VOCABULARY
1. Ability noun :
Synonyms: ability, skill, competence, talent, capability
Antonym: inability
Synonyms:
Ability
a natural tendency to do something well
I admire his ability to stay calm in difficult situations.
Skill
the ability to do something well as a result of training or experience
Portrait painting needs a lot of skill. This job will help you develop
management skills.
Competence
the quality of being able to do a job or task well enough
Does she have the necessary competence in foreign languages?
Talent
an usually good natural ability, especially for something artistic
She’s done well in the theatre – we always knew she had talent.
Capability
the practical ability to do something
We have the capability to produce a better machine than this.
Antonym:
inability
the state of being unable to do something
2.Accomplish verb
Synonyms: accomplish, achieve, carry out, pull off
Accomplish :
to do something successfully
You won’t accomplish anything by arguing.
Achieve :
to succeed in doing something after trying very hard
Have you achieved all your aims? The company has achieved great
success in the USA.
Carry out :
to do something, especially something that has been planned
Doctors carried out tests on the patients.The police are carrying out a
search for the missing man.
Pull off :
to succeed in doing something very good, especially if it is unexpected
The deal will be great for the company, if we can pull it off.
3. Anger Noun
Synonyms: anger, annoyance, irritation, resentment, fury, rage
Antonym: calmness
Synonyms:
Anger
a feeling of being very annoyed
He managed to control his anger. She couldn’t hide the anger she felt.
Annoyance
a feeling of being slightly upset or impatient
There was a tone of annoyance in her voice.
Irritation
a feeling of being annoyed and impatient
She watched with irritation as he tried to fix the wheel again.
Resentment
the feeling of being angry and upset about something that someone else has done
The decision caused a lot of resentment among local people.
Fury
very strong anger He shouted at us in fury.
Rage
sudden extreme anger
Her face was red with rage.
Antonym:
calmness
the state of being quiet and calm
4. Annoy verb
Synonyms: annoy, irritate, bother, bug
Antonyms: please, delight
Synonyms:
Annoy
to make someone feel slightly angry or impatient
Their rude behavior really annoyed us.
Irritate
to make someone feel angry or impatient
It irritates me when the trains run late.
Bother
to make someone feel slightly upset or irritated
It bothers me that it takes so long to get a reply.
Bug
(informal) to make someone feel slightly angry, especially for a long time
That noise is really bugging me.It’s bugging me that I can’t remember
his name
Antonyms:
please
to make someone happy or satisfied
Delight
to give great pleasure to someone
5. Answer Noun
Synonyms: answer, reply, response, acknowledgement
Antonym: question
Synonyms:
Answer
something that you say or write when someone has asked you a question
The answer to your question is yes.
Reply
an answer, especially to a letter or telephone call
We wrote last week, but haven’t had a reply yet. We had six replies to
our advertisement.
Response
something that you do or say as a reaction to something
There was no response to our call for help. The changes produced an
angry response from customers.
Acknowledgement
a letter or note sent to say that something has been received
We didn’t even receive an acknowledgement from the council. a letter of
acknowledgement
Antonym:
question
a sentence which needs an answer
6 . Ask verb
Synonyms: ask, demand, beg, request
Ask
to put a question to get someone to do something
Ask your father to teach you how to drive. Can I ask you not to make so
much noise?
Demand
to ask firmly for something
I demand an explanation for your behavior.
Beg
to ask someone in an emotional way to do something or give something
His mother begged him not to go. He begged for more time to find the
money.
Request
to ask for something politely or formally
I am enclosing the leaflets you requested. Guests are requested to leave
their keys at reception.
7. Assistant noun
Synonyms: assistant, helper, deputy, auxiliary
Assistant
a person who helps someone as part of their job
His assistant makes all his appointments.
Helper
a person who helps someone do a particular job or task, especially without
being paid
The children can be my helpers for the day.
Deputy
a person who makes decisions when the manager or boss is away
She’s acting as deputy while her department manager is in hospital.
Auxiliary
a person who helps other workers
He works as a nursing auxiliary in the local hospital.
8 .Aware adjective
Synonyms: aware, conscious, alert, informed, mindful
Antonyms: unaware, ignorant
Synonyms:
Aware
knowing about things that are happening or about facts
I’m not aware of any problem. Is he aware that we have to decide
quickly?
