Homework2:

Collegiality (n.):

The relationship between colleagues

Ex: I've never experienced such immediate collegiality and interest in helping me learn the
ropes.

Collaboration (n.): /k;lb"ren/

When you work together with another person or group to achieve something, especially in
science or art

Ex: The company is building the centre in collaboration with the Institute of Offshore
Engineering.

Collaboration between

Ex: Collaboration between the two theatres

Collaboration with

Ex: The project has involved collaboration with the geography department.

Endurance (n.): /n"dj|rns $ n"d|r-/

The ability to continue doing something difficult or painful over a long period of time

Physical/mental endurance

Ex: The marathon is a test of endurance.

Patience (n.): /"pens/

The ability to continue waiting or doing something for a long time without becoming angry or
anxious

Tolerance (n.): /"tlrns $ "t:-/

Willingness to allow people to do, say, or believe what they want without criticizing or
punishing them

Tolerance of/towards/for

Ex: Tolerance towards religious minorities

The degree to which someone can suffer pain, difficulty etc without being harmed or damaged
Tolerance to

Ex: Many old people have a very limited tolerance to cold.

Preservation: /;p:s"vrns $ ;p:rs"vr-/ [uncountable]

Determination to keep trying to achieve something in spite of difficulties

Ex: It took perseverance to overcome his reading problems.

Exactitude (n.): /g"zkttju:d $ -tu:d/ [uncountable]

The state of being exact

Ex: After its opening weekend, a movie's final box office gross can be estimated with
considerable exactitude.

Precision: /pr"sn/ [uncountable]

The quality of being very exact or correct

With precision

Ex: The work was carried out with military precision (=the work was done in a carefully planned
and exact way).

Exactness (n.): /zak(t)ns/

The quality of being accurate or correct; precision

Ex: It is impossible to calculate with mathematical exactness

Eminence (n.): /"emnns/

The quality of being famous and important

Of great/such etc eminence

Ex: A scientist of great eminence

Your/His Eminence a title used when talking to or about a cardinal (=priest of high rank in the
Roman Catholic Church)
Prominence (n.): /"prmnns $ "pr:-/

The fact of being important and well-known

Prominence of

Ex: The prominence of pressure groups as political forces

Come to/rise to/achieve prominence (as something)

Ex: She first came to prominence as an artist in 1989.

Give something prominence/give prominence to something (=to treat something as specially

important)

Ex: Every newspaper gave prominence to the success of England's cricketers.

Tenacity (n.): /tnasti/

The quality or fact of being able to grip something firmly

Ex: The sheer tenacity of the limpet

Tenacious (adj.): /t"nes/

Determined to do something and unwilling to stop trying even when the situation becomes
difficult

Ex: A tenacious negotiator

Tenacious beliefs, ideas etc continue to have a lot of influence for a long time

Ex: A tenacious religious tradition that is still practiced in Shinto temples

Stunning (adj.): /"stn/

Extremely attractive or beautiful

Ex: You look absolutely stunning in that dress.

Very surprising or shocking

Ex: Stunning news

Amazing (adj.): /"mez/

Very good, especially in an unexpected way

Ex: He's an amazing player to watch.

So surprising you can hardly believe it

Ex: It's amazing how often you see drivers using mobile phones.

Astonish (adj.): /"stn $ "st:-/

To surprise someone very much

Ex: 1. Her reply astonished me.

2. It astonished him that she had changed so little.

3. What astonishes me most is his complete lack of fear.

Contemptuous (adj.): /kn"temptus/

Showing that you think someone or something deserves no respect

Ex: A contemptuous glance

Contemptuous of

Ex: He was openly contemptuous of his father.

Deride (v.): /d"rad/

To make remarks or jokes that show you think someone or something is silly or useless

Ex: You shouldn't deride their efforts.

Deride somebody as something

Ex: The party was derided as totally lacking in ideas.

Derisive (adj.): /d"rasv/

Showing that you think someone or something is stupid or silly

Ex: Derisive laughter

Denounce (v.): /d"na|ns/

To express strong disapproval of someone or something, especially in public

Ex: Amnesty International denounced the failure by the authorities to take action.

Denounce somebody/something as something

Ex: He denounced the election as a farce.

To give information to the police or other authority about someone's illegal political activities

Denounce somebody to somebody

Ex: She denounced him to the police.

