The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms
.pdffrom his nose. 2 bit, spot, particle, taste, dram, sip, nip,
pinch, dash, dab, Colloq smidgen or smidgin: Add a drop of milk before kneading the dough. 3 descent, fall: There was a sheer drop of a thousand feet from the ledge into the chasm below. 4 decline, slope, fall-off, drop-off, declivity, incline: The
drop is about 15 feet in 100.
--v. 5 drip, trickle, dribble: As the water drops, filling the tube, the float rises. 6 fall, descend, sink, drop away or down or off, dive, plunge, plummet, decline, collapse: The barometer dropped 10 millibars in 10 minutes. Near that rock, the road drops to the beach. At the first shot, we dropped to the ground. 7 desert, forsake, give up, abandon, leave, quit, throw over,
jilt, discard, reject, repudiate, renounce, Colloq chuck, ditch, dump; relinquish, let go, discontinue, stop, cease, end: After what he said, she dropped him like a hot potato. I wish you'd drop the subject of my disability. 8 release, let go of, shed, cast off, discard, doff: Deciduous trees drop their leaves in winter. 9 omit, leave out, exclude, eliminate: To avoid confusion with his father, he dropped his middle initial. 10 dismiss, let go, fire, discharge, oust, Colloq chiefly Brit
sack, give (someone) the sack: They dropped her after a week's trial. 11 decline, decrease, drop or fall off, diminish,
slacken, slack or taper off, subside, lessen: Demand for swimsuits drops during the winter. 12 drop in (on). visit, call (on), pop in (on), come by, stop in: Viola dropped in for tea yesterday. 13 drop out. withdraw (from), leave; rusticate, depart, decamp, go away or off, take off, turn off: She dropped out of school. After winning the award, Crater dropped out and hasn't been seen since.
drown v. 1 flood, inundate, swamp, deluge, drench, immerse, submerge, engulf: The village was completely drowned in the tidal wave.
2 overwhelm, overcome, overpower, engulf, swamp, deluge, inundate: We were almost drowned by the responses to our advertisement.
drowsy adj. sleepy, heavy-lidded, groggy, somnolent, dozy, oscitant; nodding, yawning; torpid, sluggish, tired, weary, listless, lethargic, lazy: We all felt a bit drowsy after that big
dinner.
drudgery n. toil, labour, moil, travail, (hack) work, donkey-work,
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chore, slog, slogging, slavery, Colloq grind, sweat, Brit |
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skivvying, fag: She wanted some relief from the sheer drudgery |
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of housework. |
drug |
n. 1 medication, medicine, medicament, pharmaceutical, remedy, |
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cure, treatment; cure-all, panacea: My doctor prescribes too |
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many drugs. 2 opiate, narcotic, stimulant, tranquillizer, |
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antidepressant, hallucinogen(ic), psychedelic, hypnotic, |
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soporific, sedative, analgesic, painkiller, Slang dope, downer, |
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upper: Can they control the traffic in drugs? |
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--v. 3 dose, medicate, treat: I was drugged with |
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antihistamines and unable to drive. 4 anaesthetize, dope, |
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deaden, knock out, sedate, stupefy, numb, benumb, dull, |
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narcotize; poison, Slang slip (someone) a Mickey (Finn): The |
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victim had been drugged and kidnapped. |
druggist n. pharmacist, apothecary, Brit chemist: Only a druggist is qualified to dispense this medication.
drunk adj. 1 drunken, intoxicated, inebriated, besotted, tipsy, groggy, sotted, crapulent or crapulous, in one's cups, under the weather, under the influence, maudlin, ebriate, ebriose, ebrious, Colloq soused, pickled, high (as a kite), tight, boozed, boozy, lit (up), half-seas-over, three or four sheets to the wind, out (cold), under the table, Brit squiffy; Slang pie-eyed, loaded, stoned, stewed (to the gills), (well-)oiled,
bombed (out of one's mind), crocked, plastered, tanked, sloshed, polluted, stinko, smashed, blotto, pissed: He was so drunk he tried to fly. 2 exhilarated, excited, exuberant, invigorated, inspirited, animated, ecstatic; flushed, feverish, inflamed, aflame, fervent, fervid, delirious: Since he became a director, he's been drunk with power.