Conscious
awake and able to know what is happening around you
She was conscious during the operation.
Alert
watching or listening carefully, ready to notice something
The patient is still very alert mentally. Young people have to be alert to
the dangers of drugs.
Informed
having a lot of information, or having the latest information
The programme is aimed at highly informed viewers.
Mindful
remembering or thinking about something carefully when doing
something
He is mindful of his responsibilities as a parent. You should be mindful
of the risks you are taking.
Antonyms:
Unaware
not knowing facts, or not realizing that something is happening
Ignorant
not knowing things that it is important to know
9. Beach noun
Synonyms: beach, shore, coast, seaside
Beach
an area of sand or small stones by the edge of the sea
Some children were digging in the sand on the beach.
Shore
land at the edge of the sea or a lake
She stood on the shore waving as the boat sailed away.
Coast
parts of a country that are by the sea
After ten weeks at sea, the sailors saw the coast of America. The south
coast is the warmest part of the country.
Seaside
an area near the sea where people go to have a holiday
a day at the seaside seaside hotels
10. Beginner Noun
Synonyms: beginner, apprentice, novice, learner
Antonyms: expert, old hand
Synonyms:
Beginner
a person who is starting to learn something or do something
The course is for absolute beginners. I can’t paint very well – I’m just a
beginner.
Apprentice
a young person who works as an assistant to a skilled person in order to
learn from them
He’s started work as a plumber’s apprentice.
Novice
a person who has very little experience or skill, e.g. in a job or sport
He’s still a novice at rowing. A competition like this is not for novices.
Learner
a person who is learning how to do something
The evening swimming classes are specially for adult learners .The new
dictionary is good for advanced learners of English.
Antonyms:
Expert
a person who knows a great deal about a subject
Old hand
a person who is very skilled and experienced at doing something
11 Big adjective
Synonyms: big, huge, enormous, vast
Antonym: small
Synonyms:
Big
of a large size
I don’t want a small car – I want a big one. His father has the biggest
restaurant in town. I’m not afraid of him – I’m bigger than he is.
Huge
of a very large size
Huge waves battered the ship. The concert was a huge success. Failing
the test was a huge disappointment for him.
Enormous
of an extremely large size
The house is absolutely enormous. He ate an enormous lunch. The
present was an enormous surprise.
Vast
extremely big, often extremely wide
vast areas of farmland vast differences in price
Antonym:
small
not large in size or amount
12 . Block verb
Synonyms: block, hinder, hamper, hold back, obstruct
Block
to prevent something from passing along something
The pipe is blocked with dead leaves. The crash blocked the road for
hours.
Hinder
to make it difficult for someone to do something
Snow hindered the efforts of the rescuers.
Hamper
to prevent something from happening or moving normally
Lack of funds is hampering our development project. The heavy bags
hampered her progress.
Hold back
not to go forwards, or stop someone or something from going forwards
Most of the crowd held back until they saw it was safe. The water was
held back by a small bank of earth.
Obstruct
to prevent someone from doing something
He obstructed their plans by making many complaints.
13 . Break verb
Synonyms: break, crack, smash, burst
Antonym: mend
Synonyms:
Break
to make something divide into pieces accidentally or deliberately
She broke her leg when she was skiing. Break the chocolate into four
pieces.
Crack
to make a long thin break in something
The stone cracked the glass.
Smash
to break something into pieces, often using force or violence
Demonstrators smashed the windows of police cars.
Burst
to break open or explode suddenly, or cause something to break open or
explode suddenly
One of the tyres had burst. The heat from the fire might burst the balloon.
Antonym:
mend
to repair something which is broken or damaged
14. Careful adjective
Synonyms: careful, conscientious, thorough, painstaking
Antonym: careless
Synonyms:
Careful
showing attention to details
We are always very careful to give accurate information. The project
needs very careful planning.
Conscientious
working carefully and well
She’s a very conscientious worker.
thorough
including everything that needs to be dealt with very carefully
The police have carried out a thorough search of the woods.
painstaking
done slowly and carefully in order to avoid mistakes
The design is the result of years of painstaking effort.
Antonym:
careless
without any care or thought
15. Cautious adjective
Synonyms: cautious, careful, prudent, vigilant, wary, secretive, cagey
Antonyms: reckless, thoughtless
Synonyms:
cautious
not willing to take risks
She’s a very cautious driver.