Condone (v.): /kn"d|n $ -"do|n/

To accept or forgive behavior that most people think is morally wrong

Ex: I cannot condone the use of violence under any circumstances.

Overlook (v.): /;|v"l|k $ ;o|vr-/

To forgive someone's mistake, bad behavior etc and take no action

Ex: She found him entertaining enough to overlook his faults.

Remedy (n.): /"remade i/

A way of dealing with a problem or making a bad situation better

Ex: The problems in our schools do not have a simple remedy.

Remedy (v.): /"remade i/

To deal with a problem or improve a bad situation

Ex: To remedy the situation, the water must be chemically treated.

Boast (v.): /b|st $ bo|st/

To talk too proudly about your abilities, achievements, or possessions

Ex: 'I wouldn't be afraid,' she boasted.

Boast that

Ex: Amy boasted that her son was a genius.

Boast about

Ex: He's boasting about how much money he has made.

Boast of

Ex: The company is inclined to boast of its success.

Brag (v.): /brg/

To talk too proudly about what you have done, what you own etc - used to show disapproval

Ex: 'I came out top in the test,' he bragged.

Brag about

Ex: Ben's always bragging about his success with women.

Brag that

Ex: Julia used to brag that her family had a villa in Spain.

Downplay (v.): /;da|n"ple $ "da|nple/

To make something seem less important than it really is

Ex: White House officials attempted to downplay the President's role in the affair.

Overshadow (v.): /;|v"d| $ ;o|vr"do|/

To make someone or something else seem less important

Ex: Her interest in politics began to overshadow her desire to be a poet.

Deemphasize (v.): /dimfsz/

Reduce the importance or prominence given to (something).

Ex: Commentators tend to de-emphasize parental culpability

Consciously (adv.):

Being aware

Ex: She was probably not consciously aware of her true feelings

Apathy (n.): /"pi/ [uncountable]

The feeling of not being interested in something, and not willing to make any effort to change or
improve things

Ex: The campaign failed because of public apathy.

Nobly (adv.): /"n|bli $ "no|-/

In a morally good or generous way that should be admired

Ex: They chose to die nobly rather than to betray their king.

Disposition (n.): /;dsp"zn/ formal

A particular type of character which makes someone likely to behave or react in a certain way

Of a nervous/sociable/sensitive etc disposition (=having a nervous etc character)

Ex: The film is not suitable for people of a nervous disposition.

Have a cheerful/sunny etc disposition (=have a happy character)

A tendency or willingness to behave in a particular way

Have/show a disposition to do something

Ex: Neither side shows the slightest disposition to compromise.

Disposition towards

Ex: Most children have a disposition towards obedience.

The position or arrangement of something in a particular place

Disposition of

Ex: A map showing the disposition of American forces

The way in which something is dealt with or used

Disposition of

Ex: A solicitor advised him as to the disposition of the money.

Replenish (v.): /r"plen/

To put new supplies into something, or to fill something again

Ex: More vaccines are needed to replenish our stocks.

Refill (v.): /;ri:"fl/

To fill something again

Ex: The waitress refilled our coffee cups.

Restock (v.): /;ri:"stk $ -"st:k/

To bring in more supplies to replace those that have been used

Ex: Work began at once to restock the fishery

Scrutinize (v.): /"skru:tnaz/

To examine someone or something very carefully

Ex: He scrutinized the document.

Examine (v.): /g"zmn/

To look at something carefully and thoroughly because you want to find out more about it

Ex: A team of divers was sent down to examine the wreck.

Surmount (v.): /s"ma|nt $ sr-/

To succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty

Ex: He has had to surmount immense physical disabilities.

Overcome (v.): /|v"km $ ;o|vr-/

To successfully control a feeling or problem that prevents you from achieving something

Ex: He struggled to overcome his shyness.

Duplicity (n.): /dju:"plsti $ du:-/

Dishonest behavior that is intended to deceive someone

Ex: Nor will I tolerate any lying or duplicity.

Deception (n.): /d"sepn/

The act of deliberately making someone believe something that is not true

Ex: He didn't have the courage to admit to her deception.

Fraud (n.): /fr:d $ fr:d/

The crime of deceiving people in order to gain something such as money or goods

Tax/insurance/credit card etc fraud

Ex: He's been charged with tax fraud.

