
woe | woe: n. trouble, hardship, adversity, misery, anguish, tribulation, calamity, trial, wretchedness, grief, unhappiness, desolation, dolour, melancholy, gloom, depression, sadness, disconsolateness, misfortune, affliction, sorrow, distress: How much more woe could beset one small family?
woebegone | woebegone: adj. troubled, miserable, anguished, wretched, grief-stricken, unhappy, desolate, doleful, dolorous, melancholy, melancholic, gloomy, mournful, sorrowful, depressed, dejected, sad, glum, crestfallen, chap-fallen, lugubrious, downcast, disconsolate, unfortunate, star-crossed, afflicted, distressed, woeful, forlorn, downhearted, broken-hearted, heartbroken, disheartened, Slang US bummed out: Timmy has been so woebegone since his puppy was stolen!
woman | woman: n. 1 female, lady; girl: Elvira was the first woman to be elected to the board. 2 wife, spouse, bride, lady-love, sweetheart, lady, girl, girlfriend, mistress, concubine, mate, helpmeet, helpmate, partner, Colloq sweetie, better half, little woman, the missis or missus, old lady or woman, ball and chain, Slang trouble and strife: In this scene, Porgy tells Bess that she is his woman, now and forever. 3 lass, maid, maiden, miss, lassie, Slang gal, dame, bird, skirt, chick, bit of fluff, broad, piece (of work), number, baggage, moll, popsy: The soldiers went into town to try to find some women for an evening''s entertainment. 4 domestic, housekeeper, maid, cleaning woman or lady, maidservant, chambermaid, handmaiden, abigail, lady-in-waiting, Brit charwoman, Colloq Brit char, daily: They have a woman who comes in every other day.
wonder | wonder: n. 1 marvel, prodigy, phenomenon, spectacle, rarity, sight, curiosity, miracle, Slang knockout, stunner, mind-blower, mind-boggler, trip: Surely, the wheel must rank high among the wonders of technology. And still he gazed, and still the wonder grew, / That one small head could carry all he knew. 2 awe, astonishment, admiration, amazement, wonderment, surprise, stupefaction, fascination: Facsimile transmission, which used to excite so much wonder, is now used in offices all over the world. --v. 3 ponder, muse, meditate, think, theorize, conjecture, puzzle, query, question, inquire, be inquisitive, be curious, ask oneself, speculate, cudgel (one''s) brains: I wondered if I would be invited to the dance. Have you ever wondered what makes the world go round? 4 marvel (at), goggle, gawk, gape, stare, be awed, be thunderstruck, be amazed, be astonished: We wondered at the death-defying skills of the trapeze artistes. 5 wonder about. question or doubt the sanity or reason or reasonableness of: I wondered about Tammy after that streaking episode.
wooded | wooded: adj. sylvan, forested, bosky, tree-covered, woody, timbered: We rested and had our lunch in the coolness of a wooded glen.
wooden | wooden: adj. 1 wood, woody, ligneous, xyloid: The wooden cabinet for the kitchen is almost finished. 2 stiff, rigid, artificial, clumsy, stilted, unnatural, awkward, ungainly, spiritless, unanimated, dead, lifeless, dry, passionless, unimpassioned, impassive, vacant, empty, colourless, expressionless, deadpan: The understudy gave a wooden performance as Uncle Vanya. 3 unintelligent, block-headed, stupid, dull, insensitive, slow-witted, dull-witted, obtuse, oafish, doltish, tiny-minded, dim-witted, dunderpated, Colloq thick, wooden-headed, knuckle-headed: Clancy has some pretty wooden ideas about how to run a business.
woolly | woolly: adj. 1 fleecy, woollen, wool-bearing, laniferous, lanate or lanose, lanuginose or lanuginous, downy, fuzzy, shaggy, flocculent or floccose, flocky: He was wearing a woolly hat. After two days one test tube contained a woolly precipitate. 2 hazy, fuzzy, unclear, obscure(d), foggy, indistinct, confused, vague, cloudy, clouded, nebulous, ill-defined: My recollection of the event is a bit woolly after all these years.
