete) switch, Brit about-turn, US about-face: This represents a reversal of former policy, doesn''t it? 2 See reverse, 8, below. 3 annulment, nullification, nulling, cancellation, revocation, repeal, rescission: The present case is an appeal against the reversal of an earlier judgement.
reverse | reverse: adj. 1 opposite, contrary, inverse, converse; inverted, upside down, mirror, reversed, backward: Now try turning the wheel in the reverse direction. What appears on the retina is a reverse image, which the brain inverts. --v. 2 invert, overturn, turn upside down, turn topsy-turvy, turn over, up-end; exchange, change, interchange, transpose: Using your finger to keep the mercury from running out, reverse the tube in the dish of mercury. Perhaps the car will start if you reverse the leads to the battery. 3 overturn, overthrow, upset, set aside, quash, override, annul, nullify, vacate, abandon, revoke, negate, veto, declare null and void, disaffirm, invalidate, cancel, repeal, rescind, overrule, countermand, undo: The superior tribunal reversed the decision of the lower-court judge. 4 alter, change, modify; renounce, recant, take back: Reverse the polarity of the wiring. I reversed my opinion after hearing her sing. 5 back up, move or go backwards or US also backward, backtrack, Nautical make sternway: You will be in the right spot if you reverse a yard or two. --n. 6 opposite, contrary, converse, antithesis: Whatever she tells you, I suggest you do the reverse. 7 back, rear, wrong side, verso, underside; flip side, B-side; tail side: Read what it says on the reverse. 8 set-back, disappointment, misfortune, reversal, mishap, misadventure, trouble, problem, difficulty, vicissitude, adversity, defeat; disaster, catastrophe, d�bacle, rout, Colloq washout: We suffered a temporary reverse or two in business, but we''re all right now. United suffered a humiliating reverse against Wanderers in the cup last week.
revert | revert: v. return, come or go back, take or pick up again, lapse, backslide, regress, relapse, retreat: He reverted to his old beliefs about male superiority.
review | review: v. 1 survey, examine, regard, look at, study, con, consider, weigh, inspect, look over, scrutinize: Would you be good enough to review the work of the new employees? She is coming to review the troops this weekend. 2 re-examine, reconsider, go over again, look at or over again, reassess: Billings reviewed once more all the bad things he had done in his lifetime. 3 criticize, critique, assess, judge, evaluate, give one''s opinion of, comment on or upon, discuss: Who reviewed your latest book? --n. 4 criticism, critique, review article, assessment, judgement, evaluation, commentary, study, comment, notice: The play received rave reviews from almost all the critics. 5 survey, examination, study, consideration, inspection, scrutiny, analysis; reviewing, reading: After a detailed review of the circumstances, we have decided to let you off easy this time, Finnegan. 6 re-examination, reconsideration, rehashing or rehash, post-mortem, reassessment, rethinking, rethink: Why do you always insist on a review of all the bidding on every hand, whenever we play bridge? 7 periodical, journal, magazine: Have you read Stonehouse''s article in the latest Birmingham Review? 8 parade, procession, array, cavalcade, march past, fly-past or chiefly US flyover: A great naval review was held at Spithead.
revise | revise: v. 1 edit, emend, improve, correct, rectify, modify, revamp, redact, rework, overhaul, update; rewrite: A revised edition of the dictionary has been published every ten years. 2 alter, change, amend: Since hearing him sing, I have been forced to revise my taste in music.
revision | revision: n. editing, revising, emendation, improvement, correction, rectification, modification, revamping, reappraisal, re-examination, reinterpretation, reassessment, redaction, reworking, overhaul, overhauling, updating, update; rewrite, edition, version, rendition: Her revision of the text is based on a newly discovered manuscript. The fourth revision will be available next April.
revival | revival: n. 1 resurrection, resuscitation, renewal, restoration, revitalization, resurfacing, return, returning: How much more often we see the revival of out-moded fashions than the introduction of new ideas! 2 rebirth, renaissance or renascence, resurgence, awakening, quickening, reanimation: Do you regard the current trend towards fundamentalism as a genuine revival of religion? 3 recovery, improvement, increase, upsurge, upturn, boost, upswing, advance, advancement, progress, rise, escalation, Colloq pick-up, comeback: This week saw a revival in the metals market.
revive | revive: v. 1 (re)awaken, wake (up), come or bring (a)round, waken, resuscitate; recover, (re)gain consciousness: Dashing cold water in his face revived him at once. I revived to find her leaning over me. 2 reawaken, stir up again, renew, resume, reopen, refresh: You can blame Andy for reviving the feud between our families. 3 bring back, reactivate, renew, resurrect, re-establish, resume, reopen, revitalize, breathe life into, reinvigorate, rejuvenate: Perhaps we ought to revive the practice of putting hooligans, vandals, and delinquents into stocks in the market square.
