rebuke
verb [ T ]
formal
UK/rɪˈbjuːk/ US/rɪˈbjuːk/
to speak angrily to someone because you disapprove of what they have said or done
If you rebuke someone, you speak severely to them because they have said or done something that you do not approve of.
retention
noun [ U ]
formal
UK/rɪˈten.ʃən/ US/rɪˈten.ʃən/
C2
the continued use, existence, or possession of something or someone
The retention of something is the keeping of it.
malfeasance
noun [ U ]
law specialized
UK/mælˈfiː.zəns/ US/mælˈfiː.zəns/
an example of dishonest and illegal behaviour, especially by a person in authority
the doing of a wrongful or illegal act, esp by a public official
vest
noun [ C ]
UK/vest/ US/vest/
C1 uk
(us undershirt)
a type of underwear, often with no sleeves, that covers the upper part of the body, worn for extra warmth
A vest is a piece of underwear which you can wear on the top half of your body in order to keep warm.
If something is vested in you, or if you are vested with it, it is given to you as a right or responsibility.
bureaucrat
noun [ C ]
mainly disapproving
UK/ˈbjʊə.rə.kræt/ US/ˈbjʊr.ə.kræt/
someone working in a bureaucracy
Bureaucrats are officials who work in a large administrative system. You can refer to officials as bureaucrats especially if you disapprove of them because they seem to follow rules and procedures too strictly.
undercount
verb [ I or T ]
(also under-count)
UK/ˌʌn.dəˈkaʊnt/ US/ˌʌn.dɚˈkaʊnt/
to count fewer people or things than there really are:
an incomplete count
demographics
noun
UK/ˌdem.əˈɡræf.ɪks/ US/ˌdem.əˈɡræf.ɪks/
[ plural ]
the number and characteristics of people who live in a particular area or form a particular group, especially in relation to their age, how much money they have and what they spend it on
data resulting from the science of demography; population statistics
overrule
verb [ T ]
formal
UK/ˌəʊ.vəˈruːl/ US/ˌoʊ.vɚˈruːl/
(of a person who has official authority) to decide against a decision that has already been made
If someone in authority overrules a person or their decision, they officially decide that the decision is incorrect or not valid.
caucus
noun [ C ]
UK/ˈkɔː.kəs/ US/ˈkɑː.kəs/
(a meeting of) a small group of people in a political party or organization who have a lot of influence, or who have similar interests
A caucus is a group of people within an organization who share similar aims and interests or who have a lot of influence.
As a bipartisan interest group, the caucus has both Democrats and Republicans as members.
hoax
noun [ C ]
UK/həʊks/ US/hoʊks/
a plan to deceive someone, such as telling the police there is a bomb somewhere when there is not one, or a trick
A hoax is a trick in which someone tells people a lie, for example that there is a bomb somewhere when there is not, or that a picture is genuine when it is not.
sicko
noun [ C ]
slang
UK/ˈsɪk.əʊ/ US/ˈsɪk.oʊ/
plural sickos
someone, especially a man, who is mentally ill or who performs unpleasant, often sexual, acts
1.
a person who is sadistic or perverted
2.
perverted or in bad taste
perverted
adjective
disapproving
UK/pəˈvɜː.tɪd/ US/pɚˈvɝː.t̬ɪd/
considered strange and unpleasant by most people
If you say that someone is perverted, you mean that you consider their behaviour, especially their sexual behaviour, to be immoral or unacceptable.
supervised release
Once out of custody, Atkins also faces a year of supervised release, he said.
to say the least
C1
used to show that what you are describing is in fact much more serious or important than you have suggested
It's going to be awkward, to say the least.
pediatric
adjective
/ˌpiː.diˈæt.rɪk/ US/ˌpiː.diˈæt.rɪk/
us spelling of paediatric
relating to the medical care of children
The House of Commons
The House of Commons is the part of parliament in Britain or Canada whose members are elected. The building where they meet is also called the House of Commons.
profoundly
adverb
UK/prəˈfaʊnd.li/ US/prəˈfaʊnd.li/
C2
deeply or extremely
If you’re profoundly moved by the last chapter of that novel you’re reading, then you’re extremely moved — you feel it deep in your soul.
palpably
英 [ˈpælpəbli]美 [ˈpælpəbli]
In the one case, you are a customer, in the other, you are palpably a burden.
