ENGLISH BASIC SYNONYMS

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

 

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.

 

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

 

annoy verb

Synonyms: annoy, irritate, bother, bug

Antonyms: please, delight

 

Synonyms:

Annoy

 

to make someone feel slightly angry or impatient

Their rude behaviour 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

 

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

 

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 behaviour.

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.

 

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.

 

 

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 realising that something is happening

 

ignorant

not knowing things that it is important to know

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

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.

 

 

break verb

Synonyms: break, crack, smash, burst

Antonym: mend

 

Synonyms:

 

break

to make something divide into pieces accidentally or deliberately

to make a long thin break in something

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

 

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

 

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 judgement

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

 

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 recognised 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.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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 licences 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.

 

 

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?

 

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

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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 tyre.

 

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

 

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

 

 

disapprove verb

Synonyms: disapprove, object, criticise, 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.

 

criticise

to say that something or someone is bad or wrong

She criticised their lack of interest and enthusiasm.  The design of the new car has been criticised.

 

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

 

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

 

easy adjective

Synonyms: easy, simple, straightforward, uncomplicated

Antonyms: hard, difficult

 

Synonyms:

 

easy

not difficult, or not needing a lot of effort

The test was easier than I expected.  My boss is very easy to get on with.

 

Simple

easy to do or understand

The machine is very simple to use.

 

straightforward

easy to understand or carry out

The instructions are quite straightforward.

 

uncomplicated

easy to deal with or understand

In children’s books, the writing should be clear and uncomplicated.  The procedure is relatively quick and uncomplicated.

 

Antonyms:

 

hard

not easy

 

difficult

not easy to do or achieve

 

fail verb

Synonyms: fail, neglect, forget, omit, overlook

 

fail

not to do something

The car failed to stop at the red light.  She failed to tell us of her change of address.

 

Neglect

not to do something that should have been done

He neglected to tell the police that he had been involved in an accident.

 

forget

not to remember

He’s forgotten the name of the restaurant.  I’ve forgotten how to play chess.  She forgot all about her doctor’s appointment.

 

omit

to leave something out, especially something that is helpful or important

She omitted the date when she signed the contract.  They omitted to tell me the price of the ticket.

 

overlook

not to notice something

She overlooked several mistakes when she was correcting the exam papers.

 

 

famous adjective

Synonyms: famous, well-known, renowned, infamous, notorious

Antonym: unknown

 

Synonyms:

 

famous

known to many people, especially most people in a place or country

a famous department store  He’s a famous footballer.

 

well-known

known by a lot of people

It’s a well-known fact that oil and water don’t mix.  She used to work for a well-known London hairdresser.

renowned

known and admired by many people

the renowned Italian singer

 

infamous

famous for being bad or unpleasant

He was sent to the infamous prison on the island.

 

Notorious

known for bad qualities, or for doing bad things

He was a member of a notorious criminal gang.

 

Antonym:

 

unknown

not known for anything important or interesting

 

fat adjective

Synonyms: fat, plump, overweight, obese

Antonyms: slim, thin

 

Synonyms:

 

fat

having too much flesh or weighing too much

You’ll have to eat less – you’re getting too fat.  a doll with a fat face

 

plump

slightly fat in an attractive way

the baby’s plump little arms  She’s grown plumper now she’s stopped smoking.

 

overweight

having a body that weighs too much

The doctor says I’m a little overweight.

 

obese

so fat that it is dangerous for health reasons

Many children are becoming obese because of their unhealthy diets.

Antonyms:

 

thin

 

not fat

 

slim

with a body that is thin in an attractive way

 

fatal adjective

Synonyms: fatal, lethal, deadly, mortal, terminal

 

fatal

causing people to die

There were three fatal accidents on this road last year.

 

lethal

dangerous and able to kill someone

a lethal dose of painkillers  a lethal mixture of drugs and alcohol  Being out in the sun too long can be lethal.

 

deadly

likely to cause people to die

The terrorists turned the car into a deadly weapon.

 

mortal

referring to injury serious enough to cause someone to die

a mortal wound

 

terminal

referring to the last period of a serious illness that will lead to death

The condition is terminal.  terminal cancer

 

fight noun

Synonyms: fight, battle, war, conflict

 

fight

an occasion on which people try to hurt each other or knock each other down

He got into a fight with boys who were bigger than him.  Fights broke out between the protesters and the police.

 

battle

an occasion when large groups of soldiers fight each other using powerful weapons

Many soldiers died in the first battle of the war.  the Battle of Hastings

 

war

a period of fighting between countries

Millions of soldiers and civilians were killed during the war.

 

conflict

a war, or fighting as part of a war

the violent conflict between the neighbouring republics  The government is engaged in armed conflict with rebel forces.

 

find verb

Synonyms: find, discover, come across, encounter

Antonym: lose

 

Synonyms:

find

to see where something hidden or lost is after looking for it

I found a £2 coin behind the sofa.  Did she find the book she was looking for?

 

discover

to find something new or to learn something for the first time

Which scientist discovered penicillin?  We discovered that house had already been sold.

 

Come across

(informal) to find something by chance

I came across this old photo when I was clearing out a drawer.

 

encounter

(formal) to meet someone or something unexpectedly

On the journey we encountered several amusing people.  I have never

encountered such hospitality anywhere else.

 

Antonym:

lose

to put or drop something somewhere and not to know where it is

 

follow verb

Synonyms: follow, chase, pursue, stalk

Antonym: lead

 

Synonyms:

 

follow

to come after or behind someone or something

What letter follows B in the alphabet?  The dog followed me all the way

home.

 

Chase

to go after someone in order to try to catch him or her

They chased the burglars down the street.

 

pursue

(formal) to go after someone in order to try to catch him or her

The police pursued the stolen car across London.  The boys fled, pursued by their older brother.

 

stalk

to stay near or follow someone and watch him or her all the time, especially in a way that is frightening or upsetting, or to follow an animal in order to kill it

She told the police that a man was stalking her.  The hunters stalked the deer for several miles.

 

Antonym:

 

Lead

to go in front to show someone the way

 

fragile adjective

Synonyms: fragile, delicate, breakable, flimsy

Antonyms: sturdy, strong

 

Synonyms:

 

fragile

made from materials that are easily broken

Be careful when you’re packing these plates – they’re very fragile.

 

delicate

made from materials that are thin and light and easily damaged

a delicate fabric  delicate skin

 

breakable

that can break easily

glasses and other breakable items

 

flimsy

likely to break because of being badly made

The shelter was a flimsy construction of bamboo and leaves.

 

Antonyms:

 

sturdy

well made and not easily damaged

 

strong

with a lot of strength and not easy to damage

 

friend noun

Synonyms: friend, acquaintance, companion, mate, pal

Antonym: stranger

 

Synonyms:

 

friend

a person that you know well and like

She’s my best friend.  We’re going on holiday with some friends from work.

 

acquaintance

a person you know slightly

She has many acquaintances at the sports club but no real friends.

 

companion

a person who is with someone

She turned to her companion and said a few words.  My travelling companion spent the whole journey sleeping.

