Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 3rd Edition

abstemious adjective FORMAL

not doing things which give you pleasure, especially not eating good food or drinking alcohol

artillery noun [U ]
very large guns that are moved on wheels or metal tracks, or the part of the army which uses
these
Naval gunfire and ground-based artillery are generally less accurate than many
aircraft-borne weapons.

backpedal verb [I ] (-ll- or US USUALLY -l-) CHANGE OPINION

2. to change an opinion that you had expressed before, or do something different from what
you had said you would do
As soon as I said I thought she was wrong, she started backpedalling.
He said he'd help, but now he's starting to backpedal (on his promise).

best verb [T ] FORMAL

to defeat someone in a fight or competition
He bested his opponent in just two rounds.

canard noun [C ] LITERARY

a false report or piece of information which is intended to deceive people

conflagration noun [C ] FORMAL

1. a large destructive fire
2. a large and violent event, such as a war, involving a lot of people
They may succeed in turning a little local difficulty into a full-blown regional conflagration.

consternation noun [U ]
a feeling of worry, shock or confusion
The prospect of so much work filled him with consternation.
To his consternation, when he got to the airport he found he'd forgotten his passport.

countermand verb [T ] FORMAL

to change an order that has already been given, especially by giving a new order

covet verb [T ] FORMAL

to want to have something very much, especially something which belongs to someone else
She always coveted power but never quite achieved it.
The Booker Prize is the most coveted British literary award.

covetous adjective FORMAL DISAPPROVING

wanting to have something too much, especially something that belongs to someone else
Western companies are casting covetous eyes on the bargain-priced companies of eastern
Europe.

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 Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 3rd Edition

covetousness noun [U]

cull verb [T ]
When people cull animals, they kill them, especially the weaker members of a particular group
of them, in order to reduce or limit their number
The plan to cull large numbers of baby seals has angered environmental groups.

deride verb [T ] FORMAL

to laugh at someone or something in a way which shows you think they are stupid or of no
value
He derided my singing as pathetic.
This building, once derided by critics, is now a major tourist attraction.

desiccated adjective
1. dried
100g of desiccated (= dried and broken into small pieces) coconut
2. DISAPPROVING not interesting or completely without imagination
All the party seems to have to offer is the same desiccated old ideas.

desiccation noun [U ] SPECIALIZED

the process of becoming completely dried

diffident adjective
shy and not confident of your abilities
a diffident manner
You shouldn't be so diffident about your achievements - you've done really well!

diffidence noun [U]

dilute verb [T ]
1. to make a liquid weaker by mixing in something else
Dilute the juice (with water) before you drink it.
2. to reduce the strength of a feeling, action, etc.
These measures are designed to dilute public fears about the product's safety.

disconcert verb
[I or T] to make someone feel suddenly uncertain and worried
The whole experience had disconcerted him.

disincentive noun [C ]
something that makes people not want to do something or not work hard
High taxes are a disincentive to business.

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 Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 3rd Edition

disport yourself verb [R ] OLD USE OR HUMOROUS

to enjoy yourself, especially by doing physical activity

doggerel noun [U ]
poetry that is silly or badly written

double-dealing noun [U ]
dishonest behaviour and actions intended to deceive
The local business community has been destroyed by corruption, cheating and
double-dealing.

doughty adjective LITERARY

determined, brave and unwilling ever to admit defeat
She has been for many years a doughty campaigner for women's rights.

downtrodden adjective
badly and unfairly treated
the downtrodden masses

egalitarian adjective FORMAL

believing that all people are equally important and should have the same rights and
opportunities in life
an egalitarian society
The party's principles are basically egalitarian.

eloquent adjective
giving a clear, strong message
She made an eloquent appeal for action.
The pictures were an eloquent reminder of the power of the volcano.

equanimity noun [U ] FORMAL

calmness and self-control, especially after a shock or disappointment or in a difficult situation
He received the news of his mother's death with remarkable equanimity.
Three years after the tragedy she has only just begun to regain her equanimity.

