| to officially end a law, a system or an institution | This tax should be ABOLISHED. |
| the deliberate ending of a pregnancy at an early stage | a woman’s right to ABORTION |
| the fact of somebody being away from a place where they are usually expected to be; the occasion or period of time when somebody is away | We did not receive any news during his long ABSENCE. |
| not in a place because of illness, etc or not present in something | He was ABSENT from work for two weeks. |
| extremely silly; not logical and sensible or things that are or that seem to be absurd | That uniform makes the guards look ABSURD. |
| a large quantity that is more than enough | he country has an ABUNDANCE of natural resources. |
| the use of something in a way that is wrong or harmful | He was arrested on charges of corruption and ABUSE of power |
| to make bad use of something, or to use so much of something that it harms your health | He systematically ABUSED his body with heroin and cocaine. |
| a school or college for special training | academy |
| to happen faster or earlier; to make something happen faster or earlier | Inflation continues to ACCELERATE. |
| the act of accepting a gift, an invitation, an offer, etc. | Please confirm your ACCEPTANCE (acceptance ) of this offer in writing. |
| that can be reached, entered, used, seen, etc. | The remote desert area is ACCESSIBLE only by helicopter. |
| an impressive thing that is done or achieved after a lot of work | It was one of the President's greatest ACCOMPLISHMENTS. |
| according to a rule or the way that somebody says that something should be done | IN ACCORDANCE WITH legal requirements |
| in a way that is appropriate to what has been done or said in a particular situation | We have to discover his plans and act ACCORDINGLY. |
| the fact of being responsible for your decisions or actions and expected to explain them when you are asked | the ACCOUNTABILITY of a company’s directors to the shareholders |
| responsible for your decisions or actions and expected to explain them when you are asked | The state spends taxpayers’ money and should be held ACCOUNTABLE. |
| to gradually get more and more of something over a period of time | By investing wisely she ACCUMULATED a fortune. |
| the process of gradually increasing or getting more and more of something over a period of time | the ACCUMULATION of wealth |
| a statement saying that you think a person is guilty of doing something wrong or illegal; the fact of accusing somebody | I don't want to make an ACCUSATION until I have some proof. |
| a person who is on trial for committing a crime | THE ACCUSED was found innocent. |
| that contains acid or has the essential characteristics of an acid; that has a pH of less than seven | it’s a very juicy fruit with a slightly ACID flavour. |
| the act of getting something, especially knowledge, a skill, etc. | theories of child language ACQUISITION |
| a unit for measuring an area of land; 4 840 square yards or about 4 050 square metres | a three-ACRE wood |
| the act of making something such as a device or chemical process start working | The ACTIVATION of several target genes results in two major effects. |
| a person who works to achieve political or social change, especially as a member of an organization with particular aims | Thousands of environmental ACTIVISTS joined the march to demand action on climate. |
| very serious or severe | an ACUTE illness is one that has quickly become severe and dangerous |
| the action or process of changing something, or of being changed, to suit a new purpose or situation | The process of ADAPTATION to a new school is difficult for some children. |
| to behave according to a particular law, rule, set of instructions, etc.; to follow a particular set of beliefs or a fixed way of doing something | For ten months he ADHERED TO a strict no-fat low-salt diet. |
| next to something | The planes landed on ADJACENT runways. |
| a small change made to something in order to correct or improve it | She went through a period of emotional ADJUSTMENT after her marriage broke up. |
| to manage and organize the affairs of a company, an organization, a country, etc. | The pension funds are ADMINISTERED by commercial banks |
| connected with organizing the work of a business or an institution | administrative |
| a person whose job is to manage and organize the public or business affairs of a company or an institution, or a person who works in an office dealing with records, accounts, etc. | Such organizational decisions are made by the hospital ADMINISTRATORS |
| the act of accepting somebody into an institution, organization, etc.; the right to enter a place or to join an institution or organization | Hospital ADMISSION is not necessary in most cases. |
| a young person who is developing from a child into an adult | ADOLESCENTS between the ages of 13 and 18 and the problems they face |
| the act of adopting a child; the fact of being adopted | She put the baby up for ADOPTION. |
| negative and unpleasant; not likely to produce a good result | Lack of money will have an ADVERSE effect on our research programme |
| a person who supports or speaks in favour of somebody or of a public plan or action | Canada was one of the strongest ADVOCATES of sanctions. |
| to support something publicly | The group does not ADVOCATE the use of violence. |
| connected with beauty and art and the understanding of beautiful things | an AESTHETIC appreciation of the landscape |
| the feeling of liking or loving somebody/something very much and caring about them | He didn't show his wife any AFFECTION |
| the situation that exists as a result of an important (and usually unpleasant) event, especially a war, an accident, etc | A lot of rebuilding took place in the AFTERMATH of the war |
| feelings of anger and hate that may result in threatening or violent behaviour | The research shows that computer games may cause AGGRESSION. |
| connected with the science or practice of farming | agricultural |
| a person who helps another person, especially a politician, in their job | He served as an AIDE to the former president. |
| although | He finally agreed, ALBEIT reluctantly, to help us. |
| able to think quickly; quick to notice things | Suddenly he found himself awake and fully ALERT. |
| a situation in which people are watching for danger and ready to deal with it | Police are warning the public to be on the ALERT for suspicious packages. |
| to warn somebody about a dangerous situation or one that requires immediate action | Neighbours quickly ALERTED the emergency services. |
| strange and frightening; different from what you are used to | an ALIEN environment |
| align (something) (with something) to arrange something in the correct position, or to be in the correct position, in relation to something else, especially in a straight line | Make sure the shelf is ALIGNED with the top of the cupboard. |