Deliberation (n.): /d;lb"ren/

Careful consideration or discussion of something

Ex: After much deliberation, first prize was awarded to Derek Murray.

Deliberation of

Ex: The deliberations of committee meetings

Deliberate (v.): /d"lbret/

To think about something very carefully

Ex: The jury deliberated for four days before acquitting him.

Deliberate on/about/over

Ex: There was silence while she deliberated on his words.

Deliberate (adj.): /d"lbrt/

Intended or planned

Ex: A deliberate attempt to humiliate her

Depletion (n.): /d"pli:n/ [uncountable]

Reduction in the number or quantity of something

Ex: The depletion of the ozone layer

Exhaust (v.): /g"z:st $ -"z:st/

To make someone feel extremely tired

Ex: full day's teaching exhausts me.

Exhaust yourself

Ex: He'd exhausted himself carrying all the boxes upstairs.

To use all of something

Ex: We are in danger of exhausting the world's oil supply.

Exhaust a subject/topic etc to talk about something so much that you have nothing more to say
about it
Ex: Once we'd exhausted the subject of Jill's wedding, I didn't know what to say.

Exhaustion (n.): /g"z:stn $ -"z:s-/

Extreme tiredness

With exhaustion

Ex: He collapsed with exhaustion.

When all of something has been used

Exhaustion of

Ex: The exhaustion of oil supplies

Account (n.): /"ka|nt/

A written or spoken description that says what happens in an event or process

Account of

Ex: He was too shocked to give an account of what had happened

Victim (n.): /"vktm/ [countable]

Someone who has been attacked, robbed, or murdered

Ex: The victim received head injuries from which she died a week later.

Haunt (v.): /h:nt $ h:nt/

To make someone worry or make them sad

Ex: Clare was haunted by the fear that her husband was having an affair.

To cause problems for someone over a long period of time

Ex: An error that would come back to haunt them for years to come

Obsess (v.): /b"ses/

If something or someone obsesses you, you think or worry about them all the time and you
cannot think about anything else

Be obsessed by/with something/somebody

Ex: A lot of young girls are obsessed by their weight.

Be obsessing about/over something/somebody to think about something or someone much
more than is necessary or sensible

Ex: Stop obsessing about your hair. It's fine.

Culpable (adj.): /"klpbl/

Deserving blame

Ex: Both parties were held to be to some extent culpable.

A culpable action is one that is considered criminal

Culpable homicide/negligence etc

Ex: He pleaded guilty to culpable homicide.

Guilty (adj.): /"glti/

Feeling very ashamed and sad because you know that you have done something wrong

Guilty about/at

Ex: I feel really guilty at forgetting her birthday again.

Having done something that is a crime

Guilty of

Ex: The jury found her guilty of murder.

Responsible for behavior that is morally or socially unacceptable

Be guilty of (doing) something

Ex: Some journalists are guilty of reporting scandal in order to sell papers.

Desire (n.): /d"za $ -"zar/

A strong hope or wish

Desire to do something

Ex: A strong desire to win

Desire for

Ex: A desire for knowledge

Desire that

Ex: It was Harold's desire that he should be buried next to his wife.

Express/show a desire

Ex: She expressed a desire to visit us.

Have no desire to do something (=used to emphasize that you do not want to do something)

Ex: I have no desire to cause any trouble.

Inherent (adj.): /n"hrnt, -"her- $ -"hr-, -"her-/

A quality that is inherent in something is a natural part of it and cannot be separated from it

Inherent in

Ex: I'm afraid the problems you mention are inherent in the system.

Lenience (n.): /ln-ns, lnyns/

Kind, forgiving, or compassionate treatment of or disposition toward others

Ex: I cannot explain- my brain is on fire, I think -but try to judge with lenience

Lenient (adj.): /"li:nint/

Not strict in the way you punish someone or in the standard you expect:

Ex: School examiners say that marking has become more lenient in recent years.

Grant (v.): /gr:nt $ grnt/

To give someone something or allow them to have something that they have asked for

Ex: Britain could grant Spain's request.

Grant somebody something

Ex: The council has granted him permission to build on the site.

Grant something to somebody

Ex: A license to sell alcohol was granted to the club.