Use the adverb palpably to describe something you can physically feel or otherwise notice quite clearly.
her sudden absence has struck us all palpably and profoundly.
televise
verb [ T ]
UK/ˈtel.ɪ.vaɪz/ US/ˈtel.ə.vaɪz/
to show or broadcast on television
centennial
美: [senˈteniəl]
英: [sen'teniəl]
centenary
noun [ C ]
uk
UK/senˈtiː.nər.i/ /senˈten.ər.i/ US/ˈsen.ten.er.i/ /senˈten.er.i/
(us centennial)
(the day or year that is) 100 years after an important event
A centennial is the same as a centenary.
inherent
adjective
UK/ɪnˈher.ənt/ /ɪnˈhɪə.rənt/ US/ɪnˈhɪr.ənt/
C2
existing as a natural or basic part of something
The inherent qualities of something are the necessary and natural parts of it.
delicately
adverb
UK/ˈdel.ɪ.kət.li/ US/ˈdel.ə.kət.li/
delicately adverb (CAREFULLY)
carefully, in order to avoid causing physical damage:
Something that is delicate is small and beautifully shaped.
Something that is delicate has a colour, taste, or smell which is pleasant and not strong or intense.
preoccupied
adjective
UK/ˌpriːˈɒk.jə.paɪd/ US/ˌpriːˈɑː.kjə.paɪd/
thinking or worrying about something too much
If you are preoccupied, you are thinking a lot about something or someone, and so you hardly notice other things.
enviable
adjective
UK/ˈen.vi.ə.bəl/ US/ˈen.vi.ə.bəl/
If someone is in an enviable situation, you wish you were also in that situation.
You describe something such as a quality as enviable when someone else has it and you wish that you had it too.
defy
verb [ T ]
UK/dɪˈfaɪ/ US/dɪˈfaɪ/
C2
to refuse to obey a person, decision, law, situation, etc.
dejection
noun [ U ]
UK/dɪˈdʒek.ʃən/ US/dɪˈdʒek.ʃən/
the feeling of being unhappy, disappointed, or without hope
Dejection is a feeling of sadness that you get, for example, when you have just been disappointed by something.
The little prince also pulled up, with a certain sense of dejection
all the while
for all of a period of time
You use all the while in order to say that something happens continually or that it happens throughout the time when something else is happening.
"It is my fault that you have not known it all the while.
caterpillar
noun [ C ]
UK/ˈkæt.ə.pɪl.ər/ US/ˈkæt̬.ɚ.pɪl.ɚ/
a small, long animal with many legs that feeds on the leaves of plants, and develops into a butterfly or moth
A caterpillar is a small, worm-like animal that feeds on plants and eventually develops into a butterfly or moth.
"Well, I must endure the presence of two or three caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.
clad
adjective
literary
UK/klæd/ US/klæd/
(of people) dressed, or (of things) covered
If you are clad in particular clothes, you are wearing them.
The first of them was inhabited by a king. Clad in royal purple and ermine, he was seated upon a throne which was at the same time both simple and majestic.
ermine
noun [ U ]
UK/ˈɜː.mɪn/ US/ˈɝː.mɪn/
expensive white fur with black spots that is the winter fur of the stoat (= a small mammal) and is used to decorate formal clothes worn by kings, queens, judges, etc.