word | word: n. 1 (little) talk, (brief) conversation, chat, discussion, consultation, dialogue, huddle, parley, t�te-�-t�te, chit-chat, confabulation, conference, interview, Colloq powwow, confab: Could I have a word with you before you leave for the day? 2 news, intelligence, information, facts, data, report, story, tidings, account, communiqu�, bulletin, dispatch or despatch, advice, message, Colloq low-down, Slang info, dope, Brit gen, US poop: Have you had any word about the situation in the Middle East? 3 name, term, designation, locution, appellation, expression, phrase: What is the word for ''write'' in Greek? 4 promise, pledge, vow, oath, (solemn) word of honour, undertaking, assurance, warrant, guarantee or guaranty, warranty: You have my word that I won''t mention this to anyone. 5 utterance, expression, declaration, statement: Let me give you a word of warning, my friend. 6 suggestion, hint, scintilla, bit: I promise that I won''t breathe a word of this to anyone. 7 command, order, signal, direction, instruction, Colloq US high sign: I shall not press the red button till you give the word. 8 in a word. succinctly, briefly, in brief, in a few words, concisely, in short, in summary, in sum, not to mince words, to make a long story short, when all is said and done, in the final analysis, not to beat about the bush, Colloq in a nutshell: His bedside manner was, in a word, menacing. 9 words. a quarrel, dispute, argument, unpleasantness: Paul and Kitty had words and are not on speaking terms. b lyrics, book, libretto, text: Did Irving Berlin write the words as well as the music to his songs? --v. 10 put (forth), say, couch, express, phrase, utter, state, term, style, set forth: Had you worded your complaint in politer language, you might have spared yourself a punch in the eye.
wording | wording: n. phraseology, language, phrasing, choice of words, word choice: From the confused wording of this note I cannot tell whether you are coming to my party or not.
wordy | wordy: adj. verbose, prolix, rambling, long-winded; pleonastic, redundant, garrulous, windy, talkative, loquacious: This contract is too wordy and could be cut to two pages. Try to make your replies less wordy.
work | work: n. 1 labour, toil, effort, drudgery, travail, exertion, industry: Few people make it to the top and stay there without hard work. 2 employment, business, occupation, vocation, calling, profession, trade, line, m�tier, career, livelihood, job, post, position, situation: Does your work as a test pilot interfere much with your home life? 3 task, function, duty, assignment, charge, responsibility, chore, commission, undertaking, stint: When you are finished with that work, clean out the cellar. 4 feat, achievement, creation, accomplishment, opus, handiwork, oeuvre, production, composition, piece, master-work, masterpiece, chef-d''oeuvre, magnum opus, output: Some of Edwin''s recent works have won prizes. 5 in work. in production, under way, being done, in the works, being planned, in the planning stage(s): The budget has been approved and the project is already in work. 6 out of work. unemployed, idle, jobless, at liberty, between engagements, available, free, Brit redundant, Colloq Brit on the dole, US on or collecting unemployment: How long have you been out of work? --v. 7 labour, toil, exert oneself, sweat, moil, slave (away), peg away, slog (away): His father worked in the mines from the age of nine till he died of black-lung disease at forty. 8 till, plough, farm, cultivate: Would he have been healthier and longer-lived had he worked the land? 9 have a job, hold (down) a post or position, earn a living, be employed: His wife works as a designer in a Parisian fashion house. 10 control, manage, manipulate, manoeuvre, wield, handle, operate, use, make use of, utilize, exploit, deal with, bring into play: Are you sure you know how to work all those dials and buttons? 11 function, operate, run, go, develop, turn out, Colloq pan out: Are you sure that the plan is working to your advantage? 12 function, operate, run, go: The drill works better if you turn on the power. 13 knead, mould, form, fashion, shape; mix, stir, incorporate: Work the clay into long, narrow strips. Try to work the colour in with your fingers.. 14 manoeuvre, manipulate, guide: See if you can work him over into a corner where you can grab him. 15 operate, use, employ, put to (good or effective) use, wield, manipulate, ply, apply, exploit: Tanya must have worked her magic on Eustace to make him that docile. 16 bring about, effect, accomplish, carry out or off, make, produce, achieve, engender, beget, create, do, put through, execute, fulfil, effectuate, implement, realize: I doubt that the new sports centre will work many changes in the area. 17 work in. find time or space for, include, insert, introduce, fit in, squeeze in, accommodate: I''ll try and work in your comments when I write up my report. 18 work on. wheedle, coax, importune, press, Brit pressurize, US pressure; influence, persuade, act on, prevail upon, induce, dispose, urge: Keep working on him to try to change his mind. 19 work out. a exercise, do callisthenics, do aerobics, warm up, do setting-up exercises, do (one''s) daily dozen, jog, lift weights, train, drill: I try to work out for an hour every day. b Often, work out at or to. equal, total (up to), result in, amount to, come to: Let''s see - that works out at one car for every 4.7 people. c clear up, resolve, solve, Slang Brit and New Zealand suss out: Thaddeus is old enough to work out his own problems. Can they work out their differences? d evolve, develop, succeed, prosper, come out all right, prove satisfactory, go well, be effective, Colloq pan out: How can you be so sure that everything will work out? e formulate, work up, contrive, draw up, detail, plan, develop, devise, put together, elaborate, expand, enlarge (on): The captain worked out a way for them to escape. 20 work up. a excite, make excited, agitate, inflame, enkindle, arouse, rouse, stir, move, animate, incite, spur, Colloq fire (up), get (someone) (all) steamed or hopped or het up: Those fire-and-brimstone preachers used to get the people all worked up. b prepare, (make or get) ready, whip into shape, develop, come up with, write up, put together, produce, turn out: Can you work up that proposal in time for Monday''s meeting? c advance, ascend, rise, move up or ahead or on: In no time at all, Greg worked his way up from assembler to foreman. d See 19 (e), above.