--n. 3 drunkard, drinker, toper, tippler, sot, soak, bibber, winebibber; dipsomaniac, alcoholic, problem drinker; Colloq guzzler, swiller, sponge, Slang wino, boozer, dipso, lush, souse, alky, US juicer, juice-head, rummy: The drunks who volunteered were registered for treatment. 4 carouse, bacchanal, carousal, bacchanalia, revel, Slang bender, tear, jag, bat, US and Canadian toot, Chiefly Brit pub-crawl: I went off on a wild drunk the night before my wedding.
drunkenness
n. intoxication, insobriety, intemperance, sottishness, bibulousness, inebriety, crapulence, crapulousness, tipsiness, ebriety; dipsomania, alcoholism, ebriosity; Colloq boozing, Slang hitting the bottle or US the sauce: Only a psychiatrist could help cure his drunkenness.
dry |
adj. 1 dehydrated, desiccated, arid, sear, parched, waterless, |
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moistureless; barren, bare, fruitless: With no rain for a |
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month, the dry earth yielded no crops. 2 dreary, boring, |
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tedious, tiresome, wearisome, wearying, tiring, dull, |
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uninteresting, monotonous, prosaic, commonplace, stale, |
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uninspired; plain, unadorned, unembellished: The minister's |
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speech was as dry as could be, a litany of dry statistics. 3 |
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witty, droll, wry, cynical, biting, sarcastic, cutting, keen, |
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sly, ironic: Oscar Wilde was known for his dry witticisms. |
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--v. 4 dehydrate, desiccate, parch: As the rainfall subsided, |
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the land dried and changed into a desert. 5 dry up or out, |
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wither, shrivel, shrink, wilt: The plants dried because they |
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weren't watered. |
4.6 duck...
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duck |
v. 1 bob, dodge, dip, dive, stoop, bow, bend, crouch: I ducked |
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to avoid hitting my head on the beam. 2 plunge, submerge, |
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immerse, dunk: In the pool, she ducked me when I least expected |
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it. 3 avoid, sidestep, evade, dodge, elude, shun, steer clear |
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of, shy away from; shirk: He is known for ducking his |
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responsibilities. |
dud |
n. 1 failure, Colloq flop, lead balloon, lemon, washout, Colloq |
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US and Canadian dog, clinker: Her second novel certainly proved |
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a dud - it sold only ten copies. |
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--adj. 2 worthless, valueless, broken, unusable, useless, |
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inoperative, non-functioning, inoperative, malfunctioning, |
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Colloq kaput, bust(ed), Brit duff: They deliberately supplied |
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us with dud ammunition. |
dude |
n. 1 dandy, fop, fancy dresser, Beau Brummell, popinjay, |
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boulevardier, man about town, Archaic coxcomb, macaroni; Slang |
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swell, Brit toff: He dressed like a real dude - zoot suit and |
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all. 2 man, fellow, chap, Colloq guy: Hey, man, who's that |
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dude in the tartan suit? |
due |
adj. 1 payable, owed, owing, unpaid, outstanding, in arrears: |
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The rent is due tomorrow. 2 fitting, right, rightful, correct, |
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proper, appropriate, apropos, apposite, suitable, apt, meet; |
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deserved, (well-)earned, merited, just, justified: Was she |
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treated with due respect? 3 necessary, needed, adequate, |
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sufficient, enough, satisfactory; ample, plenty of: I do not |
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think my case was given due consideration. 4 expected, |
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scheduled, anticipated: He was due on the two o'clock plane. |
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--adv. 5 directly, exactly, precisely, straight: Go due east |
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to the river, then turn north. |
dues |
n.pl. (membership) fee, charge(s): If you have not paid your |
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dues, you may not use the club's facilities. |
duff |
adj. bad, useless, worthless, unworkable, inoperable, |
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inoperative, broken; fake, false, counterfeit, Colloq dud, |
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phoney or US also phony: We couldn't get that duff radio to |
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work. We were provided with duff papers for crossing the border. |
duffer |
n. incompetent, blunderer, bungler, oaf, Colloq ox, lummox: He |
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may be an expert at computers but he's a duffer at golf. |
dull |
adj. 1 stupid, slow-witted, dense, stolid, bovine, cloddish, |
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clod-like, backward, obtuse, doltish, crass, dumb, Colloq thick, |