Careful
taking care not to make mistakes or cause harm
Be careful not to make any noise – the baby is asleep. She is very careful
about what she eats.
Prudent
showing good sense and using good judgment
It would be prudent to consult a lawyer before you sign the contract.
Vigilant
staying very aware of possible danger
The disease particularly affects young children, so parents must remain
vigilant.
Wary
aware of a possible problem with someone or something
I am very wary of any of his ideas for making money.
Secretive
liking to keep things secret
She’s very secretive about her private life.
Cagey
(informal) not wanting to share information
They’re being very cagey about their relationship.
Antonyms:
Reckless
doing something or done without thinking
Thoughtless
without thinking about other people
16. Change verb
Synonyms: change, alter, modify, convert, vary, shift, transform
Change
to become different, or make something different
She’s changed so much since I last saw her that I hardly recognized her.
Living in the country has changed his attitude towards towns.
Alter
to become different, or make something different, especially in small ways or in parts only
They wanted to alter the terms of the contract after they had signed it.
The shape of his face had altered slightly.
Modify
to change something to suit a different situation
The design was modified to make the car faster.
Convert
to change something into a different form, or change something for a
different purpose
We are converting the shed into a studio. These panels convert the heat
of the sun into electricity.
Vary
to be different in different situations, or change within certain limits
The temperature varies from 8°C at night to 18°C during the day.
Shift
to change position or direction
We’ve shifted the television from the kitchen into the dining room. My
opinion has shifted since I read the official report.
Transform
to change the appearance or character of someone or something
Completely
The outside of the building has been transformed by cleaning. The book
has transformed my views on medical care.
17. Child noun
Synonyms: child, baby, toddler, teenager, youngster, youth, kid
Antonym: adult
Synonyms:
Child
a young boy or girl
There was no television when my mother was a child. A group of children
were playing on the beach.
Baby
a very young child
Most babies start to walk when they are about a year old. a baby just
starting to get its teeth
Toddler
a child who has just learnt to walk
a playground for toddlers
Teenager
a young person aged between 13 and 19
She writes stories for teenagers.
Youngster
a young person
My grandparents don’t understand today’s youngsters.
Youth
a young man
Gangs of youths were causing trouble in the village. A youth, aged 16,
was arrested for possessing drugs.
Kid
(informal) a child
There were a few school kids on their bicycles. They’re married with two
kids.
Antonym:
adult
a fully-grown person
18. Clean adjective
Synonyms: clean, pure, spotless, hygienic
Antonym: dirty
Synonyms:
Clean
not dirty
Wipe your glasses with a clean handkerchief. Tell the waitress these cups
aren’t clean.
Pure
not spoiled by being mixed with other things or substances of a lower
quality
a bottle of pure water a pure mountain stream
Spotless
completely clean, with no dirty marks at all
The tablecloths must be spotless. a spotless white shirt
Hygienic
clean and safe because all germs have been destroyed
The food must be stored in hygienic conditions. Some areas of the factory
didn’t look very hygienic.
Antonym:
dirty
not clean
19. Cold Adjective
Synonyms: cold, cool, freezing, frozen, icy
Antonyms: warm, hot, boiling
Synonyms:
Cold
with a low temperature
It’s too cold to go for a walk. If you’re hot, have a glass of cold water.
He had a plate of cold beef and salad.
Cool
cold in a pleasant way, or colder than you would like or than you expect
It was hot on deck but nice and cool down below .Wines should be stored
in a cool cellar .The evenings were rather cool, so we sat inside.
Freezing
very cold, or close to the temperature at which water freezes
It’s freezing outside.
Frozen
at a temperature below that at which water freezes
We went skating on the frozen lake.
Icy
covered with ice, or very cold
Be careful, the pavement is icy. An icy wind was blowing
Antonyms:
Warm
fairly hot
Hot
very warm; with a high temperature
Boiling
very hot
20. Collect verb
Synonyms: collect, gather, assemble, hoard
Collect
to bring things or people together, or to come together
We collected information from all the people who offered to help.A
crowd collected at the scene of the accident.
Gather
to come together in one place, or be brought together by someone
Groups of people gathered outside the government building.They
gathered together a team of experienced people for the new project.