worker | worker: n. labourer, working man or woman, workman, hand, employee, artisan, craftsman, tradesman, white-collar worker, blue-collar worker, proletarian, breadwinner, wage-earner: It seems unlikely that the workers would strike for longer hours and less pay.
workmanship | workmanship: n. handicraft, craft, craftsmanship, artistry, art, technique, handiwork, skill, skilfulness, mastery, US artisanship: One cannot help but admire the workmanship in those marquetry tabletops.
works | works: n.pl. 1 plant, factory, workshop, shop, mill: We were taken on a tour of the works to see how the marble is carved. 2 mechanism, machinery, workings, (moving or working) parts; clockwork, Colloq innards, insides, Slang guts: We once had a clock with all the works exposed. 3 the works. a everything, the lot, Colloq the whole kit and caboodle, the whole shooting match, everything but the kitchen sink, Chiefly US and Canadian the whole shebang: We ordered two hamburgers with the works. b a thrashing, a beating, a drubbing, a battering, a flogging, a lambasting: When he refused to tell them where the money was hidden, they gave him the works.
world | world: n. 1 earth, planet, sphere, globe, Terra; universe, cosmos, existence, creation, life: Do you believe the world is round? Buckland lives in his own, private world. 2 humanity, mankind, people, the human race, society, the public, men, humankind, everybody, everyone, the world at large: We know what he thinks of the world, but what does the world think of him? 3 area, sphere, domain, community, clique, crowd, circle, fraternity, faction, set, coterie: What value does the art world place on Longchamps'' paintings? 4 period, time, age, era, epoch, time(s): They have produced an excellent series of programmes on the ancient world. 5 bring into the world. a deliver, have, give birth to, beget, Rare or dialect birth: Grandmother brought sixteen children into the world. b deliver, midwife: The town family doctor brought hundreds of children into the world in his long career. 6 for all the world. precisely, exactly, in all respects, in every respect, in every way, just: He behaved for all the world like a man possessed by the devil. 7 on top of the world. ecstatic, delighted, elated, happy, exultant, overjoyed, rapturous, Brit in the seventh heaven, US in seventh heaven, Colloq on cloud nine, Brit over the moon: George has been on top of the world ever since Prudence agreed to marry him. 8 out of this world. marvellous, wonderful, exceptional, unbelievable, incredible, excellent, superb, Colloq great, smashing, fantastic, fabulous, Slang out of sight, far-out, Brit magic, US to the max: The place we stayed at Ibiza was out of this world!
worldly | worldly: adv. 1 mundane, earthly, terrestrial, temporal, physical, carnal, fleshly, corporeal, human; lay, non-spiritual, non-religious, civic, secular, profane: Theo indulged in worldly pleasures in the fleshpots of the continent. Veronica put aside worldly things and took the veil. 2 urbane, suave, sophisticated, cosmopolitan, worldly-wise, Slang with it, hip, cool: Behind that worldly manner is the heart of a peasant.
