| (especially of something unpleasant) likely to happen very soon | The system is in IMMINENT danger of collapse. |
| wanting to do something | There'll be time for a swim if you feel so INCLINED. |
| if you incur something unpleasant, you are in a situation in which you have to deal with it | She had INCURRED the wrath of her father by marrying without his consent. |
| a sign that a system, society, etc. is very bad or very wrong | The poverty in our cities is a damning INDICTMENT of modern society. |
| (formal) to persuade or influence somebody to do something | Nothing would INDUCE me to take the job. |
| to allow yourself to have or do something that you like, especially something that is considered bad for you | They went into town to INDULGE in some serious shopping. |
| to make somebody/something suffer something unpleasant | They INFLICTED a humiliating defeat on the home team. |
| to use power or influence to affect somebody/something | He EXERTED all his authority to make them accept the plan. |
| the state of being sent to live in another country that is not your own, especially for political reasons or as a punishment | The whole family went into EXILE. |
| to make an action or a process possible or easier | The new trade agreement should FACILITATE more rapid economic growth. |
| (especially of people or animals) angry and aggressive in a way that is frightening | Two FIERCE eyes glared at them. |
| a sudden attack of an illness, such as epilepsy, in which somebody becomes unconscious and their body may make violent movements | He suffered from headaches and fainting FITS. |
| a sports event that has been arranged to take place on a particular date and at a particular place | There are plans to make the race an annual FIXTURE. |
| away from a place; out | Huge chimneys belched FORTH smoke and grime. |
| easily broken or damaged | FRAGILE china/glass/bones |
| an attractive quality of movement that is smooth and done with control; a simple and beautiful quality | She moves with the natural GRACE of a ballerina. |
| (of situations, feelings, etc.) very serious and important; giving you a reason to feel worried | The police have expressed GRAVE concern about the missing child's safety. |
| a place in the ground where a dead person is buried | The plague victims were buried in a mass GRAVE. |
| a very sad feeling, especially when somebody dies | They were able to share their common joys and GRIEFS. |
| a wide smile | She gave a broad GRIN. |
| an act of holding somebody/something tightly; a particular way of doing this | to loosen/release/relax your GRIP / grip |
| to describe somebody/something as being very good or special, especially in newspapers, etc. | The conference was HAILED as a great success. |
| an act of stopping the movement or progress of somebody/something | Work came to a HALT when the machine broke down. |
| the freedom or power to decide what should be done in a particular situation | How much to tell terminally ill patients is left to the DISCRETION of the doctor |
| the act of getting rid of something | The council is responsible for waste DISPOSAL and street cleaning. |
| to arrange things or people in a particular way or position | The visitors DISPOSED themselves in a circle round the statue. |
| to change the shape, appearance or sound of something so that it is strange or not clear | The loudspeaker seemed to DISTORT his voice. |
| making you feel anxious and upset or shocked | a profoundly DISTURBING experience |
| a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, a political party, etc. | He was deeply committed to political DOCTRINES of social equality. |
| to die because you have been underwater too long and you cannot breathe; to kill somebody by holding them underwater | She tried to DROWN herself. |
| to give somebody/something a particular name, often in a humorous or critical way | The media DUBBED anorexia ‘the slimming disease’. |
| very complicated and detailed; carefully prepared and organized | She had prepared a very ELABORATE meal. |
| based on experiments or experience rather than ideas or theories | EMPIRICAL evidence/knowledge/research |
| to pass a law | legislation ENACTED by parliament |
| to say publicly that you support a person, statement or course of action | Members of all parties ENDORSED a ban on land mines. |
| to happen after or as a result of another event | The riot police swooped in and chaos ENSUED. |
| something that exists separately from other things and has its own identity | The unit has become part of a larger department and no longer exists as a separate ENTITY. |
| without an end; existing or continuing forever | Newspapers are simply responding to the ETERNAL fascination of their readers with the private lives of the rich and famous. |
| a police officer | children playing COPS and robbers |
| professional advice about a problem | he couple decided to go for relationship COUNSELLING. |
| a person who has been trained to advise people with problems, especially personal problems | I went to see a debt COUNSELLOR and she agreed to come to the bank with me. |
| to reply to somebody by trying to prove that what they said is not true | I tried to argue but he COUNTERED that the plans were not yet finished. |