 

Mate

(informal) a friend, especially a man’s friend

He’s gone to the pub with his mates.

 

pal

(dated informal) a friend

She’s meeting some old school pals for lunch.

 

Antonym:

 

stranger

a person whom you have never met

 

funny adjective

Synonyms: funny, comic, comical, humorous, witty, hilarious

Antonyms: serious, solemn

 

Synonyms:

 

funny

making people laugh

He made funny faces and all the children laughed.  That joke isn’t funny.

 

Comic

intended to make people laugh, especially as a performance

a comic poem  a comic act

 

comical

strange or silly in a way that makes people laugh

He looked rather comical wearing his dad’s jacket.

 

humorous

funny in a quiet way, making people smile rather than laugh

a humorous story about his last visit to the dentist  Some of her comments were rather humorous.

 

Witty

clever and funny

She gave a witty and entertaining speech.

 

hilarious

extremely funny

I thought the play was hilarious.

 

Antonyms:

 

serious

not funny or not joking

 

solemn

serious and formal

 

get verb

Synonyms: get, obtain, gain, secure, acquire

 

get

to receive something

We got a letter from the bank this morning.  She gets more money than I do.

 

obtain

to take action to get something

She obtained a copy of the will.  He obtained control of the business.

 

gain

to get something as a result of some work or effort

The army gained control of the country.  She gained some useful experience working for a computer company.

 

secure

to be successful in getting something important

He secured the support of a big bank.  They secured a valuable new contract.

 

acquire

(formal) to become the owner of something

She has acquired a large collection of old books.

 

give verb

Synonyms: give, present, confer, donate, grant

Antonyms: take, steal

 

Synonyms:

 

give

to pass or send something to someone

Give me another envelope, please.  Can you give me some information about holidays in Greece?

 

present

to give something formally to someone

His boss presented him with a large report to read  When he retired, the firm presented him with a large clock.

 

confer

(formal) to give something such as a responsibility, legal right or honour to someone

the powers conferred on the council by law

 

donate

to give something, especially money, to a charity or similar rganization

He donated a lot of money to a charity for the homeless.

 

grant

(formal) to give someone something they want, especially officially

The council has granted the school permission to build a new hall.

 

Antonyms:

take

to go away with something which someone else was using

steal

to take and keep something that belongs to another person without permission

 

go verb

Synonyms: go, leave, depart, set off, disappear

Antonym: come

 

Synonyms:

 

go

to move from one place to another

The plane goes to Frankfurt, then to Rome.  She was going downstairs when she fell.  He has gone to work in Washington.

 

leave

to go away from a place

She left home at 9 o’clock this morning.  When they couldn’t find what they wanted, they left the shop.

 

depart

(formal) to go away from a place

The coach departs from Victoria Coach Station at 09.00.

 

set off

to begin a trip

We’re setting off for Germany tomorrow.  They all set off on a long walk after lunch.

 

disappear

to leave a place, often suddenly and without people noticing or knowing where you have gone

Where have the kids disappeared to?  Half the guests have disappeared

already.

 

Antonym:

 

come

to move to or towards a place

 

good adjective

Synonyms: good, satisfactory, acceptable, excellent, wonderful

Antonyms: bad, poor

 

Synonyms:

 

good

of a suitable standard

It would be a good idea to invest in these shares.  Did you have a good time at the party?

 

satisfactory

quite good, or as good as expected

Are the arrangements for your holiday satisfactory?

 

acceptable

good enough by the usual standards, although not particularly good

Fighting in the street is not acceptable behaviour.  Would an offer of £50 be acceptable to you?

 

excellent

very good

We had an excellent meal in a Chinese restaurant.  Her handwriting is excellent – it is much clearer than mine.

 

wonderful

extremely good or enjoyable

They had a wonderful holiday.  The weather was wonderful.  You passed

your driving test first time? – Wonderful!

Antonyms:

 

bad

not of a suitable standard

 

poor

of a low standard

 

 

good-looking adjective

Synonyms: good-looking, attractive, beautiful, handsome, lovely, pretty

Antonyms: unattractive, ugly

Synonyms:

 

good-looking

having an attractive face

His sister is a very good-looking girl.  He’s not especially good-looking.

 

attractive

with pleasant physical features, or pleasant to look at

They found the mountain scenery very attractive.  She’s an attractive woman.

 

beautiful

physically very attractive, or pleasant to look at

We have three beautiful daughters.  The house stands in beautiful surrounding.

 

Handsome

a handsome man or boy has an attractive face

Her boyfriend is very handsome.

 

lovely

very pleasant to look at

She looks lovely in that dress.  There’s a lovely garden behind the house.

 

pretty

a pretty woman or girl has a face that is quite attractive

Her daughters are very pretty.

Antonyms:

 

unattractive

not attractive

 

ugly

unpleasant to look at

 

group noun

Synonyms: group, crowd, gang, mob

Antonym: individual

 

Synonyms:

 

group

a number of people together

She is leading a group of businessmen on a tour of Italian factories.  There are reduced prices for groups of 30 and over.  The teacher divides the children into groups for different activities.

 

crowd

a very large number of people together

A crowd of football supporters went past.  Crowds of people were gathering outside the cinema.  Let’s get an early train home to avoid the crowds after work.

 

gang

a group of young people who do things together, especially one that causes trouble

Gangs of teenage boys wander the streets.

 

mob

a large number of people behaving in a noisy, angry or uncontrolled way

Mobs of reporters follow the star wherever she goes.  An angry mob surged towards the gates of the government building.

 

Antonym:

 

individual

a single person

 

guide verb

Synonyms: guide, direct, lead, steer, conduct

 

guide

to show someone the way to somewhere

She guided us up the steps in the dark.

 

Direct

to tell someone how to get to a place

Can you direct me to the nearest post office?

 

lead

to go in front to show someone the way

She led us into the hall.

 

steer

to make a person or vehicle go in a particular direction

We steered the children quickly away from the barking dogs.  She steered the car into the garage.

 

conduct

(formal) to take someone to a place

The guests were conducted to their seats.

 

habit noun

Synonyms: habit, custom, tradition, practice, routine

 

habit

something that someone does regularly

He has the habit of biting his fingernails.

 

custom

something that people usually do, or have done for a long time

It’s their custom to invite all their neighbours to a party at New Year.  the local custom of decorating the wells in spring

 

tradition

beliefs, stories and ways of doing things which are passed from one generation to the next

According to local tradition, the queen died in this bed.  It’s a family tradition for the eldest son to take over the business.

practice

a way of doing something, especially a way that is regularly used

It’s standard practice for shops to stay open later on Saturdays.  It’s always been our practice to walk the dogs before breakfast.

 

routine

the usual, regular way of doing things

He doesn’t like his daily routine to be disturbed.  A change of routine might do you good.

 

hard adjective

Synonyms: hard, difficult, awkward, tough, tricky

Antonyms: easy, simple

 

Synonyms:

 

hard

not easy

Some of the questions were very hard.  It’s hard to stay happy when bad things happen.