Grant that (=used in prayers)

Ex: Grant that we may know your presence and love.

To admit that something is true although it does not make much difference to your opinion

Ex: He's got talent, I grant you, but he doesn't work hard enough.

Mellifluous (adj.): /m"lflus/

A mellifluous voice or piece of music sounds pleasantly smooth

Ex: A mellifluous voice

Macabre (adj.): /m"k:br, -b $ -br, -br/

Very strange and unpleasant and connected with death or with people being seriously hurt

Ex: A macabre tale

Amorphous (adj.): /"m:fs $ -:r-/

Having no definite shape or features:

Ex: Anamorphous mass of twisted metal

Infallible (adj.): /n"flbl/

Always right and never making mistakes

Ex: No expert is infallible.

Something that is infallible always works or has the intended effect

Ex: He had an infallible cure for a hangover.

Crony (n.): /"kr|ni $ "kro|ni/

One of a group of people who spend a lot of time with each other - used to show disapproval

Somebody's cronies

Ex: The senator's political cronies.

Comrade (n.): /"kmrd, -red $ "k:mrd/

A friend, especially someone who shares difficult work or danger

Ex: He misses his comrades from his days in the Army.

Libertine (n.): /"lbti:n $ -r-/ [countable]

Someone who leads an immoral life and always looks for pleasure, especially sexual pleasure

Ex: His image as an unbridled libertine is a total myth

Debauched (adj.): /d"b:tt $ -"b:tt, -"b:tt/

Someone who is debauched behaves in a bad or immoral way, for example by drinking too much
alcohol, taking drugs, or having sex with many people

Ex: A debauched lifestyle

Debauchery (n.): /d"b:tri $ d"b:-, d"b:-/

Immoral behavior involving drugs, alcohol, sex etc

Ex: A life of debauchery

Defiance (n.): /d"fans/

Behavior that shows you refuse to do what someone tells you to do, especially because you do
not respect them

Act/gesture of defiance

Ex: Running away was an act of defiance against his parents.

In defiance (of something)

Ex: Many people were drinking in the streets, in flagrant defiance of the ban.

Disobedience (n.): / dsbidins/

Failure or refusal to obey rules or someone in authority

Ex: Disobedience to law is sometimes justified

Disparity (n.): d"sprti/

A difference between two or more things, especially an unfair one

Disparity in/between

Ex: A disparity between the rates of pay for men and women
Incongruence (n.): /n"kgrus $ -"k:-/

To be strange and different

Ex: An unequal phyletic development is thus the immediate cause of incongruence

Duplicity (n.): /dju:"plsti $ du:-/

Dishonest behavior that is intended to deceive someone

Ex: I saw it most in our native duplicity.

Encyclopedic (adj.): /n;sakl"pi:dk</

Having a lot of knowledge or information about a particular subject

Ex: An encyclopedic knowledge of medieval literature

Comprehensive (adj.): /;kmpr"hensv< $ ;k:m-/

Including all the necessary facts, details, or problems that need to be dealt with

Ex: We offer our customers a comprehensive range of financial products.

Through (adj.): /"r $ "ro|, "r/

Including every possible detail

Ex: The doctor gave him a thorough check-up.

Long winded (adj.): /;l "wndd< $ ;l:-/

Continuing to talk for too long or using too many words in a way that is boring

Ex: His speeches tend to be rather long-winded.

If a way of doing something is long-winded, it is very complicated

Ex: The whole process is incredibly long-winded.

Verbose (adj.): /v:"b|s $ v:r"bo|s/

Using or containing too many words

Ex: For once, his usually verbose wife was content to listen.

Wordy (adj.): /"w:di $ "w:rdi/

Using too many words

Ex: A wordy explanation

Lengthy (adj.): /"lei/ comparative lengthier, superlative lengthiest [usually before noun]

Continuing for a long time, often too long

Ex: A lengthy period of training is required.