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dim, dim-witted, Brit dim as a Toc H lamp: He might be a dull |
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student but he's a brilliant artist. 2 insensitive, numb, |
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insensible, imperceptive or impercipient, unresponsive, |
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indifferent, unfeeling, unsympathetic, callous, hardened, hard, |
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inured, obtundent: He knew that he could expect only a dull |
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response to his pleading. 3 lifeless, indifferent, |
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unresponsive, sluggish, slow, listless, inactive, torpid: The |
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market for luxury cars is a little dull now. 4 boring, |
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tiresome, tedious, monotonous, uninspired, uninspiring, |
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unoriginal, uninteresting, humdrum: All work and no play make |
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Jack a dull boy. 5 dismal, dreary, depressing, sombre, grey, |
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dark, murky, gloomy, cloudy, clouded, overcast, sunless: If the |
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day is dull, the photographs will show it. 6 blunted, blunt; |
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obtuse: I nicked myself with that dull razor. 7 hazy, blurry, |
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opaque, drab: Rub the dull film off that silver goblet. 8 |
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muffled, numbing, deadened, muted, indistinct: I've had a dull |
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pain in my arm all day. |
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--v. 9 allay, assuage, relieve, mitigate, lessen, reduce: |
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Weeping dulls the inner pain. 10 dim, tarnish, obscure, bedim, |
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blur, cloud, becloud: A mist dulled the rich colours of the |
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glen. 11 stupefy, narcotize, numb, benumb, desensitize, deaden, |
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blunt, obtund: His war experiences had dulled his feelings |
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towards others. |
duly |
adv. 1 properly, fittingly, deservedly, appropriately, |
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suitably, befittingly, rightly, correctly, accordingly: Those |
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elected were duly installed in office. 2 punctually, on time: |
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The train duly arrived. |
dumb |
adj. 1 mute, speechless, voiceless; silent, quiet, taciturn, |
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mum, wordless; inarticulate: She was struck dumb with |
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astonishment. 2 dull, stupid, Colloq thick: He's too dumb to |
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understand what you are saying. |
dumbfound v. dumfound, amaze, shock, surprise, startle, astonish, astound, bewilder, stagger, stun, floor, nonplus, confuse, confound, Colloq flabbergast, bowl over: Their offer for the house dumbfounded us.
dumbfounded
adj. dumfounded, amazed, shocked, surprised, startled, astonished, astounded, bewildered, staggered, floored, nonplussed, overwhelmed, speechless, stunned, thunderstruck, dazzled, dazed, dumbstruck, taken aback, confused, confounded, bemused, perplexed, baffled, disconcerted, Colloq bowled over, flabbergasted, knocked out, thrown (off), US thrown for a loss, Brit knocked for six, knocked sideways: She is dumbfounded that he proposed marriage.
dummy n. 1 mannequin, manikin or mannikin, model, figure: I saw the coat on a dummy in the shop window. 2 sample, copy, reprint, reproduction, likeness, substitution, imitation, sham, mock-up, simulation, Colloq phoney or US also phony: Those aren't the
real crown jewels, they're just dummies. 3 fool, idiot, dunce, blockhead, ninny, ass, dolt, numskull or numbskull, simpleton,
Colloq dim-wit, US thimble-wit: They're such dummies they don't know that you're joking. 4 US pacifier: Give the baby the dummy to suck.
dump v. 1 unload, offload, empty, drop, deposit, throw or fling down, tip: They dumped the topsoil all over the path. 2 get rid of, throw away, scrap, discard, ditch, jettison, dispose of, reject, tip, toss out or away, Colloq junk, chuck out or away: We dumped all the food when the fridge broke down.
--n. 3 junk-yard, rubbish heap or Brit tip, US garbage dump: You'll have to take this garden refuse to the dump.
dumpy |
adj. stocky, pudgy, squat, chunky, chubby, tubby, stout, plump, |
portly, fat: No one with a dumpy figure looks good in shorts. |
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dun |
v. press, importune, solicit, plague, nag, pester, Slang US |
bug: The gas company has been dunning me to pay the bill. |
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dung |
n. manure, muck, droppings, cow-pats, fertilizer, guano, |
excrement, faeces or US feces, US cow or buffalo-chips, |
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horse-apples, Taboo shit: The dung is spread on the fields. |
dungeon |
n. donjon, keep, cell, prison, lock-up, oubliette, black hole, |
stronghold: Throw the infidels into the dungeon and give them |
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twenty lashes! |
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dupe |
n. 1 fool, gull, victim, fair game, Colloq chump, Chiefly US |
and Canadian fall guy; Slang sucker, sap, boob, pushover, pigeon, mark, Brit mug, Chiefly US and Canadian patsy: Swindlers often choose tourists as likely dupes. 2 cat's-paw, pawn, tool, puppet, Slang stooge: I'm not going to be the dupe in your little game!