 

difficult

not easy to do or achieve

Finding a parking space is difficult on Saturdays.  I find it difficult to work when I’m tired.

 

awkward

hard to use, deal with or carry out because of shape, size or position

I find the handle rather awkward to hold comfortably.  Some of the movements you have to do are quite awkward.

 

Tough

requiring a lot of effort, bravery or confidence

She’s very good at taking tough decisions.

 

tricky

requiring a lot of skill, patience or intelligence

Getting the wire through the little hole is quite tricky.  It was tricky to get the right tone of regret in the letter.

 

Antonyms:

easy

not difficult, or not needing a lot of effort

 

simple

easy to do or understand

 

harm verb

Synonyms: harm, damage, hurt, injure, wound

 

harm

to physically affect something or someone in a bad way

Luckily, the little girl was not harmed.  The bad publicity has harmed our reputation.

 

damage

to break, partially destroy or badly affect something

A large number of shops were damaged in the fire.  These glasses are easily damaged.  His career was badly damaged by the newspaper reports.

 

hurt

to have pain, or to cause someone to feel pain

My tooth hurts.  No one was badly hurt in the accident.  Did you hurt your leg when you fell?

 

Injure

to cause pain or damage to someone or to a part of the body

He injured his back playing rugby.

 

wound

to hurt someone badly by cutting into their flesh

Two of the gang were shot and wounded in the bank robbery.  The attacker pulled a knife, wounding him on the arm.

 

help noun

Synonyms: help, support, assistance, aid

 

help

something which makes it easier for you to do something

Do you need any help with moving the furniture?  Her assistant is not much help in the office – he can’t type or drive.

 

support

help or encouragement

I’m grateful for the support of friends and family.  We have had no financial support from the bank.

 

assistance

help

He asked if he could be of any assistance.  She will need assistance with her luggage.  He was trying to change the wheel when a truck driver offered his assistance.

 

aid

help, especially money, food or other gifts given to people living in difficult conditions

aid to the earthquake zone  an aid worker

 

hesitate verb

Synonyms: hesitate, pause, stumble, waver

 

hesitate

to be slow to speak or make a decision

He hesitated for a moment and then said ‘no’.  She’s hesitating about whether to accept the job.

 

Pause

to stop or rest for a short time before continuing

She paused for a second to look at her watch.

 

stumble

to make mistakes when reading aloud or speaking

She stumbled a little when she had to read the foreign words.

 

waver

to be unable to decide what to do

He is still wavering about whether or not to leave the company.

 

increase verb

Synonyms: increase, expand, enlarge, extend

Antonyms: decrease, drop

 

Synonyms:

 

increase

to make a level or amount higher

The boss increased her salary.  The number of soldiers in the area has been increased to fifty thousand.

 

expand

to increase the size or extent of something

We have plans to expand our business.

 

enlarge

to make something bigger

We need to enlarge our house now that we have four children.  Could you enlarge this photograph?

 

extend

to make something longer or bigger

We are planning to extend our stay in London.  The company has extended my contract for another two years.  We’re going to extend our kitchen.

 

Antonyms:

 

decrease

to become less

 

drop

to decrease

 

intelligent adjective

Synonyms: intelligent, bright, clever, able, talented, gifted

Antonyms: stupid, unintelligent

Synonyms:

 

intelligent

able to understand and learn things very well

He’s the most intelligent child in his class.

 

bright

young and intelligent

Both children are very bright.  She’s the brightest student we’ve had for many years.

 

clever

able to think and learn quickly

Clever children can usually do this by the time they are eight years old.

 

able

good at doing something, or good at doing many things

She’s a very able manager.  There are special activities for able children.

 

Talented

with a lot of artistic ability

He’s a very talented writer.

 

gifted

very clever at something

He was a gifted mathematician.

 

Antonyms:

 

stupid

not able to understand or consider things well

unintelligent

showing a lack of intelligence

 

job noun

Synonyms: job, assignment, task, chore, duty

 

job

a specific piece of work

The children help with little jobs around the house.

 

assignment

a piece of work that has to be done in a specific time

My literature assignment has to be finished by Wednesday.  He was given the assignment of reporting on the war.

 

task

something, especially a piece of work, that has to be done

Once I had finished my regular tasks I went home.  He was given the unpleasant task of telling his mother about it.

 

chore

a piece of routine work, for example cleaning in a house, that you have to do

household chores

 

duty

different jobs that have to be done as part of your official work

One of his duties is to lock the doors at night.

 

kill verb

Synonyms: kill, murder, assassinate, execute, slaughter, put down

 

kill

to make someone or something die

Sixty people were killed in the plane crash.  A long period of dry weather could kill all the crops.

 

Murder

to kill someone deliberately

He was accused of murdering a policeman.

 

assassinate

to kill a famous person, especially for political reasons

They were shocked by the news that the President had been assassinated.

 

execute

to kill someone as a legal punishment for a crime, or for something they have done

Some countries still execute murderers.  The government’s political enemies were executed.

 

slaughter

to kill many people or animals at the same time, or to kill an animal for its meat

Thousands of civilians were slaughtered by the advancing army.

put down

to kill an animal that is old or ill painlessly, using drugs

The cat will have to be put down.

 

knowledge noun

Synonyms: knowledge, information, wisdom

Antonym: ignorance

 

Synonyms:

knowledge

the general facts or information that people know

We were impressed by her knowledge of the subject.

 

information

a set of facts about something

She couldn’t give the police any information about how the accident happened.  He gave me a very useful piece or bit of information.  For further information, please write to Department 27.

 

wisdom

knowledge about life, especially about how to deal with situations and people

Their leaders were women of great wisdom.

Antonym:

 

ignorance

a state of not knowing

 

lack noun

Synonyms: lack, shortage, deficiency, deficit

 

lack

the fact that you do not have something

The children are suffering from a lack of food.  The project was cancelled through lack of funds.

 

Shortage

the fact that you do not have something you need

a shortage of skilled staff  During the war, there were food shortages.

 

deficiency

not enough of something needed to make someone or something healthy or complete

Their diet has a deficiency of calcium or has a calcium deficiency.

 

deficit

an amount by which something is less than it should be

The company announced a two-million-pound deficit in its accounts.

 

 

language noun

Synonyms: language, speech, dialect, slang, vocabulary, jargon

 

language

a way of speaking or writing used in a country or by a group of people

We go to English language classes twice a week.  She can speak several European languages.

 

speech

the ability to say words, or the act of saying words

His speech has been affected by brain damage.  Some of these expressions are only used in speech, not in writing.

 

dialect

a variety of a language spoken in a particular area

They were speaking in a local dialect.

 

slang

popular words or phrases used by certain groups of people, but which are not used in formal situations

Don’t use slang in your essay.  Slang expressions are sometimes difficult to understand.

 

vocabulary

all the words used by a person or group of persons

She reads French newspapers to improve her French vocabulary.  specialist legal vocabulary

 

jargon

a special type of language used by a trade or profession or a particular

group of people

 

People are confused by computers because they don’t understand the

jargon.