erstwhile adjective [before noun ] FORMAL

previous; former

evince verb [T ] FORMAL

to make obvious or show clearly
They have never evinced any readiness or ability to negotiate.
In all the years I knew her, she never evinced any desire to do such a thing.

fable noun [C or U ]
a short story which tells a general truth or is only partly based on fact, or literature of this type

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 Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 3rd Edition

the fable of the tortoise and the hare

feasible adjective SLIGHTLY FORMAL

1. able to be made, done or achieved
With the extra resources, the scheme now seems feasible.
[+ to infinitive] It may be feasible to clone human beings, but is it ethical?
2. possible or reasonable
It's quite feasible (that) we'll get the money.

foreboding noun [C or U ] LITERARY

a feeling that something very bad is going to happen soon
There's a sense of foreboding in the capital, as if fighting might at any minute break out.
Her forebodings about the future were to prove justified.
[+ (that)] He had a strange foreboding (that) something would go wrong.

fortitude noun [U ] FORMAL

bravery over a long period
I thought she showed remarkable fortitude during that period.

freewheeling adjective INFORMAL

not limited by rules or accepted ways of doing things
a freewheeling lifestyle/society

frisson noun [C usually singular ]

a sudden feeling of excitement or fear, especially when you think that something is about to
happen
As the music stopped, a frisson of excitement ran through the crowd.

halcyon days plural noun LITERARY

a very happy or successful period in the past
She recalled the halcyon days of her youth.

havoc noun [U ]
confusion and lack of order, especially causing damage or trouble
The storm wreaked (= caused) havoc in the garden, uprooting trees and blowing a fence
down.
The delay played (= caused) havoc with their travel arrangements.

heady adjective
having a powerful effect, making you feel slightly drunk or excited
a heady wine/perfume
In the heady days of their youth, they thought anything was possible.

heavyweight noun [C ]
1. a boxer who weighs more than 175 pounds (79.5 kilograms) and is therefore in the heaviest
group

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 Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 3rd Edition

Mike Tyson was heavyweight champion of the world.

2. a person or thing that is important or serious and that other people notice
Her extraordinary intelligence and speaking ability made her a political heavyweight.

herald verb [T ] FORMAL

to be a sign that something important, and often good, is starting to happen, or to make
something publicly known, especially by celebrating or praising it
The president's speech heralds a new era in foreign policy.
This drug has been heralded as a major breakthrough in the fight against breast cancer.

hierarchy noun [C ]
1. a system in which people or things are arranged according to their importance
Some monkeys have a very complex social hierarchy.
He rose quickly through the political hierarchy to become party leader.
2. the people in the upper levels of an organization who control it

impetuous adjective
1. likely to act on a sudden idea or wish, without considering the results of your actions
He's so impetuous - why can't he think things over before he rushes into them?
2. An impetuous word or action is said or done suddenly, without considering the likely results
The Prime Minister may now be regretting her impetuous promise to reduce unemployment
by half.

incendiary adjective FIRE

1. [before noun] designed to cause fires
an incendiary bomb/device

incendiary adjective CAUSING ANGER

2. likely to cause violence or strong feelings of anger
incendiary remarks

iniquitous adjective FORMAL

very wrong and unfair
It is an iniquitous system that allows a person to die because they have no money to pay
for medicine.

insular adjective DISAPPROVING

interested only in your own country or group and not willing to accept different or foreign ideas

insularity noun [U]

kinship noun [U ]
the relationship between members of the same family, or a feeling of being close or similar to
other people or things
Different ethnic groups have different systems of kinship.
He felt a real sense of kinship with his fellow soldiers.