revoke | revoke: v. cancel, deny, invalidate, annul, declare null and void, void, nullify, negate, repudiate, renounce, rescind, repeal, recall, recant, quash, veto, set aside, abrogate, abolish, withdraw, take back, retract: He warned that if they refused to comply with local authority rulings he had the power to revoke their licence.
revolt | revolt: n. 1 rebellion, revolution, uprising, mutiny, insurrection, coup d''�tat, putsch, take-over: The council ordered the secret police to suppress the revolt. --v. 2 rebel, rise up, mutiny; protest, dissent: After years of oppression, the people revolted and deposed their leaders. 3 repel, offend, disgust, shock, horrify, repulse, nauseate, sicken: I was revolted by the poverty and sickness I saw in that country.
revolting | revolting: adj. disgusting, sickening, nauseating, nauseous, stomach-turning, stomach-churning, vomit-provoking, sick-making, foul, loathsome, abhorrent, horrid, horrible, nasty, vile, obnoxious, repulsive, appalling, abominable, repellent, offensive, objectionable, off-putting, beastly, gross, rotten, rancid, inedible, disagreeable, unpleasant, Slang icky, yucky: Rick served up some revolting mess for dinner and then took offence when we didn''t eat it.
revolution | revolution: n. 1 mutiny, revolt, rebellion, coup (d''�tat), uprising, insurgency, insurrection, putsch, take-over, overthrow: If the government fails to ensure that the people have food, there will be a revolution. 2 upheaval, cataclysm, transformation, (drastic or radical or major) change, sea change, metamorphosis: Recent successes of capitalism have sparked a revolution in the political philosophies of communist nations. 3 rotation, turn, orbit, circuit, spin, lap, round, cycle, circle, gyration; wheel, whirl, pirouette: At each revolution of the gear (A ) , the ratchet (B ) moves one notch. The rapid revolutions of the ice-skater dissolved her into a blur of colour.
revolutionary | revolutionary: adj. 1 mutinous, rebellious, insurgent, insurrectionist, insurrectionary, radical, rebel, seditious, subversive: They had dreamed for years of the revolutionary overthrow of the government. 2 novel, innovative, creative, new, different, original, avant-garde: The firm hopes that its revolutionary new product will make a clean sweep in the market-place. --n. 3 rebel, mutineer, insurgent, insurrectionist, insurrectionary, revolutionist, sansculotte or sansculottist, anarchist, radical, extremist, terrorist: In his younger days at university, Charles fancied himself a revolutionary, without quite knowing what he might rebel against.
revolve | revolve: v. 1 spin, turn, pivot, rotate, gyrate, whirl, twirl, reel, wheel, go (a)round, circle, cycle, orbit; swivel: As the earth revolves on its axis, the moon revolves round the earth. 2 turn, depend, pivot, rely: His decision to buy a new car revolves on his finances. 3 turn over (in one''s mind), ponder, weigh, consider, meditate upon or on, think about, reflect upon or on, ruminate over or on, chew over, contemplate: I have been revolving in my mind your most attractive proposal, but I regret I must turn it down.
revolver | revolver: n. pistol, gun, side-arm, firearm, Chiefly US and Canadian handgun, Colloq US six-gun, six-shooter, Slang US rod, gat, roscoe, piece, Saturday-night special, shooting-iron: How do you explain the fact that your fingerprints were found on the revolver with which she was shot?
revulsion | revulsion: n. loathing, detestation, disgust, repugnance, abomination, abhorrence, aversion, hatred, antipathy, odium, execration: I cannot describe the revulsion I felt at seeing those elephants slaughtered for their ivory.
reward | reward: n. 1 award, favour, recompense, compensation, return, payment, pay, requital: For your good deeds you will have to seek your reward in heaven; dishonesty is recompensed here on earth. 2 prize, award, tribute, honour, Literary guerdon: The Victoria Cross was instituted as a reward for military valour in 1856. 3 retribution, punishment, just deserts, Colloq comeuppance: Hanging was the reward of treason. --v. 4 recompense, compensate, pay, repay, remunerate, redress, requite, make (something or it) worth someone''s while: Only if they reward him will Fuller give information leading to the capture of the thief.
rewarding | rewarding: adj. satisfying, gratifying, worthwhile, enriching, enriched, fruitful, worthwhile; profitable, advantageous, productive, gainful: Laurence says that his most rewarding experience has been seeing his children again.
reword | reword: v. paraphrase, rephrase, put into different words, put another way, express differently, revise, recast, rewrite: Perhaps if you reworded your request in politer terms it might get more sympathetic consideration.