 

leader noun

Synonyms: leader, boss, manager, employer, supervisor, captain

 

leader

a person who is in charge of an organisation such as a political party

He is the leader of the local council.  the leader of the construction workers’ union

 

boss

the person in charge, especially the owner of a business

If you want a day off, ask the boss.  I left because I didn’t get on with my boss.

 

manager

the person in charge of a department in a shop or in a business

The bank manager wants to talk about your account.  She’s the manager of the shoe department.

 

employer

a person or organisation that gives work to people and pays them

Her employer was a Hong Kong businessman.  The car factory is the biggest employer in the area.

 

supervisor

a person whose job is making sure that other people are working well

The supervisor has told us to work faster.

 

captain

a person in charge of a team

The two captains shook hands at the beginning of the match.

 

learn verb

Synonyms: learn, memorise, master, pick up

Antonym: teach

 

Synonyms:

 

learn

to find out about something, or about how to do something

He’s learning to ride a bicycle.  We learn French and German at school.

 

memorise

to learn something thoroughly so that you know and can repeat all of it

At school, we memorised a new poem every week.

 

master

to become skilled at something

Although he’s a good cook, he still hasn’t mastered the art of making bread.

 

pick up

to learn something easily without being taught

She never took any piano lessons – she just picked it up.  He picked up some German when he was working in Germany.

 

Antonym:

 

teach

to show someone how to do something

 

 

legal adjective

Synonyms: legal, licensed, valid, legitimate, lawful

Antonym: illegal

 

Synonyms:

 

legal

allowed by the law

 

It’s legal to drive at 17 years old in the UK.

 

Licensed

given official permission to do something

Buy goods only from licensed dealers.

 

valid

able to be used only for a specific time

Your ticket is no longer valid.  He was carrying a valid passport.

 

legitimate

fair and reasonable, or allowed by the law

They have legitimate concerns about the project.  He acted in legitimate defence of his rights.

 

Lawful

(formal) allowed by the law

Their behaviour was perfectly lawful.

 

Antonym:

illegal

against the law

 

lie noun

Synonyms: lie, fib, white lie, falsehood, fabrication

Antonym: truth

 

Synonyms:

 

lie

something that is not true

That’s a lie! – I didn’t say that!  Someone has been telling lies about her.

 

fib

(informal) a lie about something unimportant

He told a fib about where he’d been so he wouldn’t get into trouble.

white lie

a lie about something unimportant, especially a lie told in order not to upset someone

I told a white lie, saying I was visiting my mother and couldn’t go for a drink with him.

 

falsehood

(literary) a lie

It appears that he had told several falsehoods under oath.

 

Fabrication

an invented story that is not true

The newspaper story was a complete fabrication from start to finish.

 

Antonym:

 

truth

things which are true

 

 

like verb

Synonyms: like, enjoy, love, appreciate

Antonyms: dislike, hate

 

Synonyms:

like

to have pleasant feelings about someone or something

Do you like the new manager?  She doesn’t like eating meat.  In the evening, I like to sit quietly and read the newspaper.

 

enjoy

to get pleasure from something

Have you enjoyed the holiday so far?  She doesn’t enjoy sailing because it make her seasick.

 

love

to like someone or something very much

The children love their new baby brother.  We love going on holiday to the seaside.  I’d love to come with you, but I’ve got too much work to do.

 

appreciate

to be pleased about or grateful for something

Shoppers always appreciate a bargain.  Customers don’t appreciate having to wait to be served.

 

Antonyms:

 

dislike

not to like something or someone

 

hate

to dislike someone or something very much

 

love noun

Synonyms: love, liking, affection, fondness, passion, infatuation

Antonym: hatred

 

Synonyms:

love

a strong feeling of liking someone or something very much

I had never felt such love for anyone before.  In the book he writes about his love for his children.

 

Liking

a feeling of enjoying something

She has a liking for chocolate.  This drink is too sweet for my liking.

 

affection

a feeling of liking someone, especially a friend

She always spoke of her neighbour with great affection.

 

fondness

a gentle feeling of liking someone or something

She remembered her aunt with fondness.  my fondness for cakes and chocolate

 

passion

a very strong feeling of love, especially sexual love

He couldn’t hide the passion he felt for her.

infatuation

a sudden strong feeling of love for someone, especially someone you do not know very well or someone who does not love you

Eventually his infatuation for his friend’s wife passed.

 

Antonym:

 

hatred

a very strong feeling of not liking someone or something

 

meal noun

Synonyms: meal, snack, feast, picnic, barbecue, takeaway

 

meal

an occasion when people eat food, or the food that is eaten

You sleep better if you only eat a light meal in the evening.  Hotel guests can have their meals in their room if they wish.

 

snack

a light meal, or a small amount of food eaten between meals

We didn’t have time to stop for a proper lunch, so we just had a snack on the motorway.

 

feast

a very large meal for a group of people, especially one eaten to celebrate a special occasion

This is quite a feast you’ve prepared for us.  a wedding feast

 

picnic

a meal eaten outdoors away from home

If it’s fine, let’s go for a picnic.  They stopped by a wood and had a picnic lunch.

 

Barbecue

a meal or party where food is cooked out of doors

We’ll have a barbecue this weekend, if the weather’s fine.

 

takeaway

a hot meal that you buy in a shop and eat somewhere else

Does the Chinese restaurant do takeaways?

 

 

mistake noun

Synonyms: mistake, error, slip, blunder

 

mistake

an act or belief that is wrong

There are lots of mistakes in this essay.  You’ve made a mistake – my name is David, not John.

 

error

something that is wrong, especially a mistake in writing or speaking

There isn’t a single error in the whole document.  The waiter made an error on the bill.

 

slip

a small, often careless mistake that isn’t very important

Don’t worry about that. It was just a slip.  He made a few slips in his calculations.

 

blunder

a big mistake, often one that causes a lot of embarrassment

A dreadful blunder by the goalkeeper allowed their opponents to score.

 

mixture noun

Synonyms: mixture, blend, combination, compound

mixture

a number of things mixed together

a mixture of flour, fat and water

 

blend

something, especially a substance, made by mixing different things together

different blends of coffee

 

combination

several things joined or considered together

A combination of bad weather and illness made our holiday a disaster.

 

compound

a chemical made up of two or more elements

Water is a compound of two gases, hydrogen and oxygen.

 

moving adjective

Synonyms: moving, emotional, pathetic, stirring, touching

 

moving

making you feel emotion

a moving story about a girl who finally finds her real parents  The funeral was very moving.

 

emotional

causing you to feel emotion, or showing emotion

We said an emotional farewell to our son.  The music made her feel very emotional and she started to cry.

 

Pathetic

making you feel sympathy

She looked a pathetic figure standing in the rain.

 

stirring

making you feel strong emotions, especially pride or enthusiasm

a stirring tune  Some of his speeches are very stirring.

 

touching

making you feel emotion, especially affection or sympathy

I had a touching letter from my sister, thanking me for my help when she was ill.