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 Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 3rd Edition

latent adjective
present but needing particular conditions to become active, obvious or completely developed
Recent developments in the area have brought latent ethnic tension out into the open.
We're trying to bring out the latent artistic talents that many people possess without
realising it.

mar verb [T ] (-rr-) SLIGHTLY FORMAL

to spoil something, making it less perfect or less enjoyable
Sadly, the text is marred by careless errors.
It was a really nice day, marred only by a little argument in the car on the way home.
I hope the fact that Louise isn't coming won't mar your enjoyment of the evening.

maven noun [C ] US INFORMAL

a person with good knowledge or understanding of a subject

monolithic adjective DISAPPROVING

too large, too regular or without interesting differences, and unwilling or unable to be changed
monolithic state-run organizations

murmur verb SPEAK QUIETLY

1. [I or T] to speak or say very quietly
[+ speech] "I love you," she murmured.
He was murmuring to himself.
HUMOROUS He murmured sweet nothings (= romantic talk) in her ear.

noisome adjective LITERARY

very unpleasant and offensive
a noisome stench

occlusion noun BLOCK

1. [C or U] SPECIALIZED in medicine, something that blocks a tube or opening in the body, or
when something is blocked or closed

odium noun [U ] FORMAL

hate and strong disapproval

as often as not (ALSO more often than not)

usually
As often as not when I make the effort to visit her, I wonder why I've even bothered.

ostensible adjective [before noun ] FORMAL

appearing or claiming to be one thing when it is really something else
Their ostensible goal was to clean up government corruption, but their real aim was to
unseat the government.

panegyric noun [C ] FORMAL

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 Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 3rd Edition

a speech or piece of writing that praises someone very much and does not mention anything
bad about them
She delivered a panegyric on the President-elect.

par noun EQUAL

1. on a par (with sb/sth)
the same as or equal to someone or something
The regeneration of the city's downtown dock front will put it on a par with Nice or
Cannes.

patois noun [C or U ] (plural patois)

the form of a language spoken by people in a particular area which is different from the
standard language of the country
the local patois

pedantic adjective DISAPPROVING

giving too much attention to formal rules or small details
They were being unnecessarily pedantic by insisting that Berry himself, and not his wife,
should have made the announcement.

penchant noun [C usually singular ]

a liking for, an enjoyment of, or a habit of doing something, especially something that other
people might not like
a penchant for melodrama/skiing/exotic clothes
Her penchant for disappearing for days at a time worries her family.

periphery noun [C usually singular ]

1. the outer edge of an area
Houses have been built on the periphery of the factory site.
The ring road runs around the periphery of the city centre.
2. the less important part of a group or activity
Many women feel they are being kept on the periphery of the armed forces.

plumb verb [T ] DEEP

2. SPECIALIZED to measure how deep something is, especially water
3. to understand or discover all about something
Now that she had begun, she wanted to plumb her own childhood further.

portentous adjective
1. FORMAL DISAPPROVING too serious and trying to be very important
The problem with the book is that it sometimes descends into portentous philosophizing.
2. LITERARY Portentous events, statements or signs are important because they show that
something unpleasant is very likely to happen
The report contains numerous portentous references to a future environmental calamity.

probe verb [I or T ]
1. to try to discover information that other people do not want you to know, by asking

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 Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 3rd Edition

questions carefully and not directly

The interviewer probed deep into her private life.
Detectives questioned him for hours, probing for any inconsistencies in his story.
The article probes (= tries to describe and explain) the mysteries of nationalism in modern
Europe.
2. to examine something with a tool, especially in order to find something that is hidden
They probed in/into the mud with a special drill.

prostrate adjective LYING

1. lying with the face down and arms stretched out, especially in obedience or worship

prostrate verb
prostrate yourself
to lie with the face down and arms stretched out, especially in obedience or worship

quibble verb [I ] DISAPPROVING

to argue about, or say you disapprove of, something that is not important
There's no point quibbling about/over a couple of dollars.

rapacious adjective FORMAL

having or showing a strong wish to take things for yourself, usually using unfair methods or
force
a rapacious landlord/businessman
her rapacious appetite for fame

rapaciousness noun [U]

recalcitrant adjective FORMAL

(of a person) unwilling to obey orders or to do what should be done, or (of an animal) refusing
to be controlled

repartee noun [U ]
quick and usually funny answers and remarks in conversation
Oscar Wilde's plays are full of witty repartee.

sage adjective LITERARY

wise, especially as a result of great experience
sage advice
my sage old grandfather

scintilla noun FORMAL

a scintilla of sth
the slightest amount of something
There's not a scintilla of truth in what he says.

