| very interesting because of being unusual or not having an obvious answer | These discoveries raise INTRIGUING questions. |
| a person who examines a situation such as an accident or a crime to find out the truth | air safety INVESTIGATORS |
| that cannot be seen | stars INVISIBLE to the naked eye |
| to mention or use a law, rule, etc. as a reason for doing something | It is unlikely that libel laws will be INVOKED. |
| the act of taking part in something or dealing with somebody | When she was promoted, she missed the day-to-day INVOLVEMENT with customers. |
| showing that you really mean the opposite of what you are saying; expressing irony | an IRONIC comment |
| in a way that shows that you really mean the opposite of what you are saying; in a way that expresses irony | He smiled IRONICALLY. |
| the funny or strange aspect of a situation that is very different from what you expect; a situation like this | The IRONY is that when he finally got the job, he discovered he didn't like it. |
| not important to or connected with a situation | totally/completely/largely IRRELEVANT |
| the act of separating somebody/something; the state of being separate | The country has been threatened with complete ISOLATION from the international community unless the atrocities stop. |
| connected with a court, a judge or legal judgement | Greenpeace applied for a JUDICIAL review to challenge the court’s decision. |
| the place where two or more roads or railway lines meet | Come off the motorway at JUNCTION 6. |
| the authority that an official organization has to make legal decisions about somebody/something | The English court had no JURISDICTION over the defendants. |
| that most people consider to be morally fair and reasonable | a JUST decision/law/society |
| a good reason why something exists or is done | I can see no possible JUSTIFICATION for any further tax increases. |
| to take somebody away illegally and keep them as a prisoner, especially in order to get money or something else for returning them | Two businessmen have been KIDNAPPED by terrorists. |
| either of the two organs in the body that remove waste products from the blood and produce urine | a KIDNEY infection |
| a country that has a king or queen as head of state (= official leader of the country) | the United KINGDOM |
| a boy or young man | Things have changed since I was a LAD. |
| a person or company from whom you rent a room, a house, an office, etc.
a buy-to-let landlord (= who buys houses and flats in order to rent them out) | landlord |
| something, such as a large building, that you can see clearly from a distance and that will help you to know where you are | The Empire State Building is a familiar LANDMARK on the New York skyline. |
| the top part of your legs that forms a flat surface when you are sitting down | She sat with her hands in her LAP. |
| involving many people or things, especially over a wide area | Large areas of the forest will be cleared for ranching as part of a LARGE-SCALEdevelopment plan. |
| a device that gives out light in which all the waves oscillate (= change direction and strength) together, typically producing a powerful beam of light that can be used for cutting metal, in medical operations, etc. | a LASER navigation device |
| used to refer to the second of two things or people mentioned | The LATTER point is the most important. |
| the second of two things or people mentioned | He presented two solutions. The LATTER seems much better. |
| an area of ground covered in short grass in a garden or park, or used for playing a game on | The hotel boasts two tennis courts and a croquet LAWN. |
| a claim or complaint against somebody that a person or an organization can make in court | He filed a LAWSUIT against his record label |
| the way in which the parts of something such as the page of a book, a website, a garden or a building are arranged | the magazine’s attractive new page LAYOUT |
| a small hole that lets liquid or gas flow in or out of something by accident | a LEAK in the gas pipe |
| to allow liquid or gas to get in or out through a small hole | The tank had LEAKED a small amount of water. |
| a long or high jump | She took a flying LEAP and landed on the other side of the stream. |
| to jump high or a long way | The horse LEAPT a five-foot wall. |
| money or property that is given to you by somebody when they die | They each received a LEGACY of $5 000. |
| very famous and talked about a lot by people | Her patience and tact are LEGENDARY. |
| a law or a set of laws passed by a parliament | an important piece of LEGISLATION |
| connected with the act of making and passing laws | a LEGISLATIVE assembly/body/council |
| a group of people who have the power to make and change laws | the national/state LEGISLATURE |
| for which there is a fair and acceptable reason | It seemed a perfectly LEGITIMATE question. |
| very long, and often too long, in time or size | I had to go through the LENGTHY process of obtaining a visa. |
| (of a woman) sexually attracted to other women; connected with lesbians | the LESBIAN and gay community |
| not as great in size, amount or importance as something/somebody else | They were all involved to a greater or LESSER degree (= some were more involved than others). |
| causing or able to cause death | She had been given a LETHAL dose of poison. |
| legally responsible for paying the cost of something | You will be LIABLE for any damage caused. |
| willing to understand and respect other people’s behaviour, opinions, etc., especially when they are different from your own; believing people should be able to choose how they behave | LIBERAL attitudes/views/opinions |
| a person who understands and respects other people’s opinions and behaviour, especially when they are different from their own | He liked to think of himself as a LIBERAL. |
| the act or process of freeing a country or a person from the control of somebody else | a war of LIBERATION |
| freedom to live as you choose without too many limits from government or authority | The concept of individual LIBERTY is enshrined in the constitution. |
| to give somebody official permission to do, own, or use something | The new drug has not yet been LICENSED in the US. |