 

 

naked adjective

Synonyms: naked, bare, nude, undressed

 

naked

not wearing clothes

The little children were playing in the river stark naked.  A naked man was standing on the balcony.

 

bare

not covered by clothes or shoes

He walked on the beach in his bare feet.  I can’t sit in the sun with my arms bare.

 

nude

not wearing clothes, especially in situations where people are expected to wear some clothes

Nude sunbathing is not allowed on this beach.  She has appeared nude on stage several times.

 

undressed

having just taken off your clothes, usually to put on other clothes or clothes for sleeping in

The children are undressed ready for bed.

 

necessary adjective

Synonyms: necessary, essential, vital, required

Antonym: unnecessary

 

Synonyms:

 

necessary

which must be done

Don’t phone me in the evening unless it’s absolutely necessary.  Is it necessary to finish the work today?

 

essential

which cannot be omitted or avoided

You can survive without food for some time, but water is essential.  It is essential that we get the delivery on time.

 

vital

extremely important

It is vital that we act quickly.  Good transport is vital to my plan.

 

required

which must be done or provided because of rules or regulations

We can cut the wood to the required length.  We can’t reply because we don’t have the required information.

 

Antonym:

 

unnecessary

which is not needed, or which does not have to be done

 

new adjective

Synonyms: new, novel, innovative, fresh, brand-new, original

Antonyms: old, old-fashioned

 

Synonyms:

 

new

made very recently, or never used before

Put some new paper in the printer.  The new version of the software is now available.

 

Novel

new and unusual

Visiting New York is a novel experience for me.

 

innovative

new in a way that has not been tried before

a very innovative design

 

fresh

new and different

The police produced some fresh evidence.

 

Brand-new

completely new

You’ve got mud all over your brand-new shoes!

 

original

new and interesting

The planners have produced some very original ideas for the new town centre.

 

Antonyms:

 

old

having existed for a long time

 

old-fashioned

no longer in fashion

 

next adjective

Synonyms: next, nearby, neighbouring, adjacent

 

next

nearest in place

The ball went over the fence into the next garden.  She took the next seat

to mine.

 

nearby

not far away

They met in a nearby restaurant.

 

neighbouring

which is close to you

people from the neighbouring villages

 

adjacent

very close to or almost touching something

My office is in an adjacent building.

 

noisy adjective

Synonyms: noisy, loud, deafening, piercing, rowdy

Antonyms: quiet, silent

 

Synonyms:

 

noisy

making a lot of noise

a crowd of noisy little boys  The hotel overlooks a noisy road.  This machine is noisier than the old one.

 

loud

very easy to hear

Can’t you stop your watch making such a loud noise?  Turn down the radio – it’s too loud.

 

Deafening

so loud as to make you unable to hear

The noise was absolutely deafening.

 

piercing

unpleasantly high and loud

They suddenly heard a piercing cry.

 

rowdy

involving people who are making a lot of noise

A rowdy party in the flat next door kept us all awake.  The minister had a rowdy reception at the meeting.

 

Antonyms:

 

quiet

with very little or no noise

 

silent

not talking or making any noise

 

now adverb

Synonyms: now, presently, immediately, instantly, promptly

Antonym: then

 

Synonyms:

 

now

at or around this point in time

I can hear a train coming now.  The flight is only two hours – he ought to be in Berlin by now.

 

presently

now, or in a short time

He’s presently working for a chemical company.  The doctor’s busy just now, but will be able to see you presently.

 

immediately

very soon, or very soon after an event

Please hurry. We must leave immediately.  He got my letter and wrote back immediately.

 

instantly

so soon after an event that no time appears to have passed in between

Her mood changed instantly.

 

promptly

very soon after an event, in a way that is helpful or efficient

The phone rang and she answered promptly.

Antonym:

then

at that time in the past or future

 

occasional adjective

Synonyms: occasional, periodic, intermittent, odd

Antonyms: frequent, regular

Synonyms:

occasional

happening sometimes, but not very often

He was an occasional visitor to my parents’ house.  We make the

occasional trip to London.

 

periodic

repeated after a regular period of time

periodic attacks of the illness  We carry out periodic reviews of the company’s financial position.

 

intermittent

stopping and starting in an irregular way

Intermittent showers are expected over the weekend.

odd

done only rarely or occasionally

I’ve only been to the odd concert in the last few years.  On the odd occasions I’ve met him, he’s seemed very nice.

 

Antonyms:

frequent

happening or appearing often

regular

done at the same time each day

 

often adverb

Synonyms: often, frequently, repeatedly, regularly, again and again

Antonyms: seldom, rarely

 

Synonyms:

 

often

on many different occasions

I often have to go to town on business.  Do you eat beef often?  How often is there a bus to Richmond?

 

frequently

on many occasions

During the talk she frequently asked questions.  She could frequently be seen walking her dog in the park.

repeatedly

 

very many times, especially so many that it is annoying

I have repeatedly asked them to make less noise.

 

regularly

on most occasions

She is regularly the first person to arrive at the office.

 

again and again

several times, usually in a firm or determined way

The police officer asked the same question again and again.

 

Antonyms:

 

seldom

not often

rarely

almost never

 

 

old adjective

Synonyms: old, ancient, elderly, antique, old-fashioned

Antonyms: young, new

 

Synonyms:

 

old

having had a long life, or having existed for a long time

When I’m older, I’ll probably be bald.  My uncle is now quite an old man.  He collects old cars.  We watched some old films.  Throw away that old shirt.

 

ancient

very old, or belonging to a time long ago

He was riding an ancient bicycle.  the civilisations of ancient Greece and Rome

 

elderly

a more polite word than ‘old’ used for describing someone who has had a long life

An elderly man sat down beside her.  My mother is now rather elderly and doesn’t drive any more.

 

antique

old and valuable

an antique Chinese vase

 

old-fashioned

no longer in fashion

She wore old-fashioned clothes.

Antonyms:

young

not old

 

new

made very recently, or never used before

 

perform verb

Synonyms: perform, carry out, fulfil, execute

 

perform

to do an action

She performed a perfect dive.  It’s the sort of task that can be performed by any computer.

 

carry out

to do something, especially something that has been planned

Doctors carried out the tests on every patient.  The police carried out a search for the missing boys.

 

fulfil

to complete something in a satisfactory way

He died before he could fulfil his ambition to fly a plane.  We are so busy that we cannot fulfil any more orders before Christmas.

 

execute

(formal) to do something that has been planned or agreed

As part of the test, drivers are asked to execute an emergency stop.

 

protect verb

Synonyms: protect, defend, guard, shield, shelter

Antonym: neglect

 

Synonyms:

protect

to keep someone or something safe from harm or danger

The cover protects the machine against dust.  The injection is supposed to protect you against the disease.

 

Defend

to protect a person or place that is being attacked

They brought in extra troops to defend the city against attack.

 

guard

to watch someone, something or somewhere carefully to prevent attacks or escapes

The prison is guarded at all times.

 

shield

to protect someone or something from being reached or seen

He tried to shield her from the wind.