Ermine is expensive white fur that comes from small animals called stoats.
consumingly
英 [kənˈsjuːmɪŋli]美 [kənˈsuːmɪŋlɪ]
If you have a passion for art, and making it is all you can think about or do, your passion for art is consuming. It is intense and almost overwhelming.
sputter
verb
UK/ˈspʌt.ər/ US/ˈspʌt̬.ɚ/
sputter verb (SOUND)
[ I or T ]
to make several quick explosive sounds
If something such as an engine or a flame sputters, it works or burns in an uneven way and makes a series of soft popping sounds.
If a process, action, or state of affairs sputters, it progresses slowly and unevenly or starts to end.
If you sputter, you speak with difficulty and make short sounds, especially because you are angry, shocked, or excited.
vexed
adjective [ before noun ]
UK/vekst/ US/vekst/
difficult to deal with and causing a lot of disagreement and argument
A vexed problem or question is very difficult and causes people a lot of trouble.
Vexed means "difficult and much debated." If your family is having trouble coming to an agreement about where to go on vacation next summer, your holiday trip has become a vexed issue.
He sputtered a little, and seemed vexed.
forsake
verb [ T ]
UK/fɔːˈseɪk/ US/fɔːrˈseɪk/
forsook | forsaken
forsake verb [T] (LEAVE)
literary
to leave someone for ever, especially when they need you
A forsaken place is not lived in, used, or looked after.
almanac
noun [ C ]
(also almanack)
UK/ˈɔːl.mə.næk/ /ˈæl.mə.næk/ US/ˈɑːl.mə.næk/ /ˈæl.mə.næk/
a book published every year that includes information for that year such as important days, times of the sun rising and going down, or changes in the moon
"Hum! Hum!" replied the king; and before saying anything else he consulted a bulky almanac.
thriftily
adverb
UK/ˈθrɪf.təl.i/ US/ˈθrɪf.təl.i/
in a way that shows careful use of money or resources (= fuel, water, or other useful things)
If you say that someone is thrifty, you are praising them for saving money, not buying unnecessary things, and not wasting things.
But you will pardon him on each occasion; for he must be treated thriftily. He is the only one we have."
tippler
noun [ C ]
informal old-fashioned
UK/ˈtɪp.lər/ US/ˈtɪp.lɚ/
someone who often drinks alcohol
impregnable
adjective
UK/ɪmˈpreɡ.nə.bəl/ US/ɪmˈpreɡ.nə.bəl/
A building or other place that is impregnable is so strongly built and/or defended that it cannot be entered by force.
If you describe a building or other place as impregnable, you mean that it cannot be broken into or captured.
balderdash
noun [ U ], exclamation
old-fashioned
UK/ˈbɔːl.də.dæʃ/ US/ˈbɑːl.dɚ.dæʃ/
something that is stupid or not true
If you say that something that has been said or written is balderdash, you think it is completely untrue or very stupid.
giddy
adjective
UK/ˈɡɪd.i/ US/ˈɡɪd.i/
→ dizzy
（同 dizzy）
feeling silly, happy, and excited and showing this in your behaviour
If you feel giddy, you feel unsteady and think that you are about to fall over, usually because you are not well.
rheumatism
noun [ U ]
medical
UK/ˈruː.mə.tɪ.zəm/ US/ˈruː.mə.tɪ.zəm/
a medical condition that causes stiffness and pain in the joints (= places where two bones are connected) or muscles of the body
I was disturbed by an attack of rheumatism.
retort
verb [ T ]
UK/rɪˈtɔːt/ US/rɪˈtɔːrt/
to answer someone quickly in an angry or funny way
To retort means to reply angrily to someone.
peevishly
adverb
UK/ˈpiː.vɪʃ.li/ US/ˈpiː.vɪʃ.li/
in an easily annoyed way
Someone who is peevish is bad-tempered.
occupation
noun
UK/ˌɒk.jəˈpeɪ.ʃən/ US/ˌɑː.kjəˈpeɪ.ʃən/
occupation noun (JOB)
A2 [ C ]
a person's job
A2
Your occupation is your job or profession.