worn | worn: adj. 1 shabby, threadbare, tatty, tattered, ragged, frayed: Burt wears an old, worn tweed jacket when he''s around the house. 2 haggard, drawn: He looked anxiously at his mother''s thin, worn face. 3 worn out. tired, fatigued, exhausted, frazzled, spent, jaded, played out, haggard, drawn, the worse for wear, Colloq dog-tired, all in, done in, Slang dead (on one''s feet), beat, US pooped: I was completely worn out from climbing those stairs.
worried | worried: adj. fearful, apprehensive, anxious, distressed, nervous, uneasy, anguished, disquieted, agonized, agonizing, distraught, on edge, on tenterhooks, ill at ease, troubled, fretful, agitated, perturbed, upset, suffering: The two worried mothers waited at the police station for news of their children.
worry | worry: v. 1 be anxious, be fearful, be concerned, fret, agonize, be distressed, be vexed, Colloq stew, bite or chew (one''s) nails, go or get grey, get grey hair, Slang sweat blood, US sweat bullets: I worry about you when you stay out so late. 2 annoy, irk, pester, nettle, harry, harass, tease, bother, tantalize, torment, plague, hector, badger, nettle, gall, peeve, Colloq hassle: The police have been worrying me the way a dog worries a bone. --n. 3 concern, care, responsibility; problem, bother, trouble, affliction, irritation, annoyance, vexation: I cannot see why that is your worry. I am sorry to hear about your financial worries. 4 anguish, anxiety, uneasiness, unease, nervousness, distress, apprehension, disquiet, perturbation, agitation, upset, misgiving: Your association with that crowd has caused your mother and me a great deal of worry.
worsen | worsen: v. 1 increase, exacerbate, heighten, intensify, aggravate: The recent rains have worsened the drainage problem. 2 weaken, deteriorate, decline, degenerate, decay, slip, sink, slide, fail, disintegrate, take a turn for the worse, get worse, go from bad to worse, Colloq go downhill: Her condition continues to worsen.
worship | worship: v. 1 venerate, revere, reverence, extol, honour, exalt, praise, admire, adore, adulate, glorify, deify, idolize, be devoted to, pay homage to, bow down before, kneel before, put on a pedestal: When he arrived, he found the people worshipping huge stone idols. --n. 2 veneration, reverence, adoration, devotion, homage, honour, respect, esteem, exaltation, praise, admiration, adulation, glorification, deification, idolatry: A healthy respect for security should not be confused with the worship of money.
worth | worth: n. quality, merit, value, advantage, benefit, good, importance, significance, usefulness: You have underestimated Roberta''s worth to the community.
worthless | worthless: adj. 1 valueless, unimportant, insignificant, inessential or unessential, dispensable, disposable, paltry: His contribution to the work of the committee proved utterly worthless. 2 pointless, bootless, silly, inane, vain, unavailing, useless, futile, fruitless, unproductive, unprofitable: It is worthless to try to salvage that wreck. 3 cheap, valueless, tawdry, poor, trashy, rubbishy, shabby, wretched, Colloq tinny, crappy, cheesy, Slang chintzy: The deceased''s handbag contained only a few items of worthless jewellery.
worthwhile | worthwhile: adj. 1 profitable, justifiable, productive, gainful, rewarding, fruitful, cost-effective, remunerative: Would it be worthwhile to buy up that land as a long-term investment? 2 useful, valuable, good, helpful, beneficial, worthy, beneficent, desirable, exemplary, matchless, honourable, upright, sterling, irreproachable: Brian Smith is one of the most worthwhile people I met at university.
worthy | worthy: adj. 1 worthwhile, deserving, meriting, meritorious, praiseworthy, good, estimable, qualified, creditable: He is a worthy recipient of the honour. 2 See worthwhile, 2, above. --n. 3 dignitary, personage, notable, eminence, luminary: The dinner was attended by all the local worthies.
wound | wound: n. 1 damage, hurt, injury, trauma, traumatism; laceration, puncture, cut, gash, slash, lesion, bruise, contusion: We dressed and bandaged the wounds of the victims. 2 slight, damage, injury, harm, blow, distress, mortification, torment, torture, anguish, pain, insult: Hugh takes the slightest criticism as a deep wound to his self-esteem. --v. 3 damage, harm, injure, hurt, traumatize; cut, slash, gash, lacerate, slit, stab, shoot, Colloq wing: He was wounded in the leg in the war. 4 slight, distress, damage, mortify, insult, hurt, pain, grieve, offend, aggrieve, wrong: I was terribly wounded by the things she said about me.