 

shelter

to give someone, or go somewhere for, protection for a short time

The school sheltered several families of whose houses had been flooded.  Sheep were sheltering from the snow beside the hedge.

 

Antonym:

neglect

to fail to look after someone or something properly

 

proud adjective

Synonyms: proud, arrogant, conceited, vain

Antonyms: ashamed, modest

 

Synonyms:

proud

showing pleasure in what you or someone else has done or in something which belongs to you

We’re proud of the fact we did it all without help from anyone else.  You

should feel proud to belong to such a successful club.

 

arrogant

very proud in an unpleasant way

He’s such an arrogant young man.  What an arrogant way to treat

customers!

 

conceited

thinking that you are better, more intelligent, or more talented than other people

He’s the most conceited and selfish person I’ve ever known.

 

vain

very pleased with your own appearance or achievements

He’s always combing his hair – he’s very vain.

 

Antonyms:

 

ashamed

embarrassed and sorry for something that you have done or not done

 

modest

not telling other people about your achievements

 

 

pull verb

Synonyms: pull, drag, draw, haul, tow, tug, jerk

Antonym: push

 

Synonyms:

 

pull

to move something towards you or after you

Pull the door to open it, don’t push it.  The truck was pulling a trailer.  She pulled an envelope out of her bag.

 

drag

to pull something heavy along the ground

She dragged her suitcase across the floor.  The police dragged the men away from the gate.

 

draw

to pull something gently, especially to pull curtains open or closed

She drew the papers towards her across the desk.  He drew the curtains and let in the sun.

 

haul

to pull something with effort

They hauled the boat up onto the beach.

 

tow

to pull something behind a vehicle

The motorways were crowded with cars towing caravans.  They towed the ship into port.

 

tug

to give something a sudden hard pull

He tugged on the rope and a bell rang.

 

jerk

to suddenly pull something hard, sometimes causing pain or injury

He jerked the rope out of my hands.  The smell made her jerk her head backwards.

 

Antonym:

 

push

to make something move away from you or in front of you

 

quiet adjective

Synonyms: quiet, silent, noiseless, inaudible, peaceful, uncommunicative

Antonyms: noisy, loud

 

Synonyms:

 

quiet

with little or no noise

I wish the children would be quiet. – I’m trying to work.  a house in a quiet street

 

silent

not talking or making any noise

He kept silent for the whole meeting.  This new washing machine is almost silent.  They showed some old silent films.

 

Noiseless

making no noise

The engine is virtually noiseless.

 

inaudible

too quiet to be heard by humans

Her whisper was almost inaudible.

 

peaceful

enjoyable because there is very little noise or activity

We spent a peaceful afternoon by the river.

 

uncommunicative

not saying much, or not answering people

 

Antonyms:

 

noisy

who or which makes a lot of noise

 

loud

very easy to hear

 

raise verb

Synonyms: raise, lift, hoist, pick up, elevate

Antonyms: lower, drop

 

Synonyms:

 

raise

to put something in a higher position or at a higher level

He picked up the flag and raised it over his head.  Air fares will be raised on June 1st.

 

lift

to take something and put it in a higher position

My briefcase is so heavy I can hardly lift it.  He lifted the little girl up so that she could see the procession.

 

hoist

to lift something or someone using special equipment or a lot of force

He hoisted the sack onto his shoulder.  The box was hoisted up on a rope.  It’s time to hoist the flag.

 

pick up

to take something that is lying on a surface and lift it in your hand

She dropped her handkerchief and he picked it up.  He picked up a magazine and started to read it.

 

Elevate

(formal) to lift something into a higher position

They watched as the statue was slowly elevated into position.

 

Antonyms:

lower

to make something go down

drop

to fall or let something fall

 

sad adjective

Synonyms: sad, unhappy, miserable, depressed, fed up

Antonyms: happy, cheerful

 

Synonyms:

 

sad

not cheerful

He’s sad because the holidays have come to an end.  What a sad film – everyone was crying.  It’s sad that he can’t come to see us.

 

unhappy

feeling upset, or making someone feel upset

The children had an unhappy childhood.  She looked very unhappy as she read the letter.

 

Miserable

very sad

She’s really miserable since her boyfriend left her.

 

depressed

so unhappy that you are not able to enjoy life, especially over a long period

of time

The illness makes her feel depressed.

 

Fed up

(informal) feeling bored and unhappy

She looks really fed up.

 

Antonyms:

 

happy

very pleased

 

cheerful

pleased about life, or making someone feel like this

 

shine verb

Synonyms: shine, glow, blaze, dazzle, glitter

 

shine

to be bright with light

The sun is shining and they say it’ll be hot today.  She polished the table until it shone.

 

Glow

to shine with a weak light

They saw a cigarette glow in the darkness.

 

blaze

to burn or shine strongly

The fire was blazing.  The sun blazed through the clouds.

 

dazzle

to shine a strong light in someone’s eyes so that they cannot see for a moment

She was dazzled by the lights of the cars coming towards her.

 

glitter

to shine brightly with small points of light, as the stars in the sky seem to shine

The diamond necklace was glittering in the light of the candles.  Her eyes

glittered hopefully as she spoke.

 

small adjective

Synonyms: small, tiny, minute, miniature, microscopic

Antonyms: big, huge

 

Synonyms:

 

small

not large in size or amount

The house is too big for us, so we’re selling it and buying a smaller one.  The guidebook isn’t small enough to carry in your pocket.  She only paid a small amount for that clock.  A small number of problems were reported.

 

tiny

very small

The black spot is so tiny you can hardly see it.  She lives in a tiny village in the mountains.

 

Minute

extremely small

A minute piece of dust must have got into the watch.

 

miniature

much smaller than the usual size

He has a miniature camera.

 

microscopic

extremely small, or so small that you need to use a microscope to see it

It was a microscopic mark and didn’t spoil the appearance of the table.  They study microscopic organisms such as bacteria and viruses.

 

Antonyms:

 

big

of a large size

huge

of a very large size

 

smell noun

Synonyms: smell, odour, aroma, scent, stink

 

smell

something which you can sense with your nose

I love the smell of coffee.  She noticed a smell of gas downstairs.

 

Odour

a smell, especially an unpleasant smell

the odour of rotten eggs

 

aroma

a pleasant smell of something you can eat or drink

the aroma of freshly baked bread

 

scent

a pleasant smell of a particular type

the scent of flowers in the garden

 

stink

(informal) a very unpleasant smell

the stink of cigarette smoke

 

stop verb

Synonyms: stop, end, pause, cease

Antonyms: begin, continue

 

Synonyms:

 

stop

not to do something any more

At last it stopped raining and we could go out.  She spoke for two hours without stopping.

 

end

when something ends, it reaches the point when it stops happening

The film ends with a wedding.  The concert should end at about 10 o’clock.

 

Pause

to stop or rest for a short time before continuing

She ran along the road, only pausing for a second to look at her watch.

 

cease

(formal) to stop, or to stop doing something

It seemed that the fighting would never cease.