--v. 3 deceive, fool, outwit, cheat, trick, take in, defraud, humbug, hoax, swindle, hoodwink, bilk, gull, cozen, delude, mislead, snooker, victimize, Colloq bamboozle, flimflam, put one over on, pull a fast one on; Slang con, rip off, rook, take, US
and Canadian snow, do a snow job on: She was duped into believing she had won the lottery.
duplicate adj. 1 identical; twin, matching: They sent me duplicate tickets by mistake.
--n. 2 (exact or carbon) copy, photocopy, machine copy, double, clone, (perfect) match, facsimile, twin, reproduction, replica, replication, look-alike, Trade Mark Xerox (copy), Slang (dead) ringer: This painting looks like a duplicate of the one you bought.
--v. 3 copy, photocopy, clone, match, replicate, imitate, reproduce, double, Trade Mark Xerox; repeat, equal: Would you please duplicate this letter for me? Can he duplicate his performance in the Commonwealth Games?
durable adj. enduring, long-lasting, stable, wear-resistant, heavy-duty, hard-wearing, long-wearing, lasting, persistent, indestructible, substantial, sturdy, tough, stout, strong, firm, sound, fixed, fast, permanent, dependable, reliable: The product is durable, guaranteed to last a lifetime.
duress n. 1 coercion, threat, pressure, constraint, compulsion; force, power: The boys wash the dishes only under duress. 2 confinement, imprisonment, incarceration, captivity, restraint,
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Literary durance: There were workhouses, prisons, and other |
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forms of duress. |
dusk |
n. twilight, sundown, nightfall, evening, sunset, dark, |
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eventide: The workers came in from the fields at dusk. |
dusky |
adj. 1 dark, black, ebony, sable, jet-black; swarthy, swart, |
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dark-complected, dark-complexioned: 'Dusky diamonds' is another |
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name for coal. A dusky gentleman offered to see her home safely. |
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2 shadowy, shady, dim, dark, unilluminated, unlit, murky, |
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subfusc, subfuscous, gloomy, obscure: An ominous figure was |
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lurking in the dusky area under the stairs. |
dutiful adj. obedient, compliant, willing, obliging, filial, faithful, conscientious, reliable, responsible, diligent, attentive, punctilious, respectful, polite, considerate, deferential,
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submissive, yielding, acquiescent, malleable, flexible, pliant, |
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accommodating, Formal or archaic duteous: A dutiful son, he |
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visits his parents weekly. |
duty |
n. 1 responsibility, obligation, burden, onus, devoir, office, |
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work, task, assignment, job, stint, chore, occupation, calling, |
function, role, part, bit, charge: Every man is expected to do his duty. 2 respect, deference, loyalty, fealty, fidelity, faithfulness, allegiance: I think she did it out of a sense of duty to her family. 3 tax, excise, tariff, impost, levy, customs: You will have to pay duty on that whisky.
4.7 dwarf...
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dwarf |
v. overshadow, dominate, diminish, minimize: The new tower |
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dwarfs the older buildings. |
dwell |
v. 1 reside, abide, live, lodge, stay, remain, rest, Formal |
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domicile: After the father's death, the mother dwelt with her |
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daughter. 2 dwell on or upon. harp on, persist in, emphasize, |
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stress, focus on, linger or tarry over, elaborate (on); labour: |
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Why must you always dwell on a person's shortcomings? |
dwelling n. abode, habitation, dwelling-place, house, domicile, lodging, quarters, home, residence, homestead: His dwelling is a shanty
in old shanty town.
dwindle v. diminish, decrease, shrink, lessen, wane, fade, contract, condense, reduce, peter out, waste away, die out or down or away, ebb, decline, subside, taper off, shrivel (up or away):
The last days of summer dwindled away. His funds have dwindled until today he has nothing.