repose
verb [ I usually + adv/prep ]
formal
UK/rɪˈpəʊz/ US/rɪˈpoʊz/
to rest or lie
Repose is a state in which you are resting and feeling calm.
scorn
noun [ U ]
UK/skɔːn/ US/skɔːrn/
a very strong feeling of no respect for someone or something that you think is stupid or has no value
If you treat someone or something with scorn, you show contempt for them.
stir
verb
UK/stɜːr/ US/stɝː/
-rr-
stir verb (MIX)
B1 [ I or T ]
to mix a liquid or other substance by moving an object such as a spoon in a circular pattern
Achilles heel
noun [ C usually singular ]
UK/əˌkɪl.iːz ˈhiːl/ US/əˌkɪl.iːz ˈhiːl/
a small problem or weakness in a person or system that can result in failure
Someone's Achilles heel is the weakest point in their character or nature, where it is easiest for other people to attack or criticize them.
delve
verb [ I ]
UK/delv/ US/delv/
to search, especially as if by digging, in order to find a thing or information
If you delve into something, you try to discover new information about it.
The verb delve means to dig into, loosen, or investigate. She delved into her family's history and discovered an inventor, a checkers champion, and a circus equestrian in her ancestry.
silo
noun [ C ]
UK/ˈsaɪ.ləʊ/ US/ˈsaɪ.loʊ/
plural silos
silo noun [C] (STORAGE PLACE)
a large, round tower on a farm for storing grain or winter food for cattle
A silo is a specially built place underground where a nuclear missile is kept.
rigidity
英 [rɪˈdʒɪdəti]美 [rɪˈdʒɪdəti]
Rigidity is a quality found in people and objects that don't bend — though they might eventually break.
be/get bogged down
— phrasal verb with bog verb
UK/bɒɡ/ US/bɑːɡ/
-gg-
to be/become so involved in something difficult or complicated that you cannot do anything else
If you get bogged down in something, it prevents you from making progress or getting something done.
bedevil
verb [ T ]
UK/bɪˈdev.əl/ US/bɪˈdev.əl/
-ll- or us usually -l-
to confuse, annoy, or cause problems or difficulties for someone or something
If you are bedevilled by something unpleasant, it causes you a lot of problems over a period of time.
cohesion
noun [ U ]
formal
UK/kəʊˈhiː.ʒən/ US/koʊˈhiː.ʒən/
(also cohesiveness)
the situation when the members of a group or society are united
If there is cohesion within a society, organization, or group, the different members fit together well and form a united whole.
rout
verb [ T ]
formal
UK/raʊt/ US/raʊt/
to defeat an enemy completely and force them to run away
If an army, sports team, or other group routs its opponents, it defeats them completely and easily.
vice versa
adverb
UK/ˌvaɪs ˈvɜː.sə/ US/ˌvaɪ.sə ˈvɝː.sə/
C1
used to say that what you have just said is also true in the opposite order
He doesn't trust her, and vice versa (= she also doesn't trust him)
acumen
noun [ U ]
formal
UK/ˈæk.jə.mən/ US/əˈkjuː.mən/
skill in making correct decisions and judgments in a particular subject, such as business or politics
Acumen is the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions.
She has considerable business/financial acumen.
patronage
"patronage networks"
noun [ U ]
UK/ˈpæt.rə.nɪdʒ/ /ˈpeɪ.trən.ɪdʒ/ US/ˈpæt.rə.nɪdʒ/ /ˈpeɪ.trən.ɪdʒ/
patronage noun [U] (SUPPORT)
the support given to an organization by someone
Patronage is the support and money given by someone to a person or a group such as a charity.
veritable
adjective [ before noun ]
UK/ˈver.ɪ.tə.bəl/ US/ˈver.ə.t̬ə.bəl/
used to describe something as another, more exciting, interesting, or unusual thing, as a way of emphasizing its character
You can use veritable to emphasize the size, amount, or nature of something.
My garden had become a veritable jungle by the time I came back from holiday.