| lasting or existing all through your life | Her LIFELONG ambition had been to learn how to fly. |
| the chance of something happening; how likely something is to happen | There is very little LIKELIHOOD of that happening. |
| an arm or a leg; a similar part of an animal, such as a wing | For a while, she lost the use of her LIMBS. |
| the people who are going to take part in a particular event | Jones has not been included in the quarter-final LINE-UP. |
| of or in lines | In his art he broke the laws of scientific LINEAR perspective. |
| to continue to exist for longer than expected | The civil war LINGERED on well into the 1930s. |
| a list, especially an official or published list of people or things, often arranged in alphabetical order | a comprehensive LISTING of all airlines |
| the ability to read and write | a campaign to promote adult LITERACY |
| a large organ in the body that cleans the blood and produces bile | He had a LIVER transplant at the age of 12. |
| a large area inside the entrance of a public building where people can meet and wait | Long-distance calls can only be made from the LOBBY of the hotel. |
| to try to influence a politician or the government and, for example, persuade them to support or oppose a change in the law | Women's groups are LOBBYING to get more public money for children. |
| a thick piece of wood that is cut from or has fallen from a tree | LOGS for the fire |
| to put information in an official record or write a record of events | The police LOG all phone calls. |
| a way of thinking or explaining something | The two parts of the plan were governed by the same LOGIC |
| that has existed or lasted for a long time | LONG-STANDING grievances were aired at the meeting. |
| having been the particular thing mentioned for a long time | his LONG-TIME colleague |
| to appear as a large shape that is not clear, especially in a frightening way | A dark shape LOOMED / loom up ahead of us. |
| a shape like a curve or circle made by a line curving right round | The road went in a huge LOOP around the lake. |
| the quality of being constant in your support of somebody/something | They swore their LOYALTY to the king. |
| machines as a group, especially large ones | agricultural/industrial MACHINERY |
| containing magic; used in magic | Her words had a MAGICAL effect on us. |
| an official who acts as a judge in the lowest courts of law | to come up before the MAGISTRATES |
| behaving like a magnet; that can be attracted by a magnet | The block becomes magnMAGNETICetic when the current is switched on. |
| (formal) the great size or importance of something; the degree to which something is large or important | a discovery of the first MAGNITUDE |
| the main area of land of a country or region, not including any islands near to it | a boat to/from THE MAINLAND |
| considered normal because it reflects what is done or accepted by most people | MAINSTREAM economists/journalists |
| the ideas and opinions that are thought to be normal because they are shared by most people; the people whose ideas and opinions are most accepted | His radical views place him outside the MAINSTREAM of American politics. |
| the act of keeping something in good condition by checking or repairing it regularly | The school pays for heating and the mainteMAINTENANCEnance of the buildings. |
| the authority to do something, given to a government or other organization by the people who vote for it in an election | The election victory gave the party a clear MANDATE to continue its programme of reform. |
| required by law | It is MANDATORY for blood banks to test all donated blood for the virus. |
| to show something clearly, especially a feeling, an attitude or a quality | Social tensions were MANIFESTED in the recent political crisis. |
| (disapproving) to control or influence somebody/something, often in a dishonest way so that they do not realize it | They managed to MANIPULATE us into agreeing to help. |
| (disapproving) behaviour that controls or influences somebody/something, often in a dishonest way so that they do not realize it | Advertising like this is a cynical MANIPULATION of the elderly. |
| a copy of a book, piece of music, etc. before it has been printed | an unpublished/original MANUSCRIPT |
| an organized walk by many people from one place to another, in order to protest about something, or to express their opinions | protest MARCHES |
| to walk with stiff regular steps like a soldier | Soldiers were MARCHING up and down outside the government buildings. |
| small and not important | a MARGINAL improvement in weather conditions |
| connected with the sea and the creatures and plants that live there | MARINE life |
| the activity of competing with other companies to buy and sell goods, services, etc. | They have successfully adapted to the demands of the global MARKETPLACE. |
| something that you wear over your face to hide it, or to frighten or entertain other people | In the second part of the play, the actors take off their MASKS. |
| the killing of a large number of people especially in a cruel way | the bloody MASSACRE of innocent civilians |
| connected with or involving mathematics | MATHEMATICAL calculations/problems/models |
| (of a child or young person) behaving in a sensible way, like an adult | a MATURE and sensible attitude |
| to become fully grown or developed | Technology in this field has MATURED considerably over the last decade. |
| to increase something as much as possible | to MAXIMIZE efficiency/fitness/profits |
| serious and important | a MEANINGFUL relationship/discussion/experience |
| in the period of time between two times or two events | My first novel was rejected by six publishers. IN THE MEANTIME/MEANWHILE I had written a play. |
| connected with the Middle Ages (about AD 1000 to AD 1450) | MEDIEVAL architecture/castles/manuscripts |
| the practice of focusing your mind in silence, especially for religious reasons or in order to make your mind calm | She found peace through yoga and MEDITATION. |
| a tune, especially the main tune in a piece of music written for several instruments or voices | The MELODY is then taken up by the flutes. |
| an official note from one person to another in the same organization | to write/send a MEMO |