Assemble
to come together in a place, or to be brought together by someone,
especially formally or in an ordered way
We’ll assemble outside the hotel at 9 a.m. They assembled a panel of
experts to renew the project. Assemble all the items you need for the cake
before you start making it.
Hoard
to buy and store supplies of something essential that you think you will
need in a crisis
Everyone started hoarding fuel during the strike.
21. Competition Noun
Synonyms: competition, contest, match, game
Competition
an event in which several teams or people compete with each other
He won first prize in the photography competition.
Contest
any event or situation in which people compete with each other
a beauty contest . There are three senior politicians in this leadership
contest.
Match
a single occasion when two teams or players compete with each other in a
sport
We watched the football match on TV. He won the last two tennis
matches he played.
Game
an activity in which people compete with each other using skill, strength
or luck
She’s not very good at games like chess. I enjoy a game of cards.
22. Complain verb
Synonyms: complain, object, protest, grumble, whine
Antonym: praise
Synonyms:
Complain
to say that something is not good or does not work properly
The shop is so cold the staff have started complaining.They are
complaining that our prices are too high.
Object
to say that you do not like something or you do not want something to
happen
We object to being treated like children. He objected that the pay was too
low.
Protest
to say that you strongly disapprove of something, sometimes by shouting
or speaking angrily
Passengers began protesting about the lack of heating on the train. My
assistant protested about having to work at the weekend.
Grumble
to complain in a bad-tempered way, especially regularly and often about
unimportant things
He’s always grumbling about the music from the flat above.
Whine
to complain frequently in a way that annoys other people
She’s always whining about how little money she has.
Antonym:
praise
to express strong approval of something or someone
23. Contestant noun
Synonyms: contestant, candidate, candidate, contender, applicant, entrant
Contestant
a person who takes part in a competition
The two contestants shook hands before the match.
Candidate
a person who applies for a job
We interviewed six candidates for the post of assistant manager.
Candidate
a person who has entered for an examination
Candidates are given three hours to complete the exam.
Contender
a person who takes part in a competition, especially someone who is likely
to win
He’s a definite contender for the world title.
Applicant
a person who applies for something
job applicants Applicants for licenses must fill in this form.
Entrant
a person who takes part in a race, examination or competition
There are over a thousand entrants for the race.
24. Copy verb
Synonyms: copy, reproduce, duplicate, clone, replicate
Copy
to make something which looks like something else
He stole a credit card and copied the signature
Reproduce
to make a copy of something such as artistic material or musical sounds
Some of the paintings have been reproduced in this book. It is very
difficult to reproduce the sound of an owl accurately.
Duplicate
to make a copy of a document such as a letter
She duplicated the letter and put the copy into a file.
Clone
to create an exact genetic copy of an individual animal or plant
Biologists have successfully cloned a sheep.
Replicate
(formal) to do or make something in exactly the same way as before
Can the experiment be replicated?
25. Correct adjective
Synonyms: correct, accurate, exact, true
Antonym: incorrect
Synonyms:
Correct
without any mistakes
Some of your answers were not correct.
Accurate
correct in all details
Are the figures accurate? We asked them to make an accurate copy of
the plan.
Exact
completely correct in every detail
Can you tell me the exact words she used? We need to know the exact
route she took that night.
True
correct according to facts or reality
What he says is simply not true. Is it true that he’s been married twice?
Antonym:
incorrect
wrong, not correct
26. Courage noun
Synonyms: courage, bravery, nerve, guts
Antonym: cowardice
Synonyms:
Courage
the ability to deal with a dangerous or unpleasant situation
She showed great courage in attacking the burglar. I didn’t have the
courage to disagree with him.
Bravery
the ability to do dangerous or unpleasant things without being afraid
We admired her bravery in coping with the illness. He won an award for
bravery.
Nerve
the ability to keep your fear under control in order to achieve something
It takes a lot of nerve to disagree with your friends. He went over to speak
to her but at the last minute he lost his nerve.
Guts
(informal) courage
She had the guts to tell the boss he was wrong.
Antonym:
cowardice
the state of being afraid and not brave
27. Cut Verb
Synonyms: cut, slice, chop, slash
Cut
to divide, reduce or remove something using a sharp tool, e.g. a knife or
scissors
The meat is very tough – I can’t cut it with my knife. He needs to get his
hair cut. There were six children, so she cut the cake into six pieces.