A speech, piece of writing etc that is lengthy is long and often contains too many details

Ex: A lengthy report

Exhaustive (adj.): /g"z:stv $ -"z:s-/

Extremely thorough and complete:

Ex: An exhaustive investigation

Rambling (adj.): /"rmbl/ [usually before noun]

A rambling building has an irregular shape and covers a large area

Ex: A rambling old farmhouse

Rambling speech or writing is very long and does not seem to have any clear organization or
purpose

Ex: A long rambling letter

Overbearing (adj.): /;|v"ber $ ;o|vr"ber-/

Always trying to control other people without considering their wishes or feelings

Ex: A bossy, overbearing wife

Bossy (adj.): /"bsi $ "b:si/

Always telling other people what to do, in a way that is annoying

Ex: Her loud bossy sister

Domineering (adj.): /;dm"nr< $ ;d:m"nr-/

Someone who is domineering tries to control other people without considering their feelings or
ideas - used to show disapproval

Ex: A domineering mother

Undiscriminating (adj.): /;nd"skrmnet/

Not having the ability to see a difference between two people or things, and therefore unable to
make judgments about them

Ex: The novels considered are those read by the undiscriminating crowd.

Comply (v.): km"pla/

To do what you have to do or are asked to do

Comply with

Ex: Failure to comply with the regulations will result in prosecution.

Resolution (n.): /rez"lu:n/

A formal decision or statement agreed on by a group of people, especially after a vote

Pass/adopt/approve a resolution

Ex: The resolution was passed by a two-thirds majority.

When someone solves a problem, argument, or difficult situation

Resolution of

Ex: A forum for the resolution of commercial disputes

Promise to yourself to do something

Resolution to do something

Ex: Carol made a resolution to work harder at school.

Strong belief and determination

Ex: Then, with sudden resolution, she stood up.

The power of a television, camera, microscope etc to give a clear picture

High/low resolution (=how clear or unclear the picture is)

Ex: High resolution images on the computer screen.

Culprit (n.): /"klprt/ [countable]

The person who is guilty of a crime or doing something wrong

Ex: Police finally managed to catch the culprit.

Incline (v.): /n"klan/

If a situation, fact etc inclines you to do or think something, it influences you towards a
particular action or opinion

Incline somebody to do something

Ex: The accident inclined him to reconsider his career.

To think that a particular belief or opinion is most likely to be correct

Incline to do something

Ex: I incline to accept the official version of events.

Incline to/towards

Ex: I incline to the opinion that this principle extends to cases of religious discrimination.

Epilogue (n.): /eplg $ -l:g, -l:g/

A speech or piece of writing that is added to the end of a book, film, or play and discusses or
explains the ending or something that happens at the end of a series of events

Ex: A disastrous epilogue to his career

Prologue (n.): /"pr|lg $ "pro|l:g, -l:g/

The introduction to a play, a long poem etc opposite: epilogue

An act or event that leads to a more important event

Prologue to

Ex: A prologue to the final abandonment of trams in London

Overstatement (n.): /vstetm()nt,vstetm()nt/

The action of stating something too strongly; exaggeration

Ex: A classic piece of overstatement

Largesse (n.): /l:"es $ l:r"des/ [uncountable]

When someone gives money or gifts to people who have less than they do, or the money or gifts

Ex: Presumably public money is not dispensed with such largesse to anyone else.
Generosity (n.): /;den"rsti $ -"r:-/

A generous attitude, or generous behavior

Ex: An act of great generosity

Generosity to/towards

Ex: His generosity to the poor

Imprecision (n.): /;mprsn</

Lack of exactitude

Ex: An imprecision in the terminology

Vagueness (n.): /veg ns/

Something that is unclear

Ex: He buried his meaning in vagueness and niceties.

Ambiguous (adj.): /m"bgjus/

Something that is ambiguous is unclear, confusing, or not certain, especially because it can be
understood in more than one way

Ex: The language in the Minister's statement is highly ambiguous.

Equivocal (adj.): /"kwvkl/

If you are equivocal, you are deliberately unclear in the way that you give information or your
opinion

Ex: His answer was equivocal.

Information that is equivocal is difficult to understand or explain because it contains different

parts which suggest that different things are true

Ex: The results of the police enquiry were equivocal.

Nebulous (adj.): /"nebjls/

An idea that is nebulous is not at all clear or exact

Ex: 'Normality' is a rather nebulous concept.

A shape that is nebulous is unclear and has no definite edges

Ex: A nebulous ghostly figure

Hyperbole (n.): /ha"p:bli $ -:r-/

A way of describing something by saying it is much bigger, smaller, worse etc than it actually is

Ex: It was not hyperbole to call it the worst storm in twenty years.