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 Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 3rd Edition

sect noun [C ] USUALLY DISAPPROVING

a religious group which has developed from a larger religion and is considered to have extreme
or unusual beliefs or customs
When he was sixteen he ran away from home and joined a religious sect.

sentient adjective FORMAL

able to experience physical and possibly emotional feelings
It is hard for a sentient person to understand how any parents could treat their child so
badly.

sleight of hand noun [U ]

1. speed and skill of the hand when performing tricks
Most of these conjuring tricks depend on sleight of hand.
2. skilful hiding of the truth in order to win an advantage
By some statistical sleight of hand the government have produced figures showing that
unemployment has recently fallen.

stereotype noun [C ] DISAPPROVING

a fixed idea that people have about what someone or something is like, especially an idea
that is wrong
racial/sexual stereotypes
He doesn't conform to/fit/fill the national stereotype of a Frenchman.
The characters in the book are just stereotypes.

stratify verb [T ]
to arrange the different parts of something in separate layers or groups
The sample of people questioned was drawn from the university's student register and
stratified by age and gender.

stratification noun [U] FORMAL

The Prime Minister wants to reduce social stratification and make the country a classless
society.

subdued adjective NOT STRONG

1. If a colour or light is subdued, it is not very bright
subdued lighting
2. If a noise is subdued, it is not loud
subdued laughter/cheers

subtlety noun APPROVING

1. [U] the quality of being subtle
Listening to the interview, I was impressed by the subtlety of the questions.
2. [C] a small but important detail
All the subtleties of the music are conveyed in this new recording.

surfeit noun [C usually singular ] FORMAL

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 Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 3rd Edition

an amount which is too large, or is more than is needed

The country has a surfeit of cheap labour.

tyro noun [C ] (plural tyros)

a person who is new to an activity
I look forward to seeing this young tyro's next ballet.

unbecoming adjective
1. FORMAL describes clothes that do not look attractive on a particular person
2. describes behaviour that is not correct or not acceptable
Any officer who is convicted of conduct unbecoming (to) an officer shall be
court-martialled.

undulating adjective FORMAL

1. describing or having small hills and slopes that look like waves
undulating roads
I love the gently undulating hills of the Dales.
2. moving gently up and down
undulating waves

unremitting adjective FORMAL

never stopping, becoming weaker or failing
Our thanks are due to Bob Lawrence whose unremitting labours have ensured the success
of the whole scheme.

utterance noun [C ]
1. FORMAL something that someone says
The senator's weekend utterances were promptly rebutted by three of his colleagues on
Monday.
2. give utterance to sth
LITERARY to express your ideas or feelings in spoken words
She has one great fear to which she will never give utterance.

veer verb [I + adv/prep ]

to change direction
All of a sudden, the car veered off the road.
Moments before crashing, the jet was seen veering sharply to the right.
Three men were feared dead last night after a helicopter veered off course into an oil
platform.
Our talk soon veered onto the subject of football.

verdant adjective LITERARY

covered with healthy green plants or grass
Much of the region's verdant countryside has been destroyed in the hurricane.

vocation noun [C or U ]
a type of work that you feel you are suited to doing and to which you should give all your time

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 Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 3rd Edition

and energy, or the feeling that a type of work suits you in this way
I feel I've found/missed my true vocation.
"We need teachers who regard their profession as a vocation, not just a job," said the
Minister.
To work in medicine, you should have a vocation for it.

voluble adjective FORMAL

1. speaking a lot, with confidence and enthusiasm
Many see Parker as the obvious leader, whose voluble style works well on TV.
2. expressed in many words
It's not often that one hears such voluble praise for this government.

wheedle verb [I T + adv/prep ] DISAPPROVING

to try to persuade someone to do something or give you something by praising them or being
intentionally charming
She's one of those children who can wheedle you into giving her anything she wants.
She wasn't invited, but somehow she managed to wheedle her way in.
I tried all manner of different approaches - I wheedled, threatened, demanded, cajoled.

wheedling adjective
I knew by your wheedling tone that you wanted something from me.

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