| arrangement in a straight line | our ALIGNMENT with leading Latin American companies |
| very similar | My sister and I do not look ALIKE. |
| in a very similar way | They tried to treat all their children ALIKE. |
| a public statement that is made without giving proof, accusing somebody of doing something that is wrong or illegal | Several newspapers made ALLEGATIONS of corruption in the city's police department. |
| to state something as a fact but without giving proof | The prosecution ALLEGES (that) she was driving carelessly. |
| expressed as though something is a fact but without giving any proof | crimes ALLEGEDLY committed during the war |
| an agreement between countries, political parties, etc. to work together in order to achieve something that they all want | The Social Democrats are now in ALLIANCE with the Greens. |
| to give something officially to somebody/something for a particular purpose | A large sum has been ALLOCATED for buying new books for the library. |
| an amount of money, space, etc. that is given to somebody for a particular purpose | We have spent our entire ALLOCATION for the year. |
| an amount of money that is given to somebody regularly or for a particular purpose | an ALLOWANCE of $20 a day |
| a country that has agreed to help and support another country, especially in case of a war | our European/NATO ALLIES |
| a chemical element. Aluminium is a light, silver-grey metal used for making pans, etc. | ALUMINIUM saucepans/window frames |
| doing something for pleasure or interest, not as a job | an AMATEUR photographer |
| a person who takes part in a sport or other activity for pleasure, not as a job | The tournament is open to both AMATEURS and professionals. |
| an official who lives in a foreign country as the senior representative there of their own country | the British AMBASSADOR to Italy/in Rome |
| to change a law, document, statement, etc. slightly in order to correct a mistake or to improve it | He asked to see the AMENDED version. |
| a small change or improvement that is made to a document or proposed new law; the process of changing a document or proposed new law | She made several minor AMENDMENTS to her essay. |
| in the middle of or during something, especially something that causes excitement or fear | He finished his speech AMID tremendous applause. |
| a comparison of one thing with another thing that has similar features; a feature that is similar | The teacher drew an ANALOGY between the human heart and a pump. |
| a heavy metal object that is attached to a rope or chain and dropped over the side of a ship or boat to keep it in one place | The ship lay at ANCHOR two miles off the rocky coast. |
| a spirit who is believed to be a servant of God, and is sent by God to deliver a message or perform a task. Angels are often shown dressed in white, with wings. | She wore a white costume with big furry ANGEL wings. |
| (of a person) with a name that is not known or that is not made public | The money was donated by a local businessman who wishes to remain ANONYMOUS. |
| the tools or other pieces of equipment that are needed for a particular activity or task | Firefighters needed breathing APPARATUS to enter the burning house. |
| attractive or interesting | Spending the holidays in Britain wasn't a prospect that I found particularly APPEALING. |
| physical desire for food | He suffered from headaches and loss of APPETITE. |
| to show your approval of somebody/something by clapping your hands or hitting your open hands together several times | He started to APPLAUD and the others joined in |
| that can be said to be true in the case of somebody/something | Much of the form was not APPLICABLE (= did not apply) to me. |
| to choose somebody for a job or position of responsibility | She has recently been APPOINTED to the committee. |
| pleasure that you have when you recognize and enjoy the good qualities of somebody/something | She shows little APPRECIATION of good music. |
| (of an action, a decision, a rule, etc.) not seeming to be based on a reason, system or plan and sometimes seeming unfair | The choice of players for the team seemed completely ARBITRARY. |
| relating to architecture and buildings | architectural |
| a collection of historical documents or records of a government, a family, a place or an organization; the place where these records are stored | We are collecting documents to build up an ARCHIVE. |
| a place with a flat open area in the middle and seats around it where people can watch sports and entertainment | plans to construct a new downtown ARENA |
| used (often before a comparative or superlative adjective) when you are stating an opinion that you believe you could give reasons to support | He is ARGUABLY the best actor of his generation. |
| to provide weapons for yourself/somebody in order to fight a battle or a war | The country was ARMING against the enemy. |
| a group or collection of things or people, often one that is large or impressive | a vast ARRAY of bottles of different shapes and sizes |
| to express or explain your thoughts or feelings clearly in words | She struggled to ARTICULATE her thoughts. |
| the grey or black powder that is left after something, especially tobacco, wood or coal, has burnt | ASH from the volcano fell over a wide area. |
| a strong desire to have or do something | He has never had any ASPIRATION to earn a lot of money. |
| to have a strong desire to achieve or to become something | he ASPIRED to a scientific career. |
| the murder of an important or famous person, especially for political reasons | The president survived a number of ASSASSINATION attempts. |
| the crime of attacking somebody physically | A significant number of indecent ASSAULTS on women go unreported. |
| to attack somebody violently, especially when this is a crime | Four women have been sexually ASSAULTED (assault ) in the area recently. |
| to come together as a group; to bring people or things together as a group | All the students were asked to ASSEMBLE ( assemble )in the main hall. |
| a group of people who have been elected to meet together regularly and make decisions or laws for a particular region or country | Power has been handed over to provincial and regional ASSEMBLIES. |
| to state clearly and definitely that something is true | She continued to ASSERT that she was innocent. |
| a statement saying that you strongly believe something to be true | He was correct in his ASSERTION that the minister had been lying. |
| a statement that something will certainly be true or will certainly happen, particularly when there has been doubt about it | Unemployment seems to be rising, despite repeated ASSURANCES to the contrary. |