| polite behaviour that shows respect for other people | We asked them, as a matter of COURTESY, if we could photograph their house. |
| very popular with a particular group of people | The singer has become a CULT figure in America. |
| a way of life, an attitude, an idea, etc. that has become very popular | the CULT of physical fitness |
| an article or a story that you cut from a newspaper or magazine and keep | newspaper/press CUTTINGS |
| believing that people only do things to help themselves rather than for good or honest reasons | a CYNICAL view/smile |
| the first public appearance of a performer or sports player | He will make his DEBUT for the first team this week. |
| to have a particular opinion about somebody/something | The evening was DEEMED a great success. |
| (economics) the amount by which money spent or owed is greater than money earned in a particular period of time | a budget/trade DEFICIT |
| a fault in something or in the way it has been made that means that it is not perfect | The photograph shows slight DEFECTS due to age. |
| a statement that something is not true or does not exist; the action of denying something | the prisoner’s repeated DENIALS of the charges against him |
| to strongly criticize somebody/something that you think is wrong, illegal, etc. | The project was DENOUNCED as a scandalous waste of public money. |
| to keep somebody in an official place, such as a police station, a prison or a hospital, and prevent them from leaving | One man has been DETAINED for questioning. |
| the state of being kept in a place, especially a prison, and prevented from leaving | They were sentenced to 12 months' DETENTION in a young offender institution. |
| (formal) to form an idea, a plan, etc. in your mind | He CONCEIVED the idea of transforming the old power station into an arts centre. |
| a statement that a person makes, admitting that they are guilty of a crime; the act of making such a statement | After hours of questioning by police, she made a full CONFESSION. |
| [often passive] to keep somebody/something inside the limits of a particular activity, subject, area, etc. | I will CONFINE myself to looking at the period from 1900 to 1916. |
| to make a position of power or success stronger so that it is more likely to continue | With this new movie he has CONSOLIDATED his position as the country's leading director. |
| to think about whether you should do something, or how you should do something | I have never CONTEMPLATED living abroad. |
| the feeling that somebody/something is without value and deserves no respect at all | His treatment of his children is beneath CONTEMPT (= so bad that it is not even worth feeling contempt for). |
| (formal) to say that something is true, especially in an argument | I would CONTEND that the minister's thinking is flawed on this point. |
| protection that a government gives to people who have left their own country, usually because they were in danger for political reasons | here was a nationwide debate on whether the ASYLUM laws should be changed |
| known to be real and what somebody claims it is and not a copy | I don't know if the painting is AUTHENTIC. |
| money that somebody agrees to pay if a person accused of a crime does not appear at their trial. When bail has been arranged, the accused person is allowed to go free until the trial. | She was released on £2000 BAIL. |
| to hit a ball with a bat, especially in a game of baseball or cricket | He went to BAT, two runs down, with his team about to lose. |
| to have something that is impressive | She is always BOASTING about how wonderful her children are. |
| a friend | I’d like you to meet an old college BUDDY of mine. |
| a thing or person that reduces a shock or protects somebody/something against difficulties | Support from family and friends acts as a BUFFER against stress. |
| connected with beauty and art and the understanding of beautiful things | an AESTHETIC appreciation of the landscape |
| (of an action, a decision, a rule, etc.) not seeming to be based on a reason, system or plan and sometimes seeming unfair | The choice of players for the team seemed completely ARBITRARY. |
| the state of not having, or not having enough of, something that is essential | Vitamin DEFICIENCY / deficiency in the diet can cause illness. |
| to refuse to obey or show respect for somebody in authority, a law, a rule, etc | Hundreds of people today DEFIES the ban on political gatherings. |
| easily damaged or broken | The eye is one of the most DELICATE organs of the body. |
| anger between people who disagree | One area of CONTENTION is the availability of nursery care. |
| to be considered to be something | Does such an activity CONSTITUTE a criminal offence? |
| (formal) to form an idea, a plan, etc. in your mind | He CONCEIVED the idea of transforming the old power station into an arts centre. |
| a person or team with a chance of winning a competition | a CONTENDER for a gold medal in the Olympics |
| to say or believe that something is the result of a particular thing | She ATTRIBUTES her success to hard work and a little luck |