4.8 dying...
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dying |
adj. expiring; sinking, slipping away, going, failing, fading |
(fast), at death's door, on one's deathbed, with one foot in the |
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grave, in extremis; moribund: The doctor said the dying man was |
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in no pain. |
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dynamic |
adj. dynamical, vigorous, active, forceful, energetic, potent, |
powerful, high-powered, lively, spry, vital, electric, spirited, zealous, eager, emphatic: We are seeking a dynamic salesman for our Reading office.
dynamism n. energy, vigour, pep, vitality, liveliness, spirit, spiritedness, forcefulness, power, drive, initiative,
enterprise, Colloq get-up-and-go, zip, push: That woman has the dynamism needed to get ahead in this organization.
dynasty n. line, family, heritage, house: The Ming dynasty ruled China for more than 300 years.
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5.1 eager...
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eager adj. avid, zealous, ardent, earnest, keen, enthusiastic, hot, hungry, fervent, fervid, passionate, spirited, inspirited, energetic, energized, vehement, animated, excited, vitalized, stimulated; desirous, yearning, desiring, craving, wanting, longing, itchy, impatient; anxious; Colloq dying, Slang US hot to trot: We were particularly eager to spend our holiday in Spain.
eagerness n. 1 avidity, zeal, earnestness, keenness, enthusiasm, fervour, hunger, vehemence, animation, vitality, appetite, zest, relish, spirit, spiritedness, gusto, verve, dash, ‚lan, vim, vigour,
energy, Colloq get-up-and-go, zip, go: Such eagerness for learning is rare. In his eagerness to please everyone he satisfies no one. 2 desire, longing, wishing, yearning: He observed the eagerness, the open hunger, with which she now waited for Mr Browning.
eagle-eyed
adj. sharp-eyed, sharp-sighted, keen-eyed, keen-sighted, lynx-eyed, hawk-eyed; perceptive, perspicacious, discerning, sharp, watchful, alert: It would be impossible to deceive our eagle-eyed supervisor.
ear |
n. 1 attention, heed, notice, regard, consideration: See if |
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you can get his ear for a moment between meetings. 2 |
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sensitivity, appreciation, taste, discrimination: She has an |
excellent ear for the right expression.
early adv. 1 beforehand, ahead (of time), prematurely: I arrived too early and had to wait. 2 anciently, initially, originally, at
or near the start or beginning: Plants appeared early in the development of life forms on earth. 3 betimes, at cock crow or cock's-crow, at (the crack or break of) dawn, at daybreak: You're up early this morning!
--adj. 4 untimely, premature; inopportune, inappropriate: The early fruit isn't as sweet. 5 initial, beginning, original,
first, pioneer, advanced: He was one of the earliest writers on the subject. 6 primeval, primitive, primordial, ancient, old, prehistoric, antediluvian, original; antique, antiquated: The Olduvai Gorge has yielded up many early humanoid fossils.
earn v. 1 merit, deserve, be worthy of, be entitled to, win, warrant, rate, qualify for, have a claim or right to: Peter has earned everyone's respect. 2 make, pocket, gross, net, clear, realize, receive, get, procure, collect, reap, bring in, take home; draw, Colloq US pull down: It is still the case that most men earn more than their wives.
earnest adj. 1 serious, solemn, grave, sober, intense, steady, resolute, resolved, firm, determined, assiduous, sincere, dedicated, committed, devoted, thoughtful: He made an earnest promise to do his best. 2 zealous, ardent, diligent, assiduous, industrious, hard-working, devoted, eager, conscientious, keen, fervent, fervid, enthusiastic, passionate: Burbridge is an earnest pupil. 3 earnest-money. deposit, down payment, binder,
handsel, guarantee, security, pledge: The company paid œ10,000 earnest-money to secure the bid.
--n. 4 in earnest. serious, sincere: She said she would come, but I doubt whether she was in earnest.
earnings n.pl. wages, salary, income, compensation, pay, stipend, emolument, proceeds, return, revenue, yield, takings, Slang take: The interest from tax-free bonds was not included in my earnings.
earth n. 1 globe, mother earth, planet, world, blue planet, Terra: Ozone depletion in the upper atmosphere may be threatening life