 

Antonyms:

 

begin

to start doing something

 

continue

to go on doing something or happening

 

strong adjective

Synonyms: strong, sturdy, powerful, fit, mighty

Antonym: weak

 

Synonyms:

 

strong

having a lot of force or strength

The string broke – we need something stronger.  Strong winds blew some tiles off the roof.

 

Sturdy

well made and not easily damaged

The shelter seemed quite sturdy.  a pair of sturdy walking boots

 

powerful

having a lot of force, influence or capability

This model has a more powerful engine.  The treasurer is the most powerful person in the organisation.  The new computers are extremely powerful.

 

fit

healthy, strong and having a lot of physical energy

He isn’t fit enough to go back to work.  You’ll have to get fit if you’re going to run in that race.

 

Mighty

(literary) having a lot of force or strength

With one mighty heave he lifted the sack onto the lorry.

 

Antonym:

 

weak

not strong

 

 

stupid adjective

Synonyms: stupid, silly, foolish, irresponsible, senseless

Antonyms: sensible, wise

 

Synonyms:

 

stupid

behaving in a way that is not sensible, or resulting from this

It was stupid of her not to wear a helmet when riding on her scooter.  He made several stupid mistakes.

silly

stupid in an annoying way

Don’t be silly – you can’t go to the party dressed like that!  She asked a lot of silly questions.

 

foolish

showing a lack of intelligence or good judgment

That was a rather foolish thing to do.  It would be foolish to risk your life.

 

irresponsible

acting or done in a way that shows a lack of good sense

It was an irresponsible attitude for a parent to have.  Leaving the children alone was very irresponsible.

 

senseless

done for no good reason

a senseless attack on an old lady  It’s senseless to buy clothes you don’t need.

 

Antonyms:

 

sensible

showing good judgment

 

wise

able to make good judgments because of experience

 

 

subject noun

Synonyms: subject, topic, subject matter, matter, theme

subject

an area of knowledge which you are studying

Maths is his weakest subject.  You can take up to five subjects at the higher level.

 

topic

the subject of a discussion or conversation

Can we move on to another topic?

 

subject matter

the subject dealt with in something such as a book or TV programme

The subject matter of the book is family relationships.

 

matter

something you are dealing with, especially a concern or problem

Now we’ll turn to the important matter of how much it will cost.  This is a matter for the police.

 

theme

the main subject of a book or article

The theme of the book is how to deal with illness in the family.

 

suggest verb

Synonyms: suggest, recommend, advise, propose

 

suggest

to mention an idea to see what other people think of it

The chairman suggested that the next meeting should be held in October. What does he suggest we do in this case?

 

recommend

to tell someone that it would be good to do something

I would recommend that you talk to the bank manager.  This restaurant was recommended by a friend.

 

advise

to suggest to someone what they should do

He advised her to save some of the money.

 

propose

(formal) to make a suggestion

I propose that we all go for a swim.

 

 

talent noun

Synonyms: talent, gift, aptitude, knack

 

talent

an unusual natural ability, especially for something artistic

She has a talent for getting customers to spend money.  Her many talents include singing and playing the piano.

 

gift

a natural ability for doing something well

She has a gift for making people feel welcome.  He has a gift for maths.

 

aptitude

a natural ability that can be developed further

She has an aptitude for learning languages.

 

knack

(informal) an ability or tendency to do something, often something wrong

She has a knack for talking to strangers.  He has this knack of accidentally offending people.

 

teach verb

Synonyms: teach, educate, train, coach, instruct, tutor

Antonym: learn

 

Synonyms:

 

teach

to show someone how to do something

She taught me how to dance.  He teaches maths in the local school.

 

educate

to teach someone in a school or college, or give them information that they need

She was educated in Switzerland.  We need to educate young people about the dangers of alcohol.

 

train

to teach someone or an animal how to do a particular activity

She’s being trained to be a bus driver.  The dogs are trained to smell and find illegal substances.

 

coach

to give private lessons to someone in a particular sport, subject or activity

He coaches young footballers.

 

instruct

(formal) to show someone how to do something

We were all instructed in the use of the fire safety equipment.

 

tutor

(formal) to teach a small group of students

She earns extra money by tutoring foreign students in English.

 

Antonym:

 

learn

to find out about something, or about how to do something

 

 

temporary adjective

Synonyms: temporary, fleeting, passing, shortlived

Antonyms: permanent, lasting

 

Synonyms:

temporary

existing or lasting only for a limited time

She has a temporary job with a construction company.  This arrangement

is only temporary.

 

fleeting

lasting for a very short time only

She only caught a fleeting glimpse of her attacker.

 

passing

causing interest for a short time only

It’s just a passing fashion.

 

shortlived

lasting for a short time only

Their enthusiasm for the project was very shortlived.

 

Antonyms:

 

permanent

lasting or intended to last for ever

 

lasting

which lasts for a long time

 

thin adjective

Synonyms: thin, slim, slender, skinny

Antonyms: fat, overweight

 

Synonyms:

 

thin

not fat

The table has very thin legs.  He looks too thin – he should eat more.

 

slim

with a body that is thin in an attractive way

How do you manage to stay so slim?  She looks slimmer in that dress.

 

slender

long and thin, or tall and slim

slender fingers  a slender flower stem  a girl with a slender figure

 

skinny

too thin to be attractive

A tall skinny guy walked in.  She has very skinny legs.

 

Antonyms:

fat

having too much flesh or weighing too much

 

overweight

having a body that weighs too much

 

think verb

Synonyms: think, assume, reason, conclude, work out, figure out

 

think

to have an opinion

I think going by train is more relaxing than driving.  Do you think it’s going to rain?

 

assume

to imagine or believe that something is true

Let’s assume that he is innocent.  I assume you have enough money to pay for the meal?

 

reason

to think or to plan something carefully and sensibly

He reasoned that any work is better than no work, so he took the job.  If you take the time to reason it out, you’ll find a solution to the problem.

 

conclude

to come to an opinion from the information available

The police concluded that the thief had got into the building through the broken kitchen window.

 

work out

to solve a problem by looking at information or calculating figures

I’m trying to work out if we’ve sold more this year than last.

 

figure out

to try to think of an answer to a problem

We’re trying to figure out if we have enough time to visit both places.

 

 

try verb

Synonyms: try, attempt, strive, endeavour

 

try

to make an effort to do something

I tried to phone her number three times.  You have to try hard if you want to succeed.

 

attempt

to try to do something, especially something difficult

She attempted to lift the box onto the table.

 

strive

to try very hard to do something, especially over a long period of time

He always strove to do as well as his brother.  Everyone is striving for a solution to the dispute.

 

endeavour

(formal) to try very hard to do something

He endeavoured to contact her by both phone and fax.

 

type noun

Synonyms: type, kind, sort, category, species, genre

 

type

a group of people, animals or things that are similar to each other

This type of bank account pays 10% interest.  What type of accommodation are you looking for?

 

kind

a type of something

A butterfly is a kind of insect.  Which kinds of people usually come to these events?

 

sort

a type of something

Do you like this sort of TV show?  What sort of car have you got?