Slice
to cut something into thin pieces
She stood at the table slicing bread and meat for lunch.
Chop
to cut something roughly into small pieces with a knife or other sharp tool
He spent the afternoon chopping wood for the fire.
Slash
to make a long cut in something with a knife, often violently
He slashed the painting with a kitchen knife.
28. Dead Adjective
Synonyms: dead, late, extinct
Antonyms: alive, live
Synonyms:
Dead
not living any more
His parents are both dead. Dead fish were floating in the water.
Late
a more polite word than ‘dead’, used about people
His late father was a director of the company.
Extinct
no longer in existence, because all of the same kind have died
These birds are in danger of becoming extinct.
Antonyms:
Alive
living
(not used in front of a noun: ‘the fish is alive’ but ‘a live fish’)
Live
living, not dead
29. Defeat verb
Synonyms: defeat, beat, conquer, overcome, triumph, thrash
Defeat
to succeed against someone in a game, fight or vote
Our team has not been defeated so far this season. The soldiers defeated
the enemy’s attempt to take the town. The ruling party was heavily
defeated in the presidential election. The proposal was defeated by 10
votes to 3.
Beat
to win a game against another player or team
They beat their rivals into second place. Our football team beat France
2 – 0. They beat us by 10 goals to 2. My children can usually beat me
at tennis.
Conquer
to defeat people by force
The army had conquered most of the country.
Overcome
to gain victory over an enemy
The boys quickly overcame their attackers.
Triumph
to achieve a great success
The team triumphed over their long-term rivals.
Thrash
(informal) to defeat another person or team easily
She expects to be thrashed by the champion.
30. Dirty adjective
Synonyms: dirty, filthy, grubby, grimy, soiled, squalid
Antonym: clean
Synonyms:
Dirty
not clean
Playing rugby gets your clothes dirty. Someone has to wash all the dirty
plates.
Filthy
very dirty
His hands were filthy from changing the car tire.
Grubby
so dirty as to be unpleasant
Grubby children were playing in the street. He was wearing a grubby old
shirt.
Grimy
covered with old dirt that is difficult to remove
The furniture was broken and the windows were grimy.
Soiled
spoiled by dirt or other unpleasant substances
The sheets on the bed were soiled.
Squalid
referring to a room or building that is dirty and unpleasant
The prisoners are kept in squalid conditions.
Antonym:
clean
not dirty
31.Disagree verb
Synonyms: disagree, differ, argue, dispute, contradict
Antonym: agree
Synonyms:
Disagree
to say that you do not have the same opinion as someone else
We all disagreed with the chairperson. They disagreed about what to do
next.
Differ
if people differ, they have different opinions from each other
Our views on education differ. Their accounts of what happened differ
in several ways.
Argue
to discuss without agreeing, often in a noisy or angry way
They argued over the prices. She argued with the waiter about the bill.
I could hear them arguing in the next room.
Dispute
to say that you strongly believe that something is not true or correct
I dispute her version of what happened. There is no disputing the fact
that Sarah is the best player.
Contradict
to say that what someone else says is not true
They didn’t dare contradict their mother.
Antonym:
Agree
to say or show that you have the same opinion as someone else
32. Disapprove Verb
Synonyms: disapprove, object, criticize, condemn
Antonym: approve
Synonyms:
Disapprove
to show that you do not think something is good
The head teacher disapproves of members of staff wearing jeans to school.
Object
to say that you do not like something or you do not want something to
happen
He objected that the pay was too low. I object to her being given this
private information.
Criticize
to say that something or someone is bad or wrong
She criticized their lack of interest and enthusiasm. The design of the new
car has been criticized.
Condemn
to say strongly that you do not approve of something
She condemned the police for their treatment of the prisoners.
Antonym:
approve
to think something is good
33. Dislike noun
Synonyms: dislike, hatred, hate, disgust
Antonym: liking
Synonyms:
Dislike
a feeling of not liking something or someone
She had a great dislike of noisy parties.
Hatred
a very strong feeling of not liking someone or something
a hatred of unfair treatment a campaign against racial hatred
Hate
a very strong feeling of not liking someone
Her eyes were full of hate.
Disgust
a feeling of dislike that is so strong that you feel angry or slightly ill
Seeing the dead animals filled her with disgust.
Antonym:
liking
a feeling of enjoying something
0 Comments