 

category

one of the groups that people, animals or things are divided into in a formal system

We grouped the books into categories according to subject.

 

species

a group of living things such as animals or plants which can breed with each other

Several species of butterfly are likely to become extinct.

 

genre

a type of something artistic such as art, literature or theatre

the three main literary genres of prose, poetry and drama

 

unattractive adjective

Synonyms: unattractive, ugly, unsightly, hideous, plain

Antonyms: attractive, pretty

 

Synonyms:

unattractive

not attractive

Her husband is a rather unattractive man.  The house is unattractive from the outside.

 

ugly

unpleasant to look at

What an ugly pattern!  The part of the town round the railway station is even uglier than the rest.

 

unsightly

a more polite word than ‘ugly’

She has an unsightly scar on her face.

 

hideous

extremely unpleasant to look at

Where did she get that hideous dress?

 

plain

a more polite word than ‘unattractive’, used for describing a person

His two daughters are rather plain.

 

Antonyms:

 

attractive

having features which people like

 

pretty

a pretty woman or girl has a face that is quite attractive

 

uncertain adjective

Synonyms: uncertain, doubtful, unsure, in doubt, dubious, sceptical

Antonyms: certain, convinced

 

Synonyms:

uncertain

not sure, or not decided

She is uncertain whether to accept the job.  He’s uncertain about what to do next.  Their plans are still uncertain.

 

doubtful

not sure that something is right or good, or not likely

I am doubtful about whether we should go.  It is doubtful whether the race will take place because of the snow.

 

unsure

not sure

She was unsure whether to go to work or to stay at home.  I’m unsure as to which route is the quickest.

 

in doubt

not yet known or definite, or not yet sure

The result of the game was in doubt until the last minute.  I’m in doubt about whether I should accept their invitation.

 

dubious

thinking that something might not be true or good

Everyone else seems to believe her story, but personally I’m dubious about it.  I’m dubious about getting involved.

 

sceptical

thinking that something is probably not true or good

You seem sceptical about his new plan.  I’m sceptical of the need for these changes.

 

Antonyms:

 

certain

sure about something

 

convinced

very certain

 

 

usual adjective

Synonyms: usual, normal, routine, traditional, customary

Antonyms: exceptional, irregular

 

Synonyms:

 

usual

done or used on most occasions

She took her usual bus to the office.  Is it usual for him to arrive so late?

 

normal

usual or expected by most people

We hope to restore normal service as soon as possible  At her age it’s only normal for her to want to go to parties.

 

routine

done as part of a regular pattern of activities

He went to the doctor for a routine examination.

traditional

done in a way that has been used for a long time

The dancers were wearing their traditional regional costumes.

 

customary

(formal) usual

He handled the situation with his customary efficiency.  It’s customary to give taxi drivers a tip.

 

Antonyms:

 

exceptional

being an exception

 

irregular

not happening always at the same time

 

very adverb

Synonyms: very, extremely, exceptionally, remarkably

 

very

used to make an adjective or adverb stronger

It’s very hot in the car – why don’t you open a window?  The time seemed to go very quickly when we were on holiday.

 

Extremely

to a very great degree

It was extremely hot in August.  She reacted extremely angrily.

 

exceptionally

to a very great degree, often so great as to be surprising

an exceptionally rude man  You dealt with the situation exceptionally bravely.

 

remarkably

to an unusually great degree, or in an unusual way

She remained remarkably calm.  She performed remarkably well in both

events.

 

want verb

Synonyms: want, wish, long, desire

 

want

to hope that you will do something, that something will happen, or that you will get something

She wants a new car for her birthday.  Where do you want to go for your holidays?  He wants to be a teacher.

 

wish

to want something to happen

She sometimes wished she could live in the country.  I wish you wouldn’t be so unkind!

 

long

to want something very much

I’m longing for a cup of tea.  Everyone was longing to be back home.

 

desire

(formal) to want something

Most of us desire a large comfortable home.

 

watch verb

Synonyms: watch, look, observe, stare

Antonyms: ignore, overlook

 

Synonyms:

watch

to look at and notice something

Did you watch the TV news last night?  Everyone was watching the children dancing.

 

look

to turn your eyes to see something

I want you to look carefully at this photograph.  If you look out of the office window you can see our house.  He opened the lid of the box and looked inside.

 

Observe

to watch something with a lot of attention

Scientists observed the behaviour of the animals for several days.

 

stare

to look at someone or something for a long time

She stared sadly out of the window at the rain.

 

Antonyms:

 

ignore

not to notice someone or something deliberately

 

overlook

not to notice something

 

weak adjective

Synonyms: weak, feeble, frail, unhealthy

Antonyms: strong, healthy

 

Synonyms:

 

weak

not well and strong

After his illness he is still very weak.

 

feeble

physically weak, especially because of illness or age

He gave a feeble wave with his left hand.  The voice on the phone sounded feeble.

frail

physically weak, especially because of age

His grandmother is now rather frail.

 

unhealthy

not healthy, especially often ill

All their children are quite unhealthy.  I thought her face was an unhealthy colour.

 

Antonyms:

 

strong

having good health and strength

 

healthy

not ill, or not often ill

 

wet adjective

Synonyms: wet, damp, moist, soaking, waterlogged

Antonym: dry

 

Synonyms:

 

wet

covered in water or other liquid

She forgot her umbrella and got wet walking back from the shops.  The chair’s all wet where he knocked over his beer.

 

damp

slightly wet

She’d just had a shower and her hair was still damp.  The cellar has cold damp walls.

 

moist

slightly wet, often in a pleasant way

To clean the oven, just wipe it with a moist cloth.  The cake should be moist, not too dry.

 

soaking

very wet

Don’t let the dog into the kitchen – he’s soaking or he’s soaking wet.

 

waterlogged

relating to ground that is full of water, so the surface stays wet for a long time

After so much rain, the pitch is waterlogged.  Most plants cannot grow in

waterlogged soil.

 

Antonym:

 

dry

containing little or no water

 

work noun

Synonyms: work, labour, drudgery, graft

 

work

things that you do using your strength or your brain

There’s a great deal of work still to be done on the project.  There’s too much work for one person.  If you’ve finished that piece of work, there’s plenty more to be done.  Cooking for two hundred people every day is hard work.

 

labour

work, especially hard physical work

Does the price include the cost of labour?

 

drudgery

boring work that you do not enjoy

Most of the work in the office is sheer drudgery.

 

graft

(informal) very hard work that needs a lot of energy

She has succeeded through sheer hard graft.

 

worry noun

Synonyms: worry, anxiety, problem, responsibility, burden

 

worry

something that makes you anxious

Go on holiday and try to forget your worries.

 

anxiety

nervous worry about something

Her anxiety about her job prospects began to affect her health.  The cost of the treatment is one of my main anxieties.

 

problem

something that causes difficulty

We’re having problems with the new computer system.

 

responsibility

something that someone is responsible for

It’s my responsibility to lock the doors at night.  Your children are not my responsibility.

 

burden

something that is hard to deal with

Looking after the dog is sometimes quite a burden